How Do You Remain Drug Free?

[North 288]

Guys.

Hey guys.

Don't do drugs.

Or else...

You can't become a master trainer!

[Denim&Venöm 18,445]

I used to be drug free, but then I was like, "buck this"  I was legal age to drink so I drank and I didn't really like it.  And then my anti-depressants stopped working so I smoked weed(it is legal where I live) and it really got me through a dark time.

 

 

 

That's bull.  Some people, like me, have chemical imbalances in the brain that make it impossible to feel happy very much if ever.  Yes, I take the legal prescription drugs but I ended up in a desperate situation where they stopped working and I had to use alternate methods to cope.  You can say all the scary things about what cannabis will do to my health but you don't understand was that I was freaking sick and wanting to die and it took that away.  And I much rather risk some health problem down the line then risk killing myself tomorrow.  Because while I've never heard of someone dying from cannabis, I sure as hell have heard of lots of people dying from depression (ie suicide). 

 

I just feel like you're all sitting around in here judging people you don't even know. Do you honestly think me immoral for taking a plant (that is known to have medicinal uses) in order to find relief from my mental illness that if untreated can easily lead to my death.  I do it in privacy, it's legal where I live, I'm over 21, I don't even drive ever, and I never hurt anyone (it actually makes me nicer). So why do you call me a loser in a jpg?

Yes, there are some, like you, who have chemical irregularities. Not finding a way to cope and handle that, is just as harmful as abusing drugs. if you have a proven condition that prevents you from being happy, then yes, do take the proper medicines. 

 

But for the most part, people are mentally healthy. There is nothing wrong with them. Hence, no excuse to alter their mental state. We humans are the product of 10 million years of evolutionary progress, and healthy people who take chemical substances to feel happier, are pretty much saying "I was born incapable of making my own happiness."

 

You have a condition. Drugs treat it to keep you from killing yourself. The vast majority of people don't have that excuse. They're perfectly healthy people who are destroying themselves, hurting others and helping to propagate an epidemic. 

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my OP, was that a former heroin addict volunteered to speak for our class. And she articulacy described the hell she was in all those years and how many relationships were ruined because of her addiction. I don't wish that upon anyone, even if they bring it unto themselves. 

[GuyNamedEarl 1,332]

Village of Eagle. It's also pretty bad in neighboring Mukwanago too. Wouldn't be surprised if it was an issue in Palmyra as well.

No way man! I got family that lives in Waukesha! You going to Ciderfest? Edited October 18, 2015 by GuyNamedEarl

[Denim&Venöm 18,445]

No way man! I got family that lives in Waukesha! You going to Ciderfest?

I've been to Waukesha a few times. And yeah, I'm heading to Ciderfest. Signed on for a panel right when submissions opened. Haven't gotten any word back on whether I've been excepted, so I'm guessing no. 

[IcyHaze 594]

Well, I drink alcohol most weekends, and sometimes during nights out I have a smoke or two with my friends, but if it's not there it doesn't bother me. I've tried heroin and cocaine once out of curiosity, but I've never gone back to them and don't plan to.

 

What stops me form being a regular user or trying things like LSD and meth is how bad they can be for your health and the chance of an addiction forming and what it would do to my life.

 

Also, I would say that things like alcohol aren't NECESSARY to be happy, but they do put an interesting swing on things. It's a different kind of happy. I'm quite content with my life in general, but it's fun to have a few drinks or smoke with friends. Simple as.

Edited October 18, 2015 by IcyHaze

[Shanks 10,816]

Drugs and alcohol (except for the occasional beer or glass of wine) have never had any appeal to me because getting high for a little while might be nice but it comes with price that I have decided is not worth paying. I am even afraid of a lot of the legal drugs out there, many of them are even more dangerous than the illegal stuff so I am the kind of person that will hesitate even to take a simple aspirin.

[frecklesareblooming 225]

In my high school, nearly everyone does some sort of drug, so I'm fairly certain I could get a hold of some if I wanted to, but I never have. People I've spoken to say it makes them 'feel better', but coming home and watching a few episodes of MLP does just that for me. Besides, even if I wanted to do drugs, my parents would inevitably find out and I would cease to be alive. They're both prison guards and they can detect any illegal substance like hound dogs.

