Curious: Why do people take mind-altering drugs?

[WritingIsMyReligion]

The death of Syd Barrett's got me thinking. Syd was an infamous, constantly-tripped guy with probable severe mental illness, which the drugs, at the very least, did not help--and probably hurt. Wikipedia says that David Gilmour had a theory that the strobe lights on tour may have combined with whatever narcotic Syd was on at the time to do serious brain damage, especially if Syd was photo-epileptic.

So I'm wondering: Why in all's name do people do this stuff? Why do people start snorting cocaine, injecting themselves with heroin, taking meth, taking LSD? Why do people even do the so-called "safer" drugs i.e. marijuana? Is it fun? Is it a release from "real life" problems that people use for "self-medication," like some people use alcohol? Does it start out with curiosity and end up with addiction? Is it some combination of the above?

I don't mean to be overly critical or nasty towards the recreational drug users here on DU, and I know there are quite a few, but I just. don't. get. it. Is it for the so-called "enlightenment" of a drug trip?? Is it to prove what a "bad-ass" someone can be? What a rebel someone can be? Is there any logic to it?

:shrug:

[RedStateShame]

1. Quick reminder

Syd Barrett: Lotsa drugs: Strange, crazy, great music.
David Gilimour: Moderate drugs, at best: Dull shit.

Brian Wilson: WHOOOOLE lotta drugs: "Pet Sounds," "Smile," etc.
Mike Love: Moderate drugs, at best: "Kokomo."

[WritingIsMyReligion]

2. Yeah, and Bird and Bill Evans and other jazzers were way loaded up.

The music is great, but I just don't get it. You don't need mind-altering substances to produce great stuff--to write, to paint, to play. They probably help, in some twisted way, but you don't need them.

[JVS]

3. It all began when I saw the cool kids out by the dumpster...

;-)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

4. LOL.

So stereotypical!

:)

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

6. It all started when I got that first professional theatre job in HS...

[JVS]

7. It all started when I was at the bar drinking some beers and a friend...

said "Who wants to try something that will get you real fucked up?" I was totally in!

[Phillycat]

5. I can tell you why *I* took mind-altering drugs, anyway.

I drank and took drugs so I didn't have to feel. There is a host of personality traits or dysfunctions that go along with being an addict, that all addicts share, and that have nothing to do with alcohol or drugs. Stuff like: being a perfectionist, being over-sensitive, having an inferiority complex, being a narcissist, being impatient, being stubborn...all these traits are addict traits (there are many more). These traits combine in such a way that when we addicts introduce a substance into our bodies that allows us to feel relief from the prison of our own minds, we want more. Up to and including the point of death.

I can tell you why I stopped taking alcohol and drugs too: I was going to die. That's the only reason I would have stopped.

Hope that gives you some insight. :shrug:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

I know that is a huge reason why.

It's astounding how people really lose themselves in this. I may hate myself somedays, but I just remember people like Syd, like Bird--I have no desire whatsoever to, say, spend time at a place like Camarillo, to spend money and whatnot on drugs. Other people may do as they please, but I'm not going to touch any mind-altering substance, especially considering the number of alcoholics and whatnot in my family history.

[Phillycat]

14. Well, that's good.

I think addicts are born, not made (although environment can certainly add to an addiction problem). You may just not have the gene for it.

I'll tell you this, just for your information: I know a ton of people in AA who were like you as teenagers - were so scared by their family history that they swore they would never touch the stuff - and then started drinking in college or whatever and went downhill fast. So it's tough to remember when you're young that you may not always have the convictions you thought you would. Then again, many people know themselves quite well as teenagers and don't waver in their beliefs. So just keep reminding yourself what is important. :)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

19. Will do.

:thumbsup:

[jobycom]

52. I swore that as a teen after watching my brothers lose their minds

I'm 41. Never been high, never been drunk. I drink, but not to get drunk, and I've never touched any recreational drug. So some people keep that promise.

I've never been really against it all, except for myself. One of my brothers is schizophrenic, and the drug use was a form of self-medication before he was diagnoses. The other was a complete sociopath, and maybe he was medicating himself, too, I don't know. It eventually killed him, and the world was made a better place for it.

But like WIMR, I don't get it, either. I get people doing it because they have some serious mental imbalance or some horrible past to forget. I don't get people who do it for fun.

