ai chatbot for healthcare

With each iteration, the chatbot gets trained more thoroughly and receives more autonomy in its actions. For example, on the first stage, the chatbot only collects data (e.g., a prescription renewal request). Our medical chatbots can provide prospective and current patients with immediate, specific, and accurate information with a Frequently Asked Questions flow to increase patient engagement. Being able to ask questions and getting answers interactively and immediately helps increase patient satisfaction and loyalty. Our chatbots have the capability to analyze responses and provide the answer to their question immediately.

Healthcare management platform Laudio scores $13M – Mobihealth News

Healthcare management platform Laudio scores $13M.

Posted: Thu, 08 Jun 2023 15:35:22 GMT [source]

More sophisticated chatbot medical assistant solutions will appear as technology for natural language comprehension, and artificial intelligence will be better. To make those AI-driven systems better, lots of folks — including Ayers’ team — are now working on smaller language models finely tuned with medical information. ChatGPT’s attraction, such as it is, is that it’s a generalist drawing input from everything on the internet. Give those medical chatbots access to people’s individual medical records, and they could offer more precisely directed advice.

Assisting with remote patient monitoring

Thus, the more data the developer enters, the more complex discussions the chatbot will be able to handle in the future. So far, machine learning (ML) chatbots provide the most positive user experience as they metadialog.com are closest to reproducing the human experience of interaction. A medical chatbot is a software program developed to engage in a conversation with a user through text or voice to provide real-time assistance.

ai chatbot for healthcare

The answer could have been around substituting humans with AI but that wasn’t appropriate in the case of our technology. Instead, we focused on how we can use AI alongside trained mental health professionals to augment the therapy process and empower them to support more people. Using machine learning, Limbic Access is designed to support patient self-referral through digital conversations that are incorporated into the psychological therapy pathway.

Providing relevant information and support

Even after addressing these issues and establishing the safety or efficacy of chatbots, human elements in health care will not be replaceable. Therefore, chatbots have the potential to be integrated into clinical practice by working alongside health practitioners to reduce costs, refine workflow efficiencies, and improve patient outcomes. Other applications in pandemic support, global health, and education are yet to be fully explored. Overall, AI chatbots have the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry. By engaging with patients regularly, chatbots can help improve overall health outcomes by promoting healthy behaviors and encouraging self-care. Chatbots can help bridge the communication gap between patients and providers by providing timely answers to questions and concerns.

  • Our conversational interactions offer a personalized service at scale, all through the power of AI built with intent-discovery.
  • Use the chatbot as another way for patients to contact your business, and route to live chat with a customer service agent when necessary.
  • The software also allows the user to have a text-based follow-up session with a real doctor.
  • They can be expensive, so you should consider the price and make sure it fits your budget.
  • If you are looking for a straightforward chatbot to help visitors to your website.
  • Medical app investors and producers should prioritize developing effective, responsive, tailored assistants that can be trusted not to leak sensitive patient data.

Speech recognition functionality can be used to plan/adjust treatment, list symptoms, request information, etc. While many patients appreciate receiving help from a human assistant, many others prefer to keep their information private. Chatbots are seen as non-human and non-judgmental, allowing patients to feel more comfortable sharing certain medical information such as checking for STDs, mental health, sexual abuse, and more. When a patient does require human intervention, Watson Assistant uses intelligent human agent handoff capabilities to ensure patients are accurately routed to the right medical professional.

Future of chatbots in healthcare

With the frenzy around AI innovations like ChatGPT, the claim that chatbots can provide mental health care is on the horizon. By region, North America accounted for the major healthcare chatbots market share in 2018 and is expected to continue this trend owing to, easy availability of the healthcare chatbots service. Moreover, the long patient waiting time contribute to the growth of global healthcare chatbots market in North America. On the other side, Asia-Pacific is estimated to register the fastest growth during the forecast period owing to surge in awareness related to the use of healthcare chatbots. The constantly evolving life science industry drives the growth of the market in the developing economies such as India, China, Malaysia, and others.

