What Are Our Reasons That We Choose Not To Use Illegal Drugs

Zyphlin said:

I knew I eventually wanted to work for the government and I wanted to be able to answer my background check questions honestly

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Finally, someone with a valid reason not to do drugs. I wanted to be in law enforcement, but I am an extremely open and honest person.

"Have you ever used illegal substances?"

"Yes. Cannabis, Psilocybin and LSD. Oh, and I also consumed alcohol while under the age of 21."

"Thank you for your time."

I think, in retrospect, as best I can recollect, the main reason I liked drugs was the sense of communion it gave me with others.
When I got high with somebody, I felt like I could understand them and communicate with them and sort of be inside their head to an extent that had never been possible for me without drugs.
I was not aware of feeling particularly lonely before, but once I started doing drugs, I felt like I'd discovered a kind of new realm of closeness and camradery with others, unlike anything I'd experienced before.

I later discovered this was only an illusion, though.
In actual fact, my interactions while high were banal, and the profound bond I sometimes felt with others was one-sided, something I was merely projecting onto those around me.
I wanted to have meaningful relationships with others, and I believed, for awhile, that drugs gave me the ability to do that.

Dezaad said:

I was reading another thread where someone was claiming that drug use would increase dramatically if they were made legal. I wanted to get a handle on whether people commonly even consider the legal issue at all.

I personally certainly never considered it when evaluating whether to start to use illegal drugs. Or, at least, it was only a fleeting consideration for me... I just kind of felt like no one had the right to tell me what to do. However, I did consider it when I decided to stop, because I saw that the fact that they were illegal was doing terrible things to the lives of the people who were sinking faster than I was.

Perhaps I was saved by their being illegal, but I am wondering how common this is.

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Never got into illegal drugs cause I never made enough money to get into this sort of expensive endeavor and then get hooked, and I had no money as it was. I was always very practical, or at least somewhat practical when it came to the expense of things. The legality also came into play because I didn't want to go to jail. I figured booze was enough, but I did drink before I was of legal age. Started drinking regularly at age 16.

Maximus Zeebra said:

OMG, for the fifth time. We are talking about powder cocaine(regular cocaine), not crack cocaine, which is something completely different.

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I have used both. I injected cocaine and smoked crack. The high is EXACTLY the same. They both work EXACTLY the same way. The only real difference is shooting it up hits you much harder initially than smoking. Smoking is way easier with a slightly longer duration of the high.

I have also took cocaine and made it into crack. The only thing you mix into the cocaine is a little baking soda.

They are the same drug made into a different form for use. :roll:

PS The only reason people think they are different is because of people who snort the crap. Yes in that case it hits you much slower and lasts a hell of a long time. It is still the same damn drug.

Tucker Case said:

Crack and cocaine are two different drugs. Crack is way worse than cocaine. I said cocaine and not crack for a reason.

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No it is not. If you main line regular powder cocaine the high and addiction is exactly the same. The only difference is times and the initial hit.

You have no clue.

Tucker Case said:

Way worse than crack withdrawal. (I've seen that too). Plus cocaine is not the same as crack. It's a derivitave of cocaine, but it is not the same.

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They are very similar and affect different people differently. Your statement is based on opinion and completely ignores the evidence I posted.

I have used both. I injected cocaine and smoked crack. The high is EXACTLY the same. They both work EXACTLY the same way. The only real difference is shooting it up hits you much harder initially than smoking. Smoking is way easier with a slightly longer duration of the high.

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Ditto, and I'd have to agree with this. it's very similar.
My only disagreement is that I think an IV high lasts longer. Not the immediate rush, but the high, which actually does continue for awhile after the rush subsides. A crack high, on the other hand, seems like it's over in seconds.
Then again, I could be mistaken. After all, hehe, I was high at the time.

I also have to admit that I was probably biased against crack before I ever even tried it. I thought it was for losers and scumbags, would never have paid money for it, and only smoked it a couple of times when it was offered for free.

You should've been biased against crack and should remain biased against crack.

