Do you plan to drink? yes/no.

[Chron]

I drink occasionally. Never more than a shot or two of hard liquor though.

I hate beer. It's the hops; can't stand bitter things. Bitter is usually the body's signal for "hey, this is spoiled, don't eat it"
Wine I can stand in small amounts. Has to be good wine. Port is nice.

Most of what I drink, as I said, are hard liquors. Rum, whiskey, gin... usually I drink it on the rocks or by itself. Tend to nurse it. Mostly because I never want to get sick drunk, and I hate being out of control of my situation (which is what alcohol does). I figure that the best way to go about not getting sick drunk is to never drink too much (although there's only so much you can do about that, I guess). My favorite is probably coconut rum or bourbon.

In college I made it through (at least the last two years at uni) with only about three or four drinks total.
Roommate had some honey Jägermeister. Absolutely delicious, let me tell you.

---

As for other drugs, don't care to. It's the control issue.
I'm even like that with over-the-counter stuff (although prescription medicine I tend to trust). Never really sick that often, so it rarely comes into play.

[Edgecrusher]

I'll never understand the "I don't want to not be in control of myself" thing.

I've never not been in control of myself.

All substances included.

[Abominator]

I know, saying that that's what it does without trying it is moronic.

It's like saying you wont eat because you don't want to be morbidly obese.

[preventerWIND]

I used to say that. Which is exactly because I've never tried it. I thought if you did do it, you would lose all control of yourself and lose all common knowledge.

Boy, was I ever a chump back then! *takes a drag of a cigarette and a swig of whiskey*

[Edgecrusher]

I'm also of the firm belief that everyone should do mushrooms/LSD at least once.

[ASR]

I'm personally deadset against all forms of drugs and alchohol, and I honestly don't have a reason.

But at least I know that.

[Edgecrusher]

You don't have a reason that you know of.

Maybe the Anti-drug folks got into you at a really young age.

[Vinchenz Rock]

I'm not against drugs, but at the same time, I wouldn't do it.

Though, and I don't know why, I always wanted to play Super Mario Sunshine under something.

[Edgecrusher]

Not that I'm trying to pressure anyone into doing anything, but for those of you out there who are "I have no interest in doing drugs.", I'm curious as to your reason.

This is, of course, assuming you didn't try them and decide they weren't for you.

[ASR]

And yeah, I feel like rephrasing my post to sound more like Vinch's. I'm definitely not AGAINST drugs, I could care less if people smoke or drink and do other crazy ##### around me, I just won't do it myself.

But still, I don't actually have a reason. I guess it was just drilled into me that "drugs are bad" and for whatever #####ed up reason, I must believe it.

[Edgecrusher]

To be fair, it's not completely #####ed up to think they're bad.

Some of them most certainly are.

The trick is differentiating between the "good" and "bad" drugs.

[ASR]

I'll at least say that I hate all anti-drug commercials because they make them out to be like, the WORST possible thing you can do, when pretty much 90% of the population I've come in contact with has done an assortment of drugs and drank an assortment of alchohol.

At least with alchohol I have an okay reason. This one girl about my size  (as in, tiny) that I hang out with a lot gets totally #####faced after maybe two beers. She's obnoxious and crazy and forgets a lot the next day. I've already had to help her get to her room twice. At least she doesn't get sick.

My point is that I'm smaller than her, and I'd just have to be REALLY careful because there's no way I'm not a lightweight, too.

And I guess I have a decent reason with cigarettes, too. I figure they're unhealthy enough for me (and really, they are, and nobody can really deny that anymore) that I don't have any desire to smoke them. I figure pot is probably better to help me "feel good" if I'm going to smoke anything.

[Majikn]

Yeah, I don't care if anyone else does them, to a point. It's just a personal thing. I feel like being "under the influence" would make me kind of a different person, judging by how I've seen some people act (same kind of deal as ASR), and despite being someone else seeming like a good thing in theory, being someone else in the same body just freaks me out.

I'm exaggerating what I mean a little, I just don't want to risk something that's generally unhealthy anyway, it's not the kind of road I would consider walking down.

[Edgecrusher]

I've known those types of people, but I can safely say it's all about how you chose to conduct yourself.

To quote Frank Zappa: "A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound. The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an asshole."

