While there are many out-of-school youths that turn to drugs and alcohol, what don’t always come up in conversations on substance abuse are college students.
Many young adults are involved in some form of substance abuse, and many of them are in college. After all, this stage of their lives are prone to many pressures and triggers that feeds on their desire to experiment and succumb to substance abuse.
College and Substance Abuse: A Perfect Combination
College life has many triggers for substance abuse. For one, college exposes individuals to a new world, a new environment, and they meet new and different kinds of people. They also have more responsibilities with more freedom–and they’re away from the close eye of their parents.
They may also feel like using substances will make them fit in. Therefore, they will be more open to trying them out, opening a can of worms in the process.
The demands, stresses, pressures, and responsibilities of college life is another factor.
Other factors include their own history of substance abuse, coping mechanisms, social anxiety, communication skills, and mental health.
Warning Signs of Substance Abuse in College
- Change in behavior
- Mood swings
- Poor academic performance
- Poor participation in class and school activities
- Changes in weight
- Unusual sleeping patterns
- Missing classes
- Aggressive behavior
- Isolation
- Risky sexual behavior
- Promiscuousness
- Blackouts
- Anti-social behavior
- Suicidal tendencies
They may also hang out with other students who are known drug users.
I’m glad I came across your blog about the warning signs of substance abuse among college students. My neighbor talked to me this morning and told me that his son’s behavior is so strange nowadays. After reading your article, I’m afraid that his son has shown obvious signs of addiction. I will make sure to share your blog with my neighbor about drug abuse so she can refer to it.
[…] order to understand a person’s substance use disorder, you have to also see it in the context of an individual’s family. Addiction is a complicated […]