Professional Documents
Culture Documents
T/Th Class
4/12/16
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
Michigan, estimate that about 30% of students across college campuses use or
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
which most people dont know, is actually an addictive drug that could lead
to major health issues (Drugs.Com). Addiction can lead to overdosing.
Overdosing, a common, unfortunate cause of death, is possible if one takes
too much of the pill. A very similar concept that is associated with addiction
is dependency. Dependency to an ADHD stimulant is scary as well. Students
may develop a mindset that if they are not on Adderall, then they wont be
able to study for a test or even do a little homework. This dependency is
what drives addiction. There are other side effects from taking Adderall other
than possibly becoming addicted. For one thing, your appetite goes out the
window while under the effect of Adderall. That is why weight loss can occur
while taking the drug, and personally, I dont like the fact that I dont eat
while taking my medication. Another effect that Adderall normally subdues
on the user is sleeplessness, which can be convenient because most of the
time, the whole reason students take the drug is to be able to stay up all
night studying for a test. The side effects that come along with a healthy
person taking Adderall are not too severe, obviously. But one thing that
people dont normally consider when mindlessly taking Adderall while not
prescribed is that they could possibly die from a combination of the medicine
and a certain health issue that the user may not be aware they have, such as
high blood pressure or heart disease. Sudden deaths HAVE happened to
some people with these health problems! It is imperative that the risks of
non-medically taking an ADHD stimulant such as Adderall need to be
recognized by college students and by the general public as well.
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
So, why are college students and even some high school students not
being more careful when it comes to non-medically taking Adderall? Are they
to blame? Are they too young and foolish to recognize that they shouldnt be
drugs they arent supposed to? Yes, of course they are to blame. But not only
them; the education system plays a role as well as general society as a
whole. There needs to be an increase of awareness when it comes to
students who non-medically take ADHD stimulants. In a study conducted at a
large university in southeastern United States by Alan DeSantis, Professor of
Communications at the University of Kentucky, 1800 students were
interviewed and asked certain questions about Adderall (CNN). Out of those
surveyed, 81% of those students thought that Adderall is not dangerous at
all or slightly dangerous. Unlike more popular drugs such as marijuana
and alcohol, Adderall seems to be disdained as a harmful drug by the general
public, even though it is a Schedule II drug (DEA)! If you didnt know,
Schedule II drugs are defined as substances that have a high potential for
abuse, and include other powerful, dangerous drugs such as cocaine,
methamphetamine, oxycodone, and more. Does this scare you? Shouldnt
this scare you? Well, the fact of the matter is that most people dont know
that Adderall can be very dangerous, and that it is associated with cocaine
and other highly addictive drugs. That needs to change.
One concern that could arise from colleges and universities around the
country about Adderall consumption on campus is that it provides students
who take it with an advantage (USA Today). An advantage over those
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
students who do not use ADHD stimulants, whether they choose not to or
because they dont have someone that could provide them with the drug.
Imagine if you were studying for a test with a friend in the same class. Now,
imagine if your friend took an Adderall before studying for the test and you
didnt. Your friend keeps talking about how motivated he or she is, and how
they can focus SO much better on the material by taking that Addy. How
would you feel? Would you feel as if they have an advantage over you due to
the fact that the illegally took Adderall? I know I would if I was the one not
taking the pill. Well, its true. There is an advantage. So, if students who are
NOT diagnosed with ADHD are taking medication to help them focus and
score better on tests, shouldnt that be considered cheating? Absolutely. And
universities around the country need to consider this. Yes, it is clearly
impossible to drug test every single student on campus just to see if they
have been poppin addys. But, if there was a way to find out just who has
been illegally taking prescription stimulants, then the Adderall game would
change. Students who are caught illegally taking Adderall to beat the essay
deadline, or to cram information into their heads all night for a test the next
day, should be punished for cheating by the school system. It is imperative
that the school system has to take action against these students, not only to
enforce the cheating aspect of it, but to also reiterate to the students
themselves that Adderall is a dangerous drug and there should be zero
tolerance for illegal users.
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
To wrap up this essay, I would just like to conclude and restate the fact
that the rapid use and demand of Adderall amongst the college population in
the United States needs to take a turn in the other direction. It is crucial that
some sort of public awareness is raised across the country about the
dangerous effects of ADHD stimulants when taken non-medically, and that it
cannot be seen as a harmless pill that helps people concentrate. There are
plenty of efficient ways to study or do homework that do not involve taking
Adderall as an aid. The people who pay all of their attention to acquiring and
taking Adderall need to shift their focus on a legal, healthier way to study.
SARAHAN MOSER COMMENTS: First of all, I really enjoyed reading your essay.
I like the way you write as if you're having a conversation with the reader. It
kept me engaged in your paper and made it fun. Also, it was really cool of
you to share your personal connection with the disease. It made the paper a
lot better because it made your topic significant. My only critique is that I
think you may be confused some on how to cite a paper using MLA format. I
would look over the article titled Common MLA Errors that Professor
Campbell emailed us. Other than that, great job!
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
Works Cited
"Adderall: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Safety Info - Drugs.com." Adderall:
Uses, Dosage, Side Effects & Safety Info - Drugs.com. Drugs.Com, n.d. Web.
14 Apr. 2016.
"Adderall Oral : Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing WebMD." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2016.
"DEA / Drug Scheduling." DEA / Drug Scheduling. DEA, Drug Enforcement
Agency. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Newmark, Sanford. "Are ADHD Medications Overprescribed?" WSJ. The Wall
Street Journal, n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Matthew Specht
T/Th Class
4/12/16
Venegoni, Luisa. "Illegal Study Drug Use on the Rise, Not Addressed by
Universities." USA TODAY College. USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 14 Apr.
2016.
Yanes, Ariana. ""Just Say Yes?" The Rise of 'Study Drugs' in College." CNN.
Cable News Network, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.