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Drugs Are Bad Yes?


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Well obviously they are. Everyone know's that even drug addicts-it just doesn't stop them. I live in London and I've basically had an urban upbringing and it seems to me that kids brought up in cities where everything is designed for adults seem to grow up a lot faster. Two years ago when I was 15 I went on a french exchange with a french girl who lived in the countryside. I lived with her and her family for two months and I noticed that most of the french countryside kids were a lot more pro-life NEVER TOOK DRUGS (one guy smoked and they all really looked down on him for it), we never drank, in the evenings we danced old fashioned style to rock'n'roll on the beach and the boys were gentlemanly and twirled you around etc. We only drank on the last night and it was two bottles of cider between a group of twenty kids. There was not a lot of sexual pressure, obviously within the group "jean-pierre" maybe had a crush on "amelie" and they would go for long walks on the beach alone but none of they guys were pushing to get in the girls pants. I'm sure this is not true of all french kids, I imagine the situation in say Paris is somewhat different and there is more pressure to take drugs, to have sex young etc.

 

My friend who has always been a nice girl told me today that she wouldn't mind trying cocaine or some E pills soon. I can't help but automatically look down on her for saying that. Why has it gotten to the point where taking drugs is not a big thing? Why am I the only person sitting on my moral pedestal? These days I go to parties and everyone is doing it and it makes me sad. But anyway this is a post to spark debate I guess. I would like to hear about your experiences, if you live in a rural area and know a lot of people (young people paticularly) who take drugs do tell. But it seems to me the common theme is that its young kids growing up in urban areas who are the most likely candidates for taking drugs and why is it that young people living in rural areas just dont seem to be into that stuff? Sorry to generalize but I think its quite an accurate generalization (although do tell me if i'm being totally ignorant).

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This day in age you can't really generalize the people who use drugs. They have become so "normal" and popular that everyone and their parents are doing it. I used to be big into ecstasy and then got into cocaine really bad. It's been a struggle for me, but if most people would see me they never would guess it because I don't fit the "Standard" or I don't look like someone who would have problems with drugs and I grew up in a rural part of my state where drugs were very hush hush when I was growing up.

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Well my personal opinion is that drugs should be legal. People are going to do them regardless. Judging them is not going to do anything at all. Drugs are not for everyone, and not all drugs are for all people. I have tried almost all of them, not heroin and not meth. You know what, they are kinda boring. Cocaine is a bore after 5 minutes. Ecstasy is alright, LSD was my fave, Almost went crazy on mushrooms, Smoked a crack laced joint when I was 15. NOT FUN.I have tried many pills and can honestly say those were the worst of all. Marijuana is my daily after work relaxer. Can I care if someone uses drugs? No, as long as they are not commiting crime to support their habit.

 

Are drugs for you? Maybe not. Its like alcohol some can handle it and some can not. Many countries I have noticed that let there citizens do drugs have less people in their prisons and a low population of drug users. Why? they are boring. Your friend might try E and not like it. Is one pill gonna ruin her life? Probably not. Will she enjoy Cocaine? Yeah the first time, but after that she will hate it. To each their own.

 

Its not fair to judge someone because they use drugs. Imagine if society made it popular to use. You would be socialized into thinking its acceptable, just like Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Pharmacuticals (which contain many opiates by the way). If you have an open mind you can take something away from drug use that is positive. I can say I dont regret any of the experiences I had. Why? There is no more curiosity. I know what I like and dont like. Only you can judge yourself and how you might react.

 

HAHA BTW Kids in Middle America are the most drugged out this side of the pond. They will do just about anything to get a buzz. Kids in the city have the best most designer drugs. Funny too since I lost alot of friends because they claim "I was drugged out" And now they are still living with mom and doing nothing at all. While I work a good job studying to be a designer. So whos who?

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I agree with Mythical. People do drugs for different reasons.

 

I grew up in Paris! No drugs ever though - none of my friends ever have. Vtually no one at school did ANY drugs. I heard of one person smoking pot once. There was smoking and drinking, but no more drinking than I have seen in the US, probably quite a bit less. It was more a product of my milieu - upper middle class catholic school, living in a nice residential neighborhood: there was also no sex until everyone graduates from high school, people get married young to their first bf/gf, etc ...

