What if you could get an “A” in all of your classes, and all you had to do was take a little blue pill: would you do it? I’m assuming most of you would say “yes"; who would pass up a cheap short cut? Now, what if I told you that pill causes irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, restlessness, anxiety, nervousness, paranoia, headache, dizziness, insomnia, mouth dryness, suppressed appetite, diarrhea or constipation, as well as impotence. Would you still take the pill? Statistically, three out of ten of college students would still take it. This is essentially what the study drug trade is.

Study drugs are defined as “prescription stimulant medications that are used to enhance aspects of a user’s mental functioning, such as memory, concentration, alertness, attention, and motivation." It’s become the normal practice for full-time college students to take this class of stimulants. However, this common practice is abuse. Since the three out of ten students mentioned previously use the drug without a prescription, college students are twice as likely to abuse study drugs.

It’s not hard to imagine why this class of drug is abused; there is a tremendous pressure put upon college students to excel in all of their classes. However, this drug is simply a Band-Aid to the problem. If you take it to study for one test, why not take it for the next? This is a slippery slope to tread -- it’s the beginning of the cycle of addiction. Just like any drug, you begin to build up a tolerance, so now instead of popping pills, you're crushing the pills and snorting the powder to get the stimulant into your system faster. Now you’re not taking a stimulant to pull an all-nighter, now you have to take it just to go to class. To simply make it through the day, you have to rely on that little blue Hail Mary. A drug dependency forms and you are in a cycle that is hard to break. The short term consequences seem like child’s play to the long-term effects. Long-term abuse causes depression, hallucinations, anxiety, paranoia, and many others. The ironic thing is that the long-term effects of this drug are the inability to concentrate and a lack of motivation.

These drugs have a reason they exist; they are designed to help those with attention deficit disorders. It helps them focus and thrive in an academic setting. These drugs are made as a solution to a very serious problem. With a legal prescription, these drugs can be extremely beneficial to a patient, and can drastically change their lives for the better. By taking study drugs that are not prescribed to you, you are using a temporary solution to a problem of your own making that has the potential to ruin your life. Here’s a tip: if you want to do well in school, actually study and study hard. Seek assistance and actually do the work. You are doing an injustice to yourself as well as your academic institution by closing your eyes and taking a little blue Hail Mary.

If you or someone you know has a substance abuse problem, please contact The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hotline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). It is never too late to get help.