College comes with a whole new meaning behind late nights and cramming for test and finals. Finding time to study and time management is a big problem that I know I face and am sure many other college students do as well. The problem is many students are turning to drugs as their new coffee in desperate need to stay awake and stay focused. Adderall is a prescription medication used to treat ADHA and Narcolepsy. However, it is an abused drug that many college kids use to stay focused and to concentrate during long nights of cramming. Although it is a prescription drug and illegal to take if not prescribed by a doctor. It is pretty easy to come across and can easily be addicting especially when you need to stay awake.
In Philip Lindeman's article "The other side of addiction" he mentions that prescription drugs are starting to become a growing trend across college campuses. According to the National Collegiate Heath Assessment, Adderall is the third most commonly used substance among college kids behind alcohol and marijuana. Lintz, a police officer from Colorado State University believes, "When it comes to feeding the mind or feeding addiction, addiction wins." in another reference, Kevin VaLeu writer of Heath & Wellness believes that the temptation lies with in power to gain an edge in overcoming stress and procrastination. Every college kid wants to strive to get ahead and also make the grade therefore, many will do whatever it takes even if it means taking drugs.
The problem I feel is that its not just a one time fix. I believe after that one pill it becomes an addiction that many college kids just keep feeding. In the article "How College got me Addicted" An anonymous student talks about how Adderall took away his motivation for life and soon he depended on it for everything even laundry. Adderall is a dangerous drug that many college students take just to make the grade but end up making an addiction out of it in the end.
I automatically found myself drawn to your blog. Having had many friends take Adderall (for various reasons), I am especially conscious of its results. However, I think it should be acknowledged that self-control is a large part of our everyday actions. Whether it is spending money or even the amount of food we eat, it is all in our heads. Obviously, we are capable of carrying out our everyday tasks without taking Adderall. College students have been staying up late to finish papers for decades without it and made excellent grades. I feel as though Adderall, like many other prescription drugs, can become addictive only when you allow it to.
ReplyDeleteA couple of the things I was looking forward to reading about in your post were the side effects of Adderall, but also the benefits that Adderall can have. After doing some research, I found that Adderall can cause side effects such as dry mouth, stomach problems, loss of appetite, and sleep difficulties. It should be kept in mind that those unpleasant side effects only have a tendency to occur when the drug is abused. Nevertheless, I feel that if the user is responsible and the usage is monitored, Adderall can be extremely useful. Joshua Foer, a journalist covering the effects of Adderall on college students, stated, “I didn't feel like I was becoming smarter or even like I was thinking more clearly. I just felt more directed, less distracted by rogue thoughts, less day-dreamy. I felt like Iwas clearing away underbrush that had been obscuring my true capabilities.” Before performing his experiment, Foer discussed his decision with psychiatrists who informed him, to his surprise, that when taken in small doses and infrequently, with or without a prescription, Adderall is most likely harmless. Of course other scientists beg to differ, and it is these accounts that are of particular interest.
When you stated that, “The problem is many students are turning to drugs as their new coffee in desperate need to stay awake and stay focused,” it made me broaden my view. Have you considered actually comparing the side effects and benefits of Adderall and coffee? I would be interested in seeing the results.
I definitely agree that adderall is becoming more popular amongst college students in aids with studying. I don't think taking adderall in moderation is bad but constantly taking it starts to negatively affect you.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have not taken adderall, I have taken vyvanse [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000397] as an aid to stay up and get stuff done. Vyvanse is similar to adderall, with the effects of alertness and a long streak of energy,but if you dont really need it, it isn't that good of a choice. Staying up for thirty plus hours might seem like a good plan when you need to get a lot of stuff done, but how much are you gonna get done when you crash? After staying up for that long with loads of energy doing who knows what, you're going to sleep for a long time afterwards, and how are you going to do the school work then? Adderall and other medication similar to it create a vicious cycle of staying up for long periods of time, then crashing for long periods of time(where you get behind so you take more to make you stay up) and after a while it starts to show as a negative choice.
The fact that Adderall is used in college is an interesting topic because it is something that any student could possibly be faced with. I was unaware of the fact that Adderall is the third most commonly used drug by college students. I don’t know anyone who uses Adderall, but in the article “How College got me Addicted” the student doesn’t mention anyone knowing that he or she was taking Adderall. The title poses a question and the post gives an answer, but is there another answer? Although Adderall may be used by many students, it does not necessarily mean that it is the problem. The students, like the author of “How College got me Addicted,” using the drug are trying to do too much with the limited amount of time they have; for example in “How College got me Addicted” the author says he or she was working 40 hours a week while in school. That is an intense work schedule, and the only way I could imagine someone being able to keep up with that schedule is with some form of aid. People have to realize that they cannot do everything.
ReplyDeleteThe willingness of students to succeed like Al in the article from Health & Wellness magazine, who says “It’s worth all those downsides”, reminds me of athletes’ use of steroids. They will do anything to get an edge, while even risking their health. Athletes are subject to random drug tests; could there be some sort of random screening to detect use of Adderall by individuals who do not have a prescription? This could decrease the use of the drug, and make it a point to students that it is a serious health hazard.
I agree that Adderall has become a popular thing to take now instead of any other energy supplement to help students concentrate and focus. In my high school I remember people who weren’t prescribed to it would ask friends who have ADHD, if they could have some to study for a big test or to take the final. I personally do not believe that Adderall should be taken if someone is not prescribed to it. There are other things out there like coffee or the new five hour energy shots. If someone is not prescribed to Adderall, I also think that it can have an opposite effect on them, like a negative one. They could have a problem trying to concentrate and could become easily distracted. The one thing I do not agree with in this article is when it is stated that taking Adderall can be addicting. I have known people who have taken it numerous times who weren’t prescribed to it and they haven’t become “addicted.” Are you saying that the people who are prescribed to it are becoming addicted or people who aren’t?
ReplyDeleteAs a witness of this topic i think Adderall can become addictive to some people. This is because most students that have a number of things to do may take this drug after hearing what it does and the effects of it. I have never heard of Adderall until i came to college and now almost every student talks about it and how they know someone that uses it or even how to get it. Most students use it to finish their research papers, reports and other projects but once they get in the situation of havin to do a paper in a certain amount of time they go to the same solution as they did before. This turns repetitive and leads to addiction.
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