"Study Drugs"
Why have so many students turned to using Adderall illegally? Many students are using the cognitive enhancer as a "study drug". Why turn to Adderall though? Adderall stimulates the central nervous system by increasing the amount of certain chemicals, such as dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. Thus helping the brain send signals between nerve cells. It then helps restore the blance of these neurotransmitters to the parts of the brain that control the ability to focus and pay attention.
Students using Adderall usally maintain an average or high grade point average and are active in extra curricular activities leaving them with little free time. Students believe that taking Adderall will help them focus for longer periods of time and perform better academically. Many students are turning to this "study drug" to help them get through lengthy papers or long nights of studying. Students who are feeling a greater amount of pressure to perform better in school are more at risk for using Adderall. Sean Esteban McCabe, assistant researcher for the Substance Abuse Research Center at the University of Michigan, conducted a study of the use of Adderall at a large public midwestern university. His study showed that "students who attended colleges with competitive or highly competitive admissions criteria were over two times more likely than students who attended less competitive colleges to report past year non-medical use of prescription stimulants." Many students don't see the potential danger in taking these drugs and feel like they aren't doing something wrong because they are taking them for academic reasons. A student from Columbia University was quoted in an article in The New York Times saying, "I don't think I could keep a 3.9 average without this stuff," referring to Adderall.
Part of the reason why the illegal use of Adderall has become a major problem on campuses is how easily accessible the drugs are. ADHD has a higher rate of being diagnosed in the United States than in any other country, meaning there is a high volume of the drug. Students have an easy time finding someone who actually has ADHD legally and buying the drugs off of them. Just as easily many students are claiming they suffer from ADHD in order to get their hands on these drugs. Students are simply telling their doctors that they are having a difficult time focusing or concentrating and getting a prescription for Adderall. What they don't realize is that there is an array of potential threats to their health that can result from taking these drugs un-prescribed.
Although most students are using Adderall as a "study drug", some students are using it for recreational purposes. They are using Adderall as an "upper" drug and are snorting it on weekends. Unfortunately these students don't realize that the health risks of Adderall are greatly increased when snorted.
Students using Adderall usally maintain an average or high grade point average and are active in extra curricular activities leaving them with little free time. Students believe that taking Adderall will help them focus for longer periods of time and perform better academically. Many students are turning to this "study drug" to help them get through lengthy papers or long nights of studying. Students who are feeling a greater amount of pressure to perform better in school are more at risk for using Adderall. Sean Esteban McCabe, assistant researcher for the Substance Abuse Research Center at the University of Michigan, conducted a study of the use of Adderall at a large public midwestern university. His study showed that "students who attended colleges with competitive or highly competitive admissions criteria were over two times more likely than students who attended less competitive colleges to report past year non-medical use of prescription stimulants." Many students don't see the potential danger in taking these drugs and feel like they aren't doing something wrong because they are taking them for academic reasons. A student from Columbia University was quoted in an article in The New York Times saying, "I don't think I could keep a 3.9 average without this stuff," referring to Adderall.
Part of the reason why the illegal use of Adderall has become a major problem on campuses is how easily accessible the drugs are. ADHD has a higher rate of being diagnosed in the United States than in any other country, meaning there is a high volume of the drug. Students have an easy time finding someone who actually has ADHD legally and buying the drugs off of them. Just as easily many students are claiming they suffer from ADHD in order to get their hands on these drugs. Students are simply telling their doctors that they are having a difficult time focusing or concentrating and getting a prescription for Adderall. What they don't realize is that there is an array of potential threats to their health that can result from taking these drugs un-prescribed.
Although most students are using Adderall as a "study drug", some students are using it for recreational purposes. They are using Adderall as an "upper" drug and are snorting it on weekends. Unfortunately these students don't realize that the health risks of Adderall are greatly increased when snorted.
Information on this page is provided by:
"The Adderall Advantage" by Andrew Jacobs, New York Times
