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Why do so many people do drugs when they know its bad for them?
hermitwin
Veteran
Why do so many people do drugs when they know its bad for them?
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Also peer pressure is a biggie, pychological addictions... I think it can cloud someones mind to the point where they (drug users) lose sight of how bad they really are for you.
I started to smoke cannabis and subsequently ecstasy for fun, because I was curious. It lead to a long long drug binge, but a the start it never crossed my mind that it was harmful to be honest.
I also do not imbibe in large amounts of it anyway, generally just one or two joints or a single bowls worth if smoking, or a few grams worth in edibles. In my opinion it is a lot less harmful than alcohol, and I use it in much the same way as people who drink alcohol simply to relax.
And please a note to the moderators, I simply put this post up as a genuine reply to the OP, as I wish to help them understand. I feel it is better that someone with first hand experience gives an honest reply rather than people who have no idea what the subtle nuances of drug use are. If this post violates any code of conduct in any fashion, know that I understand if it is taken down.
Thank you.
to understand the mind of a drug addict, try drugs.
but there are all kinds of drugs. remember drugs themselves aren't bad/good. they are neutral.
for example aspirin will cure a headache regardless of whether or not you're a good person or a bad person. the drug itself is empty.
so i would ask you, why do you view drugs are harmful? drugs have the potential for good as well. to only see one view on something is a wrong view. accept all views and you will see the emptiness of it all.
but to answer your question. drugs make people feel good, thus gives an escape. but if you can ingest something and get rid of your problems, all that means is that the problems don't really exist.
but no one ever follows through to the logical conclusions. or do they?
And bang, you feel intense pleasure & you are hooked.
Also, our culture seems to portray drugs as a naughty forbidden treat.
Let's be honest, how many people here have used drugs, or still use them?
OP, those are the people you should take seriously when it comes to topics like this. I do not mean to offend however, I am not an expert on astrophysics, and I have no experience in it whatsoever, so I would be a poor person to ask for advice on the matter... am I getting across to you?
What is projected in the "media" is that "drugs" are "all" bad. For the curious, drugs are very interesting. For example LSD can throw you into a state of oneness, where there is an absence of ego. Why the hell does a drug do that? It can also make one freak out and jump out of windows.
Or how about Mdma or ecstasy. It will make you feel universal love as if you had metta meditation for 100 years. Why is that? Why does a drug do that? And why does the media project that mdma is so bad for you? holes in the brain? come on there is absolutely no basis for any of these "projections".
what about weed? weed is not bad for you at all. frankly, all i see is benefits. got a headache? smoke weed. got a stomach ache? smoke weed. in pain? smoke weed. yet it is demonized so fucking much. why is that?
and why is alcohol legal? when it is so harmful to the body.
so many questions. so many places to investigate.
i'm not advocating drug use for I can see how they can become "quite" the "hinderance".
but they are interesting to the curious mind.
But for legal reasons I would not confirm that.
quickly. I never enjoyed smoking or drinking.
>.>
I really need to quit tobacco but I love it so much
I was a borderline alcoholic and went through a period of using weed a fair bit. I also smoked cigarettes. I don't touch any of them anymore because I learnt to respect my body and myself, even if the people I associated with didn't.
In metta,
Raven
Alcohol is socially accepted and legal, yet it kills over 40,000 people annually in the UK, whereas MDMA kills 15 people. No typo, not 15,000, 15. And I have done the ratio math, alcohol is still worse for ones health.
We are all human, and we all sometimes do stupid things. Maybe you have smashed a window on purpose, or punched somebody in the face, taken a drug, we are all human at the end of the day.
@Zayl how long have you been smoking cannabis and do you smoke with people, maybe with people who do harder drugs such as cocaine ecstasy shrooms 2cb LSD ketamine etc...? From my 7 years around the drug culture, I have seen many people start with cannabis and say, 'I will never do harder drugs', me myself said those same words. Not everyone does, but from what I have seen, the vast majority of regular cannabis smokers become curious of something else sooner or later and give an excuse to it. Shrooms for example, 'they are natural and have a very low fatality rate'. I am sure as buddhists there are areas within the religion where we all need to work on a little, but smoking cannabis, even once a year and if you claim to not be addicted is still unskillful.
