Perfection in a Pill
Abusing stimulants at Colby
Chelsea Eakin
Issue date: 4/29/09 Section: Features
Editor's note: Though using fictitious names is not common practice at the Echo, the following story uses pseudonyms (Ian, John and Jessica) for students who agreed to talk with the newspaper for this article. The students wished to remain anonymous because of the stigma and illegality surrounding their actions.
Emily Bradford '11 was on top of the world.
A member of the National Honor Society, Class Council, environmental club, curriculum planning and school improvement committees, this straight-A high school senior and valedictorian was a model student.
But Emily's hyper-involvement took its toll, leaving her tired and stressed.
Then she discovered stimulants.
Most days before school, Emily took Concerta, a stimulant prescribed to people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "It makes you feel completely alert and like you don't need anything-food or sleep," she said. "Your body temperature increases, you're super focused and feel like you can do anything."
"It was the perfect easy way out," she said.
Emily didn't have a prescription; she got the 24mg pills from a friend who sold them for $3 apiece, which was much less expensive than cocaine, the first stimulant she tried.
She had discovered an edge that allowed her to maintain a work hard, play hard lifestyle. She took Concerta in the morning because the extended-release tablets work on the body throughout the day. At night, she popped Adderall, another attention deficit disorder (ADD) drug, to stay up and party. When she needed to sleep, Emily took Seroquel, a prescription drug she also got from a friend.
But after a year of abusing stimulants and sleep aids, Emily began to suffer side effects. She became more dependent on the drugs, and when she couldn't get them was frustrated, moody and short-tempered with her family and friends. The high school senior also knew she did not want to continue her addiction in college.
During her freshman year at Colby, Emily quickly realized that her experience with cocaine, ecstasy and prescription drugs wasn't perceived as "cool" by her fellow classmates. "I made a total ass of myself, shocking people with things I had done."
Emily Bradford '11 was on top of the world.
A member of the National Honor Society, Class Council, environmental club, curriculum planning and school improvement committees, this straight-A high school senior and valedictorian was a model student.
But Emily's hyper-involvement took its toll, leaving her tired and stressed.
Then she discovered stimulants.
Most days before school, Emily took Concerta, a stimulant prescribed to people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). "It makes you feel completely alert and like you don't need anything-food or sleep," she said. "Your body temperature increases, you're super focused and feel like you can do anything."
"It was the perfect easy way out," she said.
Emily didn't have a prescription; she got the 24mg pills from a friend who sold them for $3 apiece, which was much less expensive than cocaine, the first stimulant she tried.
She had discovered an edge that allowed her to maintain a work hard, play hard lifestyle. She took Concerta in the morning because the extended-release tablets work on the body throughout the day. At night, she popped Adderall, another attention deficit disorder (ADD) drug, to stay up and party. When she needed to sleep, Emily took Seroquel, a prescription drug she also got from a friend.
But after a year of abusing stimulants and sleep aids, Emily began to suffer side effects. She became more dependent on the drugs, and when she couldn't get them was frustrated, moody and short-tempered with her family and friends. The high school senior also knew she did not want to continue her addiction in college.
During her freshman year at Colby, Emily quickly realized that her experience with cocaine, ecstasy and prescription drugs wasn't perceived as "cool" by her fellow classmates. "I made a total ass of myself, shocking people with things I had done."
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