The Observer, April 20, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 25
Support for drug and alcohol abuse available for students
Last month, USA TODAY reported that drug use and binge drinking among America's 5.4 million full-time college students are on the rise. According to a study released by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, nearly half of college students abuse drugs or drink alcohol binge at least once a month. Abuse of prescription drugs and marijuana has increased dramatically since 1993. While about 8.5 percent of all people 12 and older meet the medical definition for alcohol or drug abuse or dependence, this statistic is much higher among college students – about 22.9 percent.
Joy Willmott, the substance abuse specialist at University Counseling Services (UCS), has been at Case since 1988. Rather than an increase in drug and alcohol use, however, she said she has seen persistence.
"What I see happening is a decrease in age at first use," she said. "Some kids are using all of high school and are still able to get into college…by that point it has progressed substantially into a problem."
Those at high risk for drug and alcohol dependency traditionally have been white male athletes, which is still the case. However, the average age for first-time alcohol experimentation among males has dropped to fifth grade. When people begin to use alcohol and drugs at such a young age, there are naturally going to be more college students with dependency issues.
"There is a progression from substance experimentation, to the substance becoming part of social life, to the substance actually defining social life, and then crossing the line to dependency," said Willmott.
According to Willmott, Case is fairly normal in terms of drug and alcohol use.
"There are bigger party schools, of course," she said. "There are things that happen at other colleges that don't happen here."
Despite this fact, Case was the third school in the country to create an alternative housing option for students who want to reside in a substance-free, recovery-based house. Recovery House, located on Murray Hill Road, opened in 2004 to assist resident students in developing healthy life skills while remaining free of alcohol and other drugs.
"We get calls weekly from other colleges and universities who want to start similar programs," said Willmott.
To provide support to the rest of the campus community, UCS has an alcohol and drug clinic each week where a counselor is available to talk to students concerned about substance abuse. In addition, Students in Recovery is a support group for students "who want to explore their relationship with mood altering chemicals and develop skills for freeing themselves from substance use." According to Willmott, there is no shortage of participants for either service.
"The university has a strong commitment to helping students," she said. "It allows kids to get help instead of kicking them out."
For more information on getting help for drug and alcohol abuse, visit the UCS website at http://studentaffairs.case.edu/counseling/.
