Australian University Students Rely on Drugs to Help Them Study by Worthington - Article Example

Title: Name: Institution: Date: The analysed article is from ABC Radio Australia, and it is authored by Worthington Elsie. It is posted on the ABC Radio Australia website, and it was last updated on October 23rd 2013. This article is about the Australian university students who heavily depend on drugs, so as to be able to study. The article is based on research done in Australian universities, and it is titled “New research finds Australian University students rely on drugs to help them study.” This article clearly portrays the evidence that most students in the universities of Australia indeed rely on drugs so as to boost their grades averages (Worthington, 2013). Drugs used to increase attention and alertness by ADHD patients like Ritalin is highly used by students before exams or even on big study days. University students do not struggle to find these drugs since they are readily available in the market and at a low cost (Worthington, 2013). The article was published so as to sensitize the universities students in Australia on dangers of using drugs and the effects of the same. This will also send an awareness message to the university authorities in Australia; this will help them in controlling the situation and will also help in teaching the university students on merits and demerits of drug abuse (Worthington, 2013). The university authorities should put up regulations and screening so as to know students who use drugs. This article would also be relevant to medical boards since it will create awareness. The medical boards should put up tight rules so as to ensure that medical practitioners and pharmacists do not sell drugs with no prescription especially to students. The drugs which are used by the students should not be sold over the counter so as to avoid abuse there should be strict prescription rules (Altheide, 2009). Although this article was researched in Australia University it is evident even in other countries like Germany and United States university students also uses drugs as a way of helping them study but in all this Australia is leading (Altheide, 2009). Most of university students use drugs to boost their performance and they believe that drugs help them work even harder. It is evident that this is happening to colleges and even in secondary schools since most students has access to drugs (Altheide, 2009). This article portrays a number of themes one of them being ignorance, most of university students assumes that by using drugs they will be able to tackle more work than they normally do, others uses drugs for increased attention and alertness. To university students’ drugs helps them in achieving their academic goal and so to them drugs are not as bad as we think since they help them pass their examinations (Ashworth, 2000). Although university students are highly trained they forget the other side of drugs, they got hooked with them thus becoming addicts. Once a student is addicted it becomes hard to concentrates on their studies without these drugs, they use stimulants to gain enough strength to enable them work extra time and when they are done they use depressants so as to sleep for a long time. University students are ignorant to the consequences (Ashworth, 2000).The University authorities have also failed since they should have put regulations that will help them keep the students away from these drugs. The university authorities should also be aware that university students uses drugs that are meant to cure diseases and help them study but instead uses these drugs as stimulants and depressants (Ashworth, 2000). Parents and guardian have also not played their role well since it is from their guidance and strictness that keeps students off drugs. Parents and guardians play a very vital role in bringing up a morally upright generation. They are ignorant because with university students taking drugs it is evident that there changes in behaviour and conduct. Parents and guardians should also be aware of certain tendency like over reading during examination papers (Bauman, 2004). The government is also ignorant in a way that it should put up very strict health boards to ensure that healthy practitioners and pharmacist do not sell drugs to students and any other person with no prescription. The government should come up with organisations that are governmental to teach youth and university students on dangers of using drugs (Bauman, 2004). Another theme that has been portrayed in this article is that of peer pressure. From a survey that was done in Australian Universities by ABC Radio Australia, it shows that this habit was started by medical students. The medical students have been taught about diseases and their cures so it is easy for them to know what to use. The medical students use Ritalin which is a stimulant and it is commonly used by patients suffering from ADHD to increase their concentration and attention (Becker, 1963). The medical students use the same drug on their big study days and on their examinations days to increase their alertness and thus abusing the named drug. Since survey shows that study drugs are highly used in Australia more than even Germany and the