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Is intoxication a basic human need?

xammy

xammy

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What is your thoughts about intoxication being basic human need? It's common for every culture around the world to use mind altering substances and they have been used for thousands of years.

Legends tell us that animals showed people how to use drugs. From frisky goats showing us the wonder of coffee beans to llamas showing us the coca leaf, there are persistent myths around the world that animals, like humans, use drugs for recreational purposes. Even the now ubiquitous alcohol was, according to Greek myth, discovered when man watched apes eating grapes, “displaying a special fondness for the fermented ones.”

It's also very interesting that even children seem to seek intoxication. Dizziness is not only an ancient and adult form of intoxication, it is one of the first to be discovered by children. It is common to find three- and four-year-olds whirling and twirling themselves into delirious stupors. Many children have discovered that a good way to induce dizziness is to wind up a swing and let it unwind while they are sitting on it.… Many amusement-park rides are designed to induce other thrilling experiences through dizziness. For example, “tilt-a-whirls” move riders in vertical and horizontal planes while spinning them around.

Young children often experiment with such intoxicating “games” without the aid of a drug. They may deliberately hyperventilate and have other children squeeze them around the chest so that they faint. The panting hyperventilation, central to these effects, produces a lowering of carbon dioxide pressure, cerebral vasoconstriction, and a final dreamy collapse as the world starts to move around them.

Ronald Siegel believes there is a strong biological drive to seek intoxication. "It's the fourth drive," he says. "After hunger, thirst and sex, there is intoxication." Whether we are seeking pleasure, stimulation, pain relief or escape, at the root of this drive, he says, is the motivation to feel "different from normal" - what has sometimes been called "a holiday from reality". Some people reach this state through travel, books, art, roller coasters, sport, religion, exploration, love, social contact or power. Others use intoxicants. "It's the same motivation," says Siegel. "We wouldn't live if we didn't seek to feel different."

There's a lot more about this on http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v04/n1636/a11.html

I found this to be very interesting topic to discuss. Is this the right area for this topic? My first thread on bluelight :P
 
I don't believe so however humans seek pleasure and good feelings and that is quite natural and could be stated as a basic human attribute, but needs are things like shelter, water, food, air.

Once addiction takes over the human, the want for the substance is believed to be in the part of the brain that tells the human hunger to eat, thirst to drink, etc. as a junkie I chose heroin over food and water any day of the week, and other than some random hydration herr and there, would continue to make that choice for days, if not weeks, on end, like the monkeys and rats that starve to death by pressing the bar for cocaine instead of food time after time until dead
 
Yeah as basic human need I mean like sex is, not things that are essential to your survival like food, water and sleep. Also this is not about addiction, thats totally different thing than recreational drug use that almost every human being does in some form
 
This is probably the most thought out and put together post I've seen in DC (no offense to other posters). I half way agree and half don't. I think humans do desire intoxication as an alternative to other pleasure seeking activities. It's also a guaranteed method of pleasure too "pot gets me stoned, heroin mellows me out, lsd makes me see and feel things, etc".
 
While I dont believe it was an original human need, I think evolving alongside psychoactive substances for so long has changed our brains to enable us to experience more pleasure from psychoactive substances.
I believe this has made changing your perception, while not a BASIC human need, a reward/pleasure 'drive'.
 
xammy said:
Young children often experiment with such intoxicating “games” without the aid of a drug. They may deliberately hyperventilate and have other children squeeze them around the chest so that they faint. The panting hyperventilation, central to these effects, produces a lowering of carbon dioxide pressure, cerebral vasoconstriction, and a final dreamy collapse as the world starts to move around them.

I found this to be very interesting topic to discuss. Is this the right area for this topic? My first thread on bluelight :P
Click to expand...

Lol I remember this got so bad at my school that they had to call a meeting for the parents and hand out these flyers about how dangerous this was :D

Anyway I don't think getting intoxicated is a basic human need, it is however a basic human desire. I definitely wouldn't want to live without drugs but I could if I had to.
 
