what are your feelings about it?
How do you feel about drug use?
what are your feelings about it?
my feelings depend on the drug in question...
marijuana - ok... a much better option for recreational use than booze. Most of it's downsides have to do with conflicting with the "American dream" I think ie People who smoke pot are generally content with the status quo and not as driven to material success. Very bad for democratic capitalism... Great for hanging out doing nothing though! Very big positive is that's it's a plant... easy to grow for personal use. "blackmarket" aspect only exhists when growing is prohibited. Obviously can do a number on your lungs after time, but whatever, nobody lives forever and it's much more enjoyable stoned
Coke - fun for a time but it's inevitable that the user falls into the pattern of "work to buy coke... so I can work more... so I can buy more coke... so I can work even more.. so I can buy even more coke ... etc. etc. etc." Once your caught in this cycle the only happiness in life comes from coke. Excessive use creates major havik on your blood vessels and heart. My opinion- SUCKS!
Meth - great fun as long as it's kept under control, which isn't very likely. WAY addictive, mentally at least. EATS YOU UP... teeth etc... Bonus? very easy and cheap to make with some basic chemistry. Another downside is that not many people handle the endless days without sleep well... starts to drive some people nutz... My opinion- sucks (but still one of my drugs of choice)
Heroin- Horrible at first, nasty high (equivilant to those weird fever dreams when your really sick). Heroin's only good once your addicted. Downsides- only drug I know of that makes people who quit feel progressively worse, physical withdrawal for a serious heroin addict can literally be life and death. Upsides- the drug itself does no damage to the body...(it's the needles, smoking, etc that get's you) I've noticed that most heroin addicts tend to retain a "youthfull" appearance until they catch hep.... Opinion- Nothing good!
LSD- When done in a safe enviornment is one of the most enjoyable drugs I've ever done. Truely magical at times. allow's for subverbal communication between people and "novel" forms of thinking. Also is the most powerfull drug for the cheapest price (next to the weed farmers)... one or two hits costs from $2 to $10 generally and gives an intense "trip" of six to ten hours. Physical overdose is next to impossible (if the drug is relatively pure). Downsides- can be the most hellacious drug if taken in a bad enviornment. Makes the user intensly aware of their enviornment both physically and psychologically, therefor is very easy to get set off onto a bad trip by a few suggestions from evil or unaware people. The upside of this is that even bad trip's eventually do end and a person can come out of it learning much about themselves. Another downside has to do with the "additives" in street quality LSD. A common one being strichnine which causes nasty cramps and a "sizzling" high... Opinion- Great drug when it's good, wish I could still get it!
My own drug history?
smoking weed... on and off for the past 18 years
coke... heavy use for a few years, put me in rehab my senior year of highschool
meth... pretty steady use from 10 years ago up to about 5 years ago, since then sporatic (one or two days a month)
heroin... bought it once, hated it. known many people who got addicted to it though
LSD... "heavy" use for 3 or 4 years after my coke days. I estimate I've taken it a few hundred times at least. Everywhere from half a hit (dose) at a time to 20 or 30 hits at a time. btw the "hardest" trip I ever had was on 2 hits.
Theres my somewhat informed opinion...
Wow Bionic goat, what a history. May I ask what caused to you got involved so young and have you managed to quit coke?
Oh yeah...
as for the degerative mental effects- as you can see I've had many years of using many different drugs. I tend to test 140-150 on IQ tests (which is around what I was before drugs) I do however generally test as having every personality disorder known in various degrees :wink:
In my opinion some drugs (marijuana and LSD) should be legal, others (Cocaine, meth, heroin, etc...) shouldn't. Once a person is an addict most of the harm they do to society stems from running out, therefor I tend to agree with policies such as Britain's where heroin addicts are provided with their heroin. Many drug addicts can be productive members of society if the general criminalization of drugs an issue.
That being said, I do understand the strict "no tollerance" policies of some countries (Tawain, China, etc...) I don't agree with the methods but I do understand why they do what they do. A drug free society is better off than one which isn't, however actually realising "drug free" is a pipe dream. (lol no pun intended)
ENTps on this forum and drugs.
Drugs suck.
Sale and possession of them should still be legal, though.
"To become is just like falling asleep. You never know exactly when it happens, the transition, the magic, and you think, if you could only recall that exact moment of crossing the line then you would understand everything; you would see it all"
"Angels dancing on the head of a pin dissolve into nothingness at the bedside of a dying child."
