Heroin Abuse Among College Students

Heroin addiction is one of the leading killers of adolescents and adults in the United States. In recent years, addiction has skyrocketed, and “the rate of heroin-related overdose deaths increased by 286 percent between 2002 and 2013.” In 2002, “100 people per 100,000 were addicted to heroin, and that number has doubled by 2013” (The National Institute on Drug Abuse 2013). The most affected populations include low income males, adolescents, and those who have a family history of addiction, due to their increased susceptibility and crime-ridden environment. While it may seem as though heroin addiction is “just another drug problem” in the U.S., it is actually a problem of major public health importance because there are numerous physical, economic, and social risks associated with heroin dependence. Heroin dependence in the United States accounts for brain damage, increased homelessness, crime, and incarceration rates, as well as economic decline.

United States. Governor Peter Shumlin devoted his entire state of the union address to the heroin epidemic in

This paper addresses the occurrence of substance abuse among college students, the risk factors associated with substance abuse, commonly abused drugs, and prevention and intervention programs.

In my opinion, there is a heroin epidemic within my community and many other communities nationwide. In Will County in December of 2015 one of my childhood friends passed away from a heroin overdose. Heroin use is an issue that is prevalent within our community and has affected an immeasurable amount of people. Heroin addiction is extremely detrimental to young adults and must be combated with a multi-faceted approach. The prevalence of pill mills, teen’s access to prescription pills, a lack of drug education, and the defunding for alternative pain management strategies have driven the increased demand for heroin. The defunding of physical rehabilitation centers and the increased focus on prescription medication as the answer to all aliments

It is likely that at some point in a person’s life it will be necessary to obtain medical assistance due to a chronic illness, injury, or sudden accident that requires a physician’s diagnosis and perhaps prescription medication. Although this very routine happening may be necessary, and at times critical, the adverse effects of taking prescription drugs that contain opioids can lead to an addiction, possible overdose, and death. The research contained continues the debated topic focusing on the connection between heroin addiction and massive numbers of people who developed a dependency after taking legally prescribed opioid pain medicine. The topic will be

There are some clear indicators that can surface if someone has started to abuse drugs in college. One of the most common indicators is having irregular eating habits or infrequent sleep patterns. Once an addiction becomes a daily habit, it can take over someone’s life. This means that

One risk for the cohort of students beginning college is substance abuse. Students think that it is the norm in college, especially a school with a party reputation like Tulane, to go out a lot and have fun. Many students do not know their personal limits, or may surpass their limits in order to abide by the prevalent drinking culture. Tulane has done a great job of educating incoming freshman on the risks of substance abuse and informing them of ways to seek out help. Over the summer, Tulane required freshman to complete an AlcoholWise course which included an anonymous survey of past alcohol experiences so that the course was curbed to each individual. AlcoholWise was also a great way to assess the prevalence of drinking in the freshman

Heroin users and overdose deaths are on the rise. Especially among young middle-class white citizens (Seelye, 2015). Why is the amount of heroin users rising and how is the government handling this epidemic? There is a strong correlation between the increase of prescription painkillers and the amount of heroin users. “People who are dependent on prescription opioids are 40 times more likely to abuse or be dependent on heroin” (Seelye, 2015). One of the main reason there has been a recent increase of heroin users in the last decade is because there has also been an increase of prescription opioids such as OxyContin. And the government has never tested a way to stop the increase of drug users other than harsh

College is the next step in one’s quest for higher education. Yet, many college campuses are known more for their wild weekends with parties, drinking, and the common get together. However some students take this fun a little too far. Underage drinking has become fairly common among campuses, but this is not the largest and most frightening problem. There has been a predominate increws in drug use among students over the past three decades; specifically, marijuana. According to drugabuse.gov, there is an “all time high at 36%” of college students using marijuana. With this increase in drug usage, new safety issues for the students are increasing. In order to combat safety concerns, introducing security cameras, extra security officers, and drug-dog sweeps may be the future on college campuses.

Prescription drugs are being used for nonmedical purposes and it is becoming so common that it has been deemed an epidemic. Literature suggest that prescription drug abuse among college students is high. This could be due to the stressful environments college students are placed in. Prescription drugs will be discussed broadly but in some instances, limited to opioids. Many people are prescribed medication on a daily basis and not everyone uses them as they are intended. What happens to the leftover medication? Do people share their medication with other people? Why do people use prescription medication for nonmedical purposes? What is being done to fight the epidemic? What treatment(s) is/are available? These questions and the answers will be discussed later on.

The concept of addiction is well known, however the ability to truly empathize is difficult. Several cannot relate and therefore are ignorant of the consequences of withdrawals, especially those who are addicted to stronger opiates such as heroin. Due to this distance of understanding, public health facilities tend to provide bias care for “dopefiends”. The misunderstanding of public health facilities and the hesitancy to change their methods creates an environment for the Edgewater community in which they are unable access necessary help and remove themselves from the impoverished community.

Heroin is readily available and cheap. How does a small-town deal with it? To begin with it, the town needs to change their thinking and their vocabulary. Changing their vocabulary and looking at the heroin addict as a person and not as addict is the first step. The town needs to see it as a disease, just like cancer or any other health issue. The town needs to help remove the stigma associated with the heroin addiction, bring it out of the closet and let the heroin addict know they can get help. Remove the shame because addiction, judgment, and embarrassment go hand in hand.

College students are misusing and abusing prescription drugs, due to the fact that they are becoming easier to obtain. It is becoming a rapidly growing problem in the United States. Everyone will most likely get sick several times in their lifetime. Many have severe illnesses or diagnosis. Due to this, medical assistance is often required. It might seem like a selfless thing to do, but we want to better ourselves. Once we have the prescription to the pain medication or some other legal narcotic, we are in some relief that our illness will soon subside. What makes a college student want to abuse and misuse the substance? College can be very stressful for many students, especially for new incoming

Epidemiology is the study of incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population (Merriam-Webster). In effort to construct a valid theory to the epidemic of heroin within affluent teenagers, the effect of heroin is labeled as the disease and the population is the affluent teenagers, with a focus in suburbia. According to Curriculum Review, 23 percent of those who try heroin will become addicted (cite source). However, the percentage varies amongst age groups, where it is reported the rate of teens using heroin soared by 80 percent between 1999 and 2009( cite source). This increased rate reflects a possibility to the increased rate of addiction amongst teens. Therefore, the long-term effect of heroin is addiction.

College students are more likely to have problems with alcohol abuse or with alcoholism rather than with drug abuse or dependence; however, drug abuse is also a problem for many students. Some students are illicit abusers of prescription drugs, while others use illegal drugs: marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other drugs. Peer pressure and/or loneliness or other factors may lead college students to substance abuse, although some students had previously abused alcohol and/or drugs in high school.