Columbia University Health Services

Go Ask Alice! is the health question and answer Internet service produced by the Alice! Health Promotion Program. If it's on your mind, it's probably on Go Ask Alice!

Questions

Alice! Columbia’s Health Promotion Program offers an Alcohol workshop that helps students: 

• Identify physiological changes caused by alcohol
• Discuss the effects of high-risk drinking
• Identify ways to reduce negative consequences associated with high-risk drinking
• Discuss ways to help someone who may have a problem with alcohol

For more information go to Workshops, Groups, and Training.

 

Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) offers a range of services for students who wish to explore concerns about their drinking or other drug use. Counselors are available to provide individualized assessment, help students deal more effectively with peer pressure to use alcohol, discuss concerns about friends, roommates or family members drinking or drug use, and help to address issues of alcohol or drug dependency. Staff members provide short-term individual and group counseling as well as referrals to private therapists and treatment programs. CPS groups that focus on substance abuse issues include an Early Recovery group and an Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOA) group. Students are also welcome to come in for a "Drinker's Check-up," an individualized assessment and information session designed to provide feedback about the student's use of alcohol and other drugs and support for making healthier choices. Go to Making Appointments .

Adult Children of Alcoholics
Support group focusing on relationships and self-esteem issues for children of alcoholics. For more information go to Workshops, Groups, and Training.

Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Program (SVPRP) provides comprehensive and integrated education, support and advocacy about sexual and relationship violence. The program supports survivors and fosters individual and collective action to end sexual and relationship violence. Many of the sexual assaults that occur on college campuses involve drinking or drug use by one or both of the parties. 

• Drinking can lower a person’s inhibitions and impair their judgment; it may make someone more likely to force sex on an unwilling partner. It may also impair a person’s ability to recognize a dangerous or uncomfortable situation.
• Alcohol is never an excuse for violent behavior. Sexual assault will still happen on this campus, even if alcohol is not involved.
• A person can be charged under Columbia’s Sexual Misconduct Policy if s/he has sex with someone who was mentally or physically incapacitated/impaired at the time and the perpetrator knew or reasonably should have known this.

The Barnard Columbia Rape Crisis/Anti-Violence Support Center provides peer counseling and advocacy services for survivors and co-survivors of sexual and relationship violence.