Have you ever tried pot or other drugs? If yes how and where?

[Locut0s]

I know that drugs are a sometimes mentioned topic here and I'm sure this is a repost but I haven't seen one recently. If you're curious I have never tried pot, meth, cocaine or any illegal drug for that matter. Nor do I smoke. The worst I've done is to get a bit too drunks once in a while and I've gotten very mildly high off of some over the counter prescription drugs (Gravol in this case which just makes you pleasantly dopey. My parents are not the NEVER do drugs or we will kill you type, while they definitely would not be happy to have me do drugs they aren't to concerned about the drugs themselves as any harm I would do to myself. I'm sure if I were to experiment a few times they would be worried but not overly concerned as long as nothing came of it. Now having said all this I have absolutely NO plan on doing hard drugs any time in the near or far future. I don't completely rule out the possibility of trying pot at some point in the future but I'm not seeking out the opportunity either. Having a family history of depression and anxiety though makes me think it might not be a good thing to try. I know that many ATOTers have experimented with drugs in their lives and I was just curious what became of the experience. Specifically

-How often did you experiment? Just a few times or did you get hooked for any period?

-What type of drugs did you experiment with?

-How old were you at the time?

-Was it a good or bad experience looking back on it. Has it left any permanent negative or positive mark on your life?

-How did you happen upon the contraband, ata friends house, party offered to you on the street etc??

[Heidi]

1. Cigarettes probably are the biggest gateway drug,

despite what the DARE folks may say to the contrary. I would venture a guess that most people experimented with smoking before they ever tried alcohol or pot, not that this has anything to do with your questions. I consider the Drug War an exercise in both hypocrisy and futility.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. Using that logic though, caffiene would be the biggest gateway drug of all.

Hypocrisy and futility is an understatement.

[Heidi]

3. True,

though I believe I had my first cup of coffee at the same time I had my first cigarette. But I was raised on soft drinks, which also are very high in caffeine content. :hi:

[jus_the_facts]

27. S U G A R is usually the first...then caffiene...

[ghostsofgiants]

28. Sugar isn't a drug. I'm going by substances that are actually considered drugs.

[jus_the_facts]

29. It's the first warnings I remember as a kid....don't take candy from strangers....

....and most of the kids who're ADD are already addicted to SUGAR...then they're given more drugs to deal with that instead of their food allergies which is more likely the culprit....sugar should be classified right along with caffeine....over the counter meds for kids is ALWAYS laced with sugar too. :think:

[mitchum]

50. But refined sugar already qualifies as a "drug" far more than say...

marijuana. The processing, demonstrable physical effects, demonstrable signs of withdrawal, etc...
but Big Sugar is Big Business, so it will always be protected

[ghostsofgiants]

51. So define "drug" for me.

What exactly is it that qualifies something as a drug?

[mitchum]

64. Drying the flowers of a plant, smoking them, and then suffering no...

physical withdrawal symptoms when the substance leaves the body certainly doesn't sound like a drug to me.
However, it takes a hell of a lot of processing to turn cane into that glossy white substance. Then there are demonstrable signs of physical withdrrawal when the substance leaves the body. Sounds like a drug to me. But as I said, Big $ugar is big business.

Me, I like both substances...a lot :)

[William Bloode]

76. Sugar ain't a drug?!?!?!?!?!

Have you eer tried to give it up? Most of our diets contain so much that when we quit, or make serious cut backs your body freaks. trust me on this, when i gave up sugar i had as bad of withdraws and cravings than any drug i have ever done.

Sugar is a chemical compound that changes mood, just like any other drug.

[ghostsofgiants]

77. Once again, define drug for me.

There are a lot of chemical compounds that aren't drugs.

Give me a pharmacologically sound definition of a drug and tell me how sugar fits that definition.

[William Bloode]

83. In treatment we were told that any chemical compound that changes mood is a drug.

And yes sugar is a chemical compound, both natural, and man made that changes mood. It also has a speed like effect on people who are not as exposed to it as people in the U.S. tend to be. Also you can become addicted to sugar, another reason it's really a drug.

Sure there are plenty of chemicals that are not drugs, but if they change your mood they are.

[China_cat]

8. You aren't going back far enough

Every drug addict, everyone who ever tried drugs, started out on milk. THAT'S the ultimate gateway drug.

[Heidi]

10. I'm completely grossed out by milk, so it was easy for me to quit that addiction.

:hi:

[anarch]

18. cigarettes are also the worst of a bad bunch

The most addictive, the most insidious, and the worst for your health (unless you drink a whole lot of alcohol or shoot a great deal of smack). God I hate cigarettes...and yet I will probably go smoke one in a couple minutes, because I'm addicted.

