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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2001)
ly, October 3I),1[ -IIP weekend ng sessions. ! have the ;s when we ra kson said. 1 several drivers In semester uesday, October 30, 2001 BATTAL Page 3 Dangerous Addictions Drug problem on campus is more widespread than many believe By Kevin Burns THE BATTALION ued from h t issociate dirt s said the addin jpled with on- .rules this semes o the demanc , drivers, s level forever; ponentially fe Mathis said, kson, manaeer tions, said : te service hasci ers. Some 35dm j n S pj te 0 f Texas A&M’s reputation as a predominately conser- lined this semen; nive university, it cannot escape a problem that exists on virtually ery college campus: drug abuse. John, whose name has been changed for anonymity, is a former uguser and a current A&M student. He smoked marijuana for e first time when he was 16. John said drug use became a part of s life at a very young age and escalated rapidly into a full- :dged addiction. “The next drug that 1 tried was actually alcohol,” John said, advantage ofii [hen I went to GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyrate.” d format is thati Progressing to the next level, he began to peddle and make his new driversfe m GHB. tal nine-day foirJ “Iwent ahead and started making [GHB] and taking it and selling ntage is that we ■"John said. “That was a pretty big leap, I guess, from smoking weed drivers mid ffi little bit and drinking, to actually selling and producing drugs.” leed them." John said he first learned about GHB from his brother and decided id the shorter ca h try it. His addiction followed him to college and he frequently ig poses some® xperimented with other drugs, including ecstasy and LSD. ncluding the la owever, he said the ease and accessibility combined with euphor- volved in i: :effects made GHB especially appealing, trainers willine of a weekend at a school this size and age population, I am seeing more people that are using drugs other than alcohol,” Reardon said. Reardon’s work has been to help people stay off of drugs and feels the best method is abstinence. “If they’re using drugs, they’re really making a mistake,” Reardon said. “I would recommend, even if they’re using marijuana and even alcohol to an excess, they should talk to somebody about their use. [Habitual usage] can eventually grow to a problem for almost anybody. Harder drugs are more difficult to deal with. Plus, it puts you close to criminal activity.” Reardon said another reason people should not use drugs is because there is no way to trust them as products. “The people that are making the harder drugs and selling them [are] criminals,” he said. “They really don’t care what happens to you as long as you give them money.” Reardon also points out that dealers may use false advertising in selling to potential buyers. “Let’s say they try to sell you ecstasy. How do you know it’s ecstasy? It could be anything. They cut it with anything they’ve got on said. “We do sties that say oil* Irivers are mistakes until ill nough to lean: i semester for tte ne comfortable “It was incredible, kind of like a euphoric feeling, but I was still ;ry alert and felt that I was in complete control,” John said. “I was ist very happy. I was short at the time and I heard it was a growth ould prefertodoj ormone — it was like the dream drug for me.” Since considering the financial and mental detriments of drug .‘sters. I feel cclbuse, John said he decided to stop taking drugs and has been drug- rivers trained in;* ee for several months, re as goodastb; “Drugs are expensive and they do damage your brain,” John said, rough the reel I've seen plenty of older people who excessively use drugs and aren’t like mentally there — they just aren’t as alert as one should be.’ Also, John said he believes the disease of addiction is a harsh alky that happens to many people. “I didn’t want to fall victim to [addiction],” John said. “I figured was good preventative maintenance just to stop doing [drugs] comfortabledn ompletely and not put myself at risk. I’ve got better things to do the traffic. 16 'ithmytime, things that are more productive.” While this is just one story of a drug reality that continues to row at A&M, Dr. Dennis Reardon, a licensed drug therapist with te Department of Student Life, said the problem is more wide- id training * preadthan one might think, veral week nic ^Although] there is less drug use here ... than you would expect n instruction, he classroom f. jctio/i offered • classroom is conderf ‘The classes by allowing ) interact wii Jsired. The driviif| live since we ; to one student a versus the to instructor nd in a e. There is ne.” AMI V BA I IN • THE BATTALION 1. to make it go further, and some of it is hazardous materials like strychnine,” he said. For Reardon, the bottom line is the issue of legality. “There are no legitimate sources for illegitimate drugs,” he said. Many people believe ecstasy, or MDMA is harmless and has few side effects, but Reardon said the actual damage incurred by the user proves that is not the case. “[Drug abuse] is harmful and changes the structure of the brain cell itself at the most important level,” Reardon said. “[Ecstasy] distorts the structure and the connection between nuerons and