• MeThisGuy@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      don’t think so. either way don’t try it. tastes like burnt plastic and not worth ruining your life over

    • MeThisGuy@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      not really. first time, maybe. but it’s the law of diminishing returns.
      wanna get shit done… sure. want to stay awake for days on end, fun the first time maybe.
      want to not be able to function without it? naw, not as fun

  • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    Drugs feel amazing. Getting high is like the fucking grand canyon, one of the things in life that lives up to the hype. Doing drugs makes you happier than you thought you could be, and there are a lot of people who don’t have a lot of reasons to be happy.

    We shouldn’t pretend that drugs are bad, mm-kay. Drugs are awesome. That’s the problem. They’re too awesome. It’s an awesome overload, and you end up not wanting to do anything except for drugs.

    People who do drugs are not evil. They’re having fun, experiencing new things, making friends and bonding over shared experiences. You tell a bunch of kids that drugs will ruin their lives, and then somebody at a party passes them a joint or offers them a bump of coke, they’re going to realize you were full of shit.

    Like, let’s say that there was some weird flesh-eating bacteria that was specifically found only on water slides, but only on a few water slides. Now it’s your job to convince all the children of the world to avoid water slides, because of the small possibility of bacteria. It’s a serious problem, and it would be correct to tell everyone to avoid all waterslides everywhere, even if only a small percentage of waterslide riders died horrible deaths. So you tell people waterslides might kill you or maim you in excruciating ways. But if you act like waterslides aren’t fun, you lose all credibility. Most people who ride the waterslides don’t die, and they go on to tell everyone how much fun they had on waterslides, and that doesn’t make them bad people.

        • LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          I read & deeply comprehended the whole entire thing. It was excellently written and insightful and I am sincerely happy for people who can enjoy drugs responsibly and it does not interfere with their productive lives,

          I have friends who enjoy mushrooms and LSD and alcohol and cigarettes and cocaine and abusing things like Adderall and Vyvanse and they all seem a hell of a lot happier than I am, but I just don’t want anything to do with it because

          take my perspective for what it’s worth, I am a complete teetotaler, the only thing I put in my mouth or my body are nutritious foods, water, and prescription medication. In my childhood the fear of death was put into me regarding drugs, and my dad was an alcoholic and then he turned to cocaine and it all freaked me out, the way cocaine changed my dad was terrifying and has left me forever unstable, and I listened to Nancy Reagan when she said “say no to drugs” and I am permanently in that mindset, for better or for worse.

    • Jake Farm@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      It is about distinguishing addictive and damaging drugs from useful medicines with a low chance of addiction. You are not going to convince me that the majority of people that have used meth or crack are fine. Where as weed or lsd I would.

      • xantoxis@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        I will!

        The majority of people that have used meth or crack are fine.

        Now, don’t get me wrong: meth is fantastically addictive. It’s the most physically addictive drug there is, as far as I’m aware. And the fantastically high addiction rate for first-time users of meth is: roughly 30%.

        70% of people who try the most addictive drug in the world don’t get addicted, and go on to do other things like play tennis or do their taxes or switch to weed instead.

        • Jake Farm@sopuli.xyz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          I am not just talking about addiction, I am also referring to the physiological damage it does.

          • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            While it’s possible to cause significant damage from a single overdose I don’t think it is likely from trying something at a sensible dose once. Most of the time the damage addicts have is done through repeated heavy use.

            • Donkter@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              1 year ago

              Also, afaik, alot of the damage done by things like meth and heroin are side effects. Like meth gives you psychosis and brain damage from staying up for days and not eating any food. The long term effects of meth, like a rotting mouth and permanent chemical imbalances can take years to manifest. If you want an example see people who take Adderall for years. Heroin similarly stops you from getting proper nutrition because all you want is heroin and it can give you brain damage from a lack of oxygen, which is a side effect of getting really close to overdosing.

              As you’ve said, most people (at the very worst a whopping 70%) try these drugs and continue with their life without getting addicted. It’s very dangerous to stigmatize them cause all it does is make people afraid of getting treatment.

