Driven to distraction
Nicotine, valium, vicodin, marijuana, ecstasy, alcohol and cocaine. The words of the Queens of the Stone Age song The Feel Good Hit of the Summer, and apparently an alternative to the midnight essay crisis kebab run for many Oxford students. It barely needs stating that Oxford students are stressed by their workloads.
Going to one of the most elite institutions in the world, what else do we expect? We have up to three essays or five days of labs a week, and then more often than not are tested on three years’ worth of that in a handful of exams, crammed into two weeks at the end of the degree. On top of that, of course, there are extra-curricular and social duties to fill. What does need highlighting, however, is the lengths to which students feel they need to go in order to cope with these pressures.
The fact that six and a half per cent of students polled by The Oxford Student had taken illegal or unprescribed prescription drugs in order to get them through all-nighters is nothing short of scary. Most of us have been guilty of drinking the odd mug of coffee or ten to get through a long work session, and perhaps even a pint or three to unwind afterwards. While this may not be entirely healthy, it is also something most of us are able to keep under control.
When, however, students find themselves turning to ritalin, aderall and even amphetamines in order to stay awake and focused, something has gone seriously wrong. Of course, Oxford students are not stupid. Most of them know the risks involved in taking such drugs in order to help them work. One Magdalen student said of Aderall, “It fucks you up but it’s amazing for the three hours after you take it.
The fact that most students know what they’re doing to themselves and choose to take the drugs is even more scary, as is the ease with which they are obtained, as explained by one Queen’s student: “You can get anything in Oxford: speed, coke, it’s rife.” The question remains, however, what can be done to change such a system? Nobody wants to rid Oxford of its hard work ethic which so often leads to academic brilliance.
Changing the arrangement of the terms is one option: it is telling that only Oxford and Cambridge continue to have eight week terms, into which so much must be crammed. What such short terms do give us, though, is academics who are willing to accept the long hours of teaching the tutorial system forces upon them, since they are able to use the vacations for their own research.
It also means that time actually at university is maximised for the students, who are then able to plan their revision, jobs and relaxation time however they wish during the vacations. On a more obvious, short-term basis, the problems with the university counselling service, first reported by this newspaper in Hilary term last year, need to be sorted out as a matter of urgency.
Missed targets on waiting lists and failing to provide follow up appointments were the major problem then, and were a result, said those involved in providing the service, or a lack of funding from the university. Since then student demand has risen significantly, while the level of funding has only crept up.
If this service was given the resources to provide the care so many Oxford students clearly need, we would perhaps go a long way to helping solve the drugs problem that is now rife within the university. If the problem is not dealt with, not only will students continue to risk their health in the short term, but they will be storing up future problems for themselves.
A very clear link has been shown between taking such substances because of pressure and long term mental health problems, as Linda Blair, a psychologist who has done research into the issue testifies: “When someone looks outside themselves for help they gain a learned helplessness, which leaves them vulnerable to depression.” Over the last few months, Oxford students have been accused of being spoon-fed and as having an easy life on more than one occasion.
If nothing else, maybe the findings of this survey will put paid to such ridiculous notions.
2nd Mar 2006