Recognizing Substance Use Disorder in your College Student
Now that your young adult is home under your roof, you may be noticing some things about them that are a cause for concern. Either your young adult continues to leave the house at night, going against the shelter in place order, to party with friends, or you are fighting with them about their marijuana use. Substance use and experimentation is common for college students. What’s not common, is when they return home unexpectedly mid-semester and continue to self-medicate. As a parent, it’s important to acknowledge what you’re willing to enable in your house and recognize when your child’s behavior checks the boxes for Substance Use Disorder (SUD).
First, you need to know that 1 in 4 college students meets criteria for substance use disorder. When you respond to your young adult’s use with phrases such as:
“This binge drinking is just a phase. He’ll grow out of it. A lot of college students do this”
“She might be doing drugs, but she’s doing well in school. Why should I worry?”
“I’ve been smoking marijuana every day for years without a problem. I don’t see a problem with my son smoking.”
These are real-life examples you’ll find in Dr. Marcia Morris’ The Campus Cure parent guidebook. These are nearly identical stories I’ve personally heard from parents who inquire about my service in finding supports for their young adult. They acknowledge their kid probably needs some level of support, but they may not want to admit that their use is out of control. If you aren’t sure where your college student falls on the spectrum of substance use, here are some key indicators of when their use is impacting their collegiate experience:
Drop in grades
Mood disturbances
Increased spending
School discipline problems and/or legal problems
In general, substance use will show up in the following areas in one’s life:
Physical and mental health issues
Impaired control (i.e. impulsive verbally or physically)
Social issues (i.e. destroying relationships)
Risky behaviors (i.e. unprotected sex with strangers when blacked out)
Failing to meet responsibilities (i.e. waking up for work)
With your college student completing their spring semester from the confines of home, make note of their behaviors. Make note of their substance use. And make note of their overall mental health and well-being. If you are remotely concerned that their substance use is abuse, contact a professional to provide you help and guidance in how to navigate getting them connected to treatment.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
