The thought is that taking these drugs will turn the average person into a motivated, hyper-focused, genius. Overtired college students are reaching for these amphetamines to get them through long nights of studying and even longer nights of partying. Promises of a better GPA or a longer night out with little to no effort is hard for most students to say no to.

These drugs used to be the extra tweak of concentration for the necessary all-nighter, but are quickly becoming a daily vitamin for the non-prescribed. In a college atmosphere where the two predominant questions are “what the hell am I going to do when I graduate?” and “what the hell am I going to do tonight?” it is easy to understand the appeal of such drugs. It is even harder to ignore the self-justification of amphetamine consumption.

But what is the real impact? Not just physically, but emotionally and long-term? And aside from the question of morality, what really IS the harm in taking these prescriptions? They are, after all, prescribed.   

I’ve witnessed first hand the darker side of Adderall. Dependent on a lot of factors, like food consumption or hydration, this “magic” pill has the tendency to turn a girl from a unicorn-riding, puppy-petting vegan to Britney Spears, circa 2007. An irritable girl with crazy laser focus is the kind of situation I avoid at all costs.   The more substantial risks come when students start mixing amphetamines with alcohol. With the intention to avoid being the passed-out guy in the corner or the girl who bails out of Harpers at 11:45, people take these drugs before they start drinking to keep them up and drinking longer. But what seems like a casual party drug is proving deadly. 

Stimulants block the depressant effect of alcohol, making the signs that you have had enough or too much to drink easy to miss. Without these signs, the chances of alcohol poisoning, vomiting, etc. are much higher. Recently, Josh Levine, a 22-year old from the University of Michigan was found unconscious on a Chicago sidewalk after a night of snorting Adderall and drinking. The combination of the two was enough to stop Levine’s heart and end his life. Other, harder, recreational drugs come with the potential of being life ruining, but with a drug like Adderall, students are convinced that they are doing themselves a favor.   

But why? Why the pressure to stay out late? Why the binge studying? Is there so much pressure to perform academically that otherwise straight-edged students are reaching for prescription drugs to try and get them there? Does getting through a Friday booze sesh with “just the right amount” of energy require pills?   

Deaths like Josh Levine’s and hundreds of others give me pause. Is one more midnight shot of Jaeger worth jeopardizing my life? I think I’ll call a cab and sleep without listening to my heart go a mile-a-minute.