[Majikn]

I'll take your word for it, but to be honest, I'd probably have tried it anyway if I didn't have a major lack of initiative. You can imagine there are a lot of things I haven't tried doing.

I do drink a little, but in a small amount on rare days, so that hardly counts towards developing any sort of taste for alcohol.

[Johncarllos]

I don't do drugs or drink because I grew up with everyone around me doing them and I wanted to be different.

My sister burns half her paycheck on weed every month.

[Edgecrusher]

That's... excessive.

I smoke with a fair bit of regularity, but an eighth lasts me at least a month, and only costs me sixty-five dollars.

Either she's smoking copious amounts because she's buying low grade #####, or she's one of those "I have to be high all day long" sort of people.

I have a friend who's a poster child for the latter. When he and I graduated high school, we both went into the working world when everyone else went off to college. Our second year out, he got a job working as a janitor. The place offers no benefits, crap hours, and ##### pay. He still works there. He hasn't seen a dentist in years (as evidenced by teeth that make him look like a meth-head), drinks nothing but Pepsi, and eats nothing but Jack's pepperoni pizzas. He lived with his parents up until a few months ago, at which point they kicked him out. All he does is smoke weed (he's never not high) and half-ass his work.

On the other hand, I have another friend who's the antithesis of an average pot head. He smokes with almost the same regularity as my deadbeat friend, but instead of wasting all his time, when he's high, he's really motivated. One time, while we were smoking (from a bong he made out of an air mattress pump, some sockets, and a plastic bag) he decided he was going to build a computer into his car. He started making notes regarding what he wanted to implement, and immediately started programming on his laptop. A few months later, and his car it outfitted with a home made computer system that: Operates his stereo and has preset equalizer settings for each individual MP3, interfaces with his GPS system and radar detector to recognize common radar readings and not beep OR notice new signals and log them, recognize when he's going through a residential area after quiet hours and automatically turn his sub-woofers off, log radar signals that aren't fixed (essentially making an extrapolated map of "cop hot-spots", adjust the speed of his windshield wipers in relation to the speed of his car, and turn off his music when his cellphone gets an incoming call. All homemade.

So there's the catch; being high doesn't make you lazy, it just amplifies your natural tendencies.

[Johncarllos]

I WANT MY CAR TO DO THAT!

My sister burns so much money because she smoke at least once on every non-work break, and when she smokes in the evening, she does it to excess. Like, for an hour or more. Bong after bong after joint after blunt.

[ASR]

EDGE YOUR FRIEND IS KNIGHT RIDER

[Edgecrusher]

I forgot to add: this is all controlled via a 15 inch touch screen display he installed and programmed.

One time, when our landlord locked out the thermostat in our apartment (he payed the bill), my friend made this little metal box. When you plugged the box into the phone jack in his bedroom and pushed the little button, it would turn our heater on for 15 minutes (the timer was so we didn't cook the guys downstairs)

He's #####ing McGuyver.

...except he's not gay...

[Lunchebox]

So then he's like Mr. T?

[Mikero]

I think people who do stuff to 'lose control' are just looking for excuses. Or rather, using that as an excuse to be a total cock knob.

Personally, when I've had drinks I'm only more inclined to and/or make others "cut the #####" when talking.

And that's pretty badass about Edge's friend. The good one. Not the other one.

[Chron]

I'll never understand the "I don't want to not be in control of myself" thing.

I've never not been in control of myself.

All substances included.

It's a proven fact that alcohol blocks GABAA receptors and makes it more difficult to stop one state and enter another; which causes reckless behavior often associated with the drug. Thus, you are not in full control of your actions.
Science.

As far as other drugs go, I see no benefit in the effects.

You mention LSD. That's probably one of the few things I would try given the chance in a decent environment. No negative physical effects whatsoever, or physical addiction is associated with the drug.

On the other hand there is, arguably, a loss of direct input from sensory organs which leaves one vulnerable.
But from what I hear you're fully aware that you're under the influence of the stuff.

I think our definitions of personal control may be conflicting, but whatever.
To each his own.

[Rama Olendris]

It's an unfortunate fact that on both sides of my family, alcoholism is prevalent. So far only my mother and myself have refrained from drinking. My brother drinks like a fish and lives in the basement when he's 27, and my aunt died last year from an alcohol induced heart attack. Once in a while (meaning for celebration) is fine. But right now I'm really going to stay away from the bottle.

