Published: 12/11/2025 | Author: Terri

A recent study from Pennsylvania State University reveals the significant risk college students face from opioids. Undergraduate researchers at the Lehigh Valley campus found that nearly a third of the campus’s students know of someone who’d suffered an opioid overdose. 

This study serves as yet another reminder of the stark reality that the average student experience either causes or amplifies numerous stressors that can lead to drug use.

The Dangerous Combination of College Students and Opioids

College life comes with a variety of unique academic and social challenges that often catch new students off guard. On the academic side, they have to adapt to their new learning environment’s standards, build new routines, and adopt new working and studying habits to be able to perform in class. 

Many students who develop substance addictions, and especially opioid addictions, already struggle with a mental health problem of some kind before starting their studies.

All this against the backdrop of worrying about future careers and financial stress. According to the National Association of Financial Aid Administrators, money concerns have caused 59% of students to consider dropping out. 

When all these stresses pile up, the related anxiety and depression make substance use a tempting means to self-medicate. But what begins as a way to find some temporary form of escape and relief soon becomes a more terrifying and dangerous prison of its own.

More Students Slipping Through the Cracks

Unfortunately, the high stress experienced in a university environment can also be a significant hurdle to breaking free from any addictions that take hold.

While 82.8% of students struggling with opioid use reported the need for mental health care, less than half actually received it, according to a study published in The Journal of Affective Disorders. 

For 26.2% of students, the reason they didn’t get help was simply that they didn’t know where to find it. Most tragically, for just under 12% of them, the reported reason was that they had no one to turn to during periods of increased emotional distress.

Using Education to Combat This Crisis

Thankfully, there are programs colleges can adopt to significantly reduce these trends. As an example, California State University, East Bay, has an office for Student Health and Counseling Services, which creates environments where students can open up and safely address their mental health concerns. 

Additionally, they have a Community Counseling Clinic, which offers counseling services to students, faculty, and community members. Beyond these kinds of measures, colleges should also leverage their core competencies to provide preventative addiction education.

Find Help Today

If you’re a college student and you need help, you have options. Recovery programs and support groups designed to address the unique needs of teens, young adults, and college students can be found across the United States. 

Explore NA Meetings in your area or call 800-934-1582(Sponsored) for immediate support. Don’t let today’s troubles rob you of tomorrow’s promise.