Study Drugs: A Students New Best Friend? Essay -- Research Science Sc

Study Drugs: A Student's New Best Friend? Many people who want to lose weight wish there was a â€Å"magic pill† that would eliminate the process of dieting and exercising. Those looking for fun, have the â€Å"love pill† commonly known as ecstasy. In an age where everything comes to us so easily, where feelings don’t have to be felt but chemically induced instead, one might address a common problem college students face hoping to find a simple solution. Stuck in the library with a term paper due the next morning and thoughts of your empty bed just waiting for you is not a far fetched scenario for most college students. A cup of coffee can only do so much and with grades falling as fast as the temperature one resorts to other measures to stay awake. Putting it simply: study drugs. Take Lily* for example, a junior at Northeastern University. Lily tired herself out living the ideal college person’s social life. She slept all day and spent the majority of her night going to clubs, parties and bars around the city. This suited her fine until the dreaded days came when she realized she had two term papers due the next day and a test. Sitting in her room Lily wonders how she can do it all in one night. Just like the overweight she wanted a quick solution. Fortunately, unlike the overweight who don’t have the good fortune of having a pill ready to them, she did. When coming face to face with the aftermath of procrastination some students turn to study drugs. Medication such as Ritalin, Adderall, and Dexederine that are prescribed to those with attention deficit disorder, a neurological disorder that those with poor attention spans are diagnosed with, have proved to give those without the disorder, such as Lily, an extra energy b... ... Internet so I knew exactly what to tell the doctor. After that, he gave me a prescription. Now I am all set.† It is virtually impossible to keep track of those that are using the drug illegally. After all there is not law against college students carrying their own medication. This leaves plenty of opportunity for people to use and abuse the drug. All is not lost. Programs and campaigns around college campuses can help reduce the usage and addiction of study drugs. Lane Health Center at Northeastern University can use multiple measures to prevent study drugs usage by students from various walks of life. For example, alternatives should be offered in order to not only send the message of â€Å"drugs are bad† but also â€Å"there are other things you can do.† "I think people get addicted to what you can accomplish with it more than the actual drug," Lily said.