Adderall: The Future

Future employers are indirectly involved with the idea of university’s drug testing students because employers hire the students of each graduating class. Employers view their future employees based on their student academic record, which may not be a complete representation of students who use cognitive enhancers. Employers want to hire individuals who can maximize each hourly work, keep focused, stay alert, and drug free, and university drug tests could bring clarity to employers in drug use within the

According to Columbia Casa and University of Minnesota (2015), students are facing the demands of coursework, part-time jobs, internships, social obligations and more, many turn to drugs as a way to cope.  More students than ever are taking stimulants, such as Adderall, for example to help students stay awake long enough to study or complete assignments on time. All too often, these prescription drugs are obtained without a legitimate prescription or with legitimate prescription and are selling to friends and others. Students are now exploring many new aspects of their lives and wonder what could come their way. It’s not uncommon for that self-exploration to dip into drug experimentation. Students who are surround themselves with other experimenters that are trying recreational and performance-enhancer drugs are more likely to try these substances for themselves. These habits lead to a drop in a college students academic grade and has been proven to do so. (Addiction Center 2015) According to National Institute on Drug Abuse Young Adults ranging in age 18-25, the abuse of prescription drugs is second only to abuse of

Students who are taking the easy way out and abusing Adderall are cheating themselves and other students. Matt Lamkin, in the article A Ban on Brain-Boosting Drugs is not the Answer, said “Students [who] use such drugs to mitigate the consequences of procrastination, they may fail to develop mental discipline and time-management skills” (Lamkin). Students who abuse Adderall will start to believe that they do not have to put effort into their work or studies. They will also start to think that they are capable of finishing something in a shorter period of time, but in reality, without taking the drug, it will take them longer to finish the paper or study for the exam. According to Michelle Trudeau, “[Adderall] takes away your own coping skills and your own ability to evolve your own study skills and work ethic, so it's kind of an easy way out.” (Trudeau). Students will stop developing their own skills, if they rely on Adderall to do everything. Students who take Adderall are taking the easy way out; they are not struggling to stay up all night and concentrating on their work. It is also not fair to the students who put time and effort into their work.

Today on college campuses, it is not possible to make it through college without knowing someone who has at least tried a prescription drug or recreational drug for either party uses, to help them study and keep up in school, or simply to help them get by day-to-day. Maybe you have tried them yourself? College students all across the nation are abusing substances such as Adderall, Vicodin, Oxycontin, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. Those students who drink alcohol are more likely to use prescription drugs for non-medical uses than non-drinkers.

When growing up, nothing is more frustrating then giving your best effort in your school work and continuously being unsuccessful. The effect it can have on a child is very damaging. Students may feel inadequate and non-intelligent in the classroom setting growing up, not to mention, being confused all at the same time about why school is such an ongoing battle for them. Why are these children trying so hard and never having any success? It is more and more common today; more than ever we see children having these problems inside and outside of classrooms all over the world. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) can become very problematic in a child’s

With the increased pressure to succeed and the chaotic collegiate lifestyle taking a toll on students, Adderall has evolved into the “go-to drug.” The Class II prescription amphetamine is intended to solely treat individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. The stimulant “works to enhance concentration by stimulating the production of dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain” (Stolz 585). Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of Adderall on college campuses to enhance academic performance and cram for exams through the over-stimulation of the brain, therefore “creating super-enhanced focus” (Stolz 585), deeming it the “smart drug.” Due to the fact that several students are not truly diagnosed with ADHD, a majority of this use on campuses is illegal; this has become a growing problem affecting the health of students and entailing “issues of competiveness and fairness” (Jacobs 1). In recent years, the abuse of Adderall has circulated hundreds of college campuses and even secondary schools.

Finals week remains a stressful time for college students. A student may have three to five tests in a matter of four days. However, these tests, unlike most, can be worth up to twenty percent of a semester grade. That is a great amount of pressure on a student. With about six hours of sleep a night, eighteen hours of study never seems like enough. Then again, there may be a solution that allows the student to focus on the study so eighteen hours is enough. Better yet, maybe sleep is unnecessary. This is a reality for the 6.4 percent of college students that use unprescribed Adderall. College students all over the country take Adderall everyday to improve performance in school.

