Drugs feel amazing. Getting high is like the fucking grand canyon, one of the things in life that lives up to the hype. Doing drugs makes you happier than you thought you could be, and there are a lot of people who don’t have a lot of reasons to be happy.
We shouldn’t pretend that drugs are bad, mm-kay. Drugs are awesome. That’s the problem. They’re too awesome. It’s an awesome overload, and you end up not wanting to do anything except for drugs.
People who do drugs are not evil. They’re having fun, experiencing new things, making friends and bonding over shared experiences. You tell a bunch of kids that drugs will ruin their lives, and then somebody at a party passes them a joint or offers them a bump of coke, they’re going to realize you were full of shit.
Like, let’s say that there was some weird flesh-eating bacteria that was specifically found only on water slides, but only on a few water slides. Now it’s your job to convince all the children of the world to avoid water slides, because of the small possibility of bacteria. It’s a serious problem, and it would be correct to tell everyone to avoid all waterslides everywhere, even if only a small percentage of waterslide riders died horrible deaths. So you tell people waterslides might kill you or maim you in excruciating ways. But if you act like waterslides aren’t fun, you lose all credibility. Most people who ride the waterslides don’t die, and they go on to tell everyone how much fun they had on waterslides, and that doesn’t make them bad people.
It is about distinguishing addictive and damaging drugs from useful medicines with a low chance of addiction. You are not going to convince me that the majority of people that have used meth or crack are fine. Where as weed or lsd I would.
I will!
The majority of people that have used meth or crack are fine.
Now, don’t get me wrong: meth is fantastically addictive. It’s the most physically addictive drug there is, as far as I’m aware. And the fantastically high addiction rate for first-time users of meth is: roughly 30%.
70% of people who try the most addictive drug in the world don’t get addicted, and go on to do other things like play tennis or do their taxes or switch to weed instead.
I am not just talking about addiction, I am also referring to the physiological damage it does.
Tried meth once. Felt like Adderall. I could see why people abuse it, but I didn’t feel the need.
That’s cause Adderall is meth.
Or meth adjacent. I don’t know the chemistry.
Yea, plus many people addicted to that shit end up doing bad things, Rob, steal, sell to kids, etc.
That’s the same with heroin. At some point you’re addicted as hell and have no money left, so what do you do to get that relief from it again? Prostitute yourself, steal stuff and sell it, rob someone. This is literally an endless cycle. You become more addicted so you have to make more money. Since drug addiction imposes a high risk of losing your job and house you have to become somewhat criminal. The only ways out of this are either 1:dying from the drugs, 2: being able to get off of them(what often is literally impossible without help and even if you manage it without a stable living situation(house, job which both are hard to find as an ex drug addicted homeless person) its not unlikely that you start using them again) or 3: finding a place where you can get them for free. One of these places exists in Berlin where heroin addicted can get free medical grade heroin for free.
a more accurate analogy would be toxic chemicals in the waterslides that build up in the body, that takes a while to be expelled out
It’s more complex than this even. Not all drugs are that toxic. In fact some of the most addictive aren’t even that toxic at all like heroin. It’s things like addiction, overdose, lack of clean supply, and the side effects that make it dangerous.
Even ones that are destructive to the body aren’t always because of the chemicals they leave behind. Take meth for example: it’s bad because of how much strain and immediate damage it causes, not long lived toxins. In small doses it’s reasonably okay and is even prescribed by doctors sometimes. At amounts addicts do with the regularity they do them the damage builds up faster than it can be repaired by the body. MDMA, Amphetamine, Ketamine, and cocaine are similar here I believe.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I mainly know about drugs from doing them and researching them online.
Would it not make them bad people if waterslides were that dangerous? They wouldn’t be lying, but they would be encouraging people to endanger themselves.
If there are even a few water slides that dangerous, then all water slides are potentially dangerous.
They did a piece on nicotine a while back that opened with how amazing it is followed by how it fucks up your body over time.
Drugs are honestly pretty meh. I’m not saying they can’t be fun and or that they are evil or anything, but I feel like you are seriously overhyping them.
I used to a lot of drugs and lots of different kinds too. Sure I had fun and I don’t massively regret it. But since I quit all drugs (including alcohol) several years ago I really have to say there are plenty of other things in life that are just as fun as drugs, if not much more so. There’s only so much you can experience with drugs and it gets old fast.