Wow great post, Xammy.

I think intoxication is something like a human, need, yes, but I feel like it's less of a need than simply a reality of human life that a large portion of the population will seek inebriation.
 
Let me preface by saying that everyone's answers are very good, and I appreciate it that you've gone out of your way to discuss such a great subject. With that I think that the answer to OP's question is subjective. Many factors influence people's 'drive' or need to become intoxicated; genetics, environment and culture are the 3 biggest factors, in my opinion, that influence human behaviour, good or bad. As a university student, I go to school with a lot of people who are turned off to drugs (even weed) and don't see the point in temporarily altering your consciousness, just for the sake of doing it. I've rolled, smoked and done lines with people who have absolutely hated the feeling, never to touch a joint or pop a molly again. On the other hand, I've also done lines and rolled with people who absolutely love it; inadvertently becoming dependent on the substance just to feel anything at all. I for one am a large believer in moderation, and will indulge when I can, and remain sober when I cannot, but I digress. I wish I had more time to discuss this but my chemistry lab isn't going to do itself. Just like Arnold said in the terminator; I'll be back.
 
I'd like to clarify that I also don't see it as something you NEED to survive - but as something like sex drive. I see it as this strong biological drive. Something that leads you, something like an instinct.
 
I dont think its a drive as specific as 'a drive to take drugs' but is a more general drive to experience pleasure. This pleasure/reward system encompasses all our behaviour to differing degrees.
Its why we have sex and seek a mate, why we stay in family groups and even why we eat.
In the case of addicts who would choose their DOC over anything (even food as a poster above mentioned I think) this is still explained by that reward system, its just that an addicts reward system is twisted by addiction and creates a strong drive to gain reward by that drug, even to the detriment of other drives like eating or sex.
 
^^^
"I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin."
 
For me: a need. I really can't live without drugs. But I have bipolar disorder. It's not like I get mood swings. I get full-blown personality changes. It's fucking crazy. Or I'm fucking crazy whatever. I don't enjoy life with some type of drug. But it is obviously self-medication and not hedonism that drives my drug use.
 
Intoxication could be described as [a] novelty in contrast to sobriety. I think it's wired into most, if not all people to seek novelty. The seeking of novelty manifests in more forms than intoxication, of course, intoxication is just the big one.

xammy, your Ron Siegel quote at the end there is a great summation of the tendency; I would only replace the word intoxication with novelty. I know a bunch of people who have experimented with drugs and much prefer sobriety because they don't like feeling a lack of control even in the slightest. Then again, those of us who enjoy drugs refer to that as a lack of inhibition which can feel very pleasurable. :)
 
I can admit that I'm very addicted to intoxication or altering/expanding my mind and consciousness even though I can't name any specific substances as I'm not particularly addicted to anything, ergo I don't NEED anything :) I am addicted to euphoria!
 
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I need morphine and roxicodone to control pain. It also has a great affect on my mood. When you live with pain 24-7 the enhancing qualities of opiates is I believe a greater factor in giving me a reason to go on than the pain relief itself. When you can no longer work or exercise even, your health takes a major hit. And mentally I am at a loss to find a reason to go forward, but the opiates give me a little something. I need them.
 
Do you get any euphoria from opioids or do they just help with the pain?
 
Yea I take my morphine in the morning, if its bad I take the days I20. It leaves me 180 of roxi to take when I want. I can save for Fri-Sat if I'm gonna go out with friends. I pick a lot of schrooms down here so getting a buzz on is easy. Plus connects with CC, but to answer your question I have a tolerance like every other user and its hard to get around.
 
It's a real fucking strong desire. People want to feel good, whichever way, I guess.

I don't feel the need for substances anymore, a few days ago I would have replied yes, but now I really don't know.

Good thread, it'll be great to read as things progress. Thanks for contributing, xammy. ;)
 
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