Author: Shruthi Shyam

College is one of the most common places drugs are found, sold, and abused. For many students, college opens up the world of opportunity to try new things and have new experiences without the supervision of parents. Unfortunately, this includes engaging in risky behavior without fear of the real consequences. The rates of abuse of drugs on college campuses have more than tripled for certain substances, leading to both an initial increased tolerance and possible addiction later on.

 

A majority of the students who did not drink in high school will take their first sip while in college, and many will experiment with harder drugs like hallucinogens and so-called party drugs, risking a chemical dependence in their brain.

 

Although many drugs, regrettably, are frequently used by college students, here are the 5 most commonly abused drugs on college campuses.

 

1 – Alcohol: 9.9% of full-time college students aged 18 to 22 drank alcohol for the first time in the past year.

 

Alcohol is the most abused drug on campus, simply because, in many campuses, its consumption is part of the college culture.  Though alcohol is a legal activity for older college students, the typical freshmen is 18 years old, far below the legal drinking age.

 

Binge drinking has also become a popular habit on college campuses included in sporting events, celebrations, and in many cases of hazing. Binge drinking can lead to alcohol poisoning, which can then lead to death.

 

2 – Marijuana: nearly 50% of college students have tried marijuana at least once.

 

Although illegal in many states, marijuana as been the most popular drug in the United States, other than alcohol, for several decades. Mary Jane, bud, grass, and weed are just a few nicknames echoed around campus. Marijuana is widely and falsely considered a harmless drug, which is why it is so popular among college students.

 

Commonly used to relax or to mix in with the party scene, marijuana does have significant effects on the body. Negligence caused by the high of the drug, such as driving while under the influence or injury from lack of judgement, has taken a toll on college students and could result in severe injury. Relaxing the nerves and putting one in a sleep-like state is also common, turning responsibilities like homework and studying into a priority for another day.

 

3 – Prescription Pills: one study found that more than 60% of students with a valid prescription from ADHD medication were diverting it to other students without prescriptions.

 

College-level work gets harder for many as they move up a grade level, making it harder to focus in class and complete assignments. Adderall and Ritalin are very commonly sold and abused drugs on college campuses. These drugs are designed to block out the distractions in your surroundings and in your head, making it easier to concentrate and retain knowledge. Exam week is a popular time in which students scramble to find these pills that will supposedly help them study. Friends sell to friends until the word gets out, turning prescriptions into profitable sales.

 

Selling Adderall or Ritalin is illegal and can result in a fine up to $10,000 on top of 10 years in jail. Demand for Adderall keeps rising, and at an average of $3-$15 per pill, college students can make a hefty chunk of change that beats their minimum wage job despite the many legal risks. In addition, abuse of these prescription pills can lead to increased levels of anxiety and cardiac problems.

 

4 – Ecstasy: emergency room visits due to ecstasy have increased by more than 1,200% since ecstasy became the “club drug” of choice at all-night raves.

 

As raves and festivals grow in popularity, so does the use of “rave drugs,” with ecstasy being the most popular. Users claim the music helps intensify the feelings manifesting from the drug. In some college atmospheres, it has become as normal to take ecstasy at a festival as it has to drink alcohol at a bar. The harms of the drug, however, are equally, if not more so, intense.

As users feel ecstasy’s most intense sensations, referred to as “peaking”, their brain explodes with the release of dopamine, producing artificial and immense feelings of happiness. This, of course, goes downhill once the effects have worn off, influencing the user to take more to bring back these effects. Unfortunately, taking more of the drug will enhance the dependency of the drug once it leaves the system, leaving the body in a critical state of uncomfortable feelings and sickness until the withdrawal phase has passed. Ecstasy so completely drains the body of natural “feel-good chemicals” that many users experience extreme depression in the days after consumption. This depression is so severe that it can lead to self-harm.

 

5 – Cocaine: one study shows most users (69%) started using cocaine after college entry.

 

As the popularity and use of ecstasy has risen, cocaine has followed closely in its path. Cocaine is highly addictive and illegal in the United States. It is derived from the coca plant in South America and is portrayed as the rich man’s drug–from its expensive cost to its euphoric effects. One in four of those who try cocaine will become addicted in the duration of their lives.

Are You Considering Therapy?

 

Please do!

