Substance Use and Harm Reduction Education

The T-Break Guide is a 21-day workbook to support you through a cannabis tolerance break. With a different topic covered each day, the T-Break Guide highlights tips and tricks to navigate life without cannabis during your T-Break, including sleep, eating, stress, creativity, and more.  Click below to learn more about this resource or download it for yourself.

We are committed to ensuring the UMD community has the knowledge, tools, and skills to intervene in a potential opioid overdose situation. 

Visit one of our Harm Reduction Resource Tables to access Naloxone (Narcan), Fentanyl Test Strips, Xylazine Test Strips, and more for FREE!

For a more in-depth education about opioid overdose response, consider taking one of our Overdose Response Trainings at the UHC! These one-hour training sessions cover the signs of an overdose, what to do in an emergency situation, information about laws and policies which protect you and the person you are assisting, and resources to support yourself in the aftermath.

For information about both of these opportunities to obtain life-saving resources, click on the button below

If training and tabling dates don't work for your schedule, you can also obtain Naloxone and Fentanyl/Xylazine Test Strip packs at the UHC Pharmacy any time.

For students who self-identify as being in recovery from substance use, our collegiate recovery program is growing, and we want you to be part of it!

Grab some free food and meet new friends in a low-key environment at one of our monthly Recovery Brunches, which occur on the first Friday of each month in Room 1150 of the Health Center.

Looking to be more involved?  Join Terps for Recovery, a student-led organization which aims to connect students in recovery, plan fun social events, and raise awareness about collegiate recovery at UMD! To learn more, please click email the Terps for Recovery staff advisor, Demi Morris (gmorris@umd.edu)

The Substance Use and Harm Reduction (SUHR) Team are the primary campus experts of substance use and harm reduction education, and we care deeply about ensuring our students are able to access evidence-based, stigma-free, and culturally-informed substance use and harm reduction information.

You-MD is a mandatory alcohol, cannabis, and opioid prevention onboarding training for all incoming first-year and transfer UMD students. For Fall 2024 incoming students, this self-paced, five-module course opens on August 19, and remains open to complete until September 20.  To learn more and access this training, please click here.

Note: this training is only for incoming first-year and transfer students - please do not enroll in this training if you do not fall into one of these two student categories.

The Substance Use and Harm Reduction (SUHR) Unit offers asynchronous, topic-specific introductory presentations about alcohol and cannabis through our Wellness Hub, which is available for use by any student group at any time, including fraternities and sororities looking to meet chapter requirements.

We are also available for a limited number of synchronous professional staff presentations for classrooms by request, based on availability.  To request a professional staff presentation, program, interview, or consultation regarding substance use education and programming, please email Madeleine Moore, the SUHR Program Manager, at mmoore56@umd.edu. 

Please note that at least 2 weeks’ notice is required for each request.

Harm Reduction Consultations are available to students who are looking for strategies to reduce the harms associated with their substance use behaviors.  Before visiting with our Substance Use and Harm Reduction (SUHR) Coordinator for a Harm Reduction Consultation, you may find it helpful to check out eCheckup to Go, a brief, anonymous, an interactive tool that allows you to examine your own personal use of alcohol or cannabis, in comparison with other students, both at University of Maryland and nationwide.  This is not a requirement to meet with the SUHR Coordinator, but rather a resource for you to access whenever you want to.  

All consultations will be virtual, and students will be given additional information once an appointment is scheduled.  A $25 no show fee is applied when appointments are not canceled in a timely manner; at least 24 hours before the appointment time. This fee may also apply for late arrivals and missed appointments. To cancel an appointment please call the appointment line 301.314.8184.

If you are experiencing significant distress please schedule an appointment with a trained substance use counselor in our Substance Use Intervention & Treatment Unit. Please note that if our SUHR Coordinator determines your substance use to be causing significant harm to your wellness during your Harm Reduction Consultation, you will be referred to the SUIT unit for additional substance use counseling support.

Of note, eCheckup to Go is sometimes required for other types of appointments in the Health Center, like appointments required as a result of Office of Student Conduct sanctions, but any eCheckup to Go requirements will be communicated to you clearly prior to those types of appointments.

If you are experiencing a crisis or a mental health emergency during regular business hours, please visit the University Health Center or Counseling Center.

Before you start drinking, make sure to enjoy a meal high in protein (i.e. cheeses, meats, black beans, peanuts, etc.). Having protein-rich food in your system before you start drinking will help to slow the absorption of alcohol, which helps control your blood alcohol levels.

If you decide to drink, there are many ways to pace yourself and make sure you have fun all night long! make sure to measure the amount of alcohol you put in the drink. Avoid taking drinks from someone you don’t know or from communal bowls as you may not be able to accurately measure the amount of alcohol in the drink. Have a system for keeping track of the number of drinks you consume.

We are living through challenging times that impact the ways in which we socialize with our friends.  While many students may not be going to large parties this semester, it is still important to Leave No Terp Behind.  At the University of Maryland, we believe in supporting one another, whether that is making sure a friend returns home safety after visiting a bar on Route 1, calling for emergency assistance if you see someone in showing signs of alcohol poisoning, or sharing concerns you have about a friend’s substance use, it is critical that every Terp knows that their community has their back.

At the end of the day, the only way to eliminate risks associated with drinking alcohol is to simply choose not to drink alcohol in the first place!  Whether you make that choice for yourself for one night, one semester, or your entire college career, know that you are in good company - 1 in 4 Terps choose not to drink at all during their time at UMD.  That said, if you do choose to drink, make sure you have a night to remember, not a night to forget! Alcohol poisoning occurs when a large amount of alcohol is consumed; typically over a short period of time. Drink responsibly by avoiding activities that encourage consuming large amounts of alcohol (i.e. chugging, drinking games, etc.) and alternating alcoholic beverages with non-alcoholic beverages.