Adderall Abuse on College Campuses

Olivia M. Messenger

English 123-003

Robert Affeldt

November 30, 2017

Olivia Messenger

ENG 123-003

Affeldt

October 25, 2017

Adderall Abuse on College Campuses

Drug addiction is one of the most gruesome and lethal situations that people put

themselves into. In today’s college culture, Adderall has become one of the most

common addictive substances found on college campuses. But why? The main causes

of Adderall becoming more popular than previous generations are debatable, but

ultimately it is because of the added pressures in today’s society; especially at

universities. Other causes such as over prescriptions and economic reasons lead to

abuse as well. But is Adderall truly dangerous for your health and well being? Many

college students do not think so. In order to reduce the amount of Adderall addiction,

there needs to be more of a focus in prescription drug education at secondary schools

so the addiction can stop at the root of the problem. Despite the fact that Adderall does

help countless people with their ADHD, Adderall is a highly addictive substance, and for

college aged students are especially susceptible in today’s millennial drug culture.

How did Adderall Originate?

ADHD, also known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a disorder that is

increasingly becoming more and more common in The United States. If someone is

properly diagnosed with this disorder, they may have symptoms of limited attention and

excessive hyperactivity. Currently, 6.4 million children are diagnosed with ADHD and

many are taking medications to help ease the symptoms. However, ADHD is a newly
recognized disorder. ADHD wasn't considered a proper brain disorder, but often was

blamed on “minimal brain damage” throughout the mid 1900’s (Iliades). The first time

ADHD was properly used and respected as a disorder wasn't until 1980. Quickly after,

there were strides to be made to create medications in order to help or regulate this

disorder.

It wasn't until 1996 that the most common prescription drug for Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder was approved by the FDA. This drug is called Adderall. Adderall

helps countless individuals with ADHD keep their mind focused and alert, making it a lot

easier for someone with ADHD to complete everyday tasks. “In 1996, Shire

Pharmaceuticals introduced Adderall, a patented blend of amphetamine salts, to

compete in the market for ADD/ADHD medications” (Times). Adderall became so

successful that by 2001, Shire introduced a dosage called Adderall XR to keep a low yet

steady dosage throughout the day. However, the main ingredient in Adderall is

amphetamine. Amphetamine causes the release of dopamine and norepinephrine,

stress chemicals that make people feel alert, powerful, and impulsive, and the high can

come on like a rush of invincibility.

“Amphetamine was first synthesized in Germany in 1887 and has been used

pharmaceutically in the U.S. since 1927. In World War II, amphetamine and

dextroamphetamine, under the names benzedrine and dexedrine, were

distributed to American soldiers and pilots as “go pills” to combat fatigue and

maintain alertness and morale.” (Times)

Because of the amphetamine in this drug, it has also become quite the recreational

sensation in a university setting. If one is to take a large dose of Adderall when they do
not have ADHD, it will give you symptoms of extreme focus, jitteriness, and the energy

and excitement to get things accomplished. College students in this generation have

been using and abusing Adderall for two main reasons; to study and perform better on

tests, and to have more fun and an extra boost at parties. Both forms of abuse have

become quite the phenomenon and can lead to a dangerous path of addiction.

As mentioned before, Adderall’s main ingredient is called amphetamine. Although

amphetamine does have some positive effects, it is the cause of why people can get

addicted to Adderall so easily. Amphetamine is one of the most addictive substances

one can consume, making it incredibly easy to become reliant on it. “The effects of

amphetamine on the addict’s personality are similarly harsh and harmful. When heavily

used or when it is abused at length, serious mental effects frequently occur, such as

aggressive, paranoid hostility” (“Effects of Amphetamine Abuse”). Even though there

may not be many short term negative effects to your mental and physical health, the

long term effects are quite substantial. Some of the more serious side effects of long

term usage are paranoia, hallucinations, respiratory problems, loss of coordination, and

convulsions. (“The Effects of Amphetamine Use”) These side effects are not even

recognized by college students, because college aged students (18-25) focus on how

the benefitting them now, not how it will affect them later. Because of the combination of

amphetamine in Adderall, it can be easily compared to meth, because the molecular line

up is so similar.

