College Students and Prescription Painkiller Addiction
College students are well known for being less than moderate in their drinking and drug abuse. Wild fraternity parties and drunken stunts are the stuff that jokes and Hollywood movies are based on. But Science Daily reports that the nonmedical use of prescription pain killers is the new signifier of drug abuse, not alcohol.
What the Experts Are Saying About College Students and Prescription Painkiller Addiction
Sean Esteban McCabe, Ph.D., M.S.W. of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is the author or the study described in Science Daily. He writes in the background information of the article that,
“Several studies have reported recent increases in the prescription rates of abusable medications in the United States, including stimulants, opioids and benzodiazepines. These increases are likely the result of many factors, including improved awareness regarding the signs and symptoms of several disorders, increased duration of treatment, availability of new medications and increased marketing. The increases in prescription rates have raised public health concerns because of the abuse potential of these medications and high prevalence rates of non-medical use, abuse and dependence, especially among young adults 18 to 24 years of age.”
He adds:
“Clearly, appropriate diagnosis, treatment and therapeutic monitoring of college students who are receiving abusable prescription medications is crucial, not only to improve clinical outcomes but also to help prevent the abuse of these medications within a population that is largely responsible for its own medication management. Finally, any efforts aimed at reducing non-medical use of prescription drugs will have to take into consideration that these drugs are highly effective and safe medications for most patients who use them as prescribed.”
Despite Having Been to College Myself…
I’m a little confused about the implications of this study. And concerned. Are they saying that increased painkiller prescriptions is directly translating into increased painkiller abuse among college students? What are the alternatives? Having a lot of people go about in pain?
But then, this is a problem that isn’t just happening among the collegiate set. There are more painkiller prescriptions across the board and, as a result, painkiller addictions are on the rise across the board as well. What to do about it is an ongoing problem.
To me, the significant issue raised by this study is that, unlike experimenting with alcohol, a college kid who binges on painkillers is more likely to die from the experience. I know that more than one college student has died as a result of alcohol abuse, use and addiction as well as a myriad of bad decisions that were made while under the influence. But a kid in college may have as little knowledge about the danger or potency of the pills they are taking as kids in high school but, unlike high school kids, may not have someone at home paying attention to their details, a stop gap measure that may save them from overdose and death.
If it’s the kids who are prescribed these pills who are later abusing them, then maybe this problem can be helped by the prescribing doctor taking the time to explain in detail how the pills work and how dangerous they can be. If the kids are selling their pills…. That’s another issue.
Anyone have any ideas?
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