Use of performance enhancing drugs is banned in traditional sports. Testing positive for steroids as a professional athlete leads to disqualification and serious–potentially irreparable–damage to your public image. But when it comes to esports, stimulant abuse is the elephant in the room. The role of performance enhancing drugs in esports has been acknowledged by both gaming communities and mainstream media. However, apart from ESL’s decision to begin drug testing players last year, no other party has been willing to commit time, money, or resources to address stimulant use among professional gamers. If players become dependent on drugs to function, their careers are seriously jeopardized.

Sign up to get the best content of the week, and great gaming deals, as picked by the editors. Clearing up misunderstandings about Adderall and other stimulants, and the risks of using them if you don’t have ADHD. “We were all on Adderall,” Kory “SEMPHIS” Friesen said in an interview with YouTube interviewerMohan “Launders” Govindasamy. Friesen was referring to a $250,000 prize tournament in Poland that took place in March 2015, where he competed with a prominent eSports group, Cloud9 .

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For me I feel that drinking a cup of coffee before playing helps me remain alert and focused better than adderall did. Caffeine doesnt give me the jittery feeling that adderall also gave me. The news comes after pro Counter-Strike player Kory “SEMPHIS” Friesen recently admitted that he and other members of his Cloud9 team used Adderall during a major tournament in March, where players competed for $250,000 in prize money.

And that’s why, in eSports, the performance-enhancing drug of choice is Adderall. Before becoming an analyst in 2020, I spent eight years as a reporter covering consumer tech news. Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. I’m PCMag’s expert on fitness and smart home technology, and I’ve written more than 6,000 articles and reviews in the 10-plus years I’ve been here. I unbox, set up, test, and review a wide range of consumer tech products from my home in Florida, often with the help of my pitbull Bradley.

• At the same time, eSports has emerged as a major-league spectator sport, rivaling professional sporting events in size by selling out giant arenas and attracting millions of viewers in-person and virtually.
• There’s no evidence that ADHD medication makes you better at videogames, however.
• Most of the usage however is pretty hidden in plain sight, with only anecdotal evidence and the occasional player slipping up about its usage.
• When it comes to drug use in competitive gaming, there’s no shortage of blurred lines and grey areas, especially if we start talking about nootropics in esports.
• Former “Gears of War” pro gamer (and current “Fortnite” streamer) Jimmy Moreno — known as “HighDistortion” —added that at least “half the players” in the GoW community are using the drug.

There’s a placebo effect involved too, with the expectation that a ‘magic pill’ can make you better resulting in increased confidence. That’s definitely a worry for people with heart problems, and one of the reasons a GP is typically consulted before treatment. medications for treating alcohol dependence The Recovery Village aims to improve the quality of life for people struggling with substance use or mental health disorder with fact-based content about the nature of behavioral health conditions, treatment options and their related outcomes.

Even our own editor recall to using it recreationally during DreamHack over a decade ago just to stay awake for the event. He also recalls esports players using the same “batch” during the event. Dr. Dodson compares the effect prescription stimulants have on neurotypical people to that of a couple of cups of coffee. The effect feels more dramatic, but there’s a huge gulf between feeling smarter and more alert and actually performing better.

Performance Enhancing Drugs: Adderall Abuse in Esports

On top of Huke’s admission, a number of other current Call of Duty players have came forward in response. Both Austin ‘SlasheR’ Liddicoat, Doug “Censor” Martin and Patrick “ACHES” Price among others, came out calling for the League to take action and tackle this issue. ESL hasn’t administered any tests at three tournaments since they’ve started screening, according to OTL, and as Gilbert said, they are still just one of many organizing bodies running tournaments in the exploding eSports world. “Nobody talks about it because everyone is on it,” he said, adding that he witnessed Adderall abuse “very frequently” at events.

If you have ADHD, Adderall aims to help calm you down and focus on the world in front of you. PCMag.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering lab-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services. Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology. Following a recent Adderall scandal, the Electronic Sports League , a top eSports organization, is cracking down on the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Despite how large it has become, the eSports industry continues to only cite players that hack or fix matches for cheating.

It’s Not Against the Rules

Prescription stimulant abuse in esports takes away from how viewers appreciate player talent, especially when it comes to the court of public opinion. But even if gamers find the use of stimulants ‘unfair,’ many more will admit to playing games while under the influence. Some people think smoking pot, another substance ESL looks for during their drug testing, makes them better at their game of choice. Are here’s why you wake up early after a night of drinking suburban dads who light up a joint before queueing for a game of Dota a threat to competitive integrity? When it comes to drug use in competitive gaming, there’s no shortage of blurred lines and grey areas, especially if we start talking about nootropics in esports. A significant percentage of the population, especially in North America, is prescribed focus-enhancing drugs because they actually need them.

We publish material that is researched, cited, edited and reviewed by licensed medical professionals. The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be used in place of the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare providers. ESports competitions mirror professional sports tournaments in production. Casters offer commentary on gameplay and analyst desks provide post-game analysis of gameplay and players.

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I’m also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. Meanwhile, abusing amphetamines like Adderall can dangerously increase heart rate and blood pressure and can cause anxiety and other negative side effects. ESPN’s dive into Adderall abuse comes just one day after the network launched their own dedicated eSports vertical.

Personally, I’ve been lucky with side effects and the main one I experience is simply a dry mouth. However, people who have increased heart rate and anxiety experience them more as dosage increases, and there’s no medical professional helping esports players ensure they’re taking the right amount of pills. Most leagues and games have opted to give an exception in the case of prescription drugs.

Former “Gears of War” pro gamer (and current “Fortnite” streamer) Jimmy Moreno — known as “HighDistortion” —added that at least “half the players” in the GoW community are using the drug. Pro gamers are turning to drugs like Adderall and Ritalin to improve their focus and reflexes during league competitions. It’s surprising that these new rules against performance-enhancing drugs took so long—perhaps a case of argumentum ad populum or the “well, everyone else does it” fallacy.

I’m a member of the excessive caffeine fraction, and ritaline did not really help me while studying when i tried it. The one time i took adderall and played cs I felt like i was “in the zone” but didn’t seem to have a notcieable differnce in my performance. After a while it became too much and my brain was going too fast and overthinking everything. Like i said i felt like i was “in the zone” when really I was just all over the place.

Adam “Killa” Sloss, a well-known Call of Duty competitor, spoke to The Washington Post about the usage of Adderall in esports, and how often it is abused during competitions. Adderall is often prescribed by doctors to help treat patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It’s a known secret that students take it to pull all-nighters for cramming sessions, but in recent years, it has become the drug for esports competitors. Adderall, Ritalin, Dexedrine and other CNS stimulants are a common recreational drug to increase mental efficiency and performance. It’s used by students of many levels to provide for increased focus to complete projects and papers in short time-periods.

“Adderall is a prescription stimulant, so one of the first effects it will have is increased alertness, similar to caffeine,” says psychologist Dr. Ari Tuckman. One of its effects is to keep you awake, but people alcoholism and the blame cycle also take it due to a belief that it improves concentration. As Dr. Tuckman explains, “Folks with ADHD use prescription stimulants because it also helps with focusing attention and resisting distractions.”