 

I went to school in a very rural part of France for a while and the crowd there was much faster than the one I hung out with in Paris. We were 10/11 - talking about sex, alcohol. Not sure what was talk and what people actually DID, but my sister went to the local middle school and there was definitely some crazy stuff going on there. I always attributed it to them being bored, as there wasn't a lot to do. It was also a public school vs. the private schools I attended in Paris.

 

Here at university there is a definitely a rich kid-Upper East Side or posh foreign city-cocaine group, but then it seems pot-smoking is more common among a less urban crowd. Seems hard to generalize.

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In some ways, I would agree that it is sad that youth culture has such an apathetic view towards the dangers of drugs.

 

However, there are of course opposing arguments - remember, the drugs question is just like abortion, euthanisia etc., people have their own views and you must respect them.

 

Why exactly are you so against recreational drugs? Do you feel knowledgable enough in the subject to actually argue that drugs are bad, full stop?

 

Governments have been lying about drugs for decades in attempts to stop people using them, and it has reached the extent where kids these days just don't believe anti-drug education anymore. Ever since ridiculous lies such as "the Ecstasy postcard" in the late 80s, whereby the government released diagrams of brain scans suggesting ecstasy users had huge holes in their brains, things have gone downhill. Then there were faulty studies concluding that a single dose of ecstasy use can cause Parkinson's disease - again, it was later retracted when other scientists stood up and said it was rubbish and based on faulty data. But lying is OK if it's gonna stop people taking drugs, right? Wrong. All it does is cause people to lose trust in what they are told. These kids don't believe anything anymore. And maybe if, one day, we can finally prove that MDMA use does indeed cause long term brain damage, do you think anyone will believe it after all the lies we've been fed?

 

I'm what you could call a "raver" and I know hundreds upon hundreds of people who take MDMA (ecstasy) regularly - they are all fantastic, intelligent people, great friends who I would never trade for the world. They use this drug to open their minds, to help them see things in a positive light, to remind each other that the most important thing in life is to treat others properly. They use this drug knowing that the risks of death, if used responsibly, are miniscule, far lower than binge drinking, lower than going for a drive, lower than eating a peanut.

 

And yet, people look down on these people because of this value of ignorance that the government tries to instill in all of us - that drugs are bad, they are dangerous, they ruin lives, FULL STOP.

 

Of course, many drugs are dangerous, many are responsible for ruining families and funding criminal organisations. However, people need to learn the differences between acceptable drug use and unacceptable drug use rather than striking it all off as an abomination.

 

You are entitled to your views, as is anyone. I always respect people's values, but I find it easiest to respect values which are not simply based on ignorance. If you feel drug users are bad people, because your mum told you that or because the government told you that or because you learnt it in school, then that is a value which I cannot respect.

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From my experience the kids living in the country tend to go wilder than the city kids who are more used to things and not so apt to go wild.

 

It's not that they're less likely to do it, but that they have a harder time getting it, and when you live in a smaller community you try harder at keeping things quieter.

 

French culture is different to UK culture, so the comparison is not applicable unless it is Fra vs UK.

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I'm what you could call a "raver" and I know hundreds upon hundreds of people who take MDMA (ecstasy) regularly - they are all fantastic, intelligent people, great friends who I would never trade for the world. They use this drug to open their minds, to help them see things in a positive light, to remind each other that the most important thing in life is to treat others properly. They use this drug knowing that the risks of death, if used responsibly, are miniscule, far lower than binge drinking, lower than going for a drive, lower than eating a peanut.

 

 

What exactly are the benefits of using illegal drugs?

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I can't help but automatically look down on her for saying that. Why has it gotten to the point where taking drugs is not a big thing? Why am I the only person sitting on my moral pedestal?

 

I personally have never gotten involved with someone knowing they were into drugs - on a friendship or otherwise basis. I do think using illegal drugs is a bad habit, I see no point to it, no benefits and many risks. On top of that, respect for laws and abiding by them is one my personal values.

 

On the flip side, many of my French friends got into cigarettes - almost all of them smoke now. I do disapprove of their habit and I really can't understand why they keep doing it, and most of them know I disapprove. It doesn't get in the way of our friendship though. I don't make comments when they smoke or try to pressure them into quitting. Although I don't respect that choice that they have made, I still love and respect them. Same for my US friends - a non-negligible number of them smoke pot occasionally. I don't participate and if they asked me my opinion I would tell them I disapprove, but I don't go around lecturing them or volunteering what I think.

