Substance abuse – The unspoken challenge to HE goals

Substance and drug abuse among university students has become a major global concern and a serious challenge. Substances commonly abused include alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, cannabis and other psychoactive substances.

Yet a quick search on the websites of publications with wide readership such as University World News, International Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed for articles on the subject using ‘drug or substance abuse’ as key terms yielded almost nothing. This is despite the fact that the academic, health and social consequences of substance abuse at global level are immense.

A series of published reports from the World Health Organization and the United Nations indicate that worldwide 5% of all deaths of young people between the ages of 15 and 29 are attributable to alcohol use.

In a similar vein, an estimated 150 million young people use tobacco, and approximately half of young tobacco users will die prematurely as a result of it. In 2015 about a quarter of a billion people used drugs, of which around 29.5 million people – or 0.6% of the global adult population – were engaged in problematic use and suffered from drug-use disorders, including dependence.

The World Drug Report 2017 reveals that an estimated 28 million years of “healthy” life was lost worldwide in 2015 as a result of premature death and disability caused by drug use.

Prevalence rate among students

Substance or drug abuse affects the academic life of university students resulting in inadequate attendance, poor academic performance, and conflict with others, among other issues. Its adverse effect on the physical and mental health, and sexual practices of university students cannot be overemphasised.

The attending negative consequences on the economic development of a country which will be robbed of a portion of its most productive section of society also cannot be ignored.

There is a growing body of literature in Ethiopia that shows the magnitude of substance/drug abuse in older universities like Addis Ababa, Adama, Jimma, Haramaya, Gondar and Ambo, and the relatively new universities such as Aksum, Debre Markos, Jigjiga and Dire-Dawa. The findings reveal that the prevalence of drug and substance abuse – which used to be a rare phenomenon – is steadily increasing in many institutions of higher learning.

The most frequently used substances in Ethiopian universities are found to be alcohol, khat (a shrub-like plant having a stimulant effect) and tobacco. Hard drugs like cocaine and heroin are rarely used, perhaps due to their unavailability. The simultaneous use of various substances or drugs is also observed as an additional problem. For instance, alcohol consumption or khat use is significantly accompanied by tobacco use.

According to the nascent research, substance and drug abuse among students is associated with variables such as gender, year of study, family history, peer pressure, availability of drugs, dissatisfaction with academics, and student pocket money.

The negative effects of drug/substance abuse as depicted in the studies include absenteeism from classes, deterioration in academic performance, increased dropout rates, and loss of interest in daily life. Thus, it is obvious that dependence on drug and substances has the potential to derail whatever gains have been made through the expansion of the higher education system.

Contributing factors

A range of contributing factors that encourage drug and substance abuse have been identified.

University students consume substances or drugs for a variety of reasons including personal pleasure, releasing tension, and-or to cope with work pressure.

Students attending university for the first time experience a totally new environment full of significant social and cultural changes as well as intellectual challenges. Peer pressure, the desire to experiment, and the absence of proactive programmes to combat drug abuse and raise awareness of its dangers, can contribute towards the tendency among students to turn to drugs or substances.

Using substances as a means of relaxation, stress relief and increased performance is facilitated by the relatively easy availability of such substances around campuses and, in some cases, the lack of alternative recreation activities offered by universities.

The lack of clear legislation with regard to age restrictions and standards for alcohol advertisements, as well as lack of awareness about short- and long-term impacts of substance abuse, can also exacerbate the problem.

Local studies indicate that where universities try to deal with the issue, they tend to focus on tightening legislation, on disciplinary measures and on security checks that lead to the identification and penalising of transgressors, rather than a search for long-term solutions. Health services provided at universities are also found to be limited and not geared to offering victims adequate care and support.

Combatting abuse

With more than 63% of its population comprising young people under 24 years, anything that compromises the health and productivity of the youth should be a serious concern to a country like Ethiopia.

Both personal and national goals are at stake when the most able and promising sector of society is affected by a growing trend towards substance abuse. That is why the issue requires a multifaceted and integrated response at individual, institutional and national levels.

The search for solutions should start with commitment and coordination among all stakeholders. Measures taken at the various levels could comprise such specific interventions as setting clear policies about student wellness, enforcement of appropriate laws, wide-ranging awareness activities, evidence-based prevention and intervention programmes, and the provision of training to help students cope.

While the country makes efforts to expand its higher education system, it cannot ignore the simultaneous importance of ensuring the health and productivity of university students, both during and after their sojourns at higher institutions of learning.

Wondwosen Tamrat is an associate professor and founding president of St Mary’s University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He is an affiliate scholar of the Program for Research on Private Higher Education (PROPHE) headquartered at the State University of New York at Albany, United States. His email addresses are: preswond@smuc.edu.et or wondwosentamrat@gmail.com.