"friday five" ... you on drugs

Published on September 3, 2004 By mignuna In Philosophy

Drugs, both for use, and as a topic of discussion, seem to be everywhere at the moment. There is such controversy over so many different drugs, and in particular the consequences these drugs have on the worlds' young people.

It's easy to say that "drugs should be banned". Yet the term "drug", like it or not, is a definition that encompasses many substances. So who draws the line, and where ?.

Well for one week only, you do ! ... you, on drugs ...

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?.

OR

(: If you have not at any time indulged in a drug of any type, have you been pressured to try drugs and felt tempted ?. What do you base your choice on in this area ?.

Note: Please don't mistake this as 'pro' or 'anti' drug use. I respect the right of the individual to voice their own opinions, and I welcome any genuine contribution. Please omit any question/s if you prefer. Thanks.

Comments

Poetmom99

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

Drugs are what they are...it's the way they are used that makes the difference, IMO.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they took recreational drugs at weekends ?.

Yes...I would probably be watching their work performance more closely after learning that.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.

Again, depends...drug use, as in trying something once, is generally free will and experimentation....drug ABUSE, on a continued basis, which usually indicates an addiction, has more to do with a person's personality and genetic makeup,

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.

Not really...it's something I've never had any interest in, or understood in others....I guess it's an area where I am "intolerant".

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?.

OR

(: If you have not at any time indulged in a drug of any type, have you been pressured to try drugs and never felt the need ?. What do you base your choice on in this area ?.

Have never indulged, not been pressured. For me, it's just something that seems common sense....abusing drugs is abusing your body, and your life.....and I want to enjoy my life for as long as I possibly can.

notsohighlyevolved

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?

If you assume a distinction between recreational drugs and medicinal drugs: Then any foreign compound that alters your neural chemistry and the central and peripheral nervous system, leading to either perceptual, affective or arousal alterations or a combination of any of these.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?

It would alter my opinion of them only in as much as it would tell me a little more about what sort of person they are, what the limits of conversation would be. I would probably be more open with someone who recreationally used drugs than with someone who didn't (well, in a shorter time frame anyway) as my assumption (right or wrong) would be that they tended towards the liberal end of the spectrum. Also, rightly or wrongly, it would lead me to some preliminary assumptions on their stance in regards to other questions, political and otherwise.

After having said all that, however, in my experience people who use drugs recreationally (addiction is a different matter all together) are no better or no worse than anyone else.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?

In my opinion hallucinogens fit into the first category, while most other drugs fit into the latter, with the qualification that (apart from addiction) I would tend to see them as indulgence rather than weakness.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?

Members of the hallucinogenic family (and my reading of ethnographic research on their use in "primitive" cultures) made me realise that drugs can be one of the many arrows in the quiver of learning, and as close to a visceral experience of spirituality (i.e. an understanding of our place in the scheme of things and what it is to be human) as you're likely to get.

Being a witness to the terrible damage and waste inflicted by certain drugs (heroin, alcohol, cigarettes, etc) and their illegality (or legality for that matter), has made me aware of drug abuse as one of the greatest medical and political crisis of our age or any other.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?

As i am sure you would have ascertained from my responses so far, yes i have indulged, and yes i have suffered but only because i smoke about a pack a day. Those we deem as acceptable are almost always the worst. And yes, i will quit soon.

Mig, and you were worried if the questions would be any good. Silly, silly woman.

Marco

LadyCleve

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

Mind-altering, can cause addiction

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

Yes, but the degree would depend on the person and on the job. it also greatly depends on the drug/s being used and the reason. Ex. A couple of drinks with friends? Not such a biggie. Drinking as much as you possibly can for the express purpose of getting drunk off your @$$? More of a problem.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.

Depends on the degree. A few times? free will and experimentation. Repeated--indulgence and/or weakness, depending on degree and whether or not addiction is a factor

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.

