Does anyone here not take any drugs at all?

[number9]

I haven't used pot since the seventies. don't drink. don't take any prescription meds. anybody else not pumping drugs into their body?

[gristy]

1. drink only. Why?

[number9]

5. it just seems that this society

relies on so many different types of cures for everything from depression to flatulence that I think the pharmaceutical companies have brainwashed us into taking something every time we turn around. then they charge us up the wazoo for it - after of course we've gotten used to especting relief from some "condition." I know there are many, many reasons for people to take meds, but just think it's overdone.

[Cha]

2. Why ,,,come to think it,,,,I don't do anything ,,,anymore....

I'm on different things now...Exercise and healthy food and drink...

Feels great!!

[radwriter0555]

124. Never have, never will.

just couldn't see wasting such money on such silly things, back in the day, making it out there on my own. Food was more important than pleasure.

[thermodynamic]

3. I wish

Having bipolar disorder and ADD, I have to stay on certain prescription drugs. I even tried going off of them, very slowly, at one point. A couple weeks after I was off, I had gone into an emotional tailspin which also created the worst physical headache I'd ever had. The aftermath of the 'headache' also lasted for days, so whatever had happened was pretty strong.

I hope I'll never lose my job because I can't live without the drugs and the cost of getting them without my insurance would simply kill me. :-(

[number9]

8. I wish you luck

and stability. I have a friend that has bipolar manic disorder, and relies on lithium to stabilize his moods. He wonders at times why he doesn't feel well - but continues to smoke pot on a regular basis. It makes no sense to me. I question taking meds for other, more generic everyday conditions.

[Droopy]

12. I'm in the same boat, thermodynamic

I have bipolar schizoaffective disorder. It's the most severe form of bipolar with some symptoms resembling schizofrenia. I stopped taking my meds because I was feeling really lethargic on them and four months later I was back in the hospital. They've got me on some new stuff now and I feel much better on them.

I could not live without these drugs. They're saving my life.

[molly]

89. I'm so glad to hear you are doing better!

I read your other posts and want to tell you what I learned from my son's problem. It is definitely a genetic disorder. Many young people going thru their teens get a double whammy - their hormones kick in and watch out! Many people with these types of disorders "self medicate" either on illegal drugs and/or alcohol. And, it only makes it worse.

[Kamika]

4. drugs are for losers

and yeah im not ironic. they are

I only drink socially, and beer is so yucky

[Catch22Dem]

6. So is thermodynamic a loser?

[thermodynamic]

9. I'll assume that Kamika means

illegal drugs (pot, crack, speed, special k, corn flakes, and all the others) are for losers. :D

Besides, some people would call me a loser. And that's fair.

[Kamika]

14. yep hehe

ofcourse i mean pot , narcotics etc.. alcohol used as a drug and not for social events too..



and no i dont mean when used when its prescribed you guys know what i mean

[DisgustipatedinCA]

15. Hi. I'm a loser.

Pot is illegal and I smoke it.

But if the pharmaceutical industry is able to get a mind-bending drug passed by the FDA, it's ok. The implication is that it's ok to do Oxycontin, but not smoke pot.

Here, I have a generalization to make: people who are against all drugs without having performed any critical thinking on the subject are useless dumbfucks. How's that, Tex?

[Kamika]

21. i dont care if its illegal or not

Anyone that needs a drug to get high and cant get high from life itself is what i classify as a loser.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

26. OK

This reminds me of the brainwashed fundamentalist "youth groups" in churches that rail against pre-marital sex: you have no fucking idea as to what you're talking about.

If you classify marijuana in the same league with dangerous drugs (both legal and illicit) then you're clearly speaking from a position of ignorance.

Like it or not, we're a self-medicating species and we always have been; it's recorded throughout history. No one is forcing you to participate. No one is abrogating your right to feel a false sense of superiority based on your insecurities. However, you may wish to keep your damned mouth shut before you classify a clear majority of Democratic Underground members as losers.

[Catch22Dem]

28. That's a ridiculous statement

That's like me coming here and saying "Anyone who supports Dean, or Kerry, or Sharpton is a loser." You can't accurately make that kind of statement. You can have that opinion, just like you can have the opinion that Dean should be the next president. Your opinion doesn't make you right.

You never answered Terwilleger's question. Were those people losers? Lennon, Thompson, et al? What about Huxley, Al Gore, Stevie Nicks, and folks like them? Losers all?

[Kamika]

29. yep

If they needed a drug to get high, sure they were

[DisgustipatedinCA]

37. What are your accomplishments?

Do your accomplishments outweigh those of Carl Sagan, John Lennon, Aldous Huxley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Al Gore? Pretty fucking cocky, calling all of these people losers, calling the majority of DU members losers.

How's the cure for cancer coming, Einstein? What does your list of accomplishments look like? What are your personal qualifications for calling all of these great people losers? Do you have any qualifications, or just a big, loud, uneducated mouth?

Waiting.

[Kamika]

40. lol personal attack galore

well since im just 21 im holding off the cure for cancer some years.

Thank you come again

[ForrestGump]

42. My goodness

A belligerent pot-user.

Alert Art Linkletter!

[DisgustipatedinCA]

56. Belligerent? Maybe so.

My beef is not with you, although you and I don't see eye-to-eye. You didn't engage in a broad and sweeping attack against lots of folks by calling them losers. That's what got me going.

So am I being belligerent? I'll grant that maybe I am. And I'll furthermore explain that in addition to being a pot smoker and a belligerent person, I'm also:

-gainfully employed as a network engineer (no small feat in this economy)
-support a family of 5 in freaking California (no small feat in any economy)
-politically active and socially aware
-well-read
-strong sense of family
-very liberal

et al

I don't typically go around spouting accomplishments, but when I get classified as a "loser" because I like to smoke pot, I get a little bit defensive. I'll put my accomplishments and lifestyle up against any non-drug-user and I'll break even or come out ahead. That's where I'm coming from. I think human nature dictates that no one wants to be called a loser, especially when it's unwarranted and from a suspect source.

[Kamika]

59. man..

I could sit and compare my stuff too, thing is. it has NOTHING to do with anything..

Im really suprised though why you must poison your body with shit when you seem to have a great life.

