I was going to ask if by hard drugs we were refering to drugs that had the highest potential for addiction, but then I realized that nicotine and caffeine would probably be included in that category, and I don't think most people consider coffee to be a hard drug. But wouldn't it be fair to say that people could use nicotine as a temporary escape from a problem? I don't smoke so I'm not too sure about that one.
I wouldn't classify weed as a hard drug, but I've smoked it every day before, and it was difficult for me to quit when I had to. I was also irritable for at least a couple of weeks after I quit. So if we were simply calling all drugs with the potential for addiction hard then I think all drugs would be hard except for psychedelics (other than weed) because as far as I know it is impossible to become dependent on psychedelics.
For myself, I have had many reasons for doing drugs, at leas to start off with, but I believe that once you are addicted, you probably don't need any other reason to do the drug at all, except that you are addicted. I've definitely done drugs out of boredomn, but then again, part of the reason I've been bored is from circumstances resulting from alot of partying and the fact that I didn't need hobbies because I was happy just to do the drugs.
I don't honestly think that there are that many people who really use meth just for recreation, and I have yet to meet one. Now, personally, meth could be a social drug for me, but if I use it to help me socially I am still using it as a crutch and not using it simply for recreation. I liked the euphoria of meth but MDMA and opiates provide a better feeling without the horrible comedown. So those are the only 2 drugs I think I would take just to feel good, although I would do other drugs like psychedelics and weed out of boredomn.
I find it hard to believe that somebody would have any reason to smoke crack except for addiction. Sure, I've tried and I like the rush, but unless I had an insane ammount of money, it would never be worth the cost for the few minutes of enjoyment it provides. So if I were to include "hard" drugs that I have any experience with as drugs that I can think of no good reason to do other than addiction or escape, then I can only think of 2, which would be meth and crack. However, if somebody were to walk up to me and offer me either one at pretty much any time, I'm 90% sure that I would do it, along with most other drugs that I've tried.
With the meth, I would say that it is addiction, because I know before I take it that I'm going to feel like shit later and wish that I hadn't taken it, so there is no logical reason for me to do it.
With the crack I don't think it is the same situation, because I could do a few hits without suffering much negative effects, and I would only do it if it was free, because I hate spending so much money for such a short high. So I guess I would have to say I'd just do crack for fun, which sounds a little crazy, but maybe no more than shooting heroine for fun, which I have done before as well.
I've had problems with dependency of alcohol and speed, and I have not been doing either one recently. I haven't been doing weed either recently but not for the same reason, mostly because of drug testing. And I am starting to think that paranoia may be the weed bringing out the anxieties you already have, because my paranoia with weed is most often felt in social situations, and I have experienced paranoia with LSD and shrooms in those same situations, nearly evey time I am around other people in fact. And on Salvia I experienced an absolutely terrifying experience, which could simply represent my subconcious fears being all brought to the surface. I feel that my level of anxiety and fear seemed to increase with the level of strength of the psychedelic and the dose. So if this theory is right, it would be best for me to stick to weed psychedelics (and I would include DXM and K in that category) and leave most of the other drugs alone, although I can only speak for myself. I'm not too sure where MDMA would fit into this.