Yes!!! My parents worked with a drug and alcohol rehab program when I was in jr. high and High school. I saw the worst cases, but ended up with a pretty bad habit with alcohol anyway. In some ways I figured that if I was doing the same things the people they worked with did, they'd pay more attention. I hid it too well, though, and they had no clue until I told them when I was in college. I've seen what many of my friends have gone through too.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?.

I suffered in many ways. In some ways I still am dealing with the repercussions.

I have not used any other drugs, and although others were always available, they were never really pushed on me, so there wasn't much temptation. The one time a friend tried to push pot on me, I laughed, becuase I knew who'd sold it to him and knew that it was really only Oregano!

Floozie

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

I pretty much concur with Marco - except that this definition is a little more scientific than I would choose. Food is a drug under this definition (and hey - who's to say it's not to some people?) A drug to me is something that alters one's affect and/or consciousness.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

Again - I'm going to have to agree with Marco. As I know that my habits don't effect my performance as a worker, I would therefore have no suspicion that it would negatively effect their's. Recreation is just that. Habit is different.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?

The former. Although there are many shades of grey to be dealt with here. When does a weekend habit become an addiction? Whichever way, I see it as personal choice to play with your mind. Yes, it is indulgent, but that is such a loaded word. It is no more indulgent than chocolate, bubble baths and shopping.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?

Yes - both positive and negative. Trips scare the hell out of me due to a friend of the family who never came back from one and is, to this day, living in care. My best friend is an ex-junky and her experiences have given me (unrequired, but valuable) reasoning as to why I would never touch smack. As for the positives, i have chosen to take certain things after talking to a well educated, much respect older relative of mine who expressed her reasons for occassionally using some substances. She took what she did for herself and her own experiences and while I'm sure she'd hate to think that she gave me the 'push' to experiment, she opened my eyes to the usefulness drugs can have for personal growth.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?

Again - I agree with Marco. Smoking (or nicotine) is the worst drug habit I have. The recreational drugs I have tried have enriched my experiences on the rare occasssions I have them. The worst after effect is always the hangover - from our happy, LEGAL friend... ALCOHOL. It always amazes me that people are so concerned about illicit drugs when 20 times more people die from alcohol than all the other drugs put together, every year.

Brilliant questions (as always). My computer crashed after I'd written a far better response, so this one's a little crap. Oh well! I should be packing anyway - on the plane home in less than 7 hours

Suz xxx

Suspeckted

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

I began to define "drug" but then stopped for lack of an objective definition. Hmm...well so far I've added nothing to the conversation...hopefully question two will yield some insight.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

Yes, regardless of whether I thought positively or negatively of them after finding out such information, I do believe that I would think of them differently. But it definitely depends on what recreational drug it was. I do, after all, work with kids, and that would be my first concern.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?

Definitely depends on the drug and the person. Let's face it...it's hard to say that eating food should be anything more than a matter of free will and experimentation (experimenting in the sense of having 4 ingredients in your fridge and trying to figure out how you're going to make a meal of them) but in reality some people can't stop eating. There are many things in our culture that I might view as pointless indulgences stemming from weakness that aren't drug related in the least. However, I do believe that certain drugs have a much greater tendency to move an individual far beyond the realm of free will in a very short detrimental period of time.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?

I can't think of any particular experience that has really changed my mind one way or the other. I've come to realize that nearly everything in life calls for some sense of balance regardless of what kind of indulgence it might be.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?

I skipped most of the experiemental stage when most of my friends dabbled with drug use. I'm just now starting to understand it a little bit better and testing the waters a bit. I don't feel that my life has suffered in anyway a result....neither suffered for my lack of experience, nor for the small experiences I have had. 4 of the 6 people in my family are on some kind of anti-depressant or anxiety medication and all of them think it's a matter of time before I succumb to the need for something more than a lot of coffee and long bike rides. They might be right...but lately I've found the occasional green-holiday in moderation and with responsbility may be able to keep me away from the legacy of pill poppers. Time will tell.