I have no words almost…
But your little declaration somehow perversly juxtapositions the odd 100 000 deaths from drug overdoses in the US alone last year.
Yes, since it’s such an awfully negligent way of thinking.
I’d worry some poor young soul listening to the type of ‘adult individual’, falling into a fentanyl addiction, for example, thinking it ‘fun and safe’ forever ruining their life.
Found the guy that skim reads a comment and then draws a silly conclusion.
I read & deeply comprehended the whole entire thing. It was excellently written and insightful and I am sincerely happy for people who can enjoy drugs responsibly and it does not interfere with their productive lives,
I have friends who enjoy mushrooms and LSD and alcohol and cigarettes and cocaine and abusing things like Adderall and Vyvanse and they all seem a hell of a lot happier than I am, but I just don’t want anything to do with it because
take my perspective for what it’s worth, I am a complete teetotaler, the only thing I put in my mouth or my body are nutritious foods, water, and prescription medication. In my childhood the fear of death was put into me regarding drugs, and my dad was an alcoholic and then he turned to cocaine and it all freaked me out, the way cocaine changed my dad was terrifying and has left me forever unstable, and I listened to Nancy Reagan when she said “say no to drugs” and I am permanently in that mindset, for better or for worse.
No-one wakes up and decides that they’re going to get addicted to drugs today. Your life has typically been in a real shit place for a long time and it’s a “fuck it” type situation.
You don’t usually see happy and wealthy people getting addicted to crack.
I knew at least one kid in high school who was told that weed was as bad as heroin. Then he saw his friends doing weed and everything seemed fine. So then he did weed and everything seemed fine. Then he started asking about heroin.
this is the problem with bullshitting around prohibition. if you feel like people lied to you about weed, they could have been wrong about heroin too.
For some people, they see being addicted to drugs as an improvement on their current situation.
Life is already fucked, might as well get a buzz while I’m doing it.
If your reasoning is my life is bad may as well take a short term high for long term low. Then it’s no surprise your life is shit. A normal person thinks OK my life is pretty bad let’s not make it worse.
You don’t usually see happy and wealthy people getting addicted to crack.
Cocaine though. Same drug, different package
My experiences being around people with cocaine have been at two opposite spectrums: people with shit lives that want a release, and people with families/wealth/opportunities that want a release.
The latter experience for me was an office Christmas party. We shared an office with a law firm, and one guy with a wife, two kids, and what I’d assume is a solid six-figure salary had two keys worth, several joints, several beers, and whatever he was smoking from a pipe in the toilets.
It might not be an addiction, but it’s definitely used by wealthy people. Hell, if the rumours about Musk are true, the dude is on all sorts of illegal shit all the time…
His shit isn’t illegal. He has his doctor prescribe whatever high quality shit he wants. It’s only illegal when YOU do it.
Why are people like this? Shit life syndrome. What do we do with them? Offer them compassion and support.
Or sometimes they already have a good life (house, kid, spouse, dogs, x2 cars and stable support) and instead they decide to burn it all down in favor of a two-week crack bender. She drained our bank account, caught a DV charge and we are now divorced, thank fuck.
Hey man. I am really sorry for you. Was there any indication to why the substance abuse started?
Equal parts narcissism, bad company, deteriorating mental health and poor decisions. I had a whole thing typed up, but I’ve aired this shitshow elsewhere before. The short version is she has been a problem at every job she ever held, so she opened her own bakery and proceeded to drive it into the ground within about six months. She hung out with some shady people who did shady things, and got wrapped up in her own wants and desires. She eventually walked out (after hitting me on camera) when I wouldn’t give her my car so she could go “work” (i.e. swing by her crack dealer’s place). She stayed away voluntarily for about a week or two before I found out about the crack usage; after that I told her she couldn’t come back and filed a police report for the domestic battery in order to protect myself and our son from her. Took me a while to admit to myself that I was stuck in an abusive relationship for 15+ years.
Well, you can have all the things you listed as being part of a ‘good life’ and still be in an awful relationship, or have problems that need dealing with. I’m not sure I’d brag quite like that about abandoning someone in a mental health crisis. Its at least sad isnt it?
