Medication Abuse Among College Students Essay

There are a variety of daily habits and hobbies that college students participate in, during their schooling and off time, in order to alleviate stress and meet the demands of their college workload. Examples of these hobbies and some extracurricular activities might include; sports teams, fraternities, sororities, campus organizations or clubs, social gatherings, and even parties. The more often overlooked activities may even include alcohol and drugs. Drugs, not on the topic of cocaine, heroin, or even marijuana. College students are abusing another kind of drug, prescription medications. These medications may include; ADHD medication, anxiety medication, and even anti-depressants. There are college students across the United States that are abusing medications, in an attempt to study longer and achieve better grades. There has been an increase in medication abuse among college students, the abuse of these medications is …show more content…
The current data regarding the percentage of college students reporting medication abuse is shown at 38 percent (Ward, et al. 60), comparatively higher than 16.2 percent ten years prior (White, et al. 264). Relatively speaking, this is a dramatic increase in students misusing medication over a decade. The majority of these students are trying to get ahead in college, they just want to perform at a greater capacity and achieve better grades. Other students are generally abusing to get high, or just to feel good (Benson, et al. 62; Ward, et al. 66; White, et al. 265). Although, most students are just using their academics as justification for abusing prescription medications, and they do not mind taking the risks involved. Abusing prescription medications is a dangerous game. Students need to be concerned with the negative side effects to their health, suspension or expulsion from schools, as well as possible legal