Resources | Alcohol & Drugs

Local Area Alcohol and Other Drug Misuse/Dependency Assessment and Treatment

The Student and Employee Health Center and Student Counseling Center are able to assist with referrals for substance misuse/dependency treatment.  

Students, staff, and faculty who are exploring treatment for a substance use concern can also check with their health insurance provider as many health care systems have their own internal treatment options.

Lifeworks Northwest | 503-645-9010
Fora Health (Formerly DePaul Treatment Center) | 503-693-3104
Pacific Alcohol and Drug Counseling | 503-624-9545
Serenity Lane | 503-244-4500 (Beaverton Office)
Cascadia Health | 503-230-9654

Additional Residential Chemical Dependency Treatment Centers in Oregon

Lifeworks Mountaindale | 503-647-0165
Milestones Family Recovery Program (Corvallis) | 503-753-2230
Northwest Behavioral Health (Gladstone) | 503-722-4470

Recovery Support

Alcoholics Anonymous
To find a group in you area: 503-223-8569

SMART Recovery
(Self Management and Recovery Training)

Narcotics Anonymous
Portland Area | 503-727-3733

Alanon/Alateen
A resource for people who love someone who has a problem with alcohol. They provide support groups and other resources.

Additional Resources and Information

Student Health Center | 503-352-2269
Student Counseling Center | 503-352-2191
 

Health Risks Associated with Alcohol and Other Drug/Substance Use (downloadable PDF)

APPENDIX | Updated October 2023

 

University Education Initiatives

The Student Counseling Center provides counseling adapted from the Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) and Brief Cannabis Screening and Intervention for College Students (CASICS) for students who are interested as well as those who have been referred from the Office of Student Conduct and/or through the Medical Amnesty Protocol.  BASICS and CASICS are preventive interventions that utilize harm-reduction approaches designed to help college students explore their substance use in a non-judgemental setting, reduce risky behavior and harmful consequences, identify changes that could help you reduce risk, and provide important information and skills for risk-reduction. 

Sanctioned Online Education Courses

Pacific University utilizes 3rd Millennium’s “Under the Influence” and “Marijuana 101” online educational courses as outcomes for violations of University policy related to alcohol and marijuana, respectively. Both courses are tailored to each user. Students receive a confidential and personalized profile that summarizes marijuana- or alcohol-related use and negative consequences, compares individual use with social norms, challenges personal expectations, provides a range of strategies to quit, and provides a range of substance-free strategies.

In Marijuana 101, six lessons cover a variety of key issues such as marijuana dependence, effects of marijuana, mental health issues, synthetic marijuana, local laws, legalization issues, and legal penalties associated with use.

In Under the Influence, the course includes seven lessons on key issues such as effects on health, drinking and driving, state-specific laws, and alcohol/prescription interactions.

Both courses are consistently updated with the latest and strongest drug and alcohol research available.

Alcohol Poisoning, Alcohol Abuse, and How to Help

Alcohol Poisoning Signs and Response

Alcohol is a Central Nervous System Depressant, so too much can have dangerous effects, such as slowing down and even stopping central nervous system functions (breathing, heart rate, and brain function) which can lead to death. So it is important that everyone knows how to recognize the signs of alcohol poisoning and what to do in that situation.

Symptoms of Alcohol Poisoning

  1. Person is unconscious or semi-conscious and cannot be awakened.
  2. Cold, clammy, pale or bluish skin (indicates blood is not flowing to organs and possible hypothermia)
  3. Slow or irregular breathing: less than 8 to 12 times per minute, or irregular breathing with 10 seconds or more between breaths
  4. Vomiting while “sleeping” or passed out, and not waking up after vomiting

If a person has ANY of these symptoms, he or she is suffering from ACUTE ALCOHOL INTOXICATION, which can be fatal and is a medical emergency. 

Follow These Steps

  1. Know the warning signs and do not wait for all the symptoms to be present to do something—just one symptom is enough to get medical help.
  2. Get help. Call someone, a staff member, an ambulance, CPS (2230)
  3. Do NOT leave the person alone. Turn the victim on his/her side to prevent choking in case of vomiting. You can put a pillow in the small of the person’s back to maintain this position.
  4. Someone (who is sober) needs to check the person every 10 to 15 minutes to make sure they are breathing regularly and have not vomited.
  5. Stay with the person until help has arrived.  Students who call for help and remain with the person until help arrives are covered under the University’s Medical Amnesty Protocol. 

