It used to be keg stands, shots and chugging contests. Now, it’s rolling, pharming and snorting.
College parties have evolved, but not for the better. Students are experimenting with more prescription drugs and less alcohol — and the results can be deadly. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found that prescription medications are the drugs most commonly abused by adolescents, with the biggest growth of abuse among those 12 to 24 years old. Young adults using prescription drugs for a high is only slightly less common than marijuana use, but more common than drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and heroin.
Pharming is the nonmedical use of prescription and over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, and pharming parties are essentially any get-together where people — usually young adults — gather prescription medications and take a handful in order to obtain a high. Contemporary Pediatrics reports that pharming parties may also be called “Skittles parties,” comparing the act of popping colorful candies with popping colorful pills. These parties may also involve Robo-tripping, which refers to using the cough suppressant Robitussin to get a high by either mixing it with other alcohol or drinking a large amount on its own. Although there’s little evidence that these parties are a widespread phenomenon, the abuse of prescription drugs by college-aged students is widespread. At least 1 in 4 teens has misused or abused prescription drugs at least once in their lifetime, according to a 2013 study.
[See: 10 Gross Things You Should Stop Doing in College.]
So why the shift in substances used by college students? Here are a few likely reasons:
Prescription meds aren’t uncommon these days. Oftentimes, after being prescribed pain pills, individuals will leave them in bathroom cabinets, forgotten. They become easily accessible to anyone who wants them. According to the Contemporary Pediatrics article, nearly 50 percent of all Americans take at least one prescription medication. The stigma around popping a pill for nearly any issue is nearly nonexistent these days.
They’re cheap and easily accessible. Compared to street drugs like cocaine, ecstasy and heroin, prescription drugs such as Oxycotin, Vicodin, Adderall and Ritalin are cheaper and give users a greater sense of safety. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 55 percent of prescription drug abusers obtained prescription painkillers for free from a friend or relative. In other words, anyone who wants to get a high from popping one too many pain pills doesn’t usually need to look for it on the street. Further, because many students now on college campuses have easy access to drugs like Adderall or Ritalin — with a legitimate prescription — selling extra pills for extra cash isn’t uncommon. The only time prices may soar for “focus” drugs like these are during test periods like finals. For a party, grabbing a few Adderalls, Xanax or Oxys is cheaper than grabbing a keg.
[See: 14 Ways Alcohol Affects the Aging Process.]
They’re viewed as “safer” than street drugs. One of the biggest dangers of using prescription drugs over alcohol for a high is that if someone were to overdose after taking an unknown pill, medics and doctors may not know how to treat them. Additionally, popping numerous pills together without knowing how they will react with each other can have deadly consequences. Regardless, with the “Ritalin generation” now on college campuses, much of the taboo around taking prescription pills is gone. Popping an Adderall to help a student focus or throwing back a Xanax during a party seems safer than snorting a line of coke or shooting up heroin. In reality, the consequences of overdose, death or severe allergic reactions are just as serious in comparison to street counterparts.
Parents also don’t seem to be helping to break the trend. A 2008 study revealed that 25 percent of parents believed that their son or daughter popping a prescription pill was safer than their son or daughter doing street drugs. The interesting point is that the most commonly abused prescription drugs — opioids like Hydrocodone, Oxycodone, Fentanyl, Methadone and Codeine — have the same addictive properties as heroin or meth.
[See: 7 Health Risks of Binge Drinking You Can’t Ignore.]
As long as students are on college campuses, away from mom and dad, and finding their way in the world, they’ll find new ways to get high. It falls to a few responsible individuals, parents and campus policing to ensure students understand the extreme danger of activities like pharming. Like getting behind the wheel after a few drinks, chugging a bottle of cough syrup or popping a few Oxys can have the same deadly consequences.
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From Keggers to Pharm Parties: the Changing Face of the College Party Scene originally appeared on usnews.com
