College Students’ Adderall Abuse Trends on Twitter During Finals

In a 6-month study led by health science professor Carl Hanson of Brigham Young University, enough tweets about Adderall contained GPS location data to help researchers to group them into geographical clusters. Guess where most of them were located….

They were clustered around universities with a student population of 10,000 or more. Surprise! Okay, maybe not. Especially when you consider that most college students use Adderall as a study aid, not a weekend party drug.  More research needs to be done to determine the level of substance abuse.

Other interesting facts:

  • Usage of the drug peaked on Wednesdays when students feel the most academic pressure and tapered off on the weekend.
  • Tweeting about Adderall was most common in the Northeast and in the South with Vermont, Massachusetts and Alabama being the highest and Texas, Central Illinois and Northern California following.
  • Tweeting about Adderall tended to spike in mid-December and in late April when most students are in the middle of finals.
  • Tweets tend to be the lowest at Christmas and May 27th, showing that most students really are taking the drug as a study aide and that some students  feel the need for a boost when spending vacation time with family.
  • The higher rates in the southeast and in the south may be due to the firmly rooted Green system that has well-known rates of illicit prescription drug use.
  • A tenth of the tweets also mentioned other drugs, stimulants and other prescriptions.
  • Many of the tweets were about the side effects of the drug, such as sleep deprivation.
  • 4,275 tweets quoted pop songs that mention Adderall.

When you recognize harmful patterns and seek treatment, you can increase your chances of leading a healthier life. Cliffside Malibu is here to support you in your search for an alcohol-free life. We believe you deserve to have a private, comfortable and luxurious environment as you navigate your journey to a sober life. Our center allows you to explore your mental health needs, creates a treatment plan that is unique to you and allows you to discover beneficial coping skills. To learn more about alcohol treatment at Cliffside Malibu, call (855) 403-5641.