Drugs are for Everyone

I was mulling over this topic the other day while i was having a coffee, smoking a cigarette, and doing lines of cocaine.(Actually just the coffee part, but the second and third substances are going to act as supporting points.)First of all, the human brain is the human brain, no questions asked. Im not bringing up an argument about mind/brain, so if you have qualms about this particular definition, please keep the debate relevant to the issue.Intro-
It seems to me that humanity craves adjustments in mood/state of mind almost constantly. So called "hard" drugs are an obvious example of this, of course. Some people love to get high. These people clearly are trying to adjust their state of mind."Soft" drugs likewise point to some sort of dissatisfaction with the user's current state. In this argument, let soft drugs represent the substances currently on the line in terms of legality that are commonly used, but which generally can be used frequently without major damage.The last tier of substance is the legal, commonplace, garden variety drug. Coffee, tobacco, alcohol, etc. The people who use and abuse these drug delivery systems are not partaking in their use for their taste, they are seeking a chemical change in their bodies and brains.Argument-
Looking at the above three categories, i feel that drugs are all identical in one aspect: their primary use is to alter one's mind in a seemingly positive way. This is not an argument as to why hard drugs should be legal or considered good, this is an argument as to why soft and common drugs should be questioned. I find it troublesome that we constantly fiddle and tinker with our mindset.The question is as follows: Why do we chase drugs?From a fundie religious standpoint, why would we be dissatisfied with our minds so commonly that we seek substances? If we were to be created in god's image, why should so many people have seemingly imperfect minds?From an evolutionary standpoint: does it stand to reason that as we evolve technologically and biologically, we will slowly lose the need to press buttons in our brains with chemicals?@mod: im thinking Social Issues and C/E

There are plenty of drugs that dont cause a chemical dependence, however. Their use is solely for the effect.Also, when you hear someone say "i need my coffee," i generally take it as a fix for being groggy, not an addict jonesing.You are saying that all drug use is just an effect of addiction, as i understood it. My point is that we all seem imperfect and dissatisfied, and from either end of the belief systems that seems at odds with basic premises.The issue i take with it from an evolutionary standpoint is that our constant dependence on drugs seems to be a weakness. It should seem to follow that we could fix this weakness, either naturally or with technology. Im not talking about addiction. Im talking about fine tuning.

This doesnt encompass all of what i was trying to say.Take coffee, for an example. Most people drink coffee to "wake up." They cannot function in the morning, according to them, if they dont have their damn coffee.I wouldnt say coffee gives a high like other drugs, so it's only purpose seems to be to correct morning grogginess. We dont like being groggy in the morning, so we rely on an external substance to counteract it. Im not sure what solutions i have for us other than the far-fetched sci-fi answer. Im not suggesting a full biological rework, but that does seem to be the only answer that addresses the issue.

Anecdotal evidence follows:I suppose it depends on how much you drink/smoke. I got hooked on smoking for 2 months in my second year of college, against my better judgment. I smoked a pack or two a week, but i could still discern the high i got from a cigarette.Coffee i drink when i need it. If i wake up and i need to be productive, i drink coffee. If i take a midday nap, i wake up and drink coffee to get back into it. I used to kill energy drinks before exams to do better. I felt like my entire body was going at 200% speed.I, personally, drink coffee for the direct chemical effects and not because of a dependency issue. I drink it only a few times a week.An example of drug use that is infrequent and fully utilitarian; use and abuse of adderall. Around exam time at my undergraduate university, illicit adderall sales go through the roof. A large group of people seek it out from those whom it was prescribed to to aid their productivity or to help them work through the night. The use isnt frequent enough to attribute its use to an addiction, and the majority of people who have used it (who dont have ADD) claim that it forces the person to be unnaturally productive.Edited by Damouse, : No reason given.

Hahahah dont worry panda, im not at all offended. It's a justified string of questions.I define addiction as being a pattern of actions that one is unable to easily stop. I was legitimately addicted to smoking, no doubt about it. But that doesn't invalidate that i could feel the buzz. Im not sure if i should look for something to cite or keep pounding the anecdotal drum. I felt bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, lightheaded, thoughtful, and calmed. My point in bringing forward the adderall abuse story was to show an example of a drug that is used directly and solely for it's effects, and not any sort of dependencies. Can one drink coffee without being addicted to it? If so, can we let this person be our subject?This person, who drinks coffee only so she can stay up late or be awake early, seems to be dissatisfied with her biological functions. The use of drugs for this purpose is prevalent in all classes of society, and is my issue.

Yes, although less frequently. But that's a different topic of conversation Good. Thats where i meant this thread to go.I dream of a world when we move past this. Where our intellectual goals are no slave of chemical desires. I have absolutely no mechanism in mind with which to do that, but there you go.I'm not saying stop being human, but our evolution (natural or technological) is far from over, imo. We may leave humanity behind us at some point.Im still curious to hear from a creo on this. If there's no evolution past this and we will always be hooked on drugs as a species, doesnt it seem like we have a built in insufficiency?