Growing up, you hear about college. You watch the movies, hear about the parties, and daydream about partying every weekend while somehow stumbling into class Monday morning. Depression affects one in four people before the age of 24. Around the age of 24 is when an average person would be finishing up a master's degree.
These two things may seem like they have nothing to do with each other, but take this into consideration: Alcohol and drugs are depressants. Which means that they slow the function of the Central Nervous System. Alcohol blocks some of the messages to the brain, including those that make us happy.
Still not following completely?
The media puts out this idea that college is all parties and fun, when it really isn't. Incoming freshman (and current students) try to make this idea a reality and end up with, not only failing grades, but depression.
Is there anything we can do?
As a community we can stop telling young adults that college is all parties. It's not. It's hard work and stress. It's trying to make the grades you need for your degree, then using that degree to do what you love. Yes, people drink and do drugs (you can't pretend like it doesn't happen), but not everyone does and not everyone does EVERY weekend. I've seen my fair share of people walk into class still drunk from the night before, but they are also the people that fail that class.
There IS such a thing as having fun in college, but how are you going to get a degree when you spend every night with a bottle of cheap vodka in hand? It's definitely possible, life is unfair that way, but it's not good for you. All of that alcohol affects you mentally and physically in really negative ways. You can even work out every day, but if you drink every night, your brain reacts negatively.
I feel like this needs to be addressed because more and more people are being diagnosed with depression and it's affecting their self-worth when they try and go to class. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, you believe you can't do it, so you do poorly. Also, I honestly believe these two things are directly related. Please be honest with your young friends, siblings, cousins, and children. College is NOT a place to party 24/7. The repercussions can be huge, not only with depression, but alcohol poisoning and flunking out of college because of alcohol and drugs are not uncommon. Please, please, be careful and take care of yourselves out there.
