Views on Drugs/Alcohol
Jun 15, 2002 at 8:45 AM Post #16 of 64
I think if you focus on what you enjoy, learn alot about what interests you and play alot with hobbies you end up happier. No need to come down on others with different ideas, just do not get caught riding in a car with someone that is drinking - drive yourself if possible.
It will be great if you do not develop drug alcohol tobacco habits that are hard to break later.

My nephew always liked video games and art. got a degree from a game developing school and now is in LA designing video games - he is 21 yrs old - pretty cool how it works out.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 9:35 AM Post #17 of 64
not being able to have a good time without "help" is bad indeed.

but I don't see the problem of getting a bit drunk every now and then tho, it's good fun. every get's loosened up. just don't get totally wasted and black out, I did that a few times and it just plain sucks. it hits ya like a truck coming up from behind -> boom blackout. oh, and don't drive when you had a beer ofcourse. sharing a joint with a couple of friends is good fun too.

doing alcohol and drugs doesn't have to end in a stupor with no recollection of last night. seriously, that almost never happens.

"I think that the key word with anything is moderation and knowing your limits. Unfortunatly it usually takes a bad experience to learn those limits."

I think it's really cool if you stick to living clean tho. that's a lot tougher socially than just follow us drunks
wink.gif
lol
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 10:31 AM Post #18 of 64
If anyone thinks that they have a proplem now or in the future with alcohol or drugs there are 12 step programs for help. I became a alcohol and drug addit for many years and it was beyony my control. It could have been genettic whow knows but when I was 17 I had a drink and a drink took me. I thought that I could handle it but found out I had a disease and had no controll over it. At the age of 40 I whent to a 12 step program and still could not get sober for ten more years. I got some sober time but would blow it and get drunk again. I din't get sober untill I was 50 years old thru the grace of GOD and now have 10 years clean and sober this NOV. 29th. The pain and hardships I want through are to many to mention. What alchol and drugs can do to you is unreal and many die or go to jail as a common thing and just have a rotton life being in deniall of any problem with it. If anyone even thinks that they may or do have a problem with alchol or drugs please PM me I beg of you and we can talk about it. No lectures just my expierence of what happened to me and what could happen to you. But I am here to help anyone who would like to have help and can leed you to the path of recovery through a 12 step program. Many of you are youg but thats where it all started for me and took over my life. I was powerless over drugs and alchol and needed help outside of myself.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 11:12 AM Post #19 of 64

I AM NEVER DRUNK


- No, seriously though, it depends on how you define "drunk". I see the word drunk as when you're really filled up. That rarely happens to me, (let's say 'once'). The rest of the time I just drink a handfull of beers over the 4-5 hours of the evening.

I can easily have a good time without being buzzy, but I have a better time when I am, so why not??
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 2:37 PM Post #20 of 64
Quote:

Originally posted by KR...


That only works as long as you are not an alcoholic.


And a drug addict...
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 2:51 PM Post #21 of 64
Mmmmmm beer... I just like the taste of it (not the american macro crap though). There is a difference between drinking to enjoy the beer and drinking to forget your problems.

Watch your friends with those drugs. I would personally stay away from extacsy but thats because I'm clinically depressed and I have enough problems with serotinin imbalance without throwing that into the mix. I also wonder how much of my problem was made worse by dropping acid in college. I don't drop acid anymore.

The whole thing really does boil down to knowing your limits. Some people can't have just one drink and that's a problem. When they recognize they problem they get help but it's an uphill struggle. I've seen this too many times. The same holds true with drugs. I've seen people who exist solely to either be high or needing to score. When something other than you is in control of your life there is a problem.

I would, however, recommend enjoying your youth. It's the only time you can really do really stupid **** (like get drunk and puke all over your friends) and get away with it. Just remember that feeling the next morning. And like someone said above, do what *you* want to do and not because you want to be morally superior to your friends. If you feel like having a drink, go for it. Just be responsible.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 3:06 PM Post #22 of 64
When I say they get drunk I mean REALLY drunk. They have lost count of the number of drinks they have had some nights, and not at low numbers either.

The thing that gets me is that it isn't drink and have fun, it is drink to have fun. There's a huge difference between the two. The stuff I have fun doing normally involves driving and a good bit of cordination, both of which are not possible. Often the first words out of their mouths whenever I propose going somewhere is "Will there be beer?".

What worries me is that this will become a habit. One of them is going to a "party school" for college, and I have doubts that he will pass his classes.

