Alcohol and marijuana are omnipresent. Characters drink all manner of alcohol (beer, shots, mixed drinks, rum, champagne, wine) at college, at homes, at bars, in carsvirtually everywhere. Several people get very drunk. One girl falls down in a parking lot. James accidentally rams a tree while driving under the influence. His father drinks as well, and James finds a bottle of hard liquor secreted away in Dad's car. Em and Connell always have a drink before sex. (It's implied that Em needs to numb herself with something to keep participating in the affair.)
More than half-a-dozen scenes picture or mention marijuana. Before leaving for Europe, James' friend gives him a bag of rolled marijuana joints. James doles them out at work throughout the summer. James, Connell and Lisa P repeatedly smoke joints (Connell while driving). Lisa P puts on lots of perfume to camouflage the odor when she goes home. James gives Em several joints to make "pot cookies." Several characters get stoned after she makes them, ride bumper cars, then ... go to work.
Frigo tells James that he's got access to his mom's cough syrup. Joel smokes a pipe.