College students nationwide are binge drinking and abusing drugs more than ever before. This is not surprising considering the unprecedented pressures faced by today's average college student compared to those of previous generations.
According to a study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, since the early 1990s, heavy drinking and prescription drug abuse have increased, along with the use of illegal substances.
Most strikingly, 23 percent of college students meet the medical criteria for substance abuse or dependence, which is three times the proportion in the general population.
Why is this happening and what steps can be taken to correct it? What is so remarkably different about our generation that drives these numbers? As with any phenomenon, there is not a simple, clear-cut answer—one can only speculate. Above all, one fact seems to be a major contributor in this mess: Society has placed higher standards upon this generation of college students than any other age group before it.
Many would contend these figures could be attributed to the usual suspects—bad parenting, peer pressure (the ""cool"" factor) and individual weakness. While these aspects contribute partly to the problem, they only explain how alcohol and drug abuse is reinforced on a smaller scale. These explanations would only be plausible as the sole factor if this were occurring in an isolated area.
Substance abuse, even if it is merely the latest trend, is clearly indicative of a deeper problem. Individuals rely on a plethora of coping mechanisms to handle stress, including the use of drugs and alcohol to not only relieve stress, but some, such as Adderall, act as a shortcut to achieving their goals.
It seems there are a variety of factors serving to sustain and reinforce one another in propelling this deadly trend. Society sets precedents that institutions and families blindly accept. If the unrealistic standards set by this social climate are not rejected on a group level, they are then imposed on their members.
For example, a baby-boomer parent of today's college student grew up in an era of unprecedented growth and prosperity. During this era, there was comparatively less pressure to excel and to take on so many responsibilities. Now, however, these parents seem to be putting an undue amount of pressure on their children to fulfill the role of the ""super student.""
Given the basic limitations inherent to all humans, just fulfilling some of these standards is difficult enough. Instead, we are supposed to be cheerful youth, excelling in academia and extracurriculars while volunteering frequently and working. All of this is accomplished effortlessly with a relentlessly positive attitude and enough spare time to socialize.
Still, college—like life—is more complicated than achievement-related pursuits, and it is not always possible to meet these objectives. This has the tendency to produce stress and feelings of inadequacy. Additionally, with other complications of university life—like relationships, roommate situations, social pressure, intricate friendships and the complexities of self-discovery—it is no wonder college students are already under so much stress.
This is not to negate individual responsibility for chemical misuse, but to mention only that under such conditions, could it be reasonable to expect anything else? Ultimately, society should not force students to attain its impossible standards. Our culture should conform to encourage the individual to perform at his or her personal best, instead of binding us all to one universal standard of perfection.
