Opinion: Be careful when coping with illegal drugs

[noname223]

I have never done drugs and I am more hesitant on the legalisation on some drugs. (Not fully convinced though.) I just have the feeling some people on here try to cope by taking drugs which is dangerous. But drug addiction can make your situation way worse. There is the opioid crisis in the US which is very dangerous. Not only the addicts are to blame for it. The greedy pharma industry acts truely evil. In the end you are a grown up adult and you have to decide for your own life.

But here some remarks:

In several clinic stays I have met a lot of people who have destroyed their life and mental health due to the fact they did too much illegal drugs. You always have to remind yourself the situation can always get worse. If your situation seems hopeless and you are really unhappy it is probably not good starting to take drugs in order to cope. I am not fully an expert but I think I have read that psychoactive drugs are very dangerous especially if you are in a situation when you completely feel unhappy. It makes sense to me because psychosis often happens when people are genuinely unhappy about their life and don't see a way to change it. On the other side I am not an expert on safe use for drugs there are probably more competent people than me.

However I sometimes read that members try microdosing with psychedelics. I would be really careful about that if a professional does not support you. I think you can do a lot of damage if microdosing goes wrong. Especially if you had psychosis (schizophrenia) or bipolar this is probably not a good idea. Illegal drugs are extremely dangerous if you had psychosis. You will likely get another one (this also counts for weed.) It would be good if you could try these substances with the help of doctors. (Though I know many insurances don't pay for it.) The substances from the black market are often dangerous and don't have a good quality.

Coping with illegal drugs can do a lot of damage and sometimes it is irreversible or at least very hard to reverse it. I think this can make your situation way worse. It costs a lot of money and some have to live on the streets because they use all their money for the illegal substances. This is a fate that I don't want for anyone in this forum. (Despite the fact there are people in this forum with this horrible fate.)

What are your thoughts on it? I think I am in the minority in this forum because I am hesitant on the legalisation of drugs. Have you made bad experiences with drugs? What would you recommend to other members?

 

[Nolan96]

I've always been curious to try mushrooms, but have read that taking them permanently reduces ability to recognize dangers and also can result in PTSD if you have a bad trip, so I've never done it.

Even alcohol, marijuana, or just certain sleeping medications bring out aberrant behavior in me that's potentially harmful to myself. You have to know yourself, and I know I can't be trusted with that stuff. I even requested to have my wisdom teeth removed without being put under because I was afraid I'd make trouble for myself under the influence of anesthesia. Very painful and grueling experience, but I don't regret it. (Many Americans do this anyway because it's cheaper.)

 

[Oblivion Access]

I have done a great deal of harm to myself and others through my recreational (often more palliative tbh) drug use, and do not really recommend it to anyone. Nonetheless, they can be great fun and let you forget your troubles for a bit, though they fundamentally change nothing about the situation that was causing you distress and usually only make things worse for when you eventually come down. Anyone engaging in drug use has a duty to educate themselves, it's all out there if you look (psychonautwiki, some drug subreddits and bluelight.org just to name a few sites) so no excuse to remain ignorant. I've tried sobriety time and time again and it only brings me closer to planning and carrying out ctb, I don't see myself living without drugs as things stand.

As for legalization, it is necessary in order to assure access to services, take away the "bad boy mystique" image, secure pure+safe supply to cut down overdoses and undercut illegal dealers and so much more I'm forgetting now. Legalizing is a must for both society and the welfare of users, the fact we're still discussing and not implementing it is a travesty.

 

[AnestheticVoid]

"I have never done drugs"
"This is a fate that I don't want for anyone in this forum." It's a community dedicated to suicide. Do you agree with choice of self destruction or not?

 

[noname223]

"I have never done drugs"
"This is a fate that I don't want for anyone in this forum." It's a community dedicated to suicide. Do you agree with choice of self destruction or not?

In the end it is your choice to destroy your life with drugs. I just wanted to help people being educated about the damage drugs can do before taking them. I don't want to force them to do anything. I just saw so many lives which were absolutely destroyed by illegal drugs and it was kind of heartbreaking. I really saw people who had nothing left and they were very very mentally ill...they were like really empty and sad human beings.

 

[noaccount]

 

[Crazy4u]

I agree with most of what you said. Some of the drugs are highly addictive. Even the legal prescription drugs can be damaging if the diagnosis is wrong.

