The Adderall Me.

I just could not take the article "The Adderall Me: My romance with ADHD meds" seriously. Joshua Foer, the author or the article, discusses his experience with the drug Adderall that he took for one week. For the majority of the article Foer talks about the positive side effects of Adderall. One of the problems that I have with this article is that Foer only took Adderall for a week. I don't think that anyone can get the full grasp of the effects of a drug after only a week. Television commercials for depression medicines typically state that it can take two weeks or more for the individual to feel any reaction to the medicine. The effects, such as increased focus, determination and productivity, of Adderall sound amazing but at what risk. Like Foer mentioned in the article your body will crash after taking Adderall. Is the drug worth it after what your body goes though after consuming it? In my honest opinion Adderall to cram for college or any other task is the easy way out. I do not see a problem with someone taking Adderall to focus or be productive in life if it is truly needed. One can still be determine and focused on school or work without taking a drug. I feel that our society is too willing to diagnose people with illnesses and hand out medication like candy. I don't feel that people should be taking Adderall unless they seriously have ADHD. The general population should not feel that they need to take Adderall or any drug to be successful.

Use of Aderol

This article speaks about the uses of aderol, and what the author experiences after the use of this drug.  Right off the bat I see a problem with the expertice of the author about this topic because he admits that he only used said drug for a very short period of time, thus not exposing him to some of the long term side effects that can accompany this drug.  Drugs such as heroin has very little negative side effects after lets say one use, but after long term use there are very few if even any positive effects.  So in the short term or in sparing use it looks like aderol has nothing but positive uses, and that may be true, but the way this infomation is presented I find a lot of problems because this drug can have negative side effects that are never even addressed by this author, so all in all I don't find much stock in what he says about the positive effects of this drug. 
K. VanNess

Chemical Effects of Alcohol on the Brain

Before getting into how alcohol affect the brain, here is how the brain works. It is the control center of the body, it controls all the systems of your body-- your muscular system, respiratory system, and finally the digestive system. The brain controls these functions by using a series of chemical, electrical, and physical signals from cell to cell. Within the cells, the electrical signals are used for transmission, where as between the cells chemical signals are used. The signals are called neurotransmitters.

When alcohol is introduced the normal neurotransmission maybe affected and effects all the parts of the brain. The cerebral cortex processes information from your senses, processes thoughts, initiates the majority of voluntary muscle movements and has some control over lower-order brain centers. When it comes to the cerebral cortex when the blood alcohol content increases the effects get more pronounced. Alcohol can effect the limbic system to where the person may experience some memory loss and may have exaggerated states of emotion. When alcohol affects the cerebellum, the muscle movements become uncoordinated. When it comes to the pituitary gland, alcohol depresses nerve centers in the pituitary gland that control sexual arousal and performance, with increased alcohol consumption, sexual desire increases, but sexual performance declines. Finally, when the alcohol affects the medulla a person will start to feel sleepy and with increased consumption can lead to unconsciousness. Therefore, alcohol's effect on the medulla can be fatal if it is excessive.

Adderall Me

After reading the article on Adderall, I agree with what many said... it sounds great. The solve all for classic college cramming. However, it so closely reminded me of someone else who had once believed they found a cure all drug. With many uses such as an antidepressant, analgesic, an anti-fatigue, and a cure for morphine addiction. The person was Sigmund Freud and the drug was cocaine. We have come a long way since then... or have we?

Adderall is being used and abused by so many nowadays. Most people may think it's ok because they know someone who takes it, but when I researched it via The National Library of Medicine, there were 37 possible side effects. Now, personally, that in itself is enough for me to say "eh, no thanks."

To take Adderall or not to take Adderall?

While reading this article, I was definitely thinking about how the use of Adderall might become a real problem among individuals of all ages. Sure, on paper, it sounds great! An increased focus, the ability to perform certain physical feats, the lack of distractions, who would not want to take this drug? As with all things that have many positive aspects, there are some severe downfalls that make this drug flat-out dangerous, and I feel that one should not take it unless prescribed by a doctor; the potential risks outweigh the benefits, and in the end, is it really worth it? Imagine if the younger generation became hooked and the consequences reared its ugly head-- what kind of problems would that create? In the end, there are many other ways to help concentrate if that is the main problem; one could exercise and change his or her diet, for this would help big-time. Pills are not the answer for the average Joe feeling sluggish on a Tuesday morning, and I believe that if one puts their mind to it, proper steps can be taken to feel better and lead a better, healthier life--the legal way!

