TO THE EDITOR:
I found the article, “Adjusting to life in recovery” by Cain Twyman in your March 29 issue to be extremely relevant and valuable. Substance abuse is a topic that does not get discussed enough at Carolina or on college campuses, and it seems that people have a much easier time ignoring it than confronting it head-on.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism states that about four in five American college students drink alcohol. And according to a Columbia University study, almost half of full-time college students in the U.S. binge drink or abuse prescription drugs. Not surprisingly, college students make up high percentages of people who abuse drugs and alcohol, largely due to high stress, peer pressure and curiosity.
The problem is, these struggles can have horrible lasting effects on students’ futures. Many people who develop drug and alcohol problems in college end up having to deal with these issues for the rest of their lives, which puts them at a much greater risk of problems such as depression, anxiety, divorce and homelessness — all because of what they thought was “fun” or “cool” back in college. It is our job to help combat this issue, and I applaud your publication for publicizing the Carolina Recovery Program and its mission on our campus.
Elizabeth Raby
Sophomore
Journalism
