Prescription Drug Abuse Summary

A common trend on college campuses is the use of performance enhancing drugs for both academic and athletic motives. Most college students know of someone who abuses one of these drugs with the most common being cognition enhancers like Adderall and Ritalin. (Greely 2008) These medications are only available legally by prescription, therefore students are illegally dealing to each other for the buying and selling of these drugs. Their purpose for using is to have an advantage over their peers, despite these dealings being crimes in the United States. Hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD, is what these prescriptions are intended for but in a healthy student the drugs are used to stay up late, focus on their studies, enhance cognitive

According to Columbia Casa and University of Minnesota (2015), students are facing the demands of coursework, part-time jobs, internships, social obligations and more, many turn to drugs as a way to cope.  More students than ever are taking stimulants, such as Adderall, for example to help students stay awake long enough to study or complete assignments on time. All too often, these prescription drugs are obtained without a legitimate prescription or with legitimate prescription and are selling to friends and others. Students are now exploring many new aspects of their lives and wonder what could come their way. It’s not uncommon for that self-exploration to dip into drug experimentation. Students who are surround themselves with other experimenters that are trying recreational and performance-enhancer drugs are more likely to try these substances for themselves. These habits lead to a drop in a college students academic grade and has been proven to do so. (Addiction Center 2015) According to National Institute on Drug Abuse Young Adults ranging in age 18-25, the abuse of prescription drugs is second only to abuse of

Millions of people throughout the world are taking drugs on a daily basis. If you were to ask someone why they take prescription drugs, most people would be taking them for the right reason. However, it’s estimated that twenty percent of people in the United States alone have used prescription drugs for non-medical reasons.1 Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem that often goes unnoticed. Abusing these drugs can often lead to addiction and even death. You can develop an addiction to certain drugs that may include: narcotic painkillers, sedatives, tranquilizers, and stimulants.1 Prescription drugs are the most common abused category of drugs, right next to marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and

The number one way students are getting their hands on these different drugs is from the help of their peers. As for prescriptions, others steal it from their

This risk of getting addicted is something the anonymous girl from the interview in the podcast has experienced herself. She tells the reporter how she felt that every time she took a pill, the lust for another one became bigger. This proves the addiction that David Sack uses as an argument against the young students defending their beloved “study buddy”, as it is called, the interview in the podcast states. Furthermore, it’s a perfectly rational reason to never do study drugs; because what will good grades matter, if one ends up as a drug user due to ones increased risk of falling into an abuse. This also

Prescription drug abuse has become an epidemic in the United States especially among the youth of our country. The Partnership for a Drug Free America says that 2,500 teens a day abuse prescription drugs. Abuse of these narcotics can lead to serious mental and physical consequences. Why is this such a problem, what can we do to solve it, and how is it affecting our social lives?

Examining the prevalence of stimulant misuse and abuse among college students is crucial to understand how widespread this growing problem is. Understanding the extent of stimulant misuse can lead to better education among college students about the dangers of illicit stimulant use and the potential risks and side effects. In studies done at the University of Michigan and the University of Rhode Island, it was found that many students had used prescription stimulants illegally at one point or another in their lifetime, and found access to drugs such as Adderall very easy to obtain. Many students cited motives for using these drugs illegally, such as using it for a good cause, such as improving grades, and that it was okay because the

Prescription drug abuse is a problem that is not just focused on adults. There has been a substantial rise in prescription drug abuse among teenagers. Teens are abusing prescription drugs for a number of reasons, including to get high, pain treatment, and/or because they think that it will assist them with school work (Coalition against Drug Abuse, 2014). However boys and girls tend to abuse some types of prescription drugs for different reasons. For example, boys are more likely to abuse prescription stimulants to get high, where girls would abuse them to stay alert to study or for weight loss.