I could just not care about it, and let them do what they want. Perhaps it is just a "let's do it because we can even though we aren't supposed to" stage. Whatever it is, I am getting the feeling I need to change who my friends are (and I've know some of them since 3rd or 4th grade). Oddly enough, the people i have met in the last few years are much closer friends.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 3:39 PM Post #23 of 64
The distinction between drugs and alcohol is a legal one only as far as I'm concerned. There are certainly different shades of grey but since there are illegal drugs that I believe to be both less harmful and less addictive than alcohol, it'd be unfair to leave alcohol out of the list. It is legal though, and that does matter quite a bit--I'm only frustrated when a moral or health-related difference is drawn. Both are "bad", mmkay?

Let's just say it--I'm white trash. I come from the places where people live in double wides so they can fit the pool table in it. A nice car is one that's not on cinder blocks in the front yard. So the point is, I come from this really bad place where there's a lot of drug addicts and alcoholics. I have a lot of experience having to deal with, live with and live around people with these problems. It's not fun. It doesn't just destroy the addict, it destroys everyone around them.

Of course, I'm a bit of a social anarchist. The libertarians would kick me out for my extreme views so of course--I believe drugs should be illegal in much the same way that I think pointy sticks should be illegal. If people want to poke themselves in the eye, what are you gonna do, take the sticks away? I wish our laws were (in addiction to being a lot fewer in number) structured around an actual crime committed against another person. I wish drugs and alcohol were only considered for sentencing when the court is trying to decide just how irresponsible you were. I wish the sentencing was not only punitive--I wish the drug clinics were paid for through community service from the people convicted of these kind of crimes. I wish for a utopia but I mostly wish this country would return the role of responsibility to the citizen.

Not everyone has a "problem" with recreational drug use, though. For some people, the biggest problem is the fact that it's illegal. Let me share my thoughts on that. If you do drugs and manage to not commit any crimes against other people, I'm fine with that. If on the other hand you buy or sell drugs knowing that they're illegal to purchase, illegal to posses and illegal to consume knowing that you've got children at home who depend on you to be a good father and an income owner--you're scum. You don't take unnecessary risks like prison when you have kids at home and call yourself a good person.

The real root of the problem in teenage drug use is apathy, I think. Apathy is the real disease our country's children are faced with. Mentoring and apprenticeships become fewer all the time. We have no required military service. We have colleges that almost seem routine--everyone goes now, they take the same standardized tests and run through the same standardized material for all the state mandated courses... and at the end of it all, they end up with a psychology degree hoping to some day make shift manager at McDonald's. It's not just that kids are bored, it's that they don't care. We're in a vicious cycle of apathy.

As for me, I'm German, Irish and Native American. I'm born to drink. My family is riddled with alcoholics up both sides of the family tree. I understand enough about my own psychology to know how vulnerable I am to becoming one, myself. I have a high tolerance so I can drink like nobody's business--then end up drunk off my ass because I didn't have to set a limit. I don't drink that often but when I do, I tend to drink a lot. I realize this is an early warning sign and treat it as one. Meanwhile, I still live--I'm planning to grab some mararita supplies before heading to my little brother's for a BBQ today. Luckily I don't tend to overdo it in front of the relatives so I should be pretty safe.

I feel like when I go on these rambling tirades in a public internet forum that I have to end in a moral, so here it is. Know yourself. Know where you are and what you're capable of. Know what and who you're responsible for. Know the consequences of your actions. Follow the only law of my faith: be deliberate in your actions.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 4:01 PM Post #24 of 64
Quote:

Originally posted by kelly
Of course, I'm a bit of a social anarchist. The libertarians would kick me out for my extreme views so of course--I believe drugs should be illegal in much the same way that I think pointy sticks should be illegal. If people want to poke themselves in the eye, what are you gonna do, take the sticks away? I wish our laws were (in addiction to being a lot fewer in number) structured around an actual crime committed against another person. I wish drugs and alcohol were only considered for sentencing when the court is trying to decide just how irresponsible you were. I wish the sentencing was not only punitive--I wish the drug clinics were paid for through community service from the people convicted of these kind of crimes. I wish for a utopia but I mostly wish this country would return the role of responsibility to the citizen.


I dunno man, thats a *VERY* libertarian view!!

I do agree with your points. Let people do what they want. Until they hurt someone else it's not society's issue.

The teenage apathy you speak of is due to one very simple thing; no responsibility. It does sound as if CaptBubba has a keen understanding of responsibility but his friends do not.

