Stacey SpiehlerIt’s Thursday night on a home game weekend. The drinks are strong and the music is loud. Class isn’t until 1 p.m. tomorrow and you and your friend already have plans for an Uber home. Friday might as well be 100 years from now.
Unfortunately, the sun will rise. Choose your typical Friday morning adventure:
A: Snooze alarm. Snooze alarm. Snooze alarm.
B: Can’t hear the alarm on your phone if you don’t know where it is.
A: Chug water straight from the bathroom sink, which tastes like the rivers of Eden instead of Oxford’s finest tap offering.
B: Look straight at the water in the toilet before The Reckoning.
A: Cringe at how generous you were with the Uber tip. You’re practically a philanthropist when you drink.
B: Cringe at the upcharges and rating from the Uber driver. You only got a little bit of mess on the door, and that washes off.
A: Walk into class at 12:59:59 with an iced coffee with an extra shot.
B: Miss your 3rd straight Friday class.
A: Homework with friends over lunch at the Union.
B: Your friends are avoiding you.
A: Pretend you didn’t send that text to your ex.
B: Pretend you didn’t send that text to your boss. It was meant for your ex.
If you picked mostly As:
Drink more water during your nights out, and keep a bottle of water next to your bed for when you wake up.
If you picked mostly Bs, you may be interested in the resources provided by the William Magee Center.
RebelADE teaches harm reduction, which seeks to arm each student with coping skills and behavior management strategies to reduce risk with substance use. RebelADE is not a recovery meeting teaching abstinence from substances — it’s a wellness class that meets Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and registration is free for students who enroll voluntarily. According to one source, the Monday class has rock climbing.
UM uses WellChats through the William Magee Center for more private, one-on-one discussions about worrisome choices. When a student signs up for WellChats, they are matched with a counselor on the UM staff who is trained to assess behavior choices and assist the student to find the best resources for positive change.
“We know that it isn’t always easy to make healthy choices,” their website reads. “Let’s chat about it.”
An additional benefit to WellChats is support for students who are worried about their peers. Setting boundaries with people engaging in dangerous substance use is a learned behavior, and WellChats wants to help.
Rebels in long-term recovery can check out the Collegiate Recovery Community. The CRC holds weekly meetings, participates in intramural sports, tailgates on the Grove and simply holds a space for students facing the unique challenges of striving for academic success and maintaining recovery. For more information on CRC, visit their Grove tent next to Yerba Hall this Saturday.
The William Magee Center is rooted in tragedy. David Magee wrote about his son’s dynamic life and death by overdose in an article for the Oxford Eagle in 2016, and his book “Dear William” hit shelves last week.
The roots of his tragedy have created a tree of hope for the University of Mississippi with the William Magee Center, however, ensuring that every Rebel has ample access to multiple avenues of support.
