Students needing to stay awake and alert to cram for exams sometimes turn to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs like Adderall or Ritalin for their stimulating effects. To counter the growing problem, Fairfield University is plastering warnings in classrooms, hallways, and bathrooms. At Sacred Heart University, health officials are concerned about students mixing drugs like Adderall with alcohol.

"I have seen the level of abuse increase in the past 10 years," said Sacred Heart counselor Richard Madwid. "It is comparable to all the other substances that are misused."

A 2002 University of Wisconsin study estimated that one of five college students takes Adderall, many for recreational reasons. The Canadian government recently suspended sales of Adderall over concerns about deaths and strokes linked to the drug.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Posted by meg b- stonehill on 09 Dec 08 04:51 PM EST

I think that is important for colleges to pay attention to this. Often times professors expect students to do an unrealistic amount of work and under the pressure to get it done by the deadline, many students turn to drugs such as adderral. While I don't think that the ratio is as high at stonehill as it was at Fairfield University, there are plenty of people that could benefit from a reminder of the harm it could do to their body, especially if mixing it with alcohol.

SUBMIT A COMMENT:

Note: Comments are now held for moderator approval. More info

Name:
Comment: (limit 250 words)
Enter this word (help):	Change

GUIDELINES: 
Please keep comments on-topic, courteous, clean, non-commercial, and within the word limit.
Read the complete guidelines