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It’s not every day you see pink unicorns and blue toucans dancing at the Scramble Light on the Ball State University campus. But they were there to call attention to an important event about a serious topic.

Studies suggest that parents continue to exert significant influence over their children’s behavior even into the college years, and that extends into the choices they make regarding substance use and other risky behaviors. When parents encourage, or at least don’t discourage, underage drinking, their children tend to drink more, which can lead to further consequences, according to a recent University of Rhode Island College of Nursing student study.

Drug overdose deaths among teens and young adults have nearly doubled since 2019. There's concern that counterfeit pills, laced with fentanyl, sold via social media sites, are partly to blame.

One in five young adults and one in ten teens reported using prescription drugs off-script, according to a study commissioned by nonprofit charity Song for Charlie.

The [Loyola] University Counseling Center did a survey that’s nationally administered to colleges throughout the U.S. to get a sense of what substances college students are using. The survey found the number one substance college students are using is alcohol. Ranking a close second was cannabis.

Dane Minnick, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Social Work at Ball State University, and Director of the Ball State Center for Substance Use Research and Community Initiatives. In this month’s article, Dr. Minnick focuses on engaging social work students in substance use prevention using immersive learning.

The Santa Fe College Police Department is partnering again with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA’s) Prescription Drug Take Back Day, where they will be accepting unused prescription drugs from Thursday, Oct. 27, through Tuesday, Nov. 1.

While adolescents and underage emerging adults typically obtain alcohol from social sources (e.g., parents, friends, parties), taking alcohol from the home without permission is not well understood.

Reports of alcohol abuse have risen on Tulane University’s campus, a trend also evident at colleges nationwide, and one that health officials say the many stresses of the pandemic made worse.

In this article, we’ll discuss findings about the impact of the pandemic, make sense of the science regarding the connection between social anxiety and alcohol consumption, and provide some suggestions for healthy ways colleges and universities can support students in having in-person interactions with their peers and others without alcohol.