• Table of Contents
  • Background
  • Understand Disorder
    • Substance Use Disorder
    • Motivations for Use
    • Misperceptions
    • Person-First Language
  • Recovery
    • Understanding Recovery
    • Collegiate Recovery
  • How to Help
    • How to Help Someone Struggling with Substance Use
    • Recovery Ally
    • Collegiate Recovery Communities
  • Conclusion
  • Citations
  • Resources
  • Posttest

Background

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College students are at particular risk for developing substance use disorders due to binge drinking, exposure to drug experimentation, and peer pressure. Research shows that the earlier an individual begins to misuse substances, the higher the likelihood that they will develop a substance use disorder. Since people are most likely to begin misusing substances during adolescence and young adulthood (i.e. during college), it is important for individuals on college campuses to understand substance use disorders and recovery.⁴

Consider the following:

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 19.7 million Americans (aged 12 and older) battled a substance use disorder in 2017.

Alcohol Use

Approximately 35% of college students aged 18–22 reported binge drinking (consuming 5 or more drinks in a 2-hour period) in the past month compared with 33% of other persons of the same age.¹

Other Drug Use

According the 2018 Monitoring the Future Survey³, nationwide in the past year:

1. 43% of college students had used cannabis
2. 5.9% of college students report using cannabis every day
3. 11% of college students report misusing Adderall (using without a prescription or using other than prescribed)
4. 2.7% of college students report misusing prescription opioids

Recovery

Substance use disorders are treatable and recovery is attainable. In 2012, about 10% of American adults who were at least 18 years old said they were in recovery from an alcohol or drug abuse issue.²

In 2014, around 250,000 college students in the United States had received treatment for alcohol or other drug use.¹¹

It is important to know that there are students on campus who are struggling with substance use, as well as students, faculty, and/or staff who are in recovery from substance use disorders. This training will give you the tools to understand substance use disorders, know how to help someone who is showing signs of a substance use disorder, and be an ally to individuals who are in recovery.