Substance abuse in college students:

Statistics and rehab treatment

College students commonly misuse substances like alcohol, marijuana, stimulants and opioids, which can negatively affect academics, health and personal safety. Nearly half of students may meet the criteria for a substance use disorder, with binge drinking and alcohol dependence being especially prevalent.

Colleges are responding with resources such as counseling, recovery programs and substance-free housing. These approaches are highly relevant for Illinois public higher education institutions, where large student populations face similar risks. Implementing recovery communities, evidence-based prevention strategies and campus-wide education efforts can help reduce harm and support student success across Illinois campuses. Institutions can also align rehab options with academic schedules and utilize student health insurance for treatment access.

C.A.G.E

screening tool

State of Illinois overdose action plan

The State of Illinois Overdose Action Plan outlines a comprehensive, multi-agency strategy to reduce overdose deaths. It prioritizes harm reduction, treatment, prevention, social equity and justice-involved populations while addressing racial disparities, structural barriers, stigma and expanding equitable access to inclusive, culturally responsive, lifesaving services.

State-funded drug and alcohol

rehabilitation centers near me

State-funded drug and alcohol rehab centers offer affordable or free treatment for individuals with limited income or no insurance. Funded by federal and state resources (like Medicaid and SAMHSA grants), these facilities provide a full range of services, including detox, inpatient, outpatient and aftercare programs. Eligibility often depends on state residency, income level and lack of insurance.

State-funded rehab programs provide accessible, evidence-based treatment at little to no cost, though demand often creates waiting lists with priority for groups like pregnant women and veterans. While they may not offer the amenities of private facilities, licensed professionals still deliver quality care. Individuals can access services through their state’s Single State Agency (SSA) or SAMHSA’s treatment locator, making state-funded options a practical choice for those seeking affordable recovery support.

Drug overdose prevention program

The Drug Overdose Prevention Program (DOPP) allows organizations to order free Narcan (a form of naloxone) through the IDHS Access Narcan program to distribute within their communities. These programs are essential to ending the overdose crisis in Illinois by making sure that anybody who may witness an opioid overdose is equipped with naloxone and the knowledge they need to save a life.

For anyone seeking no-cost naloxone for their first-aid kits or fentanyl/xylazine testing strips, there are funded OEND service organizations responsible for all counties that can provide these resources. OENDs can also provide larger quantities if the interested organization decides that they do not want to enroll in DOPP.

• Find a program to serve your county: Illinois Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Programs funded by IPDO and SOR grants, by County
• Find a DOPP provider near you: Illinois Helpline

Campus drug prevention

DEA publications

This document provides DEA-backed resources for campus drug prevention, such as fact cards and posters on cannabis, impaired driving, prescription misuse, guides like “Prevention with Purpose” for stakeholders, newsletters on threats (e.g., carfentanil, fentanyl), disposal advice and sexual assault drug risk information. These resources are critical components of informed, proactive campus safety strategies.

Non-DEA publications

The Non‑DEA Publications website offers diverse, evidence‑based resources—guides, toolkits, reports and kits—from agencies like SAMHSA and ACHA. Topics include substance prevention competencies, college drinking, stimulant misuse, hazing, opioid prescribing, marijuana impacts, overdose response and more. It empowers campus leaders with best practices and strategic tools for health promotion.

The connection between substance use and the mental health of college students

This TimelyCare blog explores how stress, social dynamics and independence in college can drive substance use. It defines substances broadly—alcohol, tobacco, drugs—and highlights CDC and SAMHSA data showing widespread use: over 50% of students drink, 35% binge-drink and 21% use cannabis. The blog traces how experimentation can escalate to addiction, negatively affecting both physical and mental health. It emphasizes the importance of early intervention and promotes virtual health services as scalable tools to support prevention, education and access to care.

September is National Recovery Month

National Recovery Month is dedicated to raising awareness about substance use disorders and mental illness. The objective is to let people know there is hope for people with mental health and substance use disorders to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. While substance abuse and mental health services are nothing new, the stigma attached to them remains. September provides not only an opportunity to help eliminate the stigma but also to demonstrate the human face behind the disease.