          • BlanketsWithSmallpox@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            Trying drugs once rarely does any psychological or physiological damage after one or even a few uses.

            There are few cases where taking certain drugs will trigger the start of people already prone to things like schizophrenia… But it takes a while for legit psychological and physical addiction with few exceptions. Even with the most addictive drugs there are.

      • PunnyName@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Tried meth once. Felt like Adderall. I could see why people abuse it, but I didn’t feel the need.

          • datelmd5sum@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            The umbrella term is amphetamines. And not all ADHD stimulants are amphetamines, as there’s also methylphenidate (ritalin) which is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor kinda like cocaine, except for majority of people a lot less enjoyable.

          • PunnyName@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            Yep. I had an Adderall Rx for years prior, felt almost identical. But I also swallowed it, didn’t smoke or inject it.

          • SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            No it’s fucking not.

            And this kind of thinking is why the local cops raided a clinic my town and why doctors in my town are now scared to prescribe it.

            This is what happens when people stigmatize and demonize legal meds that actually help folks who genuinely need it.

              • SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                1 year ago

                I take it myself and have done so for 10+ years, and know the chemistry of it. It’s in the same tree, but it’s absolutely not meth.

                If it were meth, it’d be call meth.

                • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  0
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  1 year ago

                  Adderall is not meth, but it’s still a form of speed/amphetamine and is still addictive to some neurotypical people. Maybe not as addictive or dangerous, but very much in the same category.

                  The reason ADHD people don’t get addicted is because of their altered neurology and the doses it’s prescribed at.

                  In fact actual meth is sometimes prescribed to ADHD patients in small doses. It’s called Desoxyn.

          • Kampfkrapfen_Backup@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            Adderall is amphetamine, the base compound.

            Meth is methamphetamine, amphetamine with a methyl group attached to it, so it’s very closely related to Adderall. That small change makes it a bit more potent, longer lasting and euphoric though.

            But meth can also get prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsia (under the brand name ‘Desoxyn’) in very rare cases where even Adderall doesn’t seem to do the trick. So basically, both substances can be used therapeutically and they both can fuck up your life if you start abusing them, with meth admittedly being more potent and dangerous than regular amphetamine.

            • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              edit-2
              1 year ago

              While there is some credence to this example, we all know chemistry does not work like this. For example, H2O, very good, essential for all life. H2O2, not so much.

        • cows_are_underrated@feddit.org
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          That’s the same with heroin. At some point you’re addicted as hell and have no money left, so what do you do to get that relief from it again? Prostitute yourself, steal stuff and sell it, rob someone. This is literally an endless cycle. You become more addicted so you have to make more money. Since drug addiction imposes a high risk of losing your job and house you have to become somewhat criminal. The only ways out of this are either 1:dying from the drugs, 2: being able to get off of them(what often is literally impossible without help and even if you manage it without a stable living situation(house, job which both are hard to find as an ex drug addicted homeless person) its not unlikely that you start using them again) or 3: finding a place where you can get them for free. One of these places exists in Berlin where heroin addicted can get free medical grade heroin for free.

        • PunnyName@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          Someone’s, but not all of them.

          And generally, addiction is other issues that we as a society could help with before it becomes those issues.

    • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Would it not make them bad people if waterslides were that dangerous? They wouldn’t be lying, but they would be encouraging people to endanger themselves.

      • KingJalopy @lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        If there are even a few water slides that dangerous, then all water slides are potentially dangerous.

        • PunnyName@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          This is the literal actual real world thing right now. Despite the few waterslides that are dangerous, there are plenty of actual waterslides in operation.

          So, demonizing drugs is actually a bad idea, and this thread continues to prove it.

    • Murvel@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      I have no words almost…

      But your little declaration somehow perversly juxtapositions the odd 100 000 deaths from drug overdoses in the US alone last year.

        • Murvel@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yes, since it’s such an awfully negligent way of thinking.

