Mind Boosters

Mind Boosters

During recent years there has been a significant rise of concern regarding the usage of cognitive enhancing drugs among healthy individuals. The stimulant drugs of Adderall and Ritalin, which originally is prescribed for those who have been diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, are primary examples of so-called "smart drugs" that are taken by students to improve their concentration for the task at hand. There has been much debate on whether or not a student's usage of the drug should be regulated by their university through a system of testing. Although many people share the opinion of enforcing some form of urine analysis before every exam, I contemplate this solution to be financially irresponsible. I consider the argument of regulating cognitive enhancing drugs among students to be strictly a personal matter that should not have to deal with sudden impulse reactions by the university through its drastic attempt to voice their concern. I believe the university should avoid the conclusion of setting rules and regulations due mainly to the fact most students resort to the use of mind stimulating drugs with foremost intentions to increase their grades, gain a competitive edge over their classmates or to increase their capacity for knowledge.

We currently live in a society that demands perfection. So many people grow up in a family that does not accept a lack of motivation, which inevitably builds their desire of success throughout high school. However, many people do not realize how many distractions surround the individual each day when they graduate onto college. I imagine the stress of these various distractions that one may encounter is the gateway that leads many people to experiment with cognitive enhancing drugs due to their overwhelming fear of failure. Hence, if there is a way to assist one's focus on their schoolwork and lowers the chances of personal disappointment, then why not give it a shot.

However, many people with some knowledge of prescriptions that energize the brain often disagree with the acceptance of taking a drug for the sole purpose of boosting an individual's grades. One of the major factors of Adderall is its ability to lead to a serious procrastination state of mind, which means people usually end up taking an enhancement for the main purpose of cramming for an exam the night before. I personally know a few people that partake in the use of Adderall, and they literally never study i...