And oh just how exactly am i a suspect source lol. because im from texas?? geez.

I stand by what i said, but ill be damned if you think im a suspect source?

A democrat to you must be a gun hating pot smoker or shes a suspect source? Get a grip

[DisgustipatedinCA]

61. Suspect Source

No, not because you live in Texas. I had the misfortune of living in Houston for several years myself.

You're a suspect source because of the shallow one-dimensionness of your argument.

I think this can be distilled to a central question: why do you consider the alteration of consciousness a bad thing? Conversely, why do I consider it a good (or at least neutral) thing?

I don't think we're going to come to terms on that question, based on the thread so far.

Please quit calling me a loser, and I'll quit being so belligerent.

[Catch22Dem]

38. Now you're just being defensive

So now, anyone who ever smoked weed is a loser. No matter how much good they did for those around them, or the country as a whole, they're losers because they got high.

I think this horse is dead.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

102. Hey Kamika, Take A Chill Pill

To each his poison. If they aren't bothering you, what right do you have to judge?

BTW, how old are you? If you're over 25 with this kind of judgementalism, maybe you should be taking more than a chill pill.

I don't do drugs and barely drink, but if someone wants to indulge, it's their prerogative.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

32. Don't forget Carl Sagan

In writings released posthumously, Sagan claimed that he came up with his best ideas while stoned.

Thank god for the pot smokers and their natural drug of choice--they've had a mellowing influence on this uptight world, which could certainly use such an influence.

[Fatima]

34. That's a harsh blanket statement

I don't use pot anymore, but I don't begrudge those who do at all...all things in moderation of course.

Alcohol is a much more dangerous drug. It seems to trigger violence in a lot of people. Pot does not appear to have that effect.

The US should decriminalize it at the very least, and stop jailing people for small amounts. What a ridiculous waste of time, money and resources.

[DS1]

67. Anyone that makes such statements

about something they've clearly never tried is a close-minded loser in my books.

Squeegee your third eye!

[ForrestGump]

72. Though

there are some thing that perhaps should never be tried but that are obviously not A Good Idea. Having an opinion about them that's uninformed may be the only safe or sane way to go about it.

Perhaps Kamika feels that way about marijuana use - that she doesn't want or feel the need to try it but that she suspects that it's not A Good Idea. I know that I feel that way......I've never tried it, never will, but I've been around it enough that I'm not totally ignorant of its effects. Heck, even if I were, I could still have an informed opinion about it. Just like I have my feelings about premeditated murder and burning crosses in people's front yards - haven't done either, but I've got my ideas about both actions.

[Catch22Dem]

17. 2 questions:

1. What's wrong with pot?

2. Who gets to decide the point where drinking is OK and when it's NOT?

[ForrestGump]

18. Um

1. It's bad for you. Like alcohol and tobacco. And it also makes you want food high in saturated fats and with no nutritional value (i.e. Twinkies)

2. Not the person who's drinking, that's for sure.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

20. How is pot bad for you like alcohol and tobacco?

I somehow missed that study.

[ForrestGump]

24. Um, part 2

Maybe because it can mess with your judgment, alter your perception, and essentially play little mind games (like alcohol.....would there be any point to using either if they didn't alter your consciousness?) and because - if you inhale it - it's got stuff in it that shouldn't be in your lungs (like tobacco)?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

31. This gets so old

I don't know anyone who smokes 20 joints a day. I know plenty of people who smoke 20 cigarettes per day. There's a difference. No, it's not good to inhale any smoke into your lungs, but the quantity of marijuana typically consumed is much less harmful than smoking a pack a day.

Yes, people take drugs to alter their consciousness, no doubt about it. Is that wrong? If so, why?

I've smoked pot. I've gotten drunk. There's no question as to which is more debilitating, which affects judgement more, and which is more detrimental to gross and fine motor skills. There's also no question as to which substance destroys more families. It's alcohol on all counts.

Thanks.

[ForrestGump]

39. I agree with all that

but that still doesn't mean that marijuana is somehow 'good for you.' Alter your consciousness as much as you want, as long as you're not hurting anyone else, for all I care.

I'd rather have all my faculties intact and, frankly, see absolutely no benefits in drugging myself up on anything, no matter what the circumstances. That's my choice. Amd I 'betetr off' for eschewing marijuana and other drugs, alcohol included? I'm sure I am. But, whatever....

But if some idiot who's nutted out on an addictive chemical messes with my life - and, yes, statistically, I'm sure that alcohol would be the prime culprit - then they are no longer just some jolly drunk or druggie. Like many people, I've had this happen to me and I have zero empathy for the mind-altered f***wit who's lost control. Again, I'm aware that marijuana users perhaps rarely get any more intrusive than ocassionally being really annoying to try to get sense out of.....it's alcohol that's been the catalyst for the mind-altered-freak incursions into my life.

[Catch22Dem]

43. No one here said it was good for you

But does smoking it make you a loser? Come on, that's just fuckin' stupid. As a matter of fact, I'm going to assert that only a loser would make that statement. Ya see what I'm getting at RE blanket statements?

[ForrestGump]

48. I never used the L-word.

I just said it's not good-for-you. The argument that I don't know what I'm talking about implies that either (a) it is 'good-for-you' or (b) it's absolutely neutral, healthwise.

May not be as bad as alcohol/tobacco, especially in the quantities or degree of regularity that most probably use, but I'd strongly doubt that it has no chronic effect on the human body. This is kind of splitting hairs, though, because most modern human bodies are soaking up nasty food additives and environmental contaminants every day. But, still....

[Kamika]

52. its not good

And these people willingly expose their bodies to this poison...

Its amazing and then they get angry i call them losers

[DisgustipatedinCA]

58. Pardon

Are you directly calling me a loser? Have the guts to answer the question.

Next point: You're in Texas. Last time I checked, you're exposing yourself to more poison than I am, just by breathing the air.

You're short on facts. Your entire line of reasoning is based on your emotions. This is not an effective strategy for convincing anyone of anything, save the freeper element.

[Kamika]

69. yup

Considering you seem to have a great life, family good job etc.. i really dont see why you insist on using drugs.

I mean i can understand when homeless ppl uses drugs to escape reality but when rich rockstars etc use them.. im just dumbfound.