          I’d worry some poor young soul listening to the type of ‘adult individual’, falling into a fentanyl addiction, for example, thinking it ‘fun and safe’ forever ruining their life.

          • Omega_Man@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            I think this person probably was referring to lesser drugs such as cannabis or cocaine. Lumping them all together is the problem.

            • Murvel@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              0
              ·
              1 year ago

              I mean, did you look at the post? Smoking meth isn’t exactly better…

    • Jumuta@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      a more accurate analogy would be toxic chemicals in the waterslides that build up in the body, that takes a while to be expelled out

      • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        It’s more complex than this even. Not all drugs are that toxic. In fact some of the most addictive aren’t even that toxic at all like heroin. It’s things like addiction, overdose, lack of clean supply, and the side effects that make it dangerous.

        Even ones that are destructive to the body aren’t always because of the chemicals they leave behind. Take meth for example: it’s bad because of how much strain and immediate damage it causes, not long lived toxins. In small doses it’s reasonably okay and is even prescribed by doctors sometimes. At amounts addicts do with the regularity they do them the damage builds up faster than it can be repaired by the body. MDMA, Amphetamine, Ketamine, and cocaine are similar here I believe.

        Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I mainly know about drugs from doing them and researching them online.

    • systemglitch@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Fantastic analogy and a good read. I’ve had a lot of experience with these bad drugs at various points in my life and I regret none of it.

      • Guntrigger@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        The UK taxed sugar (to try and curb soft drink consumption, thanks Jamie Oliver) and it just resulted in the non-diet/zero versions of everything containing both sugar AND sweetners. They managed to stay the same price and now all taste like shite, but I guess it’s cheaper for the poor corporations who had to comply (by changing their drinks entirely rather than paying the tax).

    • Squirrel@thelemmy.club
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      But… most places have banned these drugs. I’m not following your logic. Are you saying they should be legal because we’re free to ruin our health in other ways?

      • John Richard@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        I’m an advocate of actual freedom and personal choice. Meth is obviously a downward spiral for most. However, the issue is most drugs don’t start out that way. My point is that criminalizing drugs is the wrong approach. That is all.

  • SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    To be fair to anon, they’re asking sincerely if you take them at face value. A lot of people just don’t know why others just fall down that rabbit hole.

  • cyr0catdrag0nz@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    Privileged, ignorant take by this anon. If you get REALLY down bad sometimes relief in any form is enough. Anybody’s who’s been there knows what I mean, anybody who hasn’t should count their lucky stars and try to.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      There’s no shortage of people who refuse to understand addiction. “Why don’t you just…” “All you have to do is stop.” Plus equate the addiction and not stopping as weakness and failure. IMO those with that POV are talking to polish their own moral superiority and aren’t at all interested in the factors surrounding addiction.

      • Kedly@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Theres a lot of us who are this way because we’ve had to deal with the fallout of the damage those with addictions problems have. It’s not black and white, I’ve gone through a similarly fucked up life as my family members who fell into addiction

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          My comment has nothing to do with the damages caused by addicts to those around them. You’re right, it’s not black and white, and that’s one of the major issues about addiction vs the people who can’t/wont understand it from the outside. “All you have to do is…” is a cry of frustration and maybe even a defense against the damage caused by the addict. Yeah, they did the damage, no getting around that, and that’s a personal issue that I’m in no way qualified to make suggestions as to how to mend - if at all.

          I’m absolutely not trying to detract from or minimize what you experienced, but neither can I offer an exception in your case that it changes how addiction works, and also I am in no way trying to be an apologist for the addict. It’s a shit situation. If it were easy we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

          • Kedly@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            Fair enough, I can agree with pretty much everything you’ve said here tbh

              • Kedly@lemm.ee
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                edit-2
                1 year ago

                Eh, its in the past. The fact that I distrust addicts now doesnt impact my ability to empathize, it just means I personally wont be the one helping them. Thank you for your own empathy though

      • uis@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        There’s no shortage of people who refuse to understand addiction.

