Drugs

[Winter Black]

[shrugs] The only things I generally get addicted to are pain killers. I don't take them at all anymore, because I don't want to be stuck on Acetaminophen again. I had the worst addiction to that. No, I know what addiction is. Pot, unless you become dependant on it as a way to get to sleep or have fun, is not an addiction.
But here's my view:
If you become dependant on something like Pain Killers or Pot, you're pretty much an idiot. If you can't kick the addiction, you're even stupider. Addiction is all in the mind. I can seem like the most brilliant of people, at times, but I'm a moron because I'm addicted to Nicotine. I smoke cigarettes. I've been addicted to Acetaminophen, ect.  

[Atma311]

Nihilistic Seraph

No, I'm pretty sure there is an addiction. it's just not that strong, but it's there. A frind of mine decided to stop smoking pot because it was completely screwing up his grades, and he didn't have to many problems dropping it. It's a very weak addiction, but I'm sure its there.

If I've been informed correctly, the addiction is mental, not really physical like with the hard stuff. I could be wrong, but that's just what i was told sweatdrop  

[Winter Black]

Atma311

Nihilistic Seraph

No, I'm pretty sure there is an addiction. it's just not that strong, but it's there. A frind of mine decided to stop smoking pot because it was completely screwing up his grades, and he didn't have to many problems dropping it. It's a very weak addiction, but I'm sure its there.

If I've been informed correctly, the addiction is mental, not really physical like with the hard stuff. I could be wrong, but that's just what i was told sweatdrop

Yeah, addiction to things like Marijuana and Pain Killers is all mental, which is why I said what I did in my last post.  

[Jameta]

Winter Black

Jameta, yes, anything in excess is bad for a person. Anything, and that includes generally healthy things. And while there are maybe a few bad points to Marijuana (it makes me sleepy if I do it during the day, and smoking anything is generally not a good thing) I do believe it has more pro's than it does cons. Other than being currently illegal for no real reason. >.<

"...Alcohol...
"...Drug overdose...
"...Ham sandwhich."
~Austin Powers

I can't remember the whole skit, but that just came to mind when you reiterated my point.

And if anybody cares for a scientific report on Mary Jane, here is one.  

[Siofra Da`Halbria]

This reminds me of a few things.

1)In 7th or 8th grade, I was playing Dominoes with my stepdad and my mom's friend George. About half way through the game, my stepdad and George start smoking a joint. George keeps passing it to me because a)he's a moron and can't tell me from my mom and b)because he keeps forgetting I don't smoke.

2) My boyfriend has done just about every drug there is. He has even been addicted to most of them. But luckily, he has kicked most of the addictions. Now he only does marijuana on occasions. I myself have never done any drugs recreationally. But after going to the dentist and absolutely loving the high I got off of laughing gas (he did that for a while too), I've decided they're not all that bad. In fact, if I get to stay with him for his 20th birthday, I am gonig to try marijuana for my first time. And a whole lot of drinking (which I already know I love).

3) When my family came to visit last weekend, I took my cousin Seth into my room to watch anime. While I was making my bed comfortable to lay on (because of where my TV is positioned), he said "Why do you have weed in your room?" I said I didn't, but then I saw that someone had put two bags of weed in a box in my room. It must have been at least a half pound. I said 'Oh. I guess I do." It turns out someone who shall not be named, put it in there because he had been sleeping in my room.


Okay. That's about it lol.  

[WebenBanu]

Keistera

Epinephrine has, in the past two years, been banned/limited -- it used to be a popular weight-loss product. I can't recall the name of the actual herb or combination thereof, though.

Epinephrine as a weight loss product? Wow- we use injectable epi to stop bleeding from traumatized tissues, and to jump-start the heart if a patient's trying to die. I'd have never thought to use it for weight loss... maybe I should try some.^_^  

[Keistera]

@ Weben: Apparently, it caused the heart to beat too fast and/or induced a heart attack (people abusing it to get faster results?), and had many heart and heat related risks. Unless I'm getting the overheating mixed up with Ecstasy (sp?), which is quite possible. stare

Stupid brain... work, damn you!
 

[Rakei]

Keistera

@ Weben: Apparently, it caused the heart to beat too fast and/or induced a heart attack (people abusing it to get faster results?), and had many heart and heat related risks. Unless I'm getting the overheating mixed up with Ecstasy (sp?), which is quite possible. stare

Stupid brain... work, damn you!

I don't know if Ecstacy overheats, I just know it dehydrates you to death, or rather hydrates you to death as it's happened before.  

[The Bookwyrm]

Winter Black

Whats worse is they force that on Canada, too, who KNOW''S there''s nothing wrong with Pot, and wants to Legalize It. But America, so I''ve heard, has threatend war if we do.

Amaerica''s never threatened war over the legalization of pot. They actually can''t openly threaten that, due to international law. And speaking as a Canadian, there''s plenty of resistance within Canada against the legalization of pot which is not American. Let''s not bash here. There''s been research done on both sides of the fence, and both focus in on their own results to try and discredit the other. There''s a growing support movement for the legalization of pot, but it''s still considerably small yet. They''ve got a political party, yes, but that really doesn''t mean a whole lot.