And no its not emotions. Its a clear fact using drugs is bad in one way or another.. why ruin yourself?

[ForrestGump]

76. I agree in some ways

but human complexity kind of throws the whole thing out the window. All bets are off when you're talking about Homo sapiens.

Some poor people might use drugs as a means of (illusionary) escape, but that's not confined to a certain socioeconomic class - your basic rich rock star might want exactly the same kind of escape. For myself, I could handle being rich, I think (I'd like to give it a try, anyway), but there's no question that very wealthy people can't necessarily escape their own demons and, in some cases, may gather more about them just because they're so rich. And some people just have addictive personalities, reagardless of their financial circumstances. Not that there aren't some, I'm sure, who are just hedonists in search of the latest sensation, and being rich only makes the good drugs easier to find. They're stupid, sure, in that popular culture has provided so many examples of the downside of drug use, particularly in popular music since the '60s.

Case in point, the dude who is my avatar and (for right now) my signature. He probably did have an addictive personality, probably with an inherited component, was hyperenergetic and always had problems coming 'down' after a concert or at any other time, but he also had very real health problems (again probably heriditary) that required medication and he was in many ways a very lonely and tragic figure, isolated by the same adulation that made him so rich and famous. Nobody has ever been as famous as Elvis Presley, and many people with far less pressure on them than he experienced resorted to drugs....the end result was that, for Elvis, he basically killed himself, slowly, as he sought escape that became ever more elusive. And - with the exception of a few moments of honest self-evaluation - he did not consider himself addicted to drugs because they were prescription drugs, prescribed by a doctor (or doctors), and he'd have agreed with you that drug-users were stupid. In fact, he even intervened in the drug habits of some of his peers and when his step-brother was busted for 'street' drugs he gave him hell. So here's a man who'd seem to have it all and yet he not only dulled it all out with a drug regime that demanded he take uppers to counteract the downers that he needed to get to sleep after a concert that he took uppers before (etc) but it contributed to the end of his life.

And look at how many others have thrown it all way in the same kind of manner, albeit with different drugs. Why? I don't know. I can understand how it happens but not, really, why. I've often felt the need to escape a place, person, or situation, but have never resorted to drugs to accomplish that goal. Why not? I don't know the answer to that, either. I do know that it's a losing path, that can spiral quickly downward, to take refuge in drugs or alcohol, but so do most (all?) of the people who follow that path and who eventually self-destruct.

[DrWeird]

84. People who don't smoke pot are losers.

I mean look at them. The only education they've got is what they've learned off of After School Specials. When they're not sitting around masturbating to Britney Spears videos they're coming up with goofy made up shit about how marijuana is poisonous and makes you kill your kids and worship Satan. They think that because their too scared to try something new then they're better then everybody else. Basically, the person who doesn't smoke pot and criticizes those who do is a moral coward. A stunted immature brat who will live and die without every having tried anything new or interesting. Frankly, they're a waste of good carbon. Good patriot americans who are unjustly locked up now should be let loose and these prudes should be thrown in for the rest of their lives.

But that's just my opinion on this certain demographic. Nothing personal here.

[Name removed]

90. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GobGoober]

96. Pot is NOT a poison

To call a substance a poison, that substance must first have a minimum lethal dosage (ie. a minimum amount per body weight required to kill a human being).

Aspirin has a Minimum Lethal Dosage.
Alcohol has a minimum lethal dosage.
Tobacco has a minimum lethal dosage.
Sugar has a minimum lethal dosage.
Chocolate has a minimum lethal dosage.
Advil has a minimum lethal dosage.
Hot peppers have a minimum lethal dosage.
Heroin has a minimum lethal dosage.
Cocaine has a minimum lethal dosage.

There has never been a minimum lethal dosage for cannabis!

Pot cannot be considered a poison because it cannot kill you via overdose.

[JVS]

108. About what is the lethal dosage of sugar and chocolate?

I'm afraid some kids I know might die.

[GobGoober]

97. Oh, and before you ask, I usually don't smoke pot.

I EAT IT!!!

:evilgrin:

Eating pot gets you MUCH HIGHER than smoking it, but not as fast.

[Catch22Dem]

41. In addition to that

Cigarettes are LOADED with carcinogins. They have hundreds of harmful chemicals. So, should we go ahead and expand this blanket to include all smokers too. Now they're losers?

[ForrestGump]

44. Well,

anyone who's started since about 1963 can't complain that they didn't know what they were getting into.

I don't like the term 'loser,' but I'd have to question the piece of their judgment that allowed them to become addicted to that nasty stuff. We all exercise questionable judgment at one time or another, though doing so with respect to a potentially lethal habit is a pretty serious lapse. I know plenty of people who are very defensive about it, and honestly seem to have no intention of quitting, but I hope that the rest are able to kick the habit sooner rather than later. Big Tobacco doesn't deserve their money or their lives.

[DS1]

70. actually about 4,000 chemicals can be traced for any given cig puff

yum :eyes:

At least with weed, while it may burn stuff that isn't good for your lungs, you know that nobody intentional puts rat poison on dried weed.

[Catch22Dem]

23. LOL

1. Are your answers based on scientific evidence or personal experience. I've smoked pot and never craved Twinkies. LOL. Jesus, that's just stupid. What if you crave a salad? What if you crave nothing at all?

2. So do you get to decide when I'm no longer drinking socially?

[ForrestGump]

25. Gone potty

1. Observation. Craving salad could be a good thing, though, but not if you use that high-fat dressing.

2. Yes, and I think you've had quite enough already.

[Allah Akbar]

30. How come I can buy a bag of catnip for my cat

but can't buy a bag of weed for myself.

They are never going to get people to quit getting high. Every animal on earth will get high if it can. Plant some pot plants outside, deer love them and I'm sure it's not just because it's so tasty.

Expecting a drug free world is like expecting an oxygen free world.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

49. In another thread, you say that you LIKE losers

You rated your top 10 rock songs of all times, and 8 of the 10 are KNOWN DRUG USERS, and therefore, LOSERS. Would you care to explain why you're so down on drugs, but your favorite bands use them?

Thanks so much.




