The most intelligent...

[AcidRAEn]

people I have known have all had severe drug problems/serious addictions. At first I thought maybe it was some sort of anomaly...but it's proven to be true over and over and over again. Granted, I live in a small town where the ignorant are revered..so maybe the drug use is some sort of coping mechanism(?).

Thoughts?

 

[Help?!?!]

It's long been said that the intelligent must deal with more stressors, in certain terms because of the knowledge they hold. Of course there's the old saying, "Ignorance is bliss.". It certainly makes sense as the mind wanders further, makes more connections, and has an easier time facilitating understanding of different properties that may not be that grand at the end of the day. Many people in general enjoy logic and fairly endless streams of thought on many manners when given the chance, with the above terms this can lead to knowledge that there may be no God or that at this moment in time we have no real purpose besides to simply exist which isn't enough for many, things some people find hard to deal with ultimately. Easier memory recall can also be a burden of higher intelligence. Given those things it seems quite natural that one may choose to alter or even escape their reality. Lastly I've noticed it also seems like a fair number of intelligent people seem to have psychological disorders that may well be less apparent because said intelligence helps to cover the tracks if it's not overtly severe.

 

[SirTophamHat]

Ernest Hemingway — "Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know"

Depression can lead to coping mechanisms like drugs.

Also of note may be the concept of depressive realism.

However, this thread is just asking for a circle jerk of addicts claiming they are smarter than the average joe Maybe if we were all so smart, we wouldn't be wasting our bank accounts and finite time on this earth with escapism* attempts.

*if you don't consider getting high escapism please don't try to argue the point, I was being hyperbolic.

 

[MarkRenton]

In all my drug use, most people I've come across are at least fairly intelligent, some of them VERY intelligent. I'm pursuing higher degrees of education and most people that used with me are going for Masters, PHDs, running their own businesses, and so on. This has just been my experience, but there's definitely an interesting correlation going on in my life between intelligence and drug use.

 

[omnipresenthuman]

Kind of true, I've met a lot of intelligent people, I like to think...can't really think of any of them who didn't at least drink to take the edge off their lives. A lot of them smoked weed too...but at the same time, most of the people that I can think of who were actual stoners or druggies were creative and usually smart, but they weren't the smartest of the bunch. There are exceptions though, like me.

 

[RTrain]

I know a lot of complete morons who use/used drugs extensively, too(just look at some of the questions people ask on this website...hahha). I also know some incredibly bright individuals to never use or have very minimal experience with drugs.

 

[thizFreckles]

I consider myself pretty intelligent & other people tell me that I am very smart and knowledgeable & I am a heroin addict... go figure.

But in my experience a lot of the opiate addicts I have known have generally been very smart - especially about the drugs they were taking (opiates, rx meds, etc.) there are of course the idiots I have known who dabble. But I think most of the hardcore addicts that I have known have been pretty intelligent as well. Just an observation.

 

[Pill2Chill]

No, my penis is larger!

 

[bunge]

I read some papers recently that were the results of studies, looking at corrolations between mental illness and intelligence.
The basic consensus was that people with a higher IQ are more susceptible to illness's like depression and anxiety.
Its fairly well documented that mental illness can make a person more susceptible to problematic drug use, so its not a great leap to make a connection between intelligence and drugs.

 

[Pill2Chill]

All of a sudden, I feel quite proud for having (had) anxiety and depression.

 

[RedLeader]

I think that intelligence allows one to go through some of the barriers that prevent less-intelligent people from ever picking up in the first place. Intelligent people are going to see through drug laws and societal norms, aren't going to be blocked by religious fears, aren't going to blindly follow the directions of the all-knowing family doctor or shrink, and so on.

 

[weekend addiction]

Lastly I've noticed it also seems like a fair number of intelligent people seem to have psychological disorders that may well be less apparent because said intelligence helps to cover the tracks if it's not overtly severe.

This is me. An example would be that I have social anxiety. I'm one of the chattiest most outgoing people you meet (however I'm always at home anyway .

 

[TheRapperGoneBad]

This thread has some pretty interesting posts in it.

 

[double ewe]

i think people on pretty much any extreme (intelligence, wealth, attractiveness, athletic ability, etc) end up with a very different relationship with society than people who are more towards the middle. they perceive things differently, deal with things differently, and have people react to them differently. this can have a huge range of effects, many of which increase the likelihood that the person will seek out drugs as a coping mechanism.

 

[One Thousand Words]

Stupid is as stupid does.

 

[bunge]

This is me. An example would be that I have social anxiety. I'm one of the chattiest most outgoing people you meet (however I'm always at home anyway .

This is me 100%. People that dont suffer with severe anxiety, dont realize that the stereotypical image of a constantly panicking person is rarely the truth.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Wow, the layers of meaning in that insight just blew me away.....lmao