Ditto to those who expressed their distaste for the societal acceptance of alcohol and cigarettes while demonizing things like marijuana...that just doesn't add up.

my scabbed wings

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug?"
I consider a drug something used to get high that may be legal or illegal. simple.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.
yes, and I hate to sound so judgemental, but I am not. It's their time and their body, so I keep my opinion to myself.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.
Free will and experimentation, sure. Weakness is only if you have an abuse problem or dependency.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.
Yes, I had some serious issues. too embarassing to elaborate.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?.
My life suffered at the time but since the last day of anything in 1999, life has been just fine. I do have a black mark on my police record that will haunt me forever.

Texas Wahine

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

I would consider any substance that causes a physical reaction in the body to be a drug . . . marijuana, alcohol, heroin, cigarettes, oxycontin, benadryl . . . I guess that's a pretty broad definition, but I tend to believe that even things like over the counter medications can be abused. A "drug" is really more a of a tool that can be used to promote wellness, inhibit pain, create pleasurable sensations, cause death, create dependency, etc. It all depends on the manner in which it is used. A hammer can be used to build a house . . . it can also be used to bash someone's head in. I tend to see drugs the same way.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

At one time I had a boss who smoked pot during his lunch break . . . although I would not have chosen to do it, it did not affect his job performance in the slightest. He smoked pot . . . I had sex with my husband . . . we both came back from our lunchbreak happy and ready to work. I *try* not to judge other people. If I think something is wrong, then it is up to me to not do it . . . I don't get to (and don't want the burden of) running other people's lives for them. So, after all this rambling, what I am trying to say is . . . no, I don't think it would change my opinion of them *unless* they were very hypocritical and spoke against the use of drugs but privately used drugs.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.

Both. Neither. I'm not sure. My heart aches for people who are harmfully addicted to drugs. It is my personal experience that most people who have a drug habit wish that they did not and it tears them up inside to not be able to control their habit (this includes something legal like smoking even). I'm just not sure on this one.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.

Yes. Someone I care about has been addicted to prescription narcotics on several occasions. This person suffers from constant, excrutiating migrane headaches, and sometimes must have the medication, but he is unable, despite his very best efforts, to control his use of the drugs he is prescribed. I have watched this person I care about lie to those he loves, shake uncontrollably and vomit and cry his way through withdrawal, and I've seen him go to work or attend family functions glassy-eyed and "high" because he can't stop taking the drugs until there is not a single pill left in the bottle. Drug addiction is very sad.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?.

OR

(

: If you have not at any time indulged in a drug of any type, have you been pressured to try drugs and felt tempted ?. What do you base your choice on in this area ?.

As a teen, I was hospitalized with alcohol poisoning. The nurses and doctors who saw me in the ER did not think that I would live (I was unconscious for close to a day). I did not drink for a long time following that, but I do drink some now. I don't know that I should be drinking -- I don't think it's neccessarily a good thing. However, I don't drink often, and I rarely drink to the point that I am intoxicated.

I have never tried marijuana or any other illegal drug. I have, however, taken prescription narcotics for recreation. I feel that it was wrong, but I did enjoy the way it made me feel, and I did not suffer any ill effects. I do not do this anymore.

Sally jacobs

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

A drug, legal or illegal. Medicated or not. Can alter your behaviour, feelings, senses.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

Nope. When it comes to drugs, I think each to their own. Personally I wouldn't do it, but where do you draw the line. Should I say people shouldn't drink at the weekend? They want to do it, it's upto them.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.
Oh no! I see it as free will and experimentation. I also see it as a pointless indulgence and weakness when it is abused. When people over step the mark, become addicted. Then it is apointless waste

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.

My sister is a crack addict. It has hugely changed my views on drugs. i would never do the things she has. I drink, socially but that's about it. I'm not interested in the heartache, she has gone through. I'm not interested in that lifestyle. Or the places it got her. I'm not against other people doing it though. They do it, and live with the consequences, whatever they maybe.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?.

OR

(

: If you have not at any time indulged in a drug of any type, have you been pressured to try drugs and felt tempted ?. What do you base your choice on in this area ?.

