A total of 8,059 students 18-25 years
of age from 23 Indiana colleges participated in the Indiana College Substance Use Survey conducted in Spring 2021.
Risk and Protective Factors
Alcohol
Alcohol, one of the oldest drugs of abuse, is a colorless liquid produced by fermenting cereals such as corn, rice, and barley. Alcohol, which produces a sedative effect, induces depression and is one of the oldest and most common drugs of abuse. Short-term effects of alcohol include anxiety, slowed heart and respiratory rates, blurred vision, and poor motor coordination. Long-term effects include cirrhosis, cancers, cardiac diseases, and any number of other irreversible neurological and psychological health conditions. Nationally, nearly 40% of admissions to mental hospitals and 50% of arrests are alcohol-related. The minimum drinking age is 21 years. However, it is estimated that nearly 65% of all alcohol outlets sell alcohol to minors. A Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) level of .08 or higher is considered to be intoxicated, and it is illegal to drive under these conditions. Individual and interpersonal alcohol preventive strategies, such as educations campaigns designed to resist social influence and peer pressure, and the primary preventative efforts implemented by Indiana.
