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Adderal: A College Epidemic

By Steve Campbell | June 22, 2010

Adderall: A College Epidemic

Problem:

While every semester college students across the U.S. fall into the habit of sleeping and partying a lot more and studying a lot less, it seems that the illegal use of Adderall exponentially increases.  Of the recent, this is become a true epidemic across many universities, colleges, and even high schools. Students are obtaining this psycho-stimulant medication pretty much everywhere and anywhere besides the doctors office. Although this may seem minuscule in comparison to other commonly abused prescription drugs, Adderall is becoming a serious problem among our academic youth. Adderall, or amphetamine-dextroamphetamine, was first marketed in the 1960s as the diet pill of choice. It is currently classified as a stimulant medication and appetite suppressant and is mostly used to treat both ADD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Cause:

Adderall stimulates the central nervous system by increasing the amount of certain chemicals, such as dopamine and norepinephrine, in the brain. These chemicals, or neurotransmitters, help the brain send signals between nerve cells. Adderall helps restore the balance of these neurotransmitters to the parts of the brain that control the ability to focus and pay attention.

Effect:

Adderall abuse is becoming more and more of a problem. Recent national survey information found that full-time college students were twice as likely to abuse Adderall than other young people in the same age bracket. In addition, almost 90 percent of full-time college students who had abused Adderall in the past year were also considered to be binge drinkers, with half of them being classified as heavy drinkers, and they were also more likely to use other illicit drugs as well. They were 3 times more likely to use marijuana, used 8 times more cocaine, they were 8 times more likely to abuse tranquilizers and 5 times more likely to abuse pain relievers as well.

Addiction to Adderall is increasingly getting worse. The immediate benefits may seem appealing; loss of appetite (for the weight conscious), heightened brain stimulation and energy levels (for those never ending to-do lists), etc..but the consequences of dependency and withdrawal far outweigh the pro’s of this so-called “miracle drug”.

Solution:

Recovery from an Adderral addiction is as complex as any other abused prescription drug, but help is available.

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