        The question was why people CREATE addictions. Not why people are addicted.

      • egonallanon@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        The real amusing part of that is there’s a very good chance that those people who don’t understand are very likely addicted to something legal like booze or caffeine. Hell try anyone to try quitting caffeine and they’ll see how much it sucks.

        • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yup, and this is a huge part of why I don’t consume caffeine in any meaningful amount (other than a random soda every so often). I had a friend who was addicted in middle school and tried to quit, and had to go back to drinking soda because of the headaches.

          I don’t want anything to have any meaningful control over me, so I actively avoid anything addicting. The most addictive thing right now. for me is video games, so I’ve set some rules for myself: no MMOs, generally avoid MP games, no mobile games (outside emulators). I don’t drink, smoke, etc, and I prefer to manage pain without Rx (definitely avoiding opiates).

          I’ve seen far too many lives get ruined through addiction. In fact, one of my life goals is to volunteer at a charity to help people kick addiction to consumerism (I’d love to help people get out of debt).

          Addiction sucks, and I highly recommend others to be honest about their addictions and work to kick them. If you want some more motivation, volunteer at a soup kitchen or something and talk to the people there, many if not most got there through addiction, and a lot of them had a career before everything spiraled out of control. Don’t let that happen to you.

          • uis@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            and had to go back to drinking soda because of the headaches.

            It’s most likely from not having enough sleep. Usually lack of sleep correlates with consumption of caffeine(no shit, Sherlock), but caffeine is usually not root cause for it. Usually it is external source of stress like school.

            I’ve seen far too many lives get ruined through addiction. In fact, one of my life goals is to volunteer at a charity to help people kick addiction to consumerism (I’d love to help people get out of debt).

            Good human. No, good citizen.

        • ZeroHora@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          Caffeine is not a good example, no one talked about the negative effects for a long time, they even promote it for the benefits and is extremely common in soda.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          That’s entirely possible. It also leads to the discussion between socially acceptable addictions and this that aren’t. People seem to be “more ok” with addictions that at least offer the veneer of the individual being in control.

      • Drigo@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Tbh it’s hard to understand for people that have never been addicted for “real”.

    • cybermass@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Couldn’t agree with this more.

      Also a lot of people who end up getting hooked on drugs first try it when they are young, they still have developing brains and its harder to make long term impact decisions.

    • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      Might also be worth noting how DARE made every drug into the Drug That Kills You Instantly. Cocaine instantly causes your heart to explode. Heroin immediately turns your into a vegetable. Weed is a “gateway drug” that’s laced with every other drug at once. Bath Salts are causing people to eat each other’s faces off.

      How many interactions with actual drug users does it take to disabuse you of these notions? The high performing athlete who smokes weed. The kids doing whip its at the concert who look like their having a great time. Fucking gym rats doing steroids and getting swole as hell. The older folks doing oxy and heroin so they can bust through pain and pull an insane shift. The college kids using amphetamines to study through the day and party through the night.

      It’s not as though drugs don’t have very immediate and obvious benefits. People aren’t doing them because they want to become washed up stereotypes.

      • uis@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Bath Salts are causing people to eat each other’s faces off.

        What? Is it something I don’t understand?

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Exactly. DARE and related programs aren’t doing anyone any favors because once you try one of those drugs, you’ll realize they’re really overselling how dangerous they are.

        Don’t get me wrong, drugs are dangerous and many people get sucked into career-ending addiction. But anti-drug advocacy should be very honest about both the benefits and the negatives, as well as alternatives if you’re looking for some benefits (e.g. regular exercise can increase energy levels a lot).

        I’m in favor of legalizing most recreational drugs, which should make dosage way more predictable (no more ODs) and detect warning signs before things spiral. I’d like to legalize and tax drugs, and use the tax proceeds to fund rehab programs. Start with weed and shrooms, and expand to whatever is most popular.

  • ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    These kind of MFs usually be like “Don’t do the illegal drug that will destroy your life, do the legal one! Ethanol comes under many street names, like beer, whiskey, wine, etc.”

