Alcohol and Drugs on Campus - Research Paper Example

Alcohol and Drugs on Campus Campus life is one of the most interesting periods in an individual’s life, as a person gets exposure to the “real” world of adulthood. Mention campus fun and what comes to an individual’s mind are the wild parties and drinking binges during their campus period, through personal attendance or witness. Parties and show of freedom by students with their peers characterize the campus life, and with that comes the major problem: alcohol and other drugs (AOD) use. In deed, the freedom evident in campus has drawn an unending debate on whether or not to implement new laws to govern students’ behavior. Though seemingly obvious, it has caused havoc among institutions’ leadership, governments, and policy makers. Despite the enormous knowledge gained from campus on the great discoveries in the world, American history and quantum physics, most of them do not comprehend the looming health problems that are associated with alcohol and other drugs use. In fact, some students consider this behavior as a show of might and fame. As a campus student, I know the problem is wide spread in campuses, or at least in my campus, as close to 88% of my fellow students use alcohol and other drugs. It goes for other campuses across the country, and the globe at large. Applying simple arithmetic calculations, this estimate translates to 9 out of ten campus students being users of alcohol and other drugs. Now, these figures are shocking if we consider the risks involved with alcoholism and substance abuse like road accidents to social crime like rape, all resulting from intoxicated minds. In extreme circumstances, health conditions like cirrhosis and a variety of cancer may be the result. Adding pain to injury, most of the alcohol products and drugs are available within the campus environment! I have witnessed several colleagues of mine in campus publically drinking and smoking in their “hide zones” that are apparently not so hidden. From a personal sober point of view, alcohol and drugs use should be banned from campuses considering the fact that these are the institutions that the society has confidence in molding the future leaders. I envision walking inside campus environment without the somewhat ugly scenes of drunken students, or students getting high on drugs before attending lectures. I believe this is achievable with a well-organized plan, which would be to ban all the suppliers and cartels that avail these products within the campus environment. Campus administration should also design, implement, and enforce a set of policy regulating alcohol and drug use within the campus environment. In addition, the administration should ensure that there is a functional guidance and counseling department that will offer timely intervention and prevention of alcohol and drug use. An alcohol and drug free campus environment is my idea of a conducive environment for learning. Campuses are places for nurturing knowledge and talent, not a market for alcohol and drugs. Alcohol and other drugs pose as the number one health issue on campus. According to recent statistics from the US Surgeon General, alcohol is involved in some 200,000 deaths every year in the US, equal to ten percent of US mortality rate (Andreatta 156). In addition, 18 million adults are classified as heavy drinkers, most of whom started on campus. More than one million hospital discharges annually are alcohol-related. Half of all traffic accidents result from driving under influence of alcohol and other drugs, and the number one killer of teenagers in America. Combine that with the alcohol-related birth defects amounting to around 40,000 cases nationwide and you will understand my point of concern. Alcohol is a big problem that requires our attention. Most of the people acquire the habits of alcohol and drug use from the campus lifestyle, and carry it into their future lives. According to NIAAA, banning alcohol and drug use on campuses will be not only doing justice to the students, but the country and future generations as well. Students with drinking habits are more prone to have trouble with the campus administration, damage property, miss classes, and perform poorly in class. Further to these problems, student sexual aggression tends to increase with increase in alcohol use. Research data presented by Fisher and Sloan on sexual aggression at one campus indicates that 67 percent of male aggressors and 50 percent of the female victims were drinking at the time of assault or other incidents of victimization. According to a report by NIAAA, most of the reported cases are associated with campus drinking binges and parties (Andreatta 152). Ultimately, drinking among campus student results in unsafe sex practices and unplanned sexual engagement among campus students, basing the foundation for health problem associated with STIs. Summarizing the problem, students who engage in alcohol and drug use lose focus of the purpose of campus education. In addition, alcohol and drug use are the major causes of immorality in campuses. Consistent and extreme use of alcohol and other drugs by campus students leads to serious health problems like cirrhosis and a variety of cancer related diseases, decreased productivity, breakdown of family relations and structure, and inhibition of educational development (Hales 306). Consistent use of the same may lead to dependency and addiction, which may be difficult to break. According to a research by Andreatta, some of the reason that campus students give for their drinking problem reflect that they are associated with personality characteristics and psychological problems like anxiety, depression, impulsiveness, and deviant behavior from an early age. Some others relate their problems to family history. Analyzing these reasons, most of them are