Now as far as drug use goes with magick, I don''t think it''s the greatest idea, just as I don''t think mixing alcohol is. Especially with ritual work, I believe that a clear mind is necessary in order to properly focus energy. Also, it''s illegal, and that''s some negative mojo brewing right there that can get attached to the work. I could see where the use of some natural substances could be of some use, but it''s not a part of my practice. If I can''t do something on my own, I''m not about to seek alternate means. I''d far sooner the challenge of working on my own, and so far it''s served me well.

Winter Black

If you become dependant on something like Pain Killers or Pot, you''re pretty much an idiot. If you can''t kick the addiction, you''re even stupider. Addiction is all in the mind.

Take some basic biology/psychology. There is a physical componant to all addictions, as any chemical substance introduced into the body affects chemical levels in the brain. This is what causes addiction, as the natural levels decrease as the foreign one increases. Over time, the natural levels are simply not what they used to be, and the synthetic is needed in order to enduce a sensation of "normal." This is why it''s called addiction.  

[TheArgus]

Drugs for spiritual purposes?

It's a dangerous road. The existing literature on the subject is phantasmagorically garbled, and reliable sources on the subject are hard to come by.

Using drugs addictively is completely counterproductive if you want to use the same ones for serious magical work. This kind of thing requires respect and diligence. Ritual is not a good excuse for casual drug use, either. Well, maybe I'm wrong in certain cases, depending on the energy one is hypothetically working with... but these practices are illegal almost everywhere in the world, so I must advise that no-one ever use any drug whatsoever under any circumstances.

By the way,

1. Ephedrine comes from the ephedra plant. In the US, it is illegal in pure form because it is a chemical precursor sought by amphetamine manufacturers. It is not commercially available unless it contains a nauseating dose of guaifenesin, which renders it harder for thrill-seekers to abuse. The ancient Persians used to make a sort of chai with the crushed raw ephedra plant. Epinephrine is something else entirely.

2. There is a difference between over-the-conter analgesics and painkillers. OTC analgesics include aspirin, Aleve, acetaminophen, and Ibuprofen. Painkillers include hydrocodone, oxycodone, methadone, codeine, morphine, and demerol- all of which are highly addictive and profoundly intoxicating. To make a statement saying that "painkillers are not addictive" is demonstrably untrue, as well as irresponsible.

3. There are some synthetic drugs with a powerful entheogenic effect that are nearly harmless. There are also some drugs made from raw natural ingredients that could kill a person instantly. The natural vs. synthetic debate rages on, with points scored by both sides. Again, I personally recommend circumventing this entire argument by not using drugs at all. Ever. Nope, not even a little one.

4. Against my better judgement, I always seem to enter threads where drugs are under discussion, because for some reason Gaia attracts a lot of bizarre and often spurious information on the subject. I'm going to go post somewhere "wholesome" now.

sweatdrop  

[Keistera]

TheArgus

1. Ephedrine comes from the ephedra plant. In the US, it is illegal in pure form because it is a chemical precursor sought by amphetamine manufacturers. It is not commercially available unless it contains a nauseating dose of guaifenesin, which renders it harder for thrill-seekers to abuse. The ancient Persians used to make a sort of chai with the crushed raw ephedra plant. Epinephrine is something else entirely.

Thanks. I always seem to get buggered up there. I know that something sounding similar to those was used for a weight loss drug and really screwed people up, leading to death in some cases. I had to talk my mother out of using it, and I still have a hard time trying to convince her that diet and exercise will do a much better job than any pill. However, it's a bit tougher for her to change her lifestyle than she'd like, and she wants fast results. "Like, right now." That isn't safe, but she's older than I and just doesn't listen. *shrugs*

Oi, I'm off topic again. sweatdrop  

[Kabuki Doll]

Atma311

Nihilistic Seraph

No, I'm pretty sure there is an addiction. it's just not that strong, but it's there. A frind of mine decided to stop smoking pot because it was completely screwing up his grades, and he didn't have to many problems dropping it. It's a very weak addiction, but I'm sure its there.

If I've been informed correctly, the addiction is mental, not really physical like with the hard stuff. I could be wrong, but that's just what i was told sweatdrop

Actually, there is no hard core evidence of an addicting substance in marijuana at all, compared to legal substances like cigarettes. The addicting substance in cigarettes is nicotine, and while health teachers constantly imply that a joint is 4 cigarettes. Well, they are being rather vague as to how a joint measures 4 cigarettes. Really experts are measuring the amounts of THC when comparing the two drug substances, but marijuana tends to be more potent, obviously, though marijuana contains no nicotine. So it's not really an addiction if someone is a pot head. They just like the high, which can be compared to a person who really likes to read a lot.

God I hated health. That class was a joke.
 

[Nihilistic Seraph]

Little update. I talked with ym dad, who actually pays attention to politics, unlike me. We(Canadians)'re not considering legalizing pot. It's further decriminalization of pot. So basically no jail time, just fines.