Drugs and Alcohol Facts

• 4 out of 10 college students in America engage in high-risk drinking.
• Over 1,800 college students die each year from incidents related to alcohol.

• Alcohol upsets fluid balance vital to athletic performance.

• Research has linked alcohol abuse on campus with poor academic performance, personal injuries, and sexual assault.

• Death: 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, including motor vehicle crashes

• Injury: 599,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol

• Assault: More than 696,000 students between 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking

• Sexual Abuse: More than 97,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape

• Unsafe Sex: More than 100,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 report having been too intoxicated to know if they consented to having sex

• Academic Problems: About 25% of college students report academic consequences of their drinking which include missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall

• Health Problems/Suicide Attempts: More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem and between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use

• Drunk Driving: 3,360,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 drove under the influence of alcohol last year

• Vandalism: About 11% of college student drinkers report that they have damaged property while under the influence of alcohol

• Police Involvement: About 5% of 4-year college students are involved with the police or campus security as a result of their drinking and an estimated 110,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are arrested for alcohol-related violations such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence
• Alcohol Abuse & Dependence: According to questionnaire-based self-reports about their drinking, 31% of college students met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse and 6% for a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in the last 12 months

Common Terms

• Crisis: Chemical dependence crisis services provide withdrawal and stabilization services in a short term inpatient program aimed to engage and increase motivation and successfully link the patient to the appropriate ongoing treatment.

• Detoxification: A medical procedure employed by state certified medical or chemical dependency providers to remove the effects of a toxic substance from or to free from dependence on one or more substances such as alcohol, heroin, or other opiate.

• Medication Assisted Treatment: A treatment approach using prescription drugs (methadone, Suboxone, or other medications) in conjunction with other therapies, that are administered by a medical professional to an individual in need of medication to treat their substance use disorder. Medication assisted treatment may be employed in an inpatient or outpatient setting.

• Outpatient: State certified outpatient substance use disorder treatment services provided in a community-based setting according to an individualized assessment and action plan based on the needs of the person.

• Inpatient: State certified providers of substance use disorder treatment include intensive evaluation and short-term (average stay 28 days) treatment and rehabilitation services in a medically supervised 24 hours/day, 7 days/week setting.

• Residential: State certified residential providers assist individuals with a substance use disorder who are unable to maintain abstinence or participate in treatment without the structure of a 24-hour/day, 7 day/week residential setting, and who are not in need of acute hospital or psychiatric care.

• Outpatient Day Rehab: State certified outpatient substance use disorder treatment services provided in a community-based setting according to an individualized assessment and action plan based on the needs of the person. Some programs specialize in adolescent services and accredited education in an on-site alternative school.