College students are like bad acrobats — they attempt to balance a healthy lifestyle, a social life and great grades all at once and often go tumbling down. College students, however, have no safety nets to catch them when they fall.
While watching the TODAY show, I became intrigued by a segment that examined the abuse of Adderall, a drug usually prescribed to people diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, in college and high school students around the nation.
The TODAY show reporter spoke with numerous students from various universities around the nation, including one Ivy League institution, and found that most of them had used Adderall in order to pull all-nighters. They said the drug allows them to focus on one thing at a time and accurately take in information.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five high school students has also used the drug for the same reasons. What was most shocking about their findings was that most of the students admitted they would take it again and again if it came down to it.
But is it worth it? Is getting good grades worth becoming completely dependent on this highly addictive substance? Not to me.
The way I see it is if someone feels he needs aid from any type of un-prescribed drug to do something, it is already a problem. Everyone knows college is stressful, but if you cannot handle it without a “smart drug,” maybe it is time to take a step back.
Good grades are not worth risking doing serious damage to your body.
Yes, college students, I said it. Good grades are not worth it.
The side effects alone should scare away anyone who does not actually have to take it. Adderall has been known to “change people” over the years—especially the people who were not supposed to be taking it. People are known to become more aggressive, act with erratic behavior, have a loss of appetite and be extremely exhausted after taking this drug.
Adderall can cause an increase in paranoia and anxiety, impairing how you would normally react to regular situations. An overdose from this drug can be fatal.
Getting addicted to this drug will ruin your life in the long-run. So, I cannot wrap my mind around why students think it is okay to take them. I understand that they have enormous amounts of pressure to get good grades. I have the same type of pressure on me, but I do not see how popping “study buddies” is going to help me get through it.
If you feel as if you need this drug to do well, I highly suggest flushing those pills and getting to a counselor, because you are beginning a rough ride down a long road of problems.
Mikala Turner is a sophomore social work major from Bruce.
