Most of the time, let's be frank, crowd-sourcing in journalism is a dismal failure, even in though the internet would seem to be made for it. An appeal for help goes out to readers, nothing useful comes in, because nobody cares, and the lazy journalist (that's me) moves on as quickly as possible to the next story, hoping nobody noticed. And then there's the case of Matthew Winkler, Bloomberg's tyrannical news chief.
Yesterday there was an in-comments FAQ with our Adderall Adviser, Alex Geana (commenter AlexWriterly). He's writing a book about the pharmaceutical-grade amphetamine! What did we learn? Well, mostly that Gawker readers are all pill-popping menaces. Though, it's unclear how much we really needed that reiterated. Either way, after the jump you'll find a list of Five Things You Didn't Know About Adderall.
So it happens that one of last week's tipsters, Alex Geana, is writing a collection of short stories and poetry on pill-popping culture. (I'm sure many books have been written on Adderall.) In exchange for a promotional link, he's agreed to answer the questions you've been dying to ask about that pharmaceutical-grade amphetamine. How do I get a prescription? Will it make me creative? Will it make my teeth fall out? Where do I get it? Your questions, and Alex's useful answers, after the jump. (Excuse his spelling: he's a poet.)
The Los Angeles Times recently offered an intriguing report on "cognitive enhancers," the batch of attention-focusing and memory-helping drugs such as Adderall and Ritalin. (Also known as amphetamines, but that sounds so low-rent.) A 2005 survey that found 4-7% of college students had used. The real question: how many of them continued beyond graduation when they moved to the big city and took jobs at glamorous magazine companies and blog conglomerates? The LAT says use of amphetamines—sorry, cognitive enhancers—is widespread in the creative professions. Well, that's what an unprincipled drug marketer, and a headline-grubbing writer, would want to believe. The mundane reality? Probably caffeine abuse. But you tell us. Let's talk.