  • It can assist with different searches to find important information on drugs and medicines.
  • Healthcare organizations follow many data security and privacy regulations to safeguard patients’ medical information.
  • The use of chatbots for healthcare has proven to be a boon for the industry in many ways.
  • They can securely store and manage all that sensitive patient information, reducing the risk of data breaches and other security threats.
  • HIPAA-compliant data centers ensure the security of patient data, even when using messaging channels like WhatsApp, Apple Messages for Business, and more.
  • Forcing chatbots to link to their sources, as Microsoft’s Bing engine does, could provide one solution.

The Jelvix team has built mobile and web applications for remote patient monitoring. It simplifies the process and speed of diagnosis, as patients no longer need to visit the clinic and communicate with doctors on every request. They only must install the necessary sensors and an application to perform the required tasks. As a result, the clinic staff can quickly access patients’ vital signs and health status.

How Can Medical Chatbots Transform the Patient Experience?

These chatbots can track users’ habits and suggest ways to improve their daily routines for optimal health. Diagnosis chatbots are like digital doctors that can help you figure out what’s going on with your health. They ask you about your symptoms and then use that information to recommend potential causes and treatments. It’s a quick and easy way to get to know about your health and what you can do about it. Mental health chatbots are a cool way for people to get support for their mental well-being.

ai chatbot for healthcare

For instance, they can ask about health conditions, treatment options, healthy lifestyle choices, and the like. Essentially, AI chatbots can offer patients and users a communication experience that is quite similar to interacting with a human being. Actually, the evolution of language models that produce human-like text, such as GPT-3 has widely demonstrated how these technologies are getting better every day at mimicking human thought and dialogue.

Exceptional patient experience with a medical chatbot

We power close to a billion conversational interactions a month, helping organizations drive engagements that feel Curiously Human™, not cold and robotic. Our conversational interactions offer a personalized service at scale, all through the power of AI built with intent-discovery. Create a more agile healthcare contact center that unlocks efficiency and improves agent and customer experiences without increasing headcount. We provide iOS and Android application development services so that you can reach your target audience on any device.

What is the best AI for medical questions?

Google has built the best artificial intelligence yet for answering medical questions. The Med-PaLM AI can answer multiple-choice questions from medical licensing exams and common health queries on search engines with greater accuracy than any previous AI and almost as well as human doctors.

What are medical chatbots?

Medical chatbots are AI-powered conversational solutions that help patients, insurance companies, and healthcare providers easily connect with each other. These bots can also play a critical role in making relevant healthcare information accessible to the right stakeholders, at the right time.

NARR has since released two updates to the standards, first in October 2015 and then in 2018. The third version of the NARR standards provides more explicit guidance to providers, including metrics for evaluating the peer support components of a residence’s recovery environment. Most facility staff in a sober living house are older residents using their skills and experience learned in recovery to support newer residents. However, most staff members in a halfway house have some formal training in providing support to persons in recovery.

  • Verification that furnishings are typical of those in single family homes or apartments as opposed to institutional settings.
  • She has been volunteering for charitable organizations from an early age and has focused on the youth in her community as well as her prior residence in North Conway, New Hampshire.
  • The common theme throughout Dan’s 33-year business career has been one of driving growth for technology based, telecommunications related companies with high value product propositions.
  • Pamela is involved in several community organizations, boards and committees.
  • Teddy began his broadcasting career as a Sports Producer at WDH-TV Channel 7 in Boston and also wrote for the Lowell Sun.

Main components of Project NORTH include voluntary court-based Recovery Support Navigation, transportation to court and court-mandated treatment, and rent for up to six months in a certified sober home. Most residents engage in household chores, exercise, and personal grooming to start the day. Residents who work, school, or volunteer leave the facility to attend to these obligations.