My issue with not legalizing drugs is this: if cigarettes and alcohol are legal, why can't drugs be legal? the former two can be more damaging than some illegal drugs.

 

[waitingforrest]

I agree with most of what you said. Some of the drugs are highly addictive. Even the legal prescription drugs can be damaging if the diagnosis is wrong.

My issue with not legalizing drugs is this: if cigarettes and alcohol are legal, why can't drugs be legal? the former two can be more damaging than some illegal drugs.

Yeah, I always wondered why cigarettes and alcohol are acceptable to use while drugs aren't. It's like the US prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s. Didn't stop people from drinking, just made them commit more crimes and ctb :(

 

[sorrynormal]

absolutely destroyed by illegal drugs

No it's not the drugs that destroy people, it's the pain they are in that brings them to use drugs in the first place. Yes there is a problem with drugs being contaminated with fent and fent analouges, but sane countries (anywhere but the US) allow people to get their drugs tested for purity.

Dr. Gabor Mate says 'people always ask why the drugs but they never ask why the pain'. He goes on to say (and I'm paraphrasing from memory) 'that during Vietnam War the vast majority of GI's were on drugs', in fact it was encouraged to survive the dangerous environment by the US military.

"I believe the number of people who actually relapsed to heroin use in the first year was about 5 percent," Jaffe said recently from his suburban Maryland home. In other words, 95 percent of the people who were addicted in Vietnam did not become re-addicted when they returned to the United States.

So you are really just propating this age old shame based victim-blaming bullshit. There should be the same or more emphasis put on the environment as there is on 'bad personal choices'.

 

[onlyanimalsaregood]

I was never into drugs.

 

[noname223]

No it's not the drugs that destroy people, it's the pain they are in that brings them to use drugs in the first place. Yes there is a problem with drugs being contaminated with fent and fent analouges, but sane countries (anywhere but the US) allow people to get their drugs tested for purity.

Dr. Gabor Mate says 'people always ask why the drugs but they never ask why the pain'. He goes on to say (and I'm paraphrasing from memory) 'that during Vietnam War the vast majority of GI's were on drugs', in fact it was encouraged to survive the dangerous environment by the US military.

"I believe the number of people who actually relapsed to heroin use in the first year was about 5 percent," Jaffe said recently from his suburban Maryland home. In other words, 95 percent of the people who were addicted in Vietnam did not become re-addicted when they returned to the United States.

So you are really just propating this age old shame based victim-blaming bullshit. There should be the same or more emphasis put on the environment as there is on 'bad personal choices'.

I think we have different diametrical opinions on that.
I have met a lot of people who lost their mind due to drugs. I have met many people who have developed psychosis or schizophrenia. Some of them smoked weed as a teenager. Many empirical studies have shown that this can result in severe damage to your brain (increases the likelihood of schizophrenia a lot among other things). I have met people who have developed schizophrenia simplex. This condition is not diagnosed anymore. My personal (conspiracy) theory is that this diagnose/illness is that horrible that they don't want to take the hope of the patients who developed this condition.
I am not a professional and I can make mistakes. But I think one young dude had this condition. Some months ago I have met him again. His brain is not working properly. I barely can speak full sentences, a normal conversation with him is impossible. He had huge cognitive problems. He described his life and it sounded hellish. (Though he did not seem to be suicidal.)

Then I have met people who clearly were not sane. They had a bad trip which caused severe mental ilnesses. Some were extremely insane laughed all the time like insane, shouted through the whole clinic, behaved like little children, could not articulate themselves anymore.

There was also a dude very acute suicidal. He said smooking weed has changed his personality and life. He was really shocked what the drugs have done to him.

Though not everyone who develops had sone drugs. Psychposis or schizophrenia can also be caused for example by abuse or traumata.

Yeah you can say this would be all anti-drug propaganda. But I am not lying. I always was anti-drugs. But my experiences in the clinics confirmed my view on it.

It is up to you whether you take drugs or not. I won't prohibit it for anyone. But I want to share the stories which I have learned during my several clinic stays.

 

[odradek]

I have never done drugs and I am more hesitant on the legalisation on some drugs. (Not fully convinced though.) I just have the feeling some people on here try to cope by taking drugs which is dangerous. But drug addiction can make your situation way worse. There is the opioid crisis in the US which is very dangerous. Not only the addicts are to blame for it. The greedy pharma industry acts truely evil. In the end you are a grown up adult and you have to decide for your own life.

