College students are less likely than nonstudents of the same age to abuse prescription drugs such as Vicodin and OxyContin, a national survey found.

While almost 10 percent of college students abused Vicodin in 2005, 14 percent of noncollege students of the same age were found to have used Vicodin during the same time period, the study found.

According to the University of Michigan's Monitoring the Future survey, there has been an upward trend in painkiller abuse since 2002. Although the most recently released data is based on middle and high school students, data from 2005 showed that the trend has also been rising for college-aged people.

The percentage of college students who have abused Vicodin increased by 3 percent -- from 6.9 percent -- since 2002. In 2005, 2.1 percent of college students abused OxyContin, a slight increase from 1.5 percent in 2002.

Among nonstudents, 14 percent reported using Vicodin and 6.2 percent said they have used OxyContin in 2005.

Dr. Sady Ribeiro, a pain management physician at the Pain Management Clinic run by Mount Nittany Medical Center, said most patients he sees in the State College area are in their 30s, but young people's addiction to painkillers has become a major issue in the U.S. in the past 10 years.

"Twelve percent of young people who [end up abusing] drugs start by using prescribed drugs as treatments," Ribeiro said.

Ribeiro also cited the drug Hydrocodone as possibly addicting. The generic pain reliever is very similar to Vicodin, and according to Ribeiro, often results in dependence.

Lloyd Johnston, research professor and distinguished research scientist at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, said most types of drug use drop in the years following college, although less so recently.

"There well may be a larger number of people taking their prescription drug habits into later adulthood than in the past," Johnston said. "In recent years we have been finding that the drug habits acquired in adolescence later show up at older ages."

Leah Mattei (senior-geography) said she believes the biggest danger in trying prescription drugs for recreational purposes is the increased belief that it is OK to sample more drugs.

"If people are already engaging [in prescription drug use], they will probably be more willing to try harder drugs," Mattei said.

Johnston said the best way to curb the abuse of prescription drugs is to educate young people about the risks associated with abuse.

"There is an educational job to be done with the various classes of prescription psychotherapeutic drugs, all of which have addiction potential," Johnston said. "Families need to think about not keeping these types of drugs in their medicine cabinets."

Adam Smetana (freshman-engineering) said he believes the most influential way to decrease abuse would be for an abuser to witness a tragic event involving drug abuse.

"Honestly, I don't think there's a way to eradicate [the abuse]," Smetana said. "The biggest impact probably would be if something big happened to someone close to them, like a death."