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New Study Reveals Which Months College Students Will Try Drugs

What if we could zero in on exactly when college freshmen would experiment with addictive substances, plunging them into the nothingness of addiction for years? A new study may give us that exact insight.

A report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which examined data from the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, shows college students are more likely to experiment with stimulant drugs, like Adderall and Ritalin, for enhanced test performance for the very first time during the months of November, December, and April.

These results are derived from 12 years of statistics made available by the government but analysts didn't just stop at performance enhancing drugs, they went on to pinpoint the exact months students would try marijuana, inhalants, alcohol, and cigarettes too.

Harbor Village Drugs
(Source: Harbor Village Detox and Treatment Center)

According to the study, college kids will first experiment with marijuana, inhalants (like gasoline and nail polish remover), and alcohol in the summer months of June, July, and August. Conversely, peak use of nicotine occurs in June, September, and October.

Keeping track of prescription medication abuse indicate many will use medications recreationally in December.

"For most substances, what you're seeing is a summer peak. Young people may have more time on their hands and less supervision. For stimulants, first use seems to peak around finals. There's a lot of anxiety and stress around final exams and a push for students to do as well as they can," according to Brendan Saloner, an addiction researcher at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public health who wasn't involved in the study.

So what does this mean, and how can you use this information to the best of your ability for yourself and your loved ones?

Be aware!

The more you know about the dangers of addiction, and the more conscious and self-aware you are of your own actions, will help you stave off from potentially habit forming behaviors.

Meditation
(Source: Harbor Village Detox and Treatment Center)

Trying out holistic methods of relaxation and exam prep like meditation, visualization, and yoga can help focus your intent to do well. There are hundreds of tutorials and YouTube videos online.

If you're a parent fighting the anxiety revolving around the dangers of substance abuse for your college students, be sure to talk to them. Having open and honest dialogues about drug use and going back to school can mean the world of difference. If your children know they can come to you with anything, they are more likely to be able to open up about the feelings and emotions which may prompt drug use in the first place. You have more influence than you realize!

Above content is provided by Harbor Village Detox & Treatment Center.

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