Prescription stimulant misuse can be defined as taking more of the medication than prescribed, or as taking the medication without a prescription. There have been many arguments on the reasons why there has been an increasing amount of college students who misuse prescription stimulants. Some psychologists argue that the misuse of prescription stimulants amongst college students is caused by stress brought upon by final exams and hard curriculum. However, other psychologists argue that the misuse of prescription stimulants is becoming more common amongst American college students for other reasons such as: differences amongst brain activity in college students, and misconceptions about the true risks of misusing prescription stimulants amongst …show more content…
college students. The general trend among the sources of this research show that the misuse of prescription stimulants stems from stress brought upon by academic performance. The article by Beth Azar draws attention to the fact that the number of college students in America who abuse prescription stimulants has been increasing over the years. Azar explains how today it is common for some college students to misuse prescription stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall because they believe that it will enhance their academic abilities; however, there is no evidence that proves this to be true. The article from the University of Michigan Health System directly relates to Azar’s claim because it suggests that many college students feel the need to abuse prescription stimulants, as well as energy drinks to help them stay awake and alert during stressful times in college, particularly finals. The article created by Collin Brennan continues to agree with and support the article from the University of Michigan Health System and Azar’s claims by characterizing finals week as a “perfect storm of stress” for college students. Brennan claims that the excessive amount of stress placed on college students during this time increases the misuse or abuse of prescription stimulants known as “study” or “focus drugs”. He also states that some college students will do anything to combat stress, or to get a good grade.
This article connects with other articles because it also highlights how some college students fail to realize the adverse side effects of taking and selling prescription stimulants due to the fact that it is a common practice in their environment, and there is little negative stigma attached to taking pills. The article from the Society for Prevention Research because found that when it comes to college students and drugs, there is a prevalent misuse of prescription stimulants due to dangerous misconceptions of the risks posed by misusing prescription stimulants. This article also gives an example of a study conducted by Amelia Arria in “2006 found that students who perceive prescription stimulants as relatively harmless are ten times more likely to use them than those who think that the drugs are extremely harmful”(Society for Prevention Research, 2008). This relates to the article from the University of South Carolina because they both thoroughly explain how the common misconceptions of prescription stimulants influence the prevalence of college students who misuse them. The article by Christian Teter, Sean McCabe, Kristy LaGrange, James Cranford, and Carol Boyd gives an overview of various reasons why some
college students may misuse prescription stimulants, but places an emphasis on experimentation. This article argues that because college students see a less negative stigma attached to misusing prescription stimulants they are more likely to take it with their friends, or use it with alcohol in order to prolong the amount of time that they can party. The article from the University of California, San Diego Health Sciences completely differs from all the other articles because it focuses on neuronal activity in parts of the brain. This article argues that college students who occasionally misuse prescription stimulants do not misuse them because of stress, but they misuse them because they show consistent patterns of diminished neuronal activity in the parts of the brain associated with anticipatory functioning and they have an impaired ability to anticipate a situation and to detect trends in when they need to stop.
"The risks become more pronounced if students use stimulants concurrently with other substances", (Underhill & Langdon, 2013, p.
This is said with the idea that even though Adderall is a Schedule II Substance, it doesn’t seem as dangerous or serious as heroin. A big part in the philosophy of this is because it’s extremely easy to obtain on college campuses. In an interview done by Hercampus.com, Amanda states that, “On my campus, […] Adderall is extremely easy to find. Sometimes you don’t even have to ask for it if your friends take it regularly and study with you often […] People will try to sell [Adderall] to get cash for laundry money” (Gladu 2015). Even though it’s a Schedule II drug, a nationwide survey showed that it’s only considered as “very dangerous” by two percent of students. The survey also showed that the percent of student that believe nonmedical use of Adderall is “not dangerous at all” or only “slightly dangerous” is a whopping eighty-one percent (Zadrozny 2015). In short, the students that take Adderall don’t see how it can affect them because they are getting the drug from their friend, or classmate, and not in some dark alleyway associated with the more intense
Drug in the American Society is a book written by Eric Goode. This book, as the title indicates, is about drugs in the American Society. It is especially about the misuse of most drugs, licit or illicit, such us alcohol, marijuana and more. The author wrote this book to give an explanation of the use of different drugs. He wrote a first edition and decided to write this second edition due to critic and also as he mentioned in the preface “there are several reason for these changes. First, the reality of the drug scene has changed substantially in the past dozen or so years. Second much more information has been accumulated about drug use. And third, I’m not the same person I was in 1972.”(vii). The main idea of this book is to inform readers about drugs and their reality. In the book, Goode argued that the effect of a drug is dependent on the societal context in which it is taken. Thus, in one society a particular drug may be a depressant, and in another it may be a stimulant.
In the article “Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” (Yorker 2009) Margaret Talbot discusses the misuse of prescription drugs that enhance academic performance at the college level. First Talbot introduces readers to a young college history major at Harvard University named Alex who receives a description of a demanding, busy life which seems impossible to control without the safety unapproved adopted use of a drug named Adderall. After that Alex’s dependency on the prescription drugs cognitive enhancers is described when he asks his doctor to increase the amount of intake and the listing of his daily routine on using Adderall during a week that required him to write four term papers. Next Talbot describes a personal
Another growing fad in the United States is the abuse of prescription drugs. The abuse is being done by not only adults but by teens. The most current trend today is the misuse of cough syrups and prescription medications to produce a “high.” Other medications abused today are stimulants (Ritalin), and benzodiazepines (Xanax). Health Watch (2004) state girls tend to lean towards the medi...
