With midterm season fast approaching, Adderall continues to tempt students as an easy answer to academic stress.
Many college students throughout the country will be relying on Adderall, a form of amphetamine, to get through deadlines, essays and exams. The drug is prescribed to people who suffer from attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It boosts attention, alertness and energy levels, making it alluring for students facing long hours of studying.
There is a black market of these stimulants on campus, but the UCLA administration does not seem to be doing anything about it. Although the UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services offers services for students dealing with stress, ADD or ADHD, it does not currently offer any program specifically related to Adderall abuse.
The university must launch serious campaigns to educate students about the negative effects of unprescribed use of Adderall through both preventative measures to keep students from becoming dependent and treatments for those who are already abusing the drug.
Unsurprisingly, Adderall is commonly abused because of its ability to help people focus – even those who would not normally need it. However, unprescribed use comes with devastating effects, such as psychosis, heart attacks, chronic heart disease and even sudden death, according to a study by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The study also reports that the trend in misusing stimulants among students has “dramatically increased” because students simply don’t understand the risks involved.
Although a relatively small portion of the UCLA population, many Bruins still fall victim to Adderall’s vices. They use it because it helps them pull all-nighters to study, which definitely helps procrastinators meet deadlines.
Students who are diagnosed with attention-related disorders and who have Adderall prescriptions sometimes illegally resell them to other students for $5 to $6 for a 10-milligram dosage, $10 for a 20-milligram dosage and as much as $12 for a single 30-milligram pill, according to a UCLA second-year biochemistry student, who has been using and selling Adderall since his first quarter at UCLA. The student wished to remain anonymous because of the sensitive nature of this issue.
The student also said that he uses Adderall partly because the quarter system is too compact and leaves no room for errors. He also thinks that an unbalanced weight on midterms and finals versus classroom interactions adds a lot of pressure.
Another Bruin, a fourth-year French and linguistics student and a two-year unprescribed Adderall user, anonymously told the Daily Bruin that she has been taking it to prepare for finals and midterms. She started because a lot of her friends at UCLA used it and offered her a dose. She said it also helps her deal with the demanding quarter system because she is taking a heavy course load.
These students’ experiences expose a serious problem with stress and Adderall abuse among college students. This misuse can very well open the door to other drugs, calling UCLA to play an essential role in teaching students to refrain from starting to abuse the drug – and stopping usage if they’re already dependent.
The current offerings don’t go far enough. UCLA spokesperson Rebecca Kendall said that CAPS offers training and workshops to manage stress through two group series: “Coping through the Quarter” and “Finding Focus.”
But the second-year biochemistry student didn’t know about the program. Even more telling, the fourth-year French and linguistics student took advantage of services offered, but said she did not find them helpful. It’s not enough that resources are available to students; they need to be more meaningful and better promoted.
A more effective way to reach these students would be through mandatory workshops for new students designed to make them aware of the risks of Adderall – the same way administration treats alcohol and sexual assault. Administration can even enforce stricter campus regulations about substance abuse and advertise its effects to bring better common knowledge to students.
For students already addicted, CAPS can set up specific treatment programs for Adderall. The workshops must emphasize the idea that Adderall is not the proper road to success and offer an efficient alternative solution centered around managing the fallout from drug withdrawals. They should also make these students feel psychologically secure – these are people who need to regain faith in themselves and believe they don’t need drugs to graduate on time.
Academics should be our top priority while in college. We are building our futures, and we all want them to be bright. However, nothing is worth risking our health or getting addicted to drugs. Adderall can have tragic consequences, and there is no point in abusing a drug that could take you to a casket.