 

It's ok to have values, and it's ok to choose who you want to be involved with on the basis of those values. I still think it's possible to look down on the choice a person has made and still value that person in some situations. In others, the choices that people make can completely change your opinion of them, and that's ok. You don't have to be friends with everyone! I wouldn't dump a friend who did E once, but if it became a regular thing, then we probably wouldn't have much in common.

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They use this drug to open their minds, to help them see things in a positive light, to remind each other that the most important thing in life is to treat others properly. They use this drug knowing that the risks of death, if used responsibly, are miniscule, far lower than binge drinking, lower than going for a drive, lower than eating a peanut.

 

Wow, pretty sad that they have to do drugs to be "positive" and "remind eachother that the most improtant thing in life is to treat others properly". If you need to take drugs to be positive then something is very wrong and I wonder how much of a "fantastic" person they really are.

 

To hell with drugs. And to hell with smoking.

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Wow, pretty sad that they have to do drugs to be "positive" and "remind eachother that the most improtant thing in life is to treat others properly". If you need to take drugs to be positive then something is very wrong and I wonder how much of a "fantastic" person they really are.

 

To hell with drugs. And to hell with smoking.

 

Just as sad as those who need coffee to get there lazy behinds out of bed to work? Or just as sad as someone who needs Xanax because they can't deal with stress? Or someone who needs a patch to stop smoking. Since when did taking something that helped you realise become sad?

 

 

" I read Harry Potter and it made me feel so good, the book chagned my life." Is that sad that someone read a book and it made them change their outlook a little? I think its the complete opposite of sad.

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Greater availability in urban areas, and worse living conditions so people turn to drugs more, perhaps. In rural areas near me, people might do drugs, but certainly nothing heavier than weed. I think a lot of people do still frown on drugs though. The people who think it's cool or who want to try it are in the minority, I would say.

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Just as sad as those who need coffee to get there lazy behinds out of bed to work? Or just as sad as someone who needs Xanax because they can't deal with stress? Or someone who needs a patch to stop smoking. Since when did taking something that helped you realise become sad?

 

Lol, drinking coffee to be awake and needing drugs to be positive and treat others properly is a HUGE difference, you can't even compare it. Treating others right and being positive is something that you should be able to do without drugs. And I wouldn't exactly call it sad to take medication to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks (xanax).

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Wow, pretty sad that they have to do drugs to be "positive" and "remind eachother that the most improtant thing in life is to treat others properly". If you need to take drugs to be positive then something is very wrong and I wonder how much of a "fantastic" person they really are.

 

To hell with drugs. And to hell with smoking.

I guess you must not be an alcohol-drinker then?

 

Pretty sad to think that someone would need alcohol to socialise, isn't it?

Good on you for being tee-total! After all, it's a more dangerous drug than ecstasy, so by not taking it you're staying healthy.

 

I find your spiteful response unsurprising and incredibly typical, but rather upsetting nonetheless. One of my exes asked a similar question, "why can't you just not take drugs? Why do you need to do them to have a good time?" The huge flaw with this question, and your view too, is that you are making the assumption that drug-taking is a NECESSITY. It isn't! Wanting and needing are very, very different concepts.

 

Firstly, MDMA is a social tonic, just like alcohol. It makes you feel more relaxed, more sociable, and in addition it allows you to connect with people more easily. It makes you talk to people you wouldn't normally talk to, and understand people you wouldn't normally understand - how can that be a bad thing? Surely it's only promoting unity and understanding, something that is apparently severely lacking in current society. Now, what you are saying is, "decent people should be able to avoid traits such as selfishness, shallowness, ignorance and pessimism without drugs," and you're absolutely right - but the harsh, undeniable reality is: very few people make that effort. So often do people mock those different to them without even bothering to understand their situation. If drugs are a way of encouraging a greater desire to understand, then I'm all for that.

 

It seems ridiculous that someone can be jailed for 14 years for taking something which harms no-one but themself. Is there any other sentence-worthy crime along those lines, where no-one else is affected? I know that, for example, a family man using heroin is affecting other people - his wife, his children etc., and I'm not saying that all drugs are GOOD. I'm just asking people to recognise that there is acceptable drug-taking and unacceptable drug-taking - it shouldn't all be taboo.

