It is 9:00 P.M. You have that big test in less than twelve hours. You know you should have started studying at least a week ago,but procrastination got the best of you (doesn’t it always?). It’s going to be an all nighter. You sip on your iced coffee and look over at the two Red Bulls you bought at Wollaston’s on the way over to the library. But no matter how much caffeine you drink, you know it’s an impossible task for the night to cram in all the information you need.
Your best friend gives you her go to study booster- Adderall that she bought from so and so. You take the drug and let the endless amount of studying begin
Approximately twenty percent of college students in the United States have admitted abusing Adderall or other medications prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. Often called “smart pills” or “study buddies,” drugs like Adderall have taken off at college campuses across the nation. Students claim that taking it allows them to remain alert and focused for hours. Just like athletes using steroids to gain an advantage on the field, students are using medications like Adderall to get ahead in the classroom.
So why is abusing Adderall and similar drugs a big deal? Students are not committing any act of academic dishonesty. Students who use Adderall are studying the material and taking the exams just like students who did not abuse the drug. Yet, abusing Adderall,when not prescribed, can lead to a series of problems. First of all, when a doctor prescribes a patient medication, he or she will consider the drugs’ interaction with other medications a patient is taking Adderall or other ADD or ADHD medications may have a negative interaction with another drug you are taking and this interaction could become a serious hazard to your health. Secondly, even though you may only take the drug a few times a semester to help you study for an exam or write a paper you put off until the last minute,you may become reliant on the drug for every test you must study for or each paper you have. What may seem like a one time thing could turn into an addiction.
Due to the high abuse potential associated with Adderall, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration has classified Adderall as a schedule II drug. If you are caught taking the drug, having obtained it through illegal means (without a prescription), or you are selling your prescribed Adderall, you are committing a felony. Whether you choose to take Adderall to study for an exam or two is a personal choice. If you do not believe it is immoral and is not technically a form of academic dishonesty, it is up to you if you want to take the risk. But where Adderall becomes a serious issue is when it no longer is your “study buddy” and all of a sudden becomes your beer pong partner.
That’s becoming a growing trend across college campuses- students abuse Adderall at parties in order to stay up later, to combat alcohol’s depressant effects, and be able to drink more without passing out. The problem with consuming alcohol and Adderall is that your body’s natural mechanisms that tell you that you have had too much alcohol (like vomitting and passing out) are inhibited. Adderall is a stimulant and allows students to drink a great deal more without feeling the effects the student normally would.
You might be the champion of the night taking shot after shot and gunning beer after beer, but the problem is you are running the risk of developing alcohol poisoning without your body even knowing it. So if you are going to abuse Adderall, it is much safer to use it for powering through your all nighter bumping to “Adderall and Red Bull” by Timeflies. But use your study buddy with full recognition of the significant legal consequences. However, careful to mix your business with your pleasure.