But here some remarks:

In several clinic stays I have met a lot of people who have destroyed their life and mental health due to the fact they did too much illegal drugs. You always have to remind yourself the situation can always get worse. If your situation seems hopeless and you are really unhappy it is probably not good starting to take drugs in order to cope. I am not fully an expert but I think I have read that psychoactive drugs are very dangerous especially if you are in a situation when you completely feel unhappy. It makes sense to me because psychosis often happens when people are genuinely unhappy about their life and don't see a way to change it. On the other side I am not an expert on safe use for drugs there are probably more competent people than me.

However I sometimes read that members try microdosing with psychedelics. I would be really careful about that if a professional does not support you. I think you can do a lot of damage if microdosing goes wrong. Especially if you had psychosis (schizophrenia) or bipolar this is probably not a good idea. Illegal drugs are extremely dangerous if you had psychosis. You will likely get another one (this also counts for weed.) It would be good if you could try these substances with the help of doctors. (Though I know many insurances don't pay for it.) The substances from the black market are often dangerous and don't have a good quality.

Coping with illegal drugs can do a lot of damage and sometimes it is irreversible or at least very hard to reverse it. I think this can make your situation way worse. It costs a lot of money and some have to live on the streets because they use all their money for the illegal substances. This is a fate that I don't want for anyone in this forum. (Despite the fact there are people in this forum with this horrible fate.)

What are your thoughts on it? I think I am in the minority in this forum because I am hesitant on the legalisation of drugs. Have you made bad experiences with drugs? What would you recommend to other members?

I would recommend not forming opinions on nuanced issues based on anecdotes and limited knowledge.

Addicts are in no way to blame for the opioid crisis. So called illegal drugs have existed in some form for forever and relationships with them are dependent on the individual in question.

The problem is: why do they need to cope? Not: why are they on drugs. Addictions are symptoms of greater problems.

 

[noname223]

I would recommend not forming opinions on nuanced issues based on anecdotes and limited knowledge.

Addicts are in no way to blame for the opioid crisis. So called illegal drugs have existed in some form for forever and relationships with them are dependent on the individual in question.

The problem is: why do they need to cope? Not: why are they on drugs. Addictions are symptoms of greater problems.

I don't blame the addicts for their addiction when their doctors prescribed it. I think the greedy pharma industry plays a big role in the fentanyl crises.

I think you consider this "limited knowledge" because we have different stances. There are a lot of scientifical studies which prove that psychoactive drugs increase the likelihood of severe mental health problems a lot. There is so much evidence for that.

Taking psychoactive drugs is like playing Russian roulette because you don't know whether you have the nervous system to stomach it. But there can be warning signs. Like mental illnesses in your family (a genetical component)

 

[odradek]

I don't blame the addicts for their addiction when their doctors prescribed it. I think the greedy pharma industry plays a big role in the fentanyl crises.

I think you consider this "limited knowledge" because we have different stances. There are a lot of scientifical studies which prove that psychoactive drugs increase the likelihood of severe mental health problems a lot. There is so much evidence for that.

Not only the addicts are to blame for it.

This implies otherwise but maybe I misunderstood you idk.

You say you've never tried drugs, that's the limited knowledge I was referring to. Everyone should know that drugs can be dangerous coping mechanisms. We all should have found that out somewhere between learning the stove is too hot and joining a suicide forum. I don't need studies for that, I have my own anecdotes

Tbh we probably have similar opinions on the dangers of drugs to addicts but this whole thread just reads as paternalistic coming from someone who's never even tried them. If people are coping with drugs, it's their situation, not the drugs.

 

[DPJ187]

I have taken drugs, pretty much all of them. By no means was I a drug addict, I was trying to find something to numb the pain I had. I guess now i smoke alot of weed but it's not enjoyable like it was before. All it's made me realise is I wasnt facing up to the real problem, all drugs domis allow you to cope with the now, doesn't do anything to improve your tomorrow. Also if you haven't taken drugs dont think as heroin or meth as a viable option for CTB, you will just mess yourself up and fall asleep or pass out long before you reach a fatal amount.

 

[noname223]

This implies otherwise but maybe I misunderstood you idk.

