Ways to Stay Sober in College

According to the National Institutes of Health, 60% of 18-22-year-old college students said they consumed alcohol in the past month, and almost two out of three of those who drank said they engaged in binge drinking.

The percentage of college students involved in substance abuse is much higher than the percentage of the population in the US. It is believed that 44% of the students have the habit of drinking alcohol and many of them experience various health issues.

Drinking not only affects the ability to study well but also affects mental and physical health.

Every year, drinking affects the college students as well as their families, and college communities. Few of the consequences of alcoholism include:

• Death – Every year around 1825 college students of age 18-25 years die due to unintentional injuries related to alcoholism.
• Assault – Over 690,000 students of age 18-24 years are the victims of assault by other alcoholic students.
• Sexual Abuse – Over 97,000 students are the victims of sexual assault or date rape between the ages of 18-24 years.
• Academic Issues – About 25% of the students experience academic issues including lacking behind, missing lectures, and poor performance, etc.

Addiction is a common issue on campus and staying sober in college is quite challenging. However, if you’re interested in staying sober in college, fortunately, it’s possible.

How to stay sober in college?

If it was so easy, everyone would be sober. It’s not easy to stay sober all the time, especially a place where a party is going on somewhere all the time.

However, if you’re looking for some tips to stay sober in college, well, here are some of them:

• Get admission to a college that has zero-tolerance for alcohol on campus
• Don’t spend your breaks in party cities or with alcoholic friends that drink frequently throughout the week
• Participate in extra-curricular activities that help you in meeting people with similar interests and who don’t have a drinking habit
• Develop habits that put self-care on the highest priority including exercise, regular sleep, and eat healthy, etc.
• Make friends that are not into drinking habits and spend more time on movies, shopping, and getting coffee, etc.
• Try to balance your schedule so that you have proper time for schoolwork, extracurricular activities, and social events, etc.
• Join clubs like meditation or yoga groups, spiritual-religious groups, and adventure clubs, etc.
• Learn to play any musical instrument
• Join sober groups. Sober groups include on-campus Alcoholics Anonymous groups or group therapy with other students who want to stay sober

Stay SOBER when you’re a Drinker

There are some students who have gone through addiction recovery treatments by joining Peer support groups. For them, the chances of relapse increase as staying sober in college difficult. The chances of finding alcoholics are more so staying with them can raise your cravings and chances of relapsing. To avoid this, find the best particular way that works perfectly to keep yourself close to the sober people.

• Share your room or apartment with the people who don’t have an addiction
• Choose a college that has a zero-tolerance for alcohol on campus
• Try to engage in all the sober activities in college
• Keep yourself busy with new activities or things
• Loneliness is a relapsing trigger. Involve yourself in some college events that will help you in making friends that share the same interest with you. So that you don’t feel lonely
• Connect with a sobriety group through your college
• Enquire and engage with peer support groups offered through campus resources

Staying Sober at College Parties

It’s recommended to avoid going to parties for the young adults especially, for the ones who are in the recovery process. Visiting such places can raise the craving again and increase the chances of relapsing. There are times when you can’t miss a college party but if you’re in the recovery, you should be able to manage it. To reduce the chance of relapse at any of the college party, you can follow a few steps:

• It’s good to leave the party early because as long the party goes on the drunker people will become
• Some partygoers feel that it’s their duty to get everyone to drink. Just say NO to them.
• Watch out your drinks as some people can spike your drinking
• Practice saying no to the drugs and alcohol offers
• Check beforehand to ensure that non-alcoholic drinks will be available at the party or not
• Take one of your sober friends along with you to the party as he/she can help you in avoiding drinks
• Leave the party right away if you have a thought of relapse

The above-mentioned tips can help you in enjoying sober life but in case you feel stress, anxiety or chances of relapse, you can always reach out to your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider may recommend you support groups and some prescription medications to curb your cravings.

Please note: Don’t forget to use the Wise Rx prescription discount card to buy your prescription medications.