“Scientifically, amphetamines are known as methylated phenylethylamine.

Methamphetamine is double methylated phenylethylamine. The double methyl

group creates the primary difference between amphetamine and

 methamphetamine. Chemically speaking the difference is small.” (“Is Adderall the

Same as Meth?”)

Most of society knows the big, scary drug meth and knows to steer clear from it.

Adderall has the same addictive tendencies as meth and similar side effects, so why

don't people realize that Adderall is similar to meth? The substances in Adderall should

make people avoid using it for their personal health and stability, but instead it is

becoming more sought-after on campuses.

Why is Adderall so Popular?

Society is becoming more and more competitive as time goes on. It is much

harder to get into college, stay in college, and get a job in your field after college than is

has been in the past. With this competitive atmosphere, pressures begin to arise.

Parents want to have the most successful children, so they are harder on their kids to

be the best in school. The kids feel the pressure of their parents, teachers, and peers

telling them to complete an endless list of tasks to be able to be “successful” in life.

Because of all of this, students cannot handle the pressure all by themselves. My

generation is desperate for any help or advantage in order for them to get ahead of the

rest. Some will choose to look towards Adderall for help. Adderall can be used and

abused for many different academic aspects in order for students to perform better,

faster, and more efficiently. Some students will use Adderall so they can pull an all-

nighter and stay focused the entire time to bust out a research paper, while some will

take Adderall right before an exam so they can hyperfocus on the questions and

perform better. This method of studying is beginning to create bad habits for society.

These “Nerds” may seem harmless compared to other drug users, but these people are
the ones most susceptible for addiction. This is because they begin to rely on the drug

in order to get a good grade in a class, and these students will begin to use Adderall on

a daily basis.

For once, I can easily compare the “Nerds” to the “Jocks” to further my point. The

academia pressures that influences students to use Adderall can easily be compared to

athletes getting pressured to “bulk up” to be the best in their sport, so the athletes look

towards steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to do so. Except the big

difference between the two is awareness of how dangerous the drugs are. College

athletes are consistently getting tested to make sure they are not taking these

performance enhancing drugs. “The NCAA conducts testing at its championships, and

year round on campus in Division I and II programs” (Nslabaugh). Colleges in the NCAA

receive random drug tests to make sure they are not hurting their bodies. If college

administrations are this aware of drugs for their athletes, why aren't they doing the same

for their regular students as well? Later in this essay, I will touch on the topic of possible

student drug testing. Yet these so called “Nerds” aren't the only ones that have their

hands on Adderall. There is a large population of students that also like cut loose a little

to forget about all the stress in their lives.

Another form of Adderall abuse that is commonly seen on college campuses is

when it’s being used recreationally. The community of students that use Adderall for

academic reasons is significant amount, but there is a fun side to the drug. Adderall is

now becoming more and more common as a “party drug”. Imagine this: You are having

a great Saturday night drinking, smoking marijuana and having fun with your friends. It’s

one in the morning, and you are starting to hit a wall, and you want to go to bed. But
your friends just heard of this raging party and your crush is going to be there! You have

no choice but to go. So why not pop some Adderall to get your energy back up to finish

the night? Because Adderall is a stimulant, it makes for a great party drug to keep you

up and moving the entire night. Another “party drug” that is a stimulant is cocaine.

These two drugs have extremely similar effects to your mind and body. Once again,

most people are educated on the dangers of cocaine. Cocaine (like meth and steroids)

has an intimidating name that has been engraved in peoples heads as a bad drug that

bad people do. If Adderall has such similar effects on the body, how come Adderall isn't

portrayed the same as cocaine? Do college students know the dangers of Adderall?

What are their opinions of Adderall usage?

