How do you know when it's time to stop?

I have a broad range of friends. I have a large amount of input from people both outside and inside "the scene" on decisions i make. But, i have yet to find an answer to a question i was asked.
When is it time to stop?
When it's not fun? (how could that be?)
When you realise your life is fucked? (too little, too late)
When you get old? (why is age a barrier to drug use?)
When??
Any input guys, how can you know when it's time to stop?

Its time to stop when the bad times outweigh the good times.
Its time to give up if you have to do thing (Like steel) to support your habit
Its time to stop when you lose friends.
Its time to stop when your dead
------------------
To the one you feel in the metronome of your mind.
Does it offend you that our rhythm looks strange.
Or causes your thinking to be re arranged.
Could it be that you would understand this beat to which we dance
more clearly had you been given a chance
So as you struggle to find the feel with your feet
Ask yourself can you dance to my beat!

when it's time to stop what?
the scene?
drugs?
my enchantment with the scene has certainly declined of late, not that i don't go out or enjoy myself when i do, but that feeling i used to have just isn't there ..... the honeymoon is definitely over (hmmmmm .... *considers the possibility of joining BOAR*) at the moment i prefer smaller, different events (lovin' the variety) and go out to see specific dj's or acts playing rather than going out just coz somethings on......
as for the drugs ..... its a pretty personal thing i guess ....... and yes, they can stop being fun. how about, when the bad times outweigh the good?? i've also seen some very close friends slide down into serious addiction and that is a bit of a wake-up/warning to me. for me, it's when the drugs become too much a focus that i tend to pull back ....... but i'm still having fun with some awesome people and that's what counts for me right now
bk
ps is this the right forum, mods???
------------------
my world is a beautiful moment

its time to stop..when you start asking yourself if its time to stop or not..as soon as those questions start comming up in your head....its downhill from there i think...ya start becomming cynical..and it becomes more of a job then a fun thing to do..but thats just what i think neway

I'll stop when the negatives outweigh the positives. Maybe the people best suited to answer your question are the ones who have stopped. Even then for every 100 people asked you're likely to get 100 different answers. It's a personal question only you can answer and for your own reasons, just like the question why did you start.

Its time to stop when you have to ask yourself this very question.
------------------
The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...

i think it's time to take a break when you need more than 2 pills to get through a night... this is the rason i have decided to cool it for at least a month...
and i agree with thoth... it is time to stop when you are asking yourself that question... it shows that you aren't sure whether or not you are enjoying yourself as much as you were...
do what you think is right... it's your body and your life, don't do anything that you know you will regret when you are straight again...
just an insignificant two pennies... so about 4 cents really...
------------------
Drugs are not the answer... Drugs? is the question... Yes is the answer.

speedy, maybe you dont need to stop, but just take a break?? definately try what bk said... go to some different places. there has been a huge influx of good/different from what we are used to stuff in brisbane lately.
Waht ever you do.... do it for the right reasons. Im sure you will know when it is time.
Maxi

Deciding when to stop is a very subjective question and there isn't one definite time for everyone to stop.
For me I'm not sure when I'll stop going out to boogie and listen to DJs play becos it's still fun. But I have kinda stopped doing drugs when I go out because i feel they have stopped adding to my night and have taken away from it becos i end up sitting in a corner n babble shit and i look back the next day and i feel as if i have been acting very falsely and shit. It's not fun waking up the next day feeling like shit and not remembering much, if anything about last night.
Every decision you make is a personal one and no one can tell you what to do, I go alot by gut feeling and when i feel like stopping or i am hurting myself or other people i'll stop doing it
Peace
rc1n

I've been going for three years, and after the last few times I've gone out, I've felt as if I've just started all over again!
I've had the most fun I've had in a long time, infact I'd go as far as to say I've had the best times of my life over the last month or so...
What made is so special was the great people I was with... Some people I didn't know that well, other's I did know well and felt very strongly for... But all were great, fun, interesting people, people who made my night great just by being there... I know it sounds soppy, but that's the way it felt... And you're included in that group of people SS
As long as I can come home from a night out and think that it was a great night, one I'd love to do again, then its not time to stop...
I've thought about it quite a bit, and as long as it suits my lifestyle I'm not going to stop... As long as I don't overdo the drug taking I won't be harming myself too much... Once it gets to the point where going out and taking drugs degrades my life outside of the whole scene, then I'll stop...
------------------
Ok, everyone read the following word please: Tarsarlan
Now did everyone notice that second 'r'?