I haven't touched coke since I was 18 (I'm 32 now)... It was after being put into rehab (for coke) that I really got into taking LSD. I tend to attribute my quitting coke more to the LSD than the rehab.
As for why I got into drugs so early... it's kinda a long story. I was a "gifted" kid in gradeschool, very smart in nearly all subjects (particularly math) but had no real drive for success. Alot of that came from being picked on... I had the bad fortune to be the first kid to get zits way back around 3rd or 4th grade. Eventually I think all the teasing just kind of wore me down. I withdrew into my own little world bigtime. Unlike most typical "nerds" grades and stuff meant next to nothing to me. I found I could get A's and B's with no real effort and didn't to even pay attention in class. I just kinda learned by osmosis.
Somewhere in middle school I made a conscious decision not to follow the rest of the "gifted" kid path. I wanted to be something truly unique. I was also pretty depressed around this time because I really had no true friends. My biggest wish was to be "normal" but it seemed like all the authority figures in my life were dedicated to pointing out how "above normal" I was. I was constantly being singled out by winning awards, for things I wrote, math and algebra test scores, etc...
Freshmen year of highschool I finally found some people who I felt accepted me, or at least didn't pick on me. Primarily there were three of us, me... my bestfriend to this day Keith, and this girl who we were both in "love" with. Together the three of us drifted towards drugs. First getting drunk before school every now and then, later buying little bits of pot to smoke at the mall after school.
I enjoyed the closeness of having real friendships for the first time in many years, however they seemed to generally center around getting high. This was fine by me though... I had determained that this was the best course for me to experience a life which would be totally different from that of other "brainics".
Me and the girl tried coke and both loved it. On coke I finally found the self-confidence to go to parties and such... to be social.
That's a short version... there's other issues burried in my childhood which could be attributed. My two oldest brother were into drugs, I was molested by one my Dad's friend's son way back in primary school a few times... It all adds to my general outlook on things as a child.
All in all though I think it was the teasing over my acne drove me into myself, and that determained the course of my teenage years into drugdom.
I have never wanted to try drugs no matter how bad things got in my childhood or life . . . physical and mental abuse to the point of a split personality. Drugs just scare me terribly. There's enough we do to ourselves to mess us up like obesity and poor health habits. I don't want to add to the mix. I never understood alcohol either as the tipsy feeling never appealed to me. I have to be in constant control and a high state of alert at all times.
<--- Me pouring out all my love on you!
Some days its just not worth chewing through the restraints.
I have tried X, amphetamines, shrooms, weed, alcohol, pain pills, and benzos. Of all of these, X was the most fun but I will most likely never do it again. Shrooms is my favorite. I wish I could shroom once a month.But I don't more than a few times a year. Amphetamines make my brain work too well... messes up my life. Benzos and alcohol are the most dangerous things on this list long term. Weed is the least. X may be the deadliest, particularly when mixed with anything else.
Legality: Alcohol is the most harmful drug I know of. Weed is the least. The laws should be at least as lax about weed as they are alcohol.
I think N types are more likely to try drugs.
I think S with P types are more likely to try drugs. Most SP types I know are always looking for some high or the other-alcohal, drugs, lots of parties with drugs etc.
Quite a few ENTps seem to have tried drugs too. I can't help but think ENTps have too clever a brain to be messing it up with all kinds of junk. Stuff happens I guess, but drugs never proof a good escape for most people, it seems they just make situations worst.
I hope more people who have quit or lessen their habit share their experience, it might be useful.
Artemis sentiments are like mine where drugs are concerned, I have a need to be 100% mentally "there" to stay in some sort of control of my life.
Bionic Goat thanks for sharing your story, it is very thought provoking.
I think SPs fall into the 'drug culture' kinda people (especially in lower income areas), but NTs are more into 'expanding their mind' stuff like psychadelics and trying everything but not making a habit. I mean these are general conclusions, I've seen lots of people not falling into this generalization
dfdsf
I suspect I'll be going against the grain here, but I have to say what I so strongly believe in.
I am a grateful recovering alcoholic and drug addict with 15 years clean. I used alcohol and drugs to socialize, take away pain, and avoid problems and of course of have fun. When I first stopped using, I think I was terrified to go through life without them. Although I was insecure before starting to use, using only made me even more insecure and unable to take personal responsibility. By the time I started to admit I had a problem, I was 25 years old.
At the time, using felt like my best option. I did not perceive any other choices and it didn't seem like anyone was trying to help me. In retrospect, I probably had a lot of choices that I did not have the courage to make and I probably had some people trying to help me whom I didn't want to listen to.