10. U2 - Bad
9. U2 - Sunday bloody sunday
8. U2 - New years day
7. U2 - Gone
6. Boys don't cry - I wanna be a cowboy (not sure if this qualify as rock n roll)
5. U2 - Acrobat
4. U2 - Love is blindness
3. Clash - London calling
2. Officer Negative - JCHC
1. U2 - Bullet the blue sky


You seem to really like the band U2. That’s cool. There’s only one problem: according to your reasoning, they’re LOSERS:
http://www.u2faq.com/8.html
"8.4 Didn't Adam get arrested for doing drugs?
{M2} No. In August, 1989, Adam was arrested near his Dublin home and charged with possession of marijuana and with intent to supply marijuana to another person. Less than a month later, he appeared in court and admitted to possessing 19 grams of marijuana. The intent-to-supply charge had already been dropped by the State. Under Irish law, the prosecution agreed to apply the Probation of Offenders Act, which allows defenders to make contributions to charity in return for a dismissal of charges without conviction. Adam agreed to pay £25,000 to the Women's Aid Refuge Centre and there is no mention of this incident on his record."

And it looks like you’re also a fan of The Clash. Too bad they’re losers too.
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/02.17.00/clash-0007.html
"That year, the band split up (owing to drugs or political differences, depending on whom you believe), with Strummer moving on to a solo career (he wrote the theme song for Sid & Nancy and pursued film acting) and Jones heading up the landmark Big Audio Dynamite, which pioneered a rock-reggae-house-hip-hop hybrid years ahead of its time."

[Kamika]

53. err

Dont you think youre abit silly now?

I mean cmon you even dug up links for little me.


But sure.. when multimillionair rockstars have to use drugs.. theyre winners?

lol

[DisgustipatedinCA]

57. Now I understand

You classify them as losers, but love them just the same.

You lost this one with your inconsistency.

Silly? No, I don't think so. I think I'm just exposing the hypocrisy you probably didn't even know existed. Defense mechanism, don'tcha know.

[Kamika]

60. ehm

Show me one thread where i said i would not apreciate someones accomplishments because they used drugs..

Youre really starting to get carried away here.. if theres anyone who is on the defence its you.


Ill say it again here though.. when some millionaire uses drugs they should be slapped publicly for being so stupid..


btw chill out some

[DisgustipatedinCA]

62. Well, you won't answer the question

You've been asked twice about the accomplishments of those who have used drugs, and you haven't answered the question.

Yes, I'm on the defensive, I'll freely admit, because I've come under attack. I'll take the truthful accusation of being defensive over the unsubstantiated accusation that I'm a loser.

Now I'm off to figure out how I can better synchronize the receipt of my welfare check with my crack dealer's shipping schedule...

[Kamika]

64. okay answer

they are idiots for using drugs but i still think their music is great.. altough im not a clash fan i only think that song is good.

Anything else i can help you with

Btw i never accused you of being on welfare etc.. i dont get why you bring that up

[DisgustipatedinCA]

73. Truce?

You don't agree with me, I don't agree with you.

I didn't appreciate being called a loser.

The crack thing was levity, no more or less.

You intimated elsewhere in this thread that maybe the act was idiotic or 'loseresque' but that this didn't necessarily apply to the person in question's overall status as a human (OK, I'm reaching here but I at least want to think that you implied this). By the same token, you allowed that you may have lifestyle habits that aren't perfect. I'll take it as half an olive branch?

So we don't agree, and we're not going to, so far as I can tell. You put up a spirited and thorough fight, whether or not I agree with your reasoning.

I have one critical question left for you: are you in agreement that, one way or another, we need to kick W's ass all the way back to the pig farm in Crawford and make sure he stays there? If your answer is yes, let's just call this drug issue a part of the Big Tent that lends our party diversity and strength and drop the whole thing.

Take care.

PS: marijuana does have its beneficial effects. I took a couple of hits before posting this, and Voila, I'm indistinguishable from the dove of peace. :)

[Kamika]

75. sure

But i never had a grudge against you or anything like that :)

And YES id love to get bush out of washington i just hope this country hasnt been totally sheepified until then

Take care

PS. i did NOT smoke marijuana ever and im ALWAYS indistinguishable from the dove of peace. :D


(well ok sometimes)

[bicentennial_baby]

65. LOL

As a daily pot smoker with a 4.0 GPA, thank you for making me laugh...it's hard, being the loser that I apparently am, according to some people. :eyes:

[ForrestGump]

71. Context

I can't speak for Kamika, but in my case I had to put up with a lot of BS and a lot of pressure from people who thought I was the 'loser' for not using marijuana or, for that matter, drinking. Probably the only thing that helped me, given that I was a distinct minority in this respect - was that I never did much care what people thought of me and I also didn't feel compelled to hang out long with people who'd treat me like that.

One result, though, is that I admit that I am also defensive on the subject of drugs, though from the opposite side of the fence. Doing drugs or drinking would have been the easy way out for me, but I never craved that social acceptance enough to capitulate. I've seen it a lot lately, too, with alcohol - someone I know, a big-time alcoholic who has lately (finally) been sober, is constantly having to battle with his feelings in the face of so-called friends who are always encouraging him to drink. And that 'encouragement' assumes negative form, such as jeers and put-downs that are none too subtle - and this character has a very fragile sense of self-esteem and basically wants everyone to like him. So, of course, off he goes again, into the bottle. They're only 'friends' as long as they're all drunk together. Lovely people.

So my knee-jerk reaction to drug users would be that they're 'idiots.' But that's a reflex born of my having remained drug-free as a little island unto myself and from knowledge that most addictive substances are hardly life-enhancing. The truth is a lot more complex and if I ever blanket-classified drug users, alcohol-overindulgers, or smokers as 'idiots' then it was as a reaction to the cultures that insist that their choice of addiction is cool and that everyone else is L-seven. I'd be wrong, in other words. So would they.

And, I have to say, hanging around DU has already altered my consciousness, in a non-addictive way: I can now see not only the blatant hypocrisy of having alcohol and tobacco legally available (c.f. marijuana) but can appreciate the value of legalizing marijuana. I liked the ideas brought up in another thread a while back: treat MJ just like alcohol, by restricting its sale and use and taxing the Cheney out of it, letting people know that they can use it if they want but that it's not necessarily desirable or good for them and basically treat the whole thing as a public-health issue rather than as a criminal matter. Of course, the question is where you draw the line: should you apply the same model to cocaine, crack, or heroin?