Thanks for the input. It's not a question i have been asking myself, believe me, i'm having the time of my life getting messy and living the uni lifestyle, BUT my question was with an aim to the future. To quote human traffic roughly "when the comedowns are worse than the night out" and for some people i see, that is definately the case, their whole week is comedown mode, til they can eat some more drugs on the weekend and score a few hours happiness out of that.
I am nowhere near needing to stop now. Shit, i'm only 19 and change, i'm by no means in my 15th year of caning it. But, my question comes from people outside the scene mainly, i mean how do you know when it's time to stop? Drugs are powerful, and can be more controlling and addictive than you think. The amount of people that need pills to feel they "have a good time" is phenomenal.
I was just asking, if you have thought about it, when would be the right time to stop? How do you know? Some answers are when its gone too far - i would hope i would have the capacity and foresight to see if i was going too far or too hard before it got pear shaped.
My girlfriend asked me this. She doesn't do the drugs/raves/48hours with no sleep thing, she's a nurse, and as such has a bit more common sense haha. She tends to think of the whole kit'n'kaboodle as all together that gets over and done with while you are young and stupid. But, sometimes my drug use if quite removed from the scene (eg intense tripping sessions in the bush, home rolls, etc) and i go straight more and more frequently.
Also age is not an issue, i have a friend who's father is nearing 50 and is the biggest acid fiend you will ever meet. Sure, he has a fucking high tolerance, but he still takes a trip once a month and goes out for a few drinks to giggle his ass off. This guy is a professional, successful, rich, loving family, etc - i see no problems. He doesn't hurt himself or anyone, so all is good. So age is no barrier??
I don't want to get to the point where i've gone too far. Actually, i can't see that point happening - i'm not arrogant, but i think i have too much common sense.
So when do you stop if at all? I mean i wont be wearing phat pants and waving glowsticks when i'm forty five (well god help me if i am), but i think my drug "experimentation" could well be something that lasts a lifetime. Is there a problem with that? Is there certain things you should give drugs up for??
thanks for helping, SS.
.........................
PS - yes bk its in the right forum!!

ur askin the question, thus it IS time to stop.
And I think that we all know that.

hell no. just because the question is being asked is in now way the reason to stop.
being able to sit down and evaluate what is happening in your life and where you think that your heading, why you're heading that way, and how you heading that way are the most healthy and reassuring things you can do.
the few bluelighters posting to the 'dfc message board' know my feelings on this, but being able to sit back and try to weigh up what is happening in your life has so many benifits over constantly pushing forward into another 'big' weekend.
unfortunetly SupaspeeD, its certainly one of the bigger questions that has to be answered, and one that probably (i can't generalise here, everyone i know is soo difference in this respect) is best left up to you..
------------------
---------
dv8

i would have to also disagree with those who say "simply asking this question means its enough"
thats bollocks
i think almost the 2nd time i took a pill i started thinking "this is magnificent. I wonder when / what will make me stop?" its not something you ask yourself every day or after every use, but i think it is good to have in your mind some event or time frame as to when you will decide to stop.
what about you others that don't consider this question? does this mean that as soon as you think "should i or shouldn't i go out this weekend" - does that mean that that is enough for you?
i think it is simply you becoming aware of yourself, how much you have changed (if at all - tho i know i definately have), what you plan for the future, what things you need to start doing now to prepare for that future, and deciding whether or not your continued use of these substances will in any way negatively impact your future plans.
if the answer is yes, then best stop. there is no point jepordizing future dreams, hopes and plans simply to get chopped again. sure its great, but its only 8 hours of your life.. not 5 years (or whatever the case may be)
i'm in a solid job, 5 days a week, leaving weekends free. have already made plans to go overseas, and that is my plans for the next 3 years or so. beyond that (being still 21) i must wait and see but for the moment i can adequately supplement my current lifestyle with substance use and with no significant problems.
but thats just me...
hc

I totally agree with rc1n and I've started going out straight quite a lot more than I would drop a pill.
But when you are asking yourself this question it probably isnt time to stop but DEFINATELY its time to re-asess the situation. Your obvioiusly thinking about damage your doing to yourself so slow it down a bit. Go hard for sure its great fun we've all been there but moderation is definately the key and just make sure you keep it at a level when the good times you are having ALWAYS outweigh the bad. IF the comedowns start to be worse and the peak just really isnt there its time to breathe for a couple of months, go out and party just lay off the consumables.
hmmm i think i've been straight to long even when I think Im making sense im not

Confusered,
I agree 100% If you need more than 2 pills to get you through the night your abusing not using.Thats most definately 1 sign thats saying stop.
Another is when your giving an A+ grade pill a 7 on pillreports.
**** and its better to ask yourself this question than not 2.