National Recovery Month, which started in 1989, is observed every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, the nation’s strong and proud recovery community, and the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery in all its forms possible. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) has created a toolkit that summarizes key insights from a national dialogue on collegiate recovery, emphasizing the critical role of campus-based mental health and substance use recovery supports. It outlines practical strategies at the campus, community and systems levels to strengthen recovery infrastructure, promote inclusive support models and increase access for underserved students.

Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a vital time for higher education, staff, and communities to unite in fostering hope and reducing stigma. Suicide remains a leading cause of preventable death, but open conversations and accessible resources save lives. SAMHSA’s 2025 Toolkit provides key messages, social media posts, and digital frames to help campuses and organizations spread awareness, support students and staff, and build resilient communities. By working together to end the stigma, higher education institutions can strengthen well-being, promote dignity, and create supportive environments where help-seeking is encouraged and valued.

Gambling addiction among college students skyrockets

The years spent in higher education mark a significant turning point in an individual’s life, one that bridges the gap between childhood and adulthood. Problem behaviors may occur alongside the considerable rise in freedom and leisure options that characterize this stage of emerging adulthood. Young people tend to experiment more as their brains develop, and as they’re exposed to new ideas, values, people and cultures. Pair this with the increased presence of alcohol or drugs, and college students are at an especially high risk for risk-taking behaviors.

One pastime that can quickly become problematic is gambling, especially considering the explosive growth in the industry over the previous two decades among people of all age groups. College students engage in a variety of different gambling activities, including playing the lottery, buying raffle tickets, playing cards for money, betting on sports and playing sports for money. The importance of gambling as a public health concern has been greatly emphasized recently. Drug abuse, physical and sexual violence, and mental health problems, including anxiety and depression, are negative outcomes associated with gambling.



Some common signs of a gambling addiction include:

• Being preoccupied with gambling, such as planning gambling activities or ways to gamble more money.
• Needing to gamble larger amounts of money to get the same "thrill."
• Trying to get back lost money by gambling (chasing losses).
• Risking or losing important jobs, relationships or school opportunities due to gambling.
• Trying to cut back on gambling without success.
• Lying to friends or family to hide gambling.
• Gambling to escape or relieve stress.
• Asking others for money to pay off debts.

Gambling and sports betting addiction can quickly take control of a person’s life. The National Council on Problem Gambling operates the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network

(call: 1-800-522-4700). Help is available 24/7 and is 100% confidential.

Struggling with screen time: A look at internet use disorders

Internet use disorders are a growing concern in today’s technology-driven society, marked by excessive and compulsive use of the internet, leading to negative consequences in various aspects of an individual's life. Online activities of concern include overuse of social media sites, gaming, gambling, problematic use of online pornography and other digital platforms. There are several types of internet use disorders, each associated with specific online activities.

Social media overuse involves an obsessive need to check and update social media platforms, often resulting in disrupted real-world relationships.

Caffeine culture permeates college campuses, but how safe is it?

In the United States, up to 92% of college students consume caffeine to power through long days and late-night study sessions. Scott Rivkees, former Florida health secretary and surgeon general, says moderate intake—about 400 mg daily—is generally safe. However, regular excessive use can lead to dependence, jitteriness, anxiety, disrupted sleep and withdrawal symptoms.

Public health experts advise reducing intake gradually, using lower‑caffeine alternatives, staying hydrated and prioritizing sleep hygiene.

Take control of your social media use

This toolkit, designed by the Center for Humane Technology, provides issue and action guides surrounding the topics of social media, technology and mindfulness. Each guide has informational content to help students navigate technology and social media in a mindfully conscious way. Both students and educators can use this toolkit.

Vaping in higher education:

The threat of nicotine and marijuana addiction

There has been a surge in the use of vaping devices among higher education learners in the U.S. over recent years, alarmingly not just for nicotine but marijuana use. In fact, a University of Michigan study determined that marijuana vaping among higher education learners increased from 5% in 2017 to 22% in 2019. Also, nicotine vaping nearly tripled during the same time interval. These trends reveal a public health concern as learners turn to vaping for convenience, stress relief, social reasons, or misconceptions around vaping and smoking. In any case, higher education learners often underestimate the risk of addiction.