[jonnyblitz]

79. umm..drugs are ok if they are used for social events??

your reasoning is a bit..off..sounds like you are making exceptions for when you use drugs..alcohol is a drug last i heard..

[Kamika]

81. not off

Alcohol isnt taken solely to get high as other drugs.. if youre at a gathering, i think its ok to drink some alcohol aslong as its not just to get drunk.

If you drink alcohol alone or if you drink alcohol at partys ONLY to get drunk then you got a problem.

Other drugs like pot you smoke solely so you get high

[Nikia]

I use pot socially

I rarely smoke alone. I smoke more of it at social gatherings when others are smoking a lot. I was terrified when I met my best friends wife because he said that she was a very jealous type. We all smoked pot together though and I felt that we connected very well. I feel that I can connect better to other people when I am high. It makes me less shy and self conscious and I think more non linearly. How is that any different than drinking to be social? When I drink I tend to get more irritable than social.

[bicentennial_baby]

82. ?

"Alcohol isnt taken solely to get high as other drugs.. if youre at a gathering, i think its ok to drink some alcohol aslong as its not just to get drunk."

Then why drink at all, if it's not to feel the effects of the alcohol? Alcohol, whether you get a buzz or get trashed, alters your biochemistry and your consciousness. Are you going to tell me people drink alcohol because it tastes good? As a former heavy drinker who started out as a "social" drinker, I can assure you, that's not the reason.

So why do people drink it, if it's not to experience a change in how they feel?

[Castilleja]

118. ?? Alcohol sole reason for existing is to alter

your mental state. Otherwise, nobody would have chewed and fermented anything in order to produce an alcoholic drink way back in the mists of time, merely kept to eating whatever food it was. These arguments sound like an unfortunate product of the D.A.R.E. program. My kids came home with a very rigid view on anything drug or alcohol related, ie. all bad, all the time. Black and white thinking, without any experience, yet willing to impose their opinion on everyone else. To each his own, live and let live, don't smoke or drink if you like, but leave others alone if they are adults. There is nothing wrong with pot, it is doing too much of anything that is the problem.

[Terwilliger]

11. John Lennon? Hunter S. Thompson? Richard Nixon?

ok...tricky Dick would be a good example of your contention...but your contention is simplistic on its face, and a blatant generalization

[liberalnurse]

7. Me....

n/t

[Terwilliger]

10. any other pills?

herbs? vitamins? supplements?

[ForrestGump]

13. I'm clean

In that respect, anyway........

And I'm glad that I don't have to take any prescription drugs - those things can have a way of creating as many or more problems than they solve. Allopathic doctors can be a little hasty with the Rx pad. And the drug companies like it that way.

[nuxvomica]

19. You're clean? What about the gamma rays?

You're right about the allopaths. Prescription drugs are the 5th largest cause of death in this country though the CDC doesn't keep track for some reason.

[ForrestGump]

22. Thats what happens when you forget to close the microwave door

Man, I didn't know that prescription drugs were such a killer (well, allegedly), but it wouldn't surprise me. I've seen so many people who were messed up, or who developed a second (more serious) condition, because they were prescribed the wrong thing. I've had an antimalarial drug mess with me and I am not particularly happy about it. I would almost certainly have been better off getting malaria and then treating it.

We may not entirely know, for example, what exactly makes certain aspects of Chinese medicine work (at least for some people, some of the time) but it's sobering to realize that not only do we not know how some pharmaceuticals work but that doctors are rather often playing a guessing game in applying them. And, just like 'natural' remedies (kinda bogus, because a lot - most? - of the allopathic drugs derive originally from natural ingredients), these nasty drugs don't always work for everyone.

[nuxvomica]

47. Herbal remedies are dangerous too

Because they have material levels of the medicinal substance, which can have toxic effects. I prefer homeopathic remedies because they contain no material medicine and are free of side-effects if used properly. They same cannot be said with any assurance about even the most benign pharmaceutical. The downside with homeopathy is that people don't take it seriously. They would rather take a drug that has a measurable effect just about every time it's used, regardless of whether the effect is negative or positive, than take a potentized remedy that is only going to have a measurable effect of any kind in the appropriate patient.

As to pharmaceuticals being the 5th biggest killer in the US, that's a statistic I heard from an interview with a mainstream medical ethicist. I can't support it with references but I don't find it surprising based on what I've heard anecdotally. Like a said, the CDC doesn't even track that as a category.

[ForrestGump]

55. Yes, it's a pity that the FDA et al

don't regard some of these herbal remedies as 'real medicine.' Some of them can do you in. It's scary, for example, that taking St John's Wort alongside a prescribed antidrepressant can make you dead....I wonder how many even know of that risk? Same with yam extracts and thyroid supplements.

I have to say that I'm still skeptical about homeopathy, mainly because it seems to me like the 'active ingredient' is watered down to the point that it's questionable whether there's actually any present in a given vial (or lactose pill). It doesn't help that I've been around more than a few crystal-waving frauds who have all these weird and wonderful ways of 'charging' solutions to do certain things and who use things like the avatar machine to make it all seem 'scientific.' My wife believed in homeopathy rather passionately, but nothing she gave me ever did any good - perhaps I was too close-minded, disabling not only any placebo effect but counteracting whatever the stuff was supposed to do.

These days I tend to not take anything at all, for anything.....even structural injuries I just let heal while keeping the joint mobile and strong. I really do need to go to the ER for an injury I sustained over a month ago, though - kinda didn't get around to it yet!

[nuxvomica]

68. Homeopathy is very hit and miss

But if the right remedy for the condition (the similimum) is found, the effects can appear miraculous. There's no placebo effect involved -- I've seem the most remarkable results on animals. I'm very skeptical myself and I'm annoyed by the people that have made homeopathy just another New Age belief. It's essentially just a purely empirical approach to healing.

BTW, did you know that there is an official DC monument to Dr. Hahnemann? Thanks to Warren Harding's wife, whose homeopath may have been in some way responsible for Harding's death. But that's another story.
Take care, Forrest.