axons. In other words, things that made sense before will no longer make sense. Another side effect is one’s body overheating to the point of a heat stroke, possibly to the point of death.” Sara, who also wishes to remain anonymous, said her drug life began during her freshman year at A&M. She said she feels it is unfair that cigarettes and alcohol are legal while marijuana is not, and said she has no plans of ending her once-to-twice-a-month habit despite its illegality. “Obviously it is a crime because it’s against the law, but I think it’s healthier than drinking a lot of alcohol and getting drunk — physically and mentally,” Sara said. “Alcohol will get you drunk, cigarettes will get you buzzed and marijuana will too — so they are all in the same genre, as far as what they do to you. I don’t under stand the legal rationale.” Sara also said she agrees that usage will affect one’s ability to function on the job or in everyday circumstances. “I had a good friend my freshman year — a completely average guy, doing good in classes, etc. Now he is the biggest druggie I know,” Sara said. “His grades have completely dropped, and he’s out of the business school. He smokes a lot, [and] it’s obviously affecting him.” In spite of witnessing the toll drugs can take on another’s life, Sara said she sees a distinction based on character and personal maturity between a casual user and “druggie.” “I think it takes mature people to determine what is over the top and too much,” she said. “It’s the same with alcohol, it can effect you, and you’ll become an alcoholic. You have to know when too much is too much.” Regardless of the justification that marijuana is controllable with self-restraint and conservative usage, Reardon said this view is a widely-held misconception. “Contrary to popular belief, people can get physiologically and psychologically addicted to marijuana,” Reardon said. Yet for many drug abusers, this truth is realized too late. 1805 Biiarcrest BRYAN 979-776-0999 a® ve/ CoueAu! Cota 1 ' ? 77,ve Times— 1 Friday L . 7:15 & 9:00 60H‘' ! E THE I INNING * Smoking Room SkcotiTT • run Tabs Anna" 1 '>«■ un>r /,<n.tflwnftoi Won Each Wttl 1309 S.Texas Ave. Bryan,TX 77803 SERVICE SPECIALS .SSLE fre Y FORD Ttyford.net JO salesman NEED THEM! DEBATES REST LOANS AD PROGRAMS iNDCLOSE-OLl ELALS! E-mail us at ityford.net) ’truly — Crhbu.rf Hi Imr ITTALI1 ' Creel in Chief iebatt.com 5-4726) is published^ luring the fall and trough Thursday dull# University holidays^ >&M University. Peiio® 8 Station, IX 77840. rhanges to the ft®** 1TAMU, College Stats*” department is manag^ riversity in (be MS* 1 * of the OepaittCfJ re in 014 Reed McW* e: 845-3313; Fat ' ©thebatt.com; Web # advertising does rot rnt by The al display dvertising, call - )15 Reed McDorabT 5 p.m. Monday he Student ServWjf udent to pick up s opy free, additional' $60 per school yea’^ >r, $17.50 for the si# srge by Visa, Masted s, call 845-2611. I OIL CHANGE SPECIAL « including up to 6 Qts. & filter 19.95 + tax BRAKE SPECIAL per axle, includes pads & resurfacing rotors 99.95. some SUV’s and trucks slightly higher WINTERIZE YOUR CAR EARLY i Including coolant replacement inspection of belts and hoses 59.95 + tax | 10% OFF 60,000 / 120,000 miles TIMING BELT REPLACEMENT: Includes new timing belt, balance belt (if applicable) cam shaft & crank shaft seals, new water pump and thermostat. 10% OFF 30,60,90,1 20K miles MAINTENANCE SERVICE Includes oil & filter change, rotate & balance tires, inspect clean & adjust front and rear brakes, replace engine coolant, replace PCV valve throttle body, flush fuel injectors, inspect all belts and hoses, lubricate all door hinges & locks, includes a complimentary wash & vacuum. Call to schedule your drop off time or arrange for pick-up and delivery in the Bryan-College Station area (979)822-5454. Must present coupon at time of drop off. Service hours are from 7:30-6:00 Monday thru Friday. You can order your Mitsubishi or Suzuki, parts or make service appointments online at www.tranumimports.com Whether by Web or by phone, are you ready. V-'v- t vK A ' ,.. to register for classes? Next week registration for Spring 2002 starts, and in addition to the phone, you'll also be able to register over the Web. That’s right. Besides using your phone, you’ll be able to use your computer and a Web browser this semester to search and register for classes, add and drop fees, and calculate your tuition for the Spring semester. But to make sure you’re ready, you’ll want to: -Know your start date/time. Your registration start date and time has been sent to your Neo e-mail account and has also been posted on screens 801 and 803 of the BONFIRE system. -Make sure you're not blocked. You can’t register (by Web or by phone) if you have been blocked. Blocks may be checked on BONFIRE screen 805 or through the telephone registration system. -Check the Web registration instructions. Read up on instructions for using the Web registration system as well as browser versions and settings. Instructions are posted on http://register.tamu.edu/. If you need more information or have questions about registration for Spring 2002 (by Web or by phone), contact the Registration Help Desk, Monday through Friday, from Sam to 5pm at (979) 845-4374 during published registration periods. ister.tamu.edu/