Have you ever taken Adderall? I greatly suspect you have not.
People who fight chronic akrasia because of varoius degrees of ADHD and related mental disorders have a different response to stimulants than “normal” individuals. For me, Adderall puts me into cool, calm, clear focus. The kind of productive mode of being that most people get into by drinking a cup of coffee (except coffee makes me jittery and unfocused). Being on Adderall is just… “normal.” Indeed the first time I tried it I thought the dose was too low because I didn’t feel a thing.. until 8 hours later when I realized I was still cranking away good code and able to focus instead of my normal bouts of mid-day akrasia. I could probably count on my hands the number of times I had a full day of highly focused work without feeling stress or burn-out afterwards… now it’s the new normal :)
For such people low-dose amphetamines don’t provide any high, nor are they accompanied by some sort of berserker productivity binge like popular media displays. In the correct dosages they also don’t seem to come with any addiction or withdraw—I go off of it without any problems, other than reverting to the normal, viscous cycles of distraction and akrasia. (This isn’t just anecdotal data—the incidence rate of Adderall addiction among those following the prescribed plan is lost in the backround noise of people who are abusing in these trials.)
Honestly, see a psychiatrist that specializes in these things and talk to them about your inability to focus, your history of trouble in completing complex, long tasks, how this is affecting your career and personal growth goals, etc. Be honest about your shortcomings, and chances are they will work with you to find a treatment plan that truly helps you. You’re not manipulating anybody.
Seriously, ADHD is a real mental disorder. Your first step should be to recognize it as such, and accept the fact that you might actually have a real medical condition that needs treatment. You’re not manipulating the system, you’re exactly the kind of person the system is trying to help! Prescription drugs are for more than just people who hear voices...
You are correct that I have not taken Adderall, or any other amphetamines. I would probably be less hesitant if I already knew how I reacted to them.
I do fully recognize ADD/ADHD as real, though. I have spent a great deal of time around people with it. Some are very, very severely impacted. (I have to laugh a bit whenever I see implications that it’s somehow ‘fake’- it can be about as subtle as a broken bone.)
But my familiarity with it is also part of the reason why I have never really considered the possibility of having it. Even measured against ‘normal’ people, I seem to be very productive, and when I compare my difficulties with those of people I know with ADHD… It seems like mine would have to be a relatively mild case, or there would need to be some factor that is mitigating its impact.
That said, from a hereditary perspective it would be a little weird if I don’t have it to some degree. The situation and low cost of asking basically demand that I give it further investigation, at least.
Have you ever taken Adderall? I greatly suspect you have not.
People who fight chronic akrasia because of varoius degrees of ADHD and related mental disorders have a different response to stimulants than “normal” individuals. For me, Adderall puts me into cool, calm, clear focus. The kind of productive mode of being that most people get into by drinking a cup of coffee (except coffee makes me jittery and unfocused). Being on Adderall is just… “normal.” Indeed the first time I tried it I thought the dose was too low because I didn’t feel a thing.. until 8 hours later when I realized I was still cranking away good code and able to focus instead of my normal bouts of mid-day akrasia. I could probably count on my hands the number of times I had a full day of highly focused work without feeling stress or burn-out afterwards… now it’s the new normal :)
For such people low-dose amphetamines don’t provide any high, nor are they accompanied by some sort of berserker productivity binge like popular media displays. In the correct dosages they also don’t seem to come with any addiction or withdraw—I go off of it without any problems, other than reverting to the normal, viscous cycles of distraction and akrasia. (This isn’t just anecdotal data—the incidence rate of Adderall addiction among those following the prescribed plan is lost in the backround noise of people who are abusing in these trials.)
Honestly, see a psychiatrist that specializes in these things and talk to them about your inability to focus, your history of trouble in completing complex, long tasks, how this is affecting your career and personal growth goals, etc. Be honest about your shortcomings, and chances are they will work with you to find a treatment plan that truly helps you. You’re not manipulating anybody.
Seriously, ADHD is a real mental disorder. Your first step should be to recognize it as such, and accept the fact that you might actually have a real medical condition that needs treatment. You’re not manipulating the system, you’re exactly the kind of person the system is trying to help! Prescription drugs are for more than just people who hear voices...
You are correct that I have not taken Adderall, or any other amphetamines. I would probably be less hesitant if I already knew how I reacted to them.
I do fully recognize ADD/ADHD as real, though. I have spent a great deal of time around people with it. Some are very, very severely impacted. (I have to laugh a bit whenever I see implications that it’s somehow ‘fake’- it can be about as subtle as a broken bone.)
But my familiarity with it is also part of the reason why I have never really considered the possibility of having it. Even measured against ‘normal’ people, I seem to be very productive, and when I compare my difficulties with those of people I know with ADHD… It seems like mine would have to be a relatively mild case, or there would need to be some factor that is mitigating its impact.
That said, from a hereditary perspective it would be a little weird if I don’t have it to some degree. The situation and low cost of asking basically demand that I give it further investigation, at least.