 

In fact, therapy in a group setting can be extremely helpful to people in addiction recovery. Group therapy enables members to develop a culture of recovery, and allows problems that usually accompany addiction, such as depression, isolation, and shame, to be treated. Groups can also act as a support network. Members of the group help you come up with practical ideas for improving difficult situations or tackling life challenges, but also hold you responsible throughout the recovery process.

 

What Is Group Therapy?

 

Group therapy is a form of psychotherapy that unites small groups of people who both challenge and support each other in addiction rehab and recovery. Group therapy is generally preferred over individual addiction therapy because groups offer family-like experiences. They provide the support and nurturing qualities that, at times, may have been lacking in group members’ families of origin.

 

The group also gives members the opportunity to practice healthy ways of interacting with their families and friends. In the hands of a skilled, well-trained group leader, the potential of all members in a group can be harnessed and directed towards:

 

– Healthy attachments

– Positive peer reinforcement

– Opportunities for self-expression

– Development social skills

 

What Is The Outcome Of Group Therapy?

 

The support group is a safe and non-judgmental environment where members can openly discuss their feelings, fears and frustrations. People who participate in group therapies benefit in many ways. Groups are uniquely customized to help people.

 

What Are The Benefits Of Group Therapy?

 

One of the benefits from group therapy is that it motivates members to initiate their own abstinence. Another benefit is that even when you say little, you will learn more about yourself during sessions by listening carefully to others. Finding that many people are bothered by the same concerns will make you think of solutions for problems in your life. The group members often bring up issues that can be solved collectively.

 

Yet another benefit is that you can decide how much you want to share with the group. No one can force you to do/say anything you are not ready to reveal. When you feel confident enough to share what is bothering you, the whole group will be very likely to help you and give you support.

 

Ultimately, the biggest benefit of group therapy is that it can influence the making of personal and lifestyle changes that support abstinence and help you maintain your sobriety more successfully.

 

What Is Group Therapy Like?

 

There are many things that can happen in group therapy. A session can be devoted to talking about the group’s concerns and how people are feeling. Group members might use the session to talk about a particular crisis or problem that needs solving. Or, they might want to focus on the changes that have been happening. Another possible topic for a group therapy session is coping skills, such as how to deal with anger, regret, or sadness. Sometimes just letting out feelings and talking about them in therapy sessions can bring relief, understanding, and healing.

 

The focus of a session might be on learning how to communicate more effectively with each other. For example, the therapist might coach a group member to speak up, to practice saying “no” to unreasonable demands, or to give a compliment. Group members might be asked to rephrase a statement in a more positive way. The therapist also might help group members improve their listening and observing skills to reduce misunderstanding.

 

Group therapies optimally involve 8-10 members, but the number can go up to 15. Groups can meet one time per week or up to 5 times weekly. Group therapy sessions usually last for about 90 minutes, while the duration of groups is never pre-set. You can stay in a therapy group for as long as you and your group leaders feel it’s beneficial for you.

 

Does Group Therapy Work To Treat Addiction?

 

Group therapy and substance use treatment are natural allies.

 

Groups provide positive peer support and pressure to abstain from their substances of choice. Unlike other addiction treatment programs, group therapy stimulates commitment in all group members to attend the sessions, be on time, and raise the effectiveness of the treatment itself. Therefore, both peer support and pressure for abstinence are strong.

 

The effectiveness of group therapy for addiction treatment can be attributed to the very nature of addiction and several co-occurring factors, such as:

 

– anxiety

– character pathology

– denial

– depression

– isolation

– temporary cognitive impairment

– personality disorders

– shame

– structural deficits

– a lack of a cohesive sense of self

 

All these problems are treated more successfully in group therapy settings than in individual therapy. Group therapy brings rewarding and therapeutic forces into people, and has a great capacity to bond members to treatment. So, the greater the amount, quality and duration of group therapy, the more success.

 

Here is a list of things that group therapy can provide for people in substance use treatment:

 

– Groups reduce the sense of isolation that most people who are struggling addiction experience.

– Groups enable participants to identify who is struggling with the same issues.

– Group increase people’s feelings of security.

– Groups can enhance member’s ability to share their experiences more freely.

– Groups enable people who are struggling addiction to witness the recovery of others. Groups provide people with more hope that they also can maintain abstinence.

– Groups allow a magnified witnessing of both the changes related to recovery.

– Groups provide insight in members’ intrapersonal and interpersonal changes.

 

How Effective Is Group Therapy For Addiction?

 

Very!

