by Playfuls Staff |
16th March 2007
Almost half of U.S. college students dabble one time too many in alcohol, marijuana, sedatives, painkillers and stimulants – they might call it freedom and independence, but they are risking their lives.
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The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University released a repot this Thursday that presents some startling information. About 1.8 million students met the medical criteria for substance abuse or dependence in 2005, 2 1/2 times the national level.
While to them it might seem like fun and games, a true experience of autonomy and liberty, the ‘side-effects’ tend to be quite dreadful: overdose deaths, academic failure, assaults, date rape and property damage on U.S. campuses, the report says.
“We're playing Russian roulette with the future leaders of our country,” said CASA's president, Joseph Califano Jr.
More than 7.76 million people in 2005 attended college full-time, the group said, citing the U.S. Census Bureau. Comparing data from studies conducted in 1993 and 1994 on substance abuse with surveys taken from 2002 to 2005, CASA discovered the following.
Abuse of prescription drugs “has skyrocketed,” as Percocet, Vicodin, OxyContin and other painkillers have become increasingly favored by students, between 1993 and 2005. Three times as many students abuse prescription drugs, a total of 240,000.
Student abuse of stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall almost doubled, to 225,000 students, the study said, while abuse of tranquilizers (e.g. Xanax and Valium) has quadrupled to 171,000.
According to the study, abuse of sedatives has doubled to 101,000 students. There are 110% more marijuana smokers, while cocaine and heroin are no strangers to college students.
To the students, alcohol and drug use and abuse is a given and a “normal rite of passage,” as the researchers say. College administrators feel that it’s quite an unavoidable situation.
Califano points a finger at parents as well: “Parents who provide the funds for their children ... to purchase alcohol and drugs and party at substance-fueled spring breaks are enablers,” the study said.
He also said nearly two-thirds of college student drinkers began drinking in high school, and 8% began in junior high.
About 68 percent of students drink, while 40 percent binge drink. There have been substantial increases in the number of students who binge drink frequently (take five drinks at a time, three or more times in two weeks), who drink 10 or more times a month, and who get drunk three or more times in a month.
The report is titled “Wasting the Best and the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America's Colleges” and also includes a 10-point plan of action administrators can follow to prevent and reduce student substance abuse.
