I'm not talking about steroids or human growth hormone, since we're all not pro athletes. But we are professional engineers, using our brains, and a lot of people are talking drugs to enhance that part of the body. It turns out, according to Scientific American, an ever growing number of students, leaders of the industry, and professors are taking drugs to give themselves a little edge. Energy drinks, coffee and other caffeine delivery products are not even what they're all using. Most are taking prescription Ritalin, Adderal, Modafinil, Methylphenidate, Provigil, any pill for ADD/ADHD. The result, superior focus, energy, a competitive edge. The regular hapless salary man, tired at all times, will never compare to that young go getter hocked up on Ritalin and Red Bull.
We don't approve of such activities in our sports, but we turn our backs everywhere else. Writers have been doing this for centuries, for example. Hemmingway, Warhol, Hunter S. Thompson, R. Crumb, and most musicians have taken some Mood altering consumable that lead to moments of inspiration and creativity that have shaped our culture.
Does all this mean we have to start doping to get ahead? And if we're prescribed these pill legally, is that still bad? Though doing this is not frowned upon like in sports, it does still give a bad connotation. However, we all do it to some degree, if only in a mild sense. All those coffee pick me ups, the 5 hour energy supplements, anything with the word "boost" printed on the label.
20% of academics, according to the journal Nature, have admitted to using some sort of stimulant. 7% of students too. 73% of poker players use substances to stay focused. Nearly 100% of truck drivers are on something. Once you apply the word "drug" to stimulants it's immediately evil and illegal. But, which is worse, alchohol and cigarettes or Adderal for someone's body? I think I would rather have someone on Modafinil driving behind me than drunk.
Intellectuals are doing it, and they're smart, right? How do you feel about doping for the job?
Cabe
