In our always on, post-chill era of twits and bits, it makes sense that some folks would find the need to turn to prescription drugs to enable their brains to keep pace with the flow of information and activity that seems to bombard them from every direction.
This interesting New Yorker investigation into the underground world of “neuroenhancing” drugs provides a look at how, for many (especially young) people, stimulation is the new high.
Adderall, a stimulant composed of mixed amphetamine salts, is commonly prescribed for children and adults who have been given a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. But in recent years Adderall and Ritalin, another stimulant, have been adopted as cognitive enhancers: drugs that high-functioning, overcommitted people take to become higher-functioning and more overcommitted. (Such use is “off label,” meaning that it does not have the approval of either the drug’s manufacturer or the Food and Drug Administration.) College campuses have become laboratories for experimentation with neuroenhancement…
What happens when new technologies and the perceived demands of living life push a generation to eleven?