House Journals

They provide the next level of care after a detox or substance abuse treatment program. Massachusetts sober living homes are not rehabilitation treatment centers and therefore do not provide medical or clinical assistance to their residents. However, residents may attend recovery-based group meetings or outpatient treatment while living in a sober living home. It is not compulsory to obtain certification to operate a Massachusetts sober living home. However, the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) ensures that sober living homes in Massachusetts maintain the standards set for recovery residences in the state.

halfway houses massachusetts

Calls to the website’s main number are answered by best treatment center LLC and Intervention, a call center that specializes in helping individuals and families find resources for substance use disorders. Sober homes provide shelter and accountability to individuals who would otherwise be in the streets or in less-than-helpful situations. They help people transition to a more permanent living environment and reintegration into society at large.

Massachusetts Listings For Sober Homes

Tanya very much enjoys being in a supportive role and combines her creative problem solving and organization skills with everything-is-possible attitude to support our Executive Director and The Megan House Foundation. Shaun is very active in the community, also serving as a Board member for the Latinx Community Center for Empowerment, as well as organizing and advocating for many community based efforts. He was also a long-time Board Member of the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association.

She was a past member of Analytics Investors’ Board of Directors. She also served as PTO Treasurer in the Andover Public Schools and volunteered as a CCD teacher at St. Augustine Church. Sue is currently the Vice-President of Finance for Water Analytics, a local manufacturer located in Andover. Sue started her business career at Price Waterhouse Coopers in their Boston office. From there she joined United Asset Management Corporation last serving as Vice-President.

Hamilton House (Gavin Foundation) Hamilton Recovery Home

Danielle Murphy Coimbra was born and raised in Lowell, MA where she currently resides with her mother, son and golden retriever Winston. She has been volunteering for charitable organizations from an early age and has focused https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/boredom-drinking-and-how-to-stop-it/ on the youth in her community as well as her prior residence in North Conway, New Hampshire. She spent 25 years working at local institutions such as Saints Medical Center and the Greater Lowell Cancer Program.

  • There are many individuals with the disease of addiction, and there are too few safe and sober environments for them to recover in, resulting in fatal circumstances.
  • Fast forward to 2016 where I now sit, writing this blog in the office of Tharros House, my own High Standards Structured Sober Living home in Lexington Massachusetts.

Instead, they provide their occupants with a safe and supportive community, all working to prevent a relapse. Massachusetts sober living homes refer to any substance-free, structured sober houses in massachusetts group living arrangement for persons recovering from addiction. Sober living houses in Massachusetts serve as a bridge between residential treatment and independent living.

Stanley Street Treatment and Resources

Supportive living in a structured environment such as a sober living house has proven in many cases to be the element that enables individuals to embrace the process of recovery. By choosing a transitional living facility that encompasses a staff, safety, knowledge and experience, you are sure to gain a firm footing in recovery from drugs and alcohol. Residents in a sober living program can live in the sober home for as long as they choose.

Do sober living homes need to be licensed in Florida?

Sober Houses are not required to be licensed under state law, however, the Florida Administrative Code Provisions define the “Community Housing” component of Day or Night Treatment with Community Housing as well as the “Residential Treatment” component of Licensed Service Providers in a way that is very similar to what …

Policies and procedures that keep residents’ records secure, with access limited to authorized staff. Policy and procedures that ensure all residents are age eighteen or older at time of admission. Transitional housing is temporary housing for the working homeless population and is set up to transition their residents to permanent housing.

Watching a family member struggle with a drinking problem can be as heartbreakingly painful as it is frustrating. But while you can’t do the hard work of overcoming addiction for your loved one, your love and support can play a crucial part in their long-term recovery. Treatment should address more than just your alcohol abuse. Addiction affects your whole life, including your relationships, career, health, and psychological well-being. Treatment success depends on examining the way alcohol abuse has impacted you and developing a new way of living. Some people are able to stop drinking on their own or with the help of a 12-step program or other support group (see below for links).