Did you know that college students who were nonmedical users of Adderall are almost 3 times as likely as those who had not used Adderall nonmedical to have used marijuana in the past year, 8 times more likely to have used cocaine and been non users of prescription tranquilizers? Are we trying to promote drug use in are youth by making it so easy to attain Adderall for people who do not really require it.

This paper will look into one of the most commonly used and sought for drugs found on college campuses in the world today. Adderall and other forms of the “smart drug” have become more and more popular when it comes to students and young professionals trying to get an advantage. It will discuss both the positive and negative side effects of taking these smart pills along with the specific affects/reasons for ingesting them whether they are prescribed or not.

Therefore, from the research I have gathered, I believe that a prevention program, which combines campus drug courts and general prevention should be very effective in decreasing the substance abuse on campus. If administrators and campus police work together to support this idea, then students will begin to take these matters more seriously. The Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Violence prevention notes that these support systems are very helpful when devising campuses programs (5). As previously discussed, many students do not associate any negative consequences with Adderall and they view alcohol as a rite of passage. However, by implementing new measures, these misperceptions will soon decline. Students will witness administrators and police who patrol and advise against these behaviors rather than officials who overlook or underestimate this public health issue. Students will also see their friends go to court for these offenses, which should also change these misperceptions. With innovative models, such as the one described, administrators will be able to take a greater role in this issue and implement more effective

Talbot describes the uses of the stimulates to stay awake to power through long nights to complete papers or deadlines, as well as to take lengthy exams (2009). Several testimonials are provides in “Brain Gain” of students that use Adderall for these very reasons in their schooling career (Talbot, 2009). Using the stimulate has led to abuse problems by the users, leading them to experience harsh side effects such as lack of appetite and loss of sleep (Talbot, 2009). Talbot (2009) mentions the label on the amphetamine warns of a “high potential for abuse” for the user! The author emphasizes the growing and evident issue of Adderall being taken for nonmedical reasons to act as a quick fix for those needing an enhancement to their cognitive abilities (Talbot,

As the saying goes “Desperation can make a person do surprising things.” Not just in America but all around the world, getting accepted and attending a recognized college is almost impossible to achieve. In the United States College students have been subjected to an extremely competitive environment. The pressure to being successful can be almost unbearable because there isn’t a human being that’s perfect. Right now there are millions of students staring at their final exam review feeling hopeless due to the load of work. Willing to do whatever it takes to pass it. There is an alarming but popular trend among college campuses. It’s being used as today’s college steroid. According to a recent study from Brigham Young University, “Adderall is the most commonly abused prescription stimulant among college students” (Hanson et al.). A large number of students are wrongly using a very potent prescription medication called Adderall or known by students as the “study drug.” Adderall is well recognized drug or specifically known as a neuroenhancing drug which stimulates the brain to perform better. According to The Office of Alcohol and Drug Education at the University of Notre Damen, Adderall was first introduced around the late 90’s and approved by the Food and Drug administration as an alternative to Ritalin, another stimulant, which last twice as long than Ritalin.

The authors of this study used quantitative and qualitative methodologies to investigate the college student’s perceptions and use of illegal Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) stimulants. There are important differences between a qualitative research design and a quantitative design. Qualitative research is conducted in a natural setting seeking to understand a certain complex human behavior and then presenting a narrative description of that behavior. With a quantitative research design the gathering and analysis of data is expressed in statistical form. Both have their places in research and the characteristics of each are unique to the effort. This study was conducted with participants from fall 2005 through fall 2006, and the authors used 1,811 undergraduates from a large, public, southeastern research university in the United States. Many different ranges of upper class and

In an age where a college degree is becoming more of a necessity, the high stress levels and competitiveness experienced by students at colleges and universities can become to much to bare. In turn, certain individuals seek the help of study drugs, also known as nootropics, “refer to the out-of-accordance use of prescription stimulants like Ritalin, Vyvanse, and Adderall to increase mental focus when studying. These drugs are commonly prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD) patients. When used without a prescription, however, they can be dangerous. But despite the risks, 1 in 5 college students use study drugs to get a short-term energy boost to plow through the dreaded all-nighters” (“Study Drugs”).

1. Sub Point: Baylor University does a nice job of summing up student motives of such drastic behavior in its 2005 article “Study Drugs Still Popular despite Health Risks”.