    (I’m against prohibition, I just like to point out these MFs hypocrisy, especially when the booze is kind of subsidized by the state due to it being a “national treasure”.)

    • PlantDadManGuy@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yes, and many naive young people don’t really understand the fine lines between fun illegal party drugs (weed, molly, LSD) and life changing, soul crushing, body destroying incredibly immediately addictive illegal party drugs (crack, heroin, meth etc )

      • rekorse@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        You should possibly think about what let you to put MDMA in the fun group and Methamphetamine in the immediately addictive one.

    • uis@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      especially when the booze is kind of subsidized by the state due to it being a “national treasure”.

      What?! Even in Russia vodka is not subsidized.

      • ealoe@ani.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Most ethanol in the US comes from corn, which is absolutely subsidized heavily.

      • thisNotMyName@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Not directly subsidized, but definitely different treatment than other drugs thanks to successfull lobbying in Germany. Alcohol can far more easy sponsor and advertise e.g. Or the rage of the conversatives when weed got legalized (badly in comparison of course) this year, while they really like to take photos at Germany’s greatest drug convention (Oktoberfest) or get themself “elected” to Wine Queen/Beer Kind of boring region X.

        • barsoap@lemm.ee
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          §8 (10) MStV:

          Werbung für alkoholische Getränke dürfen den übermäßigen Genuss solcher Getränke nicht fördern

          Advertising for alcoholic beverages must not encourage the excessive consumption of such beverages

          Of course, that’s vague AF to the point where you can argue both that anything but “Hey let’s portray binge drinking as cool” is a-ok and on the other hand that portraying any kind of positive association with alcohol is not ok. And considering how the regulators somehow refuse to shut down right-out scam call-in shows there’s not much hope for them to interpret that in a way advertisers would disagree with (advertisers have their own rules because shitstorms against their behaviour are not good advertisement).

          Talking about political strategy though, I don’t think that’s a particularly good point to start, the first step should be warning labels, akin to tobacco. And yes I’m completely fine with the same kind of labels on coffee and tea and while we’re at it ultra-processed food.

  • Lem Jukes@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    This is the kind of thing said by someone who has never spent any amount of mental energy trying to understand drugs and drug use in any way. This is not a thought someone develops organically through experimentation and reasoning. This is a line parroted by idiots and it’s the kind of thinking that criminalizes and stigmatizes drug use and gets millions of people killed.

    • Allero@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Drug use is bad for health and absolutely does have the potential to spiral into a destructive addiction. Alcohol is a drug, by the way.

      With that said, criminalizing drug use barely helps anyone - but the distribution must remain illegal.

      • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Making distribution illegal just leads to people getting a bad supply that leads to overdoses and poisoning.

        You are acting like a helicopter parent. Stop it. People have the right to make decisions about their own bodies and health.

        Also you really want to ban all recreational drugs? Congrats you just removed one of people’s only outlets and caused more suicide, self-harm, and mental health issues.

        Furthermore not even all drugs are addictive. Classical psychedelics actually are used to cure addictions, it’s highly unlikely you become addicted to one. It’s also one of the least dangerous forms of addiction you can have, and is better than whatever other addiction you would develop instead of if it weren’t there.

        • Allero@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          People have right to make decisions about their own bodies and health

          Drugs are one of people’s only outlets

          Don’t you see the issue on the intersection of these two points? People usually don’t make a free choice to go for drugs, they do it to make their life feel more bearable.

          Solution? Don’t rally for drugs, rally for improving life conditions so that people wouldn’t try to escape reality.

          • areyouevenreal@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            Not really plenty of people take up drugs for fun rather than as a coping mechanism. A lot is just because of curiosity too. The motives are diverse.

            Solution? Don’t rally for drugs, rally for improving life conditions so that people wouldn’t try to escape reality.

            That doesn’t remove the other, more sensible reasons people do drugs. See above statement.

