Wellness

Cease Your Ritalin Addiction, Please.

by Ashley Fern
Stocksy

Congratu-f*cking-lations America, we are now responsible for 90% of Ritalin consumption in the world. We all knew our ADD-generation was out of control, but this is a beyond alarming statistic.

You think Percocets and coke are the most prevalent drugs among Gen-Y? Amphetamines, such as Adderall and Ritalin, seem to be this age group’s drug of choice. What’s worse is as more people are “diagnosed” with ADD, the younger these drugs are being prescribed.

“Methylphenidate, the active ingredient in Ritalin, is indeed very similar to cocaine. Both drugs use the same receptor site in the brain, give the same 'high,' and in medical research are used interchangeably.”

American children are the most medicated bunch in the world and this sh*t needs to end. This pill is essentially a legalized version of cocaine. According to The Washington Times, four million children and teens in America are currently taking Ritalin. They further go on to explain how similar Ritalin and cocaine are in nature:

”Even when Ritalin is used as a prescription drug, it may have severe effects including nervousness, insomnia, anorexia, loss of appetite, pulse changes, heart problems and weight loss. The manufacturer says it is a drug of dependency.”

You think that 85 you got on your test is worth the pounding headache behind your eyes for the next 3 days? The lack of sleep that is a result of its use can actually drive a person crazy, trust me I’ve been there and it sure as hell ain’t pretty.

Let’s take a gander at some of the ways people get prescribed Ritalin. It is no secret that teachers in this lovely country get a sh*t salary; so it should not shock you that what they are willing to put up with in the classroom is minimal. No one who is making that kind of salary is about to tolerate an 8-year-old boy going bat sh*t crazy during lecture. First off, an 8-year-old boy is not trying to listen to a lecture, he would rather pick his nose and stick it on the girl sitting in front of him. This is not ADD, this is typical adolescent behavior.

Guess what? College students lie to get this handy little script because it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than buying it off that frat douche that is ripping you off. We all have that one friend who just seems to have an endless supply of stimulants who does not even have ADD. They have another “illness” and we call that scheming.

“Ritalin abuse and addiction are here to stay as long as the drug is prescribed so widely across the world. Research will likely continue on the trends of Ritalin addiction.”

Parents are using their children to get Ritalin prescriptions for their own personal usage, i.e. weight loss. This is a huge side effect and a driving force behind why so many lie to get the drug.

For some reason, everyone feels the need to be under the influence of some medication these days. Regardless of what is “ailing” us at any given moment, there is some pill out there to correct the “problem.” Of course there are some people that need medication to function in society, but the amount of people who abuse this is appalling. As we become more aware of this rapidly increasing problem, hopefully it can start to be diminished.