At present, I am trying to stop consuming alcohol on a daily basis and STILL tapering valium. Yes everything in this world is neither bad or good, we give labels to them, but it is obvious that they are hindrances to the path and violate one of the 5 precepts.
i have also long thought that my "high" is not like other people's "high" regarding marijuana. and frankly, unless under certain circumstances, i don't really care for it. i've had bad experiences a few too many times. why do people usually do things that are bad for them?
pleasure.
Hi Hermitwin,
It is the same reason why people do anything that is bad for them: ignorance, craving and attachment.
Also, the cycle of addiction is not easy to break largely due to the emotional turmoil involved in not only the addiction itself, but what happens when they try to quit (perhaps unsuccessfully so, a number of times). It is not easy to break an addiction even if you know it is bad for you. The idea that "knowledge is power" I don't agree with entirely...the emotions are far more powerful than knowledge, in my experience. An emotionally unstable person is not an empowered person, no matter how much knowledge they have.
It can be a vicious cycle - Unhappiness leads to wanting to end the unhappiness, drugs are taken because they relieve the unhappiness for a brief moment only to return again, stronger than before. So to break this cycle it requires:
a) Addressing the underlying issue of why we are unhappy in the first place and seeking a more sustainable solution (for me it was Buddhism).
b) Resolving not to follow the craving. Even though the knowledge is there that the drug is doing harm, the craving can be almost hard-wired into a person. It takes time to re-wire the brain, it is not easy but can be done with resolution, patience and kindness.
I believe that it is certainly possible for a person to quit something through their own determination (I quit pot, alcohol and cigarettes this way) but perhaps some people may need the help of others who have already freed themselves, that's fine, do what you've got to do. Have faith that you can do it.
Metta,
Guy
When we were born, we didnt use drugs and were quite happy.
Addiction must be one of the most difficult thing to cure.
With help and determination , I believe it can be done.
Some people believe that accupuncture is effective treatment.
I'm even very cautious about prescription medicines to the point where I rarely take them, preferring to use my very limited knowledge of herbalism to alleviate my symptoms. But whenever I get one of my migraines, whenever I cannot seem to get to sleep for a few days straight, feel nauseous, if my asthma happens to act up (I think I outgrew it) or any assortment of aches and pains I just light up a joint and kick back, as a little bit of weed manages to assuage all of my symptoms regarding those.
However if I actually fall ill with the flu or cold or something I stop smoking cigarettes and cannabis and take a healthy swig of yarrow tea and sleep for a day or two straight.
If you have already had that curiosity at trying other drugs then that seed is there in your mind. Everything is transient remember, it is all too easy to just try that first 10 grams of mushrooms, or take that first ecstasy pill with a friend. Like you said, you are only 20 and I see a lot in what you have written in my experience and a lot of different social groups I have been involved with. But then again, everyone is different. I would suggest cigarettes is the greater issue at the moment, they are obviously pretty harmful to ones health.
Going back to the OT, there are so many reasons for taking drugs, pain, (physical or mental) curiosity, boredom, sorrow, feeling that there is some sort of void within ones self, trying to fit in. The list really does go on...
There are young, impressionable people on this site. I don't think we should be saying things like "go gamble" and "try drugs". I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, you probably aren't endorsing these activities, however, please see that saying what you have said could be read as an endorsement. It might be that one last "push" that encourages an already curious young person to experiment with drugs and probably cause themselves and others harm.
I say this as both an ex-drug user and and ex-gambler. It's not worth it.
If you want to understand the mind of someone who gambles or someone who does drugs (and the trouble it causes) then go to a meeting for addicts and listen to what the people say (not that I have ever been, but I can imagine it would be enough to get an idea of how their mind works). Or if you like you can send me a PM about my experiences with these things.