CaptBubba, it sounds as if your friends are on a crash course to the bottom. I hung out with these same guys when I was your age! Honestly I don't know whatever happened to any of them. Just use what you witness as a life lesson and be there for your friends when they need you. In the meantime I would suggest maybe avoiding those uncomfortable situations and when you can't avoid them be responsible. If it keeps up let your friends know how sick you are of bailing thier asses out by driving them home because they have no sense of personal responsibility and tell them you would gladly go do something fun but partying just isn't fun to you.

It can be fun to hang-out with drunks and stoners and watch them make asses of themselves but sometimes, I just want to pop-in a CD and close my eyse for fun.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 4:13 PM Post #25 of 64
I can definitely relate to all of this. I haven't had a drink of alcohol for over 12 years now. I was always a "Follower" or one that always ran with the "Crowd". Alcohol and Drug use is a "Learned" habit. When you learn to think for yourself, you will no longer be influenced by the copycats, wannabes, trend followers etc....

You have to ask yourself: Why do people constantly abuse Drugs and Alcohol and Smoke cigarettes when they know it's dangerous and unhealthy??
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 7:20 PM Post #26 of 64
There's nothing wrong with having a few drinks to relax. I've never been drunk off beer, it's a beverage. I also enjoy the taste of some liquor, it's just an added bonus that I completely mellow out when consuming more than a single shot... Temperance is good, senselessness is not.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 8:45 PM Post #27 of 64
i realized when i went off to college that most people live under a set of rules...aka...mom and dad.....so once they get out from under the roof they go off the deep end......

i don't drink...do drugs..smoke anything for a few different reasons.....moraly) i'm in leadership positions of middle school aged kids, economicaly) it costs too much....., healthwize) i've known too many people to get cancer..diseases. etc....

i'm not gonna jump down someone's throat if they drink or do drugs thast there decisions

but i agree with the people who say you don't have to do it just because your friends do....i mean...how many of your friends would drop a few hundred bucks on headphones..????

and another thing......don't do it just to see if u like it.....i mean...if you see your friends do it and that gets to you then....don't do it...

my roomate one year went to a party just to *see* what it was like...well...he hated it...(some people like to party...some people don't....if its not your thing then good for you if it is at lest be sensible)

anyways...i'm gettting long winded......just be yourself....besides....you have to live with your decisions not your friends....

my .02

ray
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 10:08 PM Post #28 of 64
Speaking from experience, and 11+ years sober in AA, if you need chemical help to enjoy yourself, you are heading for a problem.

The excuse that, I only drink once a month, or I only get drunk occasionally, or whatever, is rationalization. A "Social Drinker" will drink one or maybe 2 at an event of somekind, and quit, possibly leaving half a glass.

Even saying that I can have more fun after I have a couple to "loosen up" is a sign of a strong potential for a problem.

Please be very very careful. Mind and mood altering chemicals of any kind are terribly dangerous, terribly addictive, and terribly deadly.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 10:10 PM Post #29 of 64
When I went to treatment they told me that drinking and not remembering was a sure sign of alcholism. They asked me how often I drank to the point of not remembering the night before. For me that was most of the time. There is so much I don't remember, 1982 is one of them. I was one of those people that drank to get drunk, I always said it was fun, even if it wasn't. There has been a lot of good things said on this thread. I agree with most of it. Just keep in mind that drinking to the point of "black out" could be a sign of future problems. As for understanding why your friends drink and get stoned so much, you may never understand it. Just understand that what you want to do is the most important thing to do on a night out. I would recomend staying away while friends do drugs. The legal ramifications could cause problems the rest of your life (A sad fact of American law).
You may feel the need to "change" friends, don't. Just add new ones. Those friends that are doing the things you are not in to can still be your friends when they are not partying. They may change their habits some day, then you all may have more in common again. I speak from experience here. I had a friend that really could not get into all the partying in college. He just kinda disappeared, I would sure like to find him again. I was to drunk at the time to keep track of him and he never kept track of me. Times have changed and we would be getting along well now.
I hope I didn't sound too parental.
 
Jun 15, 2002 at 10:56 PM Post #30 of 64
lots of different views and experiences here! everyone has different reasons to do or not do alcohol/drugs. I guess it all really boils down to knowing yourself. I mean, I can drink beer all night and not get drunk, but I wouldn't recommend that to anyone, some just don't take it that well. y'know, get to know yourself on this matter and make your decisions.
 

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