Addiction and substance abuse are not just issues within certain communities or areas. There are so many different environments that may foster addictive lifestyles as well. As a 20-year-old college student graduating this year addiction and substance abuse are not something new to me. Whether it be through peers, friends, or personal experience, substance abuse has a huge place on college campuses, especially on mine. Over the past years of my college education, I have been surrounded by the ways in which a college campus is one of the places that fosters substance abuse and may be the beginnings of battles with addiction or addictive behaviors for a lot of the people attending university. The “college experience” besides high school it is one of the most glorified ages and stages to be in. We see it in so many different forms of media we consume. And obviously I am not here to deny that I have had a great time being in college and it has changed me for the better in so many ways. But this glorification has led to this increase that I have seen where a lot of students just come with no plan, no goals, no motivation only with one thing in mind. To reach that college experience. Now let’s dive into what that even means because it may mean a series of varying ideas stemming from the same root but, in my experience, it means make friends and party as much as you can and as hard as you can until you leave. That’s how you make those golden memories that will stick with you forever. And that is the main thing I have noticed attending my university. Party culture is alive and well on college campuses everywhere and that is what creates the unhealthy patterns I have experienced within friends and peers. Coming into college as a 17–19-year-old freshman finally all on your own living with friends and people your age of course that is the first most exciting thing there is to be done. That is wait all week until Thursday just so that you can go blackout and do crazy things for the next three days. Freshman year and sophomore year I saw so many friends fall into things past the widely talked about alcohol abuse and binge drinking that occurs within college campuses but either way substance abuse is substance abuse. Whether someone was using cocaine or alcohol to cope they were doing it for the same reasons. In my opinion the dependency on those weekends is what my school culture was all about. Many college campuses also prioritize Greek life (fraternities and sororities). They are hugely important to a lot of the student population and most people were in some way involved with Greek life. The presence of a hugely popular Greek life opens it up to so many others when the parties and good times are right down the road at 20 different houses 3-4 times a week. And for a lot of people going out isn’t where their use of these vices begins and ends. Any event is an excuse to have drinks or harder drugs together. That is a core bonding experience that is shared by a lot of the individuals who choose to join these organizations. These addictive behaviors repeat for a lot of people until they are leaving whether that is because they graduate or drop out. This can set people up to fall into addiction and create poor relationships with socialization and having good times further in adulthood. Also, with coping mechanisms for things like stress or anxiety. This socialization on campuses that may be considered “party schools” can also convince people who may others not have been interested that this is the only possible way to have fun or make friends. Sometimes also using substances as a way to fit in social life and school without having to stop to rest. Being in these patterns that I have seen in my college environment has sent many of my close peers into not-so-great relationships with themselves and with substances. College campuses foster an environment and culture that promotes partying and substance abuse to degrees that are not sustainable for life off of these campuses.