[JVS]

20. Actually, I don't believe the pot as gateway drug view is so bad.

Pot teaches people how to do some things that will be handy in the world of more hard-core drug use.
For example:

1. How to navigate a subculture revolving around illegal activity in a manner wherein one tries to minimize risk of arrest or harm from others within the subculture.

2. How to deal with small quantities of expensive material and the precise measurement needed for this.

3. Often users make forays into small scale cultivation and smuggling. If you gather enough experience hiding bags of weed, maybe you'll become more confident in your abilities and hide something a bit stronger to make some money.

[mitchum]

48. No, refined white sugar IS the biggest gateway drug

hands down

[liontamer]

53. how are you defining gateway drug?

I think of the term as applying to something that leads to further addictions. The majority of people who use sugar don't end up addicted to other substances.

[mitchum]

63. Unlike marijuana, sugar introduces them to the pleasures of addiction...

since marijuana is not addictive

[ghostsofgiants]

79. Not physically addictive.

[mitchum]

103. Then why do people go through demonstrable WITHDRAWAL...

when they cut out sugar, if it is "not" physically addictive?
Big $ugar thanks you

[ghostsofgiants]

104. Psychological addiction, I would guess.

I don't know enough about the physiology to be sure, but I'm still skeptical of your assertion that it's a drug to say the least.

[Omphaloskepsis]

4. Let me make a list...

Pot, Booze, Meth, Cocaine, LSD, Cigarettes, The red pills, The blue pills, Mushrooms, Beer (drunk now), Speed, Ecstasy, Methcathinone, Mescaline, DMT, and GHB..

That is the short list.. Really, I completely fried my brain with this shit. Please don't bother. I used to be smart.. Now I'm slow..

edit -- I have smoked Crack... Only once. And I didn't know I was doing it.. It was on the pot.

[Roon]

15. Uppers, downers,..all-a-rounders eom

[Maine-ah]

5. well, it's a small list.

pot, acid, tried some mushroom tea once, made me sick. Then obviously, I've had alcohol.

[Deja Q]

6. Television is my drug.

From intelligent sci-fi (so there's little past 1990, I regret to say) to comedies, television is my form of escapism.

It's hard for me to tolerate legal drugs so I don't bother with illegal ones; nor do I have an inclination TO try illegal ones, and many legal ones either. (the one time I was asked to partake, I said 'no' and distanced myself. I offered to get him help but he refused.)

[AtomicKitten]

7. yes

All of them, experimentally, in the 1970s, in my 20s, with friends.
... and then I was done.

[Guava Jelly]

9. I have tried

Pot ,opium (once) ,and speed (in high school)
I Always knew that i shouldn't try anything i might like to much.
Drugs have destroyed the lives of so many good people.

[Mutley]

11. I've tried

pot, coke, ecstasy, and some pain killers 'n' stuff. I smoked pot for a long time before I quit. The other stuff I'd only do once in awhile. Coffee is my drug of choice now. :P

[flvegan]

12. Ephedra and alcohol are my only "drugs" and I've never tried any of the others.

Wait...I huffed nitrous (laughing gas...whipped cream...you know) a couple times. Never tried pot, meth, coke, etc.

I use ephedra daily, btw.

[Vanje]

54. Do you grow your own?

Ephedra,I mean.

[graywarrior]

13. I grew up in the 60's. What do you think?

At the time, it was a great idea and I tried everything, even punch bowls filled with whatever. Ended up years later at meetings filled with cigarette smoke and donuts & coffee.

And BTW, are you writing a book? Bwahahahahahhaha

[Crabby Appleton]

42. Me too, grew up in the 60s, tried everything at least once

that didn't require a needle.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

43. Ha, ha...you stole my answer!

But in college we smoked a little pot and once in a while, hash. But that's all. Gave it up because it always gave me the munchies something fierce, and I didn't need any help overeating since food has always been my most addictive drug.

[jobycom]

14. Nope. They screwed up too many lives around me, I hate the stuff.

They are stupid, and only completely selfish idiots take them.

They should still be decriminalized. There shouldn't be laws against being completely selfish idiots. Except as president.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

16. Fuck no.

I enjoy my life without a drug addiction, thanks all the same. Whether it's a "mild" drug like marijuana or not, I'm not touching the fucking shit.

[anarch]

17. I've only done drugs once or twice

a week for about twenty years now.

[Locut0s]

70. lol

[JitterbugPerfume]

19. I smoked pot in my callow youth

and it was FUN .

Now I am a boring old fuddy duddy who no longer smokes ANYTHING , a non drinker (I don't even drink soda any more, let alone the hard stuff)

but I do say fuck occasionally:wtf:

[JitterbugPerfume]

21. I forgot coffee

I can not function without my three cups of strong black coffee in the morning

[anarch]

22. addict!

