This is very strange to me considering that Adderall was a disqualifying factor when I joined the service. Very interesting, I had no idea this was used today.
Appears that Amphetamine is no longer used but Modafinil is not even close to being "meth"
> Modafinil is not considered to be a classical psychostimulant, but rather is classified as a eugeroic (wakefulness-promoting drug) and is used primarily for treatment of narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, and excessive daytime sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea.
These are only assumptions from what I've read and heard.
But from what I know, this also comes from the logistics standpoint. If you need a prescription of any kind to "function normal", they would need to supply that prescription anywhere anytime. I would assume the same with wisdom teeth. The risk of getting any problems during service are not worth taking.
So yeah, there is a difference between "I need this for functioning normally" versus "Take this in case of an emergency"
There's a huge difference between making something available to someone in a prolonged combat situation, or where a drop in situational awareness could get them and others killed, and needing that substance during comparatively "easy" civilian life.
Not defending that viewpoint or assertion but that's very likely the justification that would be used. Needing it for HS or college is disqualifying while choosing to use it for a particular operation is not.
Modafinil especially with coffee absolutely feels like a clasic stimulant IF I've taken a long enough tollerance break.
I see only benefits -- maybe I'm a little bit too talkative and too many things seem interesting/worth exploring/doing, but for a pilot, that would he detrimental, I'd think.
It's disqualifying by the FAA for general aviation as well, the argument being that you need to be able to quickly react to changes and not get "locked in" to monitoring/doing one thing.
I've never taken Modafinil so I have no idea how much that jives with the actual effects, but there have been some people who have gotten waivers if the usage was long enough in the past. Personally I don't see why it can't be like alcohol (if you haven't had it in the last n hours/days, you're good to go).
No, OP(s) premise is also deeply flawed. I'm not an expert, but while there's similarities, these are profoundly different substances. Whereas alcohol only differs by concentration (maybe the release is slightly different, especially if it's eaten, instead of liquid), these stimulants are fundamentally very different.
On the other hand while Amphetamine can be compared to substances like meth or coke (it might actually be closer to cocaine as far as user experience goes), it's also has key differences. Cocaine is generally taken all at once, and the methyl family of amphetamine has specific, more drastic effects. Basically, meth's special, and shoots through barriers in the brain, that normally slow down other substances.
Amphetamine, on the other hand, has a more medium potential for abuse. Also, it's thought that people can generally keep up with therapeutic doses. In other words, while there may be some effect on the brain, you'll eventually reach a point where you're not constantly being drained of neurochemicals. This isn't possible with meth/coke, which is why they prescribe adderall fairly readily, but not meth.
I researched this recently after being prescribed adderall. I've heard that slow release cocaine is a better metaphor than meth, but I think there's probably issues with that too.
I think that's a fair evaluation, if not technically correct. But don't discount how different the effects can be: low-dose benadryl makes you sleepy. High dose benadryl makes you hallucinate people, spiders, and other things that aren't really there.
Appears that Amphetamine is no longer used but Modafinil is not even close to being "meth"
> Modafinil is not considered to be a classical psychostimulant, but rather is classified as a eugeroic (wakefulness-promoting drug) and is used primarily for treatment of narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, and excessive daytime sleepiness associated with obstructive sleep apnea.