The Culture of College Addiction

Drug and Alcohol use has become an integrated part of Campus life in America with an estimated 1400 college students dying from alcohol related causes each year. The temptation to fit in with the drinking culture that is the accepted norm of campus life is great. Alcohol and drugs are so much part of everyday life that College kids partake with ease in the drinking rites that accompany their college experience. College is often the first time young adults truly experience freedom and consequence of action is not necessarily first and foremost on the minds of many young teens entering campus life for the first time.

Since most kids have already been exposed to drugs and alcohol during High School, many enter college with an already established historyof addiction. Students with a history of addiction may have a tough time with the culture and expectations of campus life which encourage them to join in and do nothing to support any progress thay may have made towards recovery from drug addiction.

A supported Campus life can provide these students with a way to manage their addiction. Student counseling or attending ongoing Alcohol Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) groups and meetings can provide invaluable support for kids wanting to move beyond addiction. There are also Colleges that specialize in drug rehabilitation offering a supported college environment, curriculum and vocational guidance in a drug free campus.

Support groups are an invaluable source of strength for addicts who want to move forward. The commitment to get and stay clean will in all liklihood be challenged many times over, especially in a college environment, and that is why it is so important to have an educational institution that supports students with addiction issues. Family members and close friends need support and a college of this nature can give everyone a much needed break and time to heal themselves and get on with their own often disrupted lives.

College students today are generally better educated about the negative long term effects of drug and alcohol abuse on mental and emotional health. Yet the pressures on them are also greater and they are expected to participate in the accepted culture of campus life which includes binge drinking and experimenting with drugs.

For young adults whose lives have been destroyed by addiction, the prevailing campus culture canbe a deterrent towards moving forwards in their educational future. This can have a signicant impact on students futures, leaving them more vulnerable to further drug use and addiction, low self esteem and exacebating mental illness. It's time the prevailing culture agknowledge the problems young students face and encourage healthier and more constructive campus culture.

About The Author Rebecca Eskin writes for online magazines on topics including mental health and well being, psychology business, alternitive and alopathic health and technology. Information on drug rehabilitation was provided by Sober College Rebecca's articles can be sourced at http://www.olamcreative.blogspot.com