Perhaps you are right. I am certainly open to other suggestions besides alcohol. Perhaps there is another substance out there that would be perfect that I dont even know about yet.
If it works, and your in control, then why not ... but if you are trading for a living and have been for a number of years (200K is not really the sign of an established trader, but your on the path). - then I think you should at this point be funneling the awareness of your mental state when holding a position and act accordingly. Such as when you feel euphoric and over confident its time to get out and not to add, or when the position is taking its time to come to you and its stressful you can reverse the stress knowing its really a positive sign and add to a winner, as you dont want it to move too quickly in your direction. This is very tough I know, but if it was easy then we woulld all be laughing as opposed to the few. This may well be the next stage for you, as for those who've been around long enough know - you must make use of your emotions and act almost contrarian - this all fits into place after a while and a transformation takes place where the clear skies open up, you will know when you get there - if your path to getting there is a couple of shots .. then cheers ..as this is afterall a game which is 99% mental .
Why not have a go, and gauge your performance for the next few weeks, and please tell us the result..
Ah, what lofty heights the original poster aspires to: reaching a point where he may need alcohol to function "optimally." And once you're there, just imagine the possibilities offered by scaling: if one drink can get you over the hump, then imagine what two could do for you...
Why other substances? I can imagine traders out there are using all of the following to some degree: ADD stimulants/amphetamines - for traders who need that extra focus to keep themselves sharp during the trading day. Anti-Anxiety medications - for traders whose anxiety keeps them from following their plans. Opiates - For traders who want to block out all negative emotions at the cost of reaction time. Tranquilizers - Same reason as opiates. Alcohol - that's what you're trying. A healthy diet and exercise - won't have anything NEAR the effects of the others but will help you live longer and feel better about yourself. ---- You're caught up on the quick fixes. If you want to reach the next level of life and be one of the few the quick fixes won't work. "But I don't want to hear some trading psychobabble gobbledegook, I just want to properly size my positions and scale out more slowly when it's necessary." Then here's how you do it: If you normally trade 1000 shares and you see a super opportunity, trade 1100 shares. If you see a time when you feel like you should scale out but your neurons just NEED that comfort of exiting with a winner, exit with 900 shares instead of all 1000 and let the 100 run. Report the amount of times per day you're able to do this and the amount of times you fail at it. Keep track. When you can consistently up the size by 100 shares on trades that need it and consistently leave 100 shares on in the trade when you feel you should let it run a little more, then move up to 200. It's not easy, but it will work. Reframe this issue. The paradigm of a substance quick fix is a flawed one, hence 23 pages of flames.
I tried that & it didn't work, the only thing that works is belief in your method and yourself. I used to have a glass of wine I found there was no consistency to end results, all it made me do is want to have another one
For me it did work, however I didnt want to get into a habit of it as long term it wasnt worth it. Money is important, but not at the expense of creating bad habits in life
I'd say thats a pretty bad habit, wouldnt you? And for the record, this experiment was done over a year ago, the only reason this thread came back up is because "Cyclikill" searched for it and posted on it. "Cyclikill" is also the T28 alias guy. Notice how he is new this month but has beef with everyone. The guy is a complete and utter loser, its only a matter of time before he feels the need to bring up Jack Hershey (his love interest) and then he'll get himself banned again. Happens every time