Umm my life is pretty good. **** it. It's great. Weed doesn't make it better. It's just part of my life. Don't think of it as a hobby. Think of it as something I do that is as normal to me as brushing my teeth and sitting down to eat at 6pm after having worked in my basement all day. I don't smoke weed to get high anymore. I smoke it because it just feels natural to me. I don't even get high anymore like I use to when I was younger.

It's not a crutch.
It's not something I depend on to get through the day.
It's not something that makes me smarter.

I'll admit I analyze images a lot better while high but only because of the effects the drug has on me where it slows my thinking down. I'm hyperactive even while on weed to the point where I can be multitasking and not even noticing it.

Weed doesn't help me be creative.
It doesn't help me come up with better ideas.
It doesn't help me be social(I can't stand being around people for long anyways).
It doesn't help me be friendly to my neighbors.
It doesn't help me deal with my problems.

But I do it anyways. Why? Because it feels good. You silly people analyze drugs like they're some complicated ****. There are millions of Americans who pop aspirins all day to feel better and can't go a single day without doing it. Why aren't aspirins called a crutch? The demonizing of drugs like marijuana needs to stop. It's just stupid after a while and shows the hypocrisy of anti-drug culture.

Blackdog said:

I have used both. I injected cocaine and smoked crack. The high is EXACTLY the same. They both work EXACTLY the same way. The only real difference is shooting it up hits you much harder initially than smoking. Smoking is way easier with a slightly longer duration of the high.

I have also took cocaine and made it into crack. The only thing you mix into the cocaine is a little baking soda.

They are the same drug made into a different form for use. :roll:

PS The only reason people think they are different is because of people who snort the crap. Yes in that case it hits you much slower and lasts a hell of a long time. It is still the same damn drug.

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Doesnt explain the fact that crack is more addictive and much more damaging on the individuals whom use it.. Its a much more severe form of using the drug then...

Ever seen the difference between a crack bitch and a cocaine snorting woman?

Maximus Zeebra said:

Ever seen the difference between a crack bitch and a cocaine snorting woman?

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Actually there is quite a difference. Mainly social. Cocaine is distributed to people with money. It's not an overly expensive drug but good coke is a lot more expensive then the coke your local suburban teenager gets for a party. Crack cocaine is strictly an inner city drug. From what I've seen people who snort good coke have jobs and can keep themselves together even while using(Obama, Williams, Elton John - find somebody famous or important who's done coke and they're probably still famous and still important). Meanwhile crack is distributed in ghettos. To poor people. Who most of the time don't have jobs and are broke as ****. But then again I could be one of the few people who's noticed that there is indeed a difference between the drugs people use and how they use them.

Hatuey said:

Umm my life is pretty good. **** it. It's great. Weed doesn't make it better. It's just part of my life. Don't think of it as a hobby. Think of it as something I do that is as normal to me as brushing my teeth and sitting down to eat at 6pm after having worked in my basement all day. I don't smoke weed to get high anymore. I smoke it because it just feels natural to me. I don't even get high anymore like I use to when I was younger.

It's not a crutch.
It's not something I depend on to get through the day.
It's not something that makes me smarter.

I'll admit I analyze images a lot better while high but only because of the effects the drug has on me where it slows my thinking down. I'm hyperactive even while on weed to the point where I can be multitasking and not even noticing it.

Weed doesn't help me be creative.
It doesn't help me come up with better ideas.
It doesn't help me be social(I can't stand being around people for long anyways).
It doesn't help me be friendly to my neighbors.
It doesn't help me deal with my problems.

But I do it anyways. Why? Because it feels good. You silly people analyze drugs like they're some complicated ****. There are millions of Americans who pop aspirins all day to feel better and can't go a single day without doing it. Why aren't aspirins called a crutch? The demonizing of drugs like marijuana needs to stop. It's just stupid after a while and shows the hypocrisy of anti-drug culture.

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:lol: in one set you claim its not a crutch, in the next little list you explain how it is....


Too bad there is a vegas rule here, otherwise I'd show your contradictory statments.