I don't regret the past. But I am very lucky to have made into recovery, many people do not and die addicted. And being addicted is a horrible way to live; it's like hell on earth. Only by the grace of God did I come out of it.
Still to this day, though, I feel that I lost precious years that can't be replaced and that my skill sets are those of a younger person.
My life in recovery is beyond my wildest dreams! I have the courage to face things that before I would deny. I have so many wonderful things in my life that would not be here had I continued to make alcohol my primary life partner.
I am totally against alcohol and other drugs. If they were not available, then everyone would have to be more honest, not just addicts.
K. I'm off my soapbox!
Entp
ILE
I don't even want to take the drugs that is bad for health. Also seing results when my friends take the bad drugs. The good drugs I believe should even take unless you have to
I know if I get drug up or stoned badly I would be mean and want to pick fights (found out when using laughing gas. Don't even know if it is a drug
ISFP, SEI
There are a couple key points being brought up here...
1.) Moderation- obviously an vice can ruin a person
2.) Reason for use- metaiwan hit the nail on the head...
If a substance is used as an escape, it is unhealthy. I think I've used alcohol and weed as escapes, but the other things were done to create an altered state on consciousness that provides epiphanies and whatnot. The pain meds were prescribed to me for injury/recovery after surgery, but I still consider them drugs. The benzos were given to me by a friend and I took the for medicinal purposes a few times, and never for recreational purposes.
yes it is, very much soOriginally Posted by taz
(found out when using laughing gas. Don't even know if it is a drug
The thing is though Joy, several people I know of started off thinking they could moderate coke or whatever and then it just takes them over eventually. I think people should be honest with themselves about their capabilities. I know from experience that if I open a box of chocolates then I am not going to eat just one, particularly if I am having a bad day that I want to escape from. Most people just are not as good at moderation as they think, for them abstinance would be best.
Blaze, I would never have thought you had such a history. I am glad you are better (and I mean that in every way) now. This damn forum just would not be the same without you. I admire greatly anyone who can give up drugs, I could even give up candy if I wanted to without severe mind altering effort.
Chocolate is great! Just make sure it's dark chocolate, dairy cancels out the antioxidant effects of chocolate. I eat this stuff that's 85% cocoa. LOL, my son tried it once and spit it out in the garbage.
I totally agree with what you are saying. I have had the opportunity many times to do coke and crack and a few times to do herion, and I never did because I don't trust myself. I also won't try LSD because I fear I may not be mentally stable enough. Psychosis runs in my family. I'm actually the only one in my siblings that has never been hospitalized.
Sooooo..... I totally agree with you.
I agree with all (!) of this and I'm equally impressed. Just giving up cigarettes was hard enough, so I can't even imagine.
I did a bit of party drinking and "weeding" in my teens and early twenties. Just for fun, always in company and with no problems. I didn't drink or smoke weed between 24 (or so) and two years ago, but just recently began to realize just how comforting alcohol can be. I have had phases of fairly heavy drinking this year (short phases, however) and for the first time in my life had to acknowledge that I have to be really careful. It was not social anymore: I drank at home by myself and I got really drunk each time. So in crisis situations, I will have to watch it and I'm glad that I had these little episodes to realize that I, too, have a somewhat addictive personality.
I haven't tried anything else and for said reason, don't want to.
“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.”
― Anais Nin
Wonderbar! But this is uncanny but you sound exactly like what my daughter's fiance told me about his mother. You aren't from Missouri are you?
<--- Me pouring out all my love on you!
Some days its just not worth chewing through the restraints.
Wow it's so nice to hear such supportive comments from everybody! THANK YOU!!!!!
@Artemis: Although I am not from Missouri, Artemis, after awhile, recovery stories do start to sound a lot alike, definitely, lol. Especially women's stories, I think.
@Kim: I'm so glad you are paying attention to how alcohol affects you. You sound so tuned in to yourself and self aware. When I was using, I was in complete denial - this is why I became addicted, my denial allowed me to continue what I was doing despite facts and consequences. You sound like you are in a much better position. Congrats!
@Megan: Thanks for those kind thoughts. And I know what you mean about candy . . . it's started all over again what with miniature halloween chocolate bars floating all around my house these days! I've really enjoyed reading your posts, too.
Entp
ILE
I forgot to say also, sometime when you say you are recovering people get uncomfortable and start to think they can't talk about drinking and drugs and such in front of you. I just want to let people know that I only speak for myself and we do live in a world where people drink and get high, so really no judgments - anything I say about this is just for me.
K.
Entp
ILE
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