"Bad" Social Drug Stigma - Junkie or User?

[Learys_Lackey]

Hey there, iv'e been reading these forums for a long time now, but never posted... so here goes with my two cents.

I love the way different combinations of chemicals interact with my body. read: chemistry.

I've always maintained the fact that i pay for my own drugs with my own hard-earned money. read: working. That is not to say that i have a problem with any other people aquiring drugs in any other way, whatever floats your boat, mate.

But.

When some "ANTI-DRUG" person (who drowns themselves in alcohol, tobacco, paracetamol and gambling (only)) decides they want to label me a JUNKIE because I enjoy IV drug use in addition to the legal addictions they seem to base they're lives on, really, really makes me laugh.

Difference between a Junkie and a User.

I pay my own way.

The Australian Government could swallow its religious pride, de-criminalise most of the good stuff and tax it like they do with other addictives. With those tax dollars - implement better rehab/detox/health clinics/programs to help people off whatever they're on.

I know that last part is a far cry, but one can certainly dream

 

[my innerself]

^^^
I hear ya brudda

I have spent many an hour arguing for anti recreactional drug prohibition to "pack a day" ciggarette smokers and prescription medication abusers and alcoholics who have the nerve to call ME a drug addict?????????? Fucking retards!!!!!! At least the government (legal drug dealers) got their money and society can progress and move forward. YAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!

 

[Seith]

snip

I'd say almost everyone, if not everyone here would agree with what you are saying, I certainly do.

 

[Learys_Lackey]

i know about the no prices thing here, but can we speculate for fun about how much the goverment might charge for hard drugs eg heroin, methamps, lsd(!!!) IF they ever did tax them? as in - would it be more expensive than it already is?

 

[Crankinit]

I agree, but you're almost certainly preaching to the choir.

 

[my innerself]

I friend of mine once gave some great advice that has stuck with me for years, and that is "what is understood need not be discussed" (though he was refering to us both rooting a couple of fat chicks we met at a club............we fucked em)

 

[Learys_Lackey]

i've had enough of meth and fat chicks man, never again! (the fat chicks that is...)

actually the only "popular" drug i havent tried is proper smoking opium. (when i say "popular" drug i mean mainstream media recreational drugs, not the multitudes in pikhal and tikhal, although i have tried many of them...)

from what i can ascertain from googles fantastically reliable sources, is that it isnt too hard to get seeds, grow them, and do "something" with the bulbs afterwards... hmmm...

< looks at the copy of the novella 'opium' by tony cohan sitting on shelf >
< looks at ebay page of many, many papaver somniferum seed packs for 99c>

I'm off to the garden. This green thumb, has a perceived brown glint to it

 

[lagger]

I find it funny that yiou have to say piece of shit anti drug person in defense to them thinking your a junky scumbag etc.

 

[Learys_Lackey]

^ sweet reply that one, but i really cant make heads or tails of it... maybe it's the drugs

why would you find it funny? unless you're an anti-drug pos who chain-smokes nicotine patches?

here's a medal anyway. just for you.

 

[L3inad]

Yeah mate. Definately preaching to the converteted here

My standard reply to those who choose to question my use of illegal chemicals (namely those who drink to excess) is "Fair enough the law might not agree with what I get up to on any given weekend, but while your more than happy to use and abuse the most toxic chemical I've ever ingested then I hardly think you can pass judgement on those who choose to use safer and far more rewarding substanaces"

Tends to shut them up, I'd rather embark upon an intelligent conversation regarding the pro's and cons of life choices regarding substance usage in terms of comparing the drinkers to the "junkies", but that very rarely happens =\

 

[localized]

haha, lovely work L3inad, A very weill spoken sentance.

 

[Learys_Lackey]

Pubs = Shooting Galleries?

 

[heythatsmybike]

^ sweet reply that one, but i really cant make heads or tails of it... maybe it's the drugs

why would you find it funny? unless you're an anti-drug pos who chain-smokes nicotine patches?

here's a medal anyway. just for you.

A handfull of posts in and you're already having a dig at someone. Calm down mate, I thought he had valid point. Why be offended by someone only to insult them in the same nonsensical fashion? Can I also ask, what is the point you're actually trying to put across here?

 

[Busty St Clare]

Plenty of junkies pay their own way. Some earn a tidy sum every year and often do not pay any tax on their profits. The difference for me between a junkie and a recreational user is priorities and life style. A user wouldn't take a Monday off work, or plan a trip away with the sole reason to consume drugs. A junkie usually never shuts up talking about drugs in a social setting and has very few hobbies or interests outside of the drug life style.