 

SWIM can safely say that MDMA has improved his life, while retaining a very minor active role in it. SWIM doesn't take it very often, and could actually never take it again and would still say it has improved his life. Because it has forced him into a way of thinking which he can carry over into sobriety and normal life. It's shown him what it's like to feel united, to be open and truly care about others. If you've recognised this without intoxicants, then congratulations, I saulte you. It doesn't mean you have to put others down who haven't.

 

SWIM is smart, happy, and ambitious - he's got a degree and is training to be a journalist and enjoying it very much. Drugs have only ever had a positive influence on his life. Hate him if you will, reject him, ignore him. Turn down the great influence SWIM could be in your life, as a friend or even a lover, merely because he takes drugs. As far as he's concerned, it's your loss.

 

 

 

 

(SWIM = Someone Who Isn't Me)

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Lol, drinking coffee to be awake and needing drugs to be positive and treat others properly is a HUGE difference, you can't even compare it. Treating others right and being positive is something that you should be able to do without drugs. And I wouldn't exactly call it sad to take medication to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks (xanax).

I may have communicated things in a bad way; I didn't mean it in black and white, that these people were selfish and negative without MDMA and now they've become nice and positive.

 

I'm just saying that it generally PROMOTES good traits and SUPRESSES bad ones, and not even just during the period the drug is active - people generally carry the experience into their life from that point on, even years after ceasing use. Traits such as selfishness, shallowness, superficiality, pessimism etc. are probably in all of us to some degree, even if it's just at a small dose. Maybe you're perfect, but I know I'm not. But I truly believe that experiencing a drug such as MDMA helps to iron out those negative traits, and as far as I'm concerned that is a good thing. How is it a bad thing?

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Lol, drinking coffee to be awake and needing drugs to be positive and treat others properly is a HUGE difference, you can't even compare it. Treating others right and being positive is something that you should be able to do without drugs. And I wouldn't exactly call it sad to take medication to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks (xanax).

 

Really? caffine IS a drug, and people "Need" it they claim on a daily basis. She did not say people needed drugs to see these things. It helped change their outlook. If you have never done drugs I don't expect you to understand. "Medications" are still a drugs. So if I smoked Marijuana to curb my anxiety instead of xanax because I have a bad liver, am I sad? Im only questioning because non users are so bias sometimes. Drinking alcohol and popping opiates all day because the govenment says these are "Perscribed" is not very different. Where do you draw the line? If you doctor said "heres Cocaine to help your anxiety, studies have shown it helps." Would you change you opinion? Sad is a poor choice of words I feel. I could undertsand if one had a dependence on drugs, yeah thats sad, but exploration is natural. My opinion.

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She did not say people needed drugs to see these things. It helped change their outlook. If you have never done drugs I don't expect you to understand.

Bingo! That is the crux of where this person has misinterpreted me. All I'm saying is that the drug promotes good traits, not that it is required for these traits to be exercised.

 

I realise I'm probably going off-topic, but I just feel really strongly about this. People these days have such a blind, ignorant belief in science that they are willing to ignore the evidence right in front of their faces. If someone reads in the news that "ecstasy causes Parkinson's disease", they will instantly think it's a dangerous drug, despite the fact that there are millions of ecstasy users in the world and no-one has developed Parkinson's disease and had it linked directly to ecstasy use. And the other thing that saddens me is that so many people use alcohol as a social tonic and think that's absolutely fine, and yet will disown anyone who uses drugs (even less dangerous ones) for the same reason. WHY?!

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I'm not going to argue about this with you guys. You're obviously all for drugs and I'm against them so there's nothing to discuss. If you want to take them to be a better person, then fine go ahead and do that.

 

At least I value my health and I am not willing to put my health at risk for something that is supposed to make me be more "open" "sociable" "understanding" yadda yadda.

 

"Robbery and violence are connected with the drug consume. Drug consumers often appeal to delinquency or prostitution to satisfy their vice. A person addicted to cocaine needs about $ 1,000 weekly to pay for the drugs! Rival bands fight and kill to keep control of drug distribution. In many cities, drugs are the main cause involved in homicide."

