"Drugs aren't the problem."

rory420420

Well-Known Member
i don't like the "its the user, not the drug" because i think it really is a combination of both. i do agree with you, if someone wants to quit then they very well can. however, the damage done during the time it takes for an addict to get it together and get clean remains. a lot of people out there lost all their possessions, family, friends, and no matter what they do they won't ever get those things back. sure, everyone has what it takes to quit, but the fact remains that these substances are addictive enough to cause serious damage in people's lives. sometimes irreversible damage. if these drugs are on par with cigarettes, just think about how long it takes some people to quit smoking. some people fight that battle their whole lives. if it were heroin instead of cigarettes, those people would have destroyed their entire lives or died too young.
Trust me,I'm not playing devils advocate,even users of heroin and such drugs know its not good to use them,and they can turn peoples lives inside out,but users let the drugs do so...
I used to chew up 15x 10 mg lortabs to get well in the morning...stopped..no opiates for @10 years then I got a tooth pulled.. 8 x 10mg lortabs the doc gives me..ate em all in ten hours,and not any since.
Self-control starts with ' self'and no one is their self on drugs..proof is pavlovian response to ex addicts watching video of a shit being cooked...
I agree and don't equally.. I think you may as well..
Either way..drugs that let a rational person behave irrationally are bad..but the drug didn't
i can, i did. regardless, i agree with most of what this article contains.
And to an extent I do as well..
But im a realist even in hypothetical situations...some can drink a drink,or have a casual cigarette,or play angry birds every once in a while.for others these things consume every moment of their lives...
Same with drugs..I know people,myself included, who could do a number of drugs and it be recreational.. Few lines of coke for some guy,at his birthday,and none again for 2 years..I also know people who would do a bump,and turn around and mug you for more...
Again..different people,same drug..
I'm sure glad you got wise with shit and had the will and knowledge to get over it...you're one of the few with will power to a degree;it seems you got your head on as well now...I was in your same mindframe,and thought I would never do any substance again other than L and herb,as I "know myself,and I'll be right back to fucking up,even just a recreational taste will send me outta control.." But quickly realized eating L and smoking,I could control the intake of other drugs,as L makes me think,strengthens my mind,and I realized if man makes,man can break..so nothing man made could control me I figured..so I tested myself..did a bump of k..didn't go nuts..then 3 weeks later,similar incident..still fine..then nothing for a looong time,just because..idk why..but I proved to myself I had grounding,and that I can control myself,and rationalized I'm cutting myself short and missing some added glow to life..I can accentuate an evening of boating with a line of coke or if I chose a pill of sorts..but still back to sober and normal and not chasing things...not trying to talk ya into old habits,just talking to get to my point...
Now in my later years of drug consumption,none of these drugs interest me ..sure I think about how a line or shot or whatever might elevate the evening,make dinner more casual with a friend,but my mind goes to the recovery hangover,or nosebleeds,then my rational coincides with my true lack of no interest in the buzz these things offer,and I figure I'd rather have 8 hrs of gardening tomorrow instead of sleep in or feel irritable.also stereotypes..no one wants to have people know they do hard drugs,that's why they go to the bathroom:-).
.my real addiction,I'd sell plasma so I could grow pot:-)
Wow.story time over:-)
 

MrEDuck

Well-Known Member
Thanks for sharing. Carl Hart is one of the few addiction researchers I actually have respect for. The standard model is extremely well entrenched despite numerous flaws obvious to anyone who gives it even moderate scrutiny.
 

DMTER

Well-Known Member
i agree with his views on drug policy and education but most people who actually do have experience selling drugs, especially hard drugs, would disagree with him about the addictive properties of these substances. drugs like heroin, crack, meth; do not have a relatively small percentage of addicted users.
I hear what your layin down...to bad it ain't crystal ;) Have you seen his studies with rats though it will give a new picture of drug addiction...he's got a great interview on npr where he talks about some of his studies...

Basically boils down to get a rat hooked on heroin them give the rat a chance to do heroin or something productive...like a job to do or whatever...and the rats pick living a fullfilled life over the drugs...he gets into the socio-economic aspects and it really hits home a refreshing take on drug addiction and the potential to greatly diminish it in our communities...
 
Physically yes...but no more than cigarettes.. I've found in my time that very few people have will power or determination like they think...my buddy proves it by taking nasty bitches home all the time..he gets drunk,lonely,and wants that love but can't say no even when its bad for him,cause he talks himself into it..its easy to do...
Heroin addicts,even easier to fall back on..sickness is talking to you..but if you REALLY WANT TO QUIT ANYTHING THEN YOU HAVE TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND AND QUIT.
drugs don't addict people,peoples mindsets do.
I'm proof..no n.a.,no Jesus,no rehab,no a.a.,no medication...quit a dime a day dope habit,meth,coke,never smoked rock, but..and in the past 2 years alcohol..I was drinking liquor at coffee time!
So..if my slack hippy as can get motivated,it seems to me I did the motivating for myself,not anyone or thing else helped neither.. If I did it,I say even more so,
Its the user,not the drug:-)
Hеrоіn іtsеlf ехhіbіts rеlаtіvеlу lоw аffіnіtу fоr thе μ rесерtоr. Hеrоіn сrеаtеs а lаrgеr hіstаmіnе rеlеаsе, sіmіlаr tо mоrрhіnе, rеsultіng іn thе fееlіng оf а grеаtеr subјесtіvе “bоdу hіgh” tо sоmе, but аlsо іnstаnсеs оf рrurіtus (іtсhіng) whеn thеу fіrst stаrt usіng.Whаtеvеr thе rеаsоns, оnсе hеrоіn аddісtіоn tаkеs hоld, іt саn оvеrwhеlm а реrsоn’s lіfе аnd dеstrоу еvеrуthіng thеу hоld dеаr.Тhе еffесts оf hеrоіn аrе muсh mоrе dеsіrаblе thаn сосаіnе, аnd whеn gіvеn а сhоісе, mоst drug usеrs wіll сhооsе thе hеrоіn.
 

