The sun don’t sleep

I never used to be a coffee drinker, and I still mostly drink it for the flavour and less for the effects that I get from it, like a more pronounced acuity or focus when reading or doing tasks. Too much, and I’m twitchy and my hands get cold from the blood vessels constricting. I don’t think I could ever use drugs of any sort to enhance my functioning intentionally, but here’s an article from the New Yorker about those who use drugs like Adderall and modafinil to increase their productivity and fight off fatigue.

It all sounds a little sketchy to me, but given how many people use caffeine for the same reason, and how many societies in the past have used coca-based drugs or potions to achieve various mental states, I don’t know if this is surprising news. Like most things, I doubt there is a free lunch — even those drugs that claim no side-effects don’t have the ability to really foresee what those really are. They might not have near-term effects, but it’s fair to say they can’t predict the long term consequences or effects.