Ari Lazarus

Professor Rytov
Enc-2135
9 November 2016
College campuses: why they are prime targets for drug and alcohol abuse.
College used to be a place strictly for gaining knowledge and advancing oneself onto
higher learning, and although it is still that way for many, there are those who come to college
with different values and priorities. For years drug and alcohol abuse has been occurring on
college campuses throughout the nation ruining relationships, careers, taking lives, and affecting
almost every student in one way or another whether or not they participate in these acts. This
paper will address the issues that go along with the abuse of drugs and alcohol on college
campuses, it will also try to answer the question of why college campuses are prime targets for
drug and alcohol abuse through examination of data and information and attempt to provide
possible solutions to the matters that are being confronted.
When students enter college they are exposed to an environment unlike anything they
have ever experienced in their entire lives. They have newfound freedom and a plethora of
opportunity. To some students this gives them more character and enhances their lives while
others do not handle it the same and therefore affected negatively from these changes. With the
freedom they come to possess they start going to places such as parties, bars, and clubs. These
places are where the main use and abuse of drugs and alcohol occur. Found on the addiction
center website under the title, Alcohol and Drug Addiction in College Students is the chart
below which shows the percentage of college students abusing alcohol, Adderall, Marijuana, and
Ecstasy.

Percentage of College Students Abusing Drugs

P
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c
e
nt
of
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The actual percentages are alcohol 80%, Adderall 33%, Marijuana 51%, and Ecstasy 9%.
As is evident by the chart, alcohol is by far the most widely used drug on college
campuses. Alcohol is present in almost every social aspect students college life. From going to
parties to sporting events to just get togethers, alcohol is almost always present. According to a
study found in the article by Susan K. Jones, College students in the United States consume an
estimated 430 million gallons of alcohol per year. That number compared with the estimated
number of 20.5 million students enrolled in college in the United States is a frightening fact. The
most common consequences of drinking are hangovers and vomiting, while more problematic
ones include fighting and arguing, missing class, and receiving a bad test grade. Binge drinking
is where alcohol
use gets more
serious and so do
the problems with

it. Binge drinking leads to a higher chance of sexual encounters, consented or unconsented.
Other common issues include a higher occurrence of assault, poor academic performance, and
drunk driving. Secondary effects of students being affected by binge drinkers are being
humiliated or insulted, having their property damaged, having study or sleep interrupted, and
being assaulted (Jones). The statistics found in the article Consequences Of College Drinking
reveal
1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die from alcohol-related
unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes. 696,000 students between the
ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking. 97,000
students between the ages of 18 and 24 report experiencing alcohol-related sexual assault
or date rape. About 1 in 4 college students report academic consequences from drinking,
including missing class, falling behind in class, doing poorly on exams or papers, and
receiving lower grades overall.
These statistics expose a harsh reality that exist due to this epidemic occurring in colleges all
over United States.
Prescription stimulant use among college students is another relevant issue. Prescription
stimulants such as Ritalin, Dexedrine, and Adderall are used for the treatment of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (McCabe). College students mainly use and abuse prescription
stimulants to help them study. According to Amelia M. Arria, there are three findings that have
important implications. The first being that nonmedical prescription stimulant users typically
have lower grade point averages than non-users. This suggest that more successful students are
not likely to use prescription stimulants non-medically. The second is nonmedical prescription
stimulant users are more likely than other students to be heavy drinkers and users of other illicit

drugs. The third is academic enhancement is not the only motivation for nonmedical prescription
stimulant use. Many students use the prescription stimulants to enhance their experience of
partying and getting high on other substances. Research also shows that nonmedical users of
prescription drugs are more likely to be dependent on alcohol and Marijuana, skip class more
frequently, and spend less time studying. According to a study found in Amelia Arrias article,
More than a quarter of young adults (28 percent) who have been legally prescribed Rx
stimulants share their medicine with friends. A large portion of these young adults (52 percent)
also report being pressured by their friends into sharing or selling their Rx stimulants. These
facts are alarming because they show how easily students are getting prescription stimulants and
then dispersing them throughout their peers.
Another prescription drug that is commonly abused by college students is Xanax. As
stated by Jacquelyn Ekern, Xanax, or alprazolam, is a benzodiazepine a prescription
medication commonly prescribed to treat anxiety issues and panic disorders, including phobias.
Although that is its intended use to its prescribed recipients, most college students who use it
have a different purpose in mind. College students most often combine Xanax and alcohol in an
effort to become as drunk as possible. Ekern also mentions how, Overdoses on Xanax are on the
rise and have increased more than fivefold since 1996. This fact is disturbing and proves that
more precaution needs to be taken when prescribing Xanax and prescription drugs alike.
Other drugs commonly used across the nation by college students are Marijuana and
MDMA. Marijuana is considered by many the most popular illegal drug on college campuses.
What makes Marijuana so appealing to college students is its accessibility and popularity. (jones)
According to an article published in USA Today author Dan Reimold, he attributes students
increased MDMA use to its relative inexpensiveness, its perceived and real link to the electronic