Overdose deaths from prescription painkillers have skyrocketed during the past decade. The non medical use and abuse of prescription drugs is a serious public health problem in this country (NIDA). Although most people take prescription medications responsibly, an estimated 52 million people (20 percent of those aged 12 and older) have used prescription drugs for non medical reasons at least once in their lifetimes( NIDA). Young people are strongly represented in this group (NIDA). Now a days young people are easily influenced. Based on the group of friends he or she hangs out with, when one person does something they all tend to follow and do the same, maybe prescription drugs are one of them. When a teenager in Jan Sigerson's office mentioned “pharm party” in February [2006], Sigerson thought the youth was talking a keg party out on a farm (Engdahl 213). “Pharm,” it turned out, was short for pharmaceuticals, such as powerful painkillers Vicodin and Oxycontin (213). Sigerson, program director for Journeys, a teen drug treatment program in Omaha, soon learned that area youths were organizing parties to down fistfuls of prescription drugs (213). Drug counselors across the USA are beginning to hear about similar pill-popping parties, which are part of a rapidly developing underground culture that surrounds the rising abuse of prescription drugs by teens and young adults (213). The results of taking prescription medication in teens is treatment programs to help stop the abuse or death(NIDA). The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there are 44 deaths each day from prescription pain medication which is a staggering number exceeding 16,000 persons a year (Thomas-Bush and White

7 out of 10 College students on campuses say that it is easy to collect stimulants without a prescription according to a survey done on eight U.S. campuses. 18% of freshmen and undergraduates tell of misusing prescription stimulants mostly Adderall. Most of the students get them from their friends and most of them say the usage of the drug is to help them to stay up to study or improve grades. One in four undergraduates report that they use pain medications, sedatives, or stimulants for the expirementopposite of medical reasons. The (HECAOD) conducted a survey which included 3,918 students which attended six public schools, and two public colleges and Universities in 5 different states. This survey included undergraduates, and professional students. ⅓ of all of them said it’s easy or extremely easy to obtain on multiple campuses.

To start off, the article was selected because it provides insight about the implications of drug abuse. The article shows that prescription drug abuse among youths is, in fact, an actual issue in the United States. ‘’In 2008, over six million persons, or 2.5% of the U.S population aged 12 and older, reported past 30-day use of prescription-type physiotherapeutic drugs for nonmedical purposes.’’ (DuPont, 2010). He further explains that the data information (regarding prescription abuse) is more than

This article provides information about the misuses of ADHD medication and how college students who do not have ADHD consume these medication to help improve their academic performances. Some individuals believe that consuming these medication are not a form of cheating but others believe so. The article also discusses how colleges must develop specific programs to address the misuse of prescription stimulants for academic, not recreational purposes. Even though these medication can improve students academic performances; however, it can lead to many side effects in the long run. I used this article to provide an idea of how ADHD medications could easily be misused which can lead to severe side

As an alternative to practicing more or studying to improve in ones performance, teens have begun to misuse prescription drugs in order to enhance their performance in their school work and extra curriculum activities instead. A drug known as “kiddie speed” is often used to help increase the concentration level of a teen during a test. In schools it is one of the most common drugs found being misused because children have easy access to it from either having it prescribed to them for a disorder or because it’s laying around their households. Not only do young people have access to the drugs at home but at school they can purchase the pills from peers “up to $2 each for the tablets” (Watt 1). Not only do teens use prescription drugs to increase their concentration but some critics would suggest that steroids are the only type of drug misused to

Since the 1960’s heroin use disorders has become worse when pertaining to societal issues since Heroin an opioid drug made from morphine, which is a natural substance this various opium poppy plant is highly addictive. Heroin may be smoked, snorted, or injected, the reason for this use has increased across the United States particularly amongst gender, various age groups, and typically all income levels through legal and illegal purchase of this drug. Several dynamics contribute to the severity of the recent societal prescription drug abuse which is problematic from a global perspective. Basically the number of prescriptions written by physicians that’s distributed to patients. Partaking in countless social acceptability of using medications

The drug is marketed in such a way that causes students and young adults to engage in abusive behaviours more easily than ever before. Managing academic pressure, family expectations, and peer influences results in a growing concern of over-use of the pill. Abusing the drug not only jeapordize academic honesty and integrity, but also risk irreparable harm to the body and mind. In the past ten to fifteen years, Adderall has significantly risen on college and university campuses, due to its potential to increase focus and concentration. Word of mouth marketing, ease of accessibility, and focused advertising on young adults, has made the abuse of Adderall go virtually unnoticed. Children must be informed of what Adderall can do to them, to negatively alter their lives