The Effects of Mixing Alcohol & Adderall
What is Adderall?
Adderall is a stimulant drug that helps with the symptoms of ADHD and other attention deficit disorders. It is commonly known as the "study drug." People prescribed to ADHD use the drug adderall to help their concentration, reduce impulsivity, and lessen hyperactivity. People who do not need the medication for ADHD, use the drug to increase their performance in school, athletics, or even, in some cases, their social life. This drug is most commonly abused in college campuses to increase school performance and to abuse with other substances in a party scenery, such as alcohol.
Why Mix Alcohol and Adderall?
When mixing alcohol with adderall, it is found that the depressive effects of alcohol are reduced, compared to drinking alcohol alone. Adderall is taken before or during drinking to reduce the "sleepy, drunk-like" feeling that happens when drinking too much alcohol. It helps people to continue to party instead of feeling sleepy or passing out. Since adderall dulls the symptoms of being drunk, people become unaware of how much they actually had to drink.
What are the Dangers?
Most people do not understand the risks that come with mixing alcohol and adderall. People have no idea how they can be harming themselves; most people think there are no risks at all. They look at it as just a fun way to party, not realizing what it can do to them in the long run. It is important for people to realize that abusing Adderall with alcohol to increase their alcohol consumption can result in unhealthy, dangerous amounts of alcohol. Adderall is a stimulant and alcohol is a depressant. Most people think that means they cancel each other out; that is a huge mistake. The stimulant and depressant actually compete with each other, which can be a serious risk. This can lead to over drinking, which can lead to bad behaviors and potential alcohol poisoning.
Short and Long Term Effects
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
- Severe Depression
Physical Effects from Short Term Use
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- Headaches
Chronic Physical Effects from Long Term Use
- Convulsions
- Irregular Heart Beat
- Fevers
- Malnutrition/weight loss
- Tremors/muscle twitching
Safety
When drinking, alcohol and adderall is never a safe option. You should always pace yourself when drinking, drink water in between alcoholic beverages, and eating before and during the night while drinking. Adderall should also only be taken when prescribed. Even if you have a prescription for adderall it should not be taken while drinking. Mixing alcohol and adderall is a combination full of effects that can effect you for the rest of your life.
References
Stocker, Steve. "Why Adderall and Alcohol Do Not Mix." Medication. National Institute of Drug Abuse, 28 Dec. 2009. Web. 5 Apr. 2015.
I know, after reading your post, that adderall(stimulant), helps students have a calming and focus effect. You can further your research by checking how stimulants work in the brain and if prescribing at an early age can maybe increase the risk of abusing other substances. I think its great that you talked about this because its a really big problem not only in school, but around most of the states. Great job.
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends always takes adderall while drinking and now I understand why she gets really messed up. I did not know these side affects of taking adderall with alcohol. Thank you for informing me! This was a good blog and very interesting. It is interesting that adderall has similar side affects as cocaine, I never knew that.
ReplyDeleteGood blog entry! This was informative to me because I did not know how many students took performance-enhancing drugs to do better in school. It was very clear that the risk of alcohol poisoning increases when mixing alcohol and Adderall because humans become less aware of how much they drink when on Adderall. I was wondering how the stimulant (Adderall) and depressant (alcohol) compete with each other and how it affects the body/brain? Also, how much more alcohol, on average, do college students drink when on Adderall? Great entry though!
ReplyDeleteVery informative i have heard of adderall but i only heard of it being used in sports but i never knew that students used for school as well. Your blogs shows that there needs to be more education not just about drugs but mixing them also because some kids are just looking for fun and don't know the harm they are doing to themselves.
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