A is for Adderall: Moralizations of Illicit Prescription Stimulant use in College

With some brands receiving FDA approval starting in 2002, prescription stimulants, commonly referred to as Adderall, have been considered by the many they’ve been prescribed to as a life- changing drug that has supported individuals in better managing their everyday lives through addressing the chemical implications of ADHD. Soon after they became widely prescribed, stimulant prescriptions continued to not only gain popularity within the medical field but also recreationally. Colloquially known as “the study drug,” throughout the 21st century illicit prescription stimulant use has become increasingly popular amongst university students. However, unlike other substances seen on college campuses, Adderall is one of the only drugs associated with productivity when taken recreationally. In examining how various social groups and processes determine the cultural boundaries of acceptable versus unacceptable illicit prescription stimulant use, I argue that Adderall’s position on the moral spectrum of drug use is much more liminal than it is commonly understood to be. This paper then explores how social understandings of pleasure and productivity function to determine the acceptability of Adderall use, leading to new conceptualizations of how recreational use is culturally defined. To understand this I observe the influences to use, methods of obtaining and distributing, and contexts of taking stimulant prescriptions at the University of Oregon.