:P

I'm one too. I'm useless before my morning coffee.

[Downtown Hound]

23. I rarely do anything anymore

But in the past I've smoked a shitload of pot, done mushrooms about 10 times, acid about 6, meth about 4, and cocaine once. Also took ecstasy a total of four times. The last time I did a "hard" drug was ecstasy and it was five years ago. Since then it's been pretty much pot but I don't smoke it much anymore and haven't for some time. I got to a point where I just got tired of the whole scene. I didn't become addicted, didn't have any real problems focusing on my schoolwork or my job (I graduated college and held down a job at an ABC station while all this experimentation was going on). But after awhile drugs simply stopped being fun because there was nothing new about them. But did I have fun with them? Hell yes! I'm not going to lie. I had a blast doing drugs, and never experienced any negative effects from them.

This was due in no small part to the fact that I mostly avoided harder drugs, except for a little experimentation. But I never got into meth or coke and never even tried heroin or crack. If had had, I might not look back so fondly on those years. So my twenties will for me most likely be looked back upon as my drug experimentation years. I just turned 30 last month, and I think I'm at a point where I don't feel a need to "indulge"" so much anymore.

[mainegreen]

24. Must have coffeeee.....

Seriously, my worst addition is spending money on vinyl/cds. Those things are drugs!

[Taverner]

25. I don't really drink anymore, but I still smoke pot

Much healthier drug if you ask me

[WindRavenX]

34. for real. I rarely, rarely drink anymore

Usually it's just a Mike's Hard Lemonade during baseball games...other than that, I've stoped drinking.

[Taverner]

35. Yeah - for me I don't have problems with drinking

I just dislike the feeling past one drink.

Now granted, I love the taste of a good handcrafted ale, but I stop after 1 just because I don't like feeling like I just got off a high-speed merry-go-round.

[WindRavenX]

37. exactly

Frosh year in college, I drank waaay too much and I just started hating the feeling of drinking too much.

[Reverend_Smitty]

26. Booze, that's all

I didn't start drinking until college and I only drink socially, although I have been known to over do it on occasion

[Locut0s]

71. booze is pretty bad too...

If the government was thinking logically about the war on drugs, which I am against 100%, they would list alcohol amongst the 'hard' drugs.

[WindRavenX]

30. I smoke pot daily

I tried it a few times in HS and wasn't impressed-- then I found out I wasn't inhaling :D

In college, it has made me less stressful, more happy, and genuinely a good thing in my life :)

on edit: I've tried opium a few times mixed in the pot. It's amazing shit.

I dislike "uppers"-- including caffeine. Although being a science major, I have relied heavily on caffeine, but I'm now drinking more tea. Caffeine just makes me...tweaked out.

[Taverner]

33. Ahhhh Opium....

Too much fun...too much fun

That's why I stay far away from that stuff.

[WindRavenX]

36. Yup

I won't even try anything more than that-- I love being sedated and I know anything more powerful than a little opium on pot is gonna spell trouble for me.

Which is why pot is great-- I'm a very effective stoner. I don't lose motivation, ambition, or whatever.

[Taverner]

38. I smoked pure opium in Thailand

OMG...can you say 2 hour long orgasm?

The stuff smells really good for one, and then you feel all pain, emotional, spiritual and physical lifted. And you feel safe, so safe, as if you were in the arms of God herself being cradled.

I can see EXACTLY why that stuff is addictive.

[WindRavenX]

39. yeah, that's EXACTLY how my friend described it to me

"An hour long orgasm".

Which is also why I staying far, far away from more pure opiates :)

Coz damn...that sure sounds nice.

[Taverner]

40. Yep stay far far away

I have heard from friends who also tried Heroin that it's even better. Whereas Opium simply bonds to your opioid receptors already in you, Heroin overloads them and has your body create more than you have. This is why sometimes recovering Heroin addicts have the inability to self-produce natural opioids after years of addiction.

[WindRavenX]

41. Yikes

:scared:

I'll stick to my herb, thx :smoke:

[Taverner]

72. yup

me too

[William Bloode]

84. Heroin is better.

Instead of an hour or two long orgasm it feels like a mountain of orgasms fell on you, and you get stuck there for 3-4hrs. Nothing like doing the dope fiend lean. If you've been there you know what i'm talking about.

[mike_c]

31. LOL-- I'm a lifelong stoner, on again, off again, presently mostly off....

My drugs of choice were generally hallucinogins and pot, some opiates, speed sometimes but not in many years. I'm not doing much more than occasionally smoking pot these days-- I find that as I get older I don't enjoy drugs as much as I did earlier. I think it's tied up with mellowing generally-- I don't like the intensity as much anymore.

