I’m a recreational drug user AMA

[alltheleavesarebrwn]

As the title says

Why do you do it if you are not compelled to by addiction and are aware that children are being criminally (and some sexually) exploited to accommodate your choice? It seems like an odd thing to "hold your hands up" to.

so what happened in your life (or is currently happening) that makes you basically say ‘I don’t care if my actions are causing other humans to be exploited? I don’t care if my actions are causing health problems?’

@alltheleavesarebrwn
I’d like to ask why you thought to start this AMA?
What purpose does it serve you?
I’ve read the thread, and do find interesting to see how other people think, so in that sense, for me, the reader it is interesting, but what do you get out of it?

I feel sorry for you to be honest, and I feel irritated and angry as well. I feel especially strongly for those who have had opportunities, financial and educational, yet have evidently missed out on that humanity and love which would have enabled them to see that partaking in certain activities, is increasingly damaging to many in society in such awful ways.
You say yourself that you know about this, but consciously choose to continue. This is even worse to me in that you say you aren’t addicted. You could stop, but evidently prefer to continue to put your pleasure above others’ suffering.

Op is one of the "oh god yeah its absolutely TERRIBLE how people are exploited...oh the door bell one second Paula thats my dealer..."

This. My husband was a coke addict. It ruined our lovely upper middle class life and I am still picking up the pieces of that. He would have said he was functioning until all of a sudden he wasn’t. He wasn’t really anyhow in the context of family life, snappy, disinterested in his family, hungover a lot. It’s scummy.

Are you not worried about these types of people knowing where you live?

As well as funding guerilla groups abroad who go in for terrorising local communities, murder, extortion and kidnapping. If you aren't addicted? Why do it? Have a guilt free glass of wine made from grapes grown on a French vineyard.

What would make you stop, do you think?

Also, do you have kids? A very early morning and day of looking after children, after a late night on coke, must be pretty difficult.

If you aren't addicted to it, then why do you continue to use it?

You have acknowledged the exploitation in the drug trade. You know that there are health risks. You're no doubt aware that it's legal. Sure, you might enjoy the feeling temporarily, but I honestly don't get why you would continue.

So, my only question is why.

I do agree with the sentiment, but do you hold people who buy a new iPhone or shop on Shein and TEMU to the same standards?

Maybe that’s a breakdown of the spend. She could be buying a gram of really high end coke a month equating to £50 pw.

I know vegans with a coke habit. Imagine their mental gymnastics.

So why do it then? Please explain.

OP said they were not in the UK - maybe it is cheaper there.

This is quite a brave thread OP, as you can see most of the replies are attacks not questions. I have been amazed by how common the use of coke is and how accepted. I would be terrified of what it is mixed with.

Do you only do it in company or only alone? Is it just a party drug to you? I understand some people use it more as a performance drug in competitive pushy situations. What effect does it have for you with alcohol, does it help you drink more, how long is the up vs the down?

OP Mixing cocaine and alcohol is particularly dangerous and women are more vulnerable.
you are really taking a very significant risk each and every time you do this.

Are you not worried about your nose? As even without doing it daily it will be doing damage that at somepoint you will probably notice

I can quite clearly say I'm not an addict because I don't use cocaine. Ever.

You saying you're not because it's not all the time and only when you drink and you can go without reminds me of a relative who used to say "Valium's not addictive, i've been taking it for thirty years and I'm fine!!"

You are an addict because you are using an addictive, harmful substance that could kill you on a regular basis. "Recreational drug user" may sound a bit cooler, but you're just another druggie, and your drug habit actively damages the community we all have to live in, and as the police officer pointed out above, takes time, money and effort from other things to try to manage. So you're a selfish druggie.

I hope starting this thread makes you think.

Do you have kids?

I used MDMA in my 20’s. A lot of my friends used cocaine but I never liked it. I stopped that and drinking before I had kids and the thought of doing it now scares me because it’s always a risk, you don’t know what you’re getting or what it’s cut with.

One of my friends husbands died due to a heart attack and there was a small trace of cocaine in his system. They didn’t attribute his death to that but the coroner still published it in the report and it’s online for all of his kids to read one day.

Well said !

Why did you start this thread? What did you think people would get out if it?

Instead of spending £50 a pop on your coke habit you could help someone in need. I have no time for drug users. Drugs are a menace on society.

Maybe OP is worried about her drug use and if this thread serves any purpose perhaps it will be that she decides to stop. I hope so .xx

Starting this thread, OP, you must have anticipated some challenges. Is that what you were looking for? Maybe part of you is not 100% happy with your choices.

Not sure if you're familiar with the Lancet drug harms study published in 2010, which used a structured expert assessment of 20 drugs across 16 harm criteria, measuring harm to users and harm to society. The criteria used, and the findings, are shown here.

Alcohol was assessed as the most harmful drug overall, ranking above heroin and crack cocaine because of its large social and economic impacts. Cocaine is ranked #5 for risk of harm. MDMA, LSD and mushrooms are right down the bottom of the scale.

The authors concluded that the UK’s drug classification system at the time correlated poorly with evidence-based harm rankings, suggesting that drug policy was not aligned purely with the actual harms caused by different substances. However, nothing has changed since then, nor is it likely to.

Just as a point of interest, this is the season for picking liberty caps in the fields.

What's missing in your life?

Why do you take it?

Do you think it's cool or are you embarrassed that you're an addict?

Do you have hobbies or ambitions that are less important that getting a hit?

Do you see any parallels between yourself a heroin addict or do you think you're somehow different?

Would you want your family or bosses to know?