“Adderall is Definitely Not a Drug” Students Perceptions of Adderall

Although Adderall has proven to be a drug dangerous enough that it needs to be

prescribed, today’s drug culture of college students have convinced themselves that

Adderall isn’t harmful, especially when comparing it to other drugs and the amount of

Adderall they consume. College students go through a long list of different reasons to

prove that Adderall really isn't that bad. In the article, “"Adderall is Definitely Not a Drug":

Justifications for the Illegal Use of ADHD Stimulants” written by Alan Desantis, who is an

accomplished professor at University of Kentucky, interviews 175 college students and

asks them to share their personal experiences and views on Adderall. The following are

their arguments that justify their usage of Adderall, continued with my responses.

The first argument the students made is that they are taking Adderall for the right

reasons. Most students that were interviewed were saying that they would only take the

drug to do better on tests, or to have the capability to pull an all nighter to complete and
essay. So if they are only using the drugs for academics, how bad can it really be? Yes,

morally, using Adderall for academic purposes makes people feel better taking them

illegally. But is it really for the right reasons if someone is taking Adderall in order to

perform better on a test than their peers? In this case, using a performance enhancing

drug such as Adderall to help you focus and perform better on a test is a form of

cheating. In my opinion, cheating is not morally just. Therefore, using it for studying an

tests is not “taking it for the right reasons”.

The next argument the students made is that since Adderall is prescription drug,

coming from a medical establishment, it must be safe. Mark, a college student who was

interviewed, told Desantis, “It’s not like it’s cooked up in a basement; it is made by

pharmacists so you know what you are getting.” (Desantis). Because Adderall is

approved by the FDA and is properly made, it eases the stress of taking them because

you know exactly what you are getting, there isn't going to be anything laced in the

Adderall capsule. However, just because a drug is approved by the FDA, it doesn't

mean it is a completely safe drug. There are reasons why drugs need to be prescribed

to people. Amphetamine may be legal, but it is in no way good for a human body. These

college students are too trusting to the system. “Without equivocation, for example, our

participants believed that the FDA, medical doctors, pharmaceutical companies, and

health experts would not lie, cheat, or deceive them about the quality of ADHD

stimulants.” (Desantis) The blind trust towards the medical facilities is dangerous

because although their goal is to help, if certain drugs are taken incorrectly or given to

the wrong people, there can be serious issues. But in the eyes of these students,

Adderall barely even gives you a high, so how can it be put in the wrong hands?
 One argument that was made was that there isn't any “real high” when you are

high on Adderall. It doesn't make you sloppy like alcohol does, or stupid like marijuana,

so what is so bad about it? Martin, a second year History student states, “If you are not

getting high or buzzed then it is really not bad. It’s like Tylenol or aspirin. No one takes

aspirin to a party. What’s the point?” (Desantis) It doesn't alter your mind, it focuses it! It

makes you think better, not worse. Many of the students interviewed perceived Adderall

to be not nearly as dangerous as alcohol or marijuana, let alone hard drugs. This is true,

Adderall does not have nearly as many visual side effects as other drugs. However,

what the chemicals are doing to your mind and your mental state isn't something

anyone can easily detect.

When these 175 students compare Adderall to other drugs like cocaine or meth,

they quickly come to the conclusion that Adderall poses no significant health risks,

especially compared to other drugs. Adderall doesn't give you brain damage and it

doesn’t “feel” like is addictive, so it can’t be that bad, right? Cyril has “looked into it”. He

claims to have “talked to a lot of people” around campus. “It is really one of those drugs

that is really safe. You don’t see that with coke or even alcoholics. You don’t see

anybody that is taking Adderall that completely looks tore up or trashed.” (Desantis)

Cyril has a very common response to the comparison, as well as where he gets his

information about the drug. Like many other students, he gets his information about

drugs from word of mouth. Very few properly research the drugs they are consuming. If

your friend takes it all the time and she doesn't seem weird or any different, why would

you question anything? This clearly comes back to my point that students need a proper
education on prescription, so they don't have to rely on their peers for information that

isn't accurate.

