Alcohol Abuse, a rising problem

Alcohol remains the favored substance of abuse on college campuses by far, but the abuse of prescription drugs and marijuana has increased dramatically since the mid-1990s, according to the study released today by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University.

According to a study done by USA Today, nearly half of America's 5.4 million full-time college students abuse drugs or drink alcohol on binges at least once a month, according to a new study that portrays substance and alcohol abuse as an increasingly urgent problem on campuses across the nation.

Although heavy episodic drinking in college is a major public health problem, the majority of college students do not binge drink or drink heavily. In contrast, students who binge drink three or more times in a 2-week period consume very large quantities of alcohol.

White students are more likely to use drugs and alcohol than minority students, and students at historically black colleges have much lower rates of substance abuse than other students, the study found.

The percentage of students who reported smoking marijuana heavily — at least 20 days during the past month — more than doubled, from 1.9% in 1993 to 4% in 2005.

The percentage of students who reported using illegal drugs other than marijuana, such as cocaine and heroin, in the past month jumped from 5.4% in 1993 to 8.2% in 2005.

A study done by Sober Recovery, a rehab for people with alcohol problems, stated that, “with respect to alcohol abuse in higher education, many reactive AND proactive measures have been initiated at some colleges and universities that have reduced the availability, acceptability, and irresponsibility of alcohol use on and off campus. The result: a noticeable, if not a significant reduction in alcohol-related problems manifested by students.”

Since the holidays are here, the amount of gathering together and having fun will be higher than ever, especially on New Year's Eve. There is hope that everyone will be safe during the holidays and be aware of what is going on.