The Consequences of Drug Abuse in College
The Consequences of Drug Abuse in College
Drug abuse in college is a concerning factor in society today. The substance abuse crisis in the nation is now at unprecedented levels and continues to cause countless deaths daily. It is now at epidemic proportions, especially abuse of opiate prescription painkillers.
College Drug Abuse
- National Survey on Drug Use and Health
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Trust for American Health
- Over twenty-three million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol. In fact, the number of addicts in the US is double what it was in 1990.
- About eighty to one-hundred thousand people die each year because of drug and alcohol addiction. The sad truth too is that alcohol kills more people in the United States than all other drugs combined. This fact is particularly the case for college students too, as college students tend to abuse alcohol the most.
- Around six hundred billion dollars is spent annually on addressing drug and alcohol addiction in this country. These are costs that occur in the form of accidents, injuries, emergency room visits, and crime, lost work, lost wages, unemployment, theft, collateral damage, violence, etc. The cost is almost always paid for by the U.S. government and American taxpayers.
- Young adults and college students are the most at risk of all age ranges and are generally speaking the age range that stands the highest risk of dying or of getting into a serious accident because of their substance abuse.
These facts make it easy to see that drug and alcohol addiction truly is a concerning issue in the nation today. In fact, if significant action is not taken soon to do something about it, then these critical issues will undoubtedly only get worse.
How to Address Drug Abuse in College
Addressing college drug use is not exactly the easiest feat to tackle. The problem with college drug and alcohol use and abuse is that it is now a widely accepted aspect of our society. Everyone seems to expect that when people go to college, they drink and sometimes do drugs. What this inevitably ends up causing, however, is a society where people are exposing themselves to developing lifetime habits.
The best way to address alcohol and drug abuse in college comes in three ways.
These three ways are:
- Prevention. This step is the job of the college itself and the community around it. The effort here is to increase security and safety on and off campus to prevent drugs from even coming on to campus.
- Education. This step is even more important. It is the process of teaching college students about the adverse effects of drug and alcohol addiction and substance abuse in general, so they know to stay away from it in the future.
- Rehabilitation. This step is the process of actually addressing drug and alcohol addiction from the perspective of, yes, this is an addiction, and we need to do something extensive about it. Truly, this is the simple act of actually getting those who are hooked on drugs and alcohol in college off of those substances through the process of rehabilitation.
At A Forever Recovery, college students and young adults alike are more than welcome. If you are seeking help for yourself or a loved one in college or around that same age, then don’t hesitate to call A Forever Recovery today at our toll-free number.