Another argument that these students made was that they don’t think taking

Adderall is truly a crime. “Adderall is not as controlled by the police. Obviously lots of

people are taking it without prescriptions and nothing seems to be done. If they don’t

think its bad, why should I?” (Desantis) Said Brett, who is another college student in the

study. And he does have a point. If the police aren't all over it, is it really that bad? On a

surface level, this makes a lot of sense. But in reality, the only reason the police aren’t

busting people for selling an buying Adderall is because it is so hard to detect. How is a

cop going to be able to tell that someone is high on Adderall? The person could just be

more energetic or talkative than an average person. Or who is it to say that they don’t

have a prescription? Because of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability

Act), it is incredibly hard to get access to someones medical information without

reasonable cause of drug abuse. Also, a big question to ask is: What is considered a

crime in the eyes of today’s millennials? In this same study, students claimed that a

crime has to victimize someone. Crimes such a stealing, assault, vandalism and

embezzlement all involve someone being victimized. But what about when someone is

taking Adderall? Who is it really hurting? Brett explains his views. “I think a crime should

be defined as an action that hurts somebody. When I take it, I am hurting no one. Now

other drugs may. Are there pushers and guns? But not this. It hurts no one.” (Desantis)

Sure, it may not hurt others directly. But what about indirectly? The victims here are the

ones that aren't getting the treatment they deserve. Every pill that is being taken
recreationally is one pill that someone truly needs in order to function in everyday life

cannot get access to. That is a victim in my eyes.

Students often make the arguments that it isn't because they want Adderall, but

that they are convinced that they need it. In the past decade, the amount of children

diagnosed with ADD or ADHD has almost doubled. Today, 11% of children between the

ages of 4-17 are diagnosed with ADHD, in 2003 it was only 7% (“Attention-Deficit /

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)”). There are many arguments about whether this is

because more kids are getting ADHD or that doctors are over diagnosing (once again,

this is an entirely different paper), but regardless, this has put the mindset in my

generations head that there is a good chance that we have ADHD (even if we definitely

don’t). Therefore, there is a need to self medicate, believing that Adderall is helping

rather than just being unnecessary. Another situation why students think that they need

the Adderall is because there may be a slight addiction forming from only taking

Adderall a few times. Students may feel the need to self-diagnose themselves with

ADHD, but in reality they can easily already be addicted to the substance.

The final argument made by college students is their strategy to minimize the

drug. Students do not think that Adderall has many side effects other than just an easy

way to stay awake. Students reported using it as a replacement for coffee in the

daytime, or using it like an energy drink while writing an essay. Energy drinks are legal,

and if Adderall does the same thing, what’s the harm? Clearly, students who think this

are slightly ignorant. Adderall is much different than going to Starbucks or buying a

Rockstar. The lack of education of the drug is the ultimate reason why students are

believing that these substances are similar.

 With the study Alan Desantis conducts with these 175 college students, it is clear

that Adderall does not seem to be any sort of threat to their health, well-being, and

future. What these students don’t realize are the long term effects Adderall has that was

mentioned above. For the most part, I can agree that Adderall doesn't do any immediate

damage to college aged kids. But what happens after graduation? “While the use of

prescription stimulant drugs like Adderall has become more and more prevalent during

the school years, it also doesn’t seem to be dropping off once they leave. In fact,

prescriptions for Adderall increased two-and-a-half times between 2007 and 2011 for

those ages 20 to 39” (Burke). Clearly, these alumni aren't worrying about finals week in

their mid-thirties. This is the consequence that nobody thinks of. You are susceptible to

addiction, no matter how hard you think you can have control of it. And college is the

place it starts, where it feels fine because you are doing it for the right reason, the

medial establishment is keeping us safe, there isn't a “real high”, it doesn't “feel”

addictive, it isn’t a real crime, the medication helps me, and that it is basically the same

as coffee. Ultimately, these are excuses for yourself voluntarily hurting your body.

Accessibility of Adderall Correlation to Debt

At this point, I have proven the dangers of Adderall on campuses and the views

of the students. But how do these students obtain Adderall with such ease? It ultimately

comes down to students needing money and the ease of being diagnosed with ADHD.

