Comment · Thu, May 9, 2013 · Ceretropic
US FDA to Looking into Potentially Regulating Caffeine?
What they were answering
silverhydra · 2 points
I'd welcome such a delivery of information, but I still remain a tad pessimistic since I've never seen anybody do that successfully and I've seen how defensive people get about caffeine relative to almost any other drug.
Everything you said sounds great in theory, but I have never seen that theory used successfully.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
I use it all the time, especially in /r/Drugs. Many of the substances there have a lot of risks. However, the user base has a mindset that they are going to use it no matter what. However, if you don't contest the use, but give them information that proves the risks, you plant the seed in their head. Then you discuss ways to possibly mitigate the risks, and in some cases talk them out of the use altogether.
I do it all the time for MDMA. Many people have the conception there is no risk at all. I try my hardest to get them to see the risks, give them evidence of it occurring, then give them ways to prevent it. All the while still maintaining respect of the fact that they will use it. I frame the conversations in a way to show them how certain supplementation will not only protect them from harm, but also improve the subjective results. Once I get them interested in the results, I try and get them interested in the mechanisms behind the results. They then want to learn more about how these molecules are acting on their own. They then start spreading the message to their friends and so on.
So far I have been pretty successful in my efforts. Very rarely do I have someone completely write my cautions off. More often than not, I get them much more interested in the possible damage than they were before. Not by trying to discourage their behavior, but by trying to help them see reasons to want to mitigate the risks. Then once that seed is planted in their head, they perpetuate it on their own. I think the same thing can be done for many different substances, from the low end of the risk scale to the high.