UGA Drug Use By the Numbers | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

UGA Drug Use By the Numbers

Get educated on college students getting medicated.

487
UGA Drug Use By the Numbers

Drug use, whether alcohol, marijuana or prescription drug abuse, takes place on about every college campus. While you have most likely heard over and over about how the use of varying substances, and especially their misuse, is seen as a problem among young adults and college students, you might not know how big of a factor these drugs are in the lives of the young adults, and especially your peers at UGA. Now let's get educated! Here are some fact and stats about substance use and abuse in general, and also particularly at the University of Georgia.

Based on results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the rate of illicit drug use among full-time college students ages 18 to 22 in 2013 was 22.3 percent. Illicit drug use refers to non-medical use of a variety of drugs that are prohibited by the law including marijuana, cocaine, heroine, etc. In regards to alcohol, the same study reports that full-time college students from ages 18 to 22 are more likely to engage in current (59.4 percent), binge (39 percent) or heavy drinking (12.7 percent) than part-time college students or those not enrolled in school at all. A couple of other stats from addicitoncenter.com state that approximately 31 percent of U.S. college students report symptoms of alcohol abuse, and approximately 70 percent of U.S. college students report drinking on a regular basis.

As for UGA, this chart and other information can be found on the UGA Health Center website. The site states that according to a Core Alcohol and Other Drug Survey conducted in 2005, 74.4 percent of UGA students under 21 consumed alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs within the last 30 days.

Although this chart only shows numbers up to the year 2004, they are pretty comparable to the percents reported in the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and from the Addiction Center, cited above. For example, in 2004 68.1 percent on incoming students reported to using alcohol, and the Addiction Center reported that 70 percent of college students drink alcohol regularly.

While it is difficult to compare drug use across many different college campuses, colleges.niche.com (what used to be known as collegeprowler.com) is a website where students review and grade their college on various topics. On drug safety, UGA received a D+. Other colleges such as University of Alabama received a D+, Georgia Tech received at C, Auburn University was graded a C, and University of North Carolina received a C-. While these grade are given by students and are not from an official study, they provide an idea that drug use is prevalent on many campuses and in the minds of the students. One thing is constant among all of these schools, and that is none of them were graded very highly.

Whether you were surprised by these statistics in that they seemed too high or too low, or you found them to be predictable and accurate, these are important facts because they are a part of every college student's life.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

84141
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

10480
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments