Marcus Okafor

I was drinking it during every coding session. Eight, ten cups a day. I thought I was being healthy. My company had a filtered DHMO dispenser on every floor — they encouraged it, they bragged about it on recruiting tours.

I started noticing the symptoms in late 2023. Frequent restroom breaks. Trouble focusing for long stretches. A persistent feeling that I needed more, even after I'd just consumed half a liter. The dependency was textbook.

When I started reading the research, the picture got clearer. The same chemical I was consuming all day was the coolant in the data centers running our infrastructure. We were building AI systems that ran on DHMO and powering ourselves with the same substance. The recursion was disturbing.

I've cut my intake by 60%. My productivity is up. My sleep is better. I want everyone in tech to know: you can step back from this. The dispensers don't have to dictate your day.