This blog entry is about the attitudes and
beliefs of college students regarding addictions and the use of the stimulant
Adderall in comparison to the attitudes of parents and college administrators. Dangerous
myths formed by college students are also discussed along with the dangers of
high potential for abuse.
Photo 1: College aged student
contemplating the use of Adderall (Study: ADHD Drugs do not Improve Cognition in Healthy College Students,
2020)
The attitudes of college students are what
shape this behavior, college students who choose to use this stimulant for many
reasons. The number one reason is because among students, it is socially
acceptable and comes without stigma unlike other drugs. For example, students
who drink alcohol are often labeled as a drunk, students who smoke marijuana regularly
are labeled as a pot head, students who take opioid pills such as Norco are labeled
as pill heads (Gray, 2010).
On the contrary the use of Stimulants such as Adderall is openly accepted and
often encouraged by peers, students who use these drugs are overlooked as drug
users. They are actually viewed as motivated, studious and students need not
fear judgement of fellow peers.
While the college aged students believe
that the use of stimulants such as Adderall is not a problem, teachers, school
counselors and parents are becoming concerned with the potential risks and
dangers. Mental health campaigns are being used to address current student campus
culture, discourage the use of Adderall
and to spread awareness of the dangers (Siberman, 2018). Faculty and parents are hoping to de-stigmatize the college mentality that Adderall poses by making students aware
of the psychological dangers, physiological dangers and legal problems that
this drug can cause. Campus awareness campaigns have been proven to successfully
educate students and change their outlook, attitudes and behaviors towards health
concerns related to substance use.
Some myths regarding the use of Adderall include
the current student outlook and wide acceptance of this drug. Students do not
view or consider unprescribed Adderall as an illicit
drug
nor do they believe that they are abusing it when used unprescribed for
academic reasons (Gray, 2010). Stimulants are the
most widely used of the illicit drugs, a study performed using students from
the University of Michigan found that out of 1,800 students as many as 81
percent do not believe the use of Adderall is dangerous. In fact physiological
and legal consequences of illicit use are just as bad as using cocaine and meth
(Siberman, 2018). Adderall is considered a Schedule II
drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration, schedule II drugs are considered
high potential for abuse. According to Michigan Law (Controlled Substance
Schedules, 2020),
a person who is prescribed a schedule II drug and is distributing it illegally will
face felony and jail time (Siberman, 2018).
Photo 2: Statistics regarding college
students and the use of Adderall (Siberman, 2018).
References
Controlled Substance Schedules. (2020). Retrieved from DEA: https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/schedules/
Gray, R. (2010). Shame, labelling and stigma: Challenges
to counselling clients in alcohol and other drug settings. Retrieved from
Academia:
https://www.academia.edu/368519/Shame_labelling_and_stigma_Challenges_to_counselling_clients_in_alcohol_and_other_drug_settings
Siberman, J. (2018). Let's Talk about Adderall.
Retrieved from The Michigan Daily:
https://www.michigandaily.com/section/editorials/daily-let%E2%80%99s-talk-about-adderall
Study: ADHD Drugs do not Improve Cognition in Healthy
College Students. (2020). Retrieved from
Global Health News Wire:
https://globalhealthnewswire.com/2018/07/20/study-adhd-drugs-do-not-improve-cognition-in-healthy-college-students/
Teter CJ1, M. S. (2006). Illicit use of specific
prescription stimulants among college students: prevalence, motives, and
routes of administration. Retrieved from US National Library of Medicine:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16999660
Your blog is very interesting with nice graphics. I especially like the visual effect of the background hues. As you stated, Adderall is one of the most widely misused prescription drugs on college campuses. As parents and school administrators, education about the true dangers, dispelling the myths that it is not harmful, should be a priority (Besser, 2017). Time management and stress reduction methods should be taught so students are not tempted to rely on stimulants. Teaching that stimulants like Adderall and Ritalin are just as addictive as meth should make students take notice of what choices they are making. Misconceptions that Adderall is accepted campus wide, not considered illegal, and that they cannot get in legal trouble for possession or distribution of them has the potential to lead to addiction and felony incarceration.
ReplyDeleteStimulant use among college students should be viewed for what it is, substance abuse. Understanding that Adderall is not a performance enhancer, not a study aide, and not an academic enhancer, needs to be made abundantly clear to students (Arria & DuPont, 2010). Arria and DuPont (2010) gives strategies to prevent misuse of stimulants by students that include dispelling popular myths, promoting awareness of risks, develop multidisciplinary campus actions plans, develop early intervention strategies, and de-stigmatize students who do not engage in illicit drug use.
The misuse of stimulants of college students is not at all surprising to me. It may be because it is not seen as dangerous to cocaine or meth, or as bad as those are. They won’t be called the stereotypical names for using those drugs. There really is no bad stereotype for taking Adderall.
I enjoyed reading your blog. It has great information and is well written.
References:
Arria, A., & DuPont, R. (2010). Nonmedical prescription stimulant use among college students: why we need to do something and what we need to do. Journal of addictive diseases, 29(4), 417–426. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550887.2010.509273
Besser, J. (2017). Do we have an amphetamine problem on college campuses? Center on Addiction. Retrieved from https://www.centeronaddiction.org/the-buzz-blog/do-we-have-amphetamine-problem-college-campuses