Professional Counter-Strike player: ‘We were all on Adderall’

North American professional Counter-Strike: Global Offensive player Kory Semphis” Friesen has admitted to taking Adderall during tournaments, claiming the drug is pervasive among competitors at eSports events.

Motherboard reports on an interview with Friesen by Youtube Channel Launders Cstrike. Friesen states bluntly that everyone participating in the Counter-Strike competitions he’s attended took the amphetamine – known to be abused by those looking to keep concentration for long periods of time.

I don’t even care. We were all on Adderall. I don’t even give a fuck,” Friesen said. It was pretty obvious if you listened to the [team chat]. People can hate it or whatever.”

Earlier this year, ESL’s managing director Michal Blicharz told Eurogamer that drug abuse wasn’t a major issue for the organization.

"I do know players who take Valium to calm their nerves, but that’s the extent of it," Blicharz stated. "I don’t think that as a whole, players reach for drugs thinking that they will improve performance."