An increasingly number of students are using study drugs to improve their concentration and endurance while doing their examinations. Modafinil, adderall, ritalin, dexedrin, nootropil and Ephedrine are just some of the endurance boosting hormones they use. These drugs are originally developed for people who suffer with narcolepsy, ADD and ADHD. Nowadays many students use these drugs to control their excessive fatigue. It’s very popular among students, because the drugs increase their production of dopamine, which makes it easier for the students to stay concentrated and to stay awake. Even though it benefits their concentration for a while it has a lot of bad side effects for their health. The consequences by using the drugs are for instance irregular heartbeat, increased blood pressure, restlessness, paranoia, dizziness and insomnia etc.1 In addition it makes the students dependent and it will have a bad influence on both their psychically and mentally plight. It is important to discuss why an increasingly number of students is using study drugs. Even though it can help them for a while, they are still doing something illegal. What lead the students to make that choice, and why are study drugs a growing phenomenon? Nowadays society is highly developed. If you want a good education or job, you really have to fight for it, and lay all your energy in specific subjects that you work with. In addition to that there are expectations from friends and family about being a social individual full of strength. No one can measure up all these expectations at the same time especially not when there is only 24 hours in a day. Therefore they have to make priorities, and often they choose social activities rather than things they are liable to do. Living up to all these expectations both from society, family, friends and your self is difficult. You don’t want to disappoint anyone. Acknowledging that you need help, and asking for help and getting help can be difficult. Therefore many students try to figure out their problems in a discreet and inappropriate way by using study drugs. It may work out fine for a while, at first sight it seems as if you have everything under control and that you can manage everything. But eventually the drugs will make you mentally and physically ill. In the long run it will not help you in the right way. The side effects can be injurious and as mentioned it can give depression, therefore you will not be able to achieve a good presentation after all.

1 http://www.healthyhorns.utexas.edu/studydrugs.html

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In David Sack’s article is it clear that he has a negative opinion about study drugs. In the first part of the article, he already uses negative words. The title is called “Smart Pills” Invade the Classroom (line 9). First of all it has an ironic effect that he uses inverted commas around “Smart Pills”. This means, that he doesn’t think these pills are smart but rather the opposite. In the first title he also uses “Invade” which has a negative significance, because invade means that something is out of control and occupy the society. (line 11-­‐13) it’s clear what he thinks is the problem about study drugs. He thinks the nation’s top universities only belong to the talented students. He thinks the problem is that wrong people, known under the name stereotypical druggies can achieve a place in the top universities. He thinks it isn’t a fair game, because druggies don’t deserve it. He thinks druggies are weak persons, who are finding themselves sidelined by a stint in drug rehab for prescription drug abuse. (line 14-­‐16) it’s clear that he thinks children are learning how to get success in a wrong way. People take shortcuts to achieve success and not by training, practice and hard work, which should be the right and natural way. People lose their common sense and are ready to win at all costs. In addition he tries appeal to our common sense by using a comparison between study drugs and steroids. Steriods are always negatively mentioned in the medias and the fact that he compares steroids with study drugs, may give people something to consider. (line 23-­‐24) He mentions that researchers have reported that professors, scientists and academics misuse the drugs too. He mentions the intelligent people so we can realize how extreme the problem is. We can’t trust people anymore, because it’s difficult to see if they cheat or not. It’s also easy to get the drugs by students who actually suffer with ADHD, because they can earn money on selling it. In addition it’s also easy to fake the symptoms of ADHD and get a prescription from the doctor. The fact that the writer mentions all these things sounds like he’s nervous and worried about the future. It will be difficult to see what kind of person who cheats and who’s not. When people use study drugs it’s difficult to accuse them of lying. Some people actually need these pills and you can’t just cut them from the market. In Renee Montagne, “More students turning illegally to ‘smart’ drugs” we hear from students what kind of effect the pills have. A girl says that the drugs work eminently. She says, she isn’t restless, she can work for hours, save time, work intensely and productively. For her it works

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as a miracle, she doesn’t feel anxious, but the more she uses, she gets the feeling of being addicted and here is the problem. The drugs aren’t safe to use, even though she can’t feel it. The stuff makes the brain produce dopamine, and when people get addicted to the stuff, they can’t produce enough of it by themselves. At the end it will make them depressed and not default on making a good performance without the stuff. It can be dangerous and difficult to control. It will be a miracle if you just could use it once when you’re in a certain situation where you are very busy and under pressure, but there is a big risk, that it leds to addiction and that results in bad side effects for both your health and the society, if you can’t achieve the same without the stuff. You have to make sure you can trust people and that they always can achieve a good presentation because they are talented and not cheaters.

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