Drinking VS Tokin'

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/20/2004, 7:50 pm

They obviously never thought "what if" when they wanted to try something new.

My friends are idiots.

superboots · Post by **superboots** » 1/20/2004, 7:53 pm

well these things happen when you don't think before you do something

i think that has to do with how mature you are when you decide to drink

Joey · Post by **Joey** » 1/20/2004, 7:56 pm

Drinking and driving isn't cool .. I'm glad that you're friends are okay but that's one thing I will never allow to happen. We had a terrible accident in my city last year because a guy drove home completely smashed and ran into some kids who happened to be walking home at night on the sidewalk. Killed himself and 3 out of 4 of the kids .. the 4th kid was in a coma for awhile and I'm not sure what ended up happening to her.

My friends and I look out for each other. We're actually very serious about stuff like that. We always have one person who isn't drinking or doing anything for rides later on, otherwise we end up crashing at a friend's house, walking or taking cabs. My mom, aunt and grandma were rear ended by a drunk driver .. it's just stupidity to do something like that.

superboots · Post by **superboots** » 1/20/2004, 7:58 pm

i know 5 people who were killed by a drunk driver. they were driving home from florida. :cry:

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 1/20/2004, 8:37 pm

The problem that I have with saying that you just have to be responsible is that this stuff is addictive, to the point where you could easily no longer have control over your usual responsibility.

I'm sure you've heard the term "monkey on your back"? The classic image used is a monkey on the person's back, with a whip. You can't say no to the monkey. It's in control. No matter how responsible the person, their addiction can easily take over. And it doesn't take a lot to become addicted. Half of the pleasure a regular user gets is simply feeding their addiction.

I think it's sad that so many people today take doing drugs as a joke. 90% of my philosophy class refused to believe that our teacher has never done drugs. People are just blindly accepting it as the in thing to do. They don't care about the consequences. Hell, most of them don't really know about the consequences. Of course, that's not to say that everyone who does drugs is like that, but that's what I see around me.

I know it's nerdy, but I'd much rather spend an evening playing an RGP card game with my friends than do drugs. When you do drugs, you lose your grip on your conciousness. You become intoxicated and lose your mindfulness.

Having said that, I don't have anything personal against those who do drugs (or drink). I think that the majority of them have made poor choices in that matter, though.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » 1/20/2004, 8:48 pm

Axtech wrote:The problem that I have with saying that you just have to be responsible is that this stuff is addictive, to the point where you could easily no longer have control over your usual responsibility.

I know it's nerdy, but I'd much rather spend an evening playing an RGP card game with my friends than do drugs. When you do drugs, you lose your grip on your conciousness. You become intoxicated and lose your mindfulness.

You can't speak about what it feels like and how 'intoxicated' a person gets and how they 'lose their mindfulness' when you yourself have never experienced it. You have no idea what it's like, all you're going by is what you hear on tv, or see on the news or in movies .. so you can't just assume that everyone who drinks or everyone who does drugs is going to lose control. That's just ridiculous. Having the occasional drink at a party or getting high on the weekends isn't going to develop into this uncontrollable addiction. Unless you want to of course. The people who allow drugs/alcohol to take over their life like that have deeper issues.

I will go along with the fact that weed is addicting simply because one of my best friends is like that. Due to the fact he's been getting high on a DAILY basis since highschool. Now he can't go a day without it because it messes with his head, he gets moody without it etc. The key word you're not understanding is MODERATION.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/20/2004, 9:15 pm

^ Umm, becoming addicted because they want to?

There are a lot of cases in which people have become addicted just from one or two uses of a drug. It may be an extreme case but just because you arent addicted because you take drugs in moderation doesnt mean everyone else will be fine if they do the same thing.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » 1/20/2004, 9:20 pm

I'd love to read about cases of people getting addicted from weed or alcohol from one or two experiences with it .. kindly support this because I don't believe it for one second and I'm very interested in reading more on it.

