PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTSAMONG COLLEGE STUDENTSPrevalence, Trends, and Prevalence, Trends, and MotivesMotives

Rebecca Caldwell & Aimee HouriganRebecca Caldwell & Aimee HouriganUniversity of North Carolina University of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmington

PREVALENCE, PREVALENCE, TRENDS, AND TRENDS, AND MOTIVESMOTIVESSection 1

Identify trends and motives for illicit use of prescription drugs among college students

Describe categories of prescription drugs and their effects when used with alcohol or other drugs

Identify resources for additional information and research

Learning OutcomesLearning Outcomes

TermsTermsIllicit use: not as prescribedNon-medical use: for recreational purposes

Opioid: includes both synthetic and natural opium derivatives

Challenges of statistics and research

TRENDS OF USETRENDS OF USE

National TrendsNational Trends16.2 million Americans age 12 and older

reported nonmedical use of a prescription drug at least once in the past year

6% of adults age 18-25 reported nonmedical use of prescriptions in the past month

14.8% of adults age 18-25 reported nonmedical use of prescriptions in the past year•11.9% used opioid analgesics•5.2% used tranquilizer medication•3.7% used stimulant medication•0.5% used sedative medication

The Ritalin GenerationThe Ritalin GenerationFirst kids to be prescribed Ritalin

are now in collegeImpact of direct-to-consumer

marketing of prescription drugs◦Clearly established connection

between alcohol advertising and use by youth

◦Over $1.5 billion spent on direct-to-consumer television ads for prescription drugs during the first half of 2007

High School TrendsHigh School TrendsPrescription and over the counter

medications were the most commonly abused drugs by high school students after marijuana and alcohol

4% of youth age 12-17 reported nonmedical use of prescriptions in the past month (2003)

Monitoring the Future 2007: 12th graders nonmedical use of prescriptions •21.7% reported lifetime use•15.4% reported past-year use•7.6% reported past-month use

Teen Beliefs about Teen Beliefs about PrescriptionsPrescriptions

Almost 50%: prescription drugs are “much safer” than street drugs.

Almost 33%: prescription painkillers are not addictive.

Parents’ medicine cabinets and/or medicine cabinets in the homes of friends make prescription drugs easy to access.

“Teens are familiar with brand names of a wide variety of medications and accurately describe their effects.”

College TrendsCollege Trends17% of college students reported

lifetime nonmedical use of any prescription drug6% reported barbiturate use7% reported stimulant use8% reported tranquilizer use2% reported opiate use

2004 Monitoring The Future: 10.6% of college men and 6.8% of college

women reported past-year opioid use 6.8% of college men and 3.5% of college

women reported past-year Ritalin use

College TrendsCollege TrendsIn the last year,65% did not use an abusable prescription21% used prescription medication as

prescribed by their doctors7% used both prescription medication as

prescribed by their doctors and an abusable prescription medication that was not prescribed to them

7% used an abusable prescription medication that was not prescribed to them

NIDA: www.drugabuse.gov NIDA Research Report Prescription

Drugs: Abuse and Addiction www.drugabuse.gov/ResearchReports/Prescription/Prescription.html

NIDA Prescription Drugs of Abuse Chart: www.drugabuse.gov/DrugPages/PrescripDrugsChart.html

Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction: www.drugabuse.gov/scienceofaddiction

Medline Plus: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/prescriptiondrugabuse.html

The Network: www.thenetwork.ws

Suggested Suggested ResourcesResources

Thank You!Thank You!

CROSSROADS: UNCW’s Substance Abuse Prevention & Education

Program601 South College Road, Box 5939,

Wilmington, NC 28403-5939http://www.uncw.edu/crossroads