The Need to Achieve?
The use of illicit substances on campus is no surprise. The widespread use of alcohol and marijuana among college-aged kids is well known and documented. And generally, students use these substances to help them relax and forget about their schoolwork. Those who take prescription stimulants, however, have a different goal in mind. They want to be able to sit down, focus and plow through their work.
Some students only turn to these drugs as a last resort, using them get through the worst part of the semester.
"I was writing my last paper for school one semester and having trouble concentrating," said one female student from New York University, who, like most of the students interviewed, wished to remain anonymous. "I decided to just take it, and about an hour and a half later, I was finished. It definitely worked."
Others use the drugs more frequently to help them stay up through the night.
"If I have an exam to study for, I can stay up the whole night and read all the chapters I need to. The next day, I don't feel tired at all for the exam, even though I haven't slept for over 24 hours," said Lauren, an undergraduate from Syracuse University who says she uses Adderall about four or five times a semester.
As more and more students come clean about their use of stimulant drugs for non-medical purposes, the picture of a typical user comes into focus.
