Drug Abuse

oduffy

Hi All,

I myself have never done drugs, but does anyone think that its a big or small problem?? Has anyone had any experience of problems they've encountered with people who do drugs???

One of my problems is I'm completely naive of drug-abuse and wouldn't know what drugs looked like if someone showed drugs to me.

jcoote

i have had numerous problems with drugs bith personally and from others (soema re a bit mad so i won't go into it)...is not a problem when people take them just recreationally like on a night out or whatever...its when they lose control and strat stealing to keep up the habit etc... that the problem begins

miju

im not going to go into my experience of drugs but suffice to say iive about 7/8 years experience both personally and surrounding.

and in my opinion there is a MASSIVE drug problem in this country in fact sometimes I think that people dont anywhere near recognise how big of an actual problem its become

Femelade

ah guy i used to be friends with, went on drugs, things got very bad.
he will never ever be the same person again, i can barely talk to him anymore. he's just a totally different person to me now, even though he's off them with years, he might as well be still on them.

Blisterman

I think some drugs would be better off if they were legalised. Even requiring a prescription. No drug's ever been made safer by being banned. Plus there would be more accurate figures for their usage.

But of course, drugs, including alcohol should be treated with respect and not abused.

oduffy

oduffy wrote:

Hi All,

I myself have never done drugs, but does anyone think that its a big or small problem?? Has anyone had any experience of problems they've encountered with people who do drugs???

What do you mean by problem? If its only the use of drugs that you define as a problem then its probably a large problem. If on the other hand you define it as the problems they cause society I would say it is not a huge problem but one that is hyped up by the media.

I think if a person chooses to do any sort of drugs, they have educated themselves properly concerning harm reduction and do not cause anyone else problems then away with them. Its their bodies, who am I to say what they can do with them?

Chavster

It's a bit naiive to label it a problem with 'drugs'. eg, a huge percentage of the population has smoked some hash and will have caused very little trouble.

By contrast a small percentage of the population are heroin/crack addicts but will have caused loads of problems on society with crimes to feed habits.

mcguiver

There is a huge problem in Ireland when it comes to drugs...legalise more ?? we can't even control alcohal sales/use/mis-use...let alone others.

I've had to deal with the results of drug use on many occasions due to my work/background. One of the most surreal experiences was trying to hold a guys face together after he'd dropped some l.s.d. to "get into the mood for a concert"... he then proceeded to take a knife to his skin and try peeling it off.

Maybe when people have had to do that, watched kids lick spilled methodone from the street, or dealth with someone who's Od'd...then they can have an informed opinion on the whole scene.

danniemcq

of course there i8s a huge problem but without accurate figures for each type of drug and their usuage we can't know for sure the exact size.

also i agreee with chavster different drugs different problems. perfect example Alcohol=legal but most fights after nightclubs involve drunk people yet hash=illegal and i have yet to hear a or see headlines saying mad hash-head beats f*ck outta someone at 4 in the morning

rubadub

mcguiver wrote:

trying to hold a guys face together after he'd dropped some l.s.d. to "get into the mood for a concert"... he then proceeded to take a knife to his skin and try peeling it off.

I have seen that one on an urban myth site.
At least he was peeling his own face off, rather than the guy who drinks 10pints to "get in the mood for a concert" and peels some other guys face off with a stanley knife and robs his wallet.

One of my problems is I'm completely naive of drug-abuse and wouldn't know what drugs looked like if someone showed drugs to me.

The one to watch out for comes in pint glasses, has a amber colour and is fizzy

Sifo

I suppose the problems really lie in the person and the drug, not just the drug.

In my own experience and i expect some people will differ from this, I found that ecstacy has long term effects such as short term memory loss, and in some cases depression (although only on occasion).

Marijuana - this may have also caused the memory loss, i can't remember!!

Cocaine - This never really got me going, then again it's pretty ****e over here apparently..

Heroine - I've seen what this can do to a person.. quite sickening to see how it can destroy someone...

Chavster

People's attitude is to have pity on the 'drug-user' or alienate them, or persecute them. This type of behaviour can never improve the situation.

Just look at the weapon amnesties. This got more weapons off the streets than any police initiative. Not really sure how a drug 'amnesty' would work tbh but the point is that the problem needs a new approach before any headway can be made.

Finally, the question that should be asked is not 'do we have a drugs problem?' but 'why do we have a drugs problem?'. Only when that is looked at in depth can the problem be improved.

Dave!