Seeking Assistance

Any student who seeks medical assistance for someone experiencing an alcohol or substance-related emergency and remains with the person until help has arrived is covered by the University’s Medical Amnesty Protocol. This protocol limits sanctions to the educational level (ie, meeting with the Office of Student Conduct and/or Student Counseling Center) rather than escalated conduct sanctions.
Even if you don’t see the classic signs and symptoms, but suspect someone has alcohol poisoning, err on the side of caution: seek immediate medical care. In an emergency, follow these suggestions:

If the person is unconscious, breathing fewer than eight times a minute, or has repeated and uncontrolled vomiting, call 911. Even when someone is unconscious or has stopped drinking, alcohol continues to be released into the bloodstream and the level of alcohol in the body continues to rise. Never assume that a person will "sleep off" alcohol poisoning.

Don’t leave an unconscious person alone. While waiting for help, turn the person on their side; don’t try to make the person vomit. People who have alcohol poisoning have an impaired gag reflex and may choke on their own vomit or accidentally inhale (aspirate) vomit into their lungs, which could cause a fatal lung injury.

Your assistance and support in helping the University keep you and your fellow students safe is most appreciated.

How to Help Someone who has a Substance Abuse Problem

Being the friend of someone with a substance abuse problem can be really difficult. On one hand, you want to help them before they seriously injure themselves or someone else - on the other hand you don't want to upset them, get them in trouble, or ruin your friendship. Here are some tips on how to help someone you care about who has a substance abuse problem.

  • Show your concern for your friend and express how you feel about what you are seeing. Use "I" statements to diffuse defensiveness (e.g. "Conrad, I feel really scared when you get so drunk - I don't want anything to happen to you.")
  • Be considerate of your friend’s privacy; choose a time and place that is away from other people when you choose to have a conversation about the issue. Do not confront your friend while he or she is intoxicated or high; choose a time when you are both sober and calm.
  • Recognize that your friend may not realize that there is a problem, or your friend may become defensive and even deny that such a problem exists.
  • Focus the conversation on the behaviors that concern you, citing specific examples when your friend puts themselves or someone else at risk. Do not attack the person’s character, but stay focused on the behaviors and consequences.
  • Share with your friend the resources that are available on campus to help or support students with substance abuse problems or concerns. Make sure your friend knows where they can get this assistance. The Pacific University Student Counseling Center and Student and Employee Health Center are good resources.
  • Support your friends, but don’t protect them from the consequences of their behavior. Help them understand what those consequences are before it is too late.
  • Support your friend once they have recognized that there is a problem. Stick by when times are tough.
  • Do not feel that you must accept responsibility for your friend’s behavior.
  • Try to avoid putting yourself in a position in which you are invited to drink alcohol or use drugs with your friend.
  • Get support. This can be a tough time for your relationship. The Student Counseling Center offers consultation on this topic. Talking with a professional can sometimes give you new ideas or perspectives.

Warning Signs

Worried that you or your friend might have a drinking problem? If you answer yes to one or more of these warning signs, there may be an alcohol problem that needs to be addressed.

  • Getting drunk on a regular basis
  • Hiding or lying about how much alcohol he or she is using
  • Believing that alcohol is necessary to have fun
  • Having frequent hangovers
  • Feeling run-down, depressed, or even that life is not worth living
  • Experiencing “blackouts” – forgetting what occurred while drinking
  • Having problems at school or getting in trouble with the law (i.e. getting in fights, physically harming others, domestic disputes)
  • Avoiding friends in order to get drunk
  • Giving up activities he or she used to do – sports, homework, spending time with friends who don't drink
  • Having to drink more to get drunk
  • Constantly talking about drinking
  • Pressuring others to drink
  • Taking risks such as driving under the influence of alcohol or taking sexual risks
  • Missing school or work (or performing poorly at work or school) because of drinking