music movement and club scene, its rising popularity within pop culture and its apparent shortterm mental stimulation. These reasons do a great job at explaining why its use is continuing to
rise among college students who live on a budget and close relationship with the club scene.
Reimold then goes on to state, While these effects all seem like a great way to escape reality,
the side effects are known to include teeth grinding, dehydration, anxiety, insomnia and grueling
hangovers. The drug often results in a drop in serotonin levels days after use, making the user
incredibly depressed which can ultimately lead to suicide. This alarming fact about the drug is
one of the many reasons drug abuse among college students needs to be fixed.
Another horrific problem extending from drug and alcohol abuse is that research
documents a strong link between drug and alcohol abuse and suicidal behavior. The results show
that The results show that students who drink or use drugs are much more likely to have
suicidal tendencies than those who do not use substances. For example, 8.15 percent of binge
drinkers have thought about committing suicide and 2.34 percent report attempting suicide
(Anderson 50). These statistics are hard to grasp but make sense when thinking about all the
social and academic pressures placed on a college student then combined with a drug or alcohol
problem is just a recipe for disaster.
As I have written, drug and alcohol abuse affects almost every college student in a way
shape or form. When I think of how this abuse has personally affected me, a very specific
instance comes to mind. It changed the life of a friend of mine forever. This individual had been
in my group of best friends since elementary school. We basically grew up together and share
many fond memories which Ill always cherish. He was always a very outgoing kid, never wore
a frown, and brought a certain energy into every room he walked in. Throughout high school
drugs and alcohol were never an issue with him, there was the occasional use at a party every

now and then but nothing too serious, then we got to college. He started out doing pretty well for
himself, finding a nice balance between school and partying. Soon, the scale tipped more
towards the latter and he was going out almost every night, drinking ludicrous amounts of
alcohol, until one night that all changed. Unbeknown to me he went out to a party on a regular
Tuesday night when he took the prescription drug Xanax which is known, when mixed with
alcohol, to disrupt a persons ability to retain memories from that period of time. He then
preceded to take another Xanax followed by two tabs of LSD, more commonly known by its
street name; Acid. After taking that deadly cocktail of substances he was not okay. He had to be
taken to a hospital where he then proceeded to spend two days in a psychiatric ward. After his
use of acid that night, he was diagnosed with early onset schizophrenia. Ever since that night he
is a completely different person. He now walks with his head down and never shows a smile. It
greatly pains me to say that the kid who I once called my best friend is now just a shadow of
what he once was all because of one detrimental decision that changed his and my life forever.
The abuse of drug and alcohol on college campuses is a problem that will likely never go
away completely there are always going to be individuals who are going to abuse alcohol and
drugs, but if more solutions to this problem were implemented across college campuses there
would definitely be a decrease in these abuses. According to Michael L. Prendergast, For
prevention efforts to be successful at motivating youth to avoid drugs, they must target potential
student motivational deficits on a drug-by-drug basis. This is saying that for prevention of drug
abuse efforts to actually work, they must target students reasons for using a particular drug. He
also explains that differences in individuals must be acknowledged in regard to the students
stage of drug use which include 4 stages of developing a drug habit; pre-contemplation,
contemplation, preparation/action, and maintenance. Knowing these stages provide more

information needed to help students at any stage. Prendergast then provides possible solutions to
problematic drinking by opening with Alcohol will likely never disappear from college student
life. In addition to advocating abstaining from alcohol and other drug use, it is equally important
to teach responsible drinking. This statement is very true in the way that no matter how many
programs implemented to stop students from drinking they are going to regardless, so it is more
important to focus on teaching students to drink responsibly to avoid as many problems as
possible related to abusing alcohol as possible.
There are individuals out there who would disagree with the notions that college
campuses are a target for drug and alcohol abuse and that it is a problem among college students.
They might say that individuals in that age group who are not attending college abuse drugs and
alcohol just as much as college students. While this may be true for a number of individuals it is
evidently not true for the demographic as a whole. College attendance itself creates additional
risk, as evidenced by the fact that college students use more alcohol and do so more frequently
than young adults not attending college. This is supported in the research found in the article
written by Patrick M. O'Malley when he wrote, The longitudinal data support an interpretation
that suggests that college environments, and other factors associated with being a college
student, are instrumental in increasing alcohol and drug use. There are also some who would
disagree with the notion that drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses is even a problem at
all. Those that feel that way are wrong in the way that it is a problem affecting college students
across the nation, which is evident through the data and statistics provided in this paper.
College campuses across the nation deal with the issue of drug and alcohol abuse and the
problems relating to it. Through the data and analyzation provided in this paper, a transparent
truth is revealed that college campuses are the target of alcohol and drug abuse, and defines the

