Non-Medical Prescription Drugs

I Article Documentation

Jason A. Ford, PhD, 2008, Non-medical Prescription Drug Use Among College Students: A Comparison Between Athletes and Non-athletes, Heldref Publications, 211-217.

II Article Summary

The article is about the drug use among college students, and comparison between the athletes and non-athletes. We see from Dr. Ford, “research indicates that college athletes engage in a wide range of risky behaviors. And, findings indicate that college athletes are at greater risk for alcohol use then are non-athletes: Athletes report more extreme styles of alcohol consumption, binge drinking at higher rates, and get drunk more often.” Meaning, that more of the athletes are using alcohol and illicit drugs than the non-athletes.
Which shows to us that with the culture we live in today, it is in the norm where the college athletes or not do or contribute in riskier things than non-athletes or people that don’t attend college. Dr. Ford also stated that, “Research shows that college students have higher rates of alcohol use and binge drinking than their peers who do not attend college. The Majority of researchers have focused on college students’ alcohol use and the literature on marijuana and other illicit drug use is sparse in comparison. Also meaning that, more people attending college have higher rates of binge drinking and alcohol and other illicit drugs such as Marijuana, cocaine, and pills than people who don’t attend college./ So, Conversely, few researchers compare athletes and non-athletes The rate at which college students use marijuana and other illicit drugs has also increased in the recent years. For example, the author wrote that, “the rate of past-year marijuana use increased from 28% in 1993 to 33% in 2005, and past-year use of other illicit drugs increased from 13% to 18% during the same period. So, in a 12 year difference the percent of marijuana use went up 5%.
But, the most alarming increase in the non-medical stated was, “Between 1992 and 2003, the number of people in the general US population who reported non-medical prescription drug use increased by 94%, with an increase of 212% for adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.” The troubling fact is that the majority of college students who report the behavior begin using prior to college. And also, Dr Ford writes, “Research also indicates that use has greatly increased among college.” Dr. Ford interviewed Selby et al and found that, “Athletes have high levels of marijuana use, but they did not include comparison group of non-athletic in their analysis.” Also, by analyzing data from a nationally representative sample of college students, Dr. Ford interviewed with Wechsler et al and found that, “athletes use marijuana at lower levels than do non-athletes.” Also, with that Wechsler et al concluded that, “athletes involved in team sports have higher rates of substance use than do those involved in non-team sports. It also appears that rates of binge drinking increases involvement in athletics increases.” For example, team leaders report higher levels than team
members. Dr. Ford found that, “male athletes, hockey players are most likely to report substance use and that of female athletes, soccer players are most likely to report to substances use. Wechsler et al also stated, “there are a number of distinct concerns for college athletes: Maintaining a high level of athletic performance while responding to stress; balancing academic and athletic interests; coping with career concerns, including termination; coping with social isolation; experiencing injuries as major medical and psychological concerns; managing success or the lack thereof; and managing multiple relationships with coaches, teammates, family, friends and teachers.”

III Article Reaction Critique

The results of the Non-medical prescription drug use among college students is still a problem today.
With the vast majority of colleges growing we see more alcohol abusers and drug addicts. The percentages are only going up with the ways of the college athletes are binge drinking at parties, with males and females. The school administratiors must be informed of the potential health risks of prescription drug misuse. It is clear that non-medical prescription drug use should be included in substance use prevention and treatment programs offered to college students. Second, findings suggest that participation in athletics, especially for women, works as a protective factor for non-medical prescrption drug use. Future researchers must examine what groups of college students are at increased risk for non-medical prescription drug use. Third, findings indicate that binge drinking and the use of other illicit drugs are strong predictors of non-medical prescription drug use. College students need to be make aware of the possible negative consequences as a result of drug
interactions. There is no simple solution to the alcohol abuse that occurs at colleges and universities across the nation. After examining the drugs that are in control and abusing the college campuses, moderation is a conceivable and attainable goal. Campus administrators should promote moderation as opposed to forbidding the use of alcohol at universities. The acknowledgement of excessive alcohol abuse on campuses is only the first step. But, it is hard to believe that no tragedies will occur with both widespread acceptance of alcohol or any other illicit drugs, however, taking the reasonable approach is more likely to work than outright forbidding it. To sum it up, binge drinking and the use of illicit drugs continues to be an important problem on college athletes and non-athletes across the nation. Individual and societal level conferences have been organized with variable success. To reduce of binge drinking and other drugs along with behavior change interventions it is equally important to maintain and apply strict alcohol use prevention polices across the campuses.