Never do drugs ever ever

[PhotonWrangler]

I've never used street drugs and I thank my lucky stars I never did.

I read an article about c****ne once that terrified me. The article stated that a person showed physical, visible changes in their brain after only a single use. Those physical brain changes are apparently the thing that sets up the addiction and makes it so hard to quit.

Physical changes in brain structure after only a single use!

 

[TPA]

In my career I have seen thousands of tragedies due to alcohol and drugs. I have seen entire families wrecked while trying to save a loved one from drugs or alcohol (often both).

I've seen similar in the various sectors I've worked in.

Most recently, we had to let go of a long-time employee of ours. 20+ years. She had been declining mentally over the past 3 years. Come to find out it was Korsakoff syndrome. Alcohol-caused dementia/brain damage. She's now living with her sister, with her elderly sister and mother taking care of her full-time. They took her car and lock their own car keys away from her. They've also had to take away her cell phone and credit cards.

She hid it amazingly well. Part of my job does include profiling, and even I missed it. Even with knowledge of this, I've been replaying memories and interactions and I still miss it. I never smelled alcohol on her, nor perfume/mouthwash. No talk of drinking/alcohol. She never drank at business lunches/dinners. The only clue I could come up with is that she didn't talk about her life outside of the office much, but I do that as well.

Luckily I have never drank at all nor have I ever even dabbled with any type of drugs. The choice to never even try alcohol has been the best decision of my adult life.

I don't drink and have never tried drugs (prescription or street), not even anesthesia. I don't even know what drunk is like. The only thing I can compare it to is when my BP runs low.
How I never did, is an absolute miracle. Between what I grew up with and the jobs I've held, it's truly a miracle. A miracle I'm totally thankful for.

Many confided in me that the rehab centers did not help at all. They explained that the programs intentions were good however the methods never worked.

That's a big problem. It's a $42BN industry, with much of that depending on frequent flyers. If it's anything like I've seen elsewhere in medicine, they probably use a bunch of Traditions which are just because that's how it's always been done, and one-size-fits-all treatments which do nothing to address the underlying root causes. A 45-year-old wine mom, a fentanyl addict, and a college kid who parties too hard are all different animals.

I also seriously would support having a dry state with no alcohol allowed at all. I believe I have seen more lives ruined from alcohol than drugs. Alcohol is easier to obtain and many start out socially drinking then it spirals out of control. The sad part is that people will find a way to get things that are bad for them.

I'd go for that too. Alas, society (and Madison Ave) have convinced people they need alcohol to have a good time. Even though my fiancée and I don't drink, we're probably going to have beer & wine available. We're still not sure on that one yet.

The article stated that a person showed physical, visible changes in their brain after only a single use. Those physical brain changes are apparently the thing that sets up the addiction and makes it so hard to quit.

Physical changes in brain structure after only a single use!

Today's high-potency marijuana today does similar. The normalisation of it is going to have serious, costly consequences. We haven't even begun to see the effects yet.

I just saw this news story today. Mother was driving, high on marijuana, drunk, 5 kids in the car. Let's be honest: Those kids, in that environment, have no future. Given that type of household, they'll likely have poor impulse control, pop out multiple kids, continuing the same path of despair.

Stories like that are why I think drugs, especially the supply side, need to be punished severely. The death penalty isn't overkill here. Users also need meaningful mandatory treatment.

 

[jtr1962]

I don't drink and have never tried drugs (prescription or street), not even anesthesia. I don't even know what drunk is like. The only thing I can compare it to is when my BP runs low.

I drink occasionally but never to excess. I know what drunk is like, too. It only takes one beer or a glass of wine. Drunk makes me want to get into bed. It doesn't make me more sociable or anything similar.

I think my brain may be wired differently in that I never crave alcohol if I haven't drank in a while. Ditto for drugs. I was briefly on oxycodone when recovering from 5 broken ribs. It reduced the pain to something tolerable so I could shower. I didn't and don't understand how people can crave these and get addicted. Other than reducing the pain it didn't do anything for me. Very easy to only take it when I needed it. And I stopped once I could function without it. No cravings or anything.

As for anesthesia, I avoid it. I've gotten root canals without anything. I prefer the pain to the alternative of being so tired from novocaine that I'll sleep 16 hours a day for a week after visiting the dentist.