[taterguy]

8. because they work

Not an original thought, I heard Timothy Leary say it. Personally I've always been too afraid of what I'd find out in the dark recesses of my mind to ever try LSD, but I have no problem with others who do, as long as they're reasonably safe about it. Of course I'm typing this while drinking beer and smoking cigarettes, two mind altering substances that are accepted by the government.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

9. I know. Isn't that astounding?

Alcohol and tobacco= a-okay. MJ and co= illegal.

[taterguy]

21. not astounding at all

Marijuana can be grown by anybody and big bizness doesn't like the little man being able to control the means of production

[HughBeaumont]

45. Cigarettes = very addictive = tons of repeat business.

Marijuana = not addictive = repeat business, but not as much repeat business.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

17. Hell, I still think ALL drugs should be legal

[Taverner]

31. I agree

Even Cocaine and Heroin.

Tax the shit out of them, and fund treatment centers with the cash.

Hypocritical? No. That's exactly what we do with Tobacco

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

34. The crime rate would go down too.

Less fights over drugs, and less drug busts, which results in less people in prison. In the end, it would save you and I a goddamn fortune in tax money.

[Taverner]

35. Yep

But the war on drugs isn't about money, or morality.

ITs about a bloated government infrastructure that won't budge.

Damn, I sound like a Libertarian

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

40. Lol, _I'M_ supposed to sound like the Libertarian

according to political compass, I'm actually a Libertarian Anarchist. There are social issues I seriously agree with Democrats about, but as far as economics goes, I'm more Libertarian. Not a drop of Republican in me though :)

[Ariana Celeste]

10. Lemme tell you- I have never felt so at peace

With myself, everyone around me, everything around me, as when I was on acid. I was taking part ina whole new level of understanding, and my friends were on the same wavelength. I've never had a more beautiful experience than the first time I tripped with good friends.

I enjoy drugs, they open my mind to whole new worlds and new ways of thinking. If a drug doesn't do that for me, I won't take it more than a couple of times.

The reasons are different for everyone... and often with one person the reasons are different relative to which drug.

I often drink when I'm stressed or depressed, to escape. But I don't take other drugs to escape.


:hi:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

16. Aren't you totally afraid of becoming hooked?

I would be.

:scared:

[Ariana Celeste]

24. Not really, not anymore

I was when I first started experimenting... there are 3 drugs that I could see myself getting addicted to.

a) Cocaine. I stopped doing it for that very reason- I liked it waaaay too much.

b) Meth. The fact that I kept wanting to take another hit, even though it was making me sick- just because it feels pretty f'in good before it makes ya sick- I figured I should just stop. Besides which after the 6th or 7th little binge I went through, I realized that every time I took it after the first time, it didn't feel as good.

c) Opium- not it's derivatives, just straight up Opium. It tastes and smells like flowers, and is just sweet bliss. Opium is very hard to come across in my area, and I would never want to lose that sweet bliss~ and it becomes lost if you smoke it too often.

I've come to find that I have pretty good willpower. So it's not really an issue for me. :).

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

26. Acid is not addictive.

Granted Syd Barrett did amazing quantities of acid, but it's not actually an addictive drug.

[Ariana Celeste]

27. Exactly

Now if only it were easier to come across around here... ;) :hi:

[jus_the_facts]

53. The one time I got to do some really good LSD.....

...I was with two of my best friends at the time and it was amazing how we all three were trippin' on the same auditory hallucination after watchin' The Wall...we couldn't watch or listen to anything else after that...and I said I kept hearin' the..."fly to...fly to...fly to"...echoin' from the song 'Hey You' and they both said they did too...we all did only half a hit apiece and they said it was the best they'd ever done before...since I'd never done any I didn't know what to expect but enjoyed it and have fond memories I'll never forget for as long as I live from that experience...I tried to find some once more but couldn't and have never done it again...did some shrooms a few times and had great trips on them...but now they're not potent here for some reason...and they tended to make me feel sick too so they were never any problem as far as addiction....used to drink a lot too but now can hardly drink at all because the "hangover's hurt more than they used too..." to quote the song 'Family Tradition' which it most definitely was. :hi:

Honestly though my main addiction is to SUGAR...can't seem to ever not crave my Sprites and Creme Soda..couldn't enjoy my coffee(caffine) without sugar and creme...or my Marlboro's either...and I still smoke MJ when I can find and afford it. :smoke:

[supernova]

11. You said a large part of it

a release from "real life" problems that people use for "self-medication," like some people use alcohol?

