Study finds substance abuse hike

AUSTIN, Texas – College has long had a reputation for “Animal House”-style debauchery, but a new study describes a dangerous campus culture that promotes substance abuse to the detriment of millions of students’ health.\nThe study released last week by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University surveyed more than 2,000 students and administrators at 162 colleges and universities across the nation.\nThe study found that 49 percent of college students binge drink or abuse prescription or illicit drugs. Twenty-three percent of students met the medical criteria for substance abuse or dependence. Abuse of prescription drugs increased considerably from 1993 to 2005, up 343 percent for stimulants such as Adderall and 93 percent for painkillers such as Vicodin, according to the study.\n“What we’ve seen is an intensifying of substance abuse on college campuses. We also have seen an increase in information on how colleges can change the culture that promotes substance abuse. We haven’t seen colleges at all making the necessary changes,” said Susan Foster, vice president and director of policy research and analysis for the center.\nFoster said colleges need to enact policies to decrease the use of drugs and alcohol.