:roll:

Hatuey said:

Actually there is quite a difference. Mainly social. Cocaine is distributed to people with money. It's not an overly expensive drug but good coke is a lot more expensive then the coke your local suburban teenager gets for a party. Crack cocaine is strictly an inner city drug. From what I've seen people who snort good coke have jobs and can keep themselves together even while using(Obama, Williams, Elton John - find somebody famous or important who's done coke and they're probably still famous and still important). Meanwhile crack is distributed in ghettos. To poor people. Who most of the time don't have jobs and are broke as ****. But then again I could be one of the few people who's noticed that there is indeed a difference between the drugs people use and how they use them.

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I would say the difference between cocaine and crack is about equal to the difference between cocaine leaves and cocaine powder.

Dont users of crack also use more frequently and get more addicted?

Phoenix said:

You should've been biased against crack and should remain biased against crack.

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I was, and I did.
Did you somehow not get that I've never been fond of it?

Maximus Zeebra said:

I would say the difference between cocaine and crack is about equal to the difference between cocaine leaves and cocaine powder.

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And you would be, and still are wrong.

Maximus Zeebra said:

Dont users of crack also use more frequently and get more addicted?

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Yes they do because it is much easier to get. Has nothing to do with the effects of the drug.

Maximus Zeebra said:

Doesnt explain the fact that crack is more addictive and much more damaging on the individuals whom use it.. Its a much more severe form of using the drug then...

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Completely wrong.

What part about "easier to get" are you having a problem with?

In any form after turned into a powder it has EXACTLY the same chemical reaction on the brain, period.

Maximus Zeebra said:

Ever seen the difference between a crack bitch and a cocaine snorting woman?

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What difference? I was an LEO and have arrested both. No difference.

Crack hits you faster and the effects do not last as long because you smoke it.

Therefore you do more of it. Therefore you ge addicted faster.


It is the same substance......

Hatuey said:

But I do it anyways. Why? Because it feels good. You silly people analyze drugs like they're some complicated ****. There are millions of Americans who pop aspirins all day to feel better and can't go a single day without doing it. Why aren't aspirins called a crutch? The demonizing of drugs like marijuana needs to stop. It's just stupid after a while and shows the hypocrisy of anti-drug culture.

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Do you think possibly the alcohol producers have really powerful lobbyists, and this is why drugs aren't legal? Makes sense to me. If drugs were legalized a whole lot of people would quit drinking. Would cut into the homeless problem, too, cause some of those people would switch over and possibly become regular working citizens.

Alcohol makes people messy. They start staggering, slurring their words. I'm not sure what drugs do, but I think some people see things more clearly, their artistic side may become enhanced. I've always thought The Beatles, and Stevie Wonder, and who knows who else, did some of their better stuff while taking drugs. Stevie Wonder's, "Songs in the Key of Life" to me was some of his best stuff, and I think he was dabbling in drugs at the time. Many artists of yesteryear painted some of their best stuff while taking drugs, Michaelangelo had to be taking something when he was laying on his back painting the Sistene Chapel. His back had to be killing him, and his arms. Anybody ever paint a ceiling on a ladder? Try doing it laying on scaffolding on your back.

Ok, I'll shut up now. The reason I don't take drugs is because they are illegal, and I don't have the money, and my husband would divorce me.

Blackdog said:

They are very similar and affect different people differently. Your statement is based on opinion and completely ignores the evidence I posted.

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Crack withdrawal and heroin withdrawal are not very similar at all. Herion withdrawal is typically far worse.

From you source:

Cocaine withdrawal:

agitation
depression
intense craving for the drug
extreme fatigue
anxiety
angry outbursts
lack of motivation
nausea/vomiting
shaking
irritability
muscle pain
disturbed sleep

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Herion witdrawal:

dilated pupils

piloerection (goose bumps)
watery eyes
runny nose
yawning
loss of appetite
tremors
panic
chills
nausea
muscle cramps
insomnia
stomach cramps
diarrhea
vomiting
shaking
chills or profuse sweating
irritability
jitterness

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Clearlyu there are many more physical symptoms associated with herion withdrawal.

