Before Mike came to Duke, he was a typical high-achieving student.
Like many of his high school classmates, he drank on occasion but had tried little else.
By his sophomore year at Duke, Mike had experimented with cocaine, hallucinogenic mushrooms, Viagra and Cialis. And he was smoking marijuana nearly every day.
"We tried to make each night as fun as possible," said Mike, reflecting on the behavior of his friends from freshman and sophomore year.
Now a junior, Mike said that, in retrospect, the lifestyle took a toll on their academics.
"A bunch of them went to [Counseling and Psychological Services] to get out of their finals because they were pretty much failing," said Mike, who asked that his real name not be used.
The recreational use of marijuana, cocaine and psychedelic drugs is not unheard of at Duke but is rarer than alcohol consumption.
According to the Office of Judicial Affairs, in the 2005-2006 school year only 3 percent of disciplinary violations involved drugs and drug paraphernalia, whereas 55 percent involved alcohol consumption.
At the same time, regular users of recreational drugs do exist at the University.
High times at Duke
Rob, a sophomore, said he believes smoking marijuana is not as prevalent on campus as he would like.
"Not that many people smoke pot, and there are people who only do it on occasion," said Rob, who asked that his real name not be used.
"However, there are still people who are serious about smoking regularly and getting good weed," he added.
Rob estimated that he smokes marijuana between 25 and 30 times a week, and usually spends that time "just chilling out in my room."
He agreed that there is a correlation between poor academic performance and marijuana usage.
The first semester of his freshman year, his GPA was a 3.8, he said. After smoking pot almost daily the next semester, his GPA fell to a 2.2.
Rob said he believes the GPA drop can be attributed more to his active social life than to his drug usage.
Using drugs also can be a costly habit.
Rob spends about 50 dollars per week purchasing marijuana, but the costs fluctuate with the quality.
An eighth of an ounce usually costs between 15 and 60 dollars, he said.
On average, it takes about two or three dollars for a person to get high, Rob added.
He noted that there is no major drug dealer in the area that Duke students frequent.
"Getting pot here is usually just friends hooking up other friends," Rob said.
"Plus, if you are in the frat scene here you are definitely going to be exposed to it," he added.
Other students said there may be a drug scene, but it is not prominent.
"There is a small, select portion of students at Duke who use marijuana," said Sunny Kantha, a sophomore and Duke Student Government senator. "And I don't know of anyone who does cocaine."
A different world
Rob said he has also done cocaine, which he calls "yay" or "blow."
"There are a bunch of people at Duke who do mad blow," Rob said. "You'd be surprised."
He said the demographic that uses cocaine is different from that of those who smoke marijuana.
"Kids who do yay are kids you would definitely not expect," Rob said.
Mike described the average cocaine user as a "rich, white, competitive kid"-often those who are busy during the day with school work and activities, he said.
"People who do coke are people with dominating personalities, alpha males, people who do coke to just push their dominance further," Mike said.
He added that many do coke to detach themselves from their competitive lifestyles.
The high financial costs of frequent cocaine use could be a reason why typically wealthier students engage in its use, Rob said.
Cocaine costs about 50 to 60 dollars a gram, he said. It is done in lines of about 50 to 75 milligrams, which are snorted through the nose for full effect.
A gram usually provides about 15 lines, but those who do it frequently may put more cocaine in each line, Rob said.
"If you are a yakhead, you could probably kill a gram with another person in just one night," Rob said. "The price gets really steep."
Rob said that if a line of cocaine was placed in front of him, he would do it.
"When you do a line, the only thing you think about is doing another one," he said. "You'll go to sleep thinking about recapturing that feeling."
The extremely addictive nature of cocaine makes it a major factor in a person's social life, said sophomore Jesse, who asked that his real name not be used.
Jesse, who uses cocaine, said the social scene associated with cocaine use takes over a person's life.
"If you only do a little coke, you probably would do it with your friends," Jesse said. "If you do coke a lot, you'll definitely be willing to hang out with people you normally wouldn't be around."
The fact that Duke students who use cocaine tend to congregate with one another is a major problem in dealing with drug abuse, said Dr. Jeff Kulley, assistant coordinator of clinical services at CAPS.
"People who develop a cocaine habit tend to have peers who also use a wide variety of substances," Kulley said. "In order to stop, these people are really going to have to change their social network."
He noted that 20 percent of people who try cocaine become physiologically addicted after their first time.
Although with marijuana usage, the goal is sometimes to just moderate the use, Kulley said the goal of cocaine rehabilitation is complete abstinence.
"With cocaine, the health consequences are severe. It causes significant financial problems and social problems as well," Kulley said.
Jesse said the expense of cocaine and the dependence that it causes results in a unique and "dirty" lifestyle.
"I hate the culture behind coke. There is never enough coke around to be enough for everyone. Everyone is always scheming about how to get the most," Jesse said. "People are always trying to steal out of the bag [of cocaine], and everyone wants to blow the biggest lines and do the most."
Mike described a cocaine high as feeling "invincible."
"You feel like you can do anything," said Mike, who added that he only uses cocaine before special events such as parties, or if a friend is visiting.
Consequences
Duke Judicial Affairs deals with drug violations more severely than alcohol violations.
Director of Judicial Affairs Stephen Bryan said alcohol violations typically result in a warning from a resident assistant.
The "typical minimum" for marijuana violations, however, is probation, and punishment for cocaine violations often results in suspension from the University.
National law is relevant, Bryan said.
"Some might say a student drunk is more destructive than a student smoking marijuana in their room," Bryan said. "However, alcohol is legal to some, while marijuana is not legal for anyone to use."
Rob agreed that marijuana leads to less damage to school property.
"I'm usually breaking parking gates when I get drunk, not when I'm high," he said.
Bryan said there "are very few reports" of students damaging property under influence of marijuana, noting alcohol is still the main culprit.
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