[Nikia]

32. I used pot somewhat regularly for a couple years

It was good for a while. Then a series of unfortunate events occurred and I discovered that pot didn't cover up things for me, it just worked with what was in my mind and what was in my mind wasn't good. Part of the unfortunate events involved messing up my "context" so that may have been part of it too. It was not hard quitting at all. After all, I had already quit eating most of the time by then.
I have thought about trying it again, but at this point I feel like I need to be abstaining from something. Abstaining from food turned out to be a serious problem. It hurts my relationship with my husband to abstain from sex. I abstain now from all mind altering substances including pot and alcohol.

[devilgrrl]

44. Pot isn't a drug - I wish everyone would quit trying to claim that it is.

eom

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

45. I think the better question for me is what HAVEN'T I done

Heroin...thats about the only thing i haven't tried thats a popular illegal drug....oh and I'm sure some sort of prescription pharmaceutical product, but i have tried a bunch :9

[Karenca]

59. Me too.

I was really wild and nothing scared me when I was younger.
I wanted to try everything.
So, my list is huge, 'cept no heroin---though I did try methadone when I was about 18 or 19
years old.

Now I'm older and I prefer being more in control of
what's going on.

[MsKandice01]

46. My husband is a daily pot smoker...

And I used to smoke it daily right along with him. Now, I smoke it mainly just on the weekends, but sometimes not even then. I could take it or leave it, really. These days, I mainly use it as a sleep aid since I suffer from insomnia.

Pot and alcohol are the only things I've ever indulged in. I'd like to try mushrooms just once but I'm thinking that since I'm prone to panic attacks, that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

[Conan_The_Barbarian]

47. Weed

I smoke pot once or twice a month, been doing so since I was 16, I'm 18 now. When I smoke I only do so under the conditions that I know I have a carefree day/night. I'll never smoke when anything important is pending so it always marks a good time. I'm thinking now that it would be a good habit to knock off. While it is fun, the actual danger it poses is disproporationate to the way it is delt with legally. It's harmless in my opinion, but the law, and working world thinks otherwise. I'd rather not have a drug charge on my police record, and I'd rather not have to deal with an employee drug test one day that shows positive for THC. Cost benefit anaylsis just doesn't seem worth it anymore not that I'm a legel adult.

[bigwillq]

49. I've done everything but heroin.

But now I am drug free.

:bounce:

I had my fun with it but I am done now.

[siouxsiecreamcheese]

52. nothing except ciggys

i tried cigarettes and cloves in my youth, but never had any urge to try pot or anything else even when i was in relationships with guys who were on them. never interested me.

[Locut0s]

66. 'ciggys' are one of the worst though.

[Texasgal]

55. No...

" I just bought the Meth and threw it away later!" :rofl:

[Maestro]

57. Best answer!

:rofl:

[begin_within]

56. What was the question?

[femmocrat]

58. This might be hard to believe

but NO! Although I was a "social drinker" in college.

[TheBaldyMan]

60. with respect - asking people to admit to criminal behaviour online is really dumb.

You will probably not get 100% honest answers.

[Locut0s]

67. As Orwellian as our society is it's still paranoid to think that..

admitting to smoking pot on an on-line forum is going to get the cops acomin knocking on your door. Besides giving into the fear that it will pays into the hands of those who wish to take such freedoms away. Besides I don't expect to get 100% honest answers, nor does it matter if they all aren't they are fun to read and I like the fact that there is truth in all of them.

[BarenakedLady]

61. Not that much

Just pot when I was about 18 or so. It's been a looooong time since I've had any.

[bikebloke]

62. Nope nothing

Just not for me. An intuitive thing. And I took a lot of shit for it from so called friends.

[mitchum]

65. I never touch alcohol

[LeftyMom]

68. Nope. I have a family full of addicts, so I figured it was a bad idea for me.

:shrug:

[Locut0s]

69. Great replies, Thanks for the stories. I find it intersting,,.

that there are many on here who have tried many many 'hard' drugs yet almost everyone says they haven't tried heroin. Why is that, isn't cocaine pretty hard as it is. I have no knowledge of drugs so I don't know, what makes heroin one of the worst?

[WindRavenX]

81. I enjoy pot daily because it is not physically addictive-- opiates are

Chemically speaking, your body cannot be physically dependent on THC to function. Heroin, and other opiates, fuck with your body to produce its natural nuerotransmitters...that's why those are physically addictive and why I will not try anything hard core like that.

