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ACS Essay

Substance use among college students in Bhutan has increased over the past decade. The prevalence of substance use among teenagers and young adults is 3.2%. Factors associated with use include being male, single, aged 18-24, feeling lonely, consuming alcohol, and smoking. While alcohol is deeply ingrained in Bhutanese culture and used widely in social and religious customs, substance use among college students leads to lower academic performance, unemployment after graduation, and increased risk of sexual assault. It can also negatively impact cognitive abilities and shift focus from academic goals. Those who test positive for drugs upon graduation will not be eligible for civil service jobs, increasing unemployment rates. Socio-cultural influences contribute to addiction development among college students.

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64 views

ACS Essay

Substance use among college students in Bhutan has increased over the past decade. The prevalence of substance use among teenagers and young adults is 3.2%. Factors associated with use include being male, single, aged 18-24, feeling lonely, consuming alcohol, and smoking. While alcohol is deeply ingrained in Bhutanese culture and used widely in social and religious customs, substance use among college students leads to lower academic performance, unemployment after graduation, and increased risk of sexual assault. It can also negatively impact cognitive abilities and shift focus from academic goals. Those who test positive for drugs upon graduation will not be eligible for civil service jobs, increasing unemployment rates. Socio-cultural influences contribute to addiction development among college students.

Uploaded by

Pema Ningtob
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Substance Use among College Students

For many youths, college enrollment is a distinct life event that symbolizes the transition from
adolescence to independence and adulthood. It also represents a vulnerable period for increased
exposure to a variety of illicit and prescribed substances. For which Bhutanese college campuses
have witnessed a national increase in cannabis, stimulant, and illicit drug use among students
over the past decade. Substance use among college students is associated with numerous
negative outcomes including lower academic performance, a higher probability of
unemployment after graduation, and an increased risk of committing and experiencing sexual
assault. "The prevalence of ever drug use among teenagers and young adults in schools and
university was 3.2%. The factors associated with ever drug use were being men, being single,
being in the age group of 18-24 years, and feeling always lonely, having ever consumed alcohol,
and having ever smoked.” (wangdi & jamtsho, 2019)

The consumption of alcohol is widely accepted in Bhutanese society and deeply rooted in
customs and culture. Ara, local alcohol distilled from rice, barley, and maize, is the traditional
form of alcohol used in Bhutan. Its use is a part of almost all social occasions, including
childbirth, religious ceremonies, rituals, festivals, social gatherings, and funerals. Drinking
solidarity signifies emotional bonding, social solidarity, and respect. It is also used to please
deities and as a vital part of various religious offerings. (Sherab, Tshomo, tshering, & howardy,
2017). These customs and culture have much influence in the education sector and keeping in
mind that these substances are easily available in the local stores it becomes easier to purchase
these things without any restriction when still being a college student. The shopkeepers have
reported that they follow the rules and regulations framed by the government on the selling of
these substances to those who are above the age of 18. This policy makes the college students
eligible to purchase these substances whereby it has a negative impact on their performance on
the study. Under the influence of these substances, college students tend to miss their daily
classes, resulting in attendance shortage whereby not fulfilling the criteria to appear the semester
exam and most instinctive, alcohol and drug consumption may have some harmful effects on
cognitive abilities, for instance decreasing the ability to concentrate on academic

Concerning the impact of the performance of academic by the consumption of harmful


