Growth of Pill Abuse and Binge Drinking at Colleges

Associate Press Report: March 15, 2007

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17613969/

Substance abuse on college campuses is nothing new, but it is taking a more extreme and dangerous form, with higher rates of frequent binge drinking and prescription drug abuse, and more negative consequences for students such as arrests and risky sexual behavior.

That’s the portrait painted by a new, comprehensive report tying together a range of recent research on college substance abuse, supplemented with some of its own new survey data.

The report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, argues substance abuse isn’t an inevitable rite of passage for young adults. Rather, it argues a particular culture of excessive consumption has flourished on college campuses, and calls on educators to take bolder stands against students and alumni to combat it.