[ForrestGump]

77. I'll have to check out that memorial!

And, yep, I need to give homeopathy another chance when my mind's a little more open about it. Though not if I end up like Harding, as a result. Maybe that's why my wife wanted me to try it?

Anyway, my wife swore by it, and it really did seem to help her. Well, something, did, anyway. :-)

Those pesky New-Agers have co-opted a lot of stuff that has, as a result, become warped both in perception and in practice. Crazy.

[Piltdown13]

86. Let me guess...Lariam?

The PhD who runs the archaeological project I work on always has trouble with the stuff -- we're talking being pretty out of it for about a day and a half per week. I tend to just hope that folks don't all decide to take their Lariam on the same day.

What really pisses me off about the whole antimalarial issue is that there are MUCH safer options for malaria prophylaxis, and yet Lariam is STILL on the market! (I always spring for the much more expensive, but side-effect free, alternative -- just came out a few years ago. My health, and my sanity, are worth the extra $$$.)

[ForrestGump]

91. Yep, Lariam. Evil stuff.

The CDC still really pushes it, too, though it's pretty much reviled in most other countries. I suspect that I've suffered a long-term effect from it (not serious, but annoying to some extent) but there's probably no way I'll ever know for sure. I never suffered the more spectacular 'psychotic' side-effects but it definitely started to mess with my mind on one trip, at which point I dropped it like a hot potato and switched to something else.

Ever since I had problems with the stuff I've switched to safer prophylaxis. Are you talking about malarone as a substitute? I haven't tried it, but it sounds good.

[Piltdown13]

112. Yes, Malarone is the stuff I take

I was a little bit worried the first time I took it, seeing as how it had *just* come on the market -- in fact, I had to return to the travel clinic right before leaving because it wasn't going to be licensed in Indiana until just before my trip. But, I decided to go with it because the adverse reports were much less alarming than reports from a similar period of time after Lariam was introduced (if that makes any sense).

Basically, I have absolutely no side effects when taking Malarone. I do tend to take it with dinner (which, in the field, means right before bed), so it's possible that I just slept through any side effects (the only neurological one mentioned is dizziness; the rest is the standard laundry list that comes with any medication), though even on nights when it was too hot to sleep, I still noticed nothing.

Another thing I really like about Malarone is that it requires much less exposure to the drug than do either Lariam or doxycycline, both of which have to be taken for a month after returning from the malarial area; you stop Malarone seven days after returning, and you start taking it one day in advance.

You're right about the way they push the Lariam -- my first trip to Africa was before Malarone came out, and in order to get a script for doxycycline I had to also get one filled for Lariam and promise to only switch to the doxy if I couldn't tolerate the Lariam -- this after I explained the history of mental illness in my family! Of course, I took the doxy and just kept the Lariam on reserve in case it was needed for treatment (some of the folks on THAT trip were still using chloroquine and Paludrine, which no longer works very well). Fortunately, the antibiotic-related sun sensitivity didn't materialize, and I was really glad to be able to switch the next season.

I hope the permanent effects you may have gotten from the Lariam aren't too severe; I've heard all sorts of stories from people. The worst thing is, they don't seem to know why Lariam causes these effects, so they can't do much about them. Pretty scary...and even if the frequency of those effects is as low as Roche reports and not as high as anecdotally reported, it would still seem ample justification to pull the stuff given that there are alternatives.

[lcordero]

16. I drink gallons upon gallons of coffee

EOM

[Fatima]

27. I don't understand what you are getting at here

I do take meds for hypothyroidism and depression...need both. My life is so much better for them. Without the thyroid medicine I would eventually sicken and die a slow death. The antidepressants are a godsend...turned my life around. There are people who think all prescription drugs are a crutch, but many people really need what they are taking...and medicine has been around for thousands of years. Humans are fragile, really...good thing we have the brains to use our resources to treat what ails us.

[number9]

33. like I wrote earlier

I completely understand that there are conditions for which there is no other choice than to take a med to correct some imbalance. I just think that too many people rely on too many meds for conditions that would clear up on their own with time. We've been brainwashed to think everything that goes wrong, even for a short time, requires some drug to cure it. Take a look at the commercials on tv. Every other one is a drug ad.

[Fatima]

45. That I can understand.

I don't like the prescription drug ads either. I read somewhere that they spur people to demand the drug from their doctors (which is the point of advertising, isn't it?). And my other beef in that regard is the overprescribing of antibiotics for every sniffle. Doctors are mainly to blame there...they cave in when they should stand firm and prescribe chicken soup instead!

My own father died from a hospital-aquired post surgical infection. There are some serious bugs out there, and it's largely due to overuse and abuse of antibiotics.

But for those of us who need what we take, it truly is a godsend to get relief. Glad you understand that. Seems that some people do not.

[Allah Akbar]

36. I like to use an anti-depressant too, it makes me feel better

but it is pot and people that know much better than me have decided that it should be illegal, so I dan't do it anymore.

Tired of all the dealing with criminals for my weed, being fearful of being arrested for just having it, and from having to piss in a cup every time I turn around these days.

I wish I could just get into doing pharmacuticals like everyone else.

You know, the good, clean and proper drugs.

[Fatima]

51. I agree with you there

I wrote earlier that I believe pot should, at the very least, be decriminalized.

Our drug laws are insane. I recall an episode of COPS in New Orleans, where several NOPD undercover officers went out among the crowd looking for dope smokers.

Now, the streets were packed with drunks, everywhere you turned. It's Mardi Gras, what can one expect. But they were looking for those ***eeevil*** pot smokers. They nailed a few, all carrying what looked like miniscule amounts. Not bothering anyone, they were off in corners and doorways just toking a bit.

They later arrested people for fighting and disorderly conduct- all drunks. Surprise!

I can't figure out the double standard.