            It’s not always possible to improve the quality of life. We should definitely try though, don’t get me wrong. There will always be heartache, sorrow, mental health issues and disabilities though. That’s just the human condition. Sometimes drugs are actually the less self destructive coping mechanism, especially with psychedelics. In some cases something that’s recreational for one person, is a medicine for a second person, and an addiction for a third. See amphetamine/adderall for an example.

          • Dkarma@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            Half this country wants the other half to hurt because fox news said they should. Your last sentence is literally impossible.

          • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            Why not both?

            If we legalize recreational drugs (start w/ weed and shrooms, expand later), here’s what we get:

            • consistent dosage, so far fewer ODs and no risk of laced drugs
            • history of purchases, so warning signs if pattern of use changes
            • ability to tax in order to fund rehab programs
            • ability to refuse service and call for professional help if someone is displaying warning signs
            • fewer cartels, because why would you risk buying illegally if you can get it legally at a store?

            Banning it just pushes the sale and distribution underground. I honestly don’t see the benefits there, especially for the less harmful drugs.

            We should also be rallying to improve living conditions. Banning drugs doesn’t help anyone but the cartels.

      • rhadamanth_nemes@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        The fact that you say “drug use” as a blanket statement proves that you don’t know what you’re on about. There are a lot of drugs with a lot of effects, and even most controlled substances have approved medical applications (opiates for example).

        You should look at drug scheduling in the US, which mostly captures if drugs have a medical application.

        On a personal note, I hope you never have to face the kind of pain that makes you consider legal or illegal drugs as an outlet.

      • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        distribution must remain illegal.

        The cost of criminalization consistently outweighs the benefit, particularly when criminalization is paired with a dysfunctional criminal justice and incarceration system.

        Courts disproportionately punish the young, poor, and colored, which is why you’ll never see a Sackler behind bars. Prisons harden younger people into more professional and organized crooks while they break older people and rapidly transform them into invalids. And criminalization of distribution without curtailing consumption just drives up prices and encourages cartelization and police corruption.

        Sheriff’s gangs in California and Texas work hand in glove with the military police in Mexico and the CIA/DEA to transport protected cargo over the border, fattening everyone’s wallets under the pretext of drug prevention.

        • Allero@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          1 year ago

          Sounds like more of a criminal justice issue than anything. It’s important enough to work on it instead of admitting defeat.

          • Themadbeagle@lemm.ee
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            No one is admitting defeat, they are just telling you to stop focusing in on the symptoms and start focusing in the problem. You want to address drug misuse problems in western society? Start by addressing the problems that actually highly correlated with it. Help for unhoused persons. Better mental health systems. Those two things alone could curb a huge majority of drug misuse. If you take care of the symptoms then the problem will be mostly solved without need for any criminalization, be it criminalizing supply or demand. For the rest of people I think more funding of rehabilitation and drug education (and no, just telling people to abstain from drugs is not good education, just like abstinence is not good sex education).

      • datelmd5sum@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Here there’s roughly 200,000 people who use amphetamines recretionally and about 20,000 people who according to doctors have a problem with their usage. I.e. 90% can use them occasionally without an issue. For alcohol the number here is closer to 85%.

    • Drasglaf@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      some of us can handle our drugs just fine

      This attitude is what gets many people addicted to dangerous drugs. “I’m different, I can control it”. I’ve seen it a few times around me.

      • Scubus@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Well, I seem to be doing fine. In fact my life by all metrics right now is better than it’s ever been.

    • Allero@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      It is true that many drug users never actually get their lives ruined over it.

      But drugs are still negatively impacting their health, and there is always a risk of addiction forming and getting out of control.

      I live in a country where drugs are illegal, but alcohol is “alright”. Should I say people fuck up their health big time, and many, especially among men, do face issues with alcohol addiction? And those that go for drugs anyway rarely actually recover?

      My take: people don’t need drugs. People need an improvement in material and mental wellbeing, and drugs (and alcohol) are there as a form of escaping a poor reality. Drugs are just the way to make the world more bearable and “fun”, to try to squeeze happiness from a grim reality, without thinking much of what it costs in the long run.

