Substance Abuse on Campus

Outline:

1) Introduction

2) BASIC ISSUES AND MODELS

A…. Alcohol Involvement over the Life Span: A Developmental Perspective on Etiology and Course.

B…. Neuropsychological Effects of Substance Abuse.

C…. The Disease Model of Addiction.

D…. Alternative Theories of Substance Abuse Implications for Understanding Substance Abuse and Dependence in College Students.

3) POLICIES, PROGRAMMING, AND PREVENTION

A…. Policy Development: An Essential Element in Addressing Campus Substance Abuse Issues.

B…. From Reactive to Proactive Prevention: Promoting Ecology of Health on Campus.

C…. Prohibition and Freshman Residence Halls: A Study of the Enforcement of University Alcohol Policy.

4) ASSESSMENT INTERVENTION, AND TREATMENT

A)…. Assessing Alcohol Problems in Student Populations.

B)…. Intervening with Substance Abusing College Students.

C)…. Treatment of Substance Abuse Problems.

D)…. The Role of Self-Help Groups in College Students' Recovery from Substance Abuse and Related Problems.

5) CONCLUSION

6) REFERENCES

The abuse of alcohol and other drugs remains the number one public health problem for colleges and universities across the United States. Alcohol misuse poses a serious threat to the intellectual, psychological and physical development of traditional-age undergraduate college students. College students who engage in alcohol and other drug use have been shown to experience significantly higher rates of motor vehicle fatalities, unsafe sex, and emergency care visits, sexual assaults and poor academic performance.

BASIC ISSUES AND MODELS

The developmental perspective is concerned with understanding the growth,

maturation, and decline of the individual organism, from conception, through birth, and

through all stages of the life cycle. Alcohol is a substance that is used for pleasure,

celebration, relief, and even sometimes for escape. A truly developmental approach to

understanding these patterns of use would require us to make inferences about the

discovery and early consumption of this ubiquitous substance, far back in prehistoric

time. Somewhere in that prehistory, humankind decided to put energy into figuring out

how to manufacture ethanol, and we have been doing so ever since. Out of consideration

of space, however, this researcher will skip what we know of earlier epo...

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model and developing alternative theories. One clear advantage of the empirically driven

alternative models is that they offer substantially greater flexibility in understanding and

treating substance use problems. Initial evaluations of the effectiveness of treatment

interventions that have emerged from these new models is encouraging. Additional study

of substance use disorders must now continue, so that further refinements in

professionals' manner of dealing with these pervasive problems can be realized. It is

hoped that the end result will be more effective treatment interventions for the many

young adults who experience substance use problems.

REFERENCES

Amercian College Health Association. (2007). Statement on colledge alcohol and drug abuse. Journal of American College Health. 36.64

American Psychological Association.(2008). Publicatons Manual pf the American Psychological Association. Washington D. C.

Babor T., Koner P., Wilber C., & Good S. (2007). Drug and Alcohol Review, 6 325-329

Cahalan D. (2008) Understanding America’s drinking problem. San Francisco: JosseyBass

Kasl C. D. (1990) the twelve-step controversy Ms. 30-31