Stimulus, in a general sense, is something that causes an action or response. A ringing alarm clock may prompt someone to exit their slumber. Or a fist to the gut may force someone to gasp for breath.
Stimulus can come in many forms and varieties. It can come in the form of a stick; do this and you won’t get whacked over the head. So, too, it can come in the form of a carrot; do that and you’ll get a reward.
Other forms of stimulus can produce a short, burst like, reaction. The caffeine in a cup of coffee, for instance, will temporarily reduce drowsiness. Yet once the caffeine wears off, more coffee is needed to sustain the effect.
Former professional baseball player, and all around dirt bag, Jose Canseco knows a thing or two about stimulus. Not from what someone has taught him. But from what he learned through real world experience. He literally wrote the book on it.
His 2006 memoir, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big, tells the story of how he and other athletes experimented with performance enhancing drugs to stimulate their baseball careers. Continue reading
