I don’t know if this is still as prevalent, because it’s been a while since I graced a university campus, but I remember that back in the day some students would crush their Ritalin and hoover it up their nostrils.

Well, according to a TimesLive article, Ritalin abuse is rampant right across the country. A study from the University of Pretoria says that one in six undergraduates are using it, despite the fact that ‘only 3% of users had been diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder’.

The study also said that a third of users obtained the medication illegally, whilst others bought theirs on campus:

Ryan Joseph*, a final-year student, has a prescription from a doctor for his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and has been on Ritalin for nine years, but he does not take it regularly and sells his supply to other students. “They openly approach me,” he said, “and my medical aid pays, so whatever I sell it for is a profit.”

Students hey, such a resourceful bunch. Another learner below:

“I asked my mom to try help me get a prescription and she said ‘no’. Some use it for studying, others use it recreationally – they take it with alcohol, or crush it and sniff it, and put it in their dope,” said [Anita] Cousins.

Ah, so that is still going on.

Here’s just how worried some experts are:

Dr Jacques Malan, a psychiatrist with a special interest in substance abuse, said he had seen extreme cases where a user was taking 30 Ritalin tablets a day.

Some students “will use anything they believe will enhance their performance – even something highly regulated with strong side effects”.

He described Ritalin as a “milder form of tik” but said general practitioners and psychiatrists were writing prescriptions with “very little proper assessment”. Some patients with ADHD might cross over into addiction.

Comparing it to tik seems a little hardcore, but whatever happened to good old-fashioned hard work?

Happy studying guys and girls, say no to (prescription) drugs.

[source:timeslive]