Adderall Abuse: Regulating The Academic Steroid

In a society where quantity of work overpowers quality of work, there is no wonder why "neuroenhancing" drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin are on the rise of consumption. As more people adopt the idea that these drugs are cognitively beneficial; the more they secretly use them for non-medical reasons. Margaret Talbot, a writer for The New Yorker, looks more into this problem in her article, "From Brain Gain: The Underground World of "Neuroenhancing" Drugs". Throughout this article Talbot focuses on a new trend of drug use, such as Adderall and Ritalin, for non-medical intentions. She focuses mainly on the increase of drug use by scholars and public intellectuals throughout her article. Talbot successfully proves to her audience that non-medical

Today on college campuses, it is not possible to make it through college without knowing someone who has at least tried a prescription drug or recreational drug for either party uses, to help them study and keep up in school, or simply to help them get by day-to-day. Maybe you have tried them yourself? College students all across the nation are abusing substances such as Adderall, Vicodin, Oxycontin, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc. Those students who drink alcohol are more likely to use prescription drugs for non-medical uses than non-drinkers.

In her article, Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs, Margaret Talbot discuss’ the use of different drugs like Adderall, to boost their productivity. She’s writing to people from college up to people who have 9 to 5 office jobs. She uses her essay to not be on one side or the other, but to analyze both points of view. She never puts in, or implies, that she has had a personal experience, and her background doesn’t give her much credibility to speak on the matter to people who already have an opinion on it themselves. Talbot uses anecdotes to…and she uses statistics. But her thesis strays away from what she was indicating about the drugs.

Unfortunately, students are being deceived by the stimulant drug’s valuable qualities, masking the serious, detrimental effects that the drug induces. Even worse, contributing to Adderall’s extensive abuse across campuses, “instead of condemnation it is implicitly being praised and validated by parents and students who view these drugs as a means of academic

I first tried this drug last year to see what effect it would have on my attention problems, and I had no idea that I would find myself enjoying it so much or consider it so beneficial. I used both extended and rapid release adderall many times throughout the course of last year to help me better focus on my school work and to complete major assignments like papers or studying for tests. After my experiences with adderall I began to question the possibility that I was suffering from ADHD, a disorder that runs in my family. Since entering college I have felt my concentration abilities plummet significantly, and I have developed other habits such as receptive foot bobbing and the inability to stay on task. A positive aspect of adderall is that it enabled me to focus in a way I have never felt in my entire life. The negative aspects of adderall include how it suppresses your appetite, makes it impossible for you to sleep, and makes your heart beat a million miles per

According to a 2009 study, white students, Greek organization participation, students with low grade point averages and students who attend competitive schools are the most likely to abuse Adderall (Rabiner). In the same study at Duke University, about eighteen percent of students had taken Adderall at least ten times within six months (Rabiner). In general, these are students that procrastinate or have too much activity worked into their schedule. In a different study from the New Yorker, results showed that users of Adderall were ten times more likely to have smoked marijuana and twenty times more likely to use cocaine (Gillen). The students that take Adderall want to improve poor grades or allow more time to study.

Summary: This article covers a study that was done on Adderall over the social media site Twitter. The main purpose was to monitor the use of the word Adderall in discussions to see if there was any correlation with the use of the word and the time frame in which it was used in. More specifically, was Adderall mentioned more during peak times of stress in college life, such as midterms and finals. The locality of the Twitter messages monitored was also recorded to determine if they correlated with areas that had a major university or college. The content of messages was also recorded to determine the primary purpose of Adderall use among those that included it in their messages. Results confirmed that Adderall was mentioned during times such as final exams on a much more frequent basis. Messages also indicated that the primary purpose Adderall revolved around the context of studying. The quantity of messages based on location also seemed to indicate that the drug was much more popular in colleges in the northern and southern

Margaret Talbot “From Brain Gain: The underground world of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs” aims to illustrate how the use of neurotransmitters are in the college setting in attempt to aid college students with their busy lives. Using an unbiased tone, relatable people, and comparisons to convey her message, she creates a very realistic view of the current use or abuse of “brain-boosting” drugs.