  • Instead, these are groups of people who have alcohol use disorder.
  • Medication for alcoholism can offer patients an advantage for their recovery, especially in a real-world setting.”

Dopamine levels may make the drinking experience more gratifying. Some people experience some of these signs and symptoms but are not dependent on alcohol. A person who drinks excessive amounts of alcohol will often not be the first person to realize that this is so. Excessive or inappropriate consumption of alcohol is not necessarily the same as alcohol dependence.

Questions About Treatment?

The rehabilitation stage may take place in an inpatient or outpatient setting, depending on the severity of your alcoholism and what your doctor recommends. Treatment for alcohol use disorder may include talk therapy (also called “psychotherapy”), support groups, medicines, or a combination of treatments. Alcohol use disorder can be a long-term condition, like high blood pressure or asthma. No matter how hopeless alcohol use disorder may seem, treatment can help. If you think you might have a problem with alcohol, call SAMHSA or talk to your healthcare provider.

What is the first line of treatment for alcoholism?

Naltrexone — For most newly diagnosed patients with moderate or severe alcohol use disorder, we suggest initial treatment with naltrexone. Naltrexone is our preferred choice due to its preferable dosing schedule and the ability to begin treatment for alcohol use disorder while the individual is still drinking.

As shown in COMBINE, no single medication or treatment strategy is effective in every case or in every person. There are several approaches available for treating alcohol problems. Individuals often hide their drinking or deny they have a problem. Consider staging sober house a family meeting or an intervention, but don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation. Offer your support along each step of the recovery journey. Research the kinds of treatment that are available and discuss these options with your friend or family member.

Moderate drinking

Alcohol consumption becomes a problem when it takes precedence over all other activities. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), in 2015, 15.1 million American adults (6.2 percent of the population) had an alcohol use problem. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process. You are under age 18.† The information in this summary is from research on adults. Alcohol use that turns into a use disorder develops in stages. Remember that changing deep habits is hard, takes time, and requires repeated efforts.

Is there a gene linked to alcoholism?

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) often seems to run in families, and we may hear about scientific studies of an “alcoholism gene.” Genetics certainly influence our likelihood of developing AUD, but the story isn't so simple. Research shows that genes are responsible for about half of the risk for AUD.

Original Medicare covers mental health services, including treatment for alcoholism and substance use disorder, at 80% of the Medicare-approved amount. As long as you receive the service from a participating provider, you will pay a 20% coinsurance after you meet your Part B deductible. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan, contact your plan for cost and coverage information for substance use disorder treatment. Your plan’s deductibles and copayments/coinsurance may apply. Aftercare is an important part of the recovery process that begins once an alcohol addiction treatment program has been successfully completed.

Types of Professionals Involved in Care

In general, the longer and more intense the alcohol use, the longer and more intense the treatment you’ll need. But regardless of the treatment program’s length in weeks or months, long-term follow-up care is crucial to your recovery. The report included 135 studies and was reviewed by health care professionals, researchers, experts, and the public. It’s also called alcohol dependence, alcohol addiction or alcohol abuse. Residential treatment programs typically include licensed alcohol and drug counselors, social workers, nurses, doctors, and others with expertise and experience in treating alcohol use disorder. For serious alcohol use disorder, you may need a stay at a residential treatment facility.

  • Other tests can indicate whether there is damage to the liver, or — in males — reduced testosterone levels.
  • Medications may be prescribed by medical health professionals to greatly reduce the need to drink alcohol and alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
  • It affects several neurotransmitter systems in the brain, including opiates, GABA, glutamate, serotonin, and dopamine.
  • Combined with treatment led by health professionals, mutual-support groups can offer a valuable added layer of support.
  • Without the satisfying feeling, people with alcohol use disorder may be less likely to drink alcohol.

