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Bluelighter
so you think that needing those drugs to be themselves is healthy? even if the people are very functional, being in that situation seems like something you'd definitely want to avoid
Why is that a situation you want to avoid??? Since the beginning of time man has searched for substances that would alter his conscious state of mind.... some people function better on psychoactive chemicals... just like a person with diabetes functions better with insulin control. Your brain is an organ that is apart of your physical body as well... Say I have to take antidepressants to quell my anguish... well i need to take that everyday... so whats the difference if he smokes weed to motivate his psyche and augment his inner joy?? The difference is indoctrination and propaganda of part of the antagonist... everyone takes their own path... so embrace the deviations in each person.
†∆†;9205059 said:i understand the point you are trying to make. however, there is a difference between psychiatric medication that is calibrated specifically to help correct mood disorders that can make life difficult and "street" drugs that completely fuck you up, and can possibly mess up your life.
i've yet to encounter a person who has been helped, in any capacity, by the drugs they were addicted to. i've also never encountered anyone who's drug use brought them more in touch with themselves as people, and i'm not sure that such people exist. drugs just don't work that way.
Actually, many people are prescribed all sorts of amphetamines or very strong stimulants to correct mental disorders such as ADHD or Narcolepsy. They have a very strong addiction potential, and many people who are on them have histories of addiction. Yet they do not generally exhibit addictive behavior to prescribed stimulants.
On that note, who is to say that people, like myself, who suffer from depression that is resistant to standard SSRI's and Trycyclic antidepressants are not deficient in say... endorphins? Perhaps opiates such as heroin and oxycodone may be beneficial to these people as mood stabilizers?
†∆†;9205204 said:as someone who takes amphetamines for ADHD treatment, i'd say that there is definitely a difference; you're taking something that is being regulated by a doctor who hopefully knows what they are doing and won't have you on a dose that would be considered a "high."
also, i don't know ANYONE who would endorse using heroin as a mood stabilizer. sorry, but that is just ridiculous. nodding out may stabilize your mood, i guess, but that's no way to live
Nodding is a product of abuse of opiates, not the use of opiates (for example, chronic pain patients don't nod out unless they are taking more than they are supposed to).
I suppose if the roles were reversed, and opiates were approved for the treatment of depression, and amphetamines totally illegal for everything except narcolepsy, I could say "I don't know ANYONE who would endorse using amphetamines to aid in concentration. Sorry, but that is just ridiculous. Tweaking for 5 days straight may help you get shit accomplished, but that's no way to live".
So it goes both ways.
It is totally logical to assume that some people suffer from endorphin deficiency, considering we have already determined that certain individuals are deficient in producing enough serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. In these particular cases, I believe individuals would stabilize at a certain dose, and even if they did occasionally nod out, their functioning may in fact be at a higher level with opiates (under doctor supervision) than without.
After all, I occasionally abuse my Adderall prescription (always with the purpose of getting something done, never for euphoria), but never in the face of responsibilities. I can name a million times where I blew some major event due to opiate use, all of these occasions being related to my being sick and needing opiates to get out of the house, but Adderall has never impaired my functioning in any capacity (well, besides the first couple times I binged and discovered what amphetamine psychosis is all about, but I have learned to keep my binges to 3 days or under).
I believe that if I were given an unlimited supply of opiates, under doctor supervision, ensuring that I would never be sick, that I would function at a much higher rate than I do now. My problems arose from the unsustainability of funding an illegal habit, not from the habit itself.
My point is... this is all just your opinion... if someone thinks that is a way to live then your opinion doesn't have a monopoly on such ideas that it should discredit their ideology. So for you, I understand, mind alteration isn't a sufficient method of living-- but that doesn't mean it doesn't offer potential to the next person. And some of those very people are apart of your sociological network that enable the economy to function. So if you rather stay in your sober consciousness, then that is who you are, (which answers the crux of this thread). But a slue of others don't share those ideals. Some of them probably should--which are the ones you call dysfunctional. But the reason you may have never met a drug user who has a mutual respect and fruitful relationship with their substance of choice, is because you shouldn't notice or be privy to their usage. They are out there, and you cannot call them out on their actions. Peace. To each his own.
Opiates + a good upper.
Makes me feel wonderful and capable of going about my business without fatigue or anxiety.
I dislike just uppers though, and opiates alone are starting to lose their luster.
†∆†;9206284 said:any doctor who knows what they're doing wouldn't prescribe someone a pill regimen that would have them "tweaking" for five days. also, amphetamine adhd pills are not considered addictive when used at moderate doses at appropriate times, and have proved to be very effective at helping many ADHD sufferers.
using opiates to help depression or anxiety or any mental disorder would be, in it's very nature, misuse. opiates are intended for physical pain, not mental pain, and the addiction that almost always comes from taking them make them impractical for that usage anyway. Also, if someone were hypothetically put on opiates for mental disorders, their tolerance would end up becoming incredibly high in the long term, a problem which has forced many to turn to street drugs just to feel the same feeling that the pills gave them when they were first prescribed. long term usage of opiates is something that should probably be avoided, they seem to mostly be useful for more acute pain problems
Opiates.
Everything in and about life is perfect if I smoke a big blob of good ole Fent along with a low dose of valium. I attract people/become the center of entertainment (in good ways)/ and will just become best friends with a random stranger on it.
I totally understand where the OP comes from with the "makes you feel like you should feel" reference.
^certainly seems like you're happy with yourself *cough*