[Nikia]

74. Pot is good for that

I have anxiety disorders and have had depression in the past. When I started having panic attacks, they tried me on anti depressents but they had bad side effects for me. A close friend offered to smoke pot with me and told me how it has helped his depression and helped him stay away from alcohol which had been ruining his life. I smoked it and was suprised by the pure good feeling it gave me, which was unlike any perscription drug or alcohol for me. I still have panic attacks and sometimes have periods of unhealthy anxiety. If I've had a tough day at work, smoking a little pot helps me unwind when I come home. I have a perscription for Xanax to take if I have a panic attack. I would say that this is similiar to pot, except that it is stronger in that it blocks anxiety in the brain rather than working with your brain to relieve anxiety, and is initially more impairing and more addictive. One time when I had a bad panic attack, I went to the emergency room. The doctor asked if I ever took illegal drugs. When I said that I smoked pot a few times per week but had not for a couple of days, he gave me a lecture. He also ended up giving me a hefty does of Xanax because I was not coming down very quickly. I remembered very little about the rest of the evening. I am greatful that Xanax gives me the assurance of a fairly quick end to a panic attack, which I now have rarely. How is that any better though? My mother-in-law has had a three per day habit for several years.

[Cheswick2.0]

78. Nikia

Pot numbs your brain, but it is a stimulent in your body. It actually causes panic and anxiety in many people. One of the reasons I stopped using it 23 years ago, was because of that very reason.......well that and the incredible boredom of hearing intelligent people sit around talking about being high.

[Nikia]

85. I don't think that it does for me

I've had one panic attack high after I had smoked. I hadn't been smoking for very long, had been stressed all day, my husband was away, one friend was giving me a hard time about not knowing how to use something that he wanted to borrow, and I was coming down with something (Evidenced by repeatedly vomitting for the next two days.). Other than that, I usually more relaxed. I started having panic attacks and generalized anxiety months before I ever tried pot. There have been a couple of times that I have accidently gotten stoned beyond my comfort level and started to feel anxious. Then I remembered that it was only the drug that was making me feel strange and that I would feel better in a few hours. Of course people whose anxiety increases when they are high schould not smoke it. Do what makes you feel comfortable.

[DemExpat]

122. My experience as well, Cheswick.....

Pot greatly exacerbated my general anxiety and provoked the worst panic attacks......I had to give it up to. That will be 30 years ago.

Herbs and homeopathy have been my 'meds', and my relaxation aids - some of their benefits for me are quite remarkable.

DemEx

[iluvchicago86]

35. I dont...

Thankfully i do not have to use any prescription drugs because i have a physical or mental ailment. Nor do i use illegal stuff like pot. im just a kid(16) and it really bothers me when my friends use this crap to alter their personality. they look like idiots and complain about the stupid shit they did afterwards. I dont wanna come off as preachy but it really seems to me as if the people who use this type of stuff are not happy with who they are. but thats just my experiences with the people who use. whatever floats your boat. as long as you stay safe.

peace

[Droopy]

54. For 16, you've really got your act together

When I was your age I was putting anything into my body that I could get a hold of. It really messed up my life later on leading to two alcohol and drug related arrests. It also may have played a role in the development of a nasty mental disorder that I have. The disease is genetic but environmental factors also come into play to determine whether it will develop.

Keep up the good work. It sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders, put it to work in college.

[iluvchicago86]

63. Thanks....

for the nice compliment. I really am looking forward to college and all the experiences it has to offer. I hope your illness is improved though. good luck to you.

[Droopy]

66. Yep, I'm doing good now

post #12 explains my predicament

[rbnyc]

46. Just pre-natal vitamins for me!

But I used to smoke pot and I probably will again SOMEDAY!

;-)

[Syn_Dem]

50. I agree with Iluvchicago

Being 15, I've seen many aquaintinces use pot...and they havent turned out so bright. But I'm totally against making it illegal, its a persons choice if they use it or not. Just as long as its moderated and you dont hurt yourself its fine with me.

[jonnyblitz]

80. I smoke pot and I could care less what any moralizing DUer thinks!!

And I DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL!!!

[bicentennial_baby]

83. Rock on!

Booze makes me nasty, belligerent, and violent! Weed makes me calm and pleasant. I'll take the latter, thank you very much. ;)

[molly]

87. Scotch cures almost everything!

and it's legal.

[sam sarrha]

120. does it cure...

does scotch cure alcohalism? I dont think so. i was a hard core alcoholic for 30 years, wasted my precious human life in a drunken stupor. 4 years ago i got a 1/2 oz of good weed and and with the encouragement and support of my friend of 32 years and now wife of 4 years, managed to withdraw from demon rum with the help of the weed, and didnt have any trouble stopping using weed, i started meditating about then and that has helped me understand how the mind insidiously convinces you addiction isnt a problem. meditating led me to meet some Tibetans and i have taken Refuge reciently after studying Buddhism for almost 4 years now. i am completly free of any craving or desire for any 'substance', tho i could really use a job right now. i am soooo greatful it brings tears to my eyes when i think about it.

[molly]

125. I was joking - I am very happy for you

I smoked for 20 years and decided to quit 13 years ago. I've never had the craving again.

I could use a job too BTW! I'm beginning to think that I will never work again.

[sam sarrha]

121. does it cure...

does scotch cure alcohalism? I dont think so. i was a hard core alcoholic for 30 years, wasted my precious human life in a drunken stupor. 4 years ago i got a 1/2 oz of good weed and and with the encouragement and support of my friend of 32 years and now wife of 4 years, managed to withdraw from demon rum with the help of the weed, and didnt have any trouble stopping using weed, i started meditating about then and that has helped me understand how the mind insidiously convinces you addiction isnt a problem. meditating led me to meet some Tibetans and i have taken Refuge reciently after studying Buddhism for almost 4 years now. i am completly free of any craving or desire for any 'substance', tho i could really use a job right now. i am soooo greatful it brings tears to my eyes when i think about it.

[sasquatch]

88. for such an Anti-Drug country you would think there would be less drug use

We have conditioned ourselves into thinking drugs our EVIL unless they're given to us by our doctors. I think our illeagal drugs have inspired art, music, literature and inhanced our lives better than harmed them. I also believe mental illnesses have done the same though. I haven't done drugs(except alcahol & medication)but, I do suffer from deppression and write and sometimes draw to get things off my chest. I feel my writing though has improved when I am on Paxil.

[mvd]

92. I never have

And I won't, either - nobody could make me - even loved ones. In fact, any loved one who respects me would know me and not offer. I can have natural highs, without the danger of breaking the law and getting into strong stuff. I am adamantly against cigarette smoking, too. I just don't have the taste for alcohol.

