LSD Microdosing Has Become The New Silicon Valley Way To Boost Work Productivity
You might have an important meeting coming up, or a deadline looming for a project, and you might need something to inspire you. So maybe you'll grab a cup of coffee, an energy drink or, who knows, go all out and sit at home with a glass of beer while ruminating on it.
But Silicon Valley workers are taking things to psychedelic levels. Rolling Stone have reported on how one employee at a tech startup in San Francisco, who wanted to remain anonymous, microdoses LSD at the office, and outside of the office, to give him inspiration.
If you're wondering what a microdose is, it's around 10 micrograms of LSD or 0.2-0.5 grams of mushrooms. So not enough to send you on an eight hour mind melt, but enough to energise the recipient and get their creative engine fired up.
"I had an epic time," says Rolling Stone's anonymous microdoser. "I was making a lot of sales, talking to a lot of people, finding solutions to their technical problems. Microdosing has helped me come up with some new designs to explore and new ways of thinking, You would be surprised at how many people are actually doing it. It's crazy awesome."
James Fadiman, author of The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide, who popularised the idea of microdosing, said that people from all over the world are trying microdosing, but the San Francisco area has a notable amount experimenters.
According to the Rolling Stone article it's mainly the "übersmart twentysomething" who is curious about how it might aid his or her thinking. "It's an extremely healthy alternative to Adderall," Fadiman tells Rolling Stone. Adderall is an amphetamine-based drug popular with programmers and software engineers that keeps them alert and focused.
"For best results, Fadiman recommends microdosing every fourth day," the article explains, "Taking the drug in the morning and then sticking to your usual daily routine. His correspondents have told him regular microdosing has alleviated a bevy of disorders, including depression, migraines and chronic-fatigue syndrome, while increasing outside-the-box thinking."
As crazy as all this sounds, it's not that surprising when you consider that top dogs and employees at big tech companies like Facebook and Google (including Mark Zuckerberg and Larry Page) attend Burning Man, to party on in the dusty desert amid the steampunk sculptures and naked revelers.