[Vinchenz Rock]

BACKSTORY!

[ASR]

My brother ... lives in the basement when he's 27

Where does he live when he's not 27?

[Lunchebox]

In a box on 5th street.

[Rama Olendris]

In a box on 5th street.

That's where he's heading.

[Edgecrusher]

It's a proven fact that alcohol blocks GABAA receptors and makes it more difficult to stop one state and enter another; which causes reckless behavior often associated with the drug. Thus, you are not in full control of your actions.
Science.

Right.

All drugs alter the chemical interactions within your body.

That's what makes them drugs.

Following that line of logic would lead one to conclude that being sleepy removes full control of your actions. Of course, that's true; but it's also unavoidable.

My point being that "complete control" is impossible.
Personally, if I tried to be in constant control of all aspects of my life, I'd go nuts.
Sometimes it's nice to relax, but relaxation does not equal recklessness. Poor decision making, on the other hand, does.

Maybe you're just more Type A than I am?

At this point, I should also mention that, while I enjoy liquor, I think the wrong substance became socially acceptable.

[Chron]

I'm going to pretend you didn't use terminology from a scientifically inaccurate method of personality classification.

But you'd be right regardless.

[Edgecrusher]

*laughs* If I hadn't done so jokingly, I would expect you to harass me for it.

[Chron]

I've been trying to correct my easy-to-upset nature.
Not easy.

[Edgecrusher]

Smoke more weed *laughs*

[ASR]

I like this thread.

[Mikero]

I like when Chron and Edge debate. I learn something sometimes.

[Chron]

I do, too.

[Speed Racer]

Smoke more weed *laughs*

Good suggestion, and I'm being serious.

[Mikero]

I'm a bit too paranoid in my life when sober right now to try any of that stuff. Maybe in the future but I have no aspirations to do it or not do it either way. Without having tried it, I rather think I'm the type to not have a great reaction to that and have mini freak outs or something. I think probably two or three times more than I should about everything.

I would try a hallucinogen in the right environment maybe, if only as a curious artist.

[Chron]

S'my opinion on it.
Said in better words, even.

[Edgecrusher]

I'm a bit too paranoid in my life when sober right now to try any of that stuff. Maybe in the future but I have no aspirations to do it or not do it either way. Without having tried it, I rather think I'm the type to not have a great reaction to that and have mini freak outs or something.

I'm a law enforcement major currently, so I completely understand the concept of being paranoid while high (considering every cop in this city knows me by name, and getting busted effectively ends my career). Really though, paranoia goes away once you get accustomed to being high.
Kind of like when most people get drunk the first few times, they're extra obnoxious, because they haven't learned how to handle themselves.

Also, the grade of weed you use will play a role as well. The really good stuff keeps you mellow.

I think probably two or three times more than I should about everything.

All the more reason for me to suggest it. Thinking is one of my favorite activities, and it's fun to let your mind wander while high. It's amazing the kind of ##### you'll come up with.

I would try a hallucinogen in the right environment maybe, if only as a curious artist.

I would become comfortable with lesser substances before I dove into too much else, really. Particularly stronger hallucinogens like LSD or mescaline, because if you're not properly prepared for the experience, you're not going to have a good time.

Hell, I don't even do mushrooms WITHOUT smoking copious amounts of weed. It helps with the gut-rot that the mushrooms tend to bring on, and helps mellow me out.

Of course, that's all a matter of personal taste. Everyone's experience with hallucinogens is different, and each trip can very dramatically, though it's a safe bet that it will change the way you see the world from that point forward.

If you ever do dabble in the realm of tripping, I highly recommend:
  - Picking a day when you have NOTHING else you need to do
  - Making a list of all the things you need to accomplish before you do anything, and
    taking care of them well beforehand.
  - Have someone you trust COMPLETELY keep an eye on you. I emphasize the word
    "completely" because if your trust isn't complete, you're more likely to freak out.
    Trusted friends are also much better at calming you down if you start to freak out.
  - Make sure it's a day where you're in a good mood. It's amazing what a difference that
    can make.
  - TURN YOUR CELL PHONE OFF
  - Control as many variables of your environment as possible. Nothing is worse than a surprise.
  - While this one isn't necessary, it's always fun to have other people there tripping with you.
    Sometimes just watching someone else trip balls really helps you stay grounded. *laughs*

[saldite]

I did LSD once...
At home...
By myself...
I had a very, VERY bad trip...
I honestly thought I was going to die...
...
I will never do strong hallucinogens again...

