ABSTRACT
College students face newfound freedom when going to university for the first time, allowing them to be able to make good or bad decisions. Drug use in college is a problem that every college student will inevitably have to face, whether they encounter it and resist, or they succumb to the temptation. The podcast gives an overview of what type of drugs are most commonly used in college, how frequently they are used, and what pushes students into using drugs. It also details the consequences and detriments of using drugs with frequency, and the harms of each specific drug. The drugs detailed are: alcohol, study drugs, party drugs, and marijuana. Then it delves into the drug culture (or lack thereof) specifically at William and Mary. By referencing articles and interviews conducted by the Flat Hat, a student newspaper at William and Mary, it helps to fully paint the picture of drug usage at the College. This topic is especially applicable to students’ life at William and Mary because it is an issue we all have faced, or will have to face in the near future. Even though William and Mary is regarded as having a small drug culture, students will most certainly come across it and either have to make a decision for themselves or to help their friends. This podcast aims to give everyone the proper information regarding substance abuse, allowing for students to make an informed decision regarding drug usage.
TRANSCRIPT
I'm Joey Geisendorfer, current freshman at the College of William and Mary. When I first made the decision to go to school here I knew that it was a place of academic rigor and tradition, and I did not expect it to have much of a social scene at all. As my freshman year is coming to a close, I've learned a lot I learned that William and Mary does in fact have quite a robust social scene. With this, I myself have seen people make decisions and I've seen the consequences, I've seen first-hand people use drugs which was a huge surprise. After seeing this, it made me think does William and Mary consume a large amount of drugs? And do we how do we compare nationwide? Based on these questions I launched my project on drug usage.
When a student goes off to college or University they're beginning a journey that could shape them for the rest of their life. It is a time of unparalleled fun and discovery, with many people looking back and realizing that it was the most fun years of their life. People remember fondly looking back and going to football games and sporting events, making lifelong friends and overall just enjoying their time there. For most the biggest change that they experience when in school is a true sense of freedom. Kids are now not under the constant supervision of their parents, essentially allowing them to do whatever, whenever they please. This newfound freedom can be extremely beneficial to students, allowing them to develop skills to be self-sufficient in advance their own discipline. While this new privilege does have its positives, it also allows the freedom to make bad decisions. Going to college exposes kids to many situations and scenarios that they have not found themselves in previously, such as fraternity life, more exposure to alcohol, and drug usage. With these outside influences and peer pressure students are more likely to succumb to these temptations, and make poor decisions that can greatly harm them in the long run. The choice to use drugs is a very common one in college since students will inevitably be exposed to usage and potentially see it as more normalized they're much more likely to experiment with them this type of experimentation can lead to a full-blown addiction if left unchecked. For this project I'll be examining drug usage in college what pushes students use, what the overall numbers look like, and most importantly what drug usage looks like on the William and Mary campus.
Examples of events that will commonly have drug consumption include: tailgates, pregames, fraternity and sorority events, club events, and parties. Students will also find that acquiring illicit drugs and alcohol is much easier than before, as they can have many friends who know where to get them, or have an older student buy things for them. The availability of drugs and alcohol as well as knowing that drugs will be in many events can persuade many students to at least try them. A large portion of students will first try them at a party, with many already impaired it makes it easier for them to be willing to try it. Many in the situation will succumb to peer pressure to try them, yet this is only one of many reasons that students may begin to use drugs. Going over the drugs that are most common in college will help to explain the other reasons.
The primary focus of substance abuse studies on college campuses deals almost solely with alcohol, and for good reason. It has become almost synonymous with the college experience; alcohol is the most commonly used drug in college campuses making its impacts well known. While many people do not generally refer to alcohol as a drug, it falls into that category because it is a nervous system depressant. The National Institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism ran a survey and found that almost 60% of college students ages 18 to 22 drank alcohol in the past month, and nearly two out of three of them engaged in being drinking during that time frame. Alcohol has become more normalized on college campuses, with students feeling it is acceptable to go drink with friends, even if they're underage. Many students turned alcohol due to peer pressure and because it can help them lighten up and make them more social at events. Even though alcohol consumption has become more normalized, students that frequently drink can be subject to many serious consequences. Many common consequences include: troubled academics, potential legal problems, higher risk of suicide, higher risk of assault changes, decreased brain development, increased chance of dependence on alcohol, memory problems, and finally alcohol poisoning. The most frightening statistic is that about 1825 college students die from alcohol related accidents, such as car accidents, each year.
Another commonly abused substance among college students are study drugs. Study drugs refer to the prescription stimulant medications that are used to increase concentration, energy, and physical stamina. Drugs that are included in this group are: Ritalin, Concerta, and by far the most popular, Adderall. All these drugs are amphetamines that are typically prescribed to students who suffer from ADD, in order to help them concentrate more effectively on their studies. Amphetamines in these drugs causes hyper stimulation throughout the brain and body which makes users feel stronger, and more energized. The extra energy helps users to accomplish more work than they usually would without the drug, making it extremely popular among college. Due to its popularity it has garnered the nickname “college crack.” Many turned to this drug due to increased amount of academic work in college, and it is a surprisingly easy to get ahold of without a prescription. An unfortunate side effect of these types of drugs is reliance on them to get any work done at all. Once people begin to take them they find it more difficult to do basic problems without them. Because of this the US is seeing an increased number of addicted adults in the workforce and an overall rise in the number of prescriptions written for those ages 26 to 34 years old. This means that college students are continuing their addiction outside of college and are becoming fully reliant on the drug’s effects.
