2024-04-22 14:41:36
On the banks of the Rivière du Nord, a few kilometers from Mont-Tremblant, in the Laurentians, Sébastien Leblanc walks peacefully with his dog, a cup of coffee in hand. Then he enters his house, as rustic as it is warm. It’s time to get ready for work.
Sébastien swallows a brownish capsule. It contains a microdose of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic substance found in magic mushrooms.
One hundred milligrams isn’t enough to feel the psychedelic effects, but I feel a kind of lightness, says the man with the graying beard, tattooed arms and head wearing a fashionable orange cap.
Sébastien works as a waiter in a restaurant in Mont-Tremblant.
In a few hours, the atmosphere around him will be radically different from that of his house in the woods. Customers at the ski resort will scramble to get a table. Some will be unhappy because they waited too long for their plate, others will complain regarding the cooking of their dish or the amount of the bill.
The microdose of magic mushrooms helps me stay calm in the chaos. I am able to create better contact with the customer and collect better tips.
A quote from Sébastien Leblanc
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Sébastien Leblanc consumes microdoses of psilocybin to improve his efficiency at work.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
Each profession has its substance
Johanne Collin, sociologist, historian and professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal, notes that psychedelics no longer have the same purpose as in the 1960s, during the time of the hippies.
microdosing take them to function better and meet the demands of society.”,”text”:”In the past, people took them to escape, to escape from the world and have fun, she said. Today, microdosing enthusiasts take them to function better and meet the demands of society.”}}”>In the past, people took them to escape, to escape from the world and have fun, says- She. Today, followers of microdosing take them to function better and meet the demands of society.
Since 2020, Johanne Collin has been leading a research project on smart drugsmedications or other substances that professionals take to excel at work.
the phenomenon on university campuses, especially in the United States, explains the researcher. We wanted to know what it was like among professionals.”,”text”:”For around fifteen years, studies have documented the phenomenon on university campuses, especially in the United States, explains the researcher. We wanted to know what it was like among professionals.”}}”>For around fifteen years, studies have documented the phenomenon on university campuses, especially in the United States, explains the researcher. We wanted to know what was happening among the professionals.
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Johanne Collin is a sociologist, historian and professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Montreal.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
She collaborates with sociologist Nicolas Le Dévédec, professor in the Department of Management at HEC Montréal.
The two researchers targeted three demanding and competitive work environments: restaurants, finance and classical music. For each, they searched specialized discussion forums on the Internet (sub-forums of Reddit, for example) and interviewed volunteers.
Depending on the requirements of each area, the substances consumed are different, noted Johanne Collin.
In the restaurant world, long hours combine with the need to multitask. In the heat of the moment, you have to be quick while coordinating with your colleagues.
On weekends, Sébastien Leblanc can work from 4 p.m. to midnight without taking a break. We must maximize every gesture, every step, he emphasizes.
Microdosing magic mushrooms helps him stay focused, he believes, although this effect is not documented. He can even remember customer orders without using his notebook, he says.
Several professionals met by Johanne Collin’s team opt instead for psychostimulants – medications usually prescribed to people suffering from attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity (AD/HD). They are known by names like Ritalin, Concerta, Vyvanse or Adderall. They increase the level in the brain of dopamine and norepinephrine, two neurotransmitters that play an essential role in regulating attention, concentration and motivation.
These medications are popular in workplaces, even among those who do not have ADHD. Some workers combine them with modafinil, a medication usually prescribed to people who suffer from hypersomnolence, to combat sleep. This is the case in the field of finance.
hours per week, sometimes without sleeping, reports Nicolas LeDévédec. They can work long hours without feeling tired. For them, it is almost imperative to use these substances.”,”text”:”We see people there who work more than 100 hours a week, sometimes without sleeping, reports Nicolas LeDévédec. They can work long hours without feeling tired. For them, it is almost imperative to use these substances.”}}”>We see people there who work more than 100 hours a week, sometimes without sleeping, reports Nicolas Le Dévédec. They can work long hours without feeling tired. For them, it is almost imperative to use these substances.
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Nicolas Le Dévédec is a professor in the Department of Management at HEC Montréal.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
Jonathan Demers does not work in finance, but he too is a fan of performance. He is a sustainable development consultant. This young management graduate, with a relaxed style, tried Ritalin to increase his performance.
People think that when you work in the environment, you are granola, but in reality, there is a lot of pressure in our environment, he maintains. When there are budget cuts in a company, our services are often among the first to go, so we always have to prove our value.
Jonathan sought medical attention during the pandemic because he felt a lack of energy and motivation. Ritalin tablets, he recalls. A new world opened up to me.”,”text”:”I ended the call and found myself with a prescription for 360 Ritalin tablets, he recalls. A new world was opening up to me.”}}”>I ended the call and found myself with a prescription for 360 Ritalin tablets, he recalls. A new world opened up to me.
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Sustainable development consultant, Jonathan Demers tried Ritalin to increase his performance.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
A few hours following taking the first tablet, Jonathan felt an increase in energy, motivation and self-confidence. After some trial and error, he learned to take the medication at the most convenient time, for example before a presentation to a client.
When he complained to his doctor that the effect wore off following a few hours, the healthcare professional simply advised him to double his dose.
Side effects quickly appeared. I felt more irritable and, above all, a lot more anxious, says Jonathan. My sleep cycle was completely out of balance.
He finally stopped taking Ritalin and is now relying on better organizational strategies to build his confidence at work.
The third work environment that the researchers looked at is that of classical music. Musicians often use beta blockers during stressful performances such as an audition or a concert.
Horn player Corine Chartré-Lefebvre takes very small doses, on occasion. She cuts the tablets into several pieces. At these doses, it may be more placebo, she admits.
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Corine Chartré-Lefebvre is a musician. His instrument: the French horn.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Discovery
Beta blockers are used in cardiology to reduce heart rate. They are prescribed to treat high blood pressure, heart failure or arrhythmias.
Musicians take them to reduce the effects of stage fright, especially tremors. It also helps me not have a dry mouth when I’m nervous, adds Corine.
A study carried out in 1987 in the United States among thousands of symphony musicians revealed that 27% of them were taking or had taken beta-blockers (New window). In 2015, in a similar study, the proportion had risen to 70% (New window).
A normalized but taboo phenomenon
Outside of the world of classical music, figures on the consumption of smart drugs are practically non-existent.
It remains an extremely taboo phenomenon and that is why we have few figures, explains Nicolas Le Dévédec.
Those who take it don’t want to talk regarding it because they’re afraid of being judged. They fear that others will consider them inadequate. In a world where productivity standards are increasingly high, we do not want to show our fragility.
A quote from Nicolas Le Dévédec, professor in the Department of Management at HEC Montréal
The HEC Montréal professor notes that workers rarely question these requirements. On the contrary, it is their own abilities that they question.
Rather than acting collectively to change standards that have become unrealistic, we are ready to change ourselves.
9:58
The report by Dominique Forget and Yanic Lapointe presented on the show “Découverte”
Photo: Discovery
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