DURING 4 am study sessions, when words in the textbook begin to melt into the page and the only sound penetrating the silence of the library are panicked keyboard strikes and the snores coming from the adjacent study station, no student could be blamed for wanting an extra boost of energy. Many students have turned to illegally obtaining potentially dangerous prescription drugs, such as the ADD medications Ritalin and Adderall to keep their concentration through all-night study sessions. While all students could face serious legal and health problems associated with abuse of these substances, it is particularly important for first years to consider these risks as they establish study habits that will carry them through four years at the University.
Although there has been no comprehensive study on use of such drugs at the University, a 2005 study conducted by the University of Michigan and published in the academic journal "Addiction," said that, nationally, seven percent of all college students had abused prescription stimulants, recreationally and as study aides, while as many as 25 percent of students abused these substances at top schools like the University.
One leading health professional, Dr. Eric Heiligenstein of the University of Wisconsin, even told ABC news that prescription stimulants, which he compared to "academic steroids" had become socially acceptable on college campuses to a degree to which, "I have never encountered in my entire career in medicine."
One of the factors behind the rising usage of such substances has been the mistaken belief that using such drugs is relatively safe. While such substances are safe if they are taken as directed by a doctor to treat the symptoms of ADD, students who use such substances outside of these confines can face serious health risks.
One of the primary reasons that the FDA determined that Ritalin and Adderall could only be legally obtained through prescription is that there is a high potential for addiction to these substances if use isn't carefully monitored by a doctor.
In addition to this, misuse of these powerful stimulants by students who have not been given health screens by a prescribing physician can trigger underlying health problems that the student may not even realizes that he or she has. Indeed, health officials in Canada even went so far as to ban the sale of Adderall after a dozen patients with underlying heart problems died after using the substance.
Recent studies also highlight the threat it poses to their academic performance. Indeed, the Michigan study pointed out that misuse of prescription stimulants was twice as prevalent in students with GPA's below a B average than with students whose GPA stood at a B plus or higher. Although many students who use these substances may gain the temporary benefit of a more focused night of studying, their academic performance often suffers as their ability to concentrate is sabotaged by the effects of insomnia and the over usage of powerful stimulants.
The abuse of prescription stimulants is clearly an issue that will confront incoming first years. As the year goes on, it is likely that all-night study sessions may make many otherwise straight-edge first years willing to use prescription stimulants. While any veteran of the University's difficult work-load can understand this feeling, first years should remember that utilizing the University's extensive resources for academic aid, along with the college student's traditional friend, caffeine, are much less dangerous means of making it through a difficult workload. Moreover, first years who develop problems with abuse of prescription stimulants should remember that the University's substance abuse programs can always offer confidential health advice and help for students who find themselves in difficult situations.
In the end, the way in which students respond to academic crunches, to a large extent, defines their success at college. Thus, as first years find themselves working on all night study sessions in the bowels of Clemons library they would do much better to reach for a coffee cup instead of a prescription bottle.
Adam Keith is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at akeith@cavalierdaily.com.
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