He was doing poorly in school. But he perked up in his psychology class when his teacher brought up the concept of state-dependent learning.
Basically, that means if you learn something when you're intoxicated, you'll remember it better when you're intoxicated. One day Sam raised his hand and asked, "Wait, so does that mean if I study when I'm drunk, I should take the test drunk?" The other kids laughed, but Sam was dead serious. He did a little research and decided, yes, that's exactly what it means.
I've been taking my antidepressant cocktail for a while now...long before I started studying towards my MCSE. I know for a fact that the AdderallXR portion of my dose has a close to immediate effect on the way my brain functions; I know this because of the way that I feel and think when the drug is on board. I'm thisclose to resigning myself to the fact I'll be taking antidepressants for the rest of my life, but now I wonder if I'm stuck with this particular cocktail as well. If I switch the drugs...essentially switching my brain chemistry...will my ability to recall all I've learned, while on this particular cocktail, degrade? Disintegrate?
Sam spent a lot of time in the library. And getting tutored by teachers. Remember state-dependent learning? Sam had been intoxicated when he'd learned how to be a college student, even a high school student. Reading, writing, studying -- he had to re-learn all of it sober. He says his proofreading skills still aren't where they used to be when he was high.
This unnerves me more than a little.
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