All I hear about lately from my Adderall-addicted friends, whom I secretly refer to as “Addericts,” is the Adderall shortage. A huge percentage of my peers take Adderall, and few of them have been tested for it. The ones who have say they “know how to fail” the Adderall test in order to get a prescription.

My friends are not hyperactive and don’t really get distracted. Two of the biggest reasons, besides studying, that they claim they take this drug are: one, to give them extra energy, and two, to decrease their appetite.

Since I can remember, I have heard, “Oh, your generation just takes a pill for everything.” And it is so true. They wake up and pop a pill. Some of them don’t even get out of bed as they take it.

I, myself, took Adderall a few times during college, and it probably did help me with my grades. Kristen Jenkins put it well in a 2007 article titled “Adderall – College Students’ Best Friend – Or Worst Enemy?” when she said, “Athletes that use steroids are kicked off their sports teams because they are assumed to have an unfair advantage.” So isn’t this the same general principle?

Many students would reply, “Yes.” I remember my friends saying things like, “Oh, I could never pass the class without it.”

Well, I have been asking around, and I have heard all sorts of answers: “I wouldn’t be able to get up in the morning,” or, “I would fall asleep at my desk and lose my job,” and, “I would get fat.” I have a couple of friends who aren’t in college and don’t have jobs that are taking this pill.

I think if people want more energy and want to lose weight, they should try going to the gym. Working out gives you energy and helps your heart. Adderall does the opposite.

And according to Adderallsideeffects.org, “Adderall has a high potential for abuse and addiction. In the body, it acts as does the serious drug, methylphenidate, and can cause seizures, heart attacks, high blood pressure, stroke and death. The risk for this is even higher when the product is being abused by someone who has not been prescribed it.”

So, while I see how the Adderall shortage is a problem for people who do desperately need it, I think those using it recreationally should get off their butts and solve their “problems” in a healthier way.

Maggie Kessler attended the University of Alabama in 2005.