Psychoactive drugs - whats your position on them?

[soon2bepro]

I'm not making a distinction between legal and illegal ones.

My question is regarding the intention of artificially altering your brain chemistry, for recreation or just to experience something different.

1*What's your personal philosophy on this and why?

2*Do you do it? Why?
2.1*If you don't, would you?

3*If you do it or would do it, how often? Why?

4*If you do it or would do it, what are/would be your intentions?

5*What's your opinion of other people who do it? (please especify if there's a difference between different people who do this at a different level)

Now, since I'm talking about intention, it's murky territory. Does a morning coffee count? Smoking a cigarette? I guess you have to make up your own mind, but please expand.



Personally, I have found certain psychoactive drugs (both legal and illegal) to be quite interesting, as an experience, and as means to function better in certain particular areas of my life. However I like to be the regular me most of the time, but ocassionally I'll agree with trying something different, even if it's just drinking a black coffee to give me more energy when I'm tired or down.

I do not think "badly" of those who choose to be under the effect of strong psychoactives almost 24/7, but I wouldn't choose that for myself, not mainly because it's unhealthy, but because I like the regular me. And I like to experience reality as accurately as possible.

[godBoy]

1* Your brain is designed to help you, don't mess with such a vital and important part of you.

2* - No distinction between illegal and legal drugs? So you're talking about alcohol, even paracetamol? I will not use drugs that have adverse effects on my brain.

5* - Those that want to fry their brains are free to do it I suppose. For hard(brain altering) substances I can only think they don't understand what they are doing or don't care. Many people use, I don't feel any different about them as I do other people.

[Rduke55]

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I will not use drugs that have adverse effects on my brain.

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Which ones do you use that don't? Which ones do you not use that do?

[vhawk01]

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I will not use drugs that have adverse effects on my brain.

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Which ones do you use that don't? Which ones do you not use that do?

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I use caffeine, sugar, alcohol and other harmless substances that don't affect my brain. But I would never use things like pot, cocaine, LSD or ecstasy, because those do things to my MIND! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Rduke55]

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I will not use drugs that have adverse effects on my brain.

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Which ones do you use that don't? Which ones do you not use that do?

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I use caffeine, sugar, alcohol and other harmless substances that don't affect my brain. But I would never use things like pot, cocaine, LSD or ecstasy, because those do things to my MIND! [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

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LOL. I thought this was a rereply from him and actually was responding to this until I saw that you wrote it.

[Phil153]

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1*What's your personal philosophy on this and why?

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It depends on the drug. I hate marijuana and won't date anyone who smokes it. I think it's an unhealthy escape from reality and has long term effects on personality, motivation and sense of self. And if you've ever seen someone get schizophrenia triggered after smoking their first dope, you'll realize you don't want that [censored] in your head.

I don't like coke, and similar escapes from boredom that dull feeling.

Ecstacy, speed and mushrooms are more experience oriented drugs and ok if used occasionally or to experiment.

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2*Do you do it? Why?

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No. I do drink when out though, mainly because it's fun.

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2.1*If you don't, would you?

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I don't like [censored] with brain chemistry, though a few times for coke or e or general amphetamines shouldn't do any harm.

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5*What's your opinion of other people who do it?

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I look down on regular users of the escape type drugs.

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Now, since I'm talking about intention, it's murky territory. Does a morning coffee count? Smoking a cigarette? I guess you have to make up your own mind, but please expand.

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I think any kind of addiction is weak willed. You can alter your brain chemistry through your attitude and the experiences you create. There's no need to get hooked on disgusting crap like cigarettes. But there's a big difference between "boost" drugs and personality/mood/inhibition altering ones.

[Rduke55]

I think you've got it backwards Phil, amphetamine and its derivatives, including MDMA, are the ones that are terrible for your brain.
Pot is pretty much harmless in comparison.

[Phil153]

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I think you've got it backwards Phil, amphetamine and its derivatives, including MDMA, are the ones that are terrible for your brain.

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Only when used continuously. I already said pot doesn't do much noticable damage to your cognitive abilities. BTW, if amphetamines are so awful, why are doctors prescribing them like candy to children?

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Pot is pretty much harmless in comparison.

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Unless you've got the slightest inclination toward schizophrenia. Then it can be the difference to a life of torture and insanity and a normal one. If it can trigger that, then what the [censored] else is it doing? Cognitive tests only tell you so much.

From a website:

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Certain brain centers, such as the limbic system, are highly influenced by THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in marijuana. These centers are largely responsible for memory formation, emotion, aggression and fear, and are significantly affected by pot.

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It would seem that cognitive tests aren't really measuring the effects in this area. But the fact that pot can send you completely and irreversibly mad, and my own experience with pot users, leads me to believe that pot is a pretty nasty drug. Scientists have barely a clue how the brain works. You can't definitively say pot is "pretty harmless". Not even close.

[Rduke55]

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Only when used continuously.

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Citation?
No, they are often directly neurotoxic. I've cited several papers on this.

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Unless you've got the slightest inclination toward schizophrenia.

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You think pot is a bigger trigger than your other "safe" drugs? And that they would be living normally if they only avoided the demon weed?

[Rduke55]

You edited as I was responding.

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It would seem that cognitive tests aren't really measuring the effects in this area.

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All drugs that are reinforcing pretty much have to have effects on the limbic system. That's where the reward pathways are.

Also, what website? I can't argue with it if I don't know where their information comes from.

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But the fact that pot can send you completely and irreversibly mad, and my own experience with pot users, leads me to believe that pot is a pretty nasty drug.

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Do you have numbers on this? What percentage of the population are we talking about? More or less than people with peanut allergies? More or less than methamphetamine users? More or less than drunk driving fatalities?
You can get groups of people that have really adverse reactions to a ton of things.

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Scientists have barely a clue how the brain works. You can't definitively say pot is "pretty harmless". Not even close.

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What kinds of proof so you require? Most of the neuroscientists I know have a similar view to mine regarding the scale of how bad things are for your brain.

While there's a tremendous amount we don't know I'd say we know more about how the brain works than you think we do and I'm not sure that saying "We don't know for sure" is a valid argument here.