While alcohol and drug use have received great attention throughout college campuses, it seems that there exists very few resources for students to gain awareness of this rising trend, and further find support where it is needed. As a result, Turning Point has conducted comprehensive research to assess just how detrimental college addiction is, and how recovery and education can still be achieved simultaneously, with the proper attention and treatment. In the following infographic, we concentrated on the recent rise of college drug use since the 90s, and further measured its consequences throughout campuses nationwide. While we ultimately found that this younger population is in fact the age group most affected by substance abuse, afflicting more young men than women, both academically and medically, we also found a glimpse of hope.

1. FACING THE FACTS:
COLLEGE AND THE RITUALIZATION
OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE
12 to 17
18 to 25
26 or Older
In 2013, the illicit drug use rate was highest among young adults aged
18 to 25 (21.5%), followed by youths aged 12 to 17 (8.8%), then by
adults aged 26 or older (7.3 %).
The usage rate among full-time college
students age 18 to 22 was 22.3%, only .7%
lower than everyone else in that age range.
38% OF COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS
consider the public perception of substance abuse by
college students as a rite of passage to be the largest
contributing factor to the growing epidemic.
STUDENTS REPORTING:
Male full-time college
students age 18 to 22
are more likely to be
using illicit drugs.
26% 19.2%
NOT EXCLUSIVE TO NON-STUDENTS
MALE VS FEMALE
College students
are diagnosable
at nearly 3x the
rate of the
general public.
Students 22.9%
General Public 8.5%
Use of prescription amphetamines rose 93%
Use of sedatives rose 225%
Use of prescription opiates rose 343%
Use of tranquilizers rose 450%
Drinking alcohol a minimum of
10-TIMES PER MONTH
ROSE BY 25%
USE OF MARIJUANA
DAILY ROSE BY
MORE THAN 50%
USE OF DRUGS OTHER THAN MARIJUANA ROSE BY 52%
1,825 deaths per year
resulting from incidents
related to substance abuse
599,000 injuries per year
resulting from incidents
related to substance abuse
97,000 students victimized by
alcohol-related sexual assault
per year
ALCOHOL IS
A FACTOR IN
40%
28%
of academic
problems and
of college
dropouts
A B C D F
DOES ALCOHOL AFFECT SCHOOL GRADES?
NUMBER OF DRINKS CONSUMED PER WEEK
SORTED BY SCHOOL LETTER GRADE
22.7 million persons (8.6% of the U.S. population) aged 12 or
older needed treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol use problem in 2013.
2.5 million received treatment at a specialty facility. This means that
20.2 million persons who need treatment did not receive it.
37% of college
students fear social
stigma attached to
substance abuse,
preventing them
from seeking help.
Only 6% of students
who meet criteria
for substance abuse
or dependence
sought help for
their problem.
Commonly reported reasons for not receiving illicit drug or alcohol
use treatment among persons aged 12 or older were:
“Generally, a third of 16- to 25-year-olds
who seek help will improve substantially,”
- Dr. John F. Kelly, associate director of the Center for
Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital
Nearly one-third of patients achieve
abstinence from their first attempt
at recovery.
An additional one-third have brief periods
of substance use but eventually achieve
long-term abstinence.
Over recent years, recovery programs
and sober residencies have emerged in
colleges throughout the United States.
There are currently over 20 fully sober
colleges in the country, with many more
enacting programs (such as ARHE) to
help students maintain sobriety and
commit to their journey of recovery.
Texas Tech, Augsburg, Rutgers, and
Fairfield University are some of the
most well known, with abstinent rates
averaging at about 90% for students in
the program. Augsburg reports a
graduation rate of over 80%.
Turning Point’s unique program of
Preparative Care is designed to meet the
specific needs of young men suffering
from substance abuse and co-occurring
disorders. For more information on how
to overcome addiction please call Turning
Point at 877-581-1793 or send an email to
info@tpaddictiontreatment.com
Sources:
http://archive.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2013SummNatFindDetTables/NationalFindings/NSDUHresults2013.htm#fig7.11
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHresultsPDFWHTML2013/Web/NSDUHresults2013.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2741558/
https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/sites/default/files/hec/product/first-year.pdf
http://www.casacolumbia.org/addiction-research/reports/wasting-best-brightest-substance-abuse-americas-colleges-universitys
http://archive.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2013SummNatFindDetTables/NationalFindings/NSDUHresults2013.htm#fig7.11
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/subabuse99/chap2.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/education/edlife/a-bridge-to-recovery-on-campus.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
http://collegiaterecovery.org/
THE TREND: COLLEGE SUBSTANCE ABUSE
ON THE RISE? FROM THE 90’S TO THE 00’S
THE MEDICAL CONSEQUENCES
THE ACADEMIC CONSEQUENCES
THE STIGMA AND ISSUE
THE SOLUTION: TREATMENT & RECOVERY
ON COLLEGE RECOVERY
40.3% not ready to stop using
31.4% no health coverage and could not afford cost
10.7% possible negative effect on job
10.1% concern that receiving treatment might cause
neighbors/community to have a negative opinion
9.2% not knowing where to go for treatment
8% no program having the required type of treatment