Some people have issues that are so painful to them that they wind up self-medicating: childhood abuse, or traumas that continue to haunt them into adulthood.

Others are thrillseekers, they just wanna see what happens.

Regardless, if you (general "you") have a tendency toward addiction (and it is hereditary) then it will go from the occasional "lets get high Fri night" to "I need this stuff just to get out of bed in the morning."

You have the right attitude, Writing. Substance abuse (including alcohol) destoys lives over years.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

18. Many alcoholics in the family history, and alive today in my family.

I'll keep the fucked-up mind I have now, thanks all the same. :D

[Mutley]

12. A little of all those things.

I started out of curiousity and peer pressure, and over time became addicted. It was fun, it was a release from real life, it was self-medication — all of that. The only thing that made me stop was the desire to save some dignity. When I watched friends on their hands and knees on the floor scrounging for the littlest bit of whatever they could find, I knew I had to stop before I turned into the same thing. And stop I did.

Keep that attitude you have about drugs, WIMR. It'll serve you very well. :hug:

[WritingIsMyReligion]

20. Good for you.

:hug:

:hi:

[RagingInMiami]

13. Many do it to self-medicate

For people who have perfectly normal minds, this is almost impossible to comprehend.

But for someone with depression, anxiety, ADHD or any mental condition that is normally treated with pharmaceuticals, mind altering drugs offer a temporary release.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

22. And then all too often come back to bite you innthe ass.

[Taverner]

28. DINGDINGDING!!!

THing is I have ADHD, and Marijuana helps slow down my concious mind so my active mind can catch up with it...

[RagingInMiami]

37. I also have ADHD

I now take Adderall, but I didn't when I was in high school, which was when I was a huge stoner. Without weed, I was bouncing off the walls. With weed, I was at least able to sit quietly in class.

I still smoke occassionally, but now I do it to unwind. It helps me sleep on those nights when I'm battling insomnia.

Trouble is, I get uncontrollable munchies when I smoke, and I like to try to keep my weight in check.

[bicentennial_baby]

15. Because they want to...

There are so many reasons, some good, some bad, some neutral, depending on your perspective. In the end though, it's generally because they want to, for whatever underlying reasons. As Bill Hicks (r.i.p.) once said, "Remember, it's not a war on drugs, it's a war on personal freedoms.'.

Jus my .02. :)

[deutsey]

23. A little off topic: Read "Acid Dreams"

"The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond"

Very interesting (and somewhat unsettling) read on the rise of LSD in the '60s.

My take on why people take mind-altering drugs: it varies, but I think it's deep in the human experience to want to transcend our everyday life. For centuries, drugs have been used as sacraments in religious rituals...however, the people using the drugs first had to go through some sort of initiation and learn the rituals, etc., before indulging in what was a religious ceremony.

That's a lot different than someone dropping acid and popping in a Pink Floyd CD. So-called "recreational" drug use makes it possible for people with mental or emotional issues to exacerbate their condition.

[Taverner]

25. I like to feel good

Marijuana makes me feel good - and it makes me more relaxed. It is fun, and I like the overall effect of what it does to me.

[azmouse]

29. You're not alone in wondering why.

I didn't do drugs and I have no regrets at all.
You're an intelligent young woman. If I could have had a daughter, I'd have been proud if she was like you.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

32. I've never done any illegal drugs (Wall of text coming your way)

And don't plan on doing any heavy drugs (i.e. meth, LSD, coke, heroine). This is because of the cost/beneifit ratio. In my mind, the cost of health, and monetary costs simply are too high for the effects of a few hours. You may have noticed weed was excluded from that list. While I don't plan to, I wouldn't be against smoking weed. This is because the health effects are relatively low, the price is relatively cheap.

To answer you're question about WHY though, because it feels good. Why do you eat chocolate? Because it tastes good, and feels good (A pretty well known fact is that chocolate is actually a drug in many forms).

In that case, you weighed the costs against the benifits, and came out saying you would eat the chocolate. Do you need to eat chocolate? No. Does it damage your health? To some extent, yes. Do you do it anyway? Yes.

