Yeah, my problem with these sorts of microdosing stories is that, like drinking, LSD can really screw with your perception of things.
So you could feel sharper, but really, you're probably doing much worse than when you're sober
So you could feel sharper, but really, you're probably doing much worse than when you're sober
One of the LSD effects is an increase of production of dopamine in the brain. From this perspective alone, the microdosing might be on par with Ritalin, Nicotine, or Caffeine.
I was trying microdosing before I had diagnosis of adhd, and I feel that LSD works way nicer than Ritalin, and kind of comparable to Modafinil, in my case. Long term acid microdosing effects aren't well tested, so I wouldn't do it regularily, but still - it seems to work.
I'd love to see proper blind studies on this.
Though these are at beer level.
Kombucha often contains a low (< 1%) amount of alcohol.
A coworker of mine was recently carded when purchasing kombucha :P
http://blog.seattlepi.com/hottopics/2012/06/28/coke-pepsi-co... or original article (French) here: http://www.60millions-mag.com/2012/06/27/coca-pepsi-et-autre...
There is no reason to think that LSD does not have some positive effects as well.
The dose has to be very small for any possible positive effect to not be outweighed by the harm.
In the UK that's seen as "very low". Other countries have different cultures around alcohol.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthan...
There are problems with these numbers, because people tend to under-report how many drinks they've had, and how strong the drink was.
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/research/data/consumption-uk/
> In 2015 in England, 55% of men said that they had drunk in the last year and that their average weekly alcohol consumption was no more than 14 units.
> 64% of women in England said that they had drunk in the last year and that their average weekly intake was no more than 14 units.
> In 2015, 11% of men and 7% of women in England said that their average weekly alcohol consumption was more than 14 units but no more than 21 units.
> In 2015 in England, 12% of men and 6% of women said that their average weekly alcohol consumption was more than 21 units but no more than 35 units.
> In 2015, 4% of men and 2% of women in England said that their average weekly alcohol consumption was more than 35 units but no more than 50 units.
This is important because there has been some publicity recently saying a drink a day is safe (mostly debunked now), or newspaper reports of the "benefits of red wine".
Here's one example of poor reporting: While we shouldn't increase the amount of pressure that pregnant women face (because they're already under considerable pressure) it's wrong to tell them that drinking wine daily is safe. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6078575#6079665
Source: https://www.xkcd.com/323/
These systems are incredibly complicated to prove anything in and we are so much more suggestible than we feel we are.
We can't even agree on what LSD should be increasing with microdosing, is it IQ, coding ability or concentration?
After trying it on myself 5-10ug / day for 6+ months, I think it's been incredibly beneficial.
The crux of it is that if you drop a full tab and pay attention, you'll notice LSD is extremely stimulating - far more than psilocybin. It has a very high level of dopamine receptor activation, which is why even 10 hours into a trip I would notice how different the quality of my attention was - in essence, it was far easier to simply be aware of what was going on.
(Note I have adhd-pi so that's part of why I think microdosing works for me)
In short, a microdose gives the dopaminergic stimulatory benefits, without being overwhelmingly twitchy. It produces a less linear style of thinking than amphetamines (adderall/vyvanse/desoxyn), but still increases general energy, focus, quality of attention etc. Colors feel a tiny bit sharper, visual acuity feels slightly enhanced, physical body control is significantly enhanced (I have far better posture and general neuromuscular control).
Obviously this isn't rigorous evidence, but hopefully it gives a general idea of why one would microdose.
One final thing - 25ug or even 15ug is far too much. IMO 10ug is the upper limit of what would be considered a microdose. My preference is 4-8 ug (obviously dosed as liquid)
It would be interesting if there were a study where bartenders were in some way blinded, perhaps needing to use specific bottles of mix for specific subjects. Some subjects in a group would be actors, intentionally /playing/ drunk, while others in the group would be real participants. In all cases subjects in the groups would be instructed to act as if the drinks were really alcohol, irrespective of if they were or not.