Metta,
Guy
People have the ability to act in spite of known risks, because we wouldn't have gotten far as a species if we didn't. After all, most behavior carries some risk to go along with the reward. All we need is sufficient motivation. Love, anger, fear, desire; all these emotions are motivations to ignore risk.
Being part of a group is a huge motivation, for people who like to get fried at parties.
Addiction or just the feeling of getting stoned is a huge motivation.
That's why telling people something is "bad for them" is never going to work as an effective deterrent. Life isn't just about minimizing risks and being safe and leaving a pretty corpse. I've known people who were obsessed with health and safety and being prepared for whatever danger is out there now or in the future, and every one of them was a miserable, worrying mess.
People discovered the joys and risks of alcohol and other naturally occuring chemicals long before we had a written language, way back in prehistory. People enjoy altered states of consciousness, risky or not.
herbs) are more effective than drugs you get from a doctor.
I am talking about common ailments eg colds, migraine, insomnia, back pain, etc.
TCM traditional chinese medicine is no match for the brain surgeons, heart specialists &
cancer treatment.
But for overall well being, TCM is the best.
It is perceive as less addictive. Also many social drinkers have no problem.
The beer industry alone is worth $294.5 billion. We are not including wine &
other alcoholic drinks here. It is worth millions of jobs.
Also can you imagine how powerful the lobby is?
Could we gently remind members that anything advocating the taking of recreational drugs, or seeming to recommend trying them, experimentation, or any suggestion that it's ok, is liable to Moderation.
The taking of drugs goes against the 5th Precept (something discussed a thousand times) therefore while recounted experience is worth mentioning, any suggestion that it's ok, or worth a try - is unacceptable.
Many thanks!
It does.
It is a recreational drug and as such, use clouds the mind and alters the mental process.
using cannabis contravenes the 5th Precept.
I can't say it any more clearly than that.
Start from wherever you are, that's all you can do.
What happened in my case was that the more I meditated, the more I realized how much pot was screwing up my mind and one day (after many many attempts at trying to quit) I decided "that's enough". I was literally half way through a joint when I made this decision. I would be lying if I said I have never even thought about smoking pot since then (in fact, I have smoked pot in some dreams that I have had since quitting - but never in my waking life) but, since I made the decision to quit, I kept the determination.
The determination is only necessary for as long as the craving lasts. Eventually, given enough time, patience, kindness (to yourself) then the craving fades away - it no longer controls your life. If you do quit and then a few months down the track you (or your friends...but in my experience I was much worse at this than my friends) start trying to talk yourself into doing it again, just remember two things:
1) The disadvantages of toking up. Where does it lead? Is it worth it?
2) The advantages of staying sober. Give yourself a pat on the back for doing so well. Keep it up!
Make a long list in your mind, write them down if you need to. Sure, pot has a certain pleasure to it, but you need to weigh it up against the disadvantages of toking up and the advantages of staying sober.
Don't punish yourself if you relapse, instead, reward yourself for staying sober. This is a much more effective way to stay on track in my experience.
To those who claim that pot isn't a violation of the precepts I would say generally it is a violation unless it is medicinal. But that's just my opinion.
Metta,
Guy
Whether cannabis is, or can be, prescribed as a drug, by a qualified medical practitioner, I don't know. but if it isn't - then see above!
It is in a variety of locations around the world. But then, where do you draw then line, I mean if I smoke weed which I did for 7 years non prescribed, then it is a violation of the 5th precept; quite rightly so. But if it is prescribed then it its kosher.... Yes it may take away pain, but the buddha stated any intoxicants will cloud your judgment and hinder your journey. It is the same with valium, I take that now non prescribed, but if I was prescribed it, it would be okay...