Many others substantially reduce their drinking and report fewer alcohol-related problems. In the 1990s a promising psychological technique sometimes called “motivational interviewing” was developed specifically for alcoholism and consists of identifying a patient’s motivation for change. The patient first learns to recognize his or her loss of control over alcohol and the deleteriousness of the situation in order to develop a wish and a hope for change. Only then is the patient likely to become actively engaged in the process of change. Like most treatment medications, Naltrexone is a prescription medication and should only be taken under the supervision of a physician. Although Naltrexone is not known to interact adversely with alcohol, it should only be prescribed after the patient has already ceased use entirely and completed the detox process.

It is believed that the main reason the Sinclair Method has not caught on in the U.S. is two-fold. In the U.S., 12-step programs based on abstinence seem to dominate treatment plans prescribed by doctors, and doctors do not like that the Sinclair Method encourages people with alcohol dependency problems to continue drinking. In 1948, Danish researchers trying to find treatments for parasitic stomach infections https://www.healthworkscollective.com/how-choose-sober-house-tips-to-focus-on/ discovered the alcohol-related effects of disulfiram when they too became ill after drinking alcohol. The researchers began a new set of studies on using disulfiram to treat alcohol dependence. According to research, medications seem to be a positive part of the most effective combination for treatment for alcohol use disorders. They may go to a residential treatment center for rehabilitation (rehab).

Naltrexone does not reduce the cravings for alcohol, nor does it reduce the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Naltrexone is most effective when taken in concert with other forms of treatment, including other medications, therapy, counseling, and 12-step programs. One area where Naltrexone has proven especially useful is in the treatment of alcoholics who have relapsed. Women who have alcohol-use disorders often have a co-occurring psychiatric diagnosis such as major depression, anxiety, panic disorder, bulimia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or borderline personality disorder.

One of the major challenges of a scholar is dealing with stress and when they get the handle on this, it would be easier to put your life in order, irrespective of the challenges that come. The stress that a scholar faces stems from both physical and mental aspects, and it is important to tackle them effectively so that they would not weigh you down.

  • Look forward to the positives: As a scholar, the last thing you need is thinking of negatives. It is necessary for you to anticipate more positive events in your life; they will always leave you thrilled. It should not compulsorily be a big event, it could be a date to the movies, or a visit to a friend’s place.
  • Exercise regularly: One of the best ways to deal with stress is to exercise on a regular basis. If you do not exercise regularly, there is a tendency for you to wear out quickly after studying for a few hours. People who do not exercise regularly are likely to show mild signs of mental health problems like anxiety and depression.
  • Hang out with support systems: As a scholar, one of the best assets you can have, is having people who are supportive surrounding you. You should not be found around pessimistic people because they can discourage you from achieving your goal. And one thing about negative thoughts are, they can flush out any remainder of positive thought you have.
  • Do not compare yourself with others: It is important to avoid doing this, and the earlier you understand that we have our own uniqueness, the better. We all have different paths to tread in this life, so our journeys are unique. Comparing yourself to someone is a big distraction from your life’s dreams and purpose.
  • Understand your environment: When you understand how your environment works, it would be easier for you to thrive and perform excellently well.

The integrating of healthy habits into your lifestyle as a scholar is one of the best ways to create a constant healthy pattern that would make you the best version of yourself. Definitely, there will be ups and downs in your journey to being a renowned scholar, but what happens is how well you treat each challenge.

Below are some health tips that you would find useful as a scholar:

  • Make sure your living space is always clean: It is a good habit for you to always keep your living space clean. You might not be aware but the state of your living space determines to a good extent how well you will be able to study.

Always make sure that your items are properly arranged and everything is in order. Proper arrangement of things has a positive effect on our mental health.

  • Get good hours of sleep: As a scholar, you need to understand that your time for sleeping should not be tampered with every time. It is okay to cut down on the time spent on leisure, but do not touch the time meant for sleeping. You should sleep for a minimum of 7 hours each night.

Your body and brain needs the best of revitalization it can get, and it is great not to deny yourself of this opportunity.

