Substance abuse affects one in five college students
By John Savage, Staff Writer
Eighteen percent of all U.S. college students suffer from significant alcohol-related problems, according to a study in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
“The biggest danger is the risk of addiction,” said Student Development Counselor Mary Turner.
Turner said the alcohol problem begins with the substance user being in control then, as time goes by, the user loses control. and everyone around that person pays the price.
Turner said not only are friends and family affected by substance abusers, but employers suffer as well.
“Tens of millions of dollars are lost each year because people don’t show up to work or they show up impaired,” Turner said.
She said many people are in denial that their substance use has become a problem.
“Anybody [who] has to take a drink or a hit of something to get themselves ready to go into a social event has a problem,” Turner said.
Many people may ask how much is too much?
An alcoholic cannot be defined by the quantity of alcohol he or she consumes, but rather the negative consequences that person’s drinking is creating, according to www.drughelp.org.
An estimated 10 to 15 million people in the United States are either alcoholics or problem drinkers, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and 1,700 students die each year due to alcohol-related injuries.
Students who need to talk to someone about addiction and the other dangers can do so through college counselors.
“We don’t have an actual resource on campus,” Turner said.
“What we can do is visit with them and determine what their needs are, and make some referrals to an off-campus agency.”
Some of the places students have been referred to in the past include the University of Oklahoma’s counseling center, Community Counseling, Northcare and, for women, Mary Mahoney. “They work only with woman and children,” Turner said.
Typically, the first counseling sessions are free but many centers work on a sliding scale.
One OCCC student believes being able to talk about alcohol and substance issues is important.
“You shouldn’t have to go out of your way,” said sophomore history major Justin Wilson. “It should be right here.”
Other students agree that having somewhere to turn for information is a good thing.
“I think [students] should be able to talk to the counselor,” said freshman nursing major Eleka Najm.
“I don’t think we should have groups but I do think we should have counselors.”
Early help is crucial and continuing to get help is just as important, Turner said.
For more information on counseling and services, call OCCC’s Student development office at 405-682-7535.
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