At some point in our lives, we just didn’t want to crawl out of bed to go to school. After weeks of studying for upcoming exams, you feel like you cannot keep your eyelids open, and you sometimes wonder how you will ever be able to complete a tricky project. If you have ever felt this way, you are not alone. Millions of students around the world suffer from school fatigue (of sorts) and feel like the overwhelming anxiety and exhaustion will kill them. Unfortunately, while some students reach for the coffee or the Red Bull, others prefer a more dangerous kick by taking drugs called stimulants. Commonly used for ADHD and other behavioral disorders, these substances provide more kick than a caffeine pill for an unaffected person, and the results can be deadly. Let’s take a closer look at the major issue of stimulant use on college campuses.
An Overwhelming Number of Users
Through a survey of students (undergraduate, graduate, and professional) in the United States, researchers discovered that 16% of these college-level men and women are taking stimulants to get through the day. Even more disturbing, 9% of these college students claimed to use painkillers, the same number of students who confirmed they had used prescription sedatives. So, what could make this situation even stickier? How about the fact that most of these students claimed to have gotten these pills from friends?
Ohio State University Efforts
Back in 2008, Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio) initiated studies on prescription drug misuse as part of the Student Life Student Wellness Center and the College of Pharmacy on campus. In part, the data utilized by the nationwide study on college stimulant misuse has opened the floodgates for invaluable statistics that can help OSU and additional universities develop more detailed programs. In a comprehensive review of 26 universities and 19,539 students, the following statistics were collected:
- 28% of students claimed that obtaining stimulants for grade improvement is easy.
- 20% of students claimed that obtaining sedatives for sleep relief is easy.
- 16% of students claimed that they had an easy time obtaining painkillers.
- 8% of students kept their own prescription drugs under lock and key.
- 79% of students were aware of where they could get help for drug problems.
Always remember that drugs do not have control over your life. You do. Are you suffering from a substance use disorder or a severe form of addiction? Do you have a friend or family member suffering from one or more of these debilitating illnesses? If you do, get in touch with Asana Recovery today. Our counselors and healthcare experts are ready to walk you through every step of the detox and withdrawal process and rehabilitation and guide you towards living a happier, healthier, and freer lifestyle. While the road to recovery might not be an easy road to travel, we promise to help you every step of the way. Take the first step to stay fit, healthy, and safe.
The time for you to take back control of your life is now. If you are interested in one of our residential treatment or supervised detoxification/withdrawal programs, we are ready and waiting to speak with you at your disclosure. Call Asana now at (949) 438-4504 to learn how to overcome your drug abuse or addiction troubles today.