this post was submitted on 08 Jul 2024
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[–] themeatbridge@lemmy.world 208 points 4 months ago (8 children)

Drugs feel amazing. Getting high is like the fucking grand canyon, one of the things in life that lives up to the hype. Doing drugs makes you happier than you thought you could be, and there are a lot of people who don't have a lot of reasons to be happy.

We shouldn't pretend that drugs are bad, mm-kay. Drugs are awesome. That's the problem. They're too awesome. It's an awesome overload, and you end up not wanting to do anything except for drugs.

People who do drugs are not evil. They're having fun, experiencing new things, making friends and bonding over shared experiences. You tell a bunch of kids that drugs will ruin their lives, and then somebody at a party passes them a joint or offers them a bump of coke, they're going to realize you were full of shit.

Like, let's say that there was some weird flesh-eating bacteria that was specifically found only on water slides, but only on a few water slides. Now it's your job to convince all the children of the world to avoid water slides, because of the small possibility of bacteria. It's a serious problem, and it would be correct to tell everyone to avoid all waterslides everywhere, even if only a small percentage of waterslide riders died horrible deaths. So you tell people waterslides might kill you or maim you in excruciating ways. But if you act like waterslides aren't fun, you lose all credibility. Most people who ride the waterslides don't die, and they go on to tell everyone how much fun they had on waterslides, and that doesn't make them bad people.

[–] Jake_Farm@sopuli.xyz 61 points 4 months ago (3 children)

It is about distinguishing addictive and damaging drugs from useful medicines with a low chance of addiction. You are not going to convince me that the majority of people that have used meth or crack are fine. Where as weed or lsd I would.

[–] xantoxis@lemmy.world 36 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I will!

The majority of people that have used meth or crack are fine.

Now, don't get me wrong: meth is fantastically addictive. It's the most physically addictive drug there is, as far as I'm aware. And the fantastically high addiction rate for first-time users of meth is: roughly 30%.

70% of people who try the most addictive drug in the world don't get addicted, and go on to do other things like play tennis or do their taxes or switch to weed instead.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Tried meth once. Felt like Adderall. I could see why people abuse it, but I didn't feel the need.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 16 points 4 months ago (4 children)

That's cause Adderall is meth.

Or meth adjacent. I don't know the chemistry.

[–] Kampfkrapfen_Backup@lemmy.world 24 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Adderall is amphetamine, the base compound.

Meth is methamphetamine, amphetamine with a methyl group attached to it, so it's very closely related to Adderall. That small change makes it a bit more potent, longer lasting and euphoric though.

But meth can also get prescribed for ADHD and narcolepsia (under the brand name 'Desoxyn') in very rare cases where even Adderall doesn't seem to do the trick. So basically, both substances can be used therapeutically and they both can fuck up your life if you start abusing them, with meth admittedly being more potent and dangerous than regular amphetamine.

[–] Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

While there is some credence to this example, we all know chemistry does not work like this. For example, H2O, very good, essential for all life. H2O2, not so much.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago

Yep. I had an Adderall Rx for years prior, felt almost identical. But I also swallowed it, didn't smoke or inject it.

[–] meowMix2525@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago

If we're just assuming stuff based on vibes then caffeine is meth too.

[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz -3 points 4 months ago (2 children)

No it's fucking not.

And this kind of thinking is why the local cops raided a clinic my town and why doctors in my town are now scared to prescribe it.

This is what happens when people stigmatize and demonize legal meds that actually help folks who genuinely need it.

[–] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

Cops raided a pharmacy because they needed a fix. Foia the body cam footage if they got them.

[–] Vilian@lemmy.ca 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

nah, you're the wrong here buddy

[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I take it myself and have done so for 10+ years, and know the chemistry of it. It's in the same tree, but it's absolutely not meth.

If it were meth, it'd be called meth.

[–] areyouevenreal@lemm.ee 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Adderall is not meth, but it's still a form of speed/amphetamine and is still addictive to some neurotypical people. Maybe not as addictive or dangerous, but very much in the same category.

The reason ADHD people don't get addicted is because of their altered neurology and the doses it's prescribed at.

In fact actual meth is sometimes prescribed to ADHD patients in small doses. It's called Desoxyn.

[–] SharkEatingBreakfast@sopuli.xyz 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Adderall is not meth, but it's still a form of speed/amphetamine

Yes. Absolutely. But it is not meth, as people keep trying to claim.

