“Drugs” are what Walter and Jesse cook, b*tch. “Abusing drugs” is shooting up heroin in a back alleyway and only wearing long-sleeved shirts to cover up tracks. Traditionally, it is not calmly swallowing a pill before sitting down at a desk to finish an assignment.

I would be a liar if I said I was unaware of the black market world of prescription drugs. In high school, my peers would pop Adderall before an arduous Advanced Placement exam or a taxing all-nighter. In a sense, taking a test or writing a paper after railing Ritalin is the same as professional athletes competing while using steroids. It is an illegal advantage.

But in my competitive Bay Area hometown, it never seemed taboo. In fact, my peers and I described drugs like Adderall or Ritalin as “legal cocaine.”

High school and college students nationwide are abusing prescription drugs. With access to a wealth of information (thank you, Internet), it is easy to “self-diagnose” and thus “self-prescribe.”

It is no wonder, either. Prescription drugs are easy to obtain. According to a survey conducted by the Chicago Tribune, 70 percent of responders got their drugs from a friend or relative.

Even though it is simple to look up common side effects on WebMD, a person never truly knows how a drug will affect his or her body. When dealing with something as serious as bodily reactions, the risks of prescription drugs outweigh the short-lived benefits.

In high school, stimulants were about as common as Starbucks drinks. As my friends and I aged, more drugs were brought to the table. Anti-anxiety medication, like Xanax, became a staple. At parties, people were no longer solely getting hammered, but now getting “barred out.”

Painkillers were especially popular with the boys. After wisdom teeth removal, boys had access to Vicodin prescriptions and would hang onto remaining pills long after the pain from surgery had gone away. Even without a regular prescription, it was not hard to find these drugs. And it was even easier to get hooked.

The “hangovers” from these other substances are comparable with those from alcohol — but worse. In addition to the standard blackout, a person’s emotional state can and usually will plummet the next day. There is no Bloody Mary cure for a night of popping pills.

During my senior year of high school, my friend took a high dosage of Adderall to finish a term paper in one night. He did not sleep at all. And to avoid the looming morning crash, he downed a triple-shot espresso before class.

He was shaking in English class and his heart rate was going unnaturally fast. Since we sat next to each other, I noticed his bizarre behavior and told him that he should go home and get some sleep. It took him a few days to get back on his regular grind.

Syracuse University is very blatant about their policies in regard to cheating and academic integrity. No, using substances is not the same as peering over a classmate’s shoulder, but it does cross a line since productivity levels are artificially heightened.

While at college, I have not abused any prescription medication. I have a weak tolerance to anything. Simply drinking a coffee propels me into an uncontrollable, hyperactive state. Instead of becoming focused or productive, I usually become overwhelmed and ridden with anxiety. Not the desired effect and certainly not worth it.

When it comes to prescription drugs, I steer clear not because I am actively afraid of dying. Instead, I steer clear because I am afraid of a reaction gone wrong.

That being said, I do believe that people who genuinely have symptoms of disorders and have legal prescriptions to medications are not “cheating the system.” I also believe patients benefit from drugs. The argument of whether Americans are legally abusing prescription drugs is one for another time.

Meg Zukin is a freshman television, radio and film major. Her column appears every Wednesday in Pulp. Email her at mtzukin@syr.edu and follow her on Twitter at @MargaretTZukin.

Published on January 21, 2014 at 10:16 pm