Adderall: Coming to a Campus Near You
When used correctly Adderall is an excellent treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder and Narcolepsy. However, on college campuses around the country this Schedule II drug is being used for non medical purposes. Non medical use is defined as using a drug without a prescription in your name, or using a drug simply for the feeling it produces. Although drug abuse of any kind is most common during adolescence and young adulthood, the misuse of Adderall on college campuses is becoming an epidemic.
Full-time college students between the ages of 18-22 are twice as likely to abuse Adderall as their non-enrolled, or part-time, counterparts. It is most commonly abused as a study aid or a party drug, and ninety percent of these same students are also binge drinkers, and are more likely to be poly drug users. A college student who abuses Adderall is also eight times more likely to abuse cocaine and tranquilizers. The theory behind this is that Adderall produces physiological effects similar to cocaine, and the tranquilizers help to ease the withdrawal symptoms when coming down from the Adderall.
The demographics of Adderall are varied. Males and females abuse the drug at equal rates, but those of the Caucasian race are more likely to abuse the drug than African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics combined. The demographics concerning family income are rather interesting. The rates of abuse are highest among the lowest and highest income brackets. This could be attributed to the fact that students from these families feel more pressure to succeed. The lower income students are generally in college on scholarships and must maintain a certain GPA, and the higher income students tend to have familial expectations they feel they must meet.
How do we reduce this rampant abuse? Should doctors be more prudent about prescribing, or should colleges put less pressure on their students to succeed? Perhaps harsher penalties for those caught abusing would be effective? All that can be said with certainty is that college Adderall abuse is a dangerous problem that needs to be quickly remedied.
