It’s a parent’s worst nightmare – your child becoming addicted to drug. Even worse – being addicted to a drug that was once meant to help them (prescription), but now is making their lives spiral out of control.
Adderall has been around for a long time. It’s a prescription medication prescribed to help people who suffer from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). It is prescribed for both children and adults.
Adderall can be addicting if taken improperly. Some people have found that taking Adderall, even when you don’t suffer from ADHD, can give you a “high” feeling because it’s a amphetamine (stimulant). Some college students use it to help them lose weight because it can suppress your appetite. People also abuse it to help them to increase alertness and ability to focus, provides them with energy, and makes them more social.
Our daughter told us a few times that kids at the high school (she graduated a few years ago) talked about Adderall, and some people talked about buying it from other kids.
It’s a shame that kids do that. Even worse, kids who legitimately need to take Adderall are selling off their prescriptions to classmates. It’s a horrible situation that is playing out in schools and colleges across the country.
A new film that is currently available on VOD (Video on Demand) shows what can happen when you are addicted to drugs, specifically Adderall. The film is called ADDicted.
The writer and director of this film, Dan Jenski, came up with the idea for this film when he was in college. He saw first hand how the drug became essential to students, as his friends would go to extreme measures to obtain it. After he saw how dangerous this drug addition can be, he wrote the screenplay for ADDicted to send a very important message. The film brings to light the illicit and highly dangerous use of the prescription medication that two-third’s of college students (and even high school students) have been offered at one time or another.
“ As you hear about people who have been affected and their stories, and you hear statistics about the people on it and the sales, you start to see that there is something going on here and feel really impassioned to speak about something deeper,” says Jenski. “I just feel that a lot of people need help balancing themselves, being healthy
and making the right decisions. Not being so stressed. Adderall is a very intense drug that people become addicted to because it allows them to sustain a level that wouldn’t normally be sustained. I just want to help people help themselves with this”.
ADDicted stars Kathleen Quinlan ( Apollo 13, Event Horizon), Gil Bellows ( The Shawshank Redemption, Criminal Minds), Luke Guldan (The Good Place, Law & Order), Lauren Sweetser ( Winter’s Bone, NCIS: Los Angeles) and Taylor Black ( Midnight, Texas, Lucifer ).
Like most college kids, Drew’s life is chaotic. Demanding classes. Football. Finals. A bad break-up. An overbearing
mother. But what helps keep him balanced is his Adderall, a prescription he’s been on since age 10 for ADD. But now he finds himself suspended from the football team for plagiarism. As his life starts to spiral out of control, he turns to his professor, but is it too late? What will it take for Drew to find peace with himself instead of a pill bottle?
The film is rated PG-14 and has a run time of 109 minutes (just under two hours).
Here is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
I had the opportunity to screen ADDicted.
ADDicted could easily be found on something like the Lifetime Channel. I’m NOT infering that it’s a wishy-washy, wholesome, feel good movie because it’s NOT. It’s a serious film about an even more serious problem. I’m just saying that it plays off more like a made for t.v. movie then something you would see on the big screen. And I think the film makers are well aware of that, which is why it was made available on VOD. I’m NOT saying it’s not a good movie. I just don’t think it would have done that well in the movie theater.
This is a well written, and well acted, film which highlights the downside of being addicted to drugs such as Addertall. It can not only ruin your life, but it also can ruin the lives of those around you. The downside to the addition to Adderall effects all those around you – just like second hand smoke when you smoke cigarettes. You might not think it has an effect, but it does.
Luke Guldan does an outstanding job portraying the Adderall addicted/drug dealing Drew Dawson. He’s very convincing in his role. You can “feel” his emotions, most especially when his life is completely spiraling out of control.
Our daughter watched the film with us. The only thing she focused on is how good looking Luke Guldan was. LOL!
It was great to see Kathleen Quinlan again. I know she’s done movies and television appearances over the years, but the last film I personally have seen her in was 2006’s The Hills Have Eyes.
This is a great film that I think should be seen in high schools and colleges across the country. I think teens and young adults NEED to see the downside to taking Adderall. It might seem like it’s helping them, but the reality is that they are heading in a bad direction.
If you would like to learn more about this film, check out it’s official Facebook page.
Do you know anyone who has been addicted to Adderall? Feel free to share your stories.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener copy to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.