1 in 5 College Students Abuse Prescription Drugs to Keep up in School
Using drugs to study is never a good idea. Not only is it dangerous but you probably won’t retain anything you learned.
University Herald reported.
1 in 5 College Students Abuse Prescription Stimulants to Keep Up With Demands of School
Between academics, work and maintaining a social life, college students are turning to prescription drugs to keep up with the demands of college life.
Researchers from the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids found that one in five college students report abusing prescription drugs at least once in their lifetime. Students use these drugs as a way to manage the daily stresses of college life, not to hurt themselves.
“If I have an exam, I will study late into the evening,” Kenny Clark, a fourth-year student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, told news8000.com.
Like many college students, Clark is trying to keep his head above water while juggling his social life, work and academics. And when it comes to crunch times, he has pulled all-nighters to complete papers and study for exams.
“I’ve definitely closed the library down. The library is open till one,” Clark said. “Some of the time I will drink coffee, later at night if I have to be up late, I will sometimes have an energy drink.”
However, more and more students are starting to skip the coffee and energy drinks. They are going straight to prescription stimulants.
“They get over-stimulated, they can stay up all night, cram for studies on exams and things like that,” Dr. William Bucknam, director of addiction services at Gundersen Health System, told news8000.com.
Twenty-five percent of students at the Wisconsin university responded to the 2014 National College Health Association survey. Of that 25 percent, 12.6 reported use of a prescription stimulant that was not prescribed for them, according to Kate Noelke, the wellness coordinator for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
New research found that 20 percent of college students report abusing prescription drugs and nearly 50 percent say they use it to improve academically.
1 in 5 College Students Abuse Prescription Stimulants to Keep Up With Demands of School (University Herald)