Introduction
Substance use is commonly associated with university life. It’s true that some people will choose to drink alcohol and/or smoke cannabis at university, while others may choose not to do so. Thinking about your substance use and the decisions you would like to make before you are actually faced with those decisions is a great way to ensure you make decisions you won’t regret. – From the course home page
Substance use can be a difficult topic to discuss with students, but we felt it was important for students to think about as they began their university journey. Throughout this topic, we have made a conscious effort not to tell students what they should or should not do, but instead, focused on encouraging them to think about what they wanted their relationship with substances to be.
This topic contains four activities:
What can I expect substance use to be like at UVic?
How can substance use impact my life?
How can I navigate challenges?
Think Forward | My personal intention
By completing these activities, we hope that students will:
- Recognize common misconceptions regarding substance use at UVic
- Reflect on the benefits and harms they may experience from their substance use choices
- Develop a personal intention to avoid problematic substance use in their first year of university
- Identify challenges they may encounter (when trying to follow their personal intention) and select strategies to overcome these challenges
What can I expect substance use to be like at UVic?
What can I expect substance us to be like at UVic? is our introduction to the topic of substance use. We’re extremely upfront here about the approach we are taking with this topic: we’re not going to tell them what decisions they should make, but instead, we want to help them answer the question: what do I want my relationship with substances to be? We also use this activity to define what we mean when we talk about substance use, and to share five things about law and policy that we want to make sure they know and are factoring into their decisions.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will begin to:
- Recognize common misconceptions regarding substance use at UVic
>> View the full What can I expect substance use to be like at UVic? activity
How can substance use impact my life?
This activity encourages students to reflect on both the benefits and harms associated with substance use. Students are presented with a number of different choices they might make, such as not using substances or binge drinking every weekend, and asked to plot those choices on a graph of benefits vs. harms (and there are no right answers!). They are then asked to decide how much benefit vs. harm they are willing to accept, and reflect on how that will impact the choices they make.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will begin to:
- Recognize common misconceptions regarding substance use at UVic
Complete the How can substance use impact my life? activity. The activity will open in a new window. This activity works best on a laptop, desktop or tablet.
How can I navigate challenges?
It’s easy to set an intention with regards to substance use, but it’s sometimes hard to stick with that intention. Social pressure, stress, and so many other factors impact a student’s ability to stick with their intention. In this scenario-based activity, students are introduced to three fellow students, who each have a different intention when it comes to substance use. They then have to provide these students with the best advice to help them navigate through situations where their intention is challenged.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will begin to:
- Recognize common misconceptions regarding substance use at UVic
Complete the scenario-based How can I navigate challenges? activity. The activity will open in a new window. This activity works best on a laptop, desktop or tablet.
Think Forward | My personal intention
In the substance use Think Forward activity, students are asked to create their own personal intention for their own substance use. They are asked to think about what is too much, what is too often, how they will stay safe(r), and what impact they are willing to have on their community.
Learning outcomes: Students who complete this activity will begin to:
- Reflect on the benefits and harms they may experience from their substance use choices
- Develop a personal intention to avoid problematic substance use in their first year of university
>> View the full Think Forward | My personal intention activity
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