Abusing Prescription Drugs for the Grade

By Cory Carroll

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It isn’t just Starbucks and Red Bull that are keeping studious students up at night.

College all-nighters used to be fueled by cheap coffee and Marlboro Lights. But students have uncovered a new way to cram for exams and compose papers. University students are now popping prescription pills to keep them energized and alert throughout the night. As students are now turning to ADD (attention deficit disorder) drugs, like Adderall, the youth generation is proving that ‘the kids aren’t alright.’

Adderall is a prescription drug prescribed to individuals with ADD to further their concentration and provide energy for endurance. Aside from using the drug for studying purposes, students are also bringing Adderall into their social life.

According to studies currently being conducted at the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR) at the University of Maryland College Park, researchers have found that non-prescribed users “in college […] skipped classes more often, spent more time socializing, and spent less time studying.”

Led by Amelia M. Arria, Ph D., CESAR is doing a longitudinal study of college students, and have pointed out in their research the lack of information about abusing prescription drugs that is available and provided to students.

Jackie R., a CAS junior at NYU, said that she has never taken them because “they frankly scare me,” but said that she is aware of people that “have gotten addicted and it is usually to counteract any other pills they are abusing.”

While fear of the dangers of the pills detracts many from abusing prescription drugs, many believe that one can obtain better grades by being able to sustain concentration and stay awake longer as they have effects similar to that of speed.

According to CESAR’s “Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants & Analgesics” they have found that “for college administrators, parents, and educators, the question of how nonmedical use might actually affect college students’ grades is of great interest, especially in light of the current perception that nonmedical use of prescription stimulants will improve academic performance.”

NYU senior Amanda D. said that she has used Adderall before just for fun, but stated that she has “friends who often use Adderall to stay up all night and study for their tests and finish papers.” She continued by saying that she finds it “interesting that people use the same drug to stay up all night to focus and study as they do to recreationally have a good time with their friends.”

As college students continuously face the pressure of succeeding in college and are turning to Adderall for help, more education on the matter is necessary to educate individuals on its dangerous effects and to bring awareness to the issue.