Recovery Near You (RNY) attended the University of Wolverhampton’s Fresher’s event in the city centre. At University, young people might experiment more with drugs and alcohol, with the pressures of ‘partying’ and the newfound freedom tempting some down the wrong path. We wanted to help students understand more about drugs and alcohol and how they can harm you, as well as signposting our service.
Our team used interactive exhibits to show students the harms of drugs and alcohol:
We asked students to try on our ‘Alcohol Goggles’, which provide a simulation of what it’s like to be under the influence. We asked them to walk in a straight line or try to pick up something, helping illustrate how alcohol impairs judgement and awareness of their surroundings. This means young people can imagine how alcohol might lead them to do act irresponsibly or put themselves in danger.
We also had a whole box of ‘drug replicas’ to help educate students on harmful substances and lethal doses.
We spoke to students about Wolverhampton 360, which is our service for young people. Wolverhampton 360 offers treatment to young people under the age of 25 struggling with substance or alcohol misuse, social support for young people classed as ‘affected others’, as well as social support for whole families.