Further down you say:
> the tone of the paragraph is that it's not really medication, but something like caffeine which you can give to everyone and it'll have the same effect. It doesn't work like that.
It does work like that. You can give it to everyone, and (assuming the recipient has a good response, no side effects, etc.) it'll have the same effect. That effect might be "worth" more to people who are already at the low end of the bell curve, but it's the same effect.
> It's not just about being an office drone spending 12 hours a day in Excel or some cynical bullshit like that, it's about every day life.
Spending many hours in a row at a desk working on tasks that require extreme focus is my every day life, and the life of most of the people on this site I'd wager.
Where are you going with this? You're replying to an article that said "it helps everyone", and you're trying to say that some people aren't as worthy of help? Is that really where you want to go with this?
> Adderall doesn’t “cure” the “disease” of ADHD, at least not in the same way penicillin cures syphilis. Adderall will give everyone better concentration, and we’ve judged that it’s okay for people with terrible concentration to use it to overcome their handicap, but not okay for people with already-fine concentration to use it to become superhuman.
Apparently, that is actually true (not the same magnitude of effect but the same kind of effect - better concentration). And it's not in any way contradictory to it also being a medication.
> The dose I take would make a non-ADHD person into an obsessive hyper-focused teeth-grinding mess, but it basically just makes me normal.
That is almost exactly what the quote above said.
> Adderall is real medicine which cures a real problem.
I honestly don't understand how you got the impression that the original article claimed otherwise.
I believe you, but couldn't you equally say "The dose of human growth hormone I take would turn a non-Chronic-Shortness-Syndrome person into a freakish giant, but it basically just makes me normal"?
Adderall has a lot of utility for regular people, it works exactly like caffeine. Eventually all that dopamine from the amphetamines is going to ruin all your receptors, hth.
Being condescending, especially towards people with a disorder, doesn't serve anything.
Worse, people with disorders have to deal with this stuff all the time from other people. <To someone they know has depression, in front of the circle of friends> "Hey Peter, haven't seen you in a few weeks. Were you being sad again? ;D"
It makes me cringe a bit to see that behavior here.
This is completely wrong. It treats the symptoms of those of us with severe ADHD, and let's us do everyday things like sit in a theater or an airplane, or enjoy playing quietly with our little children.
It's not just about being an office drone spending 12 hours a day in Excel or some cynical bullshit like that, it's about every day life.