\Taylor and I have been discussing plots and possible options on the more creative side of our film, and we have come to the conclusion that we will be utilizing a drug that has effected many close people to both of us. Adderall.
Dictionary and science version Adderall is, "Amphetamine and dextroamphetamine are central nervous system stimulants that affect chemicals in the brain and nerves that contribute to hyperactivity and impulse control. Adderall is used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)." https://www.drugs.com/adderall.html
And in human terms I can understand, this is a major drug that overstimulates the dopamine centers of the brain in order to allow those with learning disorders like ADHD to focus and be brought to homeostasis in the brain. However, I live in a world that does not utilize this drug in the way it has been intended for use.
The synthetic drug problem at my school has become overwhelmingly bad in the past two years and I have lost a couple of friends due to this shift in the drugs at my school. Before I used to just have friends that would get stoned, but now I have friends addicted to these major drugs like Adderall, Cocaine, and LSD. Both Taylor and I have seen this major shift, and to make our film as close to real life as possible, we decided to study the drug we find is taking over our school which is Adderall.
We have friends at school who obviously do not take Adderall for the right reasons, but why? Well, from personal experiences, we have found those that we know who take the drug take it for study reasons, to work all night without sleep with focus, for SAT/ACT study days and test days, and to just overall function because of dependency on the drug.
I interviewed my therapist I see once a week, Dr. Alexandra Victoria (She's my homegirl I love her so much we have the best conversations), about the topic of Adderall abuse. She told me all about how adderall all effects the body. She says for the people that actually need the drug it is a blessing because it gives them the focus they need to be what is known as "normal focus." She then went into the people who use it for the wrong reasons. She said,
"When the brain is overstimulated with this drug over long periods of time, it can result in the body forgetting how to make its own dopamine relating back to the emotional state of a person. With the overstimulation there are side effects of high anxiety, depression, and being irritable. Then when people try to get off of the drug they go through a withdrawal period where their body is reteaching itself to make its own dopamine which makes the drug so addictive when used improperly. Adderall is a amphetamine just like Meth which people don't realize. People on and recovering from Adderall tend to like I said be very easily triggered due to their anxiety or irritable state and tend to be robotic in a way because their emotions are all mixed up. Neurotransmitters are directly linked to emotions so it all is connected."
After that interview I did a little more research on the drug my own with Taylor.
Here are some facts I found from some other sources:
http://www.amphetaminerisks.com/how-amphetamine-use-can-affect-emotional-health
"Possible mental and emotional health issues that may develop with amphetamine use include the following:
- Panic
- Paranoia
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Hallucinations
- Aggression
- Psychotic disorders (being “out of touch” with reality)
- Anxiety
- Suicidal tendencies
- Violent behaviors
In addition to these mental health issues, amphetamine use may cause chronic sleep deprivation with all its obstructing emotional effects, leading to problems at work, school or in relationships."
Also, because of the fact I that Taylor and I are not legally owners of the name Adderall, we cannot use the drug's trademarked name in our trailers/project. So I took the liberty of searching what the street names of Adderall are... and to my surprise Indiana University already had a page on Adderall listing its alternate/street names.
Indiana University Study: On the street Adderall® is known as beans, black beauties, dexies, pep pills, speed, and uppers.
Taylor and I then proceeded to look up peoples personal experiences with the drug. This way when we develop our character we have a better idea of how we can have our actor/actress act and behave with our creative directions we see.
Here are some of the personal stories we found from http://adderalladdictionsupport.com/adderall-addiction-stories/
1) I would stay up until 4-5am and then go to work at 9am – then on the weekends i’d literally sleep ALL day bcuz my body was so worn out from going to bed so late, but i’d still stay up til 4am every night (even weekends).
Anyways, i was a mess. I lost like 35lbs (miss that part of it), fought with everyone (which i never did before), became terribly depressed, angry all the time. Basically was at the lowest point i’d ever been.
2) …my current state of withdrawal has me like a zombie, headaches, puking, almost constantly sleeping or being tired, lack of motivation and energy, fever, being angry and snappish, and lack of any other emotion.
!!!!This One Is The Most Impactful To Our Trailer/Movie Ideas!!!
3) I have never regretted something so much in my life. I ended a two year relationship that had potential before I went away to college after graduating high school. I almost ruined another relationship with an amazing guy because of my stupid addiction to this drug. It sucked the personality/life right out of me and made me ‘not me’. I stopped giving a **** about relationships and only wanted to focus on myself and my grades and my future. My goofy, loving, upbeat, bubbly and compassionate personality turned into a stone wall. I would do anything to take this back…I think about what my life would have been like if I hadn’t been abusing this drug.
Overall, Taylor and I feel like we can now do a better job portraying the drug and its effects with all of the extensive research we have done.
Until Next Time,
-Asher
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