The AdCare North Dartmouth Outpatient Clinic in Massachusetts is offering a College Substance Abuse Education Group, developed and administered by Alicen J. McGowan, director of outpatient services, the Herald News reported on February 21.

The group began at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in September as a pilot program with six students, and grew in January to twelve participants from various surrounding colleges. Students, some referred through courts or parents, attend a group meeting once a week with McGowan in addition to a weekly individual counseling session.

McGowan designed the program to resemble a college class, so that students felt comfortable. Sessions range in subject matter from the health effects of cocaine to the connection between prescription painkiller misuse and heroin use. The clinic also offers sessions on gambling, anger management, stress reduction and peer pressure.

During one session, the group explored the causes of alcohol dependency, and McGowan explained to the students that alcoholism is not only hereditary. "If you keep consuming, it can change your neurodependency," said McGowan.

"The first challenge is to get people to recognize the problem," said McGowan. "The next challenge is to get them to understand the problem."