Prescription Drug Abuse Among College Students

One in three Americans are prescribed opioids from their doctor. Once someone is prescribed a medication and take it daily, as told to do so by the doctor, it is extremely easy to become dependent on the pills. Dependency on a drug means that the body physically craves it and may experience withdrawals when the prescription is stopped. Addiction characterizes as a mental need for the drug. The behavior changes and abusing the medication will begin.

To illustrate the magnitude of the research problem and provide a frame of reference, this section begins with a brief overview of the increased use of pharmaceuticals and prescription drug abuse in the US. The section continues with the relationship between illicit drugs and prescriptions, adolescents’ abuse, personal and social factors; then concludes with the theoretical approach. The Social-Ecological Theory, will be applied in researching prescription drug abuse, possible influences and protective factors in adolescents in relation to prescription drug abuse, to develop focused intervention strategies and educational programs for this population, similar to other substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana.

While our major access to these drugs is doctors, we cannot simply lay blame on them, as there is not enough knowledge about these treatments to correctly appropriate drugs, and therefore extra is given (Hemphill 373). Alexander of the Department of Epidemiology of the Journal of the American Medical Association, states that “There are serious gaps in the knowledge base regarding opioid use for other chronic nonmalignant pain” (Alexander 1865-1866), which leads to the unfortunately large number of leftover drugs. In fact, the main place that people get their drugs are from leftover prescriptions (Hemphill 373).

Millions of people throughout the world are taking drugs on a daily basis. If you were to ask someone why they take prescription drugs, most people would be taking them for the right reason. However, it’s estimated that twenty percent of people in the United States alone have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.1 Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem that often goes unnoticed. Abusing these drugs can often lead to addiction and even death. You can develop an addiction to certain drugs that may include: narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.1 Prescription drugs are the most common abused category of drugs, right next to marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and

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.

Through my observations of the Narcotics Anonymous meeting I believe that my analysis could be beneficial to the realm of medicine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014) released a study that displayed, “health care providers wrote 259 million prescriptions for painkillers in 2012, enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills.” Considering the mass amount of prescriptions being written nationwide, it is not surprising that one of the members in the NA meeting I attended was able to easily obtain painkillers from her doctor. The specific interaction I encountered during the Narcotics Anonymous meeting where the woman described that her addiction was being supported by the constant prescriptions written by her doctor

* An estimated 48 million people according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in their lifetime. According to

Substance abuse is a growing problem for college students. The effects of this problem are felt by millions of individuals, families, schools, and communities. Substance abuse affects many domains of a person’s life including mental functioning, physical health, psychological well-being, social structure, employment, and academic endeavors. The need for trained professionals who can prevent, identify, and treat problems associated with drug use is also at an all-time high. This paper reveals the growing problem of substance abuse among college students and the implications for the individual and society. Specific risk factors are examined as well as how to implement proper drug screening for professionals working with college

Objective: Assess the occurrence of non-medical use and abuse of prescription drugs among college students.

On a college campus, it is a well-known fact that drugs are readily available in this day and age. If a student wants to get his hands on any type of drugs, there are ways he can do so. Drug use among college students may happen for a number of reasons. There is a lot of pressure that comes with having to perform well on exams. Some students will eventually break under this pressure and look for an outlet to ease their anxiety. One of these outlets could be common street drugs, it would allow them to escape the reality they are in and give them a short term sense of freedom. Free from their obligations and worries. Another reason may be because they want to fit into a certain social group and are being pressured to do so. Drugs are an addictive substance; after someone uses them once, it may be too late to turn back. Having a drug addiction is dangerous as it can damage many vital organs in your body and impair brain functions. Abusing drugs can be a life threatening issue and therefore should be taken seriously. If you believe a loved one or friend is having drug problems but doesn’t want to tell you, there are a few ways to find out for yourself.

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

Bob Lebman, President and CEO of Huther Doyle, an addiction recovery agency in Rochester, New York, said heroin use is no longer an anomaly on campus. He referred to a study conducted in 2012 by the National College Health Assessment, which indicates that 20 percent of college students believe that heroin use occurred on their campuses. Because of its affordability, it is not unusual for high-school students to transition to heroin after they exhaust their pill supplies. Once they get to college, students may use the drug for its effects on the central nervous system, allaying feelings of anxiety and providing a temporary escape from the stressors of college life.

Illicit use of prescribing drugs among college students is a public health concern. According to Cutler (2014), “16% of undergraduate college students admit to using a prescription drug that was not prescribed to them” (p.478). In light of this public health concern, this paper aims to prevent the spread of stimulant among college students. Tackling this issue with interventions/preventions through a psychological, social, and federal scope is crucial. Education is the main intervention since teaching young adults about the side effects not only can influence them to stop this addictive behavior, but also can make them realize the unnecessary usage of enhancements drugs. Understanding the social roots of this behavior, and

The purpose of this report is to show the major problems we face in America if we do not address the misuse of prescription drugs. America’s pain pill and heroin addiction exceeds that of all other countries in the world, statistics from the UN office on Drugs and Crimes show. This report will show emphasis on the misuse of prescription drugs and some of the causes.

The researchers also found that college students who had been prescribed a prescription painkiller while in elementary school were more likely than others to abuse painkillers in college; for example, about 14 percent of the men and 16 percent of the women who reported past year illicit use of pain medications had been prescribed painkillers in elementary school. The researchers state: