AHS Views

The trend of using Adderall or Ritalin in high schools, colleges - and with adults - is growing. While OxyContin and Vicodin get most of the press, the need for addiction help for prescription stimulants will grow along with the increased use.

Adderall is abused by one in five high school students and, in some colleges, as many as one in three use Adderall. It is commonly used as a study aid but many people use it for weight loss. In fact, it is currently being popularized by some female celebrities who use Adderall to keep their weight down. When the general population hears and sees things like this they flock to it. It’s no different than Michael Jordan made Nike and Air Jordans famous or Jane Fonda popularizing aerobics.

Paris Hilton has admitted to using Adderall, and I very much doubt she’s depending on an ADHD diagnosis to get it.

Using Ritaln or Adderral for weight loss is dangerous and you have the potential for some nasty side effects – one of which may be eventually needing addiction help. When teenagers or housewives see someone like Paris Hilton getting skinny and staying skinny, they want the same thing.

Some people may also use cocaine for weight control – although it can be expensive for some people and they might use methamphetamines instead. Teenage girls know meth is a weight loss tool, but they don’t realize how addictive or dangerous it is. Adderall and Ritalin are not the same as meth, but they are very similar and are still addictive and dangerous.

If you know someone who is using prescription stimulants get them the addiction help services they need. There are other ways to control weight, and there are other ways to succeed in school. You don’t have to turn into a drug addict in the process.