Substance Abuse In College Students

College drug use stats are often underestimated. There is a deeper connection between drug abuse and mental health problems than is generally believed in public. Even though mental illness and drug abuse are not directly linked, people often use illegal drugs to self-medicate and relieve the symptoms of undiagnosed mental health problems.

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, substance addiction and depression, and anxiety are closely connected.

37 percent of alcoholics and 53 percent of drug addicts suffer from at least one major mental disease.

Symptoms associated with mental health disorders might be exacerbated or triggered by drug and alcohol use. And when taken with prescriptions such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications, and mood stabilizers, substance abuse and alcohol consumption can make it more difficult to relieve symptoms.

College Students Drug Abuse Statistics

Drug use in college students statistics in 2022 and 2023 have been on the rise. The following are the results of the large-scale Monitoring The Future National Survey on Drug Use carried out in 2018:

• In the preceding five years, college student opioid consumption reduced by 50 percent, from 5.4 to 2.7 percent.
• 5.2 percent of college students have experimented with hallucinogens (like LSD).
• 5.3 percent of college students are cocaine users.
• 4.3 percent of college students are MDMA users
• 3.5 percent of college students have utilized sedatives (like Valium, Xanax, and Klonopin)

In 2018, 45 percent of students in college were illicit drug users. Other than marijuana, 18 percent of college students abused an illicit substance.

College Students Alcohol Abuse Statistics

• 75 percent of students drink alcoholic beverages
• 60 percent of adults report drinking in the last month
• 38 percent report drinking alcohol within the past month.
• In recent times, binge drinking (defined as men consuming five or more drinks or women consuming four or more drinks within two hours) has decreased steadily and is now at an all-time low.
• 28 percent of students in college still binge drink
• 19 to 27 percent of women and 6 to 8 percent of men are sexually abused at college, according to studies. Several of these incidents include drinking.
• Relationships with alcoholics increase the risk of sexual assault.
• Alcohol is the third-leading preventable cause of mortality in the United States, after tobacco and poor diet/inactivity, accounting for over 80,000 fatalities annually.

Alcohol-related risky behaviors can result in negative outcomes including:

Physical injury and death — 1,825 college students between the age of 18 and 24 died from alcohol-related unintended injuries, such as automobile accidents.

Physical assault – 696,000 college students in the age group of 18-24 years are abused or assaulted by a student who has been recently drunk.

Sexual assault — 97,000 young students in the age group of 18-24 years report date rape or sexual assault associated with alcohol use.

Poor academic performance – About one-fourth of college students report academic effects of drinking, such as missing school, lagging in class, performing poorly on examinations or papers, and earning overall poorer grades.

College Students’ Marijuana Use Statistics

• While binge drinking among college students is at an all-time low, marijuana use is at a 35-year high.
• 43 percent of college students consume cannabis.
• 6 percent of college students regularly use marijuana.
• The percentage of college students who use marijuana has climbed by 7% over the past five years.
• The prevalence of marijuana use is comparable among college and non-college students.

Statistics On Vaping And Cigarette Use In College Students

• In 2017, 6 percent of college students were actively engaged in vaping.
• In 2018, 16 percent of college students vaped 2018.
• However, only 1.9 percent of college students report smoking every day.
• The number of college students who vape has increased by 250 percent.

 In the history of the Monitoring the Future College Students and Young Adults Survey, this is one of the greatest annual rises of any substance.

Statistics on Adderall and Other Study Drug Abuse in College Students

Use of Adderall and other study drugs was stable in this survey over the past five years, averaging around 10 percent.

11.1 percent of students in college reported using Adderall in 2018.