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Study Drugs

Before you consider reaching for a study drug (stimulants like Adderall or Ritalin) to keep you up and productive, here are some things to keep in mind about the effects of these drugs.

Combining study drugs with:

-Decongestants (everyone’s sick right now, we know) can raise blood pressure to dangerous levels

-Alcohol can give you a false sense of sobriety. This means you could be extremely or dangerously Read more about Study Drugs

Destructive Words = Destructive Decisions

Our ongoing campaign, “Destructive Words = Destructive Actions," is inspired by Jake Byczkowski.  Jake is a speaker with Campus Speak, and he talks to college students and peer educators on college campuses about alcohol, other drugs, and wellness.  Recently, DAPA had the opportunity to listen to his Keynote “Solo Cup Culture: Minimizing the Risks of an Alcohol-Soaked Campus Climate” and have a conversation with him afterward.  Jake inspired us with his story and how he uses his own experience with alcohol to have open conversations with students about practical ways to minimize Read more about Destructive Words = Destructive Decisions

Food Literacy Project: Substantial Food

Find yourself stuck with the task of filling out the DAPA Grant Application for your club’s party this weekend? It's difficult to coordinate food for parties because it's hard to decide what to provide, but then you notice that DAPA encourages “substantial foods.” What does that even mean? What kinds of foods qualify? Substantial foods are foods that take your body more time to metabolize compared to other food types. Therefore, in instances when someone is both eating and drinking alcohol, the alcohol is absorbed more slowly than it  would be otherwise.

Substantial foods Read more about Food Literacy Project: Substantial Food

Alcohol and Athletic Performance

Harvard has one of the most impressive athletic programs in the nation, boasting 42 varsity teams and many athletic extracurricular organizations. Many students who choose to drink on weekends consider the immediate effects of their alcohol consumption but might not be aware of the longer-term effects alcohol has on the body.  Whether you’re a dedicated athlete or not, this information is useful for any student interested in the larger effect that alcohol has on your physiology.

 

Muscle growth and physical recovery:

Maybe you know that continuous, long-term alcohol Read more about Alcohol and Athletic Performance

Support Us: DAPA Gift Fund

The DAPA Gift Fund was established by former DAPA President, Nevin Raj, '13, just prior to his graduation.  The fund was created so that students, parents, alumni, businesses/corporations, and "friends of DAPA" could make donations to the program in support of special projects at the discretion of the director.  To make a donation to DAPA of any amount, you may contribute online at the following website:

Harvard Proof!

Students of 2014 and 2015, think waaaay back to the August before freshman year. You had to take a break from Facebook stalking your newly assigned roommates and avoiding your parents’ packing questions to participate in a lengthy program called AlcoholEdu, the only required assignment from Harvard prior to your arrival.

Now think back to a month afterward in the mayhem of “Camp Harvard” week, when you met your entryway DAPAs to review this information in workshop form in a more a personable, Harvard-specific, and peer-friendly atmosphere (we hope!). Well, guess what? A group of Read more about Harvard Proof!

Myths about MDMA: What is "Molly"?

 What is “Molly”?

“Molly” and “Ecstasy” are slang terms for MDMA, short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine. MDMA is a synthetic drug that has both stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. “Molly” was originally used to denote pure MDMA, but this is no longer the case. Currently, “Molly” is often a ‘mystery powder’ in capsule or tablet form that may contain any number of substances (i.e. methamphetamine, ketamine, caffeine or amphetamine) either alone or combined with MDMA. Other names for MDMA are “XTC,” “E,” “X” or “Beans.”   What are the effects Read more about Myths about MDMA: What is "Molly"?