Information for this article was taken from Information from Heath, Vol. 15, No. 1, October/November, 1995.
Substance abuse is a continuing problem on college campuses, but alcohol abuse rates among people with disabilities may be twice as high as those for the general population, according to information collected by the Substance Abuse Resources and Disability Issues (SARDI) program at the Wright State University School of Medicine.
Regular stresses of college life are exacerbated for students with disabilities such as severe orthopedic impairments by the ready availability of alcohol as well as medications prescribed to ameliorate the effects of their disabilities, according to SARDI.
Mixing alcohol and prescription drugs or simply abusing prescription drugs are common problems, yet only a few professional programs specialize in drug abuse prevention or treatment for people with disabilities, according to the Heath article.
Some statistics that highlight the growing problem of substance abuse:
- Alcohol abuse is a major cause of disabilities for 20- to 21-year-olds.
- Forty to 80 percent of spinal cord injuries are related to substance abuse.
- Up to 50 percent of individuals with ADHD abuse alcohol and other drugs.
- Substance abuse rates among people with disabilities may range from 15 to 30 percent, well above the national average.
- While one of ten non-disabled people who uses alcohol or other drugs becomes chemically dependent, while research has indicated that one of seven hard of hearing or deaf people who uses drugs or alcohol becomes addicted.
These are frightening statistics. Don't become one of them. Help is available from your specialist at OPHS or the Counseling Center at Olin Health Center. Call OPHS at (517) 353-9642 or Rob Eubanks at the Counseling Center's Olin branch at (517) 355-2310.