Eng 102
Nathalie Bonilla
5/10/2017
College is a very stressful time in lives of young adults, they have deadlines to meet and a life to keep up with.It is difficult to work and go to school but many people do it. Along with trying to graduate we tend to look for methods or ways to help with the stress of going to school. I know many people can relate to this stress, like any young weak minded adult leaving high school and starting college. Young adults haven’t experienced the reality of life until we start college. Young adults tend to use weed or alcohol as an outlet to relieve some stress that we endure when we get into our later stage of life. The challenge comes into place, when we need to balance school, work and a social life. Everyone has different responsibilities some adults drop out because the pressure of balancing life takes over. For many people turning to something like weed or alcohol is easy to do. But what community college stressors make young adults resort to weed and alcohol. What makes these young adults steer off to trying these substances and using them long term.
Stress is an emotional and mental strain due to difficult circumstances. It is very easy for a person to get stressed. Stress is a complicated word to describe because everyone stresses differently. It not only damages your mental health but it also affects your physical well being. There are many triggers that lead to stress. According to the stress and substance abuse program. Being young can create anxiety and other health problems that will only carry on to other stages of adulthood. It can interfere with your love life and school life. Believe it or not but there any many stages of stress. One being that stress can become chronic stress which is so harmful that it starts to bother the levels of chemicals in your body. Other stressors can be major life changes like moving to a new house or job. Relationships can fail and you can resort to unhealthy habits such as substance abuse. It is normal for someone to feel like they need to resort to something that will help with stress. But the problem is some college students use weed and alcohol as a best short term solution. It’s dangerous for people to start because it can lead to addiction. If addiction occurs the person will have a very hard time stopping. This may turn into losing everything such as possessions, health, friends, family and even self respect. Little do people know weed and alcohol like any other substance can raise the stress of your life more than it was before. You can almost see the chain reaction the stress causes the person to turn to substances. Being in college we need to wake up early, commute, come home late and complete our assignments. Lack of sleep or energy, headaches and anxiety are some symptoms of being stressed. Being a college student regardless of how many classes you take your already at a high level of stress.
The question comes down to why young adults turn to weed and alcohol during college years. I’ve interviewed and have done my research to understand what makes adolescences steer off to using weed and alcohol in an abusive way. To start with my research I interviewed a unit assistant I work with Kelsea Williams. I’ve asked her a few questions about when she was in college and why she used weed as her outlet. Kelsea Williams attended Kingsborough community college. She only attended one semester because she couldn’t take the stress of deadlines and making it to school on time. This made her steer to using marijuana. She specifically stated how she would stress out about putting in the time and work for school. She admitted that she became very lazy and other would worry about not knowing if she was making the right choices for her present and future self. She now is full time at her job and is thinking of going back to school. She smokes everyday regularly and said she would minimize to only weekends when she goes back to school. Many students use marijuana to relax and relieve stress. They often use this drug a lot in parties, or in preparation for events. Even though young adults support marijuana it has never been associated with an overdose. Marijuana can be found in student homes, bars, and social events. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug from students surveyed in 2015 according to drug rehab. A national survey in 2015 noticed that 19.3 percent of college students ages 18-22 reported marijuana use in the past month. Marijuana has a lot of effects among young adults such as laziness, impaired body movement, breathing problems, increased heart rate and paranoia. Students who use marijuana no matter if it’s at a high or moderate level may lack motivation. This can cause a student to miss class, assignments, important appointments even job interviews.
“College students have greater access to drugs today than they had in the past. With this availability comes to risk of students developing abusive habits during their college years”. According to the drug rehab center, studies have shown in college students have more opportunities to buy and consume. Alcohol is the most commonly used substance that young adults use in college. Drinking to the point of intoxication has been rooted into today’s college culture. This type of behavior can lead to visits to the hospital, accidents and deaths. According to the national institute on alcohol abuse and alcoholism students in college feel like it’s a ritual to take part of these types of actions because they are in a higher education. Alcohol affects your brain, heart, liver and pancreas. Drinking too much will weaken your immune system and make your body prone to diseases and sickness. It can lead to numerous side affects like stomach issues, reduced coordination, slurred speech, nausea, anxiety. Heavy alcohol consumption can interfere with your academic progress. It can mess with attending and early class or being too hung over to comprehend the lesson being taught. These are many reasons why alcohol should be consumed on a moderate and celebratory level.
Many students stress differently especially when we attend college. But it’s up to young adults to find ways to overcome the stress and keep it under control. Stress just increases with our age. We pick up more responsibilities and obligations as we age which comes with new experiences and challenges. As young adults we need to nurture ourselves in learning how to cope with stress. So when we get older and hit our peak it will be easier on how to take things on in life. I believe in young adult’s college years these traits need to be mastered. College years are important no matter what college we go to or what we go to school for, these stressors will always push young adults towards weed, alcohol or any type of substances. But it starts from now to learn what is important enough to stress over and what isn’t worth stressing at all.
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2. Drug rehab, drug addiction, drug rehab
3. Alcohol rehab, stress and substance abuse, alcohol rehab
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