As a college student, you have so much on your side: a future filled with possibility, the energy of youth. Your college years, ideally, present valuable time for self-growth and discovery.
But struggles with drugs and alcohol, and related mental health issues, can get in the way of that — especially with the added strain caused by the COVID crisis. Substance abuse and mental health had been a concern prior to the pandemic, but these conditions have only gotten worse since then.
Isolation, uncertainty, canceled events, strained relationships, and financial concerns, among other pandemic-related problems, have brought with it an increase in anxiety and depression and spikes in substance abuse.
With binge drinking, there’s good news and bad news. The good news is that, according to a 2020 study from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), there has been a steady decline among college students, reaching an all-time lows in recent years. The bad news is that alcohol remains the most abused substance among college students, with 33% of students reporting binge drinking in a given month and 9% of college students developing alcohol use disorder.
Despite the decrease in binge drinking, marijuana use continues to rise. The use of so-called “study drugs” such as Ritalin and Adderall is also skyrocketing, having increased dramatically among college students over the last two decades. Although exact estimates of the range of its abuse among the total college student population vary considerably, the extent of its use is staggering on any count.
Most tragic of all is that fentanyl overdose deaths are the number one cause of death for adults ages 18-45, according to the CDC.
Recovery Centers of America (RCA) is dedicated to helping patients achieve a life of recovery through evidence-based alcohol and drug addiction treatment. RCA has 10 inpatient facilities in the United States as well as full spectrum of outpatient treatment services. If you need help, Recovery Centers of America will answer your call 24/7 and can get you into treatment starting TODAY. Call 1-800-RECOVERY now.
This article has been paid for by the Recovery Centers of America.