You say you've never tried drugs, that's the limited knowledge I was referring to. Everyone should know that drugs can be dangerous coping mechanisms. We all should have found that out somewhere between learning the stove is too hot and joining a suicide forum. I don't need studies for that, I have my own anecdotes

Tbh we probably have similar opinions on the dangers of drugs to addicts but this whole thread just reads as paternalistic coming from someone who's never even tried them. If people are coping with drugs, it's their situation, not the drugs.

I can understand the discrepancy of these two statements about opioids. I want to say many were screwed by the pharma industry and trusted their doctors. But probably not all of them. Some (probably only very few) used opiods for fun (or they were just curious). I am not an expert but because there are several million addicts this is likely.

I once met a guy (he developed schizophrenia which completely destroyed his life) he took really hard drugs for fun. He said he wanted to increase his motivation to clean up his room. (what the fuck). I would not discharge him from his responsiblity for his illness.

Maybe it sounds really too paternalistic. I am just pretty anti-drugs and I don't mind to show it. I like to swim against the current. Lol.

 

[odradek]

I can understand the discrepancy of these two statements about opioids. I want to say many were screwed by the pharma industry and trusted their doctors. But probably not all of them. Some (probably only very few) used opiods for fun (or they were just curious). I am not an expert but because there are several million addicts this is likely.

I once met a guy (he developed schizophrenia which completely destroyed his life) he took really hard drugs for fun. He said he wanted to increase his motivation to clean up his room. (what the fuck). I would not discharge him from his responsiblity for his illness.

I'm glad you can see the discrepancy because they say the opposite of each other.

So because some addicts take drugs for fun, no one should cope with them? I don't understand what you're trying to say. Blame all people who enjoy drugs for the actions of a few addicts? Okay you do want to blame some addicts, that's fine, you do you.

Anecdote: I once knew a guy who had such a bad acid trip he saw the world in a purple tint for 3 years after. I didn't need to tell him to lay off the drugs, he figured that one out. Everybody is different. So maybe everyone needs a bad acid trip to really understand the dangers?

 

[noname223]

I'm glad you can see the discrepancy because they say the opposite of each other.

So because some addicts take drugs for fun, no one should cope with them? I don't understand what you're trying to say. Blame all people who enjoy drugs for the actions of a few addicts? Okay you do want to blame some addicts, that's fine, you do you.

Anecdote: I once knew a guy who had such a bad acid trip he saw the world in a purple tint for 3 years after. I didn't need to tell him to lay off the drugs, he figured that one out. Everybody is different. So maybe everyone needs a bad acid trip to really understand the dangers?

My main concern is not the question who is to blame.

Though I think there is a free will to a certain degree. There are philsosophical debates about that. Some say there was none. I think in some cases it is your own decision to take the risk of doing drugs. Others are rather forced to use them. Or their parents taught them to do so. In some cases you could say it was their own free decision to start taking highly addictive substances. This can increase the likelihood of addiction a lot. So you could say it was also their responsiblity.

I am rather in favor of a handling of drugs in a responsible way. If you know your sister has become schizophrenic due to drugs you might should not take them too. And yes I know a lot of anecdotes but I know exactly about such a case. The brother still took the drugs which caused the illness of his sister. He became ill too.
There are some ways for safe use of drugs and many many ignore them. I think many young people underestimate the danger of weed.

I think the people should know that taking drugs is like playing Russian roulette. I think many underestimate their potential of destruction.

 

[odradek]

My main concern is not the question who is to blame.

Though I think there is a free will to a certain degree. There are philsosophical debates about that. Some say there was none. I think in some cases it is your own decision to take the risk of doing drugs. Others are rather forced to use them. Or their parents taught them to do so. In some cases you could say it was their own free decision to start taking highly addictive substances. This can increase the likelihood of addiction a lot. So you could say it was also their responsiblity.

I am rather in favor of a handling of drugs in a responsible way. If you know your sister has become schizophrenic due to drugs you might should not take them too. And yes I know a lot of anecdotes but I know exactly about such a case. The brother still took the drugs which caused the illness of his sister. He became ill too.
There are some ways for safe use of drugs and many many ignore them. I think many young people underestimate the danger of weed.

I think the people should know that taking drugs is like playing Russian roulette. I think many underestimate their potential of destruction.

Okay

Driving a car is like playing Russian roulette but I digress. You win, drugs are indeed dangerous and we should blame some addicts for their disease. Like this person and their brother you know.

Please carry on with your PSA, I shan't interrupt further with my wrong think.