[u4ic]

73. Nope

Never appealed to me. When I was much younger, I tried the gravol/valium combo as someone I knew was doing it, but that was only a couple of times and again, it didn't do anything for me to warrant continuing it.

Same with drinking - I gave it up years ago, when I never got happy from it. I grew up with it - no alcoholics in my family of origin, it just wasn't taboo and I was given tastes of beer, wine and spirits if I asked for it. Coffee was the adult beverage, if you can believe it. :silly:

[Dude_CalmDown]

74. Weed - in about 4 seconds

Honestly I just checked DU to see if there was any reason to put off getting lit for a few minutes (like wanting to respond without rambling too much to something). Anyway - I'll check back in a few.

[Richard Steele]

75. Of course not. That would be illegal.

:eyes:

[trackfan]

78. I have tried drugs hundreds of times over the last 31 years

since I first smoked a joint. Yet I am one of the most non-drug goody-two-shoes straight-arrow squares you will ever meet. If I run across it I'll try it, but it never becomes the focus of my life. I also am too cheap to go out of my way to seek out and pay for something like that, which probably has a lot to do with my not being affected by this stuff in too negative a way.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

80. Pot/alcohol/cigarettes.

No complaints here. :D

[William Bloode]

82. I have done almost every drug i can think of.

Coke, and it variants, pcp, opium, and almost all opiate variants including heroin, Tab T, Gummi t, Valium, Xanax, Mdma, lsd, shrooms, Peyote, meth, marijuana, and i'm sure theres more that i can't think of right now.

Started off sneaking beers, then got high on grass when i was 10, snorted my 1st coke when i was 15, ate my first pills and acid when i was 13-14, smoked Opium when i was 16, had love boat around the same time(love boat is a joint with pcp) also Mdma in this period, had heroin when i was 21.

I have been experimenting with drugs my whole life. Still doing it some.........Lol! some lol! Yeah i had problems with a few, crack being the worst. It's a monster, no lie. The time period was long, and short. I would more or less have binge periods from around 88-94. Never for a long extended period, and i always seemed to be able to quit, but also kept falling off the wagon. I might do good for a year, and all of a sudden the craving would get so bad i would relapse. Been free of it since 94 though.

Also marijuana, as i am still dependent on it. Not so much physically addicted as mentally. But i am disabled and in constant pain, so using it beats being hooked on opiates.

I still also binge on coke. Never spend money on it, but it seems like theres a shit load of coke dealers in my family so i get it given to me for free a lot if i want it. My binges are short but painful. Not financially but physically. My short binges keep me awake for 2-3 days doing all i can suck down. Then i am sick and wrecked for a week. I thought i was an alky for years, but around 25 i lost the taste for being drunk. I still drink, but rarely more than 2-4 drinks.

As you see i tried as much as i could get my hands on.

Most of my experience with drugs was good. I did not enjoy pcp at all though. It made me feel out of control. Loved acid for a while but i got to where i did not like being so tweaked for 10-12hrs+. Same with Mdma, loved the high, but it was to long. Crack was no good either, made me do some horrible shit i ain't even proud of. Did not like meth or speed of any kind. Speed is too jittery for me, and lacks that special feeling coke brings me. I have had my worst happen due to alcohol. Serious, i have seen some bad stuff done under the influence. I was guilty of performing some of these acts, as well as being complicit with many others.

Each one had it's good and bad. Most were largely good though. Marijuana has been great to me. My work in this area has made me a lot of friends all over the world, and you can put that in your pipe and smoke it(pun intended).

Most of the drugs were from friends, or relatives. The beer i started on i stole from my dad and uncles, the first time i got high it was my sister, others were friends. Yes many times at parties too. I guess the strangest was doing heroin in prison the first time. A buddy turned me on weekly when he got his package. I'm lucky he only got it once a week or i may have ended up hooked on that one. The feeling the stuff gives you is ungodly! It's like a mountain of orgasms falling on you.

Any more questions? Feel free to ask.

[lildreamer316]

85. Wow, William..

thanks for being so honest! Most people will not ever admit to how much they do or have done, much less if they actually enjoyed it and are recieving any benefit from it.
Thank you again, and I hope you will continue to share here.

See downthread for my own...

[William Bloode]

89. If your gonna do drugs heavy like have done, and still do on occasion.

Honesty is the only path. The minute you start trying to fool yourself or anyone else you are fucked. Thats how drugs get you in the end. You begin lying and deceiving yourself, then it spreads to others, ultra vicious cycle.

Glad you enjoyed it. More than a few round abouts find me a bit too honest at times, but you are more than welcome.

[amitten]

93. Okay, about the PCP...

I've heard people say they've tried it...and NO ONE ever seems to have liked it. No one. Ever.