My "opinion" is based on seeing the evidence. Herion withdrawal is typically far worse physically than cocaine withdrawal. In fact, most stimulants (such as nicotine and cocaine) do not show physical withdrawal symptoms. They are mostly emotional in nature. Depressants (Alcohol and Herion) are noted for their major physical symptoms coupled with emotional symptoms.

My experineces with both withdrawal symptoms is that a person suffereing from heroin withdrawal is quite obviously dopesick. They writhe in pain, sweat, vomit, and generally freak the hell out. A person suffering from cocaine withdrawal will be twitchy, cranky and fairly lethargic, but they are not obviously dopesick.

And that beign said, the worst withdrawals I've ever seen were alcohol withdrawals, which can kill a person. They go into seizures, hallucinate, and vomit.





My reasons for crack being worse than simple powdered cocaine is that the addictive properties and costs are different. The degree of the "high" is different. They are quite similar in feeling, but crack is worse because the shorter high and instant euphoria will lead to an increased liklihood for dependency because more doses will be taken in the same relative timefram to sustain the high.

Studies have shown that crack users will be more likely to become addicted than people who snort based on these reasons.

And the chemical properties of crack are different. Specifically, the fact that Methylecgonidine is created with crack, but not powdered cocaine. This is a more dangerous substance in no small part because of that.

The effects of the high are similar, in fact identical, because the properties of taking a dopamine reuptake inhibitor will have the same effects.

But what makes a drug different has nothing to do with the high, and everything to do with teh chemicals injested.

Thus, crack is way worse than cocaine, because it is chemically different.

Blackdog said:

Completely wrong.

What part about "easier to get" are you having a problem with?

In any form after turned into a powder it has EXACTLY the same chemical reaction on the brain, period.

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They have the same affect on the brain, but they are chemically different substances.

Blackdog said:

Completely wrong.

What part about "easier to get" are you having a problem with?

In any form after turned into a powder it has EXACTLY the same chemical reaction on the brain, period.



What difference? I was an LEO and have arrested both. No difference.

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LEO? What is that? I can mention CEO.. A lot of them use cocaine and still have success. I hardly believe there are any CEOs who use crack. Half of hollywood use cocaine on a regular basis, only Amy Whitehouse use crack, and you see how she ended up. Completely wrecked, and she is not using heroin, she is using crack.

Maximus Zeebra said:

LEO? What is that? I can mention CEO.. A lot of them use cocaine and still have success. I hardly believe there are any CEOs who use crack. Half of hollywood use cocaine on a regular basis, only Amy Whitehouse use crack, and you see how she ended up. Completely wrecked, and she is not using heroin, she is using crack.

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LEO = law enforcement officer.

From a study supporting the abolition of the crack/powder sentencing disparity:

CONCLUSION: Cocaine hydrochloride is readily converted to base prior to use. The physiological and psychoactive effects of cocaine are similar regardless of whether it is in the form of cocaine hydrochloride or crack cocaine (cocaine base). However, evidence exists showing a greater abuse liability, greater propensity for dependence, and more severe consequences when cocaine is smoked (cocaine-base) or injected intravenously (cocaine hydrochloride) compared with intranasal use (cocaine hydrochloride). The crucial variables appear to be the immediacy, duration, and magnitude of cocaine's effect, as well as the frequency and amount of cocaine used rather than the form of the cocaine.

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While the two things might be nearly identical in their chemical composition, the way they're consumed means that one is in many ways more different than the other. That makes it completely reasonable to treat one differently than the other.

Reverend_Hellh0und said:

Too bad there is a vegas rule here, otherwise I'd show your contradictory statments.

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What is a Vegas rule?

EgoffTib said:

What is a Vegas rule?

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It refers to the basement. What happens there, stays there.

Tucker Case said:

It refers to the basement. What happens there, stays there.

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Ah. Thank you for the clarification.

Tucker Case said:

Crack withdrawal and heroin withdrawal are not very similar at all. Herion withdrawal is typically far worse.