As the saying goes, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” American college students of the 21st century have been forcefully subjected to highly competitive environments due to a multitude of external factors. As of late, the prescription drug, Adderall has become the drug of choice for ambitious college students, and has earned the title of being today’s college candy and academic steroid. First introduced and approved by the U.S. FDA, Adderall became the common treatment for those suffering from ADHD and narcolepsy. The drug is considered a schedule II stimulant, falling in the same category as cocaine and codeine due to its addictive nature (Tran). Nicknamed “addy” by college students, Adderall and its effects have been proven to be advantageous to many seeking to maximize work productivity; the drug keeps students energized and engaged in their studies for hours on end (N.S.). As reported by the U.S. Department of Human Health and Human Services, “among persons aged 18 to 22, full-time college students were twice as likely to use Adderall non-medically in the past year as those who had not been in college at all or were only part-time students” (U.S.). What essentially persuades a college student to take Adderall non-medically? A student’s competitive environment may be an influential factor. The issue of Adderall abuse among college campuses is concerning due to the dangerous short and long term effects in which many of its users are unaware of. An analysis of Adderall usage among college students will be performed in order to determine what can be done to prevent Adderall abuse in college students.
It is said that the best natural stimulant is exercise. The drug has many side effects that make someone dependent of others and need someone. There are many things that make the drug addictive to people, especially to college students that have a lot of finals and the stress of balancing school work and a social life.
In conclusion, the usage of Adderall in high schools and colleges by students without a prescription is absolutely alarming. Over one million strong and counting. You can argue Adderall might give you a boost in alertness or helps one to focus to assist with the studying process, but if addiction, adverse health effects and imprisonment does not outweigh this one known benefit, then I hope you get a chance to speak personally with any one of the 100 thousand this drug has negatively impacted among their livelihoods. My original stance on taking Adderall without a prescription is totally okay because I believe in personal choices and freedom to express yourself, but as I started typing and having my professor holding workshops to challenge opinions with arguments, I started seeing a clearer picture
Stimulant related disorders are one of the ten separate classes of drugs listed in the DSM-5 substance-related and addictive disorders section. Stimulants are psychoactive drugs that affect an individual’s mental and physical function. Some of the effects of stimulant use include increased mental alertness, increased energy level, wakefulness, and feelings of intense excitement. Stimulants are often prescribed to reduce sleepiness, decrease appetite, and reduce restlessness. Stimulant medications are also used to treat conditions such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, narcolepsy, and depression. Some examples of legal stimulants include caffeine, nicotine, and prescription medications (e.g., amphetamines).
Because, after focusing on studies all day, teens want these drugs so they can feel free. Illegally taking drugs prescribed, such as Adderall, has become more popular among college students who are trying to do perform excellent university needs. According to the study’s press release, “more than one million American students misuse prescription drugs, or take illegal stimulants to increase attention span, memory, and the capacity to stay awake.”(Gladu). The outcomes of taking these drugs include injuries in working memory, dizziness, trouble sleeping, dry mouth, and nervousness but it also depends on a person's body. For example: in the article by Alex Glad she gives a description of a student's name Amanda. Who was the stress of college life and homework? One night she tried (ADD) Adderall, and see if they dose of a drug can help her focus on studies for a test the next day. She bought this pill without prescription from his friend who sold this smart drug. After fifteen minutes her response was that she felt better and can focus on studies for a test
Prescription stimulants are sensationalized in the media as the ticket to a 4.0 GPA. “In one study, the primary reasons students provided for illicitly using prescription stimulants were to help concentrate, increase alertness, and get high. Of note, many students also wrote in ‘to study’ as a motive that was not provided as a fixed item in the survey...” (Hall, 2005). Students hear their friends with ADHD talk about the benefits they receive from taking their prescribed stimulants, then decide to use prescription stimulants that are not theirs, in hopes to achieve the same effects.
Not only is alcohol and marijuana abuse a major problem amongst adolescents in high schools and colleges, but other underage drug use has become a concern as well. I am talking about other substances abuses, and prescription drug abuse. Here I am going to be telling you all about substance and prescription drug abuse in schools, statistics, preventions, and the effects that these drugs have on academic abilities. When you think about prescription drug abuse in colleges, I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind is the ADHD, and ADD medications such as, Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, etc. these are known as the “study drug” that has been abused for years by college
A study that sampled western United States universities had a pool of 448 participants, and it showed that the overall prevalence of the recreational use of stimulant drugs was 18%. Recreational use is any nonmedical use of a drug. study of 119 different colleges found that ¼ colleges had 10% prevalence for non-medical stimulant abuse (McCabe 2005). One reason why college drug abuse rates have surged is because students are starting to use these drugs even before their college experience (Varga 2012). High school students' use of anabolic steroids reportedly increased 126% between 1991 and 2003, and students may be exposed to these drugs as early as middle school (Varga
This could lead to hallucinations, paranoid delusions, and obsessions. (Amphetamine) Examples of amphetamines include adderall, benzidrine, and dexedrine. Students often abuse prescriptions for adderall as a study tool. I’ve known students at my previous school in Miami take adderall during every exam when they weren’t even prescribed it, which is a perfect example of amphetamine abuse. I’ve even heard of students becoming addicted to such drugs.
Many students and young people trying to leave marks on their jobs now use brain-enhancing "smart" pills to help boost their exam grades or their ability to work long hours without tiring. It's quite possible that employers will start to demand that employees use stimulants. Drugs, originally made for dementia patients and children diagnosed with ADHD, are now available without prescription. Healthy individuals use them solely to improve their memory, motivation and attention, without any prior consult with their doctors. Many of these drugs are available on the Internet which comes in handy to young people who want to save their money for the future. What they do not take into consideration when buying stimulants on the Internet is the risk of not knowing for certain what they are getting. Moreover, long-term consequences and safety of the technologies are not known. Scientists haven’t done enough research to know how much of an impact even a short period of using such substances leaves on our brains.