Tim asked:


about a month ago i started taking adderall from a friend who gets a script for ADD. I took it at first just to see what it would do because most of what i heard was good, even from doctors. I am 17 and regularly smoke pot (regularly means ALOT) and in the past 6 months started doing other drugs that I could find easily such as painkillers and hallucinogens.

I am very smart and I know the risk of this and i see that I am not going in the right direction but if you have ever done this you realize that even if you understand it is bad you get caught up in it anyway. I used to keep my social life away from my family but recently my mom has found out about my pot use and thinks that I might be doing harder drugs, now she is worried(i understand) and has signed me up with counselors and care managers…(you know the usual that teenagers hate) my father has a history of extreme alcoholism and this worry my parents even more.

I myself have some mental issues that i deal with, being the oldest brother of my 4 siblings gives me much responsibility and I take on even more because my dad doesn’t live with us. being as my dad has so many issues that are genetically passed on such as depression, I feel like I regularly get depressed but have never been treated. Also my parents divorce happened when I was very young, so my younger siblings dont even remember it. my brothers and sister grew up with my parents always apart but I feel like this is one thing that always can get me depressed(**** now i am sad)

Okay back to my adderall question. Given my lifestyle I am wondering if this is something I should ask my counselor or doctor about. This is my last year in high school and I am applied to college for the upcoming fall my grades have never been great due to lack of motivation blah blah blah, i take honors classes and i get Bs in them because i dont want to put in work but taking adderall helps motivate me, get rid of my random onsets of depression. Also taking adderall gets rid of the desire to abuse drugs. after taking it for about a week I noticed I stopped smoking pot and didn’t even
notice.(along with the pot went the harder drugs too)

I feel like looking into adderall is more of a lifestyle decision based on how my life goes.
I know that adderall is a dangerous drug in itself and I have over dosed on it while partying and know its effects. I have taking it many different ways and I realized that I like just taking it by mouth like it is supposed to be taken and them i am happy and focused for majority of the day.

When doing drugs you always want more, but adderall doesnt leave me wanting more and I feel like it could be a good way to get away from drugs and focus on schoolwork. I havent mentioned this to anyone yet because i feel like everyone who knows me will think it is just another substance that I want to start abusing but I think it might have some benefits and this is why I am asking.

-i forgot to write this up top but also I have tried to stop smoking pot and other drugs but I felt depressed, and i had 1000x nervous energy that I just couldnt handle. I couldnt do anything that required me to do something mellow for more than 5 minutes.
-Also due to my dads alcoholism I have always done my best not to drink. I have gotten a pretty good grasp on drinking and I have reached the point where i can be in a house full of people drinking and i dont feel any urge at all.(granted i will be doing something else)
i know that taking meds that arent mine is illegal, but that obviously wasnt an issue for me seeing as i have taken presctiption narcotics to get high many times.

but all drugs are prescribed for a reason and i just want to know if I have a valid reason for taking it.
i know that taking meds that arent mine is illegal, but that obviously wasnt an issue for me seeing as i have taken presctiption narcotics to get high many times.

but all drugs are prescribed for a reason and i just want to know if I have a valid reason for taking it. also another reason i like taking it is because it gets me off all of the other narcotics and even pot.

Peter