@GuyC Thank you very much, I know I can, so I will
@taiyaki I can relate to your comment stating, if you want to know what gambling is like, go gamble etc. I also understand what fede raised on how younger people are more easily influenced. But I use to hate it when people use to comment on my drug use when they had no real experience or knowledge of it what so ever. That being said, now I truly view substance abuse as something that leads nowhere good in the long run. I still consider a night on MDMA at a party, or with friends in the woods better than sex, (not stating my sex life is all that bad), but would I go back to binging ecstasy, no as I have been there, have the knowledge and realise it is not the righteous path IMO. Even light cannabis use, it is often that 'buddhists' try to claim it is fine to blaze and make excuses why it is okay. At the end of the day, its a violation of the 5th precept, clear and cut, black and white.
I had no friends whatsoever, since I lived so far away. I would find myself contemplating suicide during the fall, to me my life was not a life, just a bad dream and I went through it in a haze. I finally got very scared when I contemplated killing myself again, and I was finding absolutely no objection from myself not to do it... It just did not seem like a big deal anymore. I went out and bought a quarter ounce from a shady guy on a whim, brought it home, and began smoking, it was not out of depression, it was merely a final indulgence before I was to end myself.
While I was smoking, I came upon a few changes... namely: I suddenly cared much less what others expected of me, and I began to think of things I have not thought about since I was very young. It was strange, after a night of smoking the next day I spent sober, the colors of everything seemed so much richer and more vibrant. I became a slacker and a loafer, but I was more or less happy. I began to open up and meet new people, wonderful people. I made friends for the first time in years... I am not saying weed was solely responsible for me changing my fundamental frame of thinking, I probably could have done it without it, though I am not sure if it would have been in time. However it certainly sped up the process and I began looking at things in a new way, and it was wonderful.
Instead of four years in highschool, I spent six. But I was easy going and happy, and I did manage to graduate. I began looking into philosophy, and I actually became interested in learning on a few select subjects, namely biology and astronomy... before I didn't even pay attention to what I was learning, I just did the work in a daze, like I was on auto-pilot.
Sorry if I am boring you with my life story here, but what I am trying to say is that cannabis is not solely responsible for the changes in me, but it certainly helped me find the motivation to make those changes. I began finding happiness in the world around me, mainly in nature and in the hearts of those I met.
I am who I am today because of drugs, without them I probably would have died years ago by my own hand.
How do you know that if you did not buy that 1/4 oz that you would have killed yourself... You can't it is impossible to know what would have happened. Maybe These changes were going to ripen anyway, yet you have altered them somewhat with the use of cannabis. It is literally impossible to know if you would have been interested in philosophy or completed 6 years of high school without that 1/4 oz, maybe you would have done but with a clearer view, maybe not. Maybe you would have killed yourself, be hey, you would have been re-born so...
True you are who you are today due to drugs, so am I, pretty screwed up like the vast majority of drug abusers, they always end up in a negative place. Like I have said before, I see many things in your posts that correlate to my life and others in my various social groups of the past, it would be interesting to talk to you in maybe 3-5 years time, I am curious to know if you come across a friend maybe at college, or somewhere, eat a mushroom or an acid tab, drop an ecstasy pill, I am truly curious. Everything is transient....
But anyway, I have to say, the 5th precept, 5th precept, 5th precept
I like that "altered state" of mind at times, and I do not have an addictive personality, so I am one of the lucky ones. I am just saying that it does help me find myself and certain answers I would not find if I was not on some sort of drug. I probably should start meditating more; that would help I am sure.
I also am who I am today because of drugs.
Peace, Leslie
In buddhism and meditation we want to liberate the mind, end suffering. There is no drug out there that will do this. They bring a very brief end to suffering, a break from dukka and that is all, until you take it again and repeat the cycle of ignorance. Yes some stop pain, but that is not liberation and spiritual awakening.
I can understand how you say that day you took a mind expanding drug lead you to buddhism, but maybe you would have ended up with the interest anyway... aybe your mental disposition is of that nature in the first place.