Freedomain Radio

Off and on, I smoked 1-2 cigarettes a day from my mid 20s to my mid 30s, quit 5 years ago. It was hard to quit until I just didn't want to smoke any more, then it was embarrassingly easy.

I have about a drink a week.

Never used any pot, mushrooms or harder drugs.

I smoked pot for 14 years up until October of last year, I was using it for the sake of my emotional well being. As I continued down this road of growth and finding personal freedom and happiness I discovered that it was actually in the way of my emotional well being.   It might have served it's purpose until this point, I'm not sure.  Who knows what else I would have exploited to manage my anxiety had I not used pot, given my lack of knowledge in the area of psychology especially in regards to the approach taken in this conversation.

LSD - ~15 times around age 20 

Cocaine - ~ 6 times, mostly around the age of 20 or 21

Extasy - 3 times around 20

I think that's all.  Age 20 seems to have been the key age where I had done a lot of experimenting.

 

Alcohol: I drink a nice high quality beer about once a day with my dinner, has the same positive antioxidant effects as a glass of red wine.

I like to have a glass of red wine with my steak whenever I eat steak.

Margaritas, I love them, once a week to twice a month I'll have one or two with a tex-mex meal at Cafe Adobe.

 

I used pot heavily for I'd say 6 years. I stoped for close to a year. For the last 2 years or so I use it occasionally with friends. I did not find it hard to stop, since I was motivated by finacial strain.

Did mushrooms a handfull of times.

Never smoked cigs. Never did anything 'hard'

Drank heavily for a short time in high scool, but I do not like the toilet hugging and I am fairly susseptible to it, so I'm a 1-2 beer guy now, unless I'm camping, then I'll get a little more of a buzz on.

johnsmith:

JW, who here has used/abused drugs in the past?

I have used and abused alcohol, tobacco,  marijuana, lsd and pcp

I have found all these habits (except tobacco) to be pretty easy to get rid of

are there others who have had a harder time? 

just wondering if i am alone

* Smoking:

     > Cigarettes - Never

     > Cigars - very, very rarely (once or twice a year)

     > Marijuana - Never

     > Other - Never

* Injested Substances:

     > Alcohol:

          * Beer: Once every 3 months, or so (with certain kinds of meals).

          * Wine: Once or Twice a year (special occasions, mostly).

      > OTC Drugs - Tylenol, once every 2-3 months (headaches).

     > Prescription Drugs - Last prescription, 1997 (Pain killer, after gall-bladder surgery)

     > Other Mood-Altering Drugs / Illegals - Never

 

I have never been addicted to any chemical substance, although I have consumed alcohol to the point of vomiting twice in my life.  Once, at my brother Tom's wedding, and once at a friend's wedding (we're no longer friends). I don't think I'm capable of blacking out from alcohol, based on those two experiences. I was conscious (though hardly coherent) throughout.

 

Well, I have had a lot of drug & alcohol use/abuse in my years, most before the age of 23.  I'm now 28.

Growing up in Vegas, I started smoking ciggies when I was 12, by 13 I was smoking 1.5-2 packs per day.  I quit for my 21st BDay.  "Friends" challengingly said that I couldn't quit, so I handed them the 2 packs I had left & never looked back.  Since then I've probably had a total of 12 cigs at various times while I was drinking.

I started smoking pot when I was 12, was a serious smoker - multiple times per day/all day till about age 23.

I experimented with cocaine, meth, PCP, herion, LSD, Shrooms,  ecstasy, barbiturates, mescaline, etc., etc. all by the age of 15-16. 

I frequently used LSD from ages 14-18 or so, when I had a "bad trip" -> gave it up, trying it only 1-3 more times. 

I was a daily user of coca & X till around age 22, when I moved away from Louisville & the big party scene I was involved in there.  

Giving up those drugs was easy for me psychologically: with the temptation of parties/raves/dance clubs gone, I had no desire.  Though I did seem to be physically dependent, I went through periods of abdominal cramping, sweats, & headaches, etc.

& then there was the booze...  I first became drunk around age 11 or so.  My first blackout was around age 15.  I developed bleeding ulcers (I think they identified 6, can't recall) by age 17 or so.  I often (read: near daily) drank to excess.  I quit & have been sober since Oct. 13th, 2005. 

Quitting drinking has probably been the most challenging thing that I have done in my life.  It is still in my thoughts, especially in times of great stress.

There ya have it...

So long as there's herb, i don't need drugs.

johnsmith:

is herb not filled with the drug THC?

