Documentary to raise awareness about addictions

Freshman Justin Schreiber has gone through hardships most would find difficult to imagine.

His father was not only a drug addict during Schreiber’s childhood, but he also moved the family more than 23 times, leaving them to deal with the harsh economic realities of addiction.

An up-and-coming documentary concerning addicts and their effect on Bloomington residents will feature Schreiber’s story in April, the national month for alcohol awareness. Junior Deuce Thevenow, co-director of music for the student group Business Careers and Entertainment Club, has been coordinating this documentary.

He wants to launch the Web site areyouaddicted.org on Wednesday and have the finished documentary on the site by Friday.

“It’s to show that addiction affects nearly every person,” Thevenow said.

Though Schreiber’s father has overcome his addiction, Schreiber must still face his mother’s alcoholism, which is a direct result of their experiences.

“We were really close ... but when she started drinking, it was really hard to talk to her,” Schreiber said. “It’s something that we have to deal with, but a lot of people don’t believe it’s a problem.”

Senior Amy McCormick has worked extensively at an alcohol research lab, and she points out the practical issues of following psychological guidelines for screening problem drinkers.

“Nine out of 10 that came in would never consider themselves problem drinkers because of their college environment, even though (psychological manuals) say drinking four to five times a week was considered a problem,” McCormick said. “They thought it was average.”

IU Police Department Capt. Jerry Minger said police arrested more than 370 students last year because of alcohol-related incidents. These numbers are even more serious on the national level, with the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism’s Task Force on College Drinking reporting steady increases in binge-drinking and drinking while driving since 1998.

To help raise awareness for addictions such as alcohol this month, Thevenow coordinated the event “Addicted to Music,” which took place on April 1.

“I had a good friend die from an overdose,” Thevenow said. “Now I have several friends heading down the same path, so I am trying to create an outlet for people who want to help raise awareness and show (it) affects nearly every person.”