University life has many cultural ideas surrounding it. For one, the years of post-high school education are for exploring career paths and making decisions about the future. Unfortunately, outside of this element, many young adults see college as a time for partying. The media heavily feeds into the connection between being young and uncontrolled in college and thus living wildly. Most movies and TV shows featuring university life normalize drug and alcohol use. Many older characters reflect on college as the best years of their life because of how they experimented. Realistically, there is a major downside to such ideas about substance abuse.

Drug and alcohol misuse in college can lead to poor physical health, failed classes, social strain, and increased risk of sexual assault. In the worst scenarios, it leads to overdose, a lifetime of struggling with addiction, or death. Binge drinking is a key concern amongst college students, as 39% report patterns of binging on alcohol. Statistically, those who binge drink are at a greater risk of also taking illicit drugs. More than 1 in 3 full-time students binge drink each month, and roughly 1 in 5 use illicit drugs. Commonly abused substances by college students are marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogenics, stimulants, and other prescription medications. In fact, it is estimated that over 20% of college students meet the criteria for having a substance dependence.

Unsurprisingly, abusing drugs and alcohol in one’s free time negatively affects their performance in school. Violence, sexual assault, low GPA, and an inability to find a job after graduation are linked to substance abuse in college. College student addiction statistics show the need for quality resources.