Addressing Drug Abuse on College Students

Abstract

Substance Abuse is not a new phenomenon worldwide but experts believe that the rate at which college students are abusing drugs is so alarming to an extent that it (Substance Abuse) is now one of the major global public health concerns. The National Survey (2010), reported that more of today's college students are abusing prescription drugs than was the case in the early 1990s and that the number of students involved in the daily use of marijuana doubled to more than 4 percent. Literature review revealed that not only is there an increase of Substance Abuse among college students but also an increase of adverse effects due to binge drinking. It also revealed that higher levels of education i.e. diploma or higher was associated with greater levels of drug abuse. However, despite these concerns, very few studies have in-depth analyzed, let alone prescribe the measures of addressing the problem. A number of studies conducted in the United States of America (U.S.) have indicated that SA is becoming a serious public health problem nationwide as well as globally. However, not much has been done to address this problem. The main objective of this study was to establish the extent of the problem of Substance Abuse in order to have a basis of prescribing measures to address the issue among college students. The study brought to light the extent and effects of Substance Abuse and as such, will benefit not only college authorities and students but parents and policymakers in order to come up with mitigation strategies.