illogical. The students’ expectancy that alcohol and drugs will blow away their depression and promote relaxation is illogical. Such solutions last for a few hours (if not minutes). There is no adequate evidence that people inherit of drinking and drug usage from parents, and as such, the problem may be classified as a behavioral adaptation, which can be possibly changed (Andreatta 159). Peer influence and the quest for popularity are also reasons why students engage in alcohol and drug use (Hales 304). Students need to be guided and counseled on other effective means of attaining fame and fighting inappropriate peer influence. Being famous does not necessitate an individual to become an alcoholic or drug nerd. The consequences of being an alcoholic and drug addict far outweigh the fame status. Who, in their sober minds, would want to be famous for a two or three-year period in campus and spend the rest of their lives in rehabilitation facilities fighting alcohol and drug addiction? The only problem with campus students is the lack of adequate information and knowledge on the impacts of drug and alcohol use. Peer influence should be effectively countered by effective guidance and counseling services. Campus, being an institution that models the teenagers into future leaders, should be free of such character threatening behaviors as drinking and drug abuse. The traditional thought that campus students have to engage in such behaviors to stereotypically mark their tenure in campus by engaging in such extreme behaviors should be completely disregarded. There are those who pass campus life without much serious activity and become successful in life. Alcohol and drug use need not be part of the campus life. There have been claims that campus, state and federal laws are not effective in prohibition of alcohol and drug use among campus students. Despite the facts that the statement is true to some degree, I disagree to acknowledge the fact that there are no laws that could possibly decrease if not completely rid the campuses from alcoholism and drug use. There are much more complex crime activities that are prohibited by the laws, and have been decreasing significantly. Similarly, alcoholism and drug use should follow precedence, like prohibiting alcohol and drugs in campus environment. The laws should be strict and applicable to all the students irrespective of the problems associated with the incidents. A range of alcohol and drug use treatment and prevention programs exist in most campuses and include educational and behavioral intervention techniques. Educative programs include classroom and events lecture on alcohol and drugs that create awareness on the issue. Behavioral intervention programs include alcohol and drug educative programs that focus on the cognitive behaviors skill of students that will enable them to moderate and monitor their drinking and drug abuse. This method has proved to be efficient compared to the educative programs, with maximum efficiency attainable in individual motivational sessions (Stamm 52). This proves that there are possible measures that may be taken to reduce the alcohol and drug use in campuses. Campuses alcohol and drug awareness programs should incorporate their policies in a context that appeal to campus students. This will enhance their understanding of the hazards resulting from such behavior, and possibly relate those materials with their own lives. Simply prohibiting such behavior is not effective enough; the students need to understand why they should avoid such acts. The programs should present facts and let the students make their choices based on the presented data. Campus students with alcoholism problems are not a problem to the campus only, but rather to the larger community living with the campus environment. Communities living within a one-mile radius of campuses have reported alcohol-related disturbances and noises, vandalism, public urination and vomiting (Fisher & Sloan 168). Many alcohol outlets typically characterize campus neighborhoods. The campuses should incorporate measures in their governance to urge the states to prohibit such business set-up within the campuses. This will reduce the cases of alcohol and drugs in campuses. In conclusion, here is a proposal for the environmental management of alcohol and other drugs that focuses in five major areas of concern (Stamm 49). The model involves promotion and offering recreational, social, and public service options that are alcohol and drug free. Creation of an academic, social, and residential environment that enhances healthy norms is also a concern. Restricting promotion and marketing of raves and other events that influence alcohol use and drug abuse, limiting access to alcohol and drugs in and out of campus, and development and enforcement of alcohol and drug policies within the campus environment. In addition, the alcohol and drug awareness programs should borrow from NIAAA taskforce report recommendation that include training students in cognitive behavioral skills, motivational interviewing, enforcing campus policies, and taking attendance among other measures. The ideal campus environment needs to be free from alcohol and drug use, which significantly imposes harm on family and relationships, creativity and work, and research and study. Works cited Andreatta, Britt. Navigating the Research University: A Guide for First-Year Students. Boston, MA: Cengage, 2010. 152-160.Print. Fisher, Bonnie & Sloan, John J. Campus crime: legal, social, and policy perspectives. Illinois: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 2007. 168-176. Print. Hales, Dianne. An Invitation to Health. Belmonte, CA: Thompson Higher Education, 2007. 304-321. Print. Stamm, Mark Edward. Exploring Two Drug and Alcohol Policies: Where are the Best Interests of the Students. 47-58. Print.   Read More