Coordinator named 2005 Outstanding New Addiction Professional

By Colleen Griffiths
Staff Writer

Coalition to Prevent Alcohol-Related Consumption Coordinator Mark Schwarze was named 2005 Outstanding New Addiction Professional on Oct. 26.

“The award is given to an addiction counselor who has been in the field for less than five years. I just met the five year requirement,” Schwarze said.

Shwarze was recognized for his work with APNC in a treatment committee, which discusses addiction and treatment issues. Schwarze has also worked with APNC to get health insurance companies to cover substance abuse on an equal level with mental health.

Since April 2004 Schwarze has been leading CPARC, a program that is funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Wake Forest University. CPARC looks at the enforcement and policies surrounding underage consumption of alcohol, and tries to change campus misconceptions of alcohol.

“The belief is that college and alcohol go together. When freshmen come to college their perception of alcohol consumed by peers is greatly exaggerated,” Schwarze said.

To change alcohol conceptions, CPARC will be launching social norming campaigns on campus during the 2006 Spring semester.

“In social norming campaigns media is used - posters, radio - to show stats from each campus to correct misconceptions,” said Shwarze.

According to Shwarze, “Nothing like this has ever been attempted at UNCP.”

CPARC is a program that involves the campus and the community and meets once a month to discuss issues regarding alcohol on campus. For more information about the program, contact Mark Schwarze at mark.schwarze@uncp.edu or call at (910) 521-6202.