I do "socially reprehensible narcotics" from time to time and I find them very enjoyable. Never had an addiction aside from cigarettes. I've tried most of the drugs I could get my hands on and am currently trying to get ahold of some exotic psychedelics. I'm at least a decent father, husband and son. As an employee I was always one of the most reliable and capable workers. I generally have as much fun at work as I can while still getting my tasks done in a tidy competent manner. Right now I'm self employed and working 80 hours a week. My skin tone is good my eyes are white, my back aches a bit but I spend most my day on my feet. I've never been arrested or overdosed. I've never sold my things so I could buy drugs. I've never shot anything in my veins but I've put a few things up my nose. I've passed out on a few couches, I've thrown up, I've had more than a few blackouts. I've had the doors of my mind opened by powerful chemicals and realized that I was a vicious, petty, small minded, fearful and violent person who could change, and I did change. I became much happier, trusting, open to new points of view, less judgmental and more generous. I've had a lot of fun on drugs. I've experienced exquisite pleasure, I've opened up and communicated on levels that I would have never suspected existed with out mind altering chemicals. I really only do powerful drugs about once a year now a days. I've wrung most of the profound realizations I have coming to me out of them for the time being. I drink often, I occasionally smoke weed, I rarely take a stiff dose of opiates and like I said about once a year I'll take a little trip. Mostly you see people and don't realize they are drug users. Someone primed your pump to see drug users as something they usually aren't. Not every one has the constitution, mental fortitude or will power to avoid addiction that it takes to be a responsible drug user. You need to ask yourself why I really can't tell you why you have these misperceptions about drugs and users. The what? Stop thinking like a small minded prick, that should solve it.
I feel like almost all of the anti-drug sentiment or fear comes from ignorance. If you think all drugs are bad, and all drug users are addicts, of course your going to be terrified when someone smokes weed around you (for example). People who paint with broad strokes usually don't know enough or have enough experience to view with more shades of grey. Better self education and public education would go a long way here. I will say not all drugs are dangerous, but some are. If you are going to experiment, plan ahead, and ffs test your shit. If you can afford drugs you can afford to do it safely.
That hurt, and I don't feel like I deserved it. I was doing my best to relate the experience many people possibly have in order to focus better on that and maybe - one can dream - find a solution to the problem of perception of drug usage. While it may not be enlightened or very educated, it's what I have, and I expressed it without an intention to in any way mistreat or diminish the responsible drugs users. I see your point - it might seem like I keep insisting on seeing drug users as abominations of human beings - but that's not what it's about. I don't mean to conduct a crusade of any sort, but if we are to figure out what puts a general person off about drugs and those who use them - which I hope we are - there's a need for discussion. I appreciate you sharing your point of view: it's invaluable when there's no one around to show you how drugs aren't necessarily bad in themselves. However - would you come up to every single person in your country, wherever it is you live, and tell them your story to persuade them? I don't think you have the physical capability to do so considering your coffee... uh, place? (after visiting Amsterdam I have troubles with calling it "coffee shop") - or your responsibilities before your family and friends. Even if you travel the country and present the issue publically, how many people would you gather around yourself to listen? How do you explain to a scared mother of a seven-year-old that drugs aren't that bad?Stop thinking like a small minded prick
Now you've given me another chance to do you a favor. If telling you to stop thinking like a small minded prick hurts than you need to get over some shit. I don't follow you, you don't follow me, I'm just some guy on the internet and my opinion shouldn't amount to a hill of beans aside from being one of a bazillion opinions to bounce yourself off of. In needing to get over some assholes opinion on the internet being an issue to get over, you are not alone. Hubski has lost some of it's best and brightest to this particular affliction. It's been the occasion for many a dust up, a block, a mute and a rage quit. It's even been the occasion for many a plaintive whine. You really shouldn't give an emotional damn about my opinion of you. You might consider my arguments about the lack of homogeneity of the drug using population. You might consider that drugs use can be a positive or fun experience for some or many users. Every recreational pastime that large numbers of humans engage in probably has some upsides and downsides. By no means would I think that your opinions on drugs or your perception of drug users would change overnight. I would hope that my comments might give you a new perspective on an issue which you have many preconceptions but no practical experience with. I do fear that I might have painted too rosy a picture with my comment. I've seen lives delayed, derailed, minds shattered, health compromised, families and trust destroyed by drugs. To be on the safe side one should avoid heroin, meth, cocaine and alcohol if they are of the faint of heart. They can all lead down the road to ruin. Just like too much Pokemon, comics, Star Trek, video game music, anime or so so many other things, there are very few things more annoying than a hardcore drug enthusiast. A person who thinks only of their favorite drug, talks only about their favorite drug, does only their favorite drug is a child in an adults body. They are a boor. A single minded love of drugs isn't meritorious. It doesn't have to be perilous to negative. briandmyers the comment isn't not directed at him. He obviously has some false ideas of what and who drug users are and would benefit from reexamining his beliefs (which is to some extent what he seems to be trying to do, I just think he could use a little shove). In conclusion. Don't be hurt. I've been a small minded prick about oh so many things, innumerable things. I can say with certainty that I must be a small minded prick about many other things that no one has called me out on to this very day and I'd thank them to get me started on reexamining my perception even if those thanks started with a fuck you. Most people do or have done some kind of drug in their life and the world keeps on turning. They can be fun, they can be dangerous, they can open and heal minds they can lead to ruin. Hope I've at least given you some thing to consider and don't give a damn about my opinion of the position you now hold if you want to consider your self mentally healthy.