As most are aware of, college is expensive. “From 1980-2014 college tuition has

increased by 260%” (Jackson). The struggles of student loans are debt are common in

today’s society and the troubles student’s face in order to pay them is astonishing

(Another paper, this is the last time I promise). Because of this, students are desperate
to make an easy income, so a large sum will get an Adderall prescription and sell a

portion of their pills to other students in need. This may seem over the top that students

look to sell drugs for help, but with the average student debt being $33,000 (Fortenbury)

students are willing to do just about anything in order to not have all of that debt on their

shoulders. Because of the large influx of dealers, it is pretty easy to get your hands on

Adderall. To show how easy it is, I did a social experiment in a group chat with three

friends of mine. To make things fair and honest, I made sure they were three people I

didn't already know had any sort of drug connection, and I didn't tell them of this

experiment until after the fact. For safety and security reasons, I color blocked out their

names.
This social experiment was a success. Within ten minutes, I was able to find not only

just one way to buy Adderall, but two resources. This proves that the drug culture is

thriving more than ever; especially if someone like me, who is not involved in said

culture, can have access to Adderall to easily. Who are the ones that should be held

responsible for making Adderall so accessible? Some may say the doctors prescribing

the drug and the college administration are the ones that need to fix the problem.

However, I disagree

Possbile Solutions

One Adderall usage has increased over the years is because of over prescribing

of the drug. Many blame the doctors and physicians for the large amount of prescribing

of Adderall, but ultimately it is not the doctors fault. There is no blood test for ADHD, no

scientific or medical proof that you can look at in order to prove whether or not someone

actually has ADHD. If a patient comes into a doctors office and names a few symptoms

of ADHD and is looking or medication, as long as the reasons seem just, the doctor has

to be cooperative and prescribe said medication. Can you imagine the backlash if

doctors started under prescribing this drug and not allowing people to use Adderall that

actually need it? Although Adderall abuse is a problem, the attempts of reducing it

should not affect the ones that truly do need the medication to function in everyday life.

Another solution that has been discussed in the past is having college students

document what drugs they have a prescription for on campus. This way, the school has

proper documentation of the drugs each student should have possession of and can

easily access the information if they aren't sure that a certain that the particular student

is allowed to have that kind of medication. This idea has even been brought forward, to
possibly doing random drug tests on college students, similar to how college athletes

have to do so. Even though this tactic seems like a functioning, organized idea to see

everyones prescription to limit the drug abuse, there is one big problem. Privacy. Sure,

in high schools this is an acceptable method because all of the students are minors and

are not fully responsible for their own medications yet. However, college students are

new to being legal adults, and adults have certain privacy laws for medications. And if

colleges began to reinforce random drug tests, students would be outraged. The

amount of people who would get expelled would create too significant of an impact on

the school. What school wants that high of a drop-out rate? Realistically and for privacy

reasons, this method is not going to be successful in reducing Adderall abuse.

Although both of those possible solutions seem like good ideas at first, the

technicalities overall do not work. My solution to bring down Adderall abuse on college

campus is to put the responsibility on secondary education administrators. Coming to

college, I personally didn't know much at all about Adderall. I knew it was a drug that

was used a lot in college and was meant to help people with ADHD, but I had no idea all

of the harmful effects Adderall has on your body. I was never taught in my high school

health class or told by my parents any information about Adderall. After learning how

unhealthy Adderall is for your physical and mental state, I was appalled that I didn't

learn this sooner. Health classes in high schools across the country need to incorporate

information about prescription drugs in their lesson plan. If kids become educated about

Adderall like they do for cocaine, meth, and other well known drugs, Adderall abuse on

college campuses will reduce significantly; because the students are now properly

educated on the drug.

 Higher education is one of the most important and significant times in one’s life.

College is where you shape exactly who you are and who you are going to be for the

rest of your life. How hard you study and how hard you party in college is directly

correlated to what the path of your life is going to look like. There may be many causes

that lead to drug abuse such as over prescribing, too much stress and pressure, and

student debt and loans. But in order to be successful in the higher education world,

there is a need of proper prescription drug education in secondary schools. If middle

school and high school administrators started putting Adderall education in health

classes, there would be a large decrease of unprescribed Adderall use on college

campuses, making universities a safe place with a lesser likelihood of abuse and

addiction; and a higher likelihood of a successful life.

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