I think the problem is all "drugs" being lumped in together without any research being done. Alcohol, nicotine and caffeine are socially acceptable drugs, yet they (at least the first 2) kill the most people per annum. Yet marijuana, LSD, and soon, magic mushrooms, are illegal, and rarely cause problems (only in specific cases such as having a history of mental illness). It's bloody ridiculous, irresponsible, and infuriating the conservative, ignorant attitude of some governments. Mushrooms grow over here -- if someone wants them, they can go out to a field and pick them at their discretion. But they could pick the wrong ones and injure themselves, and that's the government's fault as much as it's theirs(well, the British government have passed this law, but I'm sure the Irish government is in close pursuit).

SpAcEd OuT

The problem is the media spreading ****e instead of helpful information,

I really think that the dangers of some illegal drugs are over-exaggerated in the media,
Ecstasy to name 1,I mean looking at ecstasy if you are willing to educate yourself about it and not be an idiot it is quite a safe drug you can actually buy test kits to test your pills to see whats in them if your really sensible.
I think instead of writting bull**** about E the media should write about harm reduction,I mean we all heard about the irish man in Ibiza who died of a GBH overdose,yet in the paper they said Liquid Ecstasy,granted thats a nickname for it but the paper didnt mention the drug had nothing to do with ecstasy and the article ended up being all about the dangers of ecstasy (no harm reduction) leading the public to believe it was a diffrent form of ecstasy with not one mention that the drug that killed the man was actually GBH and how to prevent oding on it.
obviously you'll get idiots who over do it and drop some stupid number of pills and end up in hospital but you get that with drink as well,should a drug be illegal for all sensible users just because of the idiotic actions of a minority?


In regards to coke there is a huge problem full stop everyones doing it and by next year the number of registered addicts for coke will be shocking mark my words

Nightwish

I'm going out with a recovering drug addict, so I see first hand what it causes. When I was growing up I never came across anything other than hash. Nowadays every drug possible can be bought just about anywhere in Ireland. The drug I feel has seen the biggest rise in users is coke. I see people taking it here every weekend.

DrIndy

rubadub wrote:

I have seen that one on an urban myth site.
At least he was peeling his own face off, rather than the guy who drinks 10pints to "get in the mood for a concert" and peels some other guys face off with a stanley knife and robs his wallet.

Not so! And closer to home a young fella, bad tripping on LSD used a pair of scissors to cut one of his eyes out. He succeeded to well, he managed to sweep the eyesocket completely clean.

He then was about to start on the other eye when a pair of police jumped on him, it took 6 to subdue him to get sedated enough to be brought to the eye and ear hospital.

I see the effects every day in hospital. Some of it is really sad, but other drug users are complete and utter pricks.

mcguiver

One of the most surreal experiences was trying to hold a guys face together after he'd dropped some l.s.d. to "get into the mood for a concert"... he then proceeded to take a knife to his skin and try peeling it off.

Funny I've re-read my post a few times and I can't see any mention of me hearing/reading about this.... been there..done that, so no myth I'm afraid!

Maybe when you get to explain to a child why Mammys never coming home again after she's O.D'd you start to see the bigger picture.

Go for a trip to the Merchants Quay project.;..have a chat with some of the clients who can still string a sentence together.

The drug problem is a larger social issue... take a walk down Summerhill on a Saturday morning... do those young kids with track marks look like they made an educated choice to shoot up? Ever had to watch someone who's veins have collapsed from the needles ..not pretty when you see where they shoot up !!

nesf

Moved to Humanities.

miju

DaveMcG wrote:

Yet marijuana, LSD, and soon, magic mushrooms, are illegal, and rarely cause problems (only in specific cases such as having a history of mental illness). It's bloody ridiculous, irresponsible, and infuriating the conservative, ignorant attitude of some governments. Mushrooms grow over here -- if someone wants them, they can go out to a field and pick them at their discretion. But they could pick the wrong ones and injure themselves, and that's the government's fault as much as it's theirs(well, the British government have passed this law, but I'm sure the Irish government is in close pursuit).

I presume you do LSD, shrooms and hash otherwise you wouldnt have posted this. Its a typical response of a drug user (in fact I used to say the same things as you did) I've seen pot destroy 6 of my friends lives (and it wasnt far off wrecking mine either till the missus set me straight god bless here)

LSD I cant comment on because I never done them dont know anyone who has and I know very little about.

Shrooms should be illegal and the sooner they are the better. Do you realise that you are actually poisening yourself when you take shrooms, thats why you actually sweat and burn up so much on shrooms (its your system try to get rid of the toxins) and besides shrooms are ****.

