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.
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.
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.
I am not just talking about addiction, I am also referring to the physiological damage it does.
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.
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.
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.
He right I ded a mef ones time only and my brain brokeded
Tried meth once. Felt like Adderall. I could see why people abuse it, but I didn’t feel the need.
That’s cause Adderall is meth.
Or meth adjacent. I don’t know the chemistry.
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.
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.
Yep. I had an Adderall Rx for years prior, felt almost identical. But I also swallowed it, didn’t smoke or inject it.
If we’re just assuming stuff based on vibes then caffeine is meth too.
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.
Cops raided a pharmacy because they needed a fix. Foia the body cam footage if they got them.
nah, you’re the wrong here buddy
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 called meth.
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.
Because ADHD stimulants are forms of methamphetamines.
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.
Yea, plus many people addicted to that shit end up doing bad things, Rob, steal, sell to kids, etc.
Sometimes, but not all of them.
And generally, addiction is other issues that we as a society could help with before it becomes those issues.
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.
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
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.
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.
If there are even a few water slides that dangerous, then all water slides are potentially dangerous.
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.
Feels like a kurzgesagt summary to me
They did a piece on nicotine a while back that opened with how amazing it is followed by how it fucks up your body over time.
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.
Drugs are honestly pretty meh. I’m not saying they can’t be fun and or that they are evil or anything, but I feel like you are seriously overhyping them.
I used to a lot of drugs and lots of different kinds too. Sure I had fun and I don’t massively regret it. But since I quit all drugs (including alcohol) several years ago I really have to say there are plenty of other things in life that are just as fun as drugs, if not much more so. There’s only so much you can experience with drugs and it gets old fast.
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.
Are you offended by this? Seriously asking?
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.
I think this person probably was referring to lesser drugs such as cannabis or cocaine. Lumping them all together is the problem.
I mean, did you look at the post? Smoking meth isn’t exactly better…
Found the druggie
Found the guy that skim reads a comment and then draws a silly conclusion.
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.
This is the comment that you should have written, not a silly meme comment.
It’s a troll account.
Why did you say that? Explore my profile.
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.
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.
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.
“What’s that old saying? ‘Beer before liquor, never sicker… Don’t do heroin.,’” -Bojack Horseman
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.
Indeed. If drugs are the only thing that can make you feel good, it can feel stupid not to use them.
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.
I’m glad you can’t think of a life so bad.
Sounds like someone who hasn’t experienced that low
It doesn’t matter because it will never be a reasonable choice. You can believe that they made a reasonable choice to get addicted if that makes you feel better.
You don’t usually see happy and wealthy people getting addicted to crack.
Cocaine though. Same drug, different package
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.
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…
His shit isn’t illegal. He has his doctor prescribe whatever high quality shit he wants. It’s only illegal when YOU do it.
Nah, pretty sure there’s no prescription for meth or cocaine.
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
Huh, I thought only other amphetamines like Adderal were available for prescription. TIL.
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
What?. Explain celebrities overdosing then
not all of them are happy
Why are people like this? Shit life syndrome. What do we do with them? Offer them compassion and support.
Or sometimes they already have a good life (house, kid, spouse, dogs, x2 cars and stable support) and instead they decide to burn it all down in favor of a two-week crack bender. She drained our bank account, caught a DV charge and we are now divorced, thank fuck.
Hey man. I am really sorry for you. Was there any indication to why the substance abuse started?
Equal parts narcissism, bad company, deteriorating mental health and poor decisions. I had a whole thing typed up, but I’ve aired this shitshow elsewhere before. The short version is she has been a problem at every job she ever held, so she opened her own bakery and proceeded to drive it into the ground within about six months. She hung out with some shady people who did shady things, and got wrapped up in her own wants and desires. She eventually walked out (after hitting me on camera) when I wouldn’t give her my car so she could go “work” (i.e. swing by her crack dealer’s place). She stayed away voluntarily for about a week or two before I found out about the crack usage; after that I told her she couldn’t come back and filed a police report for the domestic battery in order to protect myself and our son from her. Took me a while to admit to myself that I was stuck in an abusive relationship for 15+ years.
damn… here I am burning my own world down but at least I’m not taking anybody with me.
