Addictive Behaviors

I am starting this topic in order to discuss some of the observations that I remember from my past drug usage, gambling binges, and other addictions that I knew and loathed. Its amusing to be stoned at McDonalds and trying to figure out what to order when you are 17, but not so funny when you are 50.I also noted our resident comics trademark joke about searching the car for drugs (Onifre..are you listening?) and it brought back some rather unpleasant memories about the irresponsible days of my youth. To wit:

The morning that my friend Eric and I got stoned before class. We were parked in a driveway of a ten million dollar mansion and naively figured that these people were too busy to care about a couple of carefree high school students...until a Denver policeman tapped on the drivers side window...my friend rolled it down a few inches and smoke poured out...whereupon the cop asked us what we were doing and we replied "oh just sitting and talking" as if we were as normal as any other citizen in town on a fine morning.

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(we got off that one...there had apparently been a burglary in the area and the cop was checking our credentials.

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Cocaine was an evil evil drug. The first time I got talked into trying it, I reluctantly paid the man $20.00 (which was the price of a whole darn bag of weed) but after inhaling some, I handed him everything else left in my wallet, which perhaps should have been an omen.

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Later, when recollecting the "good times" had on that drug, I merely had to think of the bad times...like the time I literally found myself on my hands and knees picking anything that looked white out of the carpet. (I probably inhaled several pounds of carpet lint that morning) ...or whenever I yearned for the high, I would remind myself of how painful it felt to be wide awake at 5 a.m. trying to get a couple of hours of sleep before work at 9 a.m!

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I would earn enough in 7 hours to spend in twenty minutes the following night...and to hear those damn birds chirping merrily away outside the window....yes, those were the days, all right!

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Edited by Phat, : spaces..

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Edited by Phat, : emoticon needed a jumpstart

I got hooked on coke for about a month. I almost got in a lot of trouble with a Colombian in the process that could have cost me my life.Simultaneously I felt the grasp of addiction closing in and knew if I didn't stop right then, I would be battling that addiction for the rest of my life.... however brief it may have been as a result.Haven't touched the poison since then. That was like 12 years ago.

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"The problem with Socialism is you eventually run out of other people's money." --Margaret Thatcher--

Hi Phat,I'm listening, bro...I guess I should start off by saying, and this is in all honesty, I don't have any bad drug stories. I had a bad trip one time trying exstacy, but that was my fault. I broke my rule of not using non-natural drugs.I smoke pot regularly because I travel a lot and stay up very late. It helps me sleep and I refuse to take drugs prescribed by the pharm companies.In high school I may have tried it a couple times, not that much. And I don't have an addictive personality so I don't really get "hooked" on anything, in fact, most things bore me after a while. The craziest thing I tried in high school was, one time this friend had Ruffies-(rufinol) and I tried half of one with a beer chaser. It felt like we drank 10 beers in an hour. But that was it.After high school I tried LSD a few times, with friends, usually at the beach...with ladies There again, nothing bad happened. I always had very smart, educated friends who were responsible and never let situations get out of control. When we did hallucinogens it was in a controlled environment. We had a lot of fun that, to this day, we still talk about. In fact, the first time I tried LSD was at a Pink Floyd concert - I wouldn't trade that moment for anything.As far as coke or heavier drugs, that's not me. I tried coke once or twice after late comedy shows when a few beers have been had, under the guise that it'll boost my energy. All it did was make me rabble on for 45min. I hated the feeling and have never done it since.Twice a year I try to get out into the woods, usually when I'm up north because Florida is HOT, and I'll trip on shrooms. Again, same friends from back in the day, it's a very controlled situation and it's about as close to "spirituality" as I have ever gotten it. I wouldn't describe it as spiritual, since it's not, but being that intune with nature sure is euphoric and something I recommed everyone tries in their life time.Also, once or twice a year, if I can find it, I'll do "pure" MDMA, which is exstacy but not "exstacy" per se because it's not cut with all that other nasty shit that they put in the pills. That stuff is nasty and bad for you. But pure MDMA used to be prescribed to marriage counceling patients, so it's just a mood enhancer. And also less potent than the "exstacy" pills. - I try this once or twice a year with a female friend - I highly recommend this, too!And that's it. I don't do coke, meth, heroin, etc. I smoke a little weed at night to help me get to sleep (instead of pharm grade sleep aids), and once or twice a year some shrooms just to get in touch with nature since I'm constantly in cities.I don't feel like an addict. I'm not a heavy drinker. I've never wasted all my money for a "fix." I have a strict from-the-earth policy that in my mind tells me "I'm not doing actual drugs," I'm enjoying natures different resources. I truly do feel sad for people who become addicts. I think it may have to do with up bringing and life styles. Also, anything you use as a crutch to help you get over something else, is going to be misused. The comedian Doug Stanhope has a saying: boredom is a disease and drugs are the cure. And I think that's how most people approach drug use. It's either a crutch for something bad happening in life where the turn to drugs as an "out," or they are simply bored with life an seek it for some excitement. In my opinon, both of these situation make people abuse and misuse drugs.Natural hallucinogens like DMT, shrooms, cannabis, can be a lot of fun when used properly. Not as a crutch but as a tool, a tool to experience reality in a new and euphoric way. It doesn't have to be "doing blow off a strippers ass," it could just be triping on shrooms meditating at the beach hearing the ocean waves crash. It doesn't have to be "smoking pot and going to McDonalds," it could be sitting around the camp fire, smoking pot and having deep conversations with friends...and of course, listening to Floyd and Zeppelin. It could be a lot of very fun things, things that you've never experienced but are wonderful.Drugs get a bad rap because people suck. People ruin the purity of everything. It starts to get misused, abused; crazy drugs get made like Crack, Heroin, Meth - and it spreads through the poor and the depressed quickly. It becomes a crutch to help people forget their problems, only to create more once they become addicted.The youth does it because, well, being young is boring now a days. Parents aren't as involved in getting kids out of the house and into nature. Doing activities, sports, fishing, hunting, camping, etc. And when you're young and bored with nothing to do, you smoke pot and go to McDonalds. My youth wasn't like that. I'm happy for that.But what happens then is these young bored kids, who have no life experience, try drugs. They have no idea what they are doing with it and do stupid shit that causes harm to them and others.So, the drug gets blamed instead of the uninvolved parents. Drugs get a stigma of being bad, when they aren't any more bad than any other crutch people use. Any addiction will destroy your life - sex, gambling, eating, etc. Drugs just happen to be another one that will also. But people play the lotto, have normal sex and eat moderatly. Likewise you can use drugs in a very moderate level and enjoy it like you would a top quality steak from Brook's Steak House (my favorite when I visit your town).In moderation, and in my opinion only natural, earth grown drugs, can be enjoyed, and new experiences can be had.Oh and...the "search the car for drugs" joke never really happened.- OniEdited by onifre, : No reason given.