In my analysis I am going to analyze the effectiveness of Margaret Talbot’s argument in “Brain Gain: The Underground World of Neuroenhancing Drugs”. This article is about the use of stimulants as cognitive enhancers for high-functioning people and not the intended use for the drugs. The problem is whether or not these stimulants should be considered ethical for everyday use as a cognitive enhancer. Talbot effectively supports her argument that “neuroenhancers” should be allowed for everyday use through her use of testimonials and factual information/statistics that she provides in the article in order to convince her targeted audience that the assistance of a stimulant as a cognitive enhancer is beneficial.

As stated in the article, "Adderall Abuse Alters Brain, Claims a Young Life" James claims “Selling or giving away these drugs may harm others, and is against the law, as well” (James 8). This claim, supported by FDA spokesmen, implies that the selling or giving away of these drugs without a prescription or right to do so is an illegal act. When these drugs are taken by college students who do not have a prescription, they are commencing in the act of buying and using drugs. These drugs are treated as illegal, just like mainstream drugs, not only will it risk health, but also if caught with these drugs it will have the same consequences. The article “Adderall Legal Status” by Addiction blog states that it is illegal to have or dispense Adderall without a prescription, and those who sell or use it illegally get penalized (Addiction Blog 2). This statement means that whoever uses Adderall without prescription is committing a crime which can be punished by law. This proves that taking Adderall without having the right to is an illegal act that can be penalized. So every time one takes this drug to improve their performance in college, they are committing a

Adderall is a medicine used to treat people with Narcolepsy and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It contains a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine chemicals. These chemicals affect the brain and nerves because they are central nervous system stimulants, and contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. Most people use this drug for good use, but there are also some that abuse and corrupt who they are because of this drug. A woman by the username of “missluvie” tells about her story with Adderall. She had very bad depression and no motivation to do anything. Her mother told her to take Adderall, and her life was changed. She became livelier, active, and a better mother. But she soon started to realize that the drug began to take control of her life, in which she couldn’t live without it. She was addicted (missluvlie). Adderall did help her life, but it soon made it harder to live with. When she wouldn’t take adderall, she would get worse depression than before, and life would feel harder. She says she would want to sleep all day. Yes, Adderall has some benefits, but the final outcome was bad. Drugs will give you some

College students are embarking on what is likely to be the best years of their lives, but they are also enrolled to receive a necessary educational foundation that will assist them into their future. While in college, students are expected to be active in athletics, Greek life, organizations, and in addition excel academically in all of their courses. For assistance throughout their difficult and demanding college journey some student use “smart drugs” to stay focused, improve their memory, and ultimately enhance their intelligence. The article "The Ethics of “Smart Drugs”: Moral Judgments About Healthy People's Use of Cognitive-Enhancing Drugs" from the publication Basic & Applied Social Psychology explains that “smart drugs” are also called cognitive-enhancing drugs and when correctly used they are prescribed by physicians to lessen the symptoms for diseases such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Alzheimer’s disease, and narcolepsy (Scheske and Schnall 508). Healthy individuals misusing these drugs to gain academic success is unfair.

The season is finally here, many college students are making their way into the library and cramming information left and right for finals in hopes of not failing. With scholarly grades, comes hours of study sessions and hard work which results in an tremendous amount of stress put on an individual. As a result, many students resort to a different route and illegally acquire cognitive enhancements drugs in hopes of balancing their education and personal life. My first experience with these “Smart Drugs” was during finals week in my senior year of highschool, I was given several adderall pills from a close scholar friend and he briefly explained how these pills would aid me greatly during this stressful time. The first pill I took, I felt a great euphoric feeling within minutes and I knew this wouldn’t be the last time I would take this. Education in today’s society can be perceived as a competition between students as employers are searching to recruit the top students out of college. Therefore, students will do anything at any cause to be categorized as the top of their class. With all this in mind, it becomes apparent that college students find the need to use cognitive enhancing drugs to gain an edge among their education due to the superior benefits gained through the use of it.

The study titled “Illicit use of Prescription ADHD Medications on College campuses, by DeSantis, Webb, & Noar, (2008) from the Journal of American College Health,” is both quantitative and qualitative in design, because the authors used mass surveys to gather statistics and in-depth interviews to collect personal information.

The pressures placed on university students to excel, as we all know, is immense. This has managed to push at least 11% of students, according to a survey done at the university of the Free State, into the trap of using Amphetamines such as Adderall, Ritalin, Strattera, the generic Methylphenidate and Concerta, as performance enhancers.