Because to Cynics like us, 90% of life is shit. Happiness is a cheesecake brownie, or a 5 second orgasm, or a good round of a shooter video game. Life sucks, and it’s hard. We have it easier than any other human in the history of humanity. But we’re still human, and shit can still suck. Focus on the small, brief moments of pure joy and happiness.
It says a lot about life broadly that any time we invent or devise some kind of system or chemical for eliminating pain, that substance instantly becomes so addicting that we can no longer manage life at all and it has to be regulated and locked away for our own good.
Life is pain. Even if you’ve gone numb to it, every moment hurts in one way or another. You just might not ever notice it until you experience the alternative.
I think this is what anti-natalists are going on about, that life is more painful than joyous, don’t bring more conscious beings into it.
I understand that premise, but I’d argue that there is more good than bad in life, that while the universe may not care about any of us, there are plenty of genuinely beautiful moments out there, even just walking around your local park.
Death is certain, maybe some should be permitted to exit life early, but there’s gotta be a way to show people nature’s beauty. I don’t really know where to go with this comment in truth. I just hope people in pain find genuine solace.
Why do people play videos games? Or watch movies? Or eat their favorite food? Or listen to their favorite music? Or masturbate? Or play sports? Or whatever…
For the dopamine hit. Everyone does this. But some people, like people suffering from ADHD, or people who went through severe abuse, or whatever, have a major deficit of the “Feel Good” chemical in their brains, or severe trauma/PTSD. And when they find a way to boost the good stuff, they get “addicted.”
No one wants to be an addict, a slave to a substance/experience. But sometimes it’s a shortcut to not feeling absolutely miserable. And sometimes a healthy road to solving the problem is unavailable/unaffordable.
I smoked some opium once when I was travelling and it was possibly the most pleasant experience of my entire life. Shortly after that I was left alone in a hostel room with someone who was dying from an overdose on it, which was possibly the most unpleasant.
Unless your opium was laced with heroin or fent, I am pretty suspect about this claim… you would have to smoke an obscene amount of opium to OD on it.
I smoked it, the other guy injected. Thanks for reviving this old thread though.
No idea how I ended up here hahaha. Also I’m sorry for saying I doubt you. Injecting opium is a super bad idea. Smoking it is incredible (and it smells and tastes amazing too!)
We both know this is made up. Opiate overdose victims just go unconscious and their heart rate slows down to nothing. Then again I’m arguing with someone who thinks traveling is spelled with two ls despite spell check being present literally everywhere.
insults someone for their spelling mistake
fails at simple reading comprehension
heh, oops!
Oops what? What is really terrible for them? Poor soul has to be in the same room as someone who is literally losing their life quietly?
I think they were saying it was unpleasant for them, not the person dyIng.
I know… what’s unpleasant about someone passing out? They aren’t screaming or convulsing or puking
Then again I’m arguing with someone who thinks traveling is spelled with two ls despite spell check being present literally everywhere.
You do realize other countries exist other than the US, right? Travelling is correct pretty much everywhere outside the US.
None that matter. Does it sound like I care? Any other revolutionary ideas you want to share encyclopedia Brown?
travel (verb) traveled or travelled; traveling or travelling
Incorrect this time old bean, sorry. It did happen.
Or hapen, if you prefer.
Tell us you’re a smack head in denial without telling us you’re a smack head.
Privileged, ignorant take by this anon. If you get REALLY down bad sometimes relief in any form is enough. Anybody’s who’s been there knows what I mean, anybody who hasn’t should count their lucky stars and try to.
There’s no shortage of people who refuse to understand addiction. “Why don’t you just…” “All you have to do is stop.” Plus equate the addiction and not stopping as weakness and failure. IMO those with that POV are talking to polish their own moral superiority and aren’t at all interested in the factors surrounding addiction.
The real amusing part of that is there’s a very good chance that those people who don’t understand are very likely addicted to something legal like booze or caffeine. Hell try anyone to try quitting caffeine and they’ll see how much it sucks.
That’s entirely possible. It also leads to the discussion between socially acceptable addictions and those that aren’t. People seem to be “more ok” with addictions that at least offer the veneer of the individual being in control.
Yup, and this is a huge part of why I don’t consume caffeine in any meaningful amount (other than a random soda every so often). I had a friend who was addicted in middle school and tried to quit, and had to go back to drinking soda because of the headaches.
