Chương 3 Enter the World of Traders: Sports, Music, and Drugs
Long before the Roman Empire, people were already aware of how to extract opium from poppies, and the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used it extensively for medical and religious purposes. It was even applied to the nipples of nursing mothers to help fussy babies sleep, as it was believed that they were possessed by evil spirits. Despite the passage of time, human dependence on drugs has not changed, and this is also true in the world of trading. Scenes from movies are not entirely fictional, as many traders do struggle with drug dependence. However, the most commonly abused drug among traders is not heroin or ketamine, but rather Ritalin. Ritalin is a central nervous system stimulant that can uplift spirits, alleviate depression, and reduce fatigue by stimulating the cerebral cortex and subcortical center. While Ritalin is primarily used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), some healthy people have also started taking it in recent years to enhance memory or attention, leading to its nickname, the "smart drug." Most day traders tend to use Ritalin as they need to handle multiple streams of information simultaneously, and scattered attention can be catastrophic in trading. While many traders try to maintain their focus and agility through meditation and exercise, some turn to Ritalin when these methods prove ineffective.
In my personal view, relying on medication does not address underlying issues, but merely provides temporary relief. The tolerance level for drugs like Adderall is relatively high, and although some may view it as a supplement like insulin, I do not share this perspective. I highly recommend reading Robert Whitaker's book "Anatomy of an Epidemic - Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America" to gain insight into the effects of psychiatric drugs on the human body. I find his arguments and evidence to be more compelling, so I will not delve into further detail here.
Drug abuse is not limited to traders; it also affects students, engineers, surgeons, researchers, and artists who have been using "smart drugs" like Modafinil. Surgeons, in particular, are taught to use Modafinil during their training to improve their focus and reduce errors. The usage rate is highest in the United States, followed by Europe, while Asia, with the exception of Hong Kong, has yet to embrace smart drugs. In our trading room, less than 10% of traders have used Adderall or similar drugs.
The scientific community has yet to reach a consensus on whether smart drugs can truly enhance cognitive abilities. At present, it is believed that these drugs mainly improve focus rather than cognitive function. Personally, I prefer to use other methods such as exercise to tackle issues. Regular exercise can improve physical function, overall health,/>/>/>
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