What's the first thing that pops in your mind when drug abuse is mentioned? A person in grungy clothing, uneducated, slender stature, and shooting up heroin in an alley? Now, what if I told you to imagine a straight A student who comes from a wealthy family, and is applying to medical school in just a few short years. Your perception changes, but the ironic thing is both people, however different, abuse drugs. They each have a drug of choice, one more severe than the other, but both an illegal entity.
Now ask yourself this, have you ever taken a stimulant to assist you in studying that was not prescribed to you? Have you ever thought about it? Do you think it's wrong to take it, or do you rationalize it to yourself that you're just trying to do better in school? Maybe you think that if you don't take it, you know your anxiety will hinder you so much once you sit down and start studying? Now once the studying is over and the test is turned in, all we want to do is relax, so we move onto the next drug. We've been stimulated, now it's time to take a depressant. It's a vicious cycle.
In your opinion, is there anything else wrong with this image? I see reality, the reality that multiple generations have fallen victim to. We look to drugs to compensate for our stress and anxiety. We are nervous that we will not be able to study adequately for our midterm, therefore we run straight to the drug of choice: Adderall. We cannot keep our eyes open from the all-nighter we pulled the night before, so we run to the next drug: Vyvance. We are so stressed about the assignments coming up later this week that we then choose yet another drug: Xanax. We are brain dead from studying all day and just want to relax, leaving us with another drug: marijuana.
Whenever I did wrong growing up, my mom took my phone away. Back then, my prized possession was my phone and in a matter of seconds, it was gone. I had my phone taken away often, never really learning what I had done wrong. I did not learn from being punished, but only when spoken to. I realized the wrongdoings of my actions when I was told what I did and why I was in trouble.
I think it is important for people to realize that arresting college kids for taking stimulants is not going to help the problem. For example, let's say Stevey needed a boost for his final that could make or break his grade as he's applying to medical school next month. However, he gets caught and is arrested, punished for something that so many people do. Thanks to that, he will have a felony on his record for the rest of his life, for a moment of weakness, at a young age. This will greatly hinder his chances of doing what he wants to do as a doctor and helping others. Instead, the best approach would be for Stevey to get help. He needed someone to talk to, he needed assistance in finding a healthier outlet for his stress, and better ways to deal with his anxiety.
Numerous universities have drug-sniffing dogs outside of the universities library every final exam week. The dogs are looking for stimulants, specifically Adderall and Vyvanse. Numerous amounts of students get caught each time, getting charged with felonies, in some states, for possessing. What if instead of drug-sniffing dogs, there were counselors? What if instead of being sniffed like you're hiding a bomb before the all-nighter that's going to 'kill you,' there's a smiling face, asking you how you're feeling this exam week? Asking you to sit down and unwind for a few moments? We find this image to be weird as many would wonder why would we talk to a stranger about how we're feeling? However, this could save many of our youth from getting arrested and having records that could severely impact and ruin their life.
Just some food for thought.
