Harm Reduction

"We aim to reduce alcohol-related risks and harm in the campus area. Our efforts operate simultaneously to reach individual students, the student body as a whole, and the greater college community. Use our toolkits, workshops and consultation services for party throwers and goers to keep it social, not slurred."

We're guided by the following principles:

1. Collaboration and Synergy – We partners with multiple campus, city, state, and national organizations;
2. Data-Driven and Evidenced-Based Strategies - We use ongoing data collection to examine our assets and challenges and chose strategies to address our unique campus alcohol-related risks and harm;
3. Harm Reduction/Risk Management - We accept, for better and for worse, that underage alcohol and substance use is part of our current campus culture and that there are personal and community alcohol practices that are clearly safer than others;
4. Environmental Risk Management - Approaches target individual drinkers with information and treatment, while necessary, leave intact the environmental conditions that drive the appeal and availability of alcohol - virtually ensuring that the culture continues. Environmental risk management unapologetically seeks to address the social, economic, legal, academic, physical and other factors that shape the alcohol culture for all members of the community;
5. Student and other Stakeholder Engagement – We all have a stake in preventing and practicing effective bystander intervention with high-risk alcohol behaviors, situations, and settings. We help all community members optimize their interests, skills, and availability.

For more general background see:

• Individual Strategies 
• Environmental Strategies
• Framework for Comprehensive Prevention - CPN

Our approach is yielding positive results!

• California Safer Schools Study
• PartySafe@Cal Case Study - Higher Ed Center for Alcohol and Other Drugs, 2012
• Place-Based Environmental Approach