sry you had to go through all that. hang in thereI’m happy to say I’m in a much better place, more stable with the brightest outlook I’ve had on life in years. Getting divorced from her and her bad choices has sent my life in an upward trajectory. My only lament is that she is a pitiful mother to our son, who deserves so much more than she can offer him.
yeh that’s a tough one through no fault of yours or your son’s.
only thing you can do is try to get full custody and double down on the love and positive upbringing your kid deserves
I promise, you can do this if you really want it. It’s not as easy as that but it is possible. 14 years free of the needle as of last week. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you need support or help finding treatment.
that’s the problem with addiction though isn’t it? if I had a nickel for every time I heard “well if you really wanted to”… then I could probably afford my addiction.
but all things aside. I’ve gone to treatment. been there done that. I just don’t believe in the 12 steps made up by some religious nutjob. might as wel start going to church.
gotta start believing in yourself and that’s the real hurdleThere’s no magic outside force that is going to cure you. There is no cure, only recognizing the problem. The only thing that can change your life is you. You have to dig down deep in yourself, and really, really want to change, and find out what is making you so miserable you have to be high to be happy.
I know it sounds trite, and like some flyer from some AA meeting, but it’s the truth. You have to dig deep, and find out what is driving the need. Best of luck, my friend. I’m in the same boat, and I’ve failed. But I’m closer in my wisdom, more aware of the triggers and trauma. Don’t give up, and don’t give in, even if you relapse. It’s not a competition, where you win or lose. It’s a journey.
Thanks for sharing. Hope you and your son are in a better situation now.
I’m sorry that happened to you, that sucks. People in that situation are suffering, and sometimes, they make others suffer too. Hopefully you’ll be OK, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but hopefully in time, she will too.
Well, you can have all the things you listed as being part of a ‘good life’ and still be in an awful relationship, or have problems that need dealing with. I’m not sure I’d brag quite like that about abandoning someone in a mental health crisis. Its at least sad isnt it?
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Like I said, its at least sad on some level. Sad things couldn’t work out, sad that she couldn’t manage to fix her problems before her loved ones had enough, sad for any kids involved.
You can be justified in leaving and it still be sad. We can have compassion for those that we feel have wronged us, and oftentimes over time perspectives change.
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Sorry to be so negative there though, not really my intention.
I’m glad you found strength to break such an important relationship when it was too much. What’s the airplane thing? Put on your mask before you help anyone else.
Anyways hope things have improved in your life.
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She abused me for 15+ years. I feel no sympathy for her.
Why is the phrase “shit life syndrome” so funny to me? 😂
Because to Cynics like us, 90% of life is shit. Happiness is a cheesecake brownie, or a 5 second orgasm, or a good round of a shooter video game. Life sucks, and it’s hard. We have it easier than any other human in the history of humanity. But we’re still human, and shit can still suck. Focus on the small, brief moments of pure joy and happiness.
5 second orgasm
I feel terrible for anyone whose orgasms last five seconds…
Why do people play videos games? Or watch movies? Or eat their favorite food? Or listen to their favorite music? Or masturbate? Or play sports? Or whatever…
For the dopamine hit. Everyone does this. But some people, like people suffering from ADHD, or people who went through severe abuse, or whatever, have a major deficit of the “Feel Good” chemical in their brains, or severe trauma/PTSD. And when they find a way to boost the good stuff, they get “addicted.”
No one wants to be an addict, a slave to a substance/experience. But sometimes it’s a shortcut to not feeling absolutely miserable. And sometimes a healthy road to solving the problem is unavailable/unaffordable.
It says a lot about life broadly that any time we invent or devise some kind of system or chemical for eliminating pain, that substance instantly becomes so addicting that we can no longer manage life at all and it has to be regulated and locked away for our own good.
Life is pain. Even if you’ve gone numb to it, every moment hurts in one way or another. You just might not ever notice it until you experience the alternative.
I think this is what anti-natalists are going on about, that life is more painful than joyous, don’t bring more conscious beings into it.
I understand that premise, but I’d argue that there is more good than bad in life, that while the universe may not care about any of us, there are plenty of genuinely beautiful moments out there, even just walking around your local park.
Death is certain, maybe some should be permitted to exit life early, but there’s gotta be a way to show people nature’s beauty. I don’t really know where to go with this comment in truth. I just hope people in pain find genuine solace.
The worst thing about Shit Life Syndrome is how contagious it is. And you’re almost assured to pass it on to your children.
