A survey for Eastern students about drug and alcohol consumption showed half of the students who participated said they drink at parties and less than half take other drugs at parties.

The Daily Eastern News held a survey asking several questions regarding alcohol and drug use to see how closely college students relate to the topic.  

Among this survey, 23 anonymous participants gave information involving their personal relationship with alcohol or drugs. 

To start, when asked if they go to parties where they consume alcohol, almost half of the participants said yes and specified whether they do this occasionally or frequently. 

Of the twelve who responded yes, ten said that they occasionally consume alcohol at parties while two said they do frequently.  

Seventeen participants said that they drink outside of parties, with 15 of their responses saying they occasionally do it and two of them saying they frequently drink aside from parties.  

Similarly, students were asked if they go to parties where they take other drugs.  

The responses showed that 10 students occasionally go to parties where they take drugs with 11 saying they do not.  

Two other students responded saying that they go to parties but do not take drugs when present.  

The next question asked was how old the participants were when they first consumed alcohol, which resulted in varying responses.  

Eleven students answered that they were 18 years old when they first started drinking and others said that they were younger, with one response saying they were nine years old when they first consumed alcohol.  

The next few questions focused specifically on drugs and the ways in which students use or purchase them.  

The first question simply asked if the participants take drugs that are considered “hard drugs.” 

Twenty-one students said that they do not take hard drugs while two said that they do.  

When asked on what drugs they take specifically, almost all said alcohol with most saying alcohol along with marijuana. 

Other participants included drugs such as cocaine, LSD, hallucinogens and heroin.  

The outlets in which these students receive drugs was also a question on the survey. 

The responses revealed that most participants get drugs from dispensaries and off campus individuals.  

A positive of using drugs that was said by most participants was that they can use them as stress relievers and can help ease mental health issues.  

According to a senior student, “I have used edibles to help me sleep occasionally and have had restful and long sleep because of it.” 

Some negatives of taking drugs that were recorded were the feeling of paranoia and the feeling of being hungover over a long period of time.  

“One time I got high at home, and I was way higher than my body could handle,” another senior student said. “I felt dizzy and incredibly anxious. I spent 30 minutes lying down on the ground in the fetal position while trying to calm myself down.”

When asked if any of them have been addicted to the drugs they use, almost all the responses said no, with three responses saying yes.  

Lastly, the survey asked if there was anything that the students wished more people knew about drugs or alcohol. 

“I wish more people were able to talk freely about drugs and alcohol use and the reasons people use them,” said a junior student. 

According to a sophomore student, “Do so in a safe environment, most students understand that overconsumption is dangerous so Eastern students really do look out for each other in that aspect, I’ve seen it first-hand.” 

Drew Coffey can be reached at 581-2812 or at akcoffey@eiu.edu.