So, why the hell would anyone ever bother with the stuff? To have a really bad time on purpose? :wtf:

[William Bloode]

95. Ya got me there!

I would say theres a curiosity factor to it. I do believe thats why i tried it. I know very few people who do, or have enjoyed it, it's like maybe 10-15% if that which is a very small sampling for drugs overall. I think it has more appeal to those in very desperate straits who don't have any hope, thus don't mind losing all control and being dropped into a purely drug controlled hell.

When i smoked it i honestly thought my legs were one with the concrete. Kinda like land sharking in 1st person shooters if you know what cheat i'm talking about. I also thought i could pass right through the brick wall, and earned several knots for trying to get to the other side....repeatedly. :crazy:

[lildreamer316]

86. Well...

Believe it or not (being in my profession); the only things I've ever tried is pot (it puts me right to sleep,and I don't like to inhale it because I don't smoke); and X.

I want to go on record and say that I understand that some people can handle coke,but i have seen so many people get fucked over and so much bad politics happen that has directly affected my life because I DON'T do it, that I HATE COKE. HATE IT. HATE IT. Sorry to those that like it and can handle it,but if you're here on this board you can probably separate recreation from business. The people in this town don't seem to be able to. It has cost me and my husband jobs and money because we don't do it. Pisses me off to no end.

[William Bloode]

90. I guess we lie on the opposite spectrum.

Due to my profession i have been able to do whatever, mostly. Also i love coke.....maybe too much. :shrug: You have a right to your feelings and i won't attempt to change them. I am sure you have good reasons. Sad fact with coke is it's an elitist drug that makes you a snob. The people that tend to do, very well may hold it against you if you don't. The coke makes asses of many of us, thus contributing too the "oh your too god to do our coke", "you think your better than us", "i don't trust you because you won't". Sorry for you exp.

I myself always offer, hate to be alone and need to drag someone down with me. But i don't hold it against those who don't, as drugs are a dicey affair.

[lildreamer316]

91. Dupe.

[lildreamer316]

92. Oh, I definately think

that if you are as honest about it as you are, you aren't the kind of person I'm talking about.

I just had this convo with hubby, who used to do coke and stopped when I asked him to years ago (he was doing it behind my back and we really needed to keep the money!) I guess I need to say, that really, I don't hate the drug itself. It just seems that all these people here that I've dealt with are idiots because they don't know how to handle it,and are suspicious of anyone who doesn't do it. Husband, having lived in L.A., Vegas and Phoenix, assures me that it is not like this everywhere. You have to understand that it continues to cause us problems on almost a monthly basis, due to the nature of our jobs(he's a dj, majority of his time in strip clubs,although also a house/trance dj). I guess that's where the strong emotion comes from. We have a child, and husband's job is the main source of income. When he gets continually fucked over because he won't participate in the culture (despite the fact that we don't act like goody-two-shoes; we have certain things we like too)it just really makes me angry. I've lived here all my life, these ppl have known me for over 13 years. If they can't trust me and him by now, well???????? Hope you understand why it's such a thing for me.

I certainly respect your right to enjoy it, and as I said, recognize that people do know how to handle it...it just seems to make idiots and assholes out of the majority of people that do it. At least here.

Trust me, I'm more with you than against you in any way. I really think that in a free society this shit should be legal. That would take away most of the crap & politics that goes with it, although not all. Free ppl should be able to do what they want with their bodies, and face the consequences whether good or bad, as their own selves. In the end, we only have ourselves to answer to.

[William Bloode]

94. I dig,

I know the ordeal of having a family and the things this makes us choose. I also realize the difficulty in any path people choose. No road is easy as far as i have seen. ANd no you are not wrong, because coke does makes super assholes of many, myself included. The stuff makes you feel like Superman/woman, and it shows in your attitude.

I'm glad you respect my right to like it. I respect your right to dislike it. I in no way feel the need to defend it, the stuff can have dangerous consequences especially if you have a family. I can be happy that you are open minded about it, and don't seek to enforce your ideas on others. Thats something i can truly respect.

[Floogeldy]

87. What the fuck is an ATOTer?

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[Locut0s]

98. Oh that LOL ....

I originally wrote this for another forum and ended up posting it here, guess I didn't edit it enough. ATOT is the acronym of one of the forums I frequent on another website. :)

[fujiyama]

88. I really wouldn't group pot in with other drugs

It's much easier to OD on alcohol or any number of other drugs out there. What's interesting is that the ads on TV have basically given up on trying to scare people away from pot. One ad even says "we smoked and we didn't OD and crash a car...instead nothing happened". A little more honest than the ads of the past.

