WHERE
Written by Claire Jones, Sara Kellner and Sarah Clinkscales
CAN
YOU
GO?
Adderall is classified as a Schedule II stimulant by the Drug Enforcement Agency, because of its high potential for abuse that could lead to severe chemical dependence.
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According to the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a nonprofit treatment provider, repeated doses Adderall can alter a person’s brain chemistry, forcing them to take more frequent and higher doses for it to work properly.
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So, what should a student do if they feel like their use has become problematic?
On campus
At Central Michigan University, CMCREW, or Central Michigan Collegiate Recovery, Education and Wellness was created to offer help to students with alcohol or drug addiction.
Program Supervisor Jessica Miller said CMCREW provides a judgment-free place to get help. The counselors are not there to criticize but to help set goals and meet them.
“Based on my experience, if they say they have a problem, the answer is very finger-waggy,’ you shouldn't do that, you know better,’” Miller said. “It's a one-size-fits-all answer. Here, we meet students where they’re at.”
She said CMCREW services are confidential, meaning the information will not make its way to an adviser or residence hall director. CMCREW is part of the Ten16 Recovery Network, a recovery program that has seven substance abuse treatment centers across Mid-Michigan. Miller and the other counselors at CMCREW are employed by Ten16, not CMU, which means they are not obligated to report anything to school officials. However, they may contact authorities if they feel the student is in danger.
Miller said she doesn’t see many students for issues with Adderall use, however, she knows that it's on campus and students use it. She said a lot of students who use Adderall may not view their use as a problem.
“If a student isn't experiencing any negative consequences for their substance use, they might not see it as a problem, even if they fit some criteria for stimulant use disorder,” Miller said.
Some of the criteria she noted included an increase in tolerance, catering their schedule to their use pattern (like scheduling classes and study session and friends and family begin to notice and mention the problem).
Some other signs of substance abuse that Miller mentioned were forgoing necessary expenses to purchase Adderall, changes in hygiene, neglecting relationships or classes or experiencing withdrawal symptoms.
“The biggest thing I’d be concerned about with Adderall is dosage,” she said. “When doctors are prescribing something, they’re looking at so many factors like blood workup, weight, family history… It concerns me because, what if somebody has an undiagnosed heart condition? What if there’s a history substance abuse in the family?”
CMCREW can be a helpful resource for students who need counseling, and it’s free for students to use. However, CMCREW can’t offer diagnosis or treatment for students. If a student requires a higher level of care, they may be referred to a community resource for more help.
In the community
There are two main resources in the city limits of Mount Pleasant: Addiction Solutions Counseling Center and Ten16 Recovery Network.
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Addiction Solutions is located off campus in Mount Pleasant and only provides some services needed to help someone dealing with addiction.
The ASCC offers outpatient psychiatric mental health and substance abuse services for adolescents and adults. Director of ASCC Whitney Feldhauser said the center has a caseload of about 200 clients at any one time, and about 30-40% are young students.
“My organization offers outpatient substance abuse and mental health treatment,” Feldhauser said. “This means we do not have medication or beds to stay like a detox or residential program. We offer groups and individuals. We also do prevention services, which is designed to help individuals who are not yet struggling with addiction but may be making high risk choices.”
The outpatient counseling provided is not with a psychiatrist or psychologist. Counseling, at ASCC is provided from counselors who have their MSW (Masters of Social Work) or LMSW (Licensed Masters of Social Work). Feldhauser says, everyone of her clinicians all acquired masters level social workers who are individually also certified as addiction specialists by the state of Michigan.
Addiction Solutions also offers two different counseling groups their patients can attend: An Intensive Relapse Program or a DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), which is an evidence-based psychotherapy that began with efforts to treat borderline personality disorder. There is evidence that DBT can be useful in treating mood disorders, suicidal ideation, and for change in behavioral patterns such as self-harm, and substance abuse.
“Everybody has their own rock-bottom. For some people its life or death, so it’s extremely important to get help. If you’re out there getting high, you’re just existing, but if you’re out there clean and sober you are living,” said Charlie Overstreet, a current employee at Ten16 Recovery Network, which is the only other recovery center located in Mt.Pleasant.
