Heavy use of alcohol or drugs is a serious problem, and it requires professional help. It impairs your thinking, blunts your writing, disrupts your sleep, and cuts into your time. Even more important, heavy drinking and drug use are signs of real personal difficulties - and often sources of those difficulties as well. They can threaten everything you care about: your health, your schoolwork, your friendships, and your family. Eating problems such as anorexia and bulimia fall into the same dangerous category. Unfortunately, they won’t go away by themselves. Time alone won’t cure them.

If these are problems in your life, or if you fear they might be, seek help. Do it sooner rather than later. Make an appointment at your student mental health center, which has the resources to deal with them and considerable experience doing so. There are also some wonderful self-help groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, that provide lifesaving support for participants. They’ve lasted because they work. Most campuses have chapters, and all cities do.

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