Edited October 18, 2015 by twilythebookworm

[Zyphie 7]

Just don't do 'em. Self-control and whatnot.

[Roughshod 719]

It's a very personal reason but my motivation for not using any recreational substances comes down to my own ethical standards of behaviour for myself. I have no qualms with the use of medication when it's necessary to maintain help but as for drugs like alcohol, narcotics and opiates I don't consider using them. Caffeine may be the one exception to this but even with that I try to use it sparingly. I don't see these things as necessary or even beneficial in any regard except to further promote the behaviours they invoke.

 

The thing is, I view those types of drugs as a means of escape and not a valid means to achieving any substantial form of happiness. Drowning out your troubles in the short term isn't going to make them go away and will only result in you feeling worse about yourself later on. Sometimes getting important things done can be painful but if you're able to push through that pain and not give in to any distractions or false promises of release you'll be stronger and better for it. Life can be a beautiful experience even in the darkest of times if you're willing to fully embrace it and not smother it in falsehood and distortion. 

 

I speak for myself only. I know there are individuals who have experienced enormous amounts of trauma, depression, anxiety and heartache and for whom the allure of escape must be almost undeniable. I can also appreciate and respect the psychological and biochemical effects that a substance can have on a persons's body and their state of mind. I have no pretentious assumptions that people with problems related to drugs, alcohol and other addictive elements and behaviours are simply 'bad' or 'weak willed' and just need to pick themselves up and get their act together. There is personal responsibility but there are also external realities and circumstances that are largely beyond one's control that shape who we are and how we think. If you are surrounded by a culture that encourages you to act a certain way or are in an environment that gives little comfort then there will pressure upon you and a strain that can only be fought for so long. Everyone has a breaking point human beings will always seek to make themselves feel better and avoid discomfort, that's not going to change. Very often damage done by these things is matched by the damage done to those who felt the need to use them in the first place. 

 

We don't live in a perfect world, there are many problems in our lives and likely always will be. But I am convinced it's a world that can only be made better by addressing those problems head on, with a clear mind and strong body, and not by running from them or pretending they don't exist.

 

[SquipyCheetah 449]

I never follow the crowd, I always have gone my own way and never had to be expected to do anything like drugs/smoking to be cool. Even if most people in my school are as nice as they can be, the few that weren't. I really don't care what they have to say/think about me.

[InactiveUser 44]

Don't really see any point in taking them. Why ruin my life by risking my physical or mental health or ending up in prison or dead. Doesn't seem worth it when I there are a million other good things to feel happy about

[DATA EXPUNGED 324]

I remain drug free by refraining from the use of narcotics. 

[InactiveUser 44]

I remain drug free by refraining from the use of narcotics.

Got to admit, that's a pretty foolproof system, lol

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

I refrain from taking drugs

[Envy 6,127]

I have never even been tempted to try drugs. I don't need drugs. Listening to music for me is how I imagine a drug is like. Lol. That could be completely off as I really do not have the slightest of a clue, but I do tend to enjoy music differently from a lot of others. In addition, when I look at YouTube comments and I see someone mention that drugs helped them like the song, or that they needed drugs to like the song, I feel so sorry for them. So sorry that they need something external to enjoy the music.

[Twiggy 2,966]

What keeps you guys drug free? What inspires you to just say no or just walk away? Or even better, if you wish to share, if you were using, what inspired you to stop? What gave you the strength to break the habit?

 

So one day an ex-friend of mine walked into my house with a bag of blue pills. "What are those?", I asked. "Not a clue.", he said. "What do they do?", I asked. "Not sure.", he responded. Then I told him, "Well grab some chair bro. We'll figure this out together."

 

Just a little backstory on who I was.

