ROCKVILLE, Md., Feb. 18 (UPI) -- U.S. college students have a significantly higher rate of admissions for alcohol problems than their non-student counterparts, federal health officials found.
A report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found 46.6 percent of all substance abuse treatment admissions involving college or other post-secondary school students ages 18-24 were primarily related to alcohol disorders, versus 30.6 percent for non-college students in the same age bracket.
"This report confirms the pervasive and potentially devastating role that alcohol plays on far too many college campuses," Pamela S. Hyde, administrator of SAMHSA, said in a statement. "Other of our studies have shown that one-in-four full-time college students have experienced past year alcohol abuse or dependence."
Students had lower rates of treatment admissions than non-students their age for other types of primary substance abuse such as:
-- Heroin, at 7.2 percent for college students versus 16.1 percent for non-students.
-- Other opiates, 8.3 percent for college students versus 10.5 percent for non-students.
-- Cocaine, 1.9 percent for college students versus 4.2 percent for non-students.
-- Methamphetamine, 1 percent for college students versus 4.4 percent for non-students.
The report was based on the agency's 2009 Treatment Episode Data Set, which collects and analyzes reports by thousands of substance abuse treatment facilities throughout the nation.