I don't think drug users are losers at all, and even think marijuana should be legal. I'm a big civil rights advocate.

[NightTrain]

93. I'm 100% drug-free!

Unless you count the caffeine in my Pepsi!

[Spirochete]

94. I haven't in years.

I have used them, way back in the past, but I never intended to make a career out of it, anyway. But I got to try them all out. Now I don't even smoke or drink anymore. I guess I'm no fun at all. hehe

[maxanne]

95. clean and sober here

for about 14 years now.

I became an alcoholic/addict at 14. I was an IV drug user by 16. Booze was my big love - but I also loved speed and coke. I never was much of a pothead - and I didn't care for the opiates - heroin made me puke all night long. I loved hallucinogens until the night I got sick tripping - that'll leave an indeliable memory.

I stopped at 34 - lucky to be here, and to be here relatively undamaged.

No mind/mood altering substances for maxanne - except caffiene.

[salmonhorse]

98. Nope ~

Only the occasional: Advil, whiskey and copius amounts of beer.

[Az]

99. Don't drink, don't smoke, what do you do?

Subtle inuendo follows. - Adam Ant

Me and my fiancee don't drink, don't smoke, don't do drugs. Course we don't object to others doing such as that is their life. Its just not what we want.

[number9]

100. that's the way I feel

I've been there, and everyone has to travel their own road. However we can find a little peace of mind - do it.

[elcondor]

101. Illegal: No Precription: Yes

I have a skin condition as well as allergy problems--so I need to take two prescriptions. But I don't drink, nor have I ever even tried illegal drugs. :shrug:

[mvd]

104. I take a blood pressure pill

For my borderline blood pressure. And asperin sometimes.

[renegade000]

103. i'm a christian scientist

heh *waits for the enevitable "what?" or "u'r weird"*

[Az]

105. Just like drugs

Thats your call in your life. As long as you don't try to make me take drugs we got no problems ... right ;-)

[ForrestGump]

106. This just in

[ForrestGump]

107. And this, too - PROOF!

[Gringo]

109. Caffeine and and rarely, a beer.

I need my diet Coke. I used pot in my late teens/early 20's, but not that much - it always proved to be a distraction from school and other things that I wanted/needed to do. Eventually, I totally blew off my user frinds because I needed to focus on school and career.

That being said, I am for pot legalization, but even if they legalized it, I doubt I'd use it much. It's a distraction, makes you forgetful, and it makes me eat too much.

The illegality isn't what keeps me from using it - it's the stupid side effects, and the fact that I'm very busy with work & kids, and I like getting things done.

I don't understand why someone would call a drug/alcohol user a "loser", though. The world is a bitch, and I can surely understand how some people would want to escape for a while. I wish the world was livable and loving and fulfilling enough that nobody EVER felt compelled to touch drugs.

[Forkboy]

110. It's cool that some people dont

but the straight edge people are easily the biggest assholes I've ever dealt with.I'd rather argue with a Freeper.

[number9]

111. I'm confused

it's cool that they don't, but they're the biggest assholes? Being drug free does not mean having bugs up your ass.

[Forkboy]

115. straight edge

are the people who are militantly anti-drug anti-alcohol anti-smoking.They are very common (or were for awhile anyways) in the punk scene.Not only do they not do anything they harrass anyone around them that does.They're very freeper-like.

Sorry I wasn't more specific.

[number9]

116. I'm not anti any of those things

for those who choose. That's what it's all about - choice.

[Forkboy]

117. Exactly!

:thumbsup:

[nolabels]

113. Who's asking?

Big Brother?
http://www.prisonplanet.com/analysis_ronning_310103_pharmacy.html
Pharmacy In Your Food? The Real Biological Attack
By Rob Ronning
(snip)
Recent developments in genetic engineering indicate the possible production of vaccinations inside modified plants. Is the genetic manipulation of these plants a breakthrough development greatly beneficial to all humanity, or is it a scheme to quietly force the consumption of food-based drugs and vaccines upon the public?(snip)
(snip)
It seems almost inevitable that a similar “accident” could occur with corn or another substance engineered to contain a vaccine or drug compound, even though stringent safeguards against contamination have supposedly been developed. Furthermore, the natural flow of genetic material between plants must be considered since cross contamination between these genetically manufactured plants and wild varieties could easily occur. Many cases of this type of contamination have already been documented worldwide.

The companies that genetically modify plants are not even required by U. S. law to disclose what genes have been added to these plants or the derivative organisms involved since the confidentiality of sensitive business information must be protected. This fact itself is absolutely frightening! It seems we are completely at the mercy of the partnership between profit-driven companies and the government to ensure the safety of our food supplies against accidental or intentional contamination by drug producing plants.
(snip)

http://www.garynull.com/Documents/Spectrum/afraid_of_their_own_medicine.htm
(snip)
In one survey, most oncologists specializing in lung cancer reported that they would not take chemotherapy if they had the disease. Yet, everyday these doctors give their patients chemotherapy. In conversation with an investigative reporter, one brain cancer specialist admitted that he would never submit to radiation if he had a brain tumor. Nevertheless, he continues to send patients for radiation, because he would be kicked out of the hospital if he didn't follow the accepted protocol. Based on information in: Townsend Letter for Doctors & Patients, Jan 1998; Spectrum, Mar/April 1998
Excerpted from Spectrum Magazine (snip)

[PittPoliSci]

114. XXX

Straight-edge hardcore. and proud too!

[jobycom]

119. Never have. Maybe never will. I don't even like pain killers.

Just my choice. I'd rather be doing something to relax or to party, than just sitting around altering my mind. Made me really popular in high school-- I got invited to all the parties because they always needed someone to keep notes on who the worst stoners were. Also, I got to answer the phone when parents called.

[REP]

123. Currently Take 10 Prescriptions Daily

for a total of 23 pills a day. I find it preferable to dying. :shrug:

[Raenelle]

126. Antihistamines as needed and a Tylenol PM at night--that's it.

n/t

[supernova]

127. Only B.C. on a regular basis

Antibiotics everytime I go to the dentist. Muti-vitamin and calcium suppliments everyday.

I drink 4-5 drinks/week.

The occassional aspirin for headaches and some backaches.

No illegal substances, ever. As for MJ, color me neutral.