Ten16 Recovery Network provides resources for those who may have or are developing patterns that may become a problem towards an addiction.
Overstreet says, their goal is to return the addict to a productive member of society, but also emphasizes that they have to put in the work outside of treatment and they have to have the want to change.
The Mt. Pleasant location provides some services, as far as education, out-reach, counseling and prevention; but if the student is in need of social detox, residential treatment, or recovery help, those resources are located at the Midland location, which is about a 40-minute drive from campus.
Ten16 Recovery Network is one of the only rehabilitation centers who provides all of the following resources, detox, residential care, counseling, recovery center, recovery housing, supported employment, peer support, outreach, education, prevention, and collegiate recovery.
Although, Overstreet, said not very many people come into the facility addicted to adderall, he does occasionally, see adderall mixed with a cocktail of drugs. “Adderall is so easy to get, you can just go to the doctor, lie and get a prescription,” said Overstreet,
"At first it starts as a recreational thing, but then you don’t take it because it’s fun anymore, but because you’re dependent.”
The Mount Pleasant location provides prevention classes for those whose risky choices and behaviors indicate that a problem may be developing. They provide counseling for those who need guidance and extra help along the way, and they also provide resources in the community for anyone who wants help during the recovery process and needs information about substance use disorders and addiction.
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The Midland location provides more resources like, residential care, which is, in house, active treatments in a structured environment with a range of clinical interventions, social and recreational therapies and fellowship to build recovery life skills. They also provide a detox center, where it provides a safe place for patients to detox. It is a residential program that is clinically managed and medically monitored to help the client prepare for the next step in their recovery.
Overstreet, also used to be a client at the Ten16 Recovery Network before he became an employee. Being able to help other people with their sobriety has helped him stay sober, and has impacted others to want the same. “I get to see a part of myself, everyday, walk through that door, and they get to see what life can be like after they get sober, so it helps all of us,” said Overstreet.
If a student is trying to seek help and needs the extra amenities only the Midland location provides, this could be detrimental. Not every student has a way to get on and off campus which can play a huge role in a student choosing to get help, to ignoring the fact that they do.
Photo by Claire Jones
Symptoms of Adderall withdrawal can linger as short as five days or as long as three weeks, according to recovery.org.
At other universities
There’s no doubt that across the state, collegiate minds have recognized how serious the widespread use of drugs is among college students. Michigan State University, University of Michigan, and Western Michigan University have designed specific programs to address student drug abuse – both prescription and otherwise.
Dawn Kepler, Collegiate Recovery Community coordinator at MSU, said the program’s mission is to provide a safe and supportive campus community that students can recover from addiction while still focusing on school and getting that social support they need.
“Adderall isn’t really something we see often in this program,” Kepler said. “But I do believe it’s an underestimated issue that is affecting the health of students. Any medication is affecting your body.”
MSU senior Rachel Rayl was prescribed Adderall two years ago after struggling in college and almost being kicked out of the university. She discovered that she had undiagnosed mental illnesses, and needed prescription drugs like adderall to help her focus in school.
“I knew something was off, I couldn’t focus and I was struggling in school,” Rayl said.
Shortly after she went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
“I need Adderall to focus on school and actually concentrate, but I know I abuse it. I’ll go days without it and then when I need to get something done I’ll take more than I’m prescribed,” she said.
Carol Boyd, the director of the Center for the Study of Drugs, Alcohol, Smoking and Health in the School of Nursing at the University of Michigan has been studying the effects of substance abuse for 31 years. Boyd told The Michigan Daily that she doesn’t see why students think Adderall is less risky than other drugs, and students should still be concerned with the effects it could have on their health.
Rayl said that college students simply feel stressed and have a lot on their plate. Drugs like Adderall can help students feel like they’re more productive and managing their class loads, especially during finals week, she said.
Universities and college students are opening the door for conversations about Adderall abuse and resources that will help students manage their classes without relying on a stimulant.
Header image and map by Claire Jones