  • Exercise and remain active: As a scholar, you need to make exercise a good part of your routine. You should take part in various exercises that are targeted towards building your muscles and bones, and making your body fit. Sitting for long to study is not good enough, and you need to get active from time to time.
  • Eat good food and cut down on snacks: Truth be told, even though snacks are faster to get and taste more delicious, they are not entirely good for our body. You need to eat more nutritious diet that would keep your body in a great shape. A good diet is good for your brain and it helps you become smart and mentally balanced.  

When people look at scholars, it is usually hard to believe that they would be individuals who could be hooked on drugs. It can be said that it is a usual practice for scholars to want to experiment with every substance which they come in contact with.

It is a known fact that drugs have an adverse effect on the health of an individual, and the extent to which they are taken, determines the degree of the effect.

Drugs have the capacity to change the mindset of an individual, and when it is taken in excess quantity, it can make the person in question come down with mental health problems. On the other hand, drugs can be used proficiently to come about a good state of health, and this is when it is used responsibly.

Studies has shown that scholars who use drugs use it for a good number of reasons, one of them being that they want to step-up their game. A scholar would want to use drugs so that his mental power and mental capacity would increase. There is a substance abuse recovery program available for most cases, and more information is also available through the government.

They are of the opinion that using drugs would make them go beyond the limits which their minds have set. Also, it gives them a form of distinction between the common man and them.

Hence, if you see a scholar who has a ground-breaking discovery, there is a 50% chance that the individual must have been aided by the influence of certain drugs, as it gives them the opportunity to breed inspired ideas, which would help them to achieve certain feats.

Scholars do not like staying at a particular level, they are often of the believe that there is more to what they can achieve, and hence, they would want to be successful in various acts from time to time.

Also, drugs are known to give scholars solace, especially during periods when they find it hard to relate with other people because of their intelligence. These people do not basically gain from the society when it comes to certain innovations, as it is the society which stands to gain a lot from them.


Drugs basically are toxic to the health, but the degree to which they are taken actually determines the extent of the effect. They have the ability to affect the mind and when taken in excess can lead to issues with the mental health. However, drugs can be used effectively to stay healthy and it depends on how responsibly it is used. Using drugs require the utmost level of control and responsibility in order not to misuse which can further deteriorate the health. There are various reasons why people use drugs, some use it for health purpose and others use it for pleasure and body desires.
Research has shown that great minds use drugs for neutrality purpose. They use drugs to enhance their level of mental power and intelligence. They experiment with drugs in order to exceed the limitations of their minds. Drugs gives them more opportunity to inspired ideas and also makes them focused in achieving a great feat. It widens the intellectual capacity of the brain, and enables them to venture into unimaginable areas their normal mind power cannot take them to.
Similarly, intelligent people always have the mindset of venturing into and overcoming new challenges in order to have a feeling of individual development and growth. They get tired of staying at a particular level, and want to break new grounds of success. Trying to improve their mind abilities may spur them to take drugs and other intellect enhancing substances.
Smart people have a deeper understanding of drugs because they have a higher capacity for learning and they also examine objects critically. They are willing to delve further into the study of a particular substance, and try to experiment by contrasting philosophies and theories that exists about the substance. There are drugs that are considered forbidden to use and prohibited by the law but people with brilliant minds would still endeavor to know why such drugs are considered harmful. It is acceptable to say that they have a strong will to know more.
Also, drug provides solace for genius minds when they find it hard to relate with other people or peers because of their level of intelligence. They seek comfort in the use of drugs because the society at large are not at par with them on their degree of brainpower. Brilliant people have little or nothing to gain from the society as regards innovations and ideas, instead, they are the ones that contribute immensely to the development of the society through the vast knowledge they have acquired.

drug use intelligent peopleDrug use does not make a person lesser; irresponsible drug use does. There are a number of holistic, naturally occurring drugs that can be used responsibly and to useful effects by those who have a healthy amount of respect for them. Responsible drug use requires intelligence, awareness and good decision making, which highly intelligent people normally possess. The commonly observed traits of a responsible drug user are that they use experimentally, objectively and with restraint.

