It’s December. That means it’s time for finals, and time for you to continuously hear people ranting over
their all-night studying bender sponsored by their ‘trusty’ companion, Adderall.
Sure, you may become exponentially more efficient and motivated after taking this “magical” drug, but the real question is: how much of it is in your head?
As someone who actually has ADHD and is prescribed Adderall by a doctor, I laugh at people’s rants about how amazing and life-changing these drugs are. Sure, they help me focus and reduce the number of distractions that often lead me to read the same paragraph ten times, but they definitely aren’t all that people have them hyped up to be. First of all, you are risking your academic career by purchasing (or selling) prescription drugs. Second of all, you are wasting a significant amount of money on pills that have negative side effects. They can cause loss of appetite, shaking, and increased anxiety, to name a few.
The drug’s greatest danger is its addictive quality. You may start by using it to cram for a test or finish a final paper. You assure yourself it’s only because you are in dire straights, and that if your entire grade didn’t depend on it, you wouldn’t even consider it. However, after dipping your foot into this self-created “magic” pond, your excuses slowly become less and less significant, and you find yourself buying them for every assignment, test and quiz no matter how big or small.
So what I am telling you is this: the juice is not worth the squeeze. First, keep in mind that a lot of the “magic” people attribute to the drug is actually in your head, not in the drug itself. Second, consider the significant amount of trouble people get in on a yearly basis at top universities for doing exactly what you are doing. Third, recognize that you are flirting with the danger of becoming dependent on a highly addictive drug.
Image source: http://www.thegooddrugsguide.com/files/images/a_adderall_02.jpg
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Duke chapter.