LOL, I think this link will have special meaning to you .00019 or bust ... How Drunk are You This way all you alkyies can keep track of your trading skill level while you knock'em back!
If anything I'd try taking some ADD pills (aderall, dexatrin, etc.) and seeing how that works. A couple times when the going got really tough with final exams, they worked wonders in helping me focus. As far as a daily thing with your trading though, I don't know if its a good idea. It almost seems like a lose/lose situation before you pop your first pill: doesn't work = you lose money, does work = you're dependent on a drug.
Red Ink, personally I believe that if a person needs to have a drink to place a trade, then he needs to be honest with himself by answering why the need for that 1 drink? Obviously whatever the answer is it ultimately leads to psychological issues. Because money is at stake the OP is asking for an opinion which is ridiculously easy to comprehend, answer is based on common sense, reduce position size to an absolute minimum so that: 1. It is easier to pull the trigger, when the right opp presents itself, as risk is reduced. edited
Quote from tommymoose: It almost seems like a lose/lose situation before you pop your first pill: doesn't work = you lose money, does work = you're dependent on a drug. you know i always wanted to try adderral xr for trading, but didn't want to have to keep getting up to go to the pisser. you've also touched a subject thats very dear to my heart, addiction. The word itself has always had a negative connotation, and i've just never bought into that association. i use to always say, its never one way. gave a few examples of addictions that are positive, addictions that go unnoticed in society (like coffee/caffeine), ect ect. people would say, "stop arguing just to argue, you know addiction is bad" when i was growing up. but i mean really, thats how I felt in middle school-college, and its the way I feel now.
JSSPMK, He didn't say he needed a drink to place a trade. If that's what he was saying then I'd have to agree that there's a massive problem. According to him, he's already a profitable trader of several years. He simply feels he has plateaued and is looking for something to get him over the apprehension of sizing up. You meantioned psychological issues. Maybe several hours reclined on a leather couch talking to a shrink would help the OP get over this apprehension. Who knows?
On this point, I don't disagree with you (wonder of wonders ). But drinking and trading are like drinking and driving to me, and having survivied the irresponsible actions of a drunk driver I am 100% against it, under any and all conditions (that should come as no surprise). Cocaine needs to drink because he hasn't mastered trading (nope, not after all these long years), and anyone else who needs to do it has not reached mastery either, period ... I don't care how much money they make. Later
Sizing up should not be much of an issue as long as risk remains same as before. ImPO his trading capital has to increase x2 for him to increase position size x2, perhaps he is rushing things. One can say that this is a way of trailing your methodology, when your equity goes x2 and then goes back to original size you decrease position again and look for reasons why it happened.
Bingo. I think you just nailed it. If the OP is trying to increase position size with the same account size of course there would be apprehension. No amount of booze would cover that up.