I don’t want anything to have any meaningful control over me, so I actively avoid anything addicting. The most addictive thing right now. for me is video games, so I’ve set some rules for myself: no MMOs, generally avoid MP games, no mobile games (outside emulators). I don’t drink, smoke, etc, and I prefer to manage pain without Rx (definitely avoiding opiates).
I’ve seen far too many lives get ruined through addiction. In fact, one of my life goals is to volunteer at a charity to help people kick addiction to consumerism (I’d love to help people get out of debt).
Addiction sucks, and I highly recommend others to be honest about their addictions and work to kick them. If you want some more motivation, volunteer at a soup kitchen or something and talk to the people there, many if not most got there through addiction, and a lot of them had a career before everything spiraled out of control. Don’t let that happen to you.
I quit caffeine over a year ago. I still think about it almost every day. Every day I’m so tired, and I think, “there’s an easy fix for this, just give me a cup of half-caf.” It’s never an option for me to think, no, I’m done with that. I always just tell myself, “you can have it next month if you still need it then” Addictions suck.
Theres a lot of us who are this way because we’ve had to deal with the fallout of the damage those with addictions problems have. It’s not black and white, I’ve gone through a similarly fucked up life as my family members who fell into addiction
My comment has nothing to do with the damages caused by addicts to those around them. You’re right, it’s not black and white, and that’s one of the major issues about addiction vs the people who can’t/wont understand it from the outside. “All you have to do is…” is a cry of frustration and maybe even a defense against the damage caused by the addict. Yeah, they did the damage, no getting around that, and that’s a personal issue that I’m in no way qualified to make suggestions as to how to mend - if at all.
I’m absolutely not trying to detract from or minimize what you experienced, but neither can I offer an exception in your case that it changes how addiction works, and also I am in no way trying to be an apologist for the addict. It’s a shit situation. If it were easy we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
There’s no shortage of people who refuse to understand addiction.
The question was why people CREATE addictions. Not why people are addicted.
EDIT: Derp. “Why are people like this and what’s to be done with them”. This is opposite of refusing understanding addiction. Translation from 4chanian to English: “Why the problem exists and how to solve it”.
Tbh it’s hard to understand for people that have never been addicted for “real”.
Might also be worth noting how DARE made every drug into the Drug That Kills You Instantly. Cocaine instantly causes your heart to explode. Heroin immediately turns your into a vegetable. Weed is a “gateway drug” that’s laced with every other drug at once. Bath Salts are causing people to eat each other’s faces off.
How many interactions with actual drug users does it take to disabuse you of these notions? The high performing athlete who smokes weed. The kids doing whip its at the concert who look like their having a great time. Fucking gym rats doing steroids and getting swole as hell. The older folks doing oxy and heroin so they can bust through pain and pull an insane shift. The college kids using amphetamines to study through the day and party through the night.
It’s not as though drugs don’t have very immediate and obvious benefits. People aren’t doing them because they want to become washed up stereotypes.
Exactly. DARE and related programs aren’t doing anyone any favors because once you try one of those drugs, you’ll realize they’re really overselling how dangerous they are.
Don’t get me wrong, drugs are dangerous and many people get sucked into career-ending addiction. But anti-drug advocacy should be very honest about both the benefits and the negatives, as well as alternatives if you’re looking for some benefits (e.g. regular exercise can increase energy levels a lot).
I’m in favor of legalizing most recreational drugs, which should make dosage way more predictable (no more ODs) and detect warning signs before things spiral. I’d like to legalize and tax drugs, and use the tax proceeds to fund rehab programs. Start with weed and shrooms, and expand to whatever is most popular.
Bath Salts are causing people to eat each other’s faces off.
What? Is it something I don’t understand?
An oblique reference to the Miami Cannibal Attack which police claimed was the result of the assailant being “high on bath salts” at the time of the incident. Toxicology failed to corroborate the claim, but it stuck in the anti-drug media and became a recurring urban legend of sorts that DARE officers would repeat to credulous kids.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_cannibal_attack
Edit: I think the bath salts as a cause has been disproven but the story remains.
PCP, so not exactly the same as bath salts but similar.
can make you go cray cray