That's a big problem. It's a $42BN industry, with much of that depending on frequent flyers. If it's anything like I've seen elsewhere in medicine, they probably use a bunch of Traditions which are just because that's how it's always been done, and one-size-fits-all treatments which do nothing to address the underlying root causes. A 45-year-old wine mom, a fentanyl addict, and a college kid who parties too hard are all different animals.

Yeah, I'm sure there are things which work but why try those when it'll kill off most of your income? The US doesn't have a healthcare system but rather a symptom management system. We make lots of money reducing symptoms of various illnesses without tackling the root causes

I'd go for that too. Alas, society (and Madison Ave) have convinced people they need alcohol to have a good time. Even though my fiancée and I don't drink, we're probably going to have beer & wine available. We're still not sure on that one yet.

Here's the problem with that. I hate throw out the baby with the bathwater approaches to anything. Often because a tiny minority can't safely do something we ban it for everyone. That's wrong. I'm tired of catering to the least common denominator in society approaches.

Stories like that are why I think drugs, especially the supply side, need to be punished severely. The death penalty isn't overkill here. Users also need meaningful mandatory treatment.

I'd rather we just legalize and regulate this stuff. The current black markets only exist because of our futile attempts to control the supply side. As a result drug dealers now have more resources than many countries. They never would have enriched themselves to this point had we simply legalized drugs and sold them for far less.

I also think legalizing drugs would radically reduce drug use. For many the illegality of it is part of the allure.

Go after the root causes of drug abuse. Income/wealth disparity is one. When you feel your life is hopeless you often seek an escape. Then some people's brains are simply wired for addiction. For some this results in relatively harmless vices. My late father's OCD contributed to him accumulating so much stuff, for example. For others the addiction becomes self-destructive. I think the solution may be something which can rewire some pathways in the brain to reduce/eliminate the "joys" of getting high. Maybe study the brains of people like myself who don't seem to crave some of the substances many get addicted to. Seriously, oxycodone did absolutely nothing for me besides relieve my pain. I was thinking people really pay $100 a pill for these?

 

[TPA]

Yeah, I'm sure there are things which work but why try those when it'll kill off most of your income? The US doesn't have a healthcare system but rather a symptom management system. We make lots of money reducing symptoms of various illnesses without tackling the root causes

It doesn't have to cost a fortune. If anything, it's much cheaper to pay for treatment that works vs. ER visits, drug-related crime, drug-related violence, and ruined lives. Done right, this could actually save taxpayers money, provided there's enough auditing and enforcement.

I'd rather we just legalize and regulate this stuff. The current black markets only exist because of our futile attempts to control the supply side. As a result drug dealers now have more resources than many countries. They never would have enriched themselves to this point had we simply legalized drugs and sold them for far less.

Dead drug dealers have 0 resources. Kind of like how dead paedophiles don't reoffend.

Legalising it only makes life worse for everyone else. A couple of years ago I had to move out of my OWN condo for a month due to the scummy renters next door. The girl was very young and a decent neighbour, until she decided she wanted a bad boy in her life and brought home a jobless pothead who smoked weed from the time he was awake to the time he passed out. Their bedroom backed up to my kitchen and it's a wood frame structure. There literally was no way for me to keep his marijuana smoke from entering my unit. I can't show up to the airport or military base, or Federal court with my clothes reeking of marijuana.

I tried asking them nicely to take it outside. They refused. She worked a Federal job. I had to move out for a month while pulling strings. Once the full force hit them, they left in under a week. I called a crime scene cleanup crew to de-funk my place.

I also think legalizing drugs would radically reduce drug use. For many the illegality of it is part of the allure.

But it doesn't work that way. Walk the streets of Manhattan and try not to get assaulted by the stench of weed. It wasn't that way in 2015.

Go after the root causes of drug abuse. Income/wealth disparity is one. When you feel your life is hopeless you often seek an escape.

Nope. Over the years I've come across more people doing drugs who were earning >$250k/year than below it. S. Florida was a free-for-all when it came to cocaine and heroin in the 1980s. Same for those I've known who've committed suicide. Mostly high-income earners.

What gets me is how many of today's youth are using drugs. They have so many opportunities, youth, and health on their side. Yet they squander it.

 

[JimIslander]

1. FO to anyone trying to tell me what I can do with my own body.
2. Thankfully we don't live in a despotic country where they kill people for selling artificially illegal substances. I'd fight against that barbarism.
3. I've done most drugs, including heroine. I'm successful in ways most people judge important (financial, family, community, health, love). More meaningful, these are important things to me. But even if I weren't, 1 and 2 apply.