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The comments in this thread seem to suggest a reasonable subset of people here partake. Is there any reason you feel the need to? I went to a pretty rough col

The comments in this thread seem to suggest a reasonable subset of people here partake. Is there any reason you feel the need to? I went to a pretty rough college where I had standard 24 hour straight homework sessions once or twice a week. And I used caffeine maybe once a week at most. I work at a startup where the work culture isn't as competitive as what I feel is the norm, but even listening to friends at there does not seem to be such a ridiculous need for overclocking yourself. I just seem to have never done work that was hard enough to push me to require drugs, and it's not because I haven't done hard work. Most work seems to be either you just put in the 40 hours it takes to solve it or it hasn't been solved.

Unklejoe 10y ago
There are a few reasons why someone would abuse Adderall. One of the first reasons that sticks out to me is that it motivates you to get things done, especially things that would otherwise be boring and repetitive. For example, something like fixing formatting errors in 100,000 lines code. As for why you never felt the need to use it, my guess is that maybe you're more secure with yourself than some other people. There's an incredible push to become "successful" these days (partly due to social media I guess), so I can see why some people resort to Adderall to give themselves a leg up. Of course, I’m talking about people who don’t have ADHD and are taking it simply to augment their performance.
forgetsusername 10y ago
>Is there any reason you feel the need to? Everyone here is a misunderstood genius with ADHD.
MichaelGG 10y ago
But have you tried using amphetamines while working? Perhaps you don't know what you're really capable of. I know people that are fine, happy, productive. But on speed, they are amazed at how much more capable they are. Apart from psychosis or heart issues, why should anyone settle for being less powerful?
- TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
  "Apart from psychosis or heart issues"
- drjesusphd 10y ago
  For me, dependency and increased expectations. If I have to take drugs to succeed, then I'm stuck taking drugs throughout my career. The earlier in a career, the worse of a problem this is. Which is why I think doing this as a student to enhance academic performance is a particularly bad idea. You're in school to prove to yourself and others what you're capable of. Doing so with drugs that you're not willing to take for the rest of your life is only lying to yourself.
cs2818 10y ago
I'm prescribed Adderall. While being treated for depression my doctor identified it as something that might be helpful for me. Contrary to the sentiment that these medications are just some kind of super energy drink, I find regular therapeutic use actually leads to less work hours and reduced stress for me.
TTPrograms 10y ago
Some people do their work. Some people are their work. For the latter group it's hard to deny an opportunity to be better and to do more.
killbrad 10y ago
Yeah, it seems like nearly every commenter on this article has indicated they are on some sort of prescription stimulant, yikes.
WhyIsTriangle 10y ago
> Is there any reason you feel the need to? I can't cope with boredom. It feels like a prolonged low intensity panic attack to me. I will do almost anything to avoid it. In a work environment that includes making bad choices merely to avoid putting myself in situations where I might have to do boring things. I think ADHD is actually under diagnosed and a lot of people would be happier if they were taking medication for it. That's probably the reason the people this article cites are trying to self medicate for it. If it wasn't a problem they wouldn't be looking for a solution.

Unklejoe 10y ago

There are a few reasons why someone would abuse Adderall. One of the first reasons that sticks out to me is that it motivates you to get things done, especially things that would otherwise be boring and repetitive. For example, something like fixing formatting errors in 100,000 lines code. As for why you never felt the need to use it, my guess is that maybe you're more secure with yourself than some other people. There's an incredible push to become "successful" these days (partly due to social media I guess), so I can see why some people resort to Adderall to give themselves a leg up. Of course, I’m talking about people who don’t have ADHD and are taking it simply to augment their performance.

forgetsusername 10y ago

>Is there any reason you feel the need to? Everyone here is a misunderstood genius with ADHD.

MichaelGG 10y ago

But have you tried using amphetamines while working? Perhaps you don't know what you're really capable of. I know people that are fine, happy, productive. But on speed, they are amazed at how much more capable they are. Apart from psychosis or heart issues, why should anyone settle for being less powerful?

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
"Apart from psychosis or heart issues"
drjesusphd 10y ago
For me, dependency and increased expectations. If I have to take drugs to succeed, then I'm stuck taking drugs throughout my career. The earlier in a career, the worse of a problem this is. Which is why I think doing this as a student to enhance academic performance is a particularly bad idea. You're in school to prove to yourself and others what you're capable of. Doing so with drugs that you're not willing to take for the rest of your life is only lying to yourself.

cs2818 10y ago

I'm prescribed Adderall. While being treated for depression my doctor identified it as something that might be helpful for me. Contrary to the sentiment that these medications are just some kind of super energy drink, I find regular therapeutic use actually leads to less work hours and reduced stress for me.

TTPrograms 10y ago

Some people do their work. Some people are their work. For the latter group it's hard to deny an opportunity to be better and to do more.

killbrad 10y ago

Yeah, it seems like nearly every commenter on this article has indicated they are on some sort of prescription stimulant, yikes.

WhyIsTriangle 10y ago

> Is there any reason you feel the need to? I can't cope with boredom. It feels like a prolonged low intensity panic attack to me. I will do almost anything to avoid it. In a work environment that includes making bad choices merely to avoid putting myself in situations where I might have to do boring things. I think ADHD is actually under diagnosed and a lot of people would be happier if they were taking medication for it. That's probably the reason the people this article cites are trying to self medicate for it. If it wasn't a problem they wouldn't be looking for a solution.