The ADHD Da Vinci Code

I really didn't take this article seriously. I was more frustrated with the author for saying all these claims and only took it for one week. I believe he was motivated by monetary reasons from a pharmaceutical company.  A new movement must of started in hollywood for failed artists like maroon five because the lead singer has a new campaign.  This campaign encourages the veiwer to go to your doctor and get an assessment to see if one has A.D.D or A.D.H.D. I believe that one could see it as an endorsement for prescription amphetamines.

Guess what? Shire Pharmaceuticals is the owner of this video. Also! The website www.ownyourADHD.com is an 'Everyday Health' website.  Everyday Health is partners with a bunch of pharmesutical outlets.  CONSPIRACY or GOOD MARKETING?
-PB

The Adderall Me

The Adderall Me

This article was interesting to read. I have never taken Adderall before but one of my friends has. She would describe it as being focused for a long period of time. She would be able to sit in the library all day and just read forever. So pretty much her experience relates to what the author wrote about. Adderall and other drugs like it are used most widely for those who have ADHD. It is also common for college students who use it as a “study buddy.” The author apparently consults a few psychiatrists, who tell him that there are no long-term health consequences. Personally, I do not believe this. The author then decides to take Adderall for one week to see how it effects him. He describes it as a euphoric experience but with somewhat depressive withdrawal symptoms. When he talks about whether Adderall increases vs. decreases creativity, I think it all depends on the person. I think for it to increase your creativity, you must have some creativity already within you. Finally, I think this article makes Adderall sound like a good idea and that its something everyone should try. It seems as though the author is promoting drug use in some way.

Foer and Adderall

Being a college student, I have heard of many peers taking Adderall in order to stay up all night and get weeks worth of homework done in one sitting. On the other hand, I have a brother with ADHD who was prescribed Adderall when he was in middle school. I think the drug can do great things for people that have ADHD or other focusing issues, but it can also help those who were not prescribed it. I do not thing it is a big deal because it has very few negative effects but it should not be used for the wrong reasons. Everyone has their own opinion on the issues, probably based off how it effects them and whether they liked it or not. The drug can have negative effects, as is the case with almost every drug, whether it was prescribed to you or not. I do not think the craze with taking Adderall to get through college is a big deal, especially when there are so many other drug issues today, especially in college.

ADHD Meds

Adderall makes me feel miserable personally. I hate amphetamines.

But if you need to crank out a whole semester of homework in a couple of days, Adderall will help you do that.

What probably should have been left out of the article is the bit he mentioned about "DOCTORS" saying that if Adderall is taken by a responsible person who's not a schizo takes Adderall and doesn't snort or inject it then it should be relatively safe. Even if that knowledge was divulged to him by a doctor, he should have left it out. The readers of this magazine could easily be college-age Americans with access to this dangerous amphetamine. Adderall's first hour effects are DEFINITELY euphoric and that high could be a cause for addiction; plus some of his readers could be schizophrenic and not know it, read this, say that "DOCTOR's" said it was OK, and pop a 30 mg next time they have a big exam. Silliness.

Maslow's Hierarchy+Cognitive Dissonance+Heroin

I know we discussed this a bit in class, but I definitely found this the most interesting point of cognitive dissonance. When the theory of cognitive dissonance is applied to an addict, I feel like its far more complicated. Everything changes when a drug, especially an opiate such as heroin, becomes the top of the hierarchy of needs for any individual.

Humans are instinctual creatures; we all want to live. Physiological needs top Maslow's hierarchy, but once a person mainlines heroin into their bloodstream, heroin becomes the top of the hierarchy of needs. If you ask a dope fiend if he wants a burger or a bundle, he'll pick the bundle every single time. So:

Humans naturally want to live.

Then, a human gets addicted to heroin. I would say a relatively prudent person of average intelligence would realize that once they are addicted to heroin, they will either have to take very difficult steps to get clean and live , or die. But humans naturally want to live. But the heroin addict will keep shooting heroin in some cases and kill themselves. Then there's no more cognitive dissonance, no more hierarchy. Just a drug.

Is heroin that good that it becomes more important than living? Users report an "infatuation" and actually being "in love" with this opiate (bluelightforum.com, The Dark Side). They'd rather die a user than ever go hanggliding or get married or meet their potential grandchildren.