DrUgZrBaD

Well-Known Member
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/drugs-aren-t-the-problem-says-addictions-expert-dr-carl-hart-1.3101538

Before he became a renowned neuroscientist and drug abuse specialist, Dr. Carl Hart dabbled in selling and using drugs while growing up in Miami.

Hart said the overwhelming majority of drugs users don't have a drug problem, and he's advocating for governments to change their approach.

"The first thing I would do," said Hart, a medical doctor and associate professor of psychology at Columbia University, "I would make sure that we stop arresting people."

Drugs are often used as a scapegoat for other problems such as poverty and crime, said Hart, adding that drugs are not as addictive as we have been told.

Hart said the vast majority of people who use drugs like crack cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine are not addicted and are able to go to work, pay taxes, bills, and take care of their families.

"When you have this relatively small percentage of users becoming addicted, it tells you that it's not the drug itself. The people who we see — for example on [East] Hastings — The reason why they are there, it varies. If we really want to know we'd have to give them individual assessments."

"You could disrupt drug taking behaviour if you had a careful understanding of what was motivating [it]," said Hart.

"Sometimes people have trauma or co-occurring psychiatric disorders that you have to treat. Other times they're just destitute."

Hart said public policy needs to shift focus toward treating people's real reasons for their drug addiction, and that may involve better mental health services or economic opportunities.

Instead of the U.S.'s war on drugs, Hart would rather see his country adopt drug policies similar to those in Portugal and the Czech Republic, where all drugs have been decriminalized, and arrests have been replaced with citations similar to traffic violations.

Hart also said we need to change the way we educate people about drugs.

"Stop exaggerating the harmful effects of drugs, and teach people how to be safe with drugs. Teach people how not to overindulge, just like we do with alcohol."

Trust me,I'm not playing devils advocate,even users of heroin and such drugs know its not good to use them,and they can turn peoples lives inside out,but users let the drugs do so...
I used to chew up 15x 10 mg lortabs to get well in the morning...stopped..no opiates for @10 years then I got a tooth pulled.. 8 x 10mg lortabs the doc gives me..ate em all in ten hours,and not any since.
Self-control starts with ' self'and no one is their self on drugs..proof is pavlovian response to ex addicts watching video of a shit being cooked...
I agree and don't equally.. I think you may as well..
Either way..drugs that let a rational person behave irrationally are bad..but the drug didn't

And to an extent I do as well..
But im a realist even in hypothetical situations...some can drink a drink,or have a casual cigarette,or play angry birds every once in a while.for others these things consume every moment of their lives...
Same with drugs..I know people,myself included, who could do a number of drugs and it be recreational.. Few lines of coke for some guy,at his birthday,and none again for 2 years..I also know people who would do a bump,and turn around and mug you for more...
Again..different people,same drug..
I'm sure glad you got wise with shit and had the will and knowledge to get over it...you're one of the few with will power to a degree;it seems you got your head on as well now...I was in your same mindframe,and thought I would never do any substance again other than L and herb,as I "know myself,and I'll be right back to fucking up,even just a recreational taste will send me outta control.." But quickly realized eating L and smoking,I could control the intake of other drugs,as L makes me think,strengthens my mind,and I realized if man makes,man can break..so nothing man made could control me I figured..so I tested myself..did a bump of k..didn't go nuts..then 3 weeks later,similar incident..still fine..then nothing for a looong time,just because..idk why..but I proved to myself I had grounding,and that I can control myself,and rationalized I'm cutting myself short and missing some added glow to life..I can accentuate an evening of boating with a line of coke or if I chose a pill of sorts..but still back to sober and normal and not chasing things...not trying to talk ya into old habits,just talking to get to my point...
Now in my later years of drug consumption,none of these drugs interest me ..sure I think about how a line or shot or whatever might elevate the evening,make dinner more casual with a friend,but my mind goes to the recovery hangover,or nosebleeds,then my rational coincides with my true lack of no interest in the buzz these things offer,and I figure I'd rather have 8 hrs of gardening tomorrow instead of sleep in or feel irritable.also stereotypes..no one wants to have people know they do hard drugs,that's why they go to the bathroom:-).
.my real addiction,I'd sell plasma so I could grow pot:-)
Wow.story time over:-)


I don’t agree with that guy saying people who do dhard drugs aren’t addicted, they’ve learned how to hide and control it. They don’t want people knowing , but then there’s people like me and I’ve tried almost everything and there the one I like And when I was doing it I could never shut it down I’d go 3-7 days at a time, I never stole or did shady shit for it, but I could do others and never think about it, the one was from the first time trying.
 
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