[Solved] A Program to Curb Substance Abuse during College Years

A Program to Curb Substance Abuse during College Years

Problem Statement

Drug abuse has been a pressing issue not only in American universities but also across the globe. Rather than focusing on their studies and other educative events, some students immerse themselves in the chronic use of alcohol and other illegal drugs. While some aspirants join campus free of this habit, they gradually become drug addicts due to peer pressure. Others approve of drug use owing to the numerous strains they encounter in the universities. Colleges are, therefore, seen as facilitators of alcohol consumption among young adults and the genesis of substance abuse for many individuals. Important to note particular factors make apprentices more prone to substance abuse. Genetic susceptibility, the cost of alcohol, the strictness of underage penalties, previous history of drug use, attachment to various campus clubs and movements, parental attitudes, and campus norms can sway a learner’s decision to abuse drugs or otherwise (White & Hingson, 2014). Those who opt to pursue drugs are often linked to cases such as sexual assault, increased violence and aggression, lower grades, and eventually, school dropout. Even worse, the effects of drug abuse continue to haunt the adherents deep into their future. After graduation, most drug users fail to curb their drug addiction. As a result, although they acquire decent jobs, their performance is greatly impaired. This paper seeks to design a program that can significantly address the predicament of drug addiction among college students.

       Research

Substance use and abuse is the act of inhaling, smoking, injecting, or using any other means to introduce drugs into the body to trigger a physiological change. In most cases, students seek to obtain pleasure and relieve their stresses through substance use. Most student substance users grow from the usual alcohol-drinking and cigar-smoking habits to becoming binge drinkers. A fraction of the students further indulges in illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. Substance use in U.S. colleges has reached critical levels. About 26% of male students and 19.2% of their female counterparts are reported to use illicit drugs (Skidmore, Kaufman & Crowell, 2016). Moreover, alcohol consumption by college students towers way above the mentioned statistics. With a solid 79% of all university students being alcohol fans, it would seem that drinking is widely accepted in the American social fabric (Skidmore, Kaufman & Crowell, 2016). Although the use of cigarettes is decreasing, almost all other drug use habits show an increasing trend.

Although substance use is viewed as a college problem, some students are more vulnerable to addiction than others. Students who transitioned from high school with substance use problems, first years who are exposed to the practice, learners who register fewer scores in the Big Five personality traits, and scholars who indulge in risky behaviours such as prostitution are among the most susceptible to substance abuse (Skidmore, Kaufman & Crowell, 2016). Male apprentices are also likely to use drugs relative to girls. Curiosity, course load, peer pressure, and stress are reasons students give to justify their drug abuse habits.

Drug abuse within institutions of higher learning is a real threat. Drug dealers target the college population as the students form the largest segment of their customers. Besides, nothing good comes out of this deviant culture. Learners who adopt the habit risk suffering from reduced decision-making skills, poor academic performance, poor motor skills, impaired cognitive abilities, and other serious health issues (White & Hingson, 2014). Notably, some students succumb to their heavy drug abuse patterns. Introducing a functional remedy to the problem could push substance abuse behaviour in colleges and beyond to the verge of extinction.

Curbing the substance abuse problem would help universities adequately serve their function of driving society to economic prosperity. As things stand, too many promising talents go down the drain because students give precedence to drug use, impairs their future objectives. Institutions of higher learning have been associated with drug use rather than the envisioned conversion of students to people of substance. Eliminating drug abuse issues would help universities restore their intended purpose in society. Furthermore, anti-drug abuse approaches would help colleges and society save money. Resources that would otherwise be used to mend the damages caused by violent drunkard students and pay medical bills and counselling services for drug use victims would be channelled to other important purposes.

Program Proposal and Description

When the problem of drug abuse is left untreated, it can escalate to serious mental and body issues. In addition, drug tolerance often leads to addiction. Although the prevention program proposal faces an uphill task, it is envisioned to deliver desirable results. The program entails interactive counselling sessions for all students. This all-encompassing plan seeks to bring all the players in the institutions of higher learning aboard. Students must attend mandatory assemblies while the faculty assures outright drug use law enforcement. The primary objective is to educate college students on the negative effects of substance abuse. More to the point, counsellors will be obligated to challenge the students’ view vis-à-vis the effects of illicit drugs. It is expected that after this sensitization, the students will choose not to indulge in drug use behaviours. Although some may not opt-out altogether, they may decide to limit their rate of alcohol consumption before it becomes detrimental.

A student pursuing a four-year course will have to undergo 36 training sessions, 9 classes per year. The sessions will be spread out every first semester of the year. With one lesson fulfilled per week, the course will require about 9 weeks a year to complete. Learning about drug abuse will be a continuous process as students absorb bits of enlightening knowledge at every stage. The primary prevention program is universal. It targets all students, the impervious and the vulnerable alike. Every student passing through the university system will have no choice but to encounter preventative training. Owing to the seriousness of the drug abuse issue, following the compulsory path seems inevitable. The counselling department will provide senior experts to facilitate the interactive sessions. Since all the students are to undergo the program, screening is unnecessary.

Program Evaluation

Putting students through the preventative program is aimed at persuading them to avoid risky drug use. In most cases, learners are convinced to abuse illicit drugs by their close friends who subscribe to the habit. Additionally, the program intends to make the prevention of substance use the responsibility of the faculty. Knowledgeable scholars are better positioned to know the risks associated with chronic drug abuse and abstain. The students will be put through written tests at the end of every first semester of the year. The learners will also be required to complete simple research projects and discuss their findings in an oral and interactive class presentation. Students with the highest scores will be eligible for predetermined awards.

To validate the efficiency of the drug use prevention program, studies will be conducted in college institutions to determine whether the addiction rates have gone down. If the new statistics adopt a downward trend, then the program works. The preventative platform will be incorporated into the faculty. Tutors will voluntary offer themselves to facilitate interactive discussions. Students will convene for 2-hour long sessions every week. Tests will be conducted together with the rest of the end-term college examinations. The only projected costs are motivational incentives for lecturers, examination expenses, and awards for top-performing students. An increment in school fees is not necessary. Owing to the lack of substantial cost burdens, it is justifiable to submit that the program is cost-effective. From the first to the final year, students will accumulate vast information that will be useful in their campus encounters. The program is expected to run for years without hitches. As a result, self-sustainability is guaranteed. As expected, students dislike pursuing drug abuse topics, especially when the mandatory lessons are. Be that as it may, the program is designed to entice students to give their best. Excellent scores in the topic guarantee a learner for valuable awards. Consequently, the apprentices will be motivated to interact with the facilitators and fellow students to study the importance of abstaining from drug abuse habits.

References

Skidmore, C. R., Kaufman, E. A., & Crowell, S. E. (2016). Substance use among college students. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 25(4), 735-753.

White, A., & Hingson, R. (2014). The burden of alcohol use: Excessive alcohol consumption and related consequences among college students. Alcohol Research: Current Reviews, 35(2), 201–218.