English 162
October 4,2012
New Drug Epidemic on College Campuses
Prescription drug abuse among college students is a growing trend on most campuses. Students are using these drugs inappropriately to not only “get high”, but to help with concentration when cramming for papers or tests, to self-medicate for anxiety or depression, and even to enhance their stamina when playing sports. Many people have stereotypes of what an alcoholic or addict is, and most people don't associate that image with young students. Although drug education has been mandatory in the US throughout grade school drug use continues to rise in college students. College is known as a time for experimentation, but for some students experimentation can turn
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For example, when people who abuse oxycodone (OxyContin) they crush and inhale the pills, a 12-hour dose hits their central nervous system all at once—which increases their risk of addiction and overdose. Almost every medication presents some risk of undesirable side effects, sometimes even serious ones. Doctors consider the potential benefits and risks to each patient before prescribing medications. They understand that drugs affect the body in many ways and take into account things like the drug’s form and dose, its possible side effects, and the potential for addiction or withdrawal. For example, doctors know how to change the dose of a painkiller to prevent withdrawal symptoms. People who abuse drugs might not
understand how these factors may affect them or that prescription drugs do more than cause a high, help them stay awake, help them relax, or relieve pain. Abuse can include taking a friend's or relative's prescription to get high, to treat pain, or because you think it will help with studying. The classes of prescription drugs most commonly abused are: opioid pain relievers, such as Vicodin or Oxycontin; stimulants for treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), such as Adderall, Concerta, or Ritalin; and central nervous system (CNS) depressants for relieving anxiety, such as Valium or Xanax. The most commonly abused OTC drugs are cough and cold remedies containing dextromethorphan. It is sometimes abused to
Not all prescription drugs have the potential for abuse and addiction. Many drugs don’t even act in the brain. For example, antibiotics are not addictive. On the rare occasion people who take drugs for medical conditions may become addicted. This is why it is extremely important to be under a doctor’s care while taking prescription medication.4 Most prescription drugs are taken in a form that gets to the brain slowly at a dose that treats a problem, but doesn’t overwhelm the system. Both of which reduce the likelihood of an addiction. Long-term medical use of prescription drugs can
Today on college campuses, it is not possible to make it through college without knowing someone who has at least tried a prescription drug or recreational drug for either party uses, to help them study and keep up in school, or simply to help them get by day-to-day. Maybe you have tried them yourself? College students all across the nation are abusing substances such as Adderall, Vicodin, Oxycontin, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. Those students who drink alcohol are more likely to use prescription drugs for non-medical uses than non-drinkers.
A drug is a substance that alters the mind, body or both. Drug use is an increasing problem among teenagers in colleges today. Most drug use begins in the preteen and teenage years, the years most crucial in the maturation process (Shiromoto 5). During these years adolescents are faced with difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, clarifying their sexual roles, assenting independence, learning to cope with authority and searching for goals that would give their lives meaning. Drugs are readily available, adolescents are curious and venerable, and there is peer pressure to experiment, and there is a temptation to escape from conflicts. The use of drugs by teenagers is the result of a combination of factors such as peer
Summary: This article covers a wide variety of factors that result from the over abundant use of prescription stimulants on campuses around the United States. This includes the consequences of taking said drugs, specifically the medical, mental, and academic effects of stimulants. The author also points out four main reasons behind stimulant use on campuses. The first being the pressure of college life. Many students come into college thinking that it will be simple like high
Therefore, from the research I have gathered, I believe that a prevention program, which combines campus drug courts and general prevention should be very effective in decreasing the substance abuse on campus. If administrators and campus police work together to support this idea, then students will begin to take these matters more seriously. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence prevention notes that these support systems are very helpful when devising campuses programs (5). As previously discussed, many students do not associate any negative consequences with Adderall and they view alcohol as a rite of passage. However, by implementing new measures, these misperceptions will soon decline. Students will witness administrators and police who patrol and advise against these behaviors rather than officials who overlook or underestimate this public health issue. Students will also see their friends go to court for these offenses, which should also change these misperceptions. With innovative models, such as the one described, administrators will be able to take a greater role in this issue and implement more effective
In the United States, 40 people die across each day due to overdosing on narcotic prescription medicine. One of the most commonly abused prescriptions is opioids painkillers such as Vicodin and codeine. Another medicine to treat anxiety and sleep aids such as Valiums and Xanax. Other abused prescriptions are stimulants to treat Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder (ADHD) like Adderall and Ritalin. When the overdose first became a problem, 60 percent of NC prescription overdose victims were dying before the arrival of emergency medical
Sure, college is competitive and almost every student wants to excel in their academics. But, as with anything, risk and reward should always be balanced. Is the addiction worth becoming dependent on a drug, risking a federal offense and experiencing mood-altering and, perhaps, life-threatening side effects for something temporary? Students that have experience with the drug understand the precautions. Many struggle with addiction but, the good news is, there is help available and saying no isn’t always a bad
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.
Those who abuse prescription drugs put themselves at a much higher risk for cardiovascular and respiratory failure, seizures, stroke, and other physical and mental health problems to name a few. The health problem outlined in this paper is the adverse reaction of non-prescription drugs with alcohol or other illicit drugs among college students, which puts them at increased risk for the previous stated health problems. This paper does not focus on one particular prescription drug, but a number of common drugs that are readily available to the general student
Set in an urban area from its inception, GHS has always had some, albeit minimal, presence of drugs. Traditionally there would be a few students only in attendance at school with the intention to sell marijuana. And then occasionally the student who chooses to come to school under the influence of marijuana. GHS harboring a strict zero tolerance policy would send these students, with due process, to the district's alternative education center. In 2016 there was a cut in the number of available seats for each high school campus. High schools went from a 50 seat allotment to 25 seats per campus. Later that same year, a well known athlete, staple of the school community was killed on his way to school one early fall morning. Finally, the campus has been reduced to 1 police officer to service the overflowing population of students. These are just a few of the perceived contributors to the 45% increase in drug related infractions and 20 % increase in the number of criminal offenses on campus.
Drug use in America is one of the major issues we face and the problem has skyrocketed over the past three decades. Heroin and painkiller addictions exceed all other countries. It is important that we address some of the causes that lead to the abuse, how to treat the abuse, and how to prevent the distribution of illegal prescription drugs.
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.
Do people ever think about the consequences about drug abuse? Not many of us do but we all know what it does to us. Drugs are harmful to the brain and the body system itself; they affect the heart in many ways and because of that people become unconscious as to what their actions are. They do not realize how badly they can harm the community around them. Drugs are normally used by those who are not involved in activities such as, religious clubs, sports, etc. The users are normally stressed out with life and at times they just need something to set their minds aside from problems which occur in their everyday life. There are many reasons as to why and how drugs affect the community around the drug user
Alcohol and illicit drug consumption are all too prevalent today in high schools, colleges, and all across the globe. Students seeking to fit in or forget about the repetitiveness of school and homework have a tendency to experiment. Drug addiction is known by the scientific community to be a psychological condition based on excessive, obsessive, and compulsive actions. Once that regular user crosses the line into addiction their only concern is their self and their life revolves around the getting, using, and finding ways and means to get and use more. Most people start using drugs and alcohol occasionally, which is a voluntary decision,
Even when the problems you face are difficult, the consequences of drug use will always be worse than the problem you are trying to solve. The real answer is not to use drugs. The abusive use of prescribed drugs has become a more serious problem than that of illicit drugs. Analgesics, tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills and stimulants may seem "safe" because they are prescribed by doctors, but they can cause as much dependence and be as