    • Allero@lemmy.today
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Apparently it is a hot take nowadays.

      Guys, drugs are dangerous, unhealthy and you may not be able to recognize deep addiction and stop when you absolutely should.

      That’s it. There are better ways to have fun, I promise.

  • xantoxis@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    Because your knowledge that certain drugs are bad is not stronger than the urge to conform. If your friends are doing it and you’re the only one not doing it, you’ll feel the urge to join them. Some people can resist that, a lot of people can’t.

    And then when they try it, it feels really fuckin good, especially the first time. So good it’s life-changing, you might say.

  • bAZtARd@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    So this machine is at high speeds and is incredibly dangerous and if it crashes while you are in it or riding it you’ll probably die.

    Why are people using cars and motorcycles? I don’t get it!

    • LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      Not a great analogy honestly, you can drive a car your whole life and your odds of dying in a car accident are probably like 1%. Meanwhile your odds of dying, or at the very least having very serious health effects, from using hard drugs your whole life are basically guaranteed.

      • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        It isn’t guaranteed. Like that old lady that became 120 years old smoking a pack a day.

  • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    1 year ago

    No-one wakes up and decides that they’re going to get addicted to drugs today. Your life has typically been in a real shit place for a long time and it’s a “fuck it” type situation.

    You don’t usually see happy and wealthy people getting addicted to crack.

    • Jerkface@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      I knew at least one kid in high school who was told that weed was as bad as heroin. Then he saw his friends doing weed and everything seemed fine. So then he did weed and everything seemed fine. Then he started asking about heroin.

      • ben_dover@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        this is the problem with bullshitting around prohibition. if you feel like people lied to you about weed, they could have been wrong about heroin too.

        • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          “What’s that old saying? ‘Beer before liquor, never sicker… Don’t do heroin.,’” -Bojack Horseman

    • bionicjoey@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      You don’t usually see happy and wealthy people getting addicted to crack.

      Cocaine though. Same drug, different package

      • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yup. Wealthy people do get addicted to drugs like cocaine, they just often have enough wealth to either still die wealthy or last long enough to get rehab.

        You don’t have to be depressed to use drugs, just curious and looking for more life experiences.

    • EnderMB@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      My experiences being around people with cocaine have been at two opposite spectrums: people with shit lives that want a release, and people with families/wealth/opportunities that want a release.

      The latter experience for me was an office Christmas party. We shared an office with a law firm, and one guy with a wife, two kids, and what I’d assume is a solid six-figure salary had two keys worth, several joints, several beers, and whatever he was smoking from a pipe in the toilets.

      It might not be an addiction, but it’s definitely used by wealthy people. Hell, if the rumours about Musk are true, the dude is on all sorts of illegal shit all the time…

      • blady_blah@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        His shit isn’t illegal. He has his doctor prescribe whatever high quality shit he wants. It’s only illegal when YOU do it.

          • Revan343@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            ·
            1 year ago

            There certainly is for meth (for treatment-resistant ADHD), but iirc cocaine’s only medical use is during certain dental procedures, it’s not something you can be prescribed to take home

              • Revan343@lemmy.ca
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                0
                ·
                1 year ago

                It is very rarely prescribed, basically only if ritalin and a high dose of Adderall both fail to help.

                Or if you’re rich and have a doctor who will prescribe whatever you want, presumably

    • Outsider9042@aussie.zone
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      1 year ago

      For some people, they see being addicted to drugs as an improvement on their current situation.

      Life is already fucked, might as well get a buzz while I’m doing it.

      • XIIIesq@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        Indeed. If drugs are the only thing that can make you feel good, it can feel stupid not to use them.

      • Fizz@lemmy.nz
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        1 year ago

        If your reasoning is my life is bad may as well take a short term high for long term low. Then it’s no surprise your life is shit. A normal person thinks OK my life is pretty bad let’s not make it worse.