I've been thinking a lot about what you wrote, and... thank you. I went through quite some stages trying to figure out the proper response to your words - but, thankfully, this time, I went past the nastier ones. I realized that I've been... what's the phrase... so "over myself"? "into"? That is, I've been taking myself, my "safety" from harm, real or imaginary, way too seriously, which is what lead me to be offended by your words earlier. I realized, as well, that whatever "license to harass" that you might get from me just letting your words pass through, doesn't matter. You might tell me a lot of things, and it doesn't matter what bad things you say about me as long as you don't hurt me in any way (which excludes not paying attention to actual bullying from the rule, thus giving me the line with which to measure actual potential damage of the situation). You're not the one to define me, nor is anyone but myself, so whatever you say is your opinion as long as it doesn't harm my activities. I'm grateful for you taking your time to write this. I'm lacking an awful lot of understanding about human relationships and interactions with the world, and it's words such as yours that give me the much needed insight. I appreciate you putting effort into explaining this to me instead of simply walking away. Thank you. And about drugs - you've given me quite a bit to think about, as well. It feels odd to discuss drug usage with someone, but I think it's going to result in at least a good insight.
Stop. Please just stop. You're the spitting image of my roommate. Well, maybe not, he's much whinier. But there's still that thinly veiled "woe is me attitude" that I always get from him. You'd like to believe you've taken something away from this, but you just went on a three-paragraph-long rant about how much this didn't hurt your feelings, with a tiny sidenote about the main fucking topic at the end. Come on, dude. It feels childish. You wanna know why I came back to hubski? Three weeks back I dealt with some, hella, hella racist shit. And I just hit this level of Zen, where I realized that I can't change anyone's opinion. Their bigotry is always going to be there, their opinions are always going to be there. It's not my job to get them to understand, and it's not really my job to listen to them either. And it's the same here. There's really no point in me taking some of the pseudo-intellectual libertarian bullshit that I have to put up with. The amount of people I like here outweighs that. SO i'm askin' ya to actually take C-dude's post to heart, without getting defensive. Stop taking yourself so seriously. It's the internet. There are things about it I'd change, but it also let me make a close friend after punching her lights out in Street Fighter. Take a breather.
I'm pretty sure that he'll think about drugs and drug use a bit differently after reading my comment. His new perspective will lead to other new revelations. No idea if it will lead to a perspective that I agree with but I think that regardless of how he perceived my motive and how personally he took my criticism the damage of new perspective has been done. And yes I pretty much loath 99% of video game music. Listen to the score for anywhere from a minute to a few hours and then I turn that shit off. Good anime is good and I have no problem with it. Seems like there are people who only like and like all anime and that is obnoxious. Play all the Pokemon you want, just don't tell me all about it. People with one or just a few interest and topics of conversation are booking. My wife watches a lot of Star Trek, it's swell, but our living room isn't done up like the Enterprise.
It's funny. Your comment almost made me forget what I actually took away from cgod's comment. I've been the weirdo all my life, for everyone but a few people. Nobody seems to get my vibe, even those few. I explain myself because I don't like that. I explain myself because I'd like to get in touch with people despite my disconnect from my feelings and empathy, despite my lack of social skills that my narcissistic parents never let me develop and despite people always telling me how weird I feel to them. I have very strong emotions. I can't sense them in the way most people seem to. It's like looking at a table full of things and not being unable not only to name them but to recognize them at all. Yet, I experience them all the same, and their strength is not dimished by my lack of understanding. I feel very disconnected from even myself, and that adds a lot to an already big pile of self-resentment that I've grown to accumulate, in big part due to people telling me I act weirdly. I'm a writer, and I like to explain things long-hand because it feels right. It allows for avoiding confusion and for a better sound, with more clever turns of the phrase and wittier explanation of complex ideas. It allows me to feel less like a weirdo and more like a person - someone that's more that just the uncomfort to others. I explain myself long-hand because it feels most right. I had a lot of scenarios on how to reply to you, none of them but this successful. You're a respected member of this community - so respected that when you rage-quitted, people wanted you back with the kind of attachment I've rarely, if ever, seen before. I'm explaining this to you because I appreciate this community, and I appreciate this community because here, for the second time in my life, I feel like I'm not just a weirdo; like I can have a conversation with other human beings and actually feel them, instead of just nodding out of politeness. For me, this means a lot. I don't know if I want to appreciate you at the moment, but I'm willing to explain myself to you in case that beyond that rant of yours, you're a reasonable person who's got a case of inappropriate image juxtaposition from a previous acquaintence of yours. If that isn't good enough for you, there's nothing else I can offer, so you'll have to just live with it. For all my flaws, I believe myself to be a decent person - decent enough, at least, not to take shit from someone who doesn't even know me, let alone pay respect to someone they've never had a conversation with.
To be honest, I didn't see that as directed at you - I read that as directed to the person you described, who feels that "all drug users are some sort of degenerates, abhorrent inhuman people", as you said.