[–] Shou@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Because ADHD stimulants are forms of methamphetamines.

[–] datelmd5sum@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago

The umbrella term is amphetamines. And not all ADHD stimulants are amphetamines, as there's also methylphenidate (ritalin) which is a dopamine reuptake inhibitor kinda like cocaine, except for majority of people a lot less enjoyable.

[–] Frozengyro@lemmy.world 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Yea, plus many people addicted to that shit end up doing bad things, Rob, steal, sell to kids, etc.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 11 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Sometimes, but not all of them.

And generally, addiction is other issues that we as a society could help with before it becomes those issues.

[–] cows_are_underrated@feddit.org 5 points 4 months ago

That's the same with heroin. At some point you're addicted as hell and have no money left, so what do you do to get that relief from it again? Prostitute yourself, steal stuff and sell it, rob someone. This is literally an endless cycle. You become more addicted so you have to make more money. Since drug addiction imposes a high risk of losing your job and house you have to become somewhat criminal. The only ways out of this are either 1:dying from the drugs, 2: being able to get off of them(what often is literally impossible without help and even if you manage it without a stable living situation(house, job which both are hard to find as an ex drug addicted homeless person) its not unlikely that you start using them again) or 3: finding a place where you can get them for free. One of these places exists in Berlin where heroin addicted can get free medical grade heroin for free.

[–] Jumuta@sh.itjust.works 16 points 4 months ago (1 children)

a more accurate analogy would be toxic chemicals in the waterslides that build up in the body, that takes a while to be expelled out

[–] areyouevenreal@lemm.ee 8 points 4 months ago

It's more complex than this even. Not all drugs are that toxic. In fact some of the most addictive aren't even that toxic at all like heroin. It's things like addiction, overdose, lack of clean supply, and the side effects that make it dangerous.

Even ones that are destructive to the body aren't always because of the chemicals they leave behind. Take meth for example: it's bad because of how much strain and immediate damage it causes, not long lived toxins. In small doses it's reasonably okay and is even prescribed by doctors sometimes. At amounts addicts do with the regularity they do them the damage builds up faster than it can be repaired by the body. MDMA, Amphetamine, Ketamine, and cocaine are similar here I believe.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, I mainly know about drugs from doing them and researching them online.

[–] Feathercrown@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Would it not make them bad people if waterslides were that dangerous? They wouldn't be lying, but they would be encouraging people to endanger themselves.

[–] KingJalopy@lemm.ee 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

If there are even a few water slides that dangerous, then all water slides are potentially dangerous.

[–] PunnyName@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago

This is the literal actual real world thing right now. Despite the few waterslides that are dangerous, there are plenty of actual waterslides in operation.

So, demonizing drugs is actually a bad idea, and this thread continues to prove it.

[–] mapleseedfall@lemmy.world 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Feels like a kurzgesagt summary to me

[–] Takios@discuss.tchncs.de 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

They did a piece on nicotine a while back that opened with how amazing it is followed by how it fucks up your body over time.

[–] systemglitch@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago

Fantastic analogy and a good read. I've had a lot of experience with these bad drugs at various points in my life and I regret none of it.

[–] horse@feddit.org 1 points 4 months ago

Drugs are honestly pretty meh. I'm not saying they can't be fun and or that they are evil or anything, but I feel like you are seriously overhyping them.

I used to a lot of drugs and lots of different kinds too. Sure I had fun and I don't massively regret it. But since I quit all drugs (including alcohol) several years ago I really have to say there are plenty of other things in life that are just as fun as drugs, if not much more so. There's only so much you can experience with drugs and it gets old fast.

[–] Murvel@lemm.ee -3 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I have no words almost...

But your little declaration somehow perversly juxtapositions the odd 100 000 deaths from drug overdoses in the US alone last year.

[–] Omega_Man@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Are you offended by this? Seriously asking?

[–] Murvel@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yes, since it's such an awfully negligent way of thinking.

I'd worry some poor young soul listening to the type of 'adult individual', falling into a fentanyl addiction, for example, thinking it 'fun and safe' forever ruining their life.

[–] Omega_Man@lemmy.world 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think this person probably was referring to lesser drugs such as cannabis or cocaine. Lumping them all together is the problem.

[–] Murvel@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago

I mean, did you look at the post? Smoking meth isn't exactly better..