“ In certain ways, placebos are ideal drugs: they typically have no side effects and are essentially free. And in recent years, research has confirmed that they can bring about genuine improvements in a number of conditions. An active conversation is now under way in leading medical journals, as bioethicists and researchers explore how to give people the real benefits of pretend treatment. ”
I’ve been trying to figure out a way to obtain sleeping pill placebos without ever finding out that they are placebos. I also keep thinking how this reminds me of the Liar’s Paradox, even though it doesn’t really line up, and this, too, keeps me up at night. The point is that I really think that a lifetime supply of fake Ambien would make my life considerably better: since recurring sleeping problems are, for me at least, largely psychological, the mere knowledge that there “is” a very strong slumber-inducing substance en route to my brain would probably be enough to knock me out. Not to mention that I know well enough not to even feign alertness post-sleeping pill: the last time I tried, I became convinced there were monsters under my roommate’s bed and reportedly refused to let my friend leave until the monsters left/I fell asleep.
The problem now is that I’ve thought about this so much that even if someone did give me an Ambien - real or fake - it probably wouldn’t work because I’d be wondering about whether it was a placebo the entire time.
Could somebody please slip me some meta-blockers?