I've never done drugs, and never intend on doing so. Alot of people around me have done so, and have tried to encourage me to do so. It's not for me though and never will be. My choices are mostly because of my sister, and what I've seen drugs do. I never want to go through that. Each to their own though.

Gideon MacLeish

on Sep 03, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

I consider a drug to be anything that interacts positively or negatively with the body's nervous or immune systems

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

Nope.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.

It depends on who the user is. I have found many examples of both.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.

Yes and no. I grew up in the "poor" section of town, and saw many of my peers fail to complete high school because of incarceration or simply their desire to not be continually harassed by peers/teachers in the school setting. Some of these were competent students, many were my intellectual peers or superiors; they were classified and castigated often by peers who indulged in the same behavior, but were more secretive about it.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?

Actually, I suffer more from NON drug use, as my bouts of social anxiety tend to increase and my depression tends to escalate. Marijuana in the past has had a positive effect in both of these areas.

notsohighlyevolved

on Sep 04, 2004

Food is a drug under this definition (and hey - who's to say it's not to some people?)

This idea is quite in vogue at the moment, and i'm glad you brought it up Floozie. Interesting case study is the introduction of sugar into the "old world's" diet 300 or so years ago. Once a quaint addiction of the regal, it is now considered to be a necessary ingredient of, let's say, bread! Un-friggin-believable!

Marco

Ravenblack

on Sep 04, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?.

Stuff you take, not for nutritional purpose, but to alter your body's biochemical levels to enhance, heal or to simply get a desired effect of any sort.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?.

Yeah it probably would.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.

Pointless indulgence. Presently, I just think drugs aren't really good for the body - that includes prescribed medicine.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?.

The only personal experience I have is: I've seen my great grandmother take opium to relax. She decided to quit slowly because she knew she wasn't going to get it forever.

5/
(

: If you have not at any time indulged in a drug of any type, have you been pressured to try drugs and felt tempted ?. What do you base your choice on in this area ?.

I guess I might have neen curious but there was never an opportunity. I never had friends who took drugs and I never hung out at places where drugs might be available when I was young. I was also too poor to be going out and having fun at those places. Law may be strict around here, and those who sell that stuff are usually hung if caught, but drugs are still readily available if you know where to look and who to hang out with.

Being once mildy clinically depressed, I'm glad I never got the opportunity because I probably would have at least tried.

Abe Cubbage

on Sep 04, 2004

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?.

Both. Drugs are a tool, so it's up to you on how you use it. Drugs have had a very positive affect on my life.

crimson

on Sep 06, 2004

1/ What do you consider to be a "drug" ?. Anything intoxicating... I sometimes think that even love is a drug, under the right circumstances.

2/ Would it change your opinion of say, a workmate, if you found out they used recreational drugs at weekends ?. Not at all. That sort of thing doesn't bother me; except if it causes havoc in my own life. I'd be concerned if the situation warranted, but not judgemental.

3/ Do you consider drug use to be free will and experimentation, or do you view it as a pointless indulgence or weakness ?. I tend to think of it more as a free will and experimentation bit, but now that I'm getting older, I know that there are a lot of people who have definitely gone beyond that phase. I don't know if it is an indulgence or weakness, but it's pretty damned sad how it can be so much of a part of someone's life in certain situations.

4/ Have you a had personal experience that has formed or changed your views on "drugs" or "drug abuse" ?. Not really. I don't have anything against it, but nothing for it either. It's simply not a part of my life, though it is a big part of some of my friends. I'd rather have a pint, personally.

5/ (a): If you have at any time indulged in a drug of any type, has this been with no negative effects, or has your life suffered in some way due to this ?. No negative effects, but a bit of paranoia about how my sense of time got affected. It's particularly the paranoid effects that make me not interested in doing drugs that often. Like I said, I'd rather have a pint.

OR

(

: If you have not at any time indulged in a drug of any type, have you been pressured to try drugs and felt tempted ?. What do you base your choice on in this area ?.

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