Anyways, I admit I do smoke pot once in a while. I don't view it as a big deal. It doesn't interfere with anything else in my life in any way. If I'm hanging out with some friends and someone has a bowl. You pass it around. It can be calming and relaxing. But I plan on stopping soon since I'll be possibly looking for another job in a few months and will need to take drug tests.

The only other drug I have tried is a 'shroom on one occasion. I will tell you that hallucinogens are very different from any other type of drug. It's a very intense experience, but I don't think I'll do it again.

[Alexander]

96. Yes, mostly early on in college, but never again.

I smoked weed on accident for the first time when I was 15, bumming what I thought was a cigarette off a kid at my high school. I didn't really touch it again until I was about 17 or 18, after I finished school, and even then didn't use it much - only if I got blasted at a party.

During my first two years of college, though, I had plenty of experimentation, including:

-Smoking marijuana a lot for a couple of years (although I have since quit and haven't looked back).

-Tried cocaine 1 time, didn't like it, never went back.

-Tried MDMA 1 time, didn't like it, never went back. This is, I believe, the pure version of X.

-Tried LSD 3 or 4 times. While my experiences with it were pleasant (no bad trips, no flashbacks), I really recommend against trying it - friends of mine have really fucked up their shit playing around with this stuff, and I'm lucky I didn't.

-Tried mushrooms 7 or 8 times. I didn't like, among other things, the weird queasy feeling I would get while tripping, nor did I care for some of the shady people who fooled around with it, so I quit.

-Tried opium about 10-15 times. It wasn't as intense as I thought it would be.


That's it as far as illegal stuff goes (I stayed away from needles and other hard drugs), although I did smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol before I was legally allowed. In high school I nasally used Ritalin once or twice - I didn't know why it was prescribed and I didn't like the feeling I got from it, whether taken properly or not.

I also quit smoking cigarettes over a year ago and now only have the occasional beer or glass of wine - and I don't think I'll touch even hard alcohol again.

Overall I feel that the time, money and effort I spent dabbling in this stuff was a waste - drugs didn't help me deal with reality, they didn't exactly fatten my wallet, and probably largely due to the illegal nature of narcotics, I wasn't making a lot of good friends, instead mostly shady people I'd rather forget - and when I quit doing all this shit, 75% of these "friends" suddenly disappeared from my life, even though most of them claimed to be "chill" with people who had no interest in illegal drug use. Now I know better.

In addition, I find a lot of people who have occasionally dabbled in pot or who have never taken drugs know shockingly little about the facts of narcotics - instead painting wild and untrue pictures about the effects of drugs, thinking that a user's life revolves solely around drugs (a drug user is not necessarily a drug abuser), and generally being stereotypical jerks. There are closed-minded people in both corners, and it's unfortunate. But there are also open-minded people in both corners as well, and I'm not saying you have to try drugs to be open-minded about them.

That being said, the "War On Drugs" is absolute and utter BS. Marijuana is a gateway drug, yes, BECAUSE IT'S ILLEGAL. So are the other drugs; it's a catch-22 argument.

Weed is a felony, still, in many states (including AZ), and if you're already risking a felony conviction by puffing down in your living room, my guess is the fear of Johnny Law isn't going to stop you from trying coke or meth or something.

If marijuana is legalized, taxed and regulated, then the shady, criminal element will disappear, as will the "gateway drug" argument. Should it be encouraged? No, and I wouldn't touch it even if it were legal. But hemp is a valuable resource we should be using, and quite frankly I don't see how some stoner college kid toking up with some buddies while listening to old Foghat records is a threat to anyone.

[William Bloode]

97. Tried opium about 10-15 times. It wasn't as intense as I thought it would be.

You have obviously never had real pure opium. The good stuff will lay you down, literally. You will lay back and just be in a dream state and not want to move. The best i ever had was growing my own poppies and harvesting the resin. I'll never grow that stuff again, i do not need regular access to something that good.

[Alexander]

100. Maybe it's a good thing that I never had the "real pure" stuff...

In Arizona (where most of my experimentation took place) the quality of most narcotics you can find is quite crappy, and the high-quality drugs usually come from the west coast or somewhere else very far away.

Smoking opium was nice, and felt good, about as intense as a high from weed, but different in its own way. It didn't knock me flat, and I could still function. So I'm not surprised that it's not the killer dope I was smoking; on the other hand, since alcoholism/addictive personalities are an issue on my paternal side, I could've easily become an addict had I indulged in high-quality opium.

My main point is that it weed, at least, and maybe even all drugs should be legal for responsible adults to use, but I wouldn't advocate drug use to anyone, and I don't miss it.