Coke - I've never tried either because it never interested me but I've seen my mates on em and they are dickheads when on coke

Pills - possibly one of the most damaging drugs you can take. Theres this myth that part of the e tab stays in the back of your neck. What actaully happens is that your brain produces TOO MUCH serotonin (thus giving the high) and it cant reabsorb all of it and it actually damages the nerves in your brain. Thats what causes the depression but the nerves do grow back but the pathways dont actually re-join correctly so later on in life if your unlucky enough to come down with clinical (or emotional) depression or any other psychological drug then your ****ed because its these pathways that you damage that the treatment drugs for these illnesses use to alleviate the symptims.


I'm rambling a bit now, but what im trying to get at is that illegal drugs are illegal for a reason its not to piss you off by making things more awkward and stop you from enjoying yourself they are illegal because they DO YOU DAMAGE plain and simple. Like I said earlier the drug problem in this country is ridiculously out of control and I personally believe that its going to get worse beofre it gets better.
Anyways rant over

Ernesto

_raptor_ wrote:

I presume you do LSD, shrooms and hash otherwise you wouldnt have posted this. Its a typical response of a drug user (in fact I used to say the same things as you did) I've seen pot destroy 6 of my friends lives (and it wasnt far off wrecking mine either till the missus set me straight god bless here)

LSD I cant comment on because I never done them dont know anyone who has and I know very little about.

Shrooms should be illegal and the sooner they are the better. Do you realise that you are actually poisening yourself when you take shrooms, thats why you actually sweat and burn up so much on shrooms (its your system try to get rid of the toxins) and besides shrooms are ****.

Coke - I've never tried either because it never interested me but I've seen my mates on em and they are dickheads when on coke

Pills - possibly one of the most damaging drugs you can take. Theres this myth that part of the e tab stays in the back of your neck. What actaully happens is that your brain produces TOO MUCH serotonin (thus giving the high) and it cant reabsorb all of it and it actually damages the nerves in your brain. Thats what causes the depression but the nerves do grow back but the pathways dont actually re-join correctly so later on in life if your unlucky enough to come down with clinical (or emotional) depression or any other psychological drug then your ****ed because its these pathways that you damage that the treatment drugs for these illnesses use to alleviate the symptims.


I'm rambling a bit now, but what im trying to get at is that illegal drugs are illegal for a reason its not to piss you off by making things more awkward and stop you from enjoying yourself they are illegal because they DO YOU DAMAGE plain and simple. Like I said earlier the drug problem in this country is ridiculously out of control and I personally believe that its going to get worse beofre it gets better.
Anyways rant over

loada ****e





seriously, as someone mentioned earlier: like alcohol, all are great but of course, all in moderation. some drugs dont agree with some people.

try everything twice. not one immediatley after anothe of course

Sleepy

I think Mr. Hicks had it right:

Bill Hicks wrote:

My final point about alcohol, about drugs, about pornography... What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see or take into my body as long as I don't harm another human being whilst on this planet? And for those of you having a little moral dilemma on how to answer this, I'll answer for you. NONE OF YOUR FÚCKING BUSINESS! Take that to the bank, cash it and take it on a vacation outta my fúcking life.

_Turismo4

oduffy wrote:

Has anyone had any experience of problems they've encountered with people who do drugs???

A mate of mine smokes grass every day, and because of it, he’s totally paranoid about everything and everyone, Its very scary see him at his like that.
So yea, its not a good idea doing drugs.

nobodythere

_raptor_ wrote:

Shrooms should be illegal and the sooner they are the better. Do you realise that you are actually poisening yourself when you take shrooms, thats why you actually sweat and burn up so much on shrooms (its your system try to get rid of the toxins) and besides shrooms are ****.

There are people who can handle drugs and people who can't. For those who are prepared for them and can act responsibly, drugs can be a positive experience and through pre-preparation and post-reflection can greatly benefit your life and give you a perspective on the very nature of the universe that can be enlightening and fulfilling (referring to shrooms here to be quite specific).

To be honest, I think hash and alcohol are ****ty drugs.

The latter I have grown to dislike from working in a pub - everyone just acts like a shíthead and looks extremely drained and depressed between their short bursts of enthusiasm and excitement. I know the feeling of being worn down by drinking and feeling disconnected, worn out and out of it - and I think a good percentage of drinkers know this too. It takes you out as a person - kicks you in the belly and instead of standing on your own two feet and doing something with your life it leaves you trying to hold on to something as the solid ground falls beneath you (obviously I can only speak from personal experience).

I think hash is a ****ty drug mainly because I don't need it - I've never gotten any benefit from doing it, just felt tired and heavy. I've never needed it to relax with my friends and it doesn't help me have a good night - some drugs show you how marvellous the world is, but this just sort of takes you away from it, ripping the umbilical cord off so that you don't have to deal with it for a few hours.