 

"Drugs are also connected with disunited families. Addicted parents can seldom offer a stable family life to their children. The link parent-child may even be destroyed. Drug addicted parents often get indebted, steal from friends or family or lose their job. Many of these children run away from home living on the streets and the probability of them becoming addicts in their turn is quite high. "

 

"The drug consume can lead to physical abuse on the partner and children. Cocaine, especially when mixed with alcohol, can induce a violent behavior even on persons that are normally calm and quiet. 17% of the drug consumers become aggressive after taking the drug. 73 % of the children beaten to death in New York had drug addicted parents. In African countries experiencing civil wars, drugged teen soldiers committed horrible crimes."

 

... But yeah, drugs are good, everyone should be taking them!

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Lionel and pryda:

 

What about the fact that drugs are illegal? Do you not place a value on following the laws of the country you live in?

 

What about drug testing at work?

How do you feel dealing with drug dealers?

Do you have children? What if you had children?

 

It makes a big difference to me that alcohol is legal and drugs are not. Also makes a big difference that alcohol in moderation is proven to be physiologically beneficial.

 

As for medicine, those "drugs" - no one would make fun of anyone taking blood pressure medicine. To me anti-anxiety drugs and anti-depressants are the same thing. I would absolutely take marijuana tablets if they were prescribed to me by my doctor.

 

I think the "social lubricant" is a bad argument - if people are really serious about empathizing with others there are plenty of other tools available. I would not take someone else's empathy seriously if it was only based on the uncontrollable effects of drugs rather than an actual understanding of others and feelings of empathy based on FACT and REASONING.

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At least I value my health and I am not willing to put my health at risk for something that is supposed to make me be more "open" "sociable" "understanding" yadda yadda.

Do you not drink alcohol then?

It's more of a health risk than ecstasy - someone above me just posted a link supporting that.

 

I value my health too!

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Do you not drink alcohol then?

It's more of a health risk than ecstasy - someone above me just posted a link supporting that.

 

I value my health too!

 

Yeah, I drink alcohol, rarely though. Only at social gatherings. Don't know what that has to do with anything.

 

Also I would like to know what you say about the statements of my last post?

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It makes a big difference to me that alcohol is legal and drugs are not. Also makes a big difference that alcohol in moderation is proven to be physiologically beneficial.

Cannabis is physiologically beneficial to those with AIDS or appetite issues or anxiety issues.

MDMA is psychologically beneficial to those who have been raped or have severe anxiety.

 

Yes, the law does matter - but it's also incredibly unjust. Think about the things many people get jailed for; murder, theft, etc. These are all crimes which affect other people. Taking ecstasy once every couple of months affects no-one except the user, and even then, it probably doesn't affect them much in terms of health risk. Do they deserve 14 years for possession of something like this? If you think so, then why?

 

And sophie, as I said, the effects of MDMA are not restricted to that drug being in action. It's not false and superficial, or "uncontrollable". I see it as UNLOCKING a way of thinking which can then be used during sobriety. Many people see this drug as something which has made them a better person, even long after they have stopped using it. Do you think that is not feasible? If not, why?

 

Generally it is accepted that if alcohol had been discovered today, it would be illegal. It is dangerous, it causes vast amounts of crime, violence, domestic issues etc. It's more dangerous than cannabis or MDMA, I don't see how that can possibly be disputed. Just because it's legal it must be OK? That's a poorer argument than any you're accusing us of making.

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Yeah, I drink alcohol, rarely though. Only at social gatherings. Don't know what that has to do with anything.

 

Also I would like to know what you say about the statements of my last post?

I also use drugs only rarely, only in social situations.

What's the difference? You're talking about health, but it's not any more dangerous. Alcohol causes liver damage, kills brain cells and can lead to cardiovascular problems.

 

As I've said countless times in this thread, I'm NOT saying all drugs are good. I read about what you're saying about the effect on families - yes, this is all true. But I don't have any kids, I'm just a student. My drugtaking affects no-one.

 

Again, there are two types of drug taking - acceptable and unacceptable. Using drugs when you have a family to raise, that's not acceptable. Using drugs recreationally when you're young, fit and are not responsible for children, I think that's acceptable and struggle to find reasons why it isn't.

 

That's all I'm saying.

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