College Students and Drug Abuse The irresponsible use of drugs and alcohol by college students has always been an issue for university campuses, but the problem has become more and more frequent and has grown in familiarity with every passing generation. In past years, the problem has not only multiplied in frequency, but has also grown in danger. Now students are abusing not only recreational drugs like Marijuana and Cocaine, but also prescription drugs like Ritalin and others like it such as Adderall. "As many as 20 percent of college students have used Ritalin or Adderall to study, write papers, and take exams..." (Jacobs 2). Medications like Ritalin are used to provide energy and concentration when a person cannot achieve them through regular means. Students take medication like Ritalin to help them deal with loss of sleep so they can stay up all night to cram and still do well in class. Students are now using similar medications like Adderall that are released over long periods of time so they can keep an energy high throughout an entire day instead of just one or two class periods. On some campuses, if you’re not using Ritalin or Adderall, you are just increasing your risk to fall behind. As one Columbia student said, “If you don’t take them, you’ll be at a disadvantage to everyone else” (Jacobs 3). This previous statement is unfortunately all too true, these types of prescription medications are so popular and commonplace that students attending certain universities believe that “now it’s almost cool to take them” (Jacobs 2). Many college students have come to believe that these drugs are essential to their success, many believe that it can expand their intelligence and give them a learning advantage in classes they find difficult. This is false because these medications were only created to help people suffering from A.D.H.D. to maintain concentration and focus on tasks they previously found overwhelming.
The rise in occurrence of disorders such as A.D.H.D. and A.D.D. in past years may have a link to this problem, many teens are diagnosed with attention disorders and the commonplace use of medications like Ritalin and Adderall may have led a lot of students to think that taking these drugs is normal. At Columbia University, a student even went as far as to say that “the culture here actually encourages people to use stimulants,” (Jacobs 2) Doctors have been seeing a rising amount of young adults who have claimed to have an attention deficit disorder in order to obtain medications to help them in college.
Another leading cause of drug abuse is “the belief that drug abuse or the non-medical use of any drug will not have long-lasting effects on their health.” (Health Services 2) Campus health providers frequently see students who have over extended themselves by taking too many pills at once or too often and end up wandering in because they cannot function any further. Surveys and reports have confirmed that these forms of drug abuse have more than doubled in the last decade or so. “... [T]he number of teenagers…abusing prescription medications tripled from 1992 to 2003...” (Jacobs 2). The ready availability of these drugs has also led to an increase in their wide-spread use, the "[T]he abuse of prescription drugs…has increased dramatically since the mid-1990s"(Leinwand 1). The majority of abused prescription drugs are either received from a friend or acquaintance that has been prescribed the medication or sold by someone on campus.
Although prescription drug use has indeed increased "Alcohol remains the favored substance by far...” (Leinwand 1). Reportedly around 50 percent of college students consume alcohol on a regular basis. Although campus authorities have increased their efforts to put a lid on drinking in recent years, "in 2005, 83% of campus arrests involved alcohol…” So despite regular efforts, drinking on college campuses has continued to become progressively more common over the years, it is pretty much expected. Drinking is the college norm; almost every college student will consume alcohol before their graduation.
Once a student becomes overly dependent on a substance, like alcohol or Ritalin, they can obtain help and possible treatment through their University’s health services and offices. Some of the treatments may be medical or involve a rehabilitation center or a student can seek help through a support network like AA or with a group of supporting family or friends. A student can also opt to go speak with a counselor or possibly a professor about their problems in class or their reliance on a substance that they feel is keeping them from failure in their schooling. Substance abuse can terribly interfere with a students ability to attend class and to achieve any type of learning, students should not let themselves be caught in the use or abuse of any such substance and should always be able to turn to a university advisor for help or support. Fellow stdents, advisors, and professors should always make an effort to reduce substance abuse on campuses every time they get the chance, because even if it does not end a life, substance abuse can and will destroy a life if it is given the chance and not stopped before it begins.

Works Cited
“College Drug Use”. University Health Services. The University of Texas at Austin. 2012. Web. 15 October 2012.

Jacobs, Andrew. “The Adderall Advantage.” Student Health. The New York Times. 31 July 2005. Web. 13 October 2012.

Leinwand, Donna. “College Drug Use, Binge Drinking Rise.” USA TODAY. 15 March 2007. Web. 13 October 2012.