I've also seen a few messed up lives through hash. One went into rehab with an addiction to all of the **** that they put in the hash that comes to Ireland, another gets severely depressed for a month after smoking and some people I know are never without a joint in their hand (varying from 1/4 up to 2 ounces per week). I'm only 17, I shouldn't see this happening to people around me that are my age.

But can you ban drugs? Do we need the government to Mammy us? Damn fúcking right we do, because most of us are NOT responsible people. This is why Plato did not believe in democracy. Most of us are idiots if you haven't yet noticed. Most of us need to be protected from certain things - not that governments have a personal interest in your wellbeing, but if you have to start stealing to support your phucktard addiction then I guess we'll put you back in the nappies and feed you mush.

I thought I was a responsible person, I didn't start drinking and doing drugs until my leaving cert year (just finished a few months ago). I thought that I could safely experiment with drugs and just find out what they're like. You can say you do it once but once you have a good experience it doesn't seem so serious doing it again and again and again. They were right about it being a gateway drug I think. There are people who can handle drugs and there are people who can't - and if I had access to a dealer and didn't just find **** in places I happened to be at I'd be well ****ed and stuck up **** creek without a paddle.

That's alcohol and hash though. I personally think that the one reason some drugs can't be banned (besides freedom) is because they have a spiritual value. My one experience with any other drug has been extremely positive - I became disconnected from reality but not from myself and I learned some life lessons from it through self-exploration that have shaped me in a good way. Anyone who has gone into it with a prepared mind that I know of has come out with a positive experience. And those who just want recreation from drugs - well Bill Hicks was right again - bring on evolution and have them jump out windows thinking they can fly. We'll watch the ground give way as I wave to them up above.

Chavster

what im trying to get at is that illegal drugs are illegal for a reason its not to piss you off by making things more awkward and stop you from enjoying yourself they are illegal because they DO YOU DAMAGE plain and simple.

So why aren't alcohol and tobacco illegal? They cause more harm than all drugs combined.

miju

i havent got an answer regarding alcohol, but regarding tobacco I believe it's simply because of the ginormous revenue loss from taxes. its a good PR spin for the government in "we're trying to get people to quit smoking but raising the price of them" when all their really interested in doing is increasing their tax revenue

deservidly so as well as smokers will cost the government a fortune as they go through life, get older and pick up all sorts of smoking related illnesses.

I mean lets face it with the stroke of a pen the government could cut the amount of smokers in this country by at least 2 thirds but why dont they???? (money) but anyway this discussion isn't about money/government so back on topic

im not anti-smoking btw i unfortunately smoke myself :-(

Dades

Chavster wrote:

So why aren't alcohol and tobacco illegal? They cause more harm than all drugs combined.

That question is disingenuous. Less motorcyclists are killed per annum than car drivers - but they are still 17 times more likely to die.

The average drinker/smoker is unlikely to turn to crime to fund their habits. Sure, in extreme cases they may spend money that would be better spent on food or shelter - but the majority of people can control their vices.

Drug users who can't kick the habit will inevitably turn to crime to fund their habit.

Blub2k4

The Atheist wrote:

Drug users who can't kick the habit will inevitably turn to crime to fund their habit.

I'm sorry but that is a crock of shite, the majority of drug users are hash smokers with a large sprinkling of ecstacy users, it is said that at the height of it that there were 500,000 people taking E per weekend in the UK.
How many of these hash/E heads are out robbing to fund their habit?
You are talking about heroin/Benzodiazepine users on the streets who steal to fund their habit.
There are any number of studies negating the "gateway theory" with regard to marijuana, the reality is that the only link is coincidental, as hard and soft drugs are illegal there is a greater chance of coming into contact with hard drugs when dealing with soft drug dealers, it's all illegal sure, why not stock them all.
That is as far as the gateway idea extends and in a legalised system this link would be broken.

Dades

Blub2k4 wrote:

You are talking about heroin/Benzodiazepine users on the streets who steal to fund their habit.

Fair point. I work on the quays and see these guys everyday.

UK statistics are irrelevant here but if 500,000 were taking E in a weekend - how many were drinking? 40 million? 50 million?

I don't know much about drugs other than what I've seen TBH.
I think a city filled with stoners every night would be an annoyance rather than a problem.

Eurorunner

Drug users who can't kick the habit will inevitably turn to crime to fund their habit.

I'm afraid we need to be far more specific than this. Conventional thinking seems to define 'drugs' as the handful of illegal substances that keep making the headlines. One of the most dangerous drugs out there is paracetamol (i kid you not - one of the biggest killers annually). A lot of people don't see cigarettes and alcohol as drugs because they are accustomed to them. They have grown up around them, know how they work and for the most part know what the risks are with them.