 

I finally stopped when I OD'd on cocaine. I was very dizzy and was tingling all over. My friend had the sense to take me too the hospital. They took my blood pressure. 212/125. That's high enough to suffer organ damage and puts you at severe risk for a heart attack. Scared the living shit out of me. I was 19 years old.

 

Got out of the hospital after about 36 hours. Being in there gave me time to reflect upon my life. I had barely graduated high school as a C student, when I could have easily been valedictorian, and had pretty much just been a burnout since then. I was a miserable pile of shit, and that needed to change. So I got drug counseling, got clean, seperated myself from my old friends (I tried to help them but they wouldn't listen. The guy I told you about with the pills is dead now.), and signed up for a trade program. I'm a union carpenter now, with a beautiful wife and a child on the way. Life is going well for me now.

 

Other than my own willpower, I can attibute my succes to a close friend of mine that I made while I was getting clean. He was in the same boat. He introduced me to Odinism/Asatru/whatever you want to call it. They had a small but thriving community in the county where I lived at the time, and they welcomed me with open arms. They supported me through my struggle and gave me a new faith to help me through.

.

Don't do drugs, kids.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Twiggy

[Magpie 623]

Seeing everyone else around me and how I don't want to be them.

[Rainblow H. Ash 5,091]

The world we live in is built on drugs. Impossible to remain drug free unless you avoid the doctors office like I do.

 

But I'm guessing this is purely talking about recreational drugs. Well I smoke and drink. So I'm not doing a very good job of avoiding drugs.

[alpinefroggy 451]

Is it something for my wellbeing? Is it something I explicitly need?  Does it not have ramnifications?  If the answer to any of these questions is no then I avoid it and simply say no.  I do get antibiotics when needed and take ibuprofen when needed but thats it

[SoniaSquishy 67]

My morals, and, at least in terms of stress-relief, Nerf wars. Goofy, yes, fun, double-yes.

[Seraph Sun 56]

It upsets me these things have to resort to drug users as "losers" to gain any traction. I am an avid drug user of many types, and an advocate of legalization of recreational cannabis, but I assure I am not a loser. I understand that some people don't enjoy drugs, and I don't criticize them for it. I have never persuaded anyone to do drugs either. I do my job well and sober, but I spend my free time doing as I wish. 

[Pastel 7,630]

By never ever trying them of my life.

[StephenP 106]

I made myself a promise that I wouldn't even TOUCH an illegal drug, nor any sort of alchoholoc drinks.

[swordsman 192]

I have a brain!!!  I have seen or know people that have used, sell , make and been in the drug trade. the only people that get something from drugs are the 1% that tell us we need them and then make us use them and then rise the cost 150% when we need them.

[zombienixon 330]

Yes, there are some, like you, who have chemical irregularities. Not finding a way to cope and handle that, is just as harmful as abusing drugs. if you have a proven condition that prevents you from being happy, then yes, do take the proper medicines. 

 

But for the most part, people are mentally healthy. There is nothing wrong with them. Hence, no excuse to alter their mental state. We humans are the product of 10 million years of evolutionary progress, and healthy people who take chemical substances to feel happier, are pretty much saying "I was born incapable of making my own happiness."

 

You have a condition. Drugs treat it to keep you from killing yourself. The vast majority of people don't have that excuse. They're perfectly healthy people who are destroying themselves, hurting others and helping to propagate an epidemic. 

 

One thing I forgot to mention in my OP, was that a former heroin addict volunteered to speak for our class. And she articulacy described the hell she was in all those years and how many relationships were ruined because of her addiction. I don't wish that upon anyone, even if they bring it unto themselves. 

 

I'm glad you're someone who's willing to admit sometimes people need pills to function. I remember one guy on here saying that multivitamins and exercise work as well as antidepressants.

 

Anyway, if you want to stay drug-free, it probably helps not to go to a public high school.  I didn't know many that did hard drugs, but there was a bunch of weed and drinking, too.  For the longest time, I had no interest in weed and was afraid I'd be angry and violent when drunk, so I stayed away from booze. It was mostly for lack of interest that I stayed away from drugs.

 

Granted, that only lasted until about a year and a half ago, but it worked until then.