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I do not agree at all.

Tucker Case said:

From you source:

Cocaine withdrawal:



Herion witdrawal:



Clearlyu there are many more physical symptoms associated with herion withdrawal.

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Not really take a closer look....

Under heroin nausea and vomiting are listed separately. With depression such as you can get with cocaine withdrawals a new series of physical symptoms appear.

No they are both just as bad.

Tucker Case said:

My "opinion" is based on seeing the evidence.

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A member of your family? Well that is unbiased and completely scientific. I stand corrected.

Tucker Case said:

Herion withdrawal is typically far worse physically than cocaine withdrawal.

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I agree it is worse, but "far worse" is an overstatement.

Tucker Case said:

In fact, most stimulants (such as nicotine and cocaine) do not show physical withdrawal symptoms. They are mostly emotional in nature. Depressants (Alcohol and Herion) are noted for their major physical symptoms coupled with emotional symptoms.

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Cocaine withdrawal symptoms include but are not limited to:

agitation
depression
intense craving for the drug*
extreme fatigue*
anxiety
angry outbursts
lack of motivation
nausea/vomiting*
shaking*
irritability
muscle pain*
disturbed sleep

Looks like allot of physical symptoms? It also says "not limited to."

Tucker Case said:

My experineces with both withdrawal symptoms is that a person suffereing from heroin withdrawal is quite obviously dopesick. They writhe in pain, sweat, vomit, and generally freak the hell out. A person suffering from cocaine withdrawal will be twitchy, cranky and fairly lethargic, but they are not obviously dopesick.

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Then your experience is just a tad off.

Tucker Case said:

And that beign said, the worst withdrawals I've ever seen were alcohol withdrawals, which can kill a person. They go into seizures, hallucinate, and vomit.

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No argument from me on that one. Definitely the worst.

Tucker Case said:

My reasons for crack being worse than simple powdered cocaine is that the addictive properties and costs are different. The degree of the "high" is different. They are quite similar in feeling, but crack is worse because the shorter high and instant euphoria will lead to an increased liklihood for dependency because more doses will be taken in the same relative timefram to sustain the high.

Studies have shown that crack users will be more likely to become addicted than people who snort based on these reasons.

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I am not talking about snorting cocaine, I said main lining it. It is almost a duplicate of smoking crack. I know for a fact as I have done all three.

Tucker Case said:

And the chemical properties of crack are different. Specifically, the fact that Methylecgonidine is created with crack, but not powdered cocaine. This is a more dangerous substance in no small part because of that.

The effects of the high are similar, in fact identical, because the properties of taking a dopamine reuptake inhibitor will have the same effects.

But what makes a drug different has nothing to do with the high, and everything to do with teh chemicals injested.

Thus, crack is way worse than cocaine, because it is chemically different.

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"Three routes of administration are commonly used for cocaine: snorting, injecting, and smoking. Snorting is the process of inhaling cocaine powder through the nose, where it is absorbed into the bloodstream through the nasal tissues. Injecting is the use of a needle to release the drug directly into the bloodstream. Smoking involves inhaling cocaine vapor or smoke into the lungs, where absorption into the bloodstream is as rapid as by injection. All three methods of cocaine abuse can lead to addiction and other severe health problems, including increasing the risk of contracting HIV and infectious diseases.

The intensity and duration of cocaine’s effects, which include increased energy, reduced fatigue, and mental alertness, depend on the route of drug administration. The faster cocaine is absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the brain, the more intense the high. Injecting or smoking cocaine produces a quicker, stronger high than snorting. On the other hand, faster absorption usually means shorter duration of action. The high from snorting cocaine may last 15 to 30 minutes, but the high from smoking may last only 5 to 10 minutes. In order to sustain the high, a cocaine abuser has to administer the drug again. For this reason, cocaine is sometimes abused in binges—taken repeatedly within a relatively short period of time, at increasingly high doses." - Crack and Cocaine - NIDA InfoFacts

Why don't you post some scientific data saying they are chemically different?