substances, it shifts the attention toward its immediate rewarding effects rather than longer-term
rewards associated with academic endeavors. These academic endeavors are de-prioritized and
academic performance scores are low resulting in unemployment after graduation. The Royal
Civil Service Commission (RCSC) says all new recruitment into the civil service will have to
undergo a mandatory drug test to maintain a drug-free civil service and support the national
effort to curb drug use. The rule is applied to all the graduates who get through the Bhutan Civil
Service Examination. If a graduate selected for an appointment into civil service is tested
positive, the vacancy will be offered to the next candidate according to the BCSE ranking. "The
candidate tested positive shall be eligible to appear next BCSE but appointment into the civil
service would be subject to clearing medical fitness and drug test again," stated the RCSC's
notification (Tshering, 2017). The graduates who have undergone the influence of the substances
will not be able to proceed for the civil service which results in the growth of the unemployment
rate in Bhutan. The use of substances in the Bhutanese education system is highly prohibited and
every school and collages maintain its rules and regulation to prevent students under the
influence of substance abuse. Students being caught up by the teachers under influence of
substance abuse are directly been thrown out of the learning environment or handed over to the
police which makes it difficult to get employed in the future.

College is supposed to be an era of self-discovery, of unbridled potential complemented by


lifelong friendships, independence, and experiencing what the world has to offer. So
experiencing these substances like alcohol is considered as part of our Bhutanese culture and
serves as a gesture of showing respect, honor, and hospitality. But however Socio-cultural
influences also contribute to the development of addiction. According to NHS, "addiction is
defined as not having control over doing, taking or using something to the point where it could
be harmful." Out of these behavioral changes is one of the most common results of using the
substances. Not only it affects the health but also the learning environment where students
frequently get into trouble like fighting among their mates and disrespect towards teachers. A
study of a total of 432 college students was recruited and out of these having close friends who
used alcohol was associated in a positive direction with binge drinking. (Dorji, Srichan,
Apidechkul, Sunsern, & Suttana, 2020) It clears out that it not only spoils the life of one but also
influences the others to follow the same direction. In Thimphu alone, more than one in every two
crimes between the years 2008-2011 was committed by a youth of 18 and 25 years. Of most
youth offenders, 800 of them had no formal education while less than 17 were in college or had a
college degree. (Pokhrel, 2015)It was cleared out that some committed the crime under the
influence of substances.

In summing up, substance abuse among college students in Bhutan is highly prevalent and
common in both sexes. Some profiles of students, including living environments, were
associated with substance use, such as living in high- or low-income families, the behavior of
tobacco use, having close friends who used substances and parents' behaviors in the use of
alcohol. Based on the traditional pattern of the people in Bhutan the use of substances like
alcohol is used for several occasions that are related to religious rituals that occur many times
year-round. However, many impacts from the use of substances have been found, particularly in
young people who are attending college or university. Thus, a public health initiative to reduce
substance use among university students or to delay use until the end of university life should be
promoted for achieving the optimal effect on human resource production in the country.

Name: Pema Ningtob

Enrollment No: 03200236

Section: CF-F

Gedu College of Business Studies

Tutor: Dhanapati Sharma


Reference
Dorji, T., Srichan, P., Apidechkul, T., Sunsern, R., & Suttana, W. (2020, 9 14). BMC. Retrieved from Factors
associated with different forms of alcohol use behaviors among college students in Bhutan: a
cross-sectional study:
https://substanceabusepolicy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13011-020-00315-0

Pokhrel, N. (2015). Kuensel. Retrieved from Peer pressure leading youth to crime:
https://kuenselonline.com/peer-pressure-leading-youth-to-crime/

Sherab, K., Tshomo, S., tshering, K., & howardy, j. (2017). Substance use, mental health and sexual
behaviour of college students in Bhutan. Substance use and young people in Bhutan, 4.

Tshering, P. S. (2017, 8 17). BBS. Retrieved from Drug test compulsory for civil servants from 2018:
http://www.bbs.bt/news/?p=79388

wangdi, K., & jamtsho, T. (2019, 11 11). NCBI. Retrieved from Drug use among Teenagers and Young
Adults in Bhutan:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6875841/#idm139711898747104title

Welsh, J. W., Shentu, Y., & Sarvey, D. B. (29, 4 10). ncbi. Retrieved from Substance Use Among College
Students:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6527004/#:~:text=Substance%20use%20amon
g%20college%20students%20is%20associated%20with%20numerous%20negative,committing%
20and%20experiencing%20sexual%20assault.

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