Party drugs such as: ecstasy, MDMA, and hallucinogens are also prevalent across college campuses. The most popular being ecstasy. These type of drugs can also be known as “designer drugs” and are very common at house parties, and places where alcohol is not typically allowed. These types of drugs are popular because in low doses it can induce feelings of pleasure, closeness to others, energy and confidence. People use these drugs at parties because they have a similar effect alcohol, allowing some to become more sociable and be more comfortable. In its purest form ecstasy is referred to as “Molly” but it is frequently mixed with other substances it can be mixed with caffeine, amphetamines, or alcohol to produce a stronger high. There are many negative effects for party drugs, as they are highly addictive and can be severely damaging to the body. When it is used and the person continues to do activity all night, it can induce severe dehydration and overheating, which can sometimes result in death. Higher doses and frequent usage can cause: hallucinations, paranoia, panic, anxiety and depression. While the overall number of deaths from the party drugs is low, its usage is spiking college age kids. Which in turn is causing school administrators to warn students of the dangers of abusing ecstasy and designer drugs.
By far the most popular illicit drug of choice among college students is marijuana. The Associated Press reported that around 43% of full-time college students admitted to using some form of marijuana in the last 12 months. And that percentage is only increasing the 43% reported was a historic high making the highest percentage in 35 years. Another shocking statistic is that 1 in 22 students uses marijuana daily. Marijuana usage is classified by smoking it normally, consuming edibles, and vaping it. This is why usage has become more prevalent as it is easy for students to acquire, and it can be consumed in many different ways. Many students begin using marijuana because it calms them down, can reduce depression, and can reduce anxiety. Students struggle with dealing from social pressures at school pressure and from their parents to do well in school. Self-isolation all causing them to feel anxious and depressed that is a large factor for why students will turn a marijuana. It can also be similar to party drugs and alcohol people will come across it frequently at parties and they feel it can help them lighten up at the party. While marijuana is generally viewed as harmless, or has very little negative impacts it can actually have detrimental impacts in the long run. It can impact brain development people who used it regularly lost an average of eight IQ points from the ages of 13 to 38 years old. Marijuana can also cause breathing problems, increased heart rate, problems with child development during and after pregnancy, intense nausea and vomiting, paranoia, temporary hallucination, and the worsening of pre-existing mental health issues. Overall marijuana should not be used frequently even though it's becoming more normalized.
The overview of drugs typically encountered on a college campus will help to evaluate the drug culture on the William and Mary campus. Since William and Mary is a prestigious school and is viewed by many to be solely focused on academic success, it can be generally assumed to not have a drug culture. Yet while that assumption is grounded in truth, there is usage on and around campus. By looking at articles by the flat hat a student newspaper on William and Mary campus it helps to paint a picture of the drug culture at the college.
In an article from April 2014, a member of the flat hat interviewed a freshman at the time to get a sense of what drug usage was like on campus. Under the conditions of an anonymity, he detailed what is most popular and who was using. He states that marijuana is very popular with the school as a whole, and he has encountered it more than he expected. He also says that other drugs like cocaine and ecstasy are popular with certain groups, although he had never personally encountered it. Another drug reference was Adderall, saying that it was not a party drug, but was used frequently by many as a study drug. Another anonymous freshman stated that students at William and Mary take a more balanced approach when it comes to drug usage, making it so they rarely face substance related health problems. Due to usage being infrequent, major Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department weighed in on the issue and said, that students want to have fun at school, William and Mary students value their academic career higher The Police Department does not encounter drug calls too frequently. Although when they do get a call, when they arrive at the scene whatever happens on campus, kids defer to the campus police in the school itself. Another freshman stated when interviewed that some students do smoke in their dorm but not frequently whatsoever. An interesting statement made by student describes how anybody can be a user, it doesn't matter if they're an intellectual or if they're failing all their classes. Painting a picture of a small drug culture on the William and Mary campus.
Thank you for listening to the podcast, I hope you found the information on drug usage on the William and Mary campus as well as colleges nationwide very informative. All sound can be attributed to freesound.org and hip hopinstrumentals.com all statistics listed are from the national database for drug abuse and all articles are from the flat hat student newspaper on the William and Mary campus. This was produced, mixed, and edited by myself: Joey Geisendorfer. Thanks for listening.
WORKS CITED
Cain, Áine. 2014 “Into drug culture: Experiences and consequences.” The Flat Hat, April 24, 2014.
Cain, Áine. 2014 “Into drug culture: The repercussions of drug use” The Flat Hat, April 22, 2014.
Cain, Áine. 2014 “Into drug culture: The Flat Hat’s series investigates various aspects of illegal substance use on campus” The Flat Hat, April 15, 2014.
Mochrie, Kirk F., Mathew C. Whited, Tony Cellucci, Taylor Freeman, and Ansley Taylor Corson. 2018. “ADHD, depression, and substance abuse risk among beginning college students.” Journal of American College Health 1, vol. 68: 6-10.
Mustaine, Elizabeth Erhardt, and Richard Tewksbury. 2004. “Profiling the Druggie Lifestyle: Characteristics Related to Southern College Students’ Use of Illicit Drugs.” Sociological Spectrum 2, vol. 24: 157-189.
NIH. n.d. “Drugs of Abuse” Accessed March 24, 2020. https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse