ROCKVILLE, CA-- Sitting next to his last remaining family member - a gray-haired Australian Shepherd named Charlie - Chris Ducas reminisces about the days his family would sit around the television together.

His small apartment in Fairfield is dark and dingy. There isn't much occupying the room, except for a custard-yellow lamp and vinyl coffee table propped against the back of a worn futon. A spider kills time in the corner on a web that streams from one end of the apartment wall to the other.

On June 21 it will be exactly four years since his wife divorced Ducas and took their two young children.

His credit problems drove Ducas to alcoholism, which eventually drove his family away, he said.

"Once I started using that credit card I couldn't control myself," Ducas said. "Since that day, I have been suffering the consequences."

Ducas, 24, applied for his first credit card on campus at Solano Community College three years ago. He says he thought it was a great way to get a free gift - a T-shirt with the bank's logo on the back - and have some extra cash on hand in case of an emergency.

But once the card came in the mail, Ducas went on a shopping spree for his family and himself.

He came home with a new television set, an expensive collection of china for his wife and a closet full of new toys for his kids, along with a surplus of electronic gadgets.

The credit card bills came and slowly each item was pawned off to pay the overdue charges. Once there was nothing left to sell, Ducas says he felt empty inside and found solace in a bottle of vodka.

"My wife was always angry and I was angry at myself," Ducas said. "I didn't know what else to do. I felt helpless."

They were left in the dark for weeks at a time because Ducas couldn't pay the electricity bill. Collectors were calling until the phone was shut off. Ducas' daughter, Margie Ducas, was sent home for the lice her teacher found in her hair.

After a couple of years of fighting over credit card debt, lost jobs and the children's well-being, Ducas' wife finally decided to leave. Soon came the divorce papers Ducas reluctantly signed and an order for him not to see the children until he cleans up his act.

Now, Ducas sits in his dimly-lit apartment looking through job advertisements in the local newspaper.

"I'll find something and I'll get those bills paid off," Ducas said. "I'm going to do it so I can see my kids again."

Debt comes early

College-age adults have increased their amount of credit card debt by almost 50 percent in the past year, while other Americans, on average, are lowering their balance, according to an annual credit card survey.

A nonprofit consumer education organization, Myvesta.org, found that people 18 to 24 are now carrying an average balance of $1,208 on their credit cards, up from $849 in 2002 - a 42 percent increase.

"Young people today really haven't gone without, and learning how to manage their money hasn't been a priority for them," said Steve McMinnis, a debt consultant with Young Money, a national nonprofit organization specializing in personal finance education and credit counseling for college-age adults. "Credit cards are so readily available by almost anyone over 18 that it's almost impossible to avoid."

McMinnis attributes credit card marketing on college campuses as a primary reason for rise in high debt.

No California community college campus or university has banned credit card vendors from its campus, but many keep a watchful eye on the number they allow each term.

Since 1997, Solano Community College has hosted about six credit card vendors each semester, mostly consisting of major financial institutions such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Providian, SCC's student development Director Shirley Lewis said.

In 2001, student government researched the issue after a few students complained about the risk created by having these vendors on campus.

Student government, which oversees the vendors, determined the risk of allowing credit card companies on campus wasn't higher than the $2,000 it brings the college each semester.

The vending table fees, $40 per day, go to the financial aid office where it is allocated to students through an emergency book loan fund. The project provides student loans in $20 increments for books, which the student is required to pay back by the end of the semester.

Early last year, a new law went into effect that requires community colleges and California State University campuses to adopt policies to regulate marketing practices used by credit card companies on their campuses. Colleges and universities were also encouraged under the bill to offer credit card and debt education as part of campus orientation.

SCC provides seminars every semester to educate students on debt management, consolidation and prevention through the New Horizons program.

New legislation is currently under consideration to prohibit companies from using gifts to entice students to apply for credit cards.

Bail out or black mark

Marcy Woods just paid more than $10,000 worth of credit card bills for her 19-year-old daughter Lily.

Lily Woods said it took less than 10 minutes to apply and get approved for a credit card on campus.

"It didn't take her very long to get the credit card or max out the limit," Marcy Woods said. "But it will take her a very long time to pay me back for all of the charges."

Marcy Woods paid for the charges so her daughter wouldn't end up with a lengthy credit report and the years of heartache she experienced when she was a teenager, she said.

"I did the same thing when I was going to college," Marcy Woods said. "They put on the charm and get you to apply and bribe you with a free Walkman, but you're in for it the rest of your life."

While various consumer groups and legislators have pushed to ban credit card marketing on college campuses, Myvesta.org co-founder Steve Rhode argued that on-campus marketing has little to do with higher college debt loads.

"Banning credit card marketing on college campuses because some students have gotten into debt would be like banning pizza places on campus because some of the students have gained weight," Rhode said. "It all comes down to personal responsibility when you choose to eat too much or spend outside of your means."