Alcohol and Drugs in College - Research Paper Example

Alcohol and Drugs in College Introduction Alcohol and drug abuse continue to waste Americans best and brightest students from colleges. In extreme cases, students in college have lost their lives, damaged property, indulged in risky sex, rape, and mental health problems from the abuse of drugs and alcohol. Arguably, various colleges have reported a rise in consumption a thing that now worries both parents and lecturers. It is disheartening that in this era of global competition that we can loose students to drugs when the nation is waiting upon them to lead the future. Although leaders of institutions have a major role to curb the abuse that compromises student’s grades and leads to poor public health, they have solely left the responsibility to students. The paper discusses the extent of the problem, causes, and the solution to this problem. Statistics and Prevalence Unlike in the past, taking drugs and consumption of alcohols has become an acceptable culture in many colleges in America. After some years of struggling with the issue, deans and parents seem to have given up, empowering students to continue. Recent statistics reveals that 49.4% of fulltime students between the age 18-22 binge alcohol and abuse other illegal drugs. From a research done in the year 1993 and another done in 2005, levels of abuse have not changed greatly. However, cases of excessive drinking continue to escalate as students consume alcohol more frequently and o higher levels. The same researches reveal that more students have taken up to drugs with an alarming rate of more than 100%. For instance, marijuana users have doubled, while heroin and cocaine users went up by 52% (CASA web). Apparently, female students match up their male student counterparts in drinking although women have a bigger share in drinking. Men college students have a bigger share in illicit drug abuse with women more likely to become heavy smokers (CASA web) Causes Many college students start drinking and abusing drugs in junior high school and in high school. They take in small portions because the environment restricts usage can lead to discontinuation if one is caught with this behaviour. On joining college, such students are happy to find an environment that fosters drug abuse and more so, gives the students the freedom to attend or not to attend lectures. Arguably, students who use drugs and alcohol in high school use them twice as often-on joining colleges. The first factor that accelerates this behaviour is that on joining colleges, students experience a wide range of demands on individual, interpersonal, leaving home, peer pressure, and making new friends. In the course of making new friends, they meet with their peers who use drugs and alcohol and get lured into drugs. At the college level, experimenting with illegal drugs is a normal occurrence and an accepted routine done by students ignoring the negative effects of drugs. (Blum 65-70). Some students consume alcohol to lessen the stress they go in the process of adapting or to correct some psychological problems they might have. The second cause of drug and alcohol abuse in colleges is genetics and family history. Casa survey found out that 70% of college students confessed that their parent’s expectations influence them on whether how much they drink or use drugs (CASA web). College students with proper upbringing stand against the testing times of their peers and the pressure from their age. In the current America, most parents are absent and do not have time to advice their kids on proper behaviour in school. In addition, they themselves consume a lot of alcohol, from the bars or at times in the house, playing an inspirational role to their college students. The role of parents in fostering abuse comes in where some parents give too much money to their children. Therefore, they have enough to feed on, cloth, pay hostel and buy expensive illegal drugs. Others do not question their children usage of money. They just send them money as and when their children request for it. Thirdly, poor neighbourhoods especially for the black Americans foster drug usage and alcohol consumption. Most of them live in ghettos and get exposed to all kinds of abuse at an early age. Therefore, by the time they are joining college, they are addicts. Institutions are also to blame because they allow bars on the campus where students can easily access alcohol. Effects There is a strong relationship between alcohol consumption and drug abuse and poor academic performance. Many students cancel Friday classes to attend parties most of which offer alcohol as the main drink. Students then drinks from Friday through Sunday and have no time to do their assignments or study. Califano argues that alcohol and drug abuse continue to rob institutions and the country at large best students and the brightest (CASA web). The influence of drugs and alcohol on college students leads to reckless driving, which causes accidents or deaths. In addition, they will indulge in unprotected sex leading to serious diseases. Alcohol and drugs are addictive when consumed over time. Therefore, college students will develop a dependency of alcohol or drug usage at an early age. It impairs their thinking giving them lower grades, which may even lead to suspension. Days go by and the student realizes very late that they took the wrong route of life. Many try to commit suicide when it dawns on them that they are useless in the society after they shattered their own dreams. When caught with hard drugs like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, college students find themselves in juvenile cells serving sentences instead of being in school (Blum 32-40). Solution Drug abuse and alcohol drinking by college students need to be taken seriously by both the institutions and the government. Institutions need to organize proper orientation for the new students and warn them of their peers influence into alcohol and drugs. Facing the giant will provide a solution other than going around it. In addition, institutions need raise pass grades for each educational year, which will make students plan for ample time to revise other than party. It will be good for the institution to prohibit bars on the campus where students can easily access alcohol. There is need to restrict college students in aggressive marketing of alcohol, which result to easily accessible low priced alcohol (“DRF” 80-85). Athletics and sports can help alleviate drug usage among the youths (Tricker & Cook 167-180) Conclusion Drugs and alcohol intake in colleges is on the rise. Statistics reveal that women students have the same share of addiction as men. The problem seems to escalate because institutions have taken a status quo and accepted it as normal to have drunk students in the corridors of the college. The fact is that we are putting our countries future at stake. With the current trend of increasing alcohol consumption, we are loosing many bright students to accidents or to becoming useless persons in the society. The government is loosing a lot of money in its efforts to maintain a proper public health environment. We can overcome the problem if the institutions agree to accept this as a problem and task the students to better performance. Works Cited “CASA.” “Wasting the best and The Brightest: Substance Abuse at America’s Colleges and Universities.” 2007. Web, 26 November 2012, “Drug Research Foundation.” The Usage of Drugs by College and University Students in the State of Florida. 1970. Print. Blum, Richard. Student and Drugs: College and High School Observations. Jossey-Bass. 1969. Print. Tricker, Ray & Cook, David. Athletes at Risk: Drugs and Sport. W.C Brown, 1990. Print Read More