Fact of the matter is that there are risks with all substances. There are ways of reducing these risks - of which education has to go first. The damage that has been done by tabloid reporting is immense. Blatant lies have been told about some drugs (ecstasy is a prime example) - leading to many people not believing a word they hear from conventional sources. At the same time, those with no knowledge whatsoever swallow the misinformation & give govt.'s the mandate to continue the 'war on drugs'/criminalisation approach.

So to reduce the risks, you can criminalise it - but prohibition won't work when there are people who want to use. Furthermore, it puts money into the hands of criminals, leads to needless risk in that many don't know what the hell their taking cos theres no such thing as quality control in the underworld. Court time and prison spaces are taken up unnecessarily.
Life is full of risks - some will always go overboard - thats the way it is. But do we have to take away peoples right to choose. Isnt it time to take a different approach?

Eurorunner

I think a city filled with stoners every night would be an annoyance rather than a problem.

In comparison to a city filled with aggresive alcohol fueled muppets, its certainly the lesser inconvenience of the two.

Catsmokinpot

_raptor_ wrote:

Its a typical response of a drug user

what is a typical drug user? people from all walks of life take drugs.. there is no typical drug user, their is no typical response either. the thing that most of you typical anti-drugs crusaders seem to miss is alcohol and cigarettes. now granted if you do heroin or crack in my book your a fúckin waster, but more people die from cigarettes each year than all other drugs combined. the second biggest killer is alcohol.

now drugs aren't for everyone, never have been! never will be! but don't go on a big crusade unless your willing to look at both sides.

cigarettes - more addictive than heroine, ive seen people irritable, shaking, asking random people on the street for a cigarette, two of my uncles died from lung cancer. i know loads more who have had problems with smoking cigarettes are sprayed full of chemicals to control the burn. cigarettes turn red under a UV light because theirs so many chemicals on them.

beer - seen people beat the sh1t out their own friends and family on it, seen more alcos on the streets because of it, my mother was an alcoholic. if there ever was a drug to bring you down, alcohol would be it. and the worst thing about it is the fact that people go around saying how cool it was being twisted or laughing about a mate getting his stomach pumped.... and then going off on crusades against "harder drugs"

hash - ive seen people get paranoid and lethargic on it, anyone who does shouldn't be doing it, your doing yourself no favours. does that mean nobody should do it? of course not. ive never seen anyone beat the sh1t out of someone while on it, ive never seen anyone die from it. ive never seen anyone be so stoned they pissed all over themselves or puked all over the place. but you see it all on drink.

pills - ive seen people loved up, talking like their life depended on it, dancing like it was their last dance on earth, i have seen people become paranoid, get panic attacks and chew their jaws out, any other bad effects come from the fact that people aren't told what to do while their on pills. they either drink too much or drink too little, dance way too much and over heat themselves, bad pills come from the fact that they aren't legal, if they were they would be purer... johnny scumbag with his chemistry set in his shed puts rat poison and feckin drain cleaner in there to stick the mdma together.... thats what a bad pill is.

coke - seen people become dickheads on it, but ive also had some great times with some really nice people who were also out of their faces on it.. its not for everyone though and to be honest its not even half strength. for the price you pay for it. again johnny scumbag with his home chemistry set takes out some novacaine and sticks it in doubles the value

mcguiver wrote:

One of the most surreal experiences was trying to hold a guys face together after he'd dropped some l.s.d. to "get into the mood for a concert"... he then proceeded to take a knife to his skin and try peeling it off.

the man is an idiot and shouldn't have been taking acid. you hear about people thinking they can fly, ive taken alot of drugs not once did it make me think i could fly! idiots!

mushies/acid - ive seen lots of things on these most of which i would regard as positive, turned me in to a whole different person more open more relaxed able to look at things from outside the box, ive seen people get paranoid flip out and have flipped out myself (on salvia because i didnt know how to take it and took it in a room full of people), have seen people with flashbacks, its not all roses, all the people who had a bad experience shouldn't have tried it in the first place.

alot of the bad effects of these drugs would be removed if they were legalised, drugs would be purer (stopping alot of deaths caused by drug use) less expensive (stopping johnny coke head from nicking his grans wallet) it would take the whole criminal aspect out of it aswell (stopping tommy the drug lord from being able to go to monaco whenever he wants).

alot of the bad effects of drugs would be removed if people were educated about how to use drugs. i also believe people should be psychologically profiled before they are allowed to take drugs.