The human brain does not conclude development until approximately 25 years of age (Arain et al., 2013). According to the CDC, nicotine addiction, in particular, is known to alter brain development and impair cognitive function in young adults. Even casual nicotine intake can quickly lead to dependence, making it difficult for students to abstain despite awareness of the risks. Simultaneously, marijuana vaping poses additional independent challenges, including increased potency and faster absorption. These two elements can exacerbate anxiety, depression and academic impairment, according to Columbia University. The consumption of both nicotine and marijuana can alter and even intensify the addictive cycle, leading to dual-dependency that can undermine the well-being and academic competence of users/learners.

An article posted by StopsWithMe.com addressed perspectives on vaping among higher education learners, and it is apparent that many learners have misconceptions and/or feel uninformed about the health impacts and use of vaping as an alternative to smoking. Aside from individualized and peer-pressures, social media and the advent of flavored, scent diminishing vape products contribute to the normalization and glamorization of vaping among the higher education population. Information is gold, and the research increasingly links vaping to respiratory issues, cardiovascular stress, and reduced academic performance (ScienceDirect, 2024). Higher education institutions can strive to do better to educate and address misconceptions held by learners and personnel alike.

In order to combat these trends, higher education institutions are implementing educational campaigns, increasing access to cessation support, and adopting stronger campus policies. Wellfeetstudent.com has published that peer-led initiatives, wellness programs and behavioral interventions have shown promise in reducing use. As vaping continues to evolve, our higher education institutions should continue their responses though targeted prevention and intervention strategies to protect learner health and well-being, support academic goals and prevent life impacting addiction.

Solution-focused support for students managing substance use and academic pressures

This course is funded through ICC TAC's brief intervention technical assistance training support and available to all staff working at public, Illinois campuses. 2-hour, self-paced virtual training developed for higher education professionals. Audience: Any staff supporting student mental health. 

University of Washingtons' CannTalk Project

The CannTalk intervention was designed to equip Coordinated Specialty Care teams and behavioral health clinicians with skills to communicate more effectively about cannabis and guide clients towards reducing or quitting their cannabis use. CannTalk offers providers with an online training and materials to facilitate conversations.

Upcoming ICC TAC trainings

Join us for the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) coaching sessions. These free, virtual events are designed for higher education professionals and offer practical tools to support student mental health, focusing on relevant campus populations and needs. No prior SFBT experience is required. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available to participants.

Solution-Focused Peer Support: Practical Tools to Empower Conversations and Groups

October 15, 2025, 10 a.m. - Noon | Audience: Student of Staff in Peer Support Roles

The Solution-Focused Supervisor: Practical Approaches for Team Support and Retention

November 21, 2025, 10 a.m. - Noon | Audience: Higher education Supervisors

Solution-Focused Teaching: Balancing Compassion and Accountability in the Classroom 

December 4, 2025, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. | Audience Faculty and Teaching Staff

"How to Start Narcan on Campus: A Guide to Opioid Overdose Prevention in Educational Settings" | October 21, 2025, Noon - 1:30 p.m.

The opioid crisis continues to affect communities across the country, including college and university campuses. In response, many institutions are adopting harm reduction strategies, such as implementing naloxone (Narcan) programs to prevent fatal overdoses. This presentation offers a step-by-step guide to launching a Narcan initiative on campus.

Email asego99@siumed.edu to request an invitation to join this learning collaborative.

Verifying information

With numerous stories circulating and constantly changing in our world today, it’s crucial to confirm the accuracy of any information you come across. Check multiple reliable sources like the Office of the Illinois Attorney General or AAMC’s page on Executive Actions.

EXPLORE THE BLOG

Alcohol use among college students: Risks, warning signs and campus prevention

Alcohol use is common on college campuses, but the risks are often overlooked. Learn the warning signs of misuse, the impact on student health and academics, and how colleges can promote awareness, prevention, and support for student well-being.

ICC TAC Directors

Questions? Contact us at icctac@siumed.edu | Visit us at icctac.org