Study drugs in the USA
How much pressure is too much pressure? Family, friends, social events, hobbies, a job and outstanding grades – how much is too much for the average teenager? Nevertheless, does the enormous pressure justify the use of ‘’smart pills’’? What about ethics and standards? To the head of the class, but at what price? The non-fiction text ‘’Do ‘study’ Drugs’ Breed a Nation of Winners or – Cheaters?’’ written by David Sack and published in 2012 shows a great example of this increasing issue.
That guides me to the genre and sender of the text, which is a non-fiction article written by David Sack. The article was published on Huffington Post website on July 19, 2012. The article is probably intended for young people/students to read, to show them the many consequences of ‘’study drugs/smart pills’’. The article is relevant due to the lack of knowledge on the topic ‘’study drugs’’, which is teenage students consuming prescription drugs to gain higher grades in school. The topic is conveyed negatively because it mostly focuses on the consequences instead of the good things.
That leads me to the structure of the non-fiction text. In the beginning of the article, the author describes the current situation in USA by writing: ‘’ Is this obsession with achievement equipping our children for real life? Or are they simply getting the message that it’s no longer about how they play the game, but about winning at all costs? ‘’. Sack then explains the term ‘’study drugs’’/‘’smart pills’’ followed by him explaining the consequences of using the drugs.
He then talks about statistics – cooperation instead of competition: ‘’ It not only feels better to live, play and work in an environment where no one loses, but it is more likely to breed achievement, research suggests.’’ Sack ends his article with a better solution: ‘’ We need a new definition of intelligence based not only on academic prowess but also emotional intelligence, life skills and other abilities – and a new definition of success based on a young person’s health and satisfaction rather than the name of the college they’ll be a ending.’’
This structure shows how Sack explains the problem, explains the consequences of the problem, shows scientific data and then makes a better solution.
However, there is one thing that Sack does not write very detailed about - why the drugs are necessary. However, in the radio broadcast an anonymous girl explains that she felt lack of concentration without the ‘’study drugs’’ and that she would listen to music or watch television instead of anything productive. The radio broadcast also explains what kind of drugs it can be and how you can get them. For example, it can be a student with ADHD, who gets 60 pills a month (2 per day), but does not take them and then gives or sells them to other students. A source online also shows the struggle that drove her to the drugs: ‘’ something inside of me that sparked the drive to be independently successful died, and I swallowed the pills.’’
This leads me to the language of the article. First thing to mention is the sentence structure. There is both readily understandable sentences like ‘‘Studies show 1 in 4 college students have misused ADHD medications.’’. Then there are sentences that are more complicated like ‘’ “Study drugs”, which include 40 Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin and Focalin, have been classified as Schedule II controlled substances (in the same class as cocaine) by the Drug Enforcement Administration because they have high potential for abuse. ’’ Sack is very generalizing in his arguments: ‘’ Performance-enhancing drugs used to be a “sports” problem. Now they are an issue for anyone who wants to stay competitive in school.’’. Sack also uses metaphors when he writes: ‘’ or are they simply getting the message that it’s no longer about how they play the game, but about winning at all costs?’’, because he refers to education as a game you can win or lose. He also makes a connection with the reader when writing ‘’our children’’, ‘’we’re so afraid’’, ‘’which could ultimately cost us’’.
In my opinion, I would say that the pressure is to extreme when big amounts of students start using drugs to score higher grades. Students need to be in a cooperative environment instead of a competitive one, because it is too much if you cannot win without others failing. David Sack explains himself very well in the non-fiction text in a way everybody can understand by using both understandable and complicated sentences whilst using an ‘’academic language’’.

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[ 1 ]. P. 1, l. 5-6
[ 2 ]. P. 2, l. 51-52
[ 3 ]. P. 2, l. 67-69
[ 4 ]. Renee Montagne, ’’More students turning illegally to ‘smart’ drugs’’, National Public Radio website, February 5, 2009 (www.npr.org)
[ 5 ]. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/06/10/education/stimulants-student-voices.html?_r=2&#/4#1
[ 6 ]. P. 2, l. 40-43
[ 7 ]. P. 1, l. 10-11
[ 8 ]. P. 1, l. 5-6