So, to play devils advocate, why SHOULDN'T I use drugs? Why do YOU use drugs?

[Reverend_Smitty]

33. I've never done anything harder than alcohol...

and for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would want to do something that is as bad as Meth, crack or heroin. But when I get drunk, it's simply a fun experience...I lose some inhibitions, unwind and give myself the belief that I'm a better dancer than I actually am. Personally I use alcohol as a social lubricant, I will approach and talk to people that I probably wouldn't have the nerve to if I was sober. Sometimes that's a good thing and other times...well...not so much.

I can't speak for any other recreational drug users, I think where people run into a problem is when they use the drug as a crutch or help them escape pain in their life. I think if you are fairly grounded and you just want to let loose a little bit every now and then, I don't have a problem with it.

Also as unfortunate as it may be for some (Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, etc...) drugs are responsible for some of the best rock music ever. Just listen to the Beatles before they discovered pot and then after and you'll know what I mean

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

36. Because it's fun.

Provided you can control your intake, then no problem.

The hallucinogenics can also teach you things about yourself that you may not realize. They open up your subconcious. Even if you have a bad trip, you'll still probably learn something.

I don't think I ever tried a drug because I was bad-ass or to rebel. Everytime it's been simply wanting to try it and having the opportunity present itself. I believed all that D.A.R.E. crap, but then I grew up and realized that while there are addicts and drugs can ruin lives, most people who use can do so responsibly.

Oh the laundry list of things I've done, the only one I find addictive is nicotine. I plan on quitting when it gets cold out. Cocaine is nothing compared to the addictiveness of nicotine. Honestly, experiment with anything you want except nicotine, heroin, and meth.

[bicentennial_baby]

38. ...

:applause:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

39. Thank you.

Personally, I feel everyone should have at least one point in their lives when they can walk into a dark room and honestly say, "Wow, it's filled with a million points of light."

[bicentennial_baby]

41. I absolutely agree

:)

Did you see the comment I left for ya on MySpace? :D

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

42. No, I'll go check. I haven't been on myspace in a couple days.

[LostinVA]

61. Yuppers... what I said down thread

I have NEVER smoked pot because I'm addicted, or self-medicating, or wanting to escape from anything. It's because it's fun and social and pleasant. And, as I wrote in the other post, the sex can be REALLY good.

And, you're right about the cigs -- I quit 11 years ago, and if I had ONE now, I would be back up to two packs a day in a heartbeat. Pot? A few times a year, maybe. It should be decriminalized.

[anarch]

43. yay, an excuse to post this:

Yeah, I went a little crazy the other day with that "make-your-own inspirational poster website" :D

As for the question, I'm pretty sure there is a natural impulse to modify one's consciousness. One of my crackpot theories is that it's somehow connected to evolution, but I haven't really fleshed that one out. I'm thinking somehow that the next step in human evolution will have to be an evolution of consciousness on a large scale, not necessarily any physical evolution, and the drive to become inebriated or to modify consciousness in general is related to that. Maybe some day I'll try to work that out a little more sensibly. I probably better eat a whole bunch of acid first....

But, I mean, why do little kids like to spin around in circles or roll down hills until they get dizzy? Why do birds and other animals like to eat marijuana and fermented berries? Why does all this stuff exist in nature in the first place?

I think it's totally natural, but some people get their wires crossed and get a little too involved in taking drugs, get addicted...the same way some people overeat, recklessly engage in dangerous thrill-seeking, or whatever else. :shrug:

[unpossibles]

51. you hit it dead on. I have two book suggestions:

Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan and Natural Mind by Andrew Weil, MD

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345346297/qid=1153257923/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-9051104-5551832?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395911567/103-9051104-5551832?v=glance&n=283155

Both are great. Dragons is about the evolution of intelligence and the second one discusses at length the ideas you mention; the drive to alter our minds, whether through meditation, spinning (as a child), drugs (including alcohol), etc. I like the fact that they are fairly unbiased also, and that Weil attributes most of the problems with drugs to the War on Drugs and the black market created by that.

And it's refreshing to hear two very respected and intelligent people speaking on this subject in a rational way.

[HughBeaumont]

44. I don't want to imagine what I would be like on drugs.

My nightmares are harsh enough as it is.

I quit drinking when I was 19 and never smoked or ingested anything.

