Polydrug use the major culprit for social/personal problems?

[smokedup]

the fact is that alcohol is socially ingrained in our culture(sigh..). My theory is that when people start to dabble in narcs they will more than certainly try it in a party or group setting where the booze and cigarettes will be flowing. I wonder if you subtracted the use of alcohol to such dangerous levels might i add, and let the first timers try the drug singularly there would be far less problems socially and personally i.e people flipping out, inhibitions lost etc. especially the case in Australia with ecstasy being so popular, ppl will begin their drug experiences by mixing a depressant with an antidepressant? also with weed, mixing a stimulant/carcinogen like tobacco with a psychedelic like weed?! baffles me. Any other bluelighters find the poly drug use a major factor in problems caused by drug use.

 

[DeathDomokun]

I disagree. I mean, I think alcohol contributes to social and personal problems, sure, but alcohol can be as destructive as other drugs can be.
If someone is against illicit drugs, the lack of inhibition from alcohol won't change that. If someone wants to do a drug, they're going to do it irrespective of their sobriety/whether they're drunk.
Polydrug use is also not what I'd call mixing drugs, but moreso using all drugs instead of sticking to a DOC.
Alcohol alone makes people flip out, adding something that doesn't make people flip out to the mix won't increase the chances.
MDMA isn't an antidepressant, it's a stimulant and entactogen, although I understand what you're saying.
Cannabis and stimulants actually go together quite well, as does Tobacco and Cannabis. Cannabis isn't strictly a psychedelic either.
I think there is a level of polydrug use in Australia that goes with our culture, a general desire to 'get fucked up'
I don't think poly drug use is a major issue at all. I think ignorance is what you're refering to with bad combinations, setting/culture with the examples of trying drugs, etc.
I don't even understand what points you've presented.. There's a big difference between combining drugs and polydrug use.

 

[footscrazy]

I think this question is too broad to be able to generalise on. Are you just talking about combining illicit drugs with alcohol or weed? Or any two drugs used together? And when you say 'problems caused by drug use', what problems exactly are you talking about? There's far too many variables in play.

The problems that may result from mixing benzos and opiates, say, are of a different variety than the problems you might encounter mixing methamphetamine and psilocybin. Some drugs potentiate each other and as such, may enhance the experience, or make it more dangerous. Some combos are downright toxic, while others are neutral. Others depend on the person or the amounts used as to whether they'll cause 'problems'.

I would tend to think that problems are more likely to occur from a lack of education and irresponsibility rather than polydrug use in itself.

 

[smokedup]

sorry i should have rephrased that, i was meaning mixing drugs together to create this 'fucked up' feeling that majority try to achieve and DeathDomokun pointed out. I was basically saying in a perfect world the use of a drug should be tried singularly and in a setting that isnt filled with lost inhibitions and impulsiveness. Imagine starting drug use at a cafe smoking a cone and reading the newspaper. I know its hard to believe.. but the introductuon to the drug world would be far less endangering and make you far less inclined to mix drugs and be antisocial.

 

[footscrazy]

I don't think poly drug use is a major issue at all. I think ignorance is what you're refering to with bad combinations, setting/culture with the examples of trying drugs, etc.

I agree with this. I don't think poly drug use is the problem. If drug users made sure to educate themselves, they would realise it's wise to try a drug by itself first, to gauge one's reaction to it, ideal doses, and so on. However, poly drug use can be as safe as any other drug use, depending on the drugs used, and provided the user has taken all possible measures to educate themselves on it and reduce harm.

Imagine starting drug use at a cafe smoking a cone and reading the newspaper. I know its hard to believe..

I was in Holland two months ago...it's not such a far out idea, and hopefully we are experiencing a slow shift in opinions on this issue here in Aus too.

 

[spacejunk]

^obviously it's not good to mix things with no regard for what their combined effects would be.
poly-drug use is more problematic generally than taking substances on their own, sure - but i think it has more to do with people's attitudes.
if you take drugs with the intention of getting "fucked up" you are likely to succeed in doing so, but maybe not in the enjoyable way you were aiming for.
having said that, i don't like tripping without some cannabis or opium or downers for the later stages of the trip when i feel a bit fried.

i enjoy mixing drugs in safe combinations and circumstances, because i'm pretty confident i know what i'm doing. i don't take things that are known to interact badly, and my days of taking drugs and drinking alcohol are long, long gone.

i don't know about the idea of taking one drug, and one drug only, making the 'drug world' safer.
it's common sense, sure - but i think education generally is a far better way to achieve that. discouraging poly-drug use is just one component of that


edit - footscrazy summed it up perfectly as i was typing this. ah well, you get the point.

 

[smokedup]

thankyou for your input anyway spacejunk. I really would like to imagine where my drug taking would have gone as far as dosing, mindset, environment if i started at a coffeeshop. i think it may have been heaven??

 

[DeathDomokun]

Parties and 'more chaotic' places aren't really a bad setting for many drugs, and the ones that are less suitable to events like that are better off in the privacy of your own home/alone.
If you learn a bit about drugs, dosing isn't an issue irrespective of set and setting.
Like me, I prefer to smoke weed by myself. I have, and still do, have plenty of sessions with other people, but it's not what I prefer. Whereas if I was going to be doing a stimulant, it'd be different. An opiate, I would only do on my own, or if someone was around they wouldn't be expecting much interaction.
Your drug use can still take you anywhere you want to go. Just because you've had some unsavoury experiences, it doesn't mean you can't put yourself in the "right" situation.
To be honest, in my opinion the best option about a coffeeshop is the choice between Sativa and Indica, and how much THC you like. IME dealers sell Indica more than Sativa, but I prefer Sativa.

 

[Busty St Clare]

Plenty of people have addiction problems to just one drug. Some drug interactions work, others are a recipe for disaster. Even timing can play a roll. Weed on the tail end of lsd is nice, too much at the peak can bring on a bad trip. Lsd followed by meth leads to a bad experience more often than not that it is best to avoid. There are so many different RC"s theses days with unknown side effects that even mixing different types of pressed pills can be a gamble.

Like alcohol, poly drug use will often result in a worse hangover for me.

 

[losthippy]

Posters above make their points about polypharmacy from informed positions so the outcomes of mixing substances for them is fairly predictable. Sadly, the yobs who attend A&E's across the country friday and Saturday nights either haven't got a clue or don't give a fuck what they shovel down or hit up. They present in all the forms from semi comatose to swinging punches and spitting with no regard for the medicos trying to keep them alive. They often abuse staff for bringing them down (with narcan) and 'wasting' the money they'd spent on the booze and drugs that got them there. Seems their idea of a top night out is to neck as much of whatever they can get hold of washed down with alcohol and expect to crash and burn. There'll always be someone around to save their sorry arses till the next time.

 

[DeathDomokun]

Do you know what it feels like to have Narcan when you're on a high dose opiates? They're going to feel fucking horrible, and it'd be even worse if they mixed it with a depressant like benzos or alcohol. That's not to say the staff deserve to be abused, as they're saving the persons life.
People are just fucking stupid, that's all.