Why do people take drugs?

In my opinion and in my experience, most people are already addicts/alcoholics long before they ever take that first drink or drug.

Here is how I would describe it.

For a mentally well and healthy non-addict, the first time they try a drink/drug is like the first time they try a new kind of treat food. We'll say, honeycomb ice-cream. They see other people try it, they see others enjoy it, they're told good things about it. So they try it and they enjoy it too, it enhances their life, and the positive effects probably outweigh any negative side-effects, e.g. weight gain, provided they take it in moderation. Should the negative side-effects become significant - e.g. it turns out they're allergic to honeycomb ice-cream and it gives them a rash - they'll probably cut it out immediately and not really miss it all that much - after all, they've lived their lives this far without it. The substance (in this case) is an enjoyable addition to the person's life, but certainly not essential or central to their life.

Whereas when an "addict-in-waiting" starts on drink/drugs ... this is how I'd describe it. They try it with the same intentions as the healthy non-addict - to get a temporary buzz or lift in mood. But it's not like that at all.

Imagine if, since birth, your lungs were only functioning to 50% capacity. Of course you're struggling all along, but you don't know that they're only functioning to 50%, you know no different and you don't even know how much you're struggling. You take this substance, and all of a sudden your lungs are functioning to 100% capacity and it's amazing. You're no better or different to anyone else - you're just finally normal, and realise what you'd been missing all along. Stop using the substance, and your lung capacity drops, this time down to 40%. Crap. Now you're really struggling, and you know all about how "okay" things actually could be, and you know how to achieve that again. So you take the substance again. This time, it only brings your lungs to 90% functioning capacity, and that's fine, still a major improvement. But stop using it, and capacity drops to 30%. And so on and so forth, until when you're not using the substance you are unable to breathe at all, and you need to use massive amounts of the substance just to get your lung capacity functioning at the 50% it was at before you ever even started.

If that analogy seems dramatic or over-the-top, congratulations - chances are you've never been in the grip of an addiction.

It's not a choice anyone makes though, I don't think anyone with their eyes wide open would ever try that first drink or drug. The problem is you're usually already well into the addiction before you even begin to realise how f*cked up you were even before you ever started using.

mariaalice wrote: »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_experience

It is not uncommon to have a natural high in nature but I suspect it more likely to to happen to people who are profoundly content in the first place .

There is a good(ish) description in The wind in the willows called
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

to me, being out in nature doing whatever activity, whether it be activities such as cycling, walking, kayaking etc, is the best high ive ever experienced. it produces an inner peace that no other drug has ever created for me

Wanderer78 wrote: »

to me, being out in nature doing whatever activity, whether it be activities such as cycling, walking, kayaking etc, is the best high ive ever experienced. it produces an inner peace that no other drug has ever created for me

Fair enough, but these are physical activiites. Drugs tend to be more mental/psychological. I've had the high yourtalkign about, and I;ve had LSD/mushroom highs out in nature as well. Completely different type of high, but just as good.

Shpudnik wrote: »

I've never taken drugs but from what I told they seek to be an escape from problems.

That's just the bullshít answer trotted out by people too lazy to think.

I took tons of drugs in my youth, - it wasn't to escape anything - it was quite simply to have a good time. I like good times, they're good, way better than bad times in fact.

It ended neither in a jail cell, a hospital, nor a box - it ended in fact with a whimper when it slowly dawned on me that I was finding the recovery time longer and longer up until the point where it just was no longer a majority pleasant experience.

Maths is what stopped me - not jail, addiction, destitution, ill health or any of the other bollox you'll hear about. Simple arithmetic.

kunst nugget wrote: »

I didn't require any drugs to experience the world but I did use them on occasion to enhance certain experiences. Didn't mean I couldn't enjoy those experiences without the aid of drugs.

ive no problem with people wanting to experiment, some drug taking certainly looks fun, but its just not for me as explained earlier. i truly beleive all illegal drugs should be legalised.

Wanderer78 wrote: »

ive no problem with people wanting to experiment, some drug taking certainly looks fun, but its just not for me as explained earlier. i truly beleive all illegal drugs should be legalised.

Ecstasy looks great fun alright

i count myself lucky that I grew up when yokes exploded onto the nightlife in Ireland. We were a very lucky generation to have experienced such times.

Jerichoholic wrote: »

It is

Yeah I'm well aware of that.