I don't miss any of those days. Many of my drug-using friends are wrecks, some still showing the effects long after they stopped. My wife's caseload is filled with broken homes thanks to drug abuse. It stops becoming fun when one of your friends is climbing the walls and punching everything in sight from a bad trip and you have to restrain him.

Life can be fun without them, believe it or not. I find joy in painting and film and song. My high is hard dinosaur riffs through Marshall stacks.

[swag]

46. God told me to.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

49. Sometimes God is a good guy.

Other times, he's a fuckwit.

[swag]

50. He was a good guy when he told me to do that.

And now that I've done what he said, I know that he doesn't exist.

[Oeditpus Rex]

47. Because reality

is for people who can't handle drugs.

:evilgrin:

[Oeditpus Rex]

48. I almost forgot...

[Bridget Burke]

54. Yes, drugs can be fun.

After a while, the non-fun aspects of some substances outweigh the fun. I didn't have to do all the experimentation myself--I just looked at those around me. (Back in the day.)

Alcohol is a drug, too. A bit is OK, too much is bad. For some people, a bit always leads to too much.

Humans have altered their minds throughout history--with & without the aid of various fungi, herbs, etc. Sometimes logic is not enough.

(A quick look look at Amazon turned up "The Road of Excess; A history of writers on drugs." Since you're apparently interested in writing, it might be worth a glance. I added it to my basket.)

www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674017560/ref=ed_oe_p/002-7491726-8567240?ie=UTF8

[mdmc]

55. People take mind altering substances

to alter their mind.

When I was a kid, I loved to sleigh ride, or spin in a chair until I was dizzy. This is something like the lure of the high.

I don't suggest it for you.

LSD, on some level, changes the way you think. Forever. I really believe this. It opens the doors of perception.

Again, I don't suggest this for you.

[Forrest Greene]

56. Ken Kesey Said

...(according to Tom Wolfe) "It blows you out of your gourd!"

[grannylib]

57. I smoke for the same reason 'social drinkers' drink...not to get trashed,

but I enjoy the buzz and I like the taste.

Just like I wouldn't drink anything I didn't like (no tequila, no gin, no whiskey, etc...I only drink it if I think it tastes good, and then not to excess...) I wouldn't do anything that would really fuck me up and I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.

For me it's relaxing, and it REALLY REALLY REALLY helps with my migraines, particularly the nausea.

[XemaSab]

58. Some drugs make you feel happy or relaxed or energetic

Some drugs are more like going to the movies, only the movie is inside your head.

Hallucinogens can show you a new perspective on things that's just as valid as the old perspective. For instance, I don't think I ever would have noticed how FANTASTIC colors are or how ORDERLY nature can be without the help of hallucinogens. Now that I've seen it through the chemical lens, I can see it without any lens at all.

Perception is chemical. Feelings are chemical. Right now I am totally BLAZED on coffee, and I'm feeling pretty good about life.

I'm usually pretty anti-drug. I have lost friends to drugs, and I think there are drugs that nobody should ever do. Even pot can waste lives. Some people are pretty put together on pot, and other people are useless when they're high. Ditto for alcohol. Some people can drink and have fun, and some people throw their lives away.

I had a friend last year OD and die, and I asked myself a lot of what you're asking. It was such a pointless, stupid death. I've had other friends become addicts and neither one of them is dead yet but drugs can take really talented people and turn them into burnouts.

People think they can handle it, but what someone can handle when times are good can quickly turn into a monster as soon as times turn bad.

[WindRavenX]

59. I smoke pot everyday

And I do it for the following:

1) I lead a hectic life. It is a nice way to fall asleep and relax and not think about all the crap I have to work on the next day
2)It makes me feel good

So yes, it's a bit of a "self-medicate" drug and a bit of a "hey, this feels good!" use. It has helped me write my poetry when I have a block, and it has helped me sleep when I am too stressed out to normally fall asleep.

I see my use no different from those who come home and have a beer at the end of the day.

I had my best GPA in college when I started smoking daily, FWIW.

[LostinVA]

60. Because getting nicely toasted on pot is... pleasant

No different -- actually, better and often better for you -- than catching an alcohol buzz. It's pleasant and fun and social. And... you don't become addicted to pot.

It's enjoyable.

And... since you asked... the sex is really, really good.