Justin is a 27 year old man that came to my office one day seeking help because of his longstanding addiction to Adderall. Adderall along with Ritalin and Concerta are known as “uppers,” “stimulants” or “speed.” Justin had been addicted for approximately 3 years. He went on to tell me, “It’s all I wanted. It did not matter how much it cost me. The fact is that I love the feeling I get when I am high on speed. My friend that gave me my first “addie” (another name for Adderall) told me that there was no ‘big come down’ when the drug started to wear off.” Justin continued telling me, “Well, my friend lied. There was a big come down for me after a four-day binge and a full prescription of sixty, 30mg tablets.” Justin went on to tell me, “I felt that I could not do anything or finish anything without being high on Adderall. The truth of the matter was that I could not finish anything. I would start something, and I was going so fast, having too many things going on at once, that nothing truly ever got done.

Whether it was pills, speed, weed, acid, or heroin, the truth was that I was too busy looking for the next high to ever complete anything.” Justin went on to explain that he was arrested and placed in prison. There in prison he realized that there had to be something different out there. He told me that he finally understood that something in his life had to change and that he could not do it in his own power. During his prison stay Justin trusted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and started to work a program that was called “Reformers Unanimous.” After he was released from prison he came to see me to help him deal with some of the damage that had occurred because of his drug abuse. I was recommended to him by the RU director at my church where Justin was now attending. At the writing of this article Justin is still faithful to Friday night RU as well as the services held at the local church. He actually is involved in the Bus Ministry at the church and loving every minute.
In our next installment we will look at the neuro-chemical effect that uppers have on the brain and the body.