Little Things That Irk You VII: Seething Pains

[Zen Monkey]

Unfortunately Zen drugs bring out the worst in people (most of the time) because there dumb, weak & have addictive personalities, that leads on to other stuff and more and more extreme behaviour, which said person is blissfully unaware of.

My advice would be to just leave it there and leave the drug talk off the forum, we are just guests here after all.

Also, shut it hippie

It's not that black and white. How people behave on drugs depends on the drug and the people taking them.

In a study by John Hopkins university, it was noted that a single dose of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) left some participants feeling better (this was measured by their their sense of contentment, sense of well being, their openness and helpfulness to others) up to 14 months after the drug was ingested - and they didn't just take the participants word for it - it was correlated by talking to their friends and colleagues. That's a super drug right there! No drug from your doctor does that. Furthermore 67% of the participants in the study described it as one of the most memorable events of their life. Even Steve Jobs - a man who made billions and experienced so much success and respect and adoration claimed that dropping LSD was one of "two or three most important things" he ever did. Psychedelics are a very different type of drug. You don't do them to escape your problems or have a good time. They're medicines. Tools for introspection. For transformation.

Alcohol is far and away the most harmful drug. And I say that as someone who loves researching, brewing and drinking old wine recipes. But let's not kid ourselves; the diseases alcohol leads to, the violence, the sexual assaults, the infidelity that tears families apart. Most studies agree that no other drug harms society as much. But don't take my word for it. Do the research. Here's how Professor David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs, scored the harmfulness of drugs:

alcohol (72), heroin (55) crack (54), crystal meth (33), cocaine (27), tobacco (26), amphetamine/speed (23), cannabis (20), GHB (18), ketamine (15), methadone (13), ecstasy (9), anabolic steroids (9), LSD (7), buprenorphine (6) and magic mushrooms (5).

I could throw facts and figures at you all day but ultimately I know from my own experience that when I get drunk (which I sometimes do) I just wanna fag (despite having quit) and I want meat (despite having quit) and I want sex (which I havn't quit but don't normally want). Basically drunkenness fills me with desire. With lust. I want stuff. I'm more self-centred. Me. Me. Me. But when I trip on psychedelics I don't want things, indeed I wanna get rid of things, of my negative characteristics. I feel connected to the whole and feel an obligation to shape myself and conduct myself in a way that serves the whole. In other words I want (don't always succeed, I admit) to become a better person.

In summary: best we don't tar all drugs with the same brush.

[Neon Ignition]

I find it hard to really properly think about drugs that deeply anymore. They're amazing, simply amazing and one of mankinds greatest inventions from a medical perspective. Outside of that they're blatantly utterly s--- and a constant scurge on mankind. One of those things that if you could click your fingers and non-medical drug use would disappear Thanos like you wouldn't need to really think about the decision much.

[Zen Monkey]

Well... I tried. That's all anyone can do, innit?

[JazzFunk]

I like Zen Monkey the way he is. Crazy stuff he does and he's still sane sane sane. He's cut from a different cloth to the rest of us and I wouldn't class him as a drugster, he's just exploring reality in his own way (damn, he's going to EVEREST, I see him as a pretty together guy tbh and I'm not even his real life pal or owt, I can see he comes from a kind place.)

Alc is deffo the worst. It's like fire. Fire!

[fuse]

Re: booze / drugs

I agree that there are some positive outcomes to taking drugs, but I find that evangelising them, or suggesting someone’s capacity for introspection or empathy is inhibited if you don’t partake is in poor taste - not to mention patronising. The legal and health-related risks alone are the sort that can change your circumstances *incredibly* quickly, and if you’re in any kind of position of responsibility (financial, familial, whatever) there’s plenty of very good reasons to take issue with these gambles. I do my best not to judge others on their decisions, but I understand why some people begrudge others making these calls.

No doubt either that alcohol has caused or at least been a catalyst for many more ruined lives. But a good drink can, and should, be a pleasant experience in itself - not just a tool for bringing out some other side of your personality. It is a legal thing that many, many people are able to enjoy in a social setting with a fraction of the risks that other drugs pose. I can’t speak for everyone here, I find repeat, boastful “I got so drunk” claims to be equally revealing / unfortunate too even in spite of this.

[QualityChimp]

If you think drugs are expensive, I was reading somewhere about the ridiculous price of Manuka honey!

[MonkeyJuggleDX]

EBay adding the best offer option on my already listed items. If I'd wanted offers, I'd have given buyers that choice in the first place!

[randombs]

Maybe drugs would benefit from lobbying groups like alcohol has.

I’d like to propose the Hank Hill Marahwana Foundation.

[Neon Ignition]

I think the trouble with campaigning for looser drug laws because of the current laws on alcohol just end up sounding more like reasons for alcohol laws to be tightened rather than drugs loosened so they don't go anywhere. For the most part the crackdown on cigarettes was all the evidence you need about what works best for the UK public.

[Neon Ignition]

When a neighbour decides that out or nowhere they're going to specifically target you and park in your usual space. I mean, I can drive out for literally five minutes and they will watch and come out just to move their car a couple of feet to take the space before I come back even though they were already parked in a normal space. I don't mind first come first served on a busy street but ours isn't and it's just being a dick.

[fishbowlhead]

When a neighbour decides that out or nowhere they're going to specifically target you and park in your usual space. I mean, I can drive out for literally five minutes and they will watch and come out just to move their car a couple of feet to take the space before I come back even though they were already parked in a normal space. I don't mind first come first served on a busy street but ours isn't and it's just being a dick.

Slash all their tyres in the night, see how the p***k likes taking your space then.

[Neon Ignition]

I'm off for two weeks at Christmas and were not doing anything. My car's going on Christmas vacation for a fortnight... on their front

[Zaki]

Slash all their tyres in the night, see how the p***k likes taking your space then.

I bet your mates nickname you "Slash".

[dataDave]

In summary: best we don't tar all drugs with the same brush.

There's also the stoned ape hypothesis which simply shouldn't be ignored, by anyone.

I've been micro-dosing psilocybin for around six weeks now. It's taken an extraordinary effect on my general mental well being, work ethic (not that I've ever had any issues with either of those besides mild stress) and especially video gaming prowess. It's extremely hard to explain, but when you 'zone in' on a game (something like Bayonetta) the immediate present and future kind of melt into one. It's kind of like being slightly psychic - like my thoughts are conducting the action and dictating what the foes are doing, rather than letting the chaos of the game world decide. I'm 100% in control of absolutely everything on screen. It's like I've somehow managed to break-through with the power of déjà vu, and I've now harnessed it for my own bidding.

I still fail at blocking out the immediate past. When I pull off something crazy I get really excited by what I just saw so I pop out of the zone, which throws me off my rhythm.

[dataDave]

Personally I'd force all world leaders to go on severe mushroom trips. If anything could save the world from itself, it's that.