[Locut0s]

99. Well I live in Vancouver Canada so the illegality isn't...

really the issue here. Sure pot it's still technically illegal here but this city is just about swimming in it.

[Alexander]

102. Nearly everywhere is swimming in pot, legal or not.

It's a fact we need to face, and to ensure quality, safety, responsibility, hemp cultivation and the ability for cops to focus on real crimes (all of which are needed, IMHO), I maintain that it should be legal, taxed and regulated; essentially treated like cigarettes and alcohol.

It looks like Canada is pretty close to this, although I wonder if there would be any significant social change or anything if it were made completely legal for anyone over 18. Am I correct in remembering that Pierre Trudeau had tried it and pushed for its decriminalization?

(BTW, big Trudeau fan here, although unfortunately I seldom meet a lot of people here who know about him)

[Locut0s]

101. I've been having fun reading the wikipedia about drugs...

It's amazing the amount of info there is on the wikipedia on just about any topic. It's very interesting to read about the legal history of today's "illegal" drugs. Most of the opiates were, not surprisingly, originally developed whether as accidents or intentionally when searching for new analgesics. Many of these drugs were marketed legally for quite a long time and it's only relatively recently, 50s-70s, that they started to become illegal. In some countries they are still used, albeit in very restricted cases, as legal prescription analgesics. Bayer owned the patent for making cocaine for some time and marketed it as an over the counter remedy.

[distantearlywarning]

105. My Answers:

-How often did you experiment? Just a few times or did you get hooked for any period?

I didn't "experiment". I did a lot of drugs for a number of years. I never was "hooked" either, though. I did drugs as long as I was having a good time, and then when that wasn't the case anymore, I just stopped. It wasn't a big deal when I stopped, I just tapered off and that was that. I also stopped drinking pretty much the same way and for the same reason. I think I smoked my last joint sometime in the mid 90s, and I haven't looked back since. I drink about 2-3 drinks a year, and those are for social reasons. I don't like the taste of alcohol anymore.

The hardest thing to stop was smoking (cigarettes). I was definitely addicted to those in a way that I wasn't addicted to any other drug I ever took. It took me several years and a few tries to quit smoking, and I only did it for health reasons. If I didn't think I would die of some horrible cancer, I would start smoking again post haste. I really liked nicotine and I still miss it (I quit in 2000).

-What type of drugs did you experiment with?

Um. Wow. Lots of stuff. Liked: Cigarettes, alcohol, pot & hash, mushrooms, opium, various sorts of downer pills you need a prescription for. Didn't like: crystal meth, nutmeg, LSD, mescaline, angel dust, speed. Probably some other things I'm forgetting now. I never did cocaine, crack, or heroin (thank God - those drugs seem like a quick road to hell on earth).

-How old were you at the time?

I started smoking cigarettes and drinking when I was 14. I smoked my first joint at 15. I did everything else between the ages of 15 and about 22 or 23.

-Was it a good or bad experience looking back on it. Has it left any permanent negative or positive mark on your life?

Some good, some bad. A few of the mushroom trips I had were some of the most amazingly profound experiences of my life. Smoking pot and drinking with friends in college was fun at times. On the other hand, smoking cigarettes damaged my health. And I could have done without some of the other trips I had.

I wouldn't say that any of my drug use left any truly permanent mark on my life, either good or bad. It is all just mostly memories now.

-How did you happen upon the contraband, ata friends house, party offered to you on the street etc??

Sometimes I sought it out, sometimes people were passing a joint at parties, sometimes a friend came over and shared. I never had anyone approach me on the street and offer to sell me drugs.

Would I recommend drug use to anyone? Probably not. If I had a teenage kid, I would try to steer them away from it. I never got in any serious trouble, but I know people who did. One of my pot smoking buddies in high school got addicted to heroin after we graduated. Another girl I know died and had to be recessitated in a LifeFlight helicopter after overdosing on mushrooms - a drug I had considered to be totally safe before that (and I never did them again after hearing her story). A friend of mine was busted by the police for marijuana possession at age 19 and will have a conviction on her record for the rest of her adult life. I've known people who had trips so bad they ended up in a hospital room with their stomachs being pumped. And a psych professor of mine had a good friend who experimented with LSD and it was an environmental trigger for a genetic predisposition to schizophrenia (i.e., she woke up the next morning insane and never recovered). :scared:

As long as drugs are illegal and their content is not regulated, you take a risk every time you do them. And you never know the first time you do something how it will react with your particular body chemistry. As an adult 10 years away from my drug days, I feel in hindsight that the potential negative consequences of drug use are not worth the potential thrill.

But I also support everyone's right to choose, and I would vote to legalize and regulate most controlled substances if given the opportunity to do so.