“I sometimes take a study drug after school, just to be able to get my homework done without falling asleep and waking up still at my desk with dried drool on my face,” said an anonymous student at San Luis Obispo High School.  Students here are taking extreme measures to be able to balance school, family, friends, sports, and everything else going on in a busy teen’s life.

Juggling the daily routine of waking up, school, homework, sports, homework again, and sleep, one teen here at SLOHS resorts to drastic measures to find the time to get things done well and in good time, school work.  The only way the student is able to have enough energy after school and sports, getting home past nine o’clock every night are study drugs, the number one to use, Adderall.  After confirming with other students here, it seems to be a growing habit.  According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) students are two times more likely to abuse Adderall than people that are not in school.

To me, this seems like the school’s fault.  They push tons of homework and encourage students to become athletes, not thinking of the stress it has on all of us. Being between the ages of 13-18 here at SLOHS, we have a considerable amount on our plates to handle.  For myself, balancing a language, Advance Placement (AP) English, AP Physics, History, and many other classes makes it hard to spend quality time with family and friends, let alone have time to myself for my own personal needs.  We put  great pressure on our shoulders and expect these kids to be able to handle it all.  Most of us end up sleep deprived, crying, or worse, using drugs to cope with all the stress.

I believe the school needs to reevaluate how much time they are pushing students to devote to school while balancing extra-curricular activities along with sports. If students need to use drugs to stay on track, that seems like a problem that needs to be resolved.