Not everyone uses drugs experimentally. This term is used mistakenly in many situations. Many people use drugs because of peer pressure, and others yet try drugs simply because they are bored. To legitimately use drugs experimentally indicates a particular level of intelligence. Experimentation, in the truest sense of the word, means you are using drugs in order to learn, putting yourself in the role of test subject. This is a trait of genius drug users.

Objectivity in drug use is another important way of approaching drug use like a genius does. Brilliant minds use drugs so long as they are increasing their intellect and perspective. The people who give drug use a bad name do so in part by using drugs for mere entertainment, or because they have become dependent on them. A brilliant mind is self aware and objective enough to recognize when this is beginning to happen to it, and will initiate restraint. People of high intelligence do not expect to be able to control the effects of a mind-altering drug. Instead, they experiment with them objectively and respond to them according to the effects that they have on them.

Lastly, a brilliant mind only uses drugs to the extent that they are useful to them. Drugs are highly unpredictable. They are known to effect different people in very different ways. A mind altering drug can have one type of effect on one person and a completely different type of effect on another. Highly intelligent people monitor their own reactions to drugs in order to understand how to use it, or how to discontinue it. For some, this may mean heavy use and for others it may mean sporadic use.

biologist physicist scientist inventorThe idea that drug use solely represents an out of control lifestyle is a misconception. The stereotype that society holds to is that drug users are throw away people who are a detriment to society. Yet no one in their right mind would accuse Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Albert Einstein of these character flaws. Yet all of them experimented with mind altering substances. This should tell us something about why people use drugs, and what kinds of people use drugs. Through out history, a wide range of brilliant inventors, medical scientists, physicists and biologists have been known to experiment with mind altering substances.

Inventors, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Thomas Edison historically accredited the ideas for some of their inventions to drug revelations. All three used drugs for a time for the purpose of expanding their minds. Steve Jobs in particular was quoted as saying that LSD was a great decision for him to use as it lead to the concepts behind numerous Apple products. These are three brilliant men who made enormous contributions to society and broke the stereotype of the useless drug user.

Medical scientists, such as Francis Crick, Kary Mullis and William Stewart Halsted used mind-altering substances as well. Many people do not understand that medical sciences require some element of creative thinking. So much is unknown about medical science that it often takes some imagination to align different possibilities in order to test them for accuracy. This gift of imagination and experimentation is what draws medical scientists to drugs.

brilliant people and drugsIt is widely publicized that throughout history, a number of our most brilliant minds have taken to experimenting with mind altering substances for a time. This certainly does not go in line with our North American war on drugs mentality, which informs us that only low lives use drugs. The truth of the matter is, experimentation with drugs is frequently a staple of an expansive, genius mind. Imagination and experimentation are essential to brilliance, and imagination and experimentation are often found in people who use drugs, at least for a time. Experimentation with drugs is a sign of curiosity, not of reprobate.

The reason that drug use and brilliance often go together is that the intelligent mind recognizes its own limitations and pushes to exceed them. A consistent measure of intelligence is the breadth of scope one possesses, and scope is often discovered by working at seeing outside of your own perspective. There are a number of cognitive-behavioral ways of going about this, such as reading material to inform yourself of things you are not aware of, engaging in conversation and social interaction with people who are not like you, and so on. Then there are more alternative ways of broadening your perspective.

One of the trademarks of mind altering drugs is that they take you to a head space that you could not achieve on your own. Many people’s experiences of using drugs involves accessing parts of the brain that are usually closed off, as well as thinking and feeling in a way that is atypical to your normal thought patterns. Brilliant minds seek these rare experiences as a means of breaking down the walls of their own limited perceptions. They seldom become addicts or substance abusers because they are self aware enough to recognize how their mind falters if they overuse the substance. Thus is the relationship that geniuses have with mind altering drugs.