But what I did not understand was a mighty lengthy article called the “Brain Gain: The underground world of “neuroenchancing drugs.” Funny enough though the article talks about college students and workaholics taking things like Adderall and Provigil to stay up late nights and work themselves to death, it only mentions drug abuse once…when referring to the title of someone being quoted.
Apparently, when poor people use drugs, it’s called drug abuse but when rich people do it to get smarter, it’s called “neuroenchancement.” It’s called “steroids for your brain.” The article was quite cavalier about a future will neurologists will become “quality-of-life consultants,” whose role will be “to provide information while abrogating final responsibility for these decisions to patients.” So forget getting your ADHD medications from your dorm drug dealer, your doctor will soon get in on this game, too?
One DRUG ADDICT quoted said that taking neuroenchancing drugs was much like people who took antidepressants for mood disorders or depression: “it was important to enhance their mood, so they took antidepressants; but for people like him it was more important ‘to increase mental horsepower.'” Ah, the rationalizations. What a world!
Memoirs of a Jewminicana 
I’m in law school and the number of people that use Adderall is ridiculous. I prefer to study sans drugs (including no caffeine), and using Adderall and other similar drugs is a dangerous game- especially when you see students coming down off them during exams, and essentially pass out.
Most students say the pressure is too high, the only way they can learn is to take the drugs, everyone else does them, so its the only way they can compete, etc. However, when midterms were over, and some those peers were taking Ritalin or Adderall to get through the day, then Ambien, or Ativan or some other downer to get them to sleep, clearly its not just a recreational thing. I know that the pressure here is bad, but it won’t get easier in the real world, so I think I’m better off forming positive stress relief habits (like going to the gym).
I really think that pharmaceuticals are valuable and important- when prescribed and when you actually need them. Using them recreationally takes away from their value, and the good that they do for society.
Also your blog is great, I’m really enjoying it, keep up the good work!
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