Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

I read champignons and it kind of fit even better. Adderall (Brave New World) and mushrooms (Island).

Soma in BNW is more analogous to MDMA as it's about sedated pleasure, not mental clarity/performance.

I seem to think marijuana is more about sedated pleasure than MDMA. Granted, it's been about 30 years since I read Brave New World.

I agree, soma definitely parallels weed much more closely, but I don't think it's a perfect match. Huxley imagines a drug a bit more insidious, without obviously negative side effects, and with somewhat unrealistic(imo) intended effects.

Disagree. Weed is somewhat psychadelic ... and makes people enjoy the colors and not work so much. Soma made people numbless working with a feeling of glow. So I always understood it as antidepressant and moodlifter with some amphetamine compoments.

Weed isn't really psychedelic (it can be profound, and sometimes you'll get extra giggly...) but really it's more about being okay with the numbness.

It's also not really an antidepressant any more than it is an amphetamine (it's neither). Attempting to self-medicate in either direction is not beneficial, longer term.

If your marijuana usage carries you through such wide-ranging symptomology, that's on you homey [holds-back next pass to you]. It's okay to ask for help.

.. and it is on you, if you misread. I believe my writing was clear.

(Antidepressant was about "Soma", the Huxley fantasy drug)