 

[Sykik]

"Fair enough the law might not agree with what I get up to on any given weekend, but while your more than happy to use and abuse the most toxic chemical I've ever ingested then I hardly think you can pass judgement on those who choose to use safer and far more rewarding substanaces"

Safer is an interesting phrase. It is often thought about if you abuse this drug A, or abuse drug B, A is safer. But in your above statement you say drug B is safer then drug A, when drug A is abused.

You have to remember that drinking alchohol on a not abusive level. I.e 6-7beers a night, and not every night of the week, say on the weekend, is quite a healthy sustainable level.

I feel when we at BL talk about legal drugs we only look at the people that abuse the substances i.e alcoholics etc, while the majority of people, people who use them recreationally are fine. This is the also true with the illegal drug scene, a majority (or at least alot) of people who use illegal substances are fine (safe) users as well.

So it seems both sides of the fence, pro illegal, and anti-illegal drug use the people who abuse the substances as an example to argue why their side of the fence is better. This argument is completely floored and holds no stength in my eye and only fuels the misunderstanding and anger futher.

If you want to make a statement why you choose to take illegal drugs try something like this " I take them because I enjoy them, I understand the associated risk, and I accept that this risk is managable and I do everything within my power to minimize this risk "

Play on an even playing field before you make comparisons, and when you get into these conversations with idiots who use the type of junkie as an example argument, state back, well what about *insert an alcoholic you both know*, doesn't that mean alcohol is also a bad drug, then they say, "no, not if you don't abuse it" then you say, "so is drug A" So instead of fueling the flames, you might give them a bit of a change of perspective. There next statement will be, "no it does worse things to your body" and if you have the chemical knowledge you might be able to teach them what it does to your body/come downs and start an intellectual conservation about the pros and cons of your drug A vs alcohol.

(end rant)

 

[belarki]

^ nice rant skykik

Unfortunately I think a large portion of Australians do not, and will never, make a distinction between the notion of a junkie or recreational user. We have an ageing and generally conservative population that seems to be happy to perpetuate this stigma and lump all users of illicits into the same basket.

 

[Lovegrud]

As Belarki said the common person will never know the difference between a junkie and a recreational user which is kinda crap but from my understanding the common people seem to pigeon hole drug users in this way mostly due to a lack of understanding or have had some confrontation with a drug user, pretty much the only drug that is a little socially accepted would be marijuana.

Sadly I think the social stigma has come about by the actions of a few, I catch public transport and many a time some drug fucked pair/ group hop on and start causing trouble and making the people around them feel really uncomfortable. Sadly most of the people on the train/ tram wouldn't know the other side of the drug world so they have nothing but bad experience to base their judgements off.

It also gets a little more pigeon holed when IV comes into it, this would mostly be because of the dirty image it carries with it, think of how many people think AIDS, HEP etc when they think of 'Junkies' with syringes? and often IV to the common person means heavy addiction as it seems like an extreme measure.

 

[Learys_Lackey]

^^^heythatsmybike- A handfull of posts in and you're already having a dig at someone. What's your point?
- My point was - I'm sick of legal drug addicts pegging me as a junkie, when they are also in their own socially acceptable way, also a junkie. And as such, I will defend my own honor wherever possible.

^^^Lovegrud - Excellent points, although I dont think the general populations narrow-minded view of reality is ever going to change (as belarki said), on the contrary, it is going to get much, much worse. Evolution of the human species is going to be very interesting in the next few hundred years. Especially with religion in mind.

^^^Sykik - you also make some very good points about trying to educate more people by broadening ther perspectives on rec drugs.

As has been said, I do understand the risk of recreational IV drug use, I've been doing it 15 years, was shown how by a trained professional, and I've never had any health or mental problems whatsoever.

And i look at how the government tries to keep hold of the illicit drug trade, while juggling their own drug trading, our tax dollars hard at work eh. Makes me fucking sick to think about it. I'm seriously thinking of moving to another, more open-minded country.

If only Bag-End really existed...

 

[Learys_Lackey]

All this creates "BAD" social drug stigma for legitimate, 'apparently free' human beings, how do you feel really that if you grow a certain plant on your government rented property, they can lock you up in prison, take everything you own, fine you shitloads of currency, and basically destroy your hard-lived life?

I know how I feel about that.

Anywhere you choose to live on this planet, you will be surrounded by some form of greed. But thats just part of being human isn't it? I can feel it inside myself.

Anyway, i think i've made my point...

i didn't mean to have a go at anyone in particular with all this either, no malice is intended to any individuals.

 

[Learys_Lackey]

They paid shulgin to write a report on drugs and then put him in jail for doing just that.