rumpustiltskin
Greenlighter
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2026
- Messages
- 1
I find the fact that drugs effect us differently both fascinating and concerning to an extent. Over the years I have noticed how a drug that may cause me to experience a boost of energy, focus, assertiveness, and motivation can have the opposite effect on someone else. I used to take Oxycodone for pain. When I would take it first thing in the morning I could tell exactly when it hit my bloodstream about 20 minutes after taking it orally. I would feel a rush of energy and focus as soon as it kicked in. For example, I recall being in a meeting with my kid’s teacher and school admins early in the morning and feeling groggy and lacking focus while they presented my wife and I with info and as soon as the Oxycodone I had taken just prior to the meeting hit me I perked up and become fully engaged in the conversation, asking questions and feeling fully invested in the discussion whereas prior to the drug kicking in I was listening but lacking the desire to engage. At other times, when the drug hit me I would immediately start thinking about what all I needed to do for work and would become excited and motivated to ‘eat the frog
’ (to do those mundane tasks that are necessary for my work but that are generally undesirable and boring). Those are examples of how the Oxycodone (and other opiates I’ve been prescribed) effect me. I assumed others would have the same response to these opioids so I was quite surprised to find that a friend who had taken the same dosage of Oxycodone experienced the complete opposite effect and became tired, unmotivated, and could barely stay awake during a professional sporting event. That experience caused me to become aware of and curious about the fact that our personal responses to external stimuli differ significantly based upon our individual biological and psychological makeup. I can’t help but believe that this fact has a profound impact on who is predisposed to become dependent upon and/or addicted to a drug. There must be a correlation between one’s personal physical and psychological response to an external stimulus and the likelihood that they will abuse a particular drug(s) of choice. That being the case, it seems plausible that science could develop a system that would help determine who has a higher probability of dependence/addiction to certain drugs. I once heard a famous musician say “The first time I used [a specific drug] I didn’t feel high, I thought eureka.” That statement remind of of my personal experience with opioids. It didn’t necessarily feel like a ‘high’ that I’ve felt with many other drugs, it instead felt like I was experiencing what it must be like to have that feeling as a baseline rather than what my actual baseline is. Thoughts?
