For my final piece of writing in summer class, I was supposed to report on a problem that has, is, or always will be prevalent among college students. Some chose to report on the rape issue, some chose to report on crazed-gunmen who roam random campuses firing at will, some chose to write about students with drinking problems, and I chose stimulant abuse.
I love BL because I can always count on getting intelligent, useful responses from my BL buddies (well, some of you...) Anyway, if you are a college student who uses a stimulant (meth, pharm speed, ritalin, cocaine) for ANY REASON (except for ADHD), I wanna know about it. So read on, and answer a few quick questions please. Your answers will go toward education. All of these drugs discussed below, for all practical purposes, will be referred to as "speed." And yes I know, cocaine is not speed! It will be referred to as such in this thread.
I. Are you in college? Yes
II. Is stimulant abuse common at your college? No, amphetamines used by less than 3% as shown in recent poll
III. What country or what part of the US do you attend college? West Coast, Central CA
1. Have you ever used any of these drugs: cocaine, Ritalin (or generics), Adderall (or generics), Focalin, Dexedrine or another form of dextro-amp such as Vyvanse, or methamphetamine (street dope, called crank, zip, tweak, etc).
I have used Ritalin/Conerta, Adderall (IR and XR), and propylhexedrine (extracted from nasal inhalers).
2. If yes, was it to give you a "push" through your studies and hard work? Or was it purely for fun (i.e. taking speed at a party for increased stamina).
I've very occasionally taken speed recreationally , such as for a party, but more usually if I use it I do so to help get through multi-day cramming sessions, or very long essays.
3. If you use this drug recreationally, explain why you choose to use this drug, i.e. tell me how it "gets you off."
It helps ward off tiredness, and increases my sociability, the standard effects of stimulants. However, I have found that is rarely worth the comedown I experience, and if I need a booster, I will be more inclined to use caffeine or betel nut.
4. Many of my college friends refer to IR Adderall as "Study Buddies." Would you agree with this nickname? Have they benefited your academic work in any way?
Adderall can definitely help my studies in the short term, but it is not something that I feel would be helpful to use daily, as the side effects would outweigh the benefits. I have found such stimulants most useful for concentrating a large volume of work into a very small ( or not study-advantageous) time frame.
5. IN YOUR OPINION / EXPERIENCE, are men more prone to abusing speed than women? I don't want facts or statistics, I want educated opinions and first-hand knowledge.
I have known more male stimulant users than female stimulant users, of which I know very few, so I do not have any opinion on this matter.
6. Do you have a stimulant of choice? Is there one that simply cannot be beat?
For a powerful stimulant, I have found Adderall XR to be the most enjoyable and useful for studying, whereas propylhexedrine would be my favorite "recreational" stimulant, as I find it to be the most euphoric, but also the least energizing. However, if I don't want to risk a comedown, I will often use betel nut, which I have found to be a fantastic day-to-day study aid.
7. How do you usually take your stimulants? Do you simply swallow it, or do you snort or inject, or in the case of meth, smoke it?
I've only ever consumed stimulants orally, as I have found snorting (such as with ritalin) to be less productive, as the effects peak and diminish too quickly)
8. Have you ever tried to curb your stimulant use and were unable to do so?
No, my stimulant use is very occasional, since I cannot enjoy it more than once every so often without getting unspeakably bad comedowns, although recently I've found a way to avoid the worst of them.
9. If yes, have you suffered any ill effects (i.e. weight loss, chronic insomnia, poor hygiene, or psychosis / bizarre behavior due to excessive use)?
Other than ocasionally altered sleep patterns directly following use, or the occasional side effects of 2.5 days of sleeplessness (such as mild delusions of hearing noises such as closing doors, or my name being called), no other affects have been noted, and certainly no long term effects.
10. Lastly, how does your stimulant abuse make you feel? Guilty? Cool? Indifferent (don't give a fuck either way)? Other emotions?
Directly following my comedown, I feel generally guilty about numerous aspects of my life, but after some experience Ive come to realize that this is merely a reaction to low neurotransmitter levels, and I have learned to at least try to be skeptical of my thoughts while my frame of mind. Otherwise, I view it as a behavior which I have been able to control, and use to my advantage. At no time have I ever been concerned about my stimulant use.
Thank you for your time; with your input I will turn in another brilliantly written report on drug abuse.
"Bonus" Question: What is your opinion of the so-called "War On Drugs"?
I second the OP, it's an unspeakably misguided waste of money and resources, to say nothing of the injustices it perpetrates in the name of saving society and people from themselves. As long as real crimes are being perpetrated, the drug war will be the absolute lowest priority for a society, and in its current form it will always be an imposition on personal freedoms.