EDIT: Also, I seem to remember getting out my gun to defend myself from Lucy the Chinchilla...He was trying to eat my soul...

[Chron]

If you ever do dabble in the realm of tripping, I highly recommend:
  - Picking a day when you have NOTHING else you need to do
  - Making a list of all the things you need to accomplish before you do anything, and
    taking care of them well beforehand.
  - Have someone you trust COMPLETELY keep an eye on you. I emphasize the word
    "completely" because if your trust isn't complete, you're more likely to freak out.
    Trusted friends are also much better at calming you down if you start to freak out.
  - Make sure it's a day where you're in a good mood. It's amazing what a difference that
    can make.
  - TURN YOUR CELL PHONE OFF
  - Control as many variables of your environment as possible. Nothing is worse than a surprise.
  - While this one isn't necessary, it's always fun to have other people there tripping with you.
    Sometimes just watching someone else trip balls really helps you stay grounded. *laughs*

Almost verbatim what one of my co-workers told me about it.

Had a rather amusing story about potato people.

[Edgecrusher]

My friend Kevin (the one with the car computer) was totally defeated by Disney stickers while tripping once. It was #####ing hilarious.

Posted on: 24 September 2008, 03:36:36

I did LSD once...
At home...
By myself...
I had a very, VERY bad trip...
I honestly thought I was going to die...
...
I will never do strong hallucinogens again...

EDIT: Also, I seem to remember getting out my gun to defend myself from Lucy the Chinchilla...He was trying to eat my soul...

You're either stupid, or lying.

I'm also curious why a 16 year-old owns a gun.

[Chron]

There has to be some sort of archive of trip stories online.
That'd be more of a timekiller than Not Always Right.

[Edgecrusher]

That Erowid site I posted earlier is full of them.

You have to take them with a grain of salt though, as some people are obviously just making ##### up.

[saldite]

You're either stupid, or lying.
I'm also curious why a 16 year-old owns a gun.

My cousin told me to do it...
So I did...
And then he left...
...
Needless to say, I will never do strong hallucinogens again...

As for the gun thing...
Where I live, it's strange for somebody to not have a gun because it's a small hunting community in upper Michigan. I had my first gun when I was 12. It was a 20-gauge shotgun...
Y'know, I think back on it now and I wonder what the #### was wrong with my cousin.
I mean, why would he give me that #### and then just ditch out on me? Especially since it was my first time doing LSD...
I'm not really mad about it. What's in the past is in the past. It just seems very irresponsible of him...

[ASR]

ANOTHER MICHIGANDER?

HEY BUDDY SUP A/S/L

[Edgecrusher]

My cousin told me to do it...
So I did...
And then he left...
...
Needless to say, I will never do strong hallucinogens again...

As for the gun thing...
Where I live, it's strange for somebody to not have a gun because it's a small hunting community in upper Michigan. I had my first gun when I was 12. It was a 20-gauge shotgun...
Y'know, I think back on it now and I wonder what the #### was wrong with my cousin.
I mean, why would he give me that #### and then just ditch out on me? Especially since it was my first time doing LSD...

The owning of a gun due to living in a small hunting community I believe.

Though I still think you're full of ##### regarding your trip.

[saldite]

Believe what you will. I'm sure as hell not going to try and stop you.
Although, it wasn't a lie.
I honestly didn't know what LSD was (mostly because I live in a sheltered community, and I was very naive), and at the time my cousin was the coolest person in the world to me, so I figured "What the hell" and did it.
I've realized over the years I was wrong about my cousin being the coolest guy. Although he has matured a lot since having a child.
Regardless though, I've lost interest in the drug scene. I haven't done drugs (of any kind) since late May or so this year, and I doubt I ever will again.
Now it just seems so...I dunno'...lame...

[Edgecrusher]

Also, I seem to remember getting out my gun to defend myself from Lucy the Chinchilla...He was trying to eat my soul...

This is where you lost me. Everything else was passable.

It just has that "I'm making this up to seem cool/fit in" quality to it.