problems associated with drug and alcohol abuse. Drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses
is a problem that will always exist. Through education and effective programs, the problems can
hopefully be minimized as much as possible.
College campuses: why they are prime targets for drug and alcohol abuse.
Annotated bibliography
Anderson, David S. "New Directions for Substance-Abuse Prevention." Change 43.6 (2011): 4655. Print.
The article focuses primarily on a study of alcohol and drug abuse on college
campuses. It discusses two frameworks being developed to understand the decision of
teenagers and also discusses the strategies that college leaders must do to help address
and prevent the issue of abuse. This will fit into the paper by further addressing the issue
at hand and talk about ways to fix and prevent the problems associated with drug and
alcohol abuse among college students.
"College Drug Abuse - Alcohol And Drug Addiction In College Students". Addiction Center.
N.p., 2016. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
This source investigates the difference between the self-reported rate of a drugs
use and the students perceptions of the rate of use through data from surveys from a
representative of 100 diverse college campuses. This source will be used in the paper to
take a look at how college students perceive the view of drug and alcohol abuse among
themselves.

"Consequences Of College Drinking". Collegedrinkingprevention.gov. N.p., 2016. Web. 24 Oct.

2016.

This source focuses on the alcohol abuse aspect on the topic of this paper. This
source outlines the view that alcohol abuse among college students is a problem and
provides statistics which give a clear view into the effects of abuse.
Jones, Susan K. "Substance Use and Abuse on the College Campus: Problems and Solutions."
College Student Affairs Journal, Vol. 18, No. 2, Apr. 2010, Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This source is credible due to the fact that it contains an abundance of statistics
and data and is a published article in the College Student Affairs Journal and that I found
it in the FSU library database. The authors purpose for writing this article was to inform
the public on the drug and alcohol abuse that takes place on college campuses and also to
offer solutions to these issues. The sources genre is an article that contains case studies.
This source agrees with my position that drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses is a
problem.
McCabe, Sean. "NonMedical Use Of Prescription Stimulants Among US College Students:
Prevalence And Correlates From A National Survey". Addiction 100.1 (2005): 96-106.
Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
This article deals with drug use among college students, mainly focusing of the
non-medical use of prescription stimulants among them. To examine this the article
contains a study consisting of one hundred and nineteen 4-year colleges in the US, using
10,904 randomly selected participants. This article helps give substance to the paper in
regards to the drug component of it.
Arria, Amelia M. "Nonmedical Prescription Stimulant Use Among College Students: Why We
Need To Do Something And What We Need To Do". Journal of Addictive Diseases 29.4
(2010): 417-426. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

O'Malley, Patrick, M. "Epidemiology of Alcohol and Other Drug use among American College
Students." Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Supplement (2002): 23-39. Print.
This source outlines the extent of alcohol and drug abuse among college students.
In examining the estimate of recent levels of alcohol and drug use among college students
this the article uses five different sources of data. It provides a further level of research to
this paper, examining additional research and data to aid in my stance that something
needs to be done about the drug and alcohol abuse on college campuses.
Prendergast, Michael L. "Substance use and Abuse among College Students: A Review of Recent
Literature." Journal of American College Health 43.3 (1994): 99-113. Print.
This article takes a look at the research literature since the 1980s on drug and
alcohol use among university and college students. This article also contains a discussion
of the correlations of drug and alcohol abuse relating to factors such as demographic
characteristics, personality factors, year in college and grade point average, college
residence, motivation, and attitudes.
Reimold, Dan. "'Molly' Use Spreads Among Students: 'A Cute Name For A Very Dangerous
Drug'". USA TODAY College. N.p., 2013. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
This article explores the drug Molly and the problems associated with its use
among college students. It also provides explanations to the popularity of the drug among
college students
Ekern, Jacquelyn "Xanax Abuse Among College Students". Addiction Hope. N.p., 2016. Web. 1
Nov. 2016.
This article takes a look at the prescription drug Xanax and its abuse among
college students. It gives statistics and info on the drug such as how it spreads throughout

college campuses and the problems it causes in general and when mixed with other drugs
and alcohol.