Megan Godfrey
Professor Thomas
ENC 1101
9 July 2013
Adderall in Colleges It has been ranked on the level of mal health habits, similarly to the over drinking of Mountain Dew. Some college students view it just as bad of a habit as smoking cigarettes, and yet a recent poll of students across the board of the U.S. have found that an astonishing one-third have partook in taking a non-prescribed Adderall pill to “help” study habits. As host of NPR “On Point” radio talk show, Tom Ashbrook discusses the startling facts of the Adderall addiction as it is rising, not rapidly, but the awareness of the misuse is spreading quickly. By introducing guests Donald Misch, Alan DeSantis, Emma Diehl and callers personal experiences, the listeners find how crucial the misuse of Adderall is becoming. Adderall is now known as a “study aide” downplaying the severity of taking a non-prescribed drug for recreational use. According to Emma Diehl, a student herself, says that “Adderall is as available to students in colleges as a “box of tissues.” The consequences from taking a non-prescribed narcotic lay heavily on students. Non-prescribed users seem to believe that after college their relationship with Adderall will plunder, but the addiction is more than that. Studies have revealed that students believe since prescribed from a doctor, it is ok to take. What they have not marveled in is the fact that taking drugs that are not prescribed directly to a person is dangerous and illegal. All drugs affect everyone in different ways. By adding alcohol to the mix, a stimulant and a depressant is a true recipe for a health hazard. Ashbrook believes that students are relying on Adderall due to a “lack of love for academics”. The feeling of living while on Adderall is an addictive one, most students agree. The drug helps fight off drowsiness and tiredness. “In a paper that would usually take me twelve hours to do, it only took me six,” a college student expressed after he took an Adderall to feel more motivated. Dr. Donald Misch, a researcher, asks if the students love the feeling of it, feel so productive, why they would stop after they graduate from college. Why would they have to? Life just gets harder from then on. In college, it is believed to have a better “risk than reward” ratio, the grade is more important than the damage Adderall is causing on the users body. Misch has raised a valid point that students feel ultimately compelled to take Adderall. The mindset of ‘it will just help me out today while I clean my house really fast’ or ‘I need energy to finish this paper and then go to work’. Who and when is the line drawn to stop justifying taking Adderall? Amongst the energy boost and motivation, students say that it has become a social norm and a pressure. A nursing student Natalia, called in to the “On Point” show and relayed her personal experience of having her peers and fellow nursing students take Adderall to get ahead, to retain the information, and perform high on the competitive tests. It is highly ironic that nursing students