I didn't say become addicted because you want too .. I said if you want to allow drugs to take over your life. People taking drugs/alcohol do have control over their actions when it comes to how much they take and how often.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/20/2004, 9:39 pm

Joey wrote:I'd love to read about cases of people getting addicted from weed or alcohol from one or two experiences with it .. kindly support this because I don't believe it for one second and I'm very interested in reading more on it.

http://www.marijuana-addiction.net/marijuana-detox.htm#

Second paragraph.

If you'd like more soruces i'll gladly get them for you.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » 1/20/2004, 9:46 pm

Well yeah .. like the article said, you might have an 'instant attraction' to weed after trying it the first time .. you get a good buzz, you feel good, you consider doing it again .. I felt like that the first time too .. 'attraction' and 'addiction' are very different words. You can feel an 'instant attraction' to members of the opposite sex too (or same sex, whatever floats your boat). It's a temporary high, that's all it is .. but you can't compare words like 'attraction' and 'addiction' because they have very different meanings.

thirdhour · Post by **thirdhour** » 1/20/2004, 9:51 pm

This is just a thought....isn't in some ways, watching a movie 'an escape from reality'? It entertains you, even though you know its not real. You can forget about your life for an hour or two and just get absorbed in something else. No, it's not dangerous or addictive, but isn't it just as 'sad'? That someone can't accept reality so much that they much be entertained by someone else's? Or even role-playing games. People can easily become addicted to those, because you no longer have to be yourself or interact with real people in a normal environment. Jeezus, I was addicted to the CM for awhile, and I'm not kidding you about that. I would stop doing my homework, wouldn't talk to my family at all and didn't even try to have fun with friends, because what was happening on the internet was all I could think about. I think I was just going through a bad time in my life, because I can still enjoy the CM without it taking over my life now.

Just trying to put a new twist on the argument.

Joey · Post by **Joey** » 1/20/2004, 9:56 pm

Exactly. You can say the same thing when it comes to music and concerts .. when you first discover a kick ass band and you can't get enough of them and you want to listen to them night and day and you can't get their songs out of your head and you follow them around to their concerts. Hell, concerts are addicting AND they cause harm :lol:

areusad831 · Post by **areusad831** » 1/20/2004, 10:28 pm

everyone does something different and no one is forcing each other into it. To say that we make bad choices because we choose to drink instead of playing a card game is not much of a comparison to some people. Everyone does there own thing, no way I could see myself sitting around playing a RPG card game instead of drinking with my friends. It just doesnt have the same effect. Dont know what is going to happen tommorow so might as well enjoy what it is you enjoy whether its Alcohol, Weed, E, the CM, or card games. Its a matter of choice.

Brooklin Matt · Post by **Brooklin Matt** » 1/20/2004, 10:55 pm

Joe Cool, that article is from a detox centre.....not exactly a reliable source.

Most of my friends talk about growing addicted. Its possible, but I have been smoking pretty hard for about a year now and quitting I can do without really trying. Sure I like to do it, but when I have had to go without for a few weeks it hasn't been stressful. I am probably a little moody about it, but I barely notice.....I miss having fun and some situations, but massive alcohol consumption covers it................jk

To get addicted to alcohol life must really suck.....or you go to college.

starvingeyes · Post by **starvingeyes** » 1/21/2004, 4:55 pm

liar, liar, pants on fire wrote:Chronic use of marijuana can lead to physical and emotional dependence on the drug. For those who are susceptible to marijuana addiction, dependence can develop very quickly. Indicators for marijuana addiction tendencies include having family members who are alcoholics or drug addicts. Many people who are addicted to marijuana report having an instant attraction to the drug from the first use.

wow, what a big huge lie. as far as the uh, scientific evidence goes, marijuana is not, repeat, not, repeat, not, physically addictive.

let me just remind everybody:

marijuana is in no way physically addictive. this is a proven scientific fact that is not up for debate. anybody who has ever bought "marijuana detox" from spencer recovery centres is a retard.

