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Alcohol and Other Drugs

CAPS strives to help students make choices about and address concerns with alcohol and other drugs and other kinds of addictions to allow them to succeed in school and live healthier lives. CAPS also helps support students who are impacted by the substance use or addictions of friends, partners, and family members and works with staff, faculty, and the university community as a whole to prevent and address these issues through education, counseling, consultation, referral, and other services.

If you have concerns or questions about substances or other addictions, read below to learn about the services offered by CAPS and other campus departments. To read more about specific topics and find meetings and other resources, see the menu on the left side of this page.

Services Provided by CAPS

Counseling Services, Referrals, and Workshops

  • Confidential assessment and brief individual and couples counseling available to registered UCSC students with substance use and other addiction concerns
  • Help determining whether substance use or a behavior (such as Internet use or sex) is a problem, setting goals, and working toward change
  • Assistance connecting with on-campus support meetings and other UCSC resources
  • Assistance finding off-campus counseling, court-mandated therapy, treatment centers, support meetings, and other resources
  • Groups and workshops that address common mental health and personal concerns
  • Workshops addressing concerns with substance use or other addictions by request; please contact CAPS at (831) 459-2628 at least 3 weeks before your desired workshop date so we can coordinate with you and prepare

Consultation Services

  • Consultation for family members, students, staff, and faculty with concerns about a UCSC student’s alcohol or other drug use or another addiction; note that confidential information about CAPS clients (including the fact that a student was seen at CAPS) will not be shared with anyone who is not involved with the student’s treatment without the student’s express permission, unless sharing that information is necessary to prevent imminent death or serious injury to the student or another party
  • Consultations available by calling the CAPS Central Office at (831) 459-2628 or Blair Davis, psychologist with alcohol and other drugs focus, at (831) 459-5883 during business hours

Other Campus Resources and Services

  • Student Health Outreach & Promotion (SHOP) provides educational workshops, college programming, peer education, and individual consultations and referral services for students with concerns about alcohol or other drugs.
  • Student Health Services can treat injuries and illnesses caused by drug or alcohol use, help assess problems due to use, and refer students for additional services on and off campus. Note that detox services are not currently provided on campus.
  • The UCSC Pharmacy sells syringes and needles to the UCSC campus community without a prescription and provides approved personal sharps containers for proper disposal of sharps; the pharmacy collects the full sharps containers for disposal. The pharmacy also sells naloxone nasal kits for the emergency treatment of opioid overdoses.
  • Slugs for Health and Growth is an on-campus community for students in recovery from an addiction, students affected by others’ substance-related issues, and allies of recovery. SHG provides support, organizes social and educational events, and hosts The Cove, a student lounge and meeting space at Cowell College in the mobile building near the Provost House.
  • There are a number of on-campus recovery meetings that provide support for students and community members in recovery or interested in recovery. Contact CAPS or SHOP for more information about meeting times and locations or visit the recovery meeting page.

Crisis Services