[extropy-chat] Risks of Smart Drugs

[JDP]

Matus a ,Ai(Bcrit (25.11.2003/03:43) :

> Adrafinil does the same thing as modafinil, which I (not sure which
> email I was using at that time) posted a good deal about my personal
> experiences with a few months back.  I have a few boxes of both sitting
> above my computer at this very moment. Short version: From my
> experiences, its great for keeping you awake and alert, although I
> wouldn’t say it made me more able to focus then if I was otherwise awake
> and alert.  If you are tired it certainly will help keep you awake and
> focused but if you are already awake it seems to have little effect.

INteresting. I won't ask more specifics to you about it, as I can go
and read what you already said.

I have a more general question.

As someone who has no experience of taking psycho-active substances
(except for commonly available ones like alcool, nicotine, caffeine,
and very rare experiences with THC and sleeping pills), I don't have a
good intuitive grasp about how risky it is in the mid-term.

It might seem unwarranted but, though it does leave to be desired at
times, I value my brain in its present state.

One of the things I would like to know is, can you trust that the
substance is eliminated after some time, leaving no trace, or can
damage or lasting modifications be made? Can some handy distinction be
made between a group of substances for which this trust is warranted,
and another group for which it is difficult to know or some real risk
is known to exist? Are there certain general principles useful to
reflect about this issue?

Jacques