Many Scientists Using Performance Enhancing Drugs

docinthemachine is one of several readers to send word of a new poll published in Nature showing unprecedented levels of cognitive performance-enhancing drug abuse by top academic scientists. The poll, conducted among subscribers to Nature, surveyed 1,400 scientists from 60 nations (70% from the US). 20% reported using performance-enhancing drugs. Among the drug-using population, 62% used Ritalin, 44% used Provigil, and 15% used beta-blockers like Inderal. Frequency of use was evenly divided among those who used drugs daily, weekly, monthly, and once a year. All such use without a prescription is illegal.

Comments

"So long as you do it yourself "

[circletimessquare]

which is my whole point. give me a random sport, say javelin throws. various guys try it, a few are really good at it. they get recognition for this

now some other guys enhance. they get the recognition. but it becomes known they achieved their glory via enhancement. two things happen:
1. people think less of their individual achievement
2. people think less of the entire sport of javelin throwing

this is not a moral or prudish point, its a simply logical point: if something takes less effort to achieve, it is less remarkable. if you enhance to achieve something, something anyone can do, what you did becomes less remarkable, YOU become less remarkable. the entire field you are competing in, if enhancement is widespread, becomes less remarkable. and finally, the whole idea of human achievement becomes less remarkable. oh, so you can throw a javelin? well, if i bulked up on steroids, i can probably throw further than you, so who cares about your achievement

again, tis not a moral or prudish observation: when you make less of the equation about 100% pure human effort, and more about tricks and cheats and nonhuman biochemical intervention, then you've altered what it means to achieve. it simply means less, its simply less interesting. life itself is less interesting

that's why people try to keep drugs out of sports. it destroys the entire reason sports are interesting in the first place: an ability to identify with the human struggle, an ability to imagine the endless limits of human effort and perseverence. who cares about human effort if you can just inject something and do the same? why try at anything at all? it's all fixed, it's all a joke. humanity is lessened

Any tips on doctor shopping?

[tepples]

As always... don't take without a prescription. Let's do this. The goal is to convince a licensed physician that performance-enhancing CNS stimulants would enhance my quality of life. How would I go about this?

Re:Not all use is illegal

[rastoboy29]

Give me a break, you didn't elect to live with drug dealers?  And how long did you not elect to allow that to continue?

You could have turned them in to the police yourself, or the dorm RA's or whatever.

As much as I detest our drug laws, you have not accepted responsibility for  your own lack of action.

Re:No, it's not drug abuse.

[t1n0m3n]

"The first is a moral, no one should be allowed to die just because they are down on their luck."

Let them die.
Seriously, let them die. The American people are so scared to die that it is fucking us up.
I think there should be a lot more death in this country. Most laws made are the result (direct or indirect) of preventing someone else from dying.
Fuck them. Lets say that someone gets ran over by a bus. We should not clean up the mess because we care how or why the person died. We should clean it up because its going to fucking stink if we do not.