and "psychological" addiction is bullshit too. if somebody told me that tomorrow, i'd never get to play my xbox again, i'd be pretty pissed off. that feeling would probably linger for a long, long time.
am i addicted? i think not.

face it: there are no health risks proven to be associated with responsible marijuana use. in fact, if you don't smoke it, or use a water bong or other filtration device, it is healthier then alcohol.

the only two health risks that are associated with marijuana are lung cancer (duh. smoke pine needles and you'll get lung cancer. it's called smoke, kids, don't inhale it.) and, heh, increased risk of injury due to accident. i don't think i need to say anything else.

starvingeyes · Post by **starvingeyes** » 1/21/2004, 4:59 pm

o my, there's more!

Joe Cool wrote:Ok sure, lets say that weed doesnt effect your mind set to the point where your actions change. But weed can lead to drugs that will. I'm not saying that every kid who smokes up weed will eventually go to cocaine or any other harder drug but the chances are far greater when compared to someone who's never taken weed.

no, no, no! that's not true! geez. once again, clinical studies have shown that there is absolutely no evidence to support that assertion whatsoever. "marijuana is a gateway drug" is a myth and, for christs sake, comes from drug war propaganada from the 60's. it's just another us government big lie.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/21/2004, 5:34 pm

^Can you back this up, and from a source thats not run by pot heads?

starvingeyes · Post by **starvingeyes** » 1/21/2004, 5:47 pm

NORML wrote:Nonsense. According to the Canadian Senate’s 2002 study: "Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy," "Cannabis itself is not a cause of other drug use."[68] This finding concurs with the conclusions of the US National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine 1999 study, which stated that marijuana is not a "gateway drug to the extent that it is a cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse."[69] (The IOM further noted that underage smoking and alcohol abuse typically precede marijuana use.[70]) Statistically, for every 104 Americans who have tried marijuana, there is only one regular user of cocaine, and less than one user of heroin, according to annual data compiled by the federal National Household Survey on Drug Abuse.[71]

link, with footnotes to various studies:
http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5515

NORML wrote:Any discussion of marijuana should begin with the fact that there have been numerous official reports and studies, every one of which has concluded that marijuana poses no great risk to society and should not be criminalized. These include: the National Academy of Sciences' "Analysis of Marijuana Policy"(1982); the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse (the Shafer Report) (1973); the Canadian Government's Commission of Inquiry (Le Dain Report) (1970); the British Advisory Committee on Drug Dependency (Wooton Report) (1968); the La Guardia Report (1944); the Panama Canal Zone Military Investigations (1916-29); and Britain's monumental Indian Hemp Drugs Commission (1893-4)...

The current consensus is well stated in the 20th annual report of the California Research Advisory Panel (1990), which recommended that personal use and cultivation of marijuana be legalized: "An objective consideration of marijuana shows that it is responsible for less damage to society and the individual than are alcohol and cigarettes."...

Just as most experts agree that occasional or moderate use of marijuana is innocuous, they also agree that excessive use can be harmful. Research shows that the two major risks of excessive marijuana use are: (1) respiratory disease due to smoking and (2) accidental injuries due to impairment.

link:http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3475#2

In 1972, after reviewing the scientific evidence, the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse concluded that while marijuana was not entirely safe, its dangers had been grossly overstated. Since then, researchers have conducted thousands of studies of humans, animals, and cell cultures. None reveal any findings dramatically different from those described by the National Commission in 1972. In 1995, based on thirty years of scientific research editors of the British medical journal Lancet concluded that "the smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health."

link:http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana/factsmyths/

please, enjoy responsibly. :mrgreen:

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/21/2004, 5:48 pm

Hmm i've been searching around and reading up a little on weed and mabye your right about it not being a gateway drug but i havnt found much solid evidence thats gonna make me believe it's not addictive.

Joe Cooler · Post by **Joe Cooler** » 1/21/2004, 5:50 pm

^^:lol: yeah.. i found those.