are introduced to drugs and alcohol during high school. The National Institute of Health reported that although prescription drug use went down among 12th graders between 2002 and 2017, 5.5 percent of students still used Adderall and 4.2 percent used prescription opioids. While prescription drug use has declined, teen marijuana use has increased.
Compared to teen drug use statistics, national college drug and alcohol use statistics have been limited. The latest Substance Use and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that approximately 170,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 had stimulant use disorders, while nearly 392,000 young adults had opioid use disorders in 2016. Fifty-three percent of respondents, aged 12 or older, either bought, stole, or were given prescription pain relievers from a friend or relative.
In addition to required weekly seminars, OU’s CRC arranges multiple activities for its members, including museum trips, yoga and hiking. The purpose of these are to build group dynamics and encourage drug-free social environments. Students enrolled in the CRC program are also required to participate in numerous on-campus and community-based service projects.
OU’s CRC plans to open up a recovery house off campus in the fall, which would house CRC student members who have been abstinent for six months and have attended their weekly seminars. It would potentially house four students and rent would include utilities.
Author: Sean Woodard
Sean Woodard is a journalist for Addiction Now and serves on the Film Department for Drunk Monkeys Literary Magazine and Film Blog. Focusing on a wide variety of interests, Sean’s fiction, film criticism, and other writing have been featured in Los Angeles Review of Books, Found Polaroids, and Los Angeles Magazine, among other publications. A native of Visalia, CA, he now resides in Orange County. Contact Sean at seanw@addictionnow.com
