The College Fix

The abuse of prescription drugs is one of college campuses’ best kept secrets.

Pharmaceutical pills don’t require a wet towel under a door, open windows or even mellow neighbors. A single pop and it’s as if that pill had never existed.

With more than 50 million teenagers diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, it’s a painless effort to find a friend who can supply.

Zak Vaudo, a junior from Marietta and former Adderall consumer, was one of those kids.

“Adderall definitely helped me focus,” said Vaudo, who was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder at the age of eight. “It also did a bunch of things I wasn’t very fond of but it definitely helped me focus.”

Vaudo was on Adderall for eight years and although he was left unbothered by illegal drug users in high school, Vaudo said there would be a demand at the University if he still used Adderall.

“Given the number of people that I have become friends and acquaintances with at the University of Georgia, at least one of them would want to use it,” he said.

Brianna Riley, a senior public relations major from Marietta, witnessed first-hand the effects of abusing Adderall when her friends began taking it as a diet pill.

She said that when her friends were taking the drug, they behaved far differently than they normally did.

“When they are on it, they’re kind of cracked out — like they’re really hyper, and also they lose their appetite,” Riley said. “They wouldn’t eat for like a day.”

Though some students abuse Adderall in order to help them lose weight, other students may use the drug in order to help out with studying and academics.

“I’ve had a few friends who used them for studying,” said Philip Brettschneider, a fourth year anthropology major from Marietta. “They improve your memory.  They improve your concentration. It’s similar to drinking coffee beforehand — just a little more potent.”

Read the full story at the Red & Black.

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter