It's midnight. With chapters left to read, formulas left to memorize and an exam at 9 in the morning, many students are tempted to turn to substance abuse for help in the classroom. When the pressure piles up, Adderall is quickly replacing a cup of coffee and strong study habits.
"Adderall is a drug designed for people with Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder," said Dan Duryea Ph.D., a certified alcoholism and substance abuse counselor at the Student Wellness Center. "It's a stimulant, but because prescribed users have ADD or ADHD, it has a paradoxical effect and causes concentration."
According to Duryea, this paradox could mean the opposite of intended results for non-prescribed users but that most illegal users of Adderall take it in hopes of staying awake and focusing longer - often longer than one's body is capable of handling.
Lisa Miller, a freshman pharmacy major, feels that while Adderall is a great resource for people like her brother, who takes the drug with a prescription, it acts as a crutch for those taking it illegally.
"I feel people use it to enable a lifestyle of partying a lot and studying a little," Miller said.
Jillian Bliss, a sophomore film studies major, agrees that Adderall should be no substitute for good study habits and that those who take it could have found ways around cramming to begin with.
"People use it as a stimulant rather than stimulating themselves," Bliss said.
According to Duryea, research suggests that Adderall tends to be used more by students with lower GPAs than by A or B students in a pinch.
"My hunch is that the majority of students who take Adderall illegally are using it as a band-aid for being behind," Duryea said. "These are students with poor study habits to begin with."
Duryea assumes that students obtain the drug from students who do not use their own prescription or even from the black market, where stolen pharmacy supplies are sold.
"I know of a friend who has ADD and simply dislikes taking his medication so he gets the full supply - 180 - and sells them off," Miller said.
According to Duryea, the abuse of Adderall and other prescription drugs does not appear to be a major concern partly because its main use is for academic studies and less often for entertainment or enjoyment.
"I don't know if it's necessarily bad. I've really only heard of people taking it to stay up and study for tests," said Sarah Herman, a junior English education major.
Justin Spears, a freshman psychology major, felt that many incoming freshman have no idea what Adderall even is. He said that kids who don't use it regularly are clueless.
Sean McCabe, a freshman undecided major, disagreed with Spears and expressed a deep concern that too many students take Adderall.
"I think it's the prescription drug of choice for our college generation," McCabe said.
Research suggests that it is unlikely Adderall is really used as frequently as students assume. Alcohol use is the real concern according to Duryea. He said that last year's National College Health Assessment at UB found that over 66 percent of students were involved with regular alcohol use while 94 percent of students who took the assessment insisted they had never used an amphetamine, the category in which Adderall falls.
"I don't think it's as bad as alcohol, but I also don't think it's good to be addicted to anything or at least think that you need it to withstand everyday tasks," Herman said.
Jordan Hayes, a senior business human resources major, said that if other students feel they need it to succeed, it is acceptable, though he never actually used it himself.
"I don't think non-prescription Adderall use is a big concern unless people are taking it to get a buzz," Hayes said.
Despite an overall lack of concern or knowledge among students or even drug prevention groups about the use of Adderall, Duryea still issues a warning.
"Usage at UB is not high," Duryea said. "Compared to use of alcohol it's probably not as significant an issue, but as soon as you're taking pills of unknown dosages from unknown places, you're in trouble."