Yeah, I've heard this sentiment from many who like to think that marijuana is not a drug... 

Why is that, hippy?  How were you feeling when you responded?

laura.soltesz:

johnsmith:

is herb not filled with the drug THC?

Yeah, I've heard this sentiment from many who like to think that marijuana is not a drug... 

Why is that, hippy?  How were you feeling when you responded?

I used to think the same thing, however when you start applying drug to anything that changes your brain chemistry and state of mind, then you end up with applying it to things like tea, coffee, chocolate or anything with cane sugar, etc...  Sugar makes me high for a moment then completely drains every ounce of energy I have left and I want to sleep.  So to me that's like a drug that makes me feel really good then makes me sleep.

Pot helps me cope with my place in yuppydom.  It's enabled me to endure spiritually miserable industries, such as mercantilist finance, defense contracting, federal science labs, even law enforcement tool development.  I couldn't imagine the spiritual death of law school (i start this fall) and lawyering without a crutch.  How do y'all cope?

A few years ago an ambition emerged within me:  i want to be a weed coffeeshop owner.  I want to be a dope dealer who makes folks happy and tranquil.  I want to offer the most relaxing chill pad in town.  I want folks lining up to get high.  I can make a difference, if democracy would just give me a chance.

hippy:

Pot helps me cope with my place in yuppydom.  It's enabled me to endure spiritually miserable industries, such as mercantilist finance, defense contracting, federal science labs, even law enforcement technology development.  How do you cope?

A few years ago an ambition emerged within me:  i want to be a weed coffeeshop owner.  I want to be a dope dealer who makes folks happy and tranquil.  I want to offer the most relaxing chill pad in town.  I can make a difference, if democracy would just give me a chance.

If I have to "cope" with something it usually means that I am trying to suppress my emotions, and the suppression of my emotions usually means I am ignoring something that is against my values and against myself.  Of course sometimes you have to temporarily suppress an emotion to survive the moment (such as when you were a child) because in that moment living your values would bring you harm, but as an adult those times are few and far between compared to the times when you have the opportunity to live your values.  Since I cut alcohol and smoking out of my life, I have found that I can no longer avoid my emotions.  Now instead of beating my emotions down, I listen to what my emotions are telling me and I am trying my best to live by values based on the understanding I am beginning to achieve by finally listening to myself.  I used drugs to delay this process, because I knew the process of introspection was an extremely painful one.  From proof I have seen in others and the progress I have made so far, I think happiness and tranquility can only truly be achieved through discovering who you really are, by understanding and embracing your emotions, and resulting in truly living your life freely.  What do you think?

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I've never done any hard drugs, and was not terribly tempted as a teen to do drugs. I have smoked or baked marijuana perhaps 12-15 times, although I found after a few experiences that other stoned people are generally annoying as hell, so I mostly did it alone.

I don't mind the odd beer, although I never saw the appeal in getting drunk to excess, so that made for a rather grim social life as an engineering student.

I used to indulge in good red wine when I was running my own business, although I can't afford that any more.

By far the worst drugs I have done are the variety of anti-depressants I was on. Those things were shocking, and the withdrawl symptoms were excruciating. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. 

Rich:

Now instead of beating my emotions down, I listen to what my emotions are telling me and I am trying my best to live by values based on the understanding I am beginning to achieve by finally listening to myself.  I used drugs to delay this process, because I knew the process of introspection was an extremely painful one.

It wouldn't surprise or disappoint me if i'm less emotionally mature than most folks in this thread.  I've made it a point not to mature emotionally beyond what the market demands or can bear.  I agree with jung, that there's no psychological growth without pain.  And i believe in preventing unecessary pain.

When i think of globalizing dutch coffeeshops, i think of myself planting a seed of hope.  It's all ego.  Ego and frustration are inseparable, for now.  If i can survive as a wage slave till retirement, i may be allowed to own a coffeeshop.  I would lobby so that only retirees could own reefer shops, and also to lower the legal age of adulthood.  This of course presumes social progress, perhaps only a fantasy in my lifetime.  Retirement is my horizon.  Democracy and i decide my fate.

If the day comes, i plan to approach starbucks as a partner.  I'm curious if traditional starbucks shops would outperform mine.  I see amsterdam's profit.  Of course they can pick the name, but i'm suggesting "starbucks dope".

I often ponder shop names:

• Shady Dealer
• Safari Lounge
• American Dream
• Udopia
• Half Baked!
• Hippy Crack