Does Anyone Do Drugs?

If only this were true, I have worked in the Drug and Alcohol area for 30yrs and my experience is that addiction can happen to all types of people, even educated mature ones

Using drugs for Therapy is not new, at the psychiatric hospital i trained we used LSD and Speed way back in the 1970's

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

But it is true, in many cases, and I did say I was talking about drugs that aren't really physically addictive. Alcohol is definitely a highly addictive drug, and can (and does) take people down. Alcohol is irrelevant here, however, as I was sort of going off about the fact that many people will shun something, without knowledge, just because it is on the books as illegal. Hence my comparisons to alcohol and ciggs. You actually back up my point here. You are stating that alcohol is quite dangerous, backed by 30+ years of experience, which I think is soemthing not to be ignored. It also illustrates my point wonderfully. If alcohol is as dangerous, or more dangerous than grass, why is grass illegal and alcohol is an accepted social enhancer, even among lawmakers? It makes no sense, and takes the wind out of anyone's sails who claims it should be illegal just because it is dangerous, as far as I am concerned anyway.


That is pretty much my point. As well as another point that just because something bad can possibly happen with something, doesn't make it inherently bad.

@Eyes: I concur about the wheel of a car thing, and think this falls into making the correct decisions about something. Alcohol is the big offender here anyway, as stoned people going 6 MPH tend to not get into accidents.


PS - Hot avatar once again nebbs....

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I don't deny that at all. That's why i lean towards publically enfranchising drugs so we can have more influence over their use, and stop abuse. By refusing to talk about them we just push them underground and make it more likely that kids will rebel and use them thoughtlessly.

All i was doing, with regards to your post, was pointing out you were being inaccurate about addiction potential. And you're side-stepping the issue again when you point out that taking an excessive amount of heroin in one go can kill you. That's true of aspirin. The real debate should be about how we use all the chemicals around us.

There, you see, it's more fun when we talk with each other, rather than @ each other

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

Sounds good but it didn't work with Alcohol and cigarettes

Nice pics nebbles (i'm just drinking a beer and smoking a fag damn you )

Yeah, i know. It's a tricky one. And the idea of a 24-hour society where kids could get hold of smack-in-a-bottle doesn't appeal to me either. And on cigarettes you've definitely got a point (but i said 'potentially-beneficial' drugs before yeah ).

But...

On alchohol (which is beneficial, in moderation) things are a bit different. Imagine a world where it was banned... It's got such an appeal, and can be made so easily, that people'd make it anyway (so long as there was a generation that knew about it). Plus - it'd be worse quality / worse for their health [+ stronger and more likely to intoxicate quickly/uncontrollably]. Then add in that all the alcholics-anonymous-style groups would be more limited in scope.

All of that is the state most illegal drugs are in.

But you're right, as things stand, we could never just legalise and hope for the best. I live in a country which has possibly the worst approach to alcohol in the world. We'd need to find some social norms and practices that could get that down to a dull roar first, as a test case, before we could ever introduce my little 'dream' scenario.

The Swedish model of limiting purchasing seems to have a decent effect (until the Swedes leave Sweden that is - then they puke everywhere ). The traditional Mediterranean approach to drink (with meals) has worked as a moderator for a long time, and is only now breaking down in the face of the 24-hour free-for-all hedonist society.

There's a couple of options out there, but to work they have to be regulated not just by legal rules but by social practices (and believed-in 'taboos'). That was the point of my example of an extreme drug (Iboga) being used in a social-positive way. It gets trickier with the more benign-seeming drugs, but society has got these things under control in the past, and should be able to do it again.

So yeah, you're right. There's plenty of things to sort out first . But, with new drugs being 'discovered'/'created' at an increasing rate, some sort of social engagment with the implications of their influence on us wouldn't be out of place

i'm not saying it's going to happen, but it would be awsome if everyone could do what was done in Formula 51. If all drug users were unknowingly put on a placebo, then POS would, in a perfect world, sort things out so that everyone wins.

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Hey! We puke everywhere in Sweden too!!

The term "limiting purchasing" is not quite telling the whole story about swedish alcohol politics.

I am all for the state controlled monopoly here in Sweden because it gives the government and the National Health Board, and other authorities and institutes, an excellent insight in alcohol habits and related diseases. But there are other reasons that favours the monopoly even more besides the one allready mentioned . First, I have never been to a liquor store with similar wide assortment as "Systembolaget" or with the same kind of service-minded and actually educated staff. Thing is, the swedish authorities know that if they don't offer this kind of service the support for the monopoly among the swedes will be history. Second, I don't want alcohol in the hands of shopowners who know that if they sell alcohol to underaged kids they can make loads of cash.

The problem here in Sweden, the country with Europe's and perhaps the world's highest tax pressure, is that alcohol, and especially hard liquor, is and historically has been very expensive. When we joined EU all of a sudden we were allowed to go and get practically unlimited amounts of cheap beer and booze in neighbouring countries like Denmark, Finland, Germany and Poland. The black market has been blooming because of this. It's made the government work over the alcohol politics and the system and gradually lowering the taxes to save a very valuable income for the state as well as the health of the swedes. They have to do this or, as I mentioned before, the support for the monopoly will soon be gone.