So people say that addicts are addicts because of their own faults and mistakes. If they wanted to just quit and live, they would, right? Maybe the first time they used, they just snorted it, made a mistake, didn't realize that they would absolutely fall in love with the drug and never recover. The thought of the drug and how it makes them feel lingers in their brain throughout the hours of the day when those of us who are non-addicts think about girls or football or homework. It just becomes the drug. That's it.

Cognitive Dissonance

Festinger's article on cognitive dissonance was a great first article to read. By gaining insight to the "motivating effects of cognivitve dissonance," I was able to better understand what we would be learning about in this class. Cognitive dissonance affects us everyday; for example, I know I should go to my Stats and Crim classes today, but I know that cognitive dissonance will likely set in tonight because there is a good chance I won't attend one or more of those classes- partially because they're miserable and partially because I have a flag football game. Then I might stress a bit about it later, but not to any extreme. Too much cognitive dissonance can make a guy lose his mind, wouldn't want that to happen.

The Adderall Me

This article was very interesting. It is amazing to me that this medication can help you concentrate, focus, and be productive. I could not believe how many things the author said he was able to do in one day when taking the medication. It seems like something that every college student would want. However, when reading the article, I noticed the author mentioned the side effects of feeling groggy the next day. My roommate last semester was prescribed adderall. I noticed when she took it she got all of her homework done and was able to study for hours. However, I remember her complaining about losing her appetite for two days at a time and barely being able to sleep. It is kind of scary that some people have trouble getting anything done if they don't take their adderall. It almost sounds addictive. So, like the author said there is a price to pay for having a very productive day. I suppose if there were no side effects everyone would be taking adderall.
I never heard much about adderall until living on campus at college. I hear a lot of students talking about adderall and their school work, especially around the time of finals. I never thought much of it until now. I never really knew what its effects and side effects were, except for hearing what my roommate complained about. It seems almost like a bit of a miracle drug.

Breanne Bryson

My romance with ADHD meds

It is interesting to read an article about the use of ADHD medications throughout the years as a motivational assistant. Many college students use different variations of these ADHD medications for their own studying purposes. It helps increase focus and concentration on the intended subject. However, this becomes hazardous because there is always the chance of dependency. There is increasing prevalence of use within students because of the ease of access. Like the article said, it's one of the easiest disorders to fake. The tone of the article seems to only promote the drugs. In contrast, I think it is important to address this as a problem, for it has only grown in abuse over the years.

My Romance with ADHD meds

In terms of speaking about the article “My romance with ADHD meds” was quite impressive. For this type of drug to be misused is not shocking at all. The way it’s advertised would make anyone want it. Who wouldn’t want to increase their mental and cognitive abilities? Especially, if you’re a college student who thinks that it helps you get through exams, tests, or even finals. But that’s just one side of the medication. What’s really not being emphasized is the fact that this medicine can be dangerous if it is not prescribed to you by a physician.

You know this medication is not joke when it made a man kill his infant daughter then got away with it. Personally, this medication has too many side effects as well as long term effects for me to want to take it. Although, I’m a college student, I would not take this no matter what! People don’t realize that you can become psychologically dependent on this drug. Just like the writer Jack Kerouac who ended up with thrombophlebitis which is a blood clot in the vein that causes inflammation. So, although this was a good article I would not even think twice about taking any type a drug. Here is a video that explains what adderall is and what it does. In addition, there are some views from other college students who would take this drug. This is a very informative video so take a look. There are too many other ways to get good grades without the help of adderall!! STUDY BUDDY or even STUDY GROUPS but not the Study Pill it’s just not worth it!!!!

My romance with ADHD meds.

Ironically this situation has come up in my life recently, the decision of whether to take Adderall or not. I babysit for a doctor who was going to set up an appointment for me because of the symptoms I complain about when it comes to reading things. After reading this article it makes me glad that I did not schedule and appointment for this. The idea of Adderall seems like a great idea, I mean who does not want to succeed academically? Although I may be distracted easily I am sure that just about everybody could say the same about themselves when it comes to school work. Everybody has their own distractions because everybody has more than one thing on their mind. If this drug did not have the dangerous side effects it would just be too good to be true, life would be too easy, and everybody would take this drug. Sitting down and reading over a hundred pages without any distractions sounds like an amazing idea, but people need to decide is it really worth the side effects? Many students including myself can probably admit that they can't finish an assignment without checking their social networking sites, email, or any website. Being online while attempting work could lead to hours of procrastination. Keeping in mind the side effects you would think people would be turned off by this drug. However, this idea does not threaten most people because they think short term and how much easier it will make their life in that moment. I am not against Adderall people are always going to do what they want, they just need to realize they have a potential to get side effect from this drug.

