Drug experimentation and dependence

Some folk unfortunately have addictive personalities.

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aaronphetamine said:

The media and government portray images that if you take an Ecstasy pill you WILL die and WRECK your life, and a line of cocaine WILL make u lose your job, and house.

WRONG!

Yes, these amazing substances make you feel so awesome, for 30mins for cocaina and a few hours for an E, but not everyone is going to be addicted from them !

Its like alcohol, I drink alcohol once a week, but that doesnt make me addicted becuase i dont crave it every day and i only drink it when im going out.

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2020hindsight said:

Speaking generally ... and probably stating the obvious...
where does drug dependence begin ? surely with the first time you try it.

Not necessarily 2020. Occassionally experimenting
with drugs does not guarantee, that you will become addicted.

There's many reasons for people to try drugs, once or twice, like:

Sheer curiosity, peer pressure, pain relief, escaping from the realities
of life, family relationships, etc, etc .....

... often it is escapism, that brings people back to drugs, time-after-time
and the more they use their chosen drug, the higher the dosage necessary
to achieve the same euphoric effect. That's when dependency may start
to become apparent and their habit, gradually becomes more expensive.

So, even though their lives may start to seriously detoriate, they have
now compounded their problems ... all of which may have been avoided,
if they had simply addressed the issues confronting them, instead of
trying to find refuge in a bottle or by popping pills or shooting up.



-----

Not that I've had to deal with a drug addict personally (other than nicotine - and a sad story of a kid I used to coach who now has schizophrenia triggered by marijuana) ...
but I'd bet London to a brick that the average drug addict has been a nightmare to deal with (and probably always will be a worry at least) - probably ignored help from loved ones - taken years off everyone's life not just his or her own ....
everyone (including the addict) has been aware of where it was all heading for a long time ... but the addiction came first,

and a family just had to get used to the resultant suffering.

So, a habit typically progresses, with the development
of worsening relationships within the family uint, including verbal and
physical abuse, stealing, self-harm ... and the list goes on and on ...

... eventually, the addicted person will be expelled from the family
and as the support disappears, then the addict may become even
more dependent on drugs and so, they become even more alienated
from their loved ones .....

DRUGS DESTROY FAMILIES !~!

-----

Maybe some (including some sporting heroes) are more affected than others - maybe some control themselves better than others ...

In the end, suppose (again hypothetical) that a sporting hero or a rock star dies,
a) are they promoted to superhuman, sins forgiven? "wasn't he brilliant!" etc
or
b) are they shown to be merely human - in fact probably on the weak side of average, due to the fact that they yielded to temptation - albeit bigger temptation. - My guess is the latter. And then - so much for the hero image - it gets left in tatters you would think.

Western media is responsible for a lot of the hype and
sensationlaism, that surround our sporting heroes ... sports stars are
quite simply "fair game" for an unrelenting press gallery.

Sports heroes may be the very best in their own sports arena, but they
are still human and are susceptible to the same pressures in life, as the
rest of us.

To TEMPORARILY escape from the difficulties of living in the glare of the
media spotlight, some sporting heroes may resort to drugs, often with
the same results, that beset other heavy drug users .....

..... there's no difference between them and us, except for the media
hype broadcasting their plight, into every living room, in Australia.


-----

Or in the wider community, suppose a difficult drug addict dies - is there (in some cases at least) almost a sense of relief?

For some families, this is definitely the case ... especially,
where long-term users have never "admitted and owned" their addiction,
hence they would never admit, that they needed help to be released
from the addiction ... in fact, many addicts are HAPPY to remain in the
grip of addiction for their whole lives ... !~! In those cases, they will
either go to an early grave or put the families under enormous stress
and strain for very long periods.

-----

Do we just try to remember that person as "they used to be pre-drugs", - when we could unreservedly laugh with them, (and reason with them for that matter) - when we had their full attention, and they didn't look around occasionally for a "fix" - whether nicotine or ecstacy or whatever. When there was no competition for that person's attention from some monkey on his or her back.

For the most part, families are quite forgiving about the
transgressions, during the life of an addict who has passed on ... in fact,
they NEED to FORGIVE that person, in order to put aside old grudges
and put that part of their own lives behind them ..... otherwise, the
old grudges fester like internal sores and inhibit the spiritual growth
and health of the survivors ... !~!

-----

I was also curious about the management of a hypothetical sporting hero's image after a hypothetical drug related death. Slightly different point, but I recall someone in show biz in Vegas saying how difficult Elvis was to "manage" whilst he was alive (and frequently drug affected) -
and how easy he was to "manage" after he passed on.

