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Why do so many people do drugs when they know its bad for them?

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Comments

  • VincenziVincenzi Veteran
    in their perspective they are not only bad... and honestly, they should be studied without prejudice and without penalization.
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    I understand, I have been close to suicide, too close. It was a friend who phoned me out of the blue at the moment I was about to leave for a building I had in mind in a drunken state.

    But to try to put a kind of general caption to all of this, in essence substance abuse in moderation or not is in violation of the 5th precept, a precept created by an enlightened being and a precept which is in a religion you are so say a part of. It is a precept for a reason, multiple reasons in fact. And I am not someone who is clean or lead a clean happy life, the total opposite.
  • ZaylZayl Veteran
    Yes, but I have trouble with the fith precept. I may be able to accept it in time, but I feel I need to mature before then.

    I thank you so much for your concern, I am touched. even if that was not your intent.
  • meh_meh_
    5th Precept, Anyone?
  • ThailandTomThailandTom Veteran
    edited March 2011
    I am posting here because firstly, I have a vast amount of knowledge and experience on the matter, secondly I want anybody who cares to read this or suffers/partakes in taking substances to understand why it is not the way of the buddha. So I do have concern, yes. I have compassion for those who repeatedly take drugs through ignorance, because that is where it comes from, ignorance. Like all suffering that is not through an accident or illness, ignorance is to blame.

    We all have trouble with parts of buddhism and precepts from time to time, if we did not we would all be perfect and enlightened. I wish you all the best and just think what you are doing for a moment
  • VincenziVincenzi Veteran
    accepting the 5th precept does not include criminalizing drugs... I think that does more harm than treating it like a health issue.
  • MountainsMountains Veteran
    Any prescribed drug, necessary for medicinal purposes, is NOT a violation of the 5th Precept.
    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!
    Fede - with all due respect, it's not quite that simple. Marijuana is legal in some places for medical purposes. It's still a drug that affects your mental faculties, but it also has a great deal of positive attributes for many medical conditions.

    It's no different than taking an opiate drug after you've had surgery. Those surely alter your mental faculties (as do many other types and classes of drugs used for a wide variety of different things). It's not wrong to take them for their indended purpose.

    Whether I get marijuana or oxycontin legally or illegally, if I'm using it to relieve suffering due to some medical condition, then it doesn't break any precept. If I obtain it illegally for the purpose of recreational use, then it does. Likewise, if I obtain either of them legally, but use them recreationally, it still violates the precept.

    It's all about intention...

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited March 2011
    There are young and impressionable people that come to this site to try to find out what they can about Buddhism. It would be a real shame if they interpreted what you're writing to be advocacy of using cannabis, especially on a Buddhist forum.
    I agree.
    I think we can count on the fingers of one hand the people who are convinced taking drugs "helped" them.
    I personally have my doubts, although I'm sure they would maintain their stance.
    However, are they 100% certain they would not be "where they are today" if they had not used them?
    I hope they would at least agree that for every person who has seemed to benefit, there are countless other wretched, unfortunate and completely devastated people that drugs have effectively destroyed.
    The 'helped' ones are the rare and lucky few who managed to get out while they could.
    I would be of the opinion that THIS is what saved you.

    I think this would be a good time to call it quits.
    If anyone needs this re-opened, PM me with good reason.
    Thanks to all who contributed Mindfully.

    :)
This discussion has been closed.