Drugs

[barrows]

There is without a doubt, something wrong with that testing method! I demand that someone fund a true double blind test, and to be absolutely sure it is done right, I should be one of the testers. I have a finely trained and highly experienced taste for beer, which quallifies me to prove all whiskey tastes alike, even if you must spend a lot of time drinking it.

 

And I am willing to prove you scotch drinkers are being misled and fooled by those capitalistic distillers!

 

Hah! I may have to take the test twice. Maybe three times. Maybe that would qualify as a triple blind test even....

 

 

Paul

 

I volunteer, heck, I'll even wear a blindfold! I am not really a Scotch man myself, but once, during an extravagant celebratory dinner at the Tao in Las Vegas during CES, the PS Audio CFO insisted I join him in an after dinner Lavagulin (the spirits had been flowing for a few hours at this point), of course I could not refuse, and it was exquisite. I hope that this story does not indicate an expectation bias...

[prufrock]

No surprise to see Mary Jane up there with the front runners.

[wgscott]

I want to know who shoots smack.

[prufrock]

I want to know who shoots smack.

 

I have a friend who has using since his twenties. Now late forties. He is one of the most disciplined people I know. Uses only on a weekend, is very careful and never uses to excess. Doesn't drink or do anything else. Just loves his opiates. Good to be around too. Doesn't talk shit like drunks tend to. Not suggesting he is the norm though.

[bleedink]

I can't seem to pick more than one answer...

I can't get out of bed without drugs literally so this is right up my alley...

(Thanks for acknowledging some people do drugs for medical reasons...)

[VandyMan]

That's where I work now.

 

Are you the Scott who is one of the Deadbase authors?

[wgscott]

No. I'm a chemist (not that kind either).

[bleedink]

No. I'm a chemist (not that kind either).

 

And we had such high hopes for you!

[wgscott]

Actually, some of what I do is related to structure-based drug design. (We determine the three-dimensional atomic structures of macromolecules. Other people design drugs based on our results. What I do currently is fairly medically irrelevant. Sorry.)

 

Chronic pain seems to be an area that could really benefit from new and different drugs. What we need is something with the efficacy of opiates without the addictive properties.

[Dave H]

My truest answer wasn't available - I used to use the "evil weed" while listening to music, but don't (can't due to adult responsibilities) any longer. I miss the 70's...

[Paul R]

OT: Just curious about this...

 

Chronic pain seems to be an area that could really benefit from new and different drugs. What we need is something with the efficacy of opiates without the addictive properties.

 

I have been injected with morphine twice, both times for really intense pain related to kidney stones. What I remember the most about the stuff is that it smelled really bad, which on the face of it sounds funny. At least it amused the nurse who stuck the stuff into the IV and injected it.

 

I was wondering, did I really smell something injected into my vein? And how on earth could someone get addicted to something that smells so bad it makes you want to stop breathing? Truly, the awful smell distressed me as much as the pain in the first place.

 

Totally off topic I suppose, but I figured Bill or one of you other medical type guys might really know.

-Paul

[AudioDoctor]

OT: Just curious about this...

 

 

 

I have been injected with morphine twice, both times for really intense pain related to kidney stones. What I remember the most about the stuff is that it smelled really bad, which on the face of it sounds funny. At least it amused the nurse who stuck the stuff into the IV and injected it.

 

I was wondering, did I really smell something injected into my vein? And how on earth could someone get addicted to something that smells so bad it makes you want to stop breathing? Truly, the awful smell distressed me as much as the pain in the first place.

 

Totally off topic I suppose, but I figured Bill or one of you other medical type guys might really know.

-Paul

 

Paul, you are a 1 in a 100,000,000,000 million specimen. please come straight to my office, I plan on researching you and becoming famous...

 

I am kidding, its not unusual. IIRC You're not literally smelling what was injected in your veins, rather your body is reacting to the injection and its effects in its own way.

 

Some people report it smells like all sorts of things, others report it deadens their sense of smell until they stop taking it, yet others report it makes their urine smell bad, or their sweat. Some people it makes anxious, others it relaxes, etc...

[wgscott]

My truest answer wasn't available - I used to use the "evil weed" while listening to music, but don't (can't due to adult responsibilities) any longer. I miss the 70's...

 

I meant that to be option 3, but I screwed it up and can't edit it.