The Adderall Me

When I was reading this article it made me think about back when I was in second grade and the doctors and school I attended were diagnosing me with ADD. I honestly do not know how people can take Adderall just to take it so the can get all their school work done in one night. I also do not know how people can go to the doctors and get Adderall prescribed to the in one appointment. Looking back at the process of me getting diagnosed, i had several doctors appointment and tests ran on me, for example, my parents had to take me to Rowan University and I had to have an about two hour psychological test ran on me. The process was not that easy to get Adderall, and when I did finally get diagnosed with ADD and the doctor prescribed me to Adderall, I got very sick. I took it in the morning before school, could not eat all day because it upset my stomach and took my appetite away, and when I finally got home from school I was so tired but could not sleep.

But then again, that was all done that was all done about fifteen years ago, so I know times have changed and it might be easier to get Adderall, especially with how much ADD and ADHD is over diagnosed these days.

STUDDY BUDDY ADDERALL

In the beginning of the article , i thought to myself : i could use Adderall myself. I mean if this drug can help me stay up longer and am able to finish my work; then why not. As a college student , i need all the extra energy i can get. Not only will this make me complete all my assignments, it can also improve my overall grade. This was my initial feelings about this drug , i didnt think about the kind of side effects if might have after i take it or the long term effects . The only thing i thought about was the advantages of being able to pass a class without much effort really. At the end of the article and also reading the comment posted by some readers , i began to re think my new love for the drug. All the side effects that came with it was unbelievable , it can even cause you to murder someone if is to the extreme addiction side. At the end , my thoughts of the drug is, if it wasnt addictive i would with no doubt try it and see what happens. I see Adderall as the magic drug for all college students but is it really worth the many side effects and its addiction ?? . Personally, i think not i would rather go through school with all the stress temporary than to be addicted to this drug for life. :)))

The Adderall Me

Reading this article made me think about what it would be like if I was to take Adderall. I thought about how much school work I can get done in one night just by taking a pill. I personally don’t think I would ever be able to take it though. To most people, Adderall is like a dream drug. I do know that Adderall isn’t an addictive drug but if you see how concentrated you are while taking why wouldn’t you take it every time you need to get work done? I feel like people are going to continually take the drug if it is helping them accomplish so much. I do understand that it is easier to concentrate while on Adderall but I could never do that. This is not an addictive drug but like with any drug taking it when there is no medical need for it can cause some types of damage. It is scary to think about how many people, knowing the side effects of this drug and any other drug, still take them.

The Adderall Me

This article about adderall was really poor not informative, I could probably even say I gained no knowledge from reading it. It basically stated a bunch of known people and authors who supported and used certain amphetamines. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but who cares? There are a ton of college students and/or regular working people worldwide that take adderall for recreational use on a daily basis. And it is not comsumed in the form of a pill either. Snorting and injecting are both faster ways to reach what the user is looking for. This article does not mention anything about the cons, or negative effects, that these types of drugs have. For example, nothing was said about how the central nervous system can be affected or any other possible health problems. In my opinion, it really did not give you any useful information. Personaloy, I have tried it in pill form and i do not think it had much of an effect on me. So, I can understand why people some people abuse it but I can also understand why people do not like it. With that being said, I believe adderall or amphetamines have different effects on each individual person. But,f it does not concern me, and "to each their own".

The Adderall Me

As i was reading this, I thought about how great it would be to take some Adderall with all the work I have coming up, but I don't think I could personally ever do it. You always hear about people who do take it, or people who have ADHD and should be taking it selling it to others who need to it write a paper. Its a pretty easy drug to get on a college campus. This 'crash' that your body feels afterwards is not something I would want to experience. Although the article stated that it is not highly addictive, it is still a drug so there is always that chance you could become addicted. Since this is a motivation class, I do not think you can be fully motivated if you are taking this drug. You may be more concentrated and willing to do work, as it says in the article "I feel less like myself." I feel like this is somewhat like cheating, since you aren't yourself when you take it. Regardless, it was way overused, especially in a college setting, and doesn't really seem to be this kind of 'miracle' drug that everyone think it is.