United States, it is evident that it is from medical students that all these theories emerged, and when the other students under taking different courses learn of drugs one can use to increase attention and alertness they join in even without clear information of what that drug cures and so they end up being addicts (Becker, 1963). Every year new students join university and finds theories of passing among other students without really working and so they join in just to be like the other students. Still the theme of drug abuse is also clearly noted, drug abuse is taking any drug without either doctors or pharmacist prescription, also taking drugs for the wrong purposes. From the research that was done by Dr. Mazanov Jason in his article, university students uses drugs to stimulate their brains so as to do more work than their ability (Marmo, Lint & Palmer, 2011). They also have to use valium so as to stabilise their brains and come back in normal sense, this hooks them on using drugs since they cannot study without them. Taking of drugs by university students does not mean that their potentials are fully utilized since one can still pass their examinations and even concentrate without drugs that mean they take drugs for the wrong reasons all together (Marmo, Lint & Palmer, 2011). The central argument in this article revolves around the drug abuse and academic doping amongst the youths especially the University students in Australia. This article clearly shows the ignorance amongst the students who indulge into certain behaviour and practices despite knowing the adverse effects of their actions and practices. In this case, academic doping mostly starts with the medical students; who know very well the effects of these drugs, and how to minimise the effects of the drugs (Wortley, 2004). Later on, this practice is passed on to other students of other pressurising courses like law and engineering, through peer pressure. Unknown to most of these students involved in academic doping is that, it is not necessarily for them to pass their exams just because they used the drugs and added more effort during the exam period, but that the effects of some of these drugs can haunt them for a long time. This is because, when the students get hooked to using these drugs, they can become addicted to them and not be able to cope up with the side effects of the drugs (Wortley, 2004). Using drugs like Ritalin pills which enhance concentration and alertness and take them later requires a drug like Valium, which is a depressant, to reduce the effects of Ritalin and bring them down. The central argument in this article is the wide spread use of academic doping in Australia, which has surpassed the use of drugs by University students in United States and Germany. This is a portrayal of what happens among the youths in the Australian society at large, due to ignorance, and peer pressure among the youths (Wortley, 2004). This practice of academic doping in Australian Universities as well as among the youths is indeed a moral panic in the society, which in turn, causes social disorder. Taking medicine as a way of enhancing and stimulating hard work among the students instead of taking the drugs because of being sick, amounts to drug abuse, which is, a deviant behaviour in the society (Wortley, 2004). From a contemporary social theory perspective as written by Emile Durkheim in the sociological theory, the society should have unity so as to achieve a common objective. According to Durkheim unity in the society will eliminate the evils in the society (Becker, 1963). Therefore, this will be very applicable in the issue at hand because it is the responsibility of each and every person to ensure that the society is free from negative influence. Therefore, this kind of moral panic has resulted from the actions of the individuals in the society which has led to influence among the university students and youths in general (Becker, 1963). Drug abuse in the society is rampant and is being done by people of all generations. Therefore, the youths are just taking it as a norm to use drugs in the company. The social theory requires harmony in a society but use of drugs is leading to disharmony in the society. The research shows that the society has failed in providing guidance to the youths. This has also shown that crimes among the youths have been on the rise because there are no role models in the society. References Altheide, D.L. (2009). Moral panic: From sociological concept to public discourse. Crime, Media, Culture, 5(1), 79–99. Ashworth, A. (2000). Is the criminal law a lost cause? Law Quarterly Review, 116, 225–256. Bauman, Z. (2004). Wasted lives: Modernity and its outcasts. Cambridge: Polity Press. Becker, H.S. (1963). Outsiders: Studies in the sociology of deviance. New York: Free Press. Marmo, M, Lint, D.E, & Palmer, D. (2011). Crime and Justice: A guide to criminology. Sydney: Thompson Reuters. Wortley, R. (2004). Psychology Criminology: An interactive approach. Sydney: Fishpond World Ltd. Worthington, E. (2013). “New research finds Australian University students rely on drugs to help them study: ABC Radio Australia. Available: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-10- 24/academic-doping-on-the-rise/5042278 Read More