I am considering marijuana and cannabis to be on the same level as alcohol when grading the dangers of different drugs. Still I am not sure a legalization would be a good idea. We can see what problems alcohol is causing, and not just in countries with a drink-yourself-unconscious culture. In countries like Denmark, France and Italy, where they have a more "mature" relationship to alcohol compared to Sweden and Britain they have much higher rates of alcohol related diseases caused by years of drinking "moderately, only together with meals". I am just saying that even though there are several reasons for legalizing marijuana, I don't think anybody can deny that we will add more problems to health care as well as socially rather than get rid of them. I have yet not seen a realistic proposal on how to legalize marijuana responsibly. The support for legalizing always come from people talking about "the rights of the single individual" and from directions that traditionally don't care too much about social responsibility or from people that themselves think their lives are better because of smoking pot. Which they might very well be, but you have to see to the bigger picture and from all perspectives - not just your own.

Lately I've been thinking about possible ways to legalize marijuana. I thought that growing a limited amount for own personal use might work and be able to control. I don't think we need another legal commercialized drug.

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The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".

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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.

They have that law here in one Place in Australia, in the ACT (Australian Capitol Territory) you can grow 3 plants for your own use, not sure how it is working there hasn't been much said about it since it came into practice.

I've dabbled. I've found one I like, weed, but most are overrated, or cost way to much to justify there use. I'd say that ever since I became legal, I'v become a bit of a lush and letf the dope alone, for the most part.

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Justice will be served/ And the battle will rage/ This big dog will fight/ When you rattle his cage/ And you’ll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A./ Cause we`ll put a boot in your ass/ It`s the American way.
Courtesy Of The Red, White & Blue - Toby Keith

I knew there had to be a reason!

I wonder if hard core drug addicts just wake up one morning and decide that is what they want to be…

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* healthy
* clean
* employable
* on parole
* alive

?

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Review: Cabin in the Woods 8/10

A drug addict…. I guess I was actually thinking about an uncle who had just died as a direct result of drug use when I posted that… and I'm still trying to figure out why he chose to do what he did to himself…

Chances are he was running away from choices when he turned to the drug, and once that happened all the choices went away.

Most people get hooked on stuff coz they can't deal with problems in their lives - I'm sure he didn't want to fall into addiction, just like he didn't want those problems in the first place.

You shouldn't think he chose to be an addict, but you're right that he made the wrong choice. The times when we manage to learn from our mistakes are when we're most blessed eh?

Sorry for your loss darl.

Gg

Have you ever seen Trainspotting? I think it's a brilliant look at how people get caught in that life. It drains their energy, their morality, their sense of self and individuality.... My brother is an addict. It's hard to watch someone wrestle with addiction and all the associated problems. It's heartbreaking. I'm sorry to hear your uncle lost the fight.

smoked weed before im sure alot of people have tired that and even harded drugs but dont want to confess up about it.....

Weed, did it everyday several times for the last month of my freshman college year. Won't lie to you, some of my best memories are of me stoned with my best friends and just watching a movie and eating. Its the most relaxing thing you'll ever do. but if you value a proper life and career don't do it. Don't let your grades go wasted like mine did. Granted I've learned alot, and it was fun, but there were days when I would open my eyes, smoke (called wake and bake among my friends and I) watch a movie smoke more eat, smoke more and then go to sleep again without having left the room or done anything the entire day.

As I said, its definitly fun and everything is enhanced, you begin to analyze people's personalities, but do it enough times and your whole life will revolve around it eventually, and it will become part of your persnality.

I am happy to say its been out of my system for over a month now and haven't had the slightest desire to go back.

Weed is definitly one of the funnest things ever, and if i was filthy rich, beyond imagination I would just sit around and smoke all day. But that luxury isn't afforded to me nor will it ever be.

It all comes down to saying no the first time. Just say no.

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Δύο άτομα. Μια μάχη. Κανένας συμβιβασμός.

I know where your comiing from, I to have gone throught stages of being stoned all day. Wakenbaking sneaking off for Jays every chance i get. And i know how it effects your life. But i wouldn't say that just becasue you smoke it once your going to have this happen to you. %90 (and in my case) of the time its not Pot that cause's people to become habitual smokers but other problems in thier life. Pot is the greatest thing to use ofr escapisum. It makes everything seem a hell of a lot better. Instead of looking for a job, combating my low selfesteem and dealing with all the ****ed up **** that was going on in my life it was a hell of a lot easyer to get baked and listen to Pink Floyd. But i dont think that abstinace is the cure for this. I *DONT* think its a good idea not to smoke everyday, but i still ****ing enjoy it everynoe and then (Stoned right now... ). Its just being able to see whats going on around you nad seeing whats eally important that is the key of aproreate drug use...


Aww man, Zeppelin are sooo goooooooood.

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It's a god-awful small affair, To the girl with, the mousy hair, But her mummy is yelling "No", and her daddy has told her to go, But her friend is nowhere to be seen, Now she walks through her sunken dream, To the seat with the clearest view, And she's hooked to the silver screen, But the film is a saddening bore, For she's lived it ten times or more...

I completely disagree with you. I used weed on a daily bases about 3 or 4 joints a day. Near the end before I quit, it wasn't fun anymore because when I was stoned all I could think about was how I need to stop. It no longer became an "escape" but rather it amplified all my problems and made me think about them even more. The one time where it wasn't like this was when I told my friends I wanted one last session of smoking before I quit. That night we smoked some foot long joints, since then I haven't even had the slightest urge to do it. Weed is defintily an enhancer, its how I got to love Bob Marely, its how began to think about life in a different way, but it remains one of the key reasons why m grades suffered. As an aspiring medical student, weed just doesn't fit into my lifestyle unfortuantely, i wish it did. However, because weed doesn't fot my lifestyle (or most lifestyles for that matter unless your a musician whose already famous) then its time to stop. As I mentioned before I've been done with it for about a month now.