[Jay192]

Interesting thread but as i struggle to keep my 15 y/o God-son's weed usage under some type of 'control' and i see ~30% of respondents sometime using it when listening I go arrrgggghhh; i hope he doesn't see this thread as 'sometimes' in his mind means weekly, and according to him weekly usage is ok ><!

 

Everyone i know who did it that regularly when they were mid-teens ended up being a loser in varying degrees (most extreme case was death, best case was under-achievement (IMO)). Weed IMO is such a dangerous drug for teens which slowly kills their motivation and enhances most teens' DGAF attitude. Of course they don't see that - it's just fun and no obvious major immediate impact.

 

He likes the 27 Club (27 Club - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), likes music, has now experimented with pills and shrooms (Class A), and i guess you can hear my fear as to where it might be going. Nirvana's (Teen Spirit lyric) "Oh well, whatever, nevermind" is his mantra.

 

I don't want to OT the thread - so thanks for listening to my concerns - i guess the thread was about listening and drugs anyway

[chg]

Everyone i know who did it that regularly when they were mid-teens ended up being a loser in varying degrees (most extreme case was death, best case was under-achievement (IMO). Weed IMO is such a dangerous drug for teens which slowly kills their motivation and enhances most teens' DGAF attitude.

 

But, which came first? Loser/under achiever who then used weed, or weed user who became loser/under-achiever due to weed? Just a thought. I'm not defending/advocating drug use.

I don't use: drugs/smoke/alcohol/coffee/fast-food/junk-food/soda.

[Jay192]

But, which came first? Loser/under achiever who then used weed, or weed user who became loser/under-achiever due to weed? Just a thought. I'm not defending/advocating drug use.

I don't use: drugs/smoke/alcohol/coffee/fast-food/junk-food/soda.

 

He's smart, sporty, and generally did well at school. That all started going downhill from the time he started using (last year); I would agree that causation at that point in time would be weak. Since then, he's become more of a regular user it's fed the spiral (and causation appears stronger). So I would say the latter. Of course there's many other possible factors (it's also possible neither choice is correct as he might be a weed user who bacame a loser due to other factor(s)), but my point is, relatively a mid-teens' non-user is much better off than a regular mid-teens' user and our (adults') apparent complacency on weed (and other soft drugs) can send dangerous messaging hence my initial arrrggghhhh!

[chg]

...but my point is, relatively a mid-teens' non-user is much better off than a regular mid-teens' user and our (adults') apparent complacency on weed (and other soft drugs) can send dangerous messaging hence my initial arrrggghhhh!

 

I agree.

[Daudio]

Interesting thread but as i struggle to keep my 15 y/o God-son's weed usage under some type of 'control' and i see ~30% of respondents sometime using it when listening I go arrrgggghhh; i hope he doesn't see this thread as 'sometimes' in his mind means weekly, and according to him weekly usage is ok ><!

 

Everyone i know who did it that regularly when they were mid-teens ended up being a loser in varying degrees (most extreme case was death, best case was under-achievement (IMO)). Weed IMO is such a dangerous drug for teens which slowly kills their motivation and enhances most teens' DGAF attitude. Of course they don't see that - it's just fun and no obvious major immediate impact.

 

Jay,

 

I had occasion to hear the stories of a small, but rich sample of adult weed users. I took away the strong impression that those who used it a lot in their youth, became consistent, heavy users, addicts. Of course that impacted their lives to varying degrees, with legal, financial and health problems. And sadly, they didn't really derive that much pleasure from weed, due to acclimation. Those that didn't start in their youth were able to use it in a more responsible and enjoyable manner, like a social drinker. It appears that the immature brain is much more susceptible to addition then an adult.

 

I don't know if that will help your godson, but I hope you find something !

[Paul R]

At 15, he is just coming out of the 13-15 year old hell that most kids go through. I don't know many kids that have fond memories of 8th grade. Certainly, not any of mine.

 

We were unbelievably lucky that our boys only got addicted to cigarettes, and have even managed to break that addiction. (I think...)

 

Part of it though, believe it or not, is we did our best to addict them to other things during those trying years. Physical activities, movies, books, science fiction, astronomy, flying, music, music and more music, road trips, cooking, you name it. We did everything we could to addict them to the things that are least harmful to kids, and even provide some benefit down the road.

 

Of course, at that age, imposing discipline from outside is quite difficult, and often does more harm than good. So they had numerous failures at things they tried, until they learned how to apply enough self discipline to achieve the outcomes they wanted.

