Story by Zeke Hanson / Inform Muncie
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in December 2022.
Substance use is relatively common among college students. Studies and surveys in the past have revealed that nearly half of American college students admit to abusing drugs or alcohol while binge drinking at least once a month. This fact has led many universities across the country to provide services to support their students facing health emergencies related to drug or alcohol use. Many schools offer additional services to students seeking recovery from addictions.
For example, Ohio State University offers Talbot Hall, a service for students and the general public using an inpatient detoxification process that eases withdrawal struggles through medication and support. After the hospitalization process, patients are then put through the outpatient program which allows them to attend sessions several times a week with a counselor and peers facing the same issues.
Although Ohio State’s drug programs are among the best, many other schools are following suit. A common service at large universities is the distribution of boxes of naloxone. Naloxone boxes are a form of medication that helps reverse an opioid overdose by blocking its effects on the brain and restoring breathing. Indiana University and Purdue University are schools that distribute naloxone and provide training on using rescue boxes.
Ball State University does not provide these services. Although some organizations in Muncie, Indiana and Delaware County are distributing to the best of their ability, it is important for Ball State to take charge of the problem due to the growing prominence of fentanyl, a drug far more potent than many other opioids.
“We know there are pill mills across Muncie that produce party drugs that look like drugs that college students typically do, like Ecstasy or Adderall and things like that, but that’s not than fentanyl,” said Dane Minnick, executive director of the association. Addictions Coalition of Delaware County and associate professor at Ball State, “so you’ve seen overdoses across the country in college students, and we don’t really have preventative measures in place for that right now (at Ball State ). »
Ball State currently has no idea how many of its students are abusing substances. Nationwide surveys and testing can give a general idea, but there is no form of consistent survey on the topic on Ball State’s campus to give a Ball State-specific number.
“If you have a Big Ten school, it brings in a lot of money and has a lot of students with substance abuse issues,” said Lynn Witty, medical director of Ball State’s Healthy Lifestyle Center. “They need to invest money, you know. It’s much more obvious.
“I think the size of Ball State kind of allows you not to notice much, but the students are there, they just don’t get together to talk about it, which we definitely need to do.”
Naloxone and naloxone training are just some of the services the university could offer. Other services include recovery groups and sober dorms. Witty acknowledges that over the past year, positive changes have taken place within Ball State when it comes to its substance abuse programs, but there is still a long way to go.