 

Group therapy is effective because people are fundamentally relational creatures. Also, our individual lives are shaped by the experiences in groups. Group therapy is an effective method that provides support for members in times of pain and trouble, and directs people to grow in creative and healthy ways.

Imagine your mind racing from thought to thought, or not being able to tell the difference between reality and a hallucination. Imagine feeling not much at all, your mind numb to any pleasure you might receive from relationships, hobbies, school, or work. These are just a few of the symptoms that accompany mental illnesses like schizophrenia, mood disorders, and depression.

 

Mental illness and drug addiction often occur together. This condition of dual diagnosis presents a challenge to physicians. The patient has two brain diseases that influence one another, and which both need treatment. But why do mental illness and substance abuse so often occur together?

 

A high percentage of people with mental disorders are also addicted to drugs of abuse.

 

Which Happens First?

 

Can drug use cause mental illness? Some say that certain drugs may indeed cause mental illness in individuals with a vulnerable genetic profile. Others say that drugs don’t necessarily cause mental illness, but can worsen the symptoms.

 

Are mental illness sufferers self-medicating with drugs? Some people may begin using drugs of abuse as a form of self-medication. Drugs of abuse may temporarily relieve some of the symptoms associated with mental illness, such as stress, anxiety, social inhibitions, or depression.

 

The following examples illustrate the interconnection of addiction and mental illness. Regardless of which came first, understanding the underlying causes of dual diagnosis will help physicians treat their patients.

 

– A teen who will develop a mental illness begins to use drugs. As a result, symptoms of mental illness surface sooner than they would have, and worsen dramatically with prolonged drug use.

 

– 70% of schizophrenics smoke. Smoking a cigarette may help them experience calmness or a sense of well-being. It may help them think more clearly, more easily carry on a conversation, or diminish uncomfortable side effects of medications.

 

– Stimulants such as cocaine can cause anxiety, panic attacks, mania, and sleep disorders.

 

– Depression can result from an under-performing reward pathway that receives little pleasure from natural rewards. People with depression may turn to drugs to stimulate their reward pathways to more “normal” levels.

 

– Methamphetamine addicts often report hearing voices and other types of hallucinations characteristic of certain mental disorders.

 

– Prolonged drug use can lead to a downward spiral of worsening mental illness and drug addiction, leaving many worse off than they started.

 

 

It’s a little like the question of the chicken and the egg: Which came first, the mental illness or the drug addiction?

 

Brain Diseases Share Biology

 

 

Addiction and mental illness are both brain diseases. A person vulnerable to one type of brain disease may also be vulnerable to another.

 

Addiction and mental illness involve the same pathways, molecules, and chemicals in the brain, and they share many similarities:

 

– Increased dopamine activity is characteristic of both schizophrenia and many stimulants such as cocaine.

 

– A serotonin transporter is associated with both mood disorders and alcoholism.

 

– Both cocaine users and people with schizophrenia have dysfunctional reward pathways with increased dopamine activity.

Smoking Marijuana Linked to Schizophrenia

 

What if your genetic make-up could influence how your body reacts to drug abuse, causing mental illness in some but not in others? A recent study reported that individuals with a particular variant of the COMT (catechol-o-methyltransferase) gene may be more likely to develop schizophrenia if they smoke marijuana regularly. As many as 1 in 4 people may have this variant.

 

The Adolescent Brain is Still Developing

 

A researcher says that she will pay her teenage daughter $1,000 if she doesn’t do any drugs until she is 21.

 

Why doesn’t she want her daughter to NEVER try drugs? She knows that during adolescence the brain is particularly susceptible to lifetime addiction because it is still developing. Furthermore, she understands that adolescence is a risk-taking period during which her daughter is more likely to try drugs. So if she can keep her daughter drug-free during adolescence, her daughter will more than likely stay drug-free for life.

 

The prefrontal cortex, which handles reasoning, grows during the pre-teen years. But it is pruned back during adolescence, increasing impulsive, risk-taking behavior—and susceptibility to addiction.

 

Teens who start drinking by age 13 have a 43% chance of becoming alcoholics.

 

Those who start drinking at 21 have only a 10% chance.

 

 

The Adolescent Brain Is Wired for Risk-taking

 

Adolescence is a risk-taking period during which teens are more likely to try drugs. The part of the brain responsible for reasoning and decision-making becomes less active during this period. Evolutionarily, this change is attributed to the need for offspring to leave the safety of the nest, taking risks to find a life of their own.

 

Fact: 90% of smokers started at or before age 18.