 

Drugs of any kind can be insidious I think; perhaps they look like a shortcut to getting where you really want to go. Maybe for some, they are. I wish I could offer better or more sage advice. Like I said, we tried hard, but I still think we were just very very lucky, in a lot of ways.

 

-Paul

[orgel]

We were unbelievably lucky that our boys only got addicted to cigarettes, and have even managed to break that addiction. (I think...)

 

It's really, really hard to argue that habitual use of psychoactive drugs (at any age) is a good thing, and I won't attempt to do that. Speaking from direct experience, though, I'm here to tell you that tobacco is way, way, way more addictive than marijuana. I think the literature will bear me out on this.

 

A lot of times kids just grow out of this stuff. So by all means keep the dialog open and attempt to keep them on the Middle Path, but don't get your knickers too twisted up about it. A lot of times, that just makes things worse.

 

I guess there's no way we can get back to drug humor?

 

--David

[4est]

It's really, really hard to argue that habitual use of psychoactive drugs (at any age) is a good thing, and I won't attempt to do that. Speaking from direct experience, though, I'm here to tell you that tobacco is way, way, way more addictive than marijuana. I think the literature will bear me out on this.

 

A lot of times kids just grow out of this stuff. So by all means keep the dialog open and attempt to keep them on the Middle Path, but don't get your knickers too twisted up about it. A lot of times, that just makes things worse.

 

I guess there's no way we can get back to drug humor?

 

--David

 

Amen!

 

Quitting cigarettes is the single most difficult thing I have ever done. Period!

[Jud]

It's really, really hard to argue that habitual use of psychoactive drugs (at any age) is a good thing, and I won't attempt to do that. Speaking from direct experience, though, I'm here to tell you that tobacco is way, way, way more addictive than marijuana. I think the literature will bear me out on this.

 

For tobacco addiction, Chantix works with double the effectiveness of cold turkey. Unfortunately, that's still only 1 of 3 who quit, vs. 1 of 6 cold turkey. Luckily for me, the 1 of 3 included my wife, who after 40+ years of smoking and 2 weeks of Chantix, quit and hasn't touched the stuff for 5 years.

 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled thread -

 

(Murphy's is better. It is actually the only alcoholic thing I will drink.)

 

Damn, Bill, that sounds a little rough.

 

[wgscott]

I think I am addicted to coffee. I never drank coffee until after age 35, so you would think I would have been mature enough to handle it. But if I try to skip a fix I mean a cup, I get a cracking headache.

 

This only serves to increase my fear of other drugs. All drugs scare me. I just weaned my puppy off of anti-seizure meds. The improvement in her disposition is remarkable, and, fortunately, no seizures.

[Jud]

I think I am addicted to coffee. I never drank coffee until after age 35, so you would think I would have been mature enough to handle it. But if I try to skip a fix I mean a cup, I get a cracking headache.

 

Same for me with cola drinks.

 

This only serves to increase my fear of other drugs. All drugs scare me. I just weaned my puppy off of anti-seizure meds. The improvement in her disposition is remarkable, and, fortunately, no seizures.

 

Good! I feel, though only based on the slightest of anecdotal evidence, that anti-seizure meds and tranks for dogs may be over-prescribed.

[Paul R]

This only serves to increase my fear of other drugs. All drugs scare me. I just weaned my puppy off of anti-seizure meds. The improvement in her disposition is remarkable, and, fortunately, no seizures.

 

We rescued our dog from the pound, where she had been turned in "because of allergies." It wasn't long before she started having the most ferocious seizures you could imagine. Had to get the vet out of bed on a Thanksgiving morning because she was having bad and very violent seizure episodes. We thought she was going to die from them that day.

 

Well, this is going to sound strange, but it turned out the poor girl was allergic to near on everything - grass, dust, pollen, chicken, potatoes, beets, carrots, beef! The allergies were causing the seizures!

 

Once we got the allergies under control, with a strict diet of special food, she stopped having the siezures, stopped vomiting, gained weight and started looking sleek and normal. Only seizures she has had in the past 11 years was caused by spider and ant bites. Both of which were easily controlled with a half tablet of bendryl. And she can have small amounts of snacks these days, which pleases both her and us, though not the cats who often have to wrestle with the dog for their snacks.

 

Might check with your vet and see if they can run an allergy screen. Might not have anything to do with it at all, but then, if it is a factor, it is a pretty easy fix.

 

-Paul