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Petition to Bailout Comedy The Laugh Factory is imploring Congress to immediately fund what owner Jamie Masada calls an "Economic Cheer-Up." If Congress fails to act quickly, the Laugh Factory comedians are planning to march to Washington and plea to President Obama.

Thanks for the exchange oni ...
Hope things are 'kind' We may acquire some readily available insights for contemplation by replacing the term drugs with religion in your above statement. We would, of course, have to replace crack, heroin and meth with their potential parallel's identified within destructive off-shoot sects of various traditions. Consider ...

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Religions get a bad rap because people suck. People ruin the purity of everything. It starts to get misused, abused; crazy religions get made like 2^nd Temple Judaism, Imperial Chrisianity, Wahabi Islam - and it spreads through the poor and the depressed quickly. It becomes a crutch to help people forget their problems, only to create more once they become addicted.

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Perhaps, in this instance, we can replace 'you smoke pot and go to McDonalds' with 'you received poor parenting and indulge in pop culture'. Let's see ...

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The youth does it because, well, being young is boring now a days. Parents aren't as involved in getting kids out of the house and into nature. Doing activities, sports, fishing, hunting, camping, etc. And when you're young and bored with nothing to do, you received poor parenting and indulge in pop culture. My youth wasn't like that. I'm happy for that.

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So far, so good it seems; again, in the above instance, the term drugs may be successfully replaced with extremely violent religious sects, leaving us with ...

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But what happens then is these young bored kids, who have no life experience, try extremely violent religious sects. They have no idea what they are doing with it and do stupid shit that causes harm to them and others.

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Finally, we continue the trend initiated by the premise of this post and wind up with, what may seem as, a fairly reasonable assessment on multiple fronts.

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So, the religion gets blamed instead of the uninvolved parents. Religions get a stigma of being bad, when they aren't any more bad than any other crutch people use. Any addiction will destroy your life - sex, gambling, eating, etc. Religions just happen to be another one that will also. But people play the lotto, have normal sex and eat moderatly. Likewise you can use religions in a very moderate level and enjoy it like you would a top quality steak from Brook's Steak House (my favorite when I visit your town).

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I may add that smokin' da reefers seems to be as much of a crutch to insomnia as deep breathing may be to staying alive ...lol - granted, a bit of Mad-Libbin' is at play, yet, perhaps some glimmers of insight sparkle nonetheless ... One Love

Hi Bailey,Things are 'kind' indeed. I would imagine anything that can be of an addictive nature can replace drugs in my reply. I like what you did with religion. Spoken like a man with some knowledge? Even Mr. Mackey understands that any and all addiction's are bad...even male cat sent. - Oni

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Petition to Bailout Comedy The Laugh Factory is imploring Congress to immediately fund what owner Jamie Masada calls an "Economic Cheer-Up." If Congress fails to act quickly, the Laugh Factory comedians are planning to march to Washington and plea to President Obama.

I happen to be somewhat of an amateur expert on addictions, as I have been in a 12 step class for five years off and on! See my topic, the Stages Of ChangeThere is quite a difference between being addicted to soap operas and being addicted to drugs, for example. The brain chemical response, however, is similar.

Well then you would know more than I would that addictions are the true source for the pain, and not necessarily what you are addicted to. Eating is natural and good for you, addictions to food will kill you. Soap operas? , yes I would imagine that it's quite different. For one, you would be much cooler in my eyes if you were addicted to drugs instead of sopa operas.Seriously though, food addictions, sexual additions, gambling, alcohol, porn, etc, are all equally as bad as drugs. Drugs, in moderation, are fine, IMO.This also requires us to define "drugs." Again, I have a from-the-earth only policy, and I don't call these things "drugs" equal to crack, herion, meth, etc. Society has labeled them "drugs," but plants and fungi are not drugs.They make you hallucinate and alter your state of mind, but so can chocolate and sugar. Glue can, too. Paint as well. There's a fine line that I think people should be allowed to define on there own terms.- Oni

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Petition to Bailout Comedy The Laugh Factory is imploring Congress to immediately fund what owner Jamie Masada calls an "Economic Cheer-Up." If Congress fails to act quickly, the Laugh Factory comedians are planning to march to Washington and plea to President Obama.