Thoughts on brain doping, supplements & microdosing in a school, university or job context?

Someone I know took cocaine to finish their dissertation in time.

Not for me.

if you want Alzheimer's or a stroke in your 50ties nootropics is the way to go. lol 😆

Supplements: Personally, I'm interested in the concept, however particularly with supplements I think that there is a large incentive for producers/sellers to overstate the effects of the often expensive products and often not enough transparency / independent information. I do take creatine (which is well proven to benefit muscle development) and sometime L-theanine (stimulant from tea).

Caffeine: Love-Hate relationship. Quickly builds tolerance & dependence, too much leads to (physical) restlessness. Can keep you awake, but may rebound after effects decline. I prefer rare (1-2x/week) consumption to avoid the negative effects.

Theobromine: I am somewhat addicted to dark chocolate. No experience as a supplement.

Cannabis: Depending on the strain, amount and set/setting it can be either helpful or distracting. Sometimes helpful for brainstorming / creativity or to loosen a narrowed view and consider another POV.

(TBC)

Amphetamine: Makes it easy to beat procrastination and get out of a slump. Also has analgesic properties. Warning: Only use it responsibly (low oral dose, not too often) and make sure you're getting 'the real thing'™ to avoid side effects and addiction.

Psilocybin: No experience on the job or with microdosing, but has been helpful for depression and anxiety issues. Warning: Not to be taken lightly, know what you're doing - it's not beer.

Methylphenidate: Curious, haven't tried. Should be similar to amphetamine.

Modafinil: Curious, haven't tried. Quite expensive.

Racetams: Not well enough understood, I don't want to take the risk.

Ginseng: Too expensive in the Europe, haven't tried.

Modafinil: A friend used it for a while, made him much more motivated and his sleep cycle was much better (he took it in the morning and was properly sleepy at night) However there was a clear tolerance built-up even though he didn't use it over weekends. If you use it often you'll get lower effects in a couple of months

If you're a non-smoker, I have a pretty good experience with nicotine. I don't smoke, but I got nicotine gum and one piece gives me hightened focus for about 6 hours. combined with caffeine I can be pretty active. And the best part is completely legal to get

Experiences I have made:
Cannabis is great in small dosage for focus. Basically no risk high reward.
Amphetamines from normal speed to meth are all contraproductive.
Ecstasy & 2CB are probably good in small dosages for creatives, but I'm not one.
LSD in small dosages(25microgram) is propably the biggest risk and reward. Yes your brain runs at 150% efficiency, but you have to deal with, well LSD.

Don't.

I spent 10 years on dextroamphetamine. It definitely made me a better learner, but I'm glad to be off them now.

You can use substances to gain focus to make existing CBT techniques your own habits.

I think most people come out the other end fine, some people wind up addicts though.