Student Health Center

Substance Abuse

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From time to time most individuals have needed to take some form of drug prescribed by a physician or have used some over the counter medication. However, even THESE can be abused if taken improperly or taken in excess. Take only what the instructions on the box or bottle tell you to take and stay away from other types of “feel good” type drugs meant to obtain a “buzz” or “high”. 

Some common drugs that college students’ abuse:

• Alcohol- is a depressant and the most commonly used psychoactive drug in this country.

• Cocaine- is a central nervous system stimulant that is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant. It can produce a false surge in energy, a feeling of intense pleasure, and an increased confidence.  Heavy use or overdose use may produce hallucinations, agitation, convulsions, paranoia, aggression, insomnia, depression and death. Some effects of withdrawl can include severely depressed mood and prolonged sleep. Cocaine’s effects are short lived (approximately 20 minutes). Once the drug leaves the brain, the user often experiences a “coke crash,” with effects that include depression, irritability, and fatigue.  The drug resembles a white crystalline powder and is most often snorted or injected.

• Ecstasy-  is a synthetic drug that acts simultaneously as a stimulant and a hallucinogen. The effects of MDMA include euphoria, sensory distortions, and increased energy and empathy  for others. When you use MDMA/Ecstasy to get high, you sometimes feel confused, paranoid, or nauseous.  MDMA/Ecstasy has been shown to cause brain damage in animals. It is believed to temporarily deplete the brain’s serotonin levels, which may result in depression. MDMA/Ecstasy is sold in tablet and pill form. It is most often taken orally, but may also be snorted. MDMA/Ecstasy often come in the shape of aspirin and can have images like hearts imprinted on it.  It can also tend to make the person using MDMA/Ecstasy feel emotionally close to the people around him/her, however, it has also been shown to hamper sexual function.  

• Marijuana (pot, weed, chronic, grass, reefer, etc.)- is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of the hemp plant (Cannabis). The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The effects of marijuana include euphoria, giddiness, distorted sense of time, fatigue, impairments of attention and memory, and impairments of complex visual and motor skills. Most people also get bloodshot eyes when they smoke marijuana. Some effects of with drawl can be hyperactivity and insomnia. Some research has shown that chronic use of marijuana can lead to decreased sperm count in men.  Marijuana can be psychologically addictive. Marijuana is usually smoked, but some users mix it into foods or brew it with tea. Marijuana (THC in a pill form) is used medically in some places for chemotherapy patients and for treatment of asthma. There’s a big debate right now in the U.S. over the medical use of marijuana.

•  Methamphetamine (speed, crystal meth, ice)- is similar in structure to amphetamine and is a central nervous system stimulant. Users report increased energy and motivation, often coupled with a sense of invincibility. Users also report feelings of paranoia and depression and sometimes aggression. Chronic use can lead to feelings similar to those of long-term cocaine use, including hallucinations, depression, confusion, aggressiveness, and death. Methamphetamine is a crystal-like powdered substance that sometimes comes in large rock-like chunks and varies in color from white to yellow. Methamphetamine can be snorted, swallowed, injected, or smoked.

• Rohypnol (roofies, roach, roof)- is the brand name for the drug flunitrazepam, which is a sedative nearly 10 times more powerful than Valium. Rohypnol is not legally available for prescription in the United States, but is legal in over 60 countries worldwide.  The drug, which comes in pill form, creates a sleepy, relaxed, drunken feeling that lasts two to eight hours.  Rohypnol has gained the reputation as a “date rape” drug. Women around the country have reported being raped after having Rohypnol involuntarily slipped into their drink by an attacker.

Where to go for help.

You can find more information about Drug and Alcohol Abuse at the Center for Disease Control Website.

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