That’s not improvement though, it’s augmentation. It only works while on the drug, no lasting changes.
I mean, I get what you’re saying, but there’s a difference in that bit of semantics that matters.
Stuff like adderal is like using special fuels in a car. You’ll get benefits while on it, but it doesn’t change the engine itself. Something like steroids bores the engine out a cubic inch or so.
Antidepressants are closer to running a fuel with extra detergents. If you stop using the detergent fuel, and then go back to using the old fuels, you’ll just get clogged up again. But if you rebuild the engine piece by piece while using it, you end up with the engine running smoother no matter what fuel you put in.
But, you have a good point, some drugs can become your standard fuel for when you’re driving in the mountains and need better response. Or you can just run that fuel all the time and negate the drag from adhd that hinders your performance overall. Drugs like that, while they don’t actually improve or change the person, keeping them in your system amounts to the same thing when you’ve got an underlying issue that can’t be “rebuilt” in the first place.
It just improves the ability to focus. It doesn’t really make one focus on the right thing. Also, the alteration in abilities isn’t free. The good effects of any drug are weighed against the side effects. There is always an opportunity cost to any drug. The poster above you was right on with his steroid comparison.
They improve your ability to focus, but you still need to make the active decision to concentrate on whatever you need to do. No drug will make you automatically clean your room or do your homework.
ADHD drugs improve people’s ability to focus and concentrate even without effort on the part of the patient. So that’s a counter-example.
That’s not improvement though, it’s augmentation. It only works while on the drug, no lasting changes.
I mean, I get what you’re saying, but there’s a difference in that bit of semantics that matters.
Stuff like adderal is like using special fuels in a car. You’ll get benefits while on it, but it doesn’t change the engine itself. Something like steroids bores the engine out a cubic inch or so.
Antidepressants are closer to running a fuel with extra detergents. If you stop using the detergent fuel, and then go back to using the old fuels, you’ll just get clogged up again. But if you rebuild the engine piece by piece while using it, you end up with the engine running smoother no matter what fuel you put in.
But, you have a good point, some drugs can become your standard fuel for when you’re driving in the mountains and need better response. Or you can just run that fuel all the time and negate the drag from adhd that hinders your performance overall. Drugs like that, while they don’t actually improve or change the person, keeping them in your system amounts to the same thing when you’ve got an underlying issue that can’t be “rebuilt” in the first place.
It just improves the ability to focus. It doesn’t really make one focus on the right thing. Also, the alteration in abilities isn’t free. The good effects of any drug are weighed against the side effects. There is always an opportunity cost to any drug. The poster above you was right on with his steroid comparison.
They improve your ability to focus, but you still need to make the active decision to concentrate on whatever you need to do. No drug will make you automatically clean your room or do your homework.