"The difficult king is dead, long live the manageable king"

Unless the drugs are a dominating life issue, most of our
heroes are remembered for their performances in their own area of
achievement ... ie ... Elvis will ALWAYS be remembered for his music,
FIRST and his other idiosynchracies would take a back seat.

Similarly, Freddie Mercury will be remembered for some huge onstage
performances and music with Queen ... but, his exploits as a drug
user and homosexual are all but forgotten, already .....

..... it seems, that the good stuff triumphs in the longer-term, anyway ...

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Lucky said:

1. Some people just shouldn't take drugs. Some shouldn't drink. Some drugs are addictive. Some folk unfortunately have addictive personalities. ........
I think the other thing that you address is the cult of personality. That in itself is a whole other kettle of fish.

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surfingman said:

2. Realistically speaking its a huge problem that is admitting more people to psychiatric wards than any other cause, I did an assignment on a similar subject and Meth-amphetamine is the worst by far (Speed and Ice).

3. (= 1.) I don't believe dependency starts first time with everyone, Lucky hit the nail on the head: "Some folk unfortunately have addictive personalities. "

4. Very sad to see this happen (ive seen it with friends), but the best thing they can do is get help, unfortunately because these actions (drug use) are not legal and frowned upon by society, many are not keen to seek help.

5. Why do they do what they do? Usually because their friends or associates are doing it seems like the "thing to do", this mixed with the personality which is addictive only leads to heart ache.

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I would be eating an icecream and a tooth would fall out .
Every US family currently pays USD 1500 per year in taxes to combat illegal drug use .
"Meth sneaks in and spreads like a virus - with Meth there is more stealing , violence, domestic abuse" , Deberah Durkin, Missesota Dept of Health
etcetc

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where does drug dependence begin ?

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aaronphetamine said:

Drug dependence is in my eyes different for each person, whether it be in their genetics, family history, and social circumstances.

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aaronphetamine said:

.1. ..learning and personal experiences in chemistry including a favourite of mine - psychopharmacology.

2. I think drugs are an amazing thing, .....how 0.006mg of LSD will send you on the biggest ride of your life as you lose your grip of reality and ego and become one with the universe for what seems like a lifetime.

3. The media and government portray images that if you take an Ecstasy pill you WILL die and WRECK your life, and a line of cocaine WILL make u lose your job, and house. WRONG! .....not everyone is going to be addicted from them !

4. (how about) alcohol....

5. ....I personally have a fascination to how something can alter your mind so much, and what that does feel like.

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Trader Paul said:

Not necessarily 2020. Occassionally experimenting
with drugs does not guarantee, that you will become addicted.

There's many reasons for people to try drugs, once or twice, like: ... often it is escapism, that brings people back to drugs, time-after-time
and the more they use their chosen drug, the higher the dosage necessary
to achieve the same euphoric effect. That's when dependency may start
to become apparent and their habit, gradually becomes more expensive.

So, even though their lives may start to seriously detoriate, they have
now compounded their problems ... all of which may have been avoided,
if they had simply addressed the issues confronting them, instead of
trying to find refuge in a bottle or by popping pills or shooting up.

So, a habit typically progresses, with the development
of worsening relationships within the family uint, including verbal and
physical abuse, stealing, self-harm ... and the list goes on and on ...

... eventually, the addicted person will be expelled from the family
and as the support disappears, then the addict may become even
more dependent on drugs and so, they become even more alienated
from their loved ones .....

DRUGS DESTROY FAMILIES !~!

.........
To TEMPORARILY escape from the difficulties of living in the glare of the
media spotlight, some sporting heroes may resort to drugs, often with
the same results, that beset other heavy drug users .....

..... there's no difference between them and us, except for the media
hype broadcasting their plight, into every living room, in Australia.

.........many addicts are HAPPY to remain in the grip of addiction for their whole lives ... !~! In those cases, they will either go to an early grave or put the families under enormous stress and strain for very long periods.
............. in fact, they NEED to FORGIVE that person, in order to put aside old grudges and put that part of their own lives behind them ..... .......health of the survivors ... !~!

...... Elvis will ALWAYS be remembered for his music,
FIRST and his other idiosynchracies would take a back seat.

Many thanks for opening this can-o-worms, 2020 .....
have a great day , paul , (volunteer D&A counsellor)

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Lucky said:

I get annoyed at the hypocrisy that the media, government and the powers that be spew about the dangers of "illegal" drugs. A "legally" taxed drug like alcohol does far more damage to society, directly and indirectly, than all illegal drugs combined.

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