By: Ty Thorngate
With the abuse of Adderall among college students on the rise, one begins to wonder when the knowledge and abuse of the drug comes into the picture. After interviewing multiple students ranging from freshman to senior, the answer becomes clearer.
“When I was in high school, I wasn’t really familiar with Adderall,” stated freshman sports management major Zeke Ebright. “I had always heard of kids who were very high-strung and out of control, who took Riddilin and stuff to help them throughout the day. None of my friends were like that nor we were the type to dabble in taking prescription drugs that weren’t ours.”
Students who were interviewed all had similar beliefs and morals when it came to the use of Adderall. According to Drugs.com, Adderall is a brand-name pharmaceutical psychostimulant composed of mixed amphetamine salts, which is thought to work by increasing the amount of norepinephrine and dopamine in the brain. Adderall is widely reported to increase alertness, concentration and overall cognitive performance while decreasing user fatigue.
Prior to arriving at West Virginia University, many of the students interviewed had heard little about the medicine itself, but had some experience with friends and family being involved with it.
“Yes, I knew of a few people who were prescribed it,” stated junior psychology major Kait Eckman. “But in high school they used it for studying and to be able to pay greater attention in class, now as I get older and get further through college, people are no longer taking it to study, they are taking it to get high.”
Of the students interviewed, the older the student and the higher the grade level, the more their outlook changed on the use and abuse of the medicine. Younger students seemed to have less knowledge of Adderall, and felt very uncomfortable taking it recreationally. While the junior and senior students not only knew more about the medicine, they also knew more people prescribed to it as well as more people taking the medicine to cram for a test or to go to a party.
“I know many people that take Adderall, prescribed or not, stated senior nursing major Jess Paulo. “I feel that it is relatively easy to be prescribed Adderall. You basically just have to tell the doctor what he or she wants to hear – that you have trouble concentrating and staying focused in class. That while listening to lectures or reading passages, you try to follow along but it seems that your mind starts to wander.
“As a nursing major, I feel that doctors are more lenient with prescribing behavioral medicines than pain medicines.”
Adderall is so frequently used illegally on college campuses that students no longer see it as abuse. Photo Credit: www.sorbor.com
With Adderall being prescribed to more young people everyday, the beginning ages of Adderall abuse will continue to lower, and more young students acceptance and knowledge of the medicine will continue to rise. When asked if being exposed to Adderall on a daily basis made it easier to accept the medicine as a drug, freshman Ebright was quick to state.
“I think it all really depends on what you are being subjected to. Even if I’m around ecstacy everyday, it does not mean that I’m going to do it. But people today just don’t see Adderall along the same lines as harder drugs. They just see it as a good time or the best way to cram for a test.”
Edited By: Ben Remo