O.K, I think what I said has been taken slightly out of context... Sorry I didn't elaborate.
With regards to the question relating to drugs "When is it time to stop?" I personally seem to think this is when you have to consistantly rationalise your pattern usage within the rest of your lifestyle. If this is taking place, it is most likely to be precipitated by some form of concern about your ongoing welfare, or the current quality of your life. By rationalising what you are doing, you are seeking to make it more acceptable and ignoring its negative effects.
Example, Joe Raver wondering when to stop:
"Hmmn. I wonder when its time to stop taking drugs... Well, I guess since I still only need to take 2 pills when I go out now and I know heaps of people that need 4, perhaps its just when I need upwards of 4 pills before its time to stop."
OR
"I have heaps of Uni/school work to do, so I should probably stop going out for a while... Naah, I think I deserve a break right now, so I'll go out this weekend and get everything out of my system, then I can work twice as the hard next week. Sweeet.
Now, Joe Raver here wouldn't be using such reasoning if he didn't think taking E had more than a couple of drawbacks or negative effects on his normal life. What he is doing is negotiating himself out of his own problem, by trying to justify what he is doing is really OK in the big scheme of things. If you find yourself doing this on a regular occasion its probably time to think of curtailing your usage. I found myself doing this, seeking to justify to myself the validity in what I was doing. It turned an initial fun carefree activity into a complete chore, and I couldnt let go of the feeling that I should be elsewhere getting stuck into the work that needed to be done or worrying about what this could be doing to me in the long term. So, I have just stopped, and I kinda like it... I no longer have to debate with myself the wisdom in what I am doing.
However, it is obviously different with everybody. If you feel 100% comfortable with what you are doing, then great. However if you have a few niggling worries you need to keep brushing aside in order to have a good time, then recognise that those worries could soon develop into fears, precipitating more escapism. If you dont watch out, you can find yourself in a viscious circle that you cant even see because you have become so well trained in the art of self deception. That's FUCKED. When you finally wake up to what your life has become, the wheight can honestly be too much to bear. Nobody wants that.
Its not just a phenomenon relating to drugs... Procrastination shares many similarities. How many times have you just wanted to make excuses for not getting started, until the deadline rolls around and you freak the fuck out? Happens to me ALL the time. So, I think the solution is to all look at ourselves a little more objectively, and change our behaviour if we start to notice some suspect shit going on. Recreational drugs are just that, so lets keep them recreational, not a mandatory part of our lifestyles. Stay happy and safe.
Aww, Fuck. This post is both long AND preachy sounding. I HATE that. Sorry people, this is more my personal therapy than anything... Flame away.
------------------
The woods are dark and deep, and you have miles to go before you sleep...

"Flame away."
You're ugly, i think your stupid.
Hows that?

Thats the stuff
[This message has been edited by -Thoth (edited 11 May 2001).]

... so many ver' good points raised so far.
I have been keeping a reasonably low profile recently...
I think there has to be the distinction made between getting sick of going out to gigs and going out to gigs and taking biccies/whiz/acid/coke/poison.of.choice. I still go out and I would have to agree with rc1n... it is still EXTREMELY possible to go out without drugs and have a fuckn blast of a time.
I have been going out without the drugs since Renaissance (month and a half ago) I feel that my head is working quite a significant amount better than before... but then the justification of me giving away the drugs was for the fact that my head was a mess... I had come back from the UK and had about a four week bender... my head was a state from all the weekends without sleep and much too little serotonin to function, hence my emotional state was bordering on critical... that's when I thought "yep... you are a fuckn mess... stop with the drugs and see what happens"
It really is a personal thing... I mean I know other people that were in a much worse state than I ever was... and they were quite happy with that... just a little side-effect for them... I don't think I will give up the dancing and that for a while... it is just WAY TOO MUCH FUN to go out and boogie...
I have to say that I disagree with the statements of "if you are asking yourself this then you should stop", I had quite a few times before I stopped where I was just thinking "when am I going to stop?" I was HAPPY with the situation... and was asking out of curiosity... if you are asking the question because you an emotional blackhole... then yeah maybe it is time to stop... look at your life... if you are happy... stick with it... if you are not happy... figure out where you are going wrong and work from there... sometimes quitting drugs isn't the answer to all your probs.
my 2c
------------------
The Strange Guy with the Black Blue Purple Fluffy Strange Hair