College Substance Use: How Much Is Too Much?

Ever since we were little we have been told that drugs and alcohol are bad for us. For a while, that’s what we believed and we stayed away from those substances.

Times have changed now that we’re in college. Doing drugs, drinking, and partying have become the newest craze and you’re just "boring" if you don’t do any of it. There used to be a limit to what students viewed as acceptable, but now there’s just no line anymore; pun intended.

I have heard students talk about their experiences with every drug under the sun, and it used to surprise me when I heard these stories. However, I feel like I have been desensitized from the idea of someone doing acid or “shrooms” because it’s something I hear about on almost an everyday basis.

When I asked a friend (college freshman) how his weekend was, he said “I went to a rave, and I did acid!” He seemed like he was just so nonchalant about doing such a hardcore drug; like it was just an everyday occurrence for him.

It’s hard to believe that students know the dangers of the drugs they use, even marijuana, and they just do not care about how it will affect their bodies and brains in the long run.

Studies have shown the highest rates of marijuana use were found in college residents as opposed to college students living with their parents. This isn’t surprising, because if college students aren’t drinking or doing hard drugs they are most likely smoking marijuana.

Alcohol is also a dangerous substance that college students typically get carried away with. Again, they all know the dangers of alcohol and how many problems it can cause, but I believe it is important that students be reminded of these dangers on a more regular basis.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m aware a good amount of college students do not do drugs or drink alcohol. I am just saying that an alarming amount of students have become increasingly comfortable experimenting with drugs and alcohol.

I think it would be beneficial for colleges across the country to have information about the dangers of drugs and alcohol openly visible to students around campus in order for them to be reminded of how their choices in college could affect their lives forever.