To think some people take drugs because it is fun?

[crunchymint]

There is the assumption that people take drugs because of mental health problems, or other problems. But plenty of people take drugs because it is fun. I am not advocating taking drugs. But sometimes it is as simple as that.

How many drug takers do you know?

I was one

Well yes, obviously

I would imagine most people, in fact

I used to, it made a night out more interesting. I think a lot of the time it starts out as fun then gets out of hand.
There's definitely a difference between someone who self medicates - drugs or alcohol - and someone who uses socially

I imagine in many cases it can start off like that but it can quickly spiral out if control due to addiction. The drugs themselves can cause mental health issues as can the addiction.
Some people will take drugs cause they think it will be fun. Some people will take drugs as a form of escapism. Some people will take drugs due to MH issues. Some will do it to numb the pain of trauma. But drugs are highly addictive and I don't think it matters too much why the person started taking them if they have ended up with an addiction.

Yup, the case for the vast majority of people. Would say it varies as to the drug though - some are more obvious party drugs than others, I’d imagine the effects of opiates for example would be used by those looking for an escape.

I have many fond memories of lovely nights spent with friends in my early 20s on MDMA. Was nice!

I'm sure they're fun. I just don't think I want to know how fun they are.

Yes self medicating is different. I can have a drink of alcohol and enjoy it. I know though if I am having a hard time and am tempted to drink alcohol because of how I am feeling, that that is not good. It is very different.

Not judging. Imagine how skinny I might be if I'd never discovered mayonnaise....

Yanbu, but it isn’t U to assume that there might be an underlying issue; low self worth, lack of self care etc. Simply because it isn’t legal, so that makes it risky. Not because you risk getting thrown in jail for smoking some weed, but more the fact that the drugs market is unregulated and therefore full of shite that you might assume someone who valued their health wouldn’t want to ingest.

Neverender do not ever let anybody tell you to switch to 'lighter than light' with the lie of 'but it tastes the same!'
It really bloody doesn't!!

Drugs are fun. Very fun. Sadly they can hit your wallet and mental health hard.

Absolutely! I work in a profession where drug taking is higher than average and most people do it in fulfilment of the 'work hard play harder' mantra.

I also think some people do a lot of drugs and yet have happy, balanced lives. Not necessarily the majority, but certainly some.

Addiction is a terrible illness and drugs can ruin lives, but it would be stupid to view all experiences as being the same when they really aren't.

I'd suggest that alcohol is the same tho? Just because it's legal doesn't mean the consequences can't be just as bad

It can be both. Weed really helps my ASD and associated problems but it's also a lovely experience to share with friends.

I think you can tell by how it is used. Just as you can tell by how someone uses alcohol. A drink or a pill on a night out, no issue. Drinking or taking a pill every night, or every time you feel down or upset, or is a danger sign. You need to have other ways to deal with being upset or down.

"drugs are highly addictive"

No. Most are not.

I've never taken drugs but yes I imagine most people that take them find them fun.

Plenty of people get given drugs after surgery that they take for a few days, and never touch again. The issue is the psychological addiction. If life is hard, and most of us go through hard times, then taking something that makes life feel more bearable can become addictive.

You’re right.
Self-medicating with drugs or alcohol is very different to using drugs recreationally.
I did my fair share of pills etc as a teenager, not because I needed them, but because the effects of the drugs were fun at the time. Looking back now, I was a fucking idiot for doing it

And I have read research that people with high self esteem are more at risk of problematic drug taking because they think they are immune from the long term consequences.

Yes most definitely. Many people I know took drugs in the 90's recreationally. The vast majority now don't,and are perfectly normal people with good careers, families, etc.

However, there's a small number whose lives slid out of control as they moved onto harder drugs.

What I've noticed today is that smoking weed seems to be much more common. And the weed today is much, much stronger than the stuff people used to smoke, causing all sorts of paranoia and mental health issues.

Just because it's legal doesn't mean the consequences can't be just as bad

Yes, but the risks are higher with illegal drugs, because they aren’t regulated or tested. They are produced and transported in all sorts of grim ways which makes me assume most people probably wouldn’t want to risk it.

If they were legal I think it would be a lot less risky.

Then there’s the supply chain issue. I know it’s the same for some legal products too which aren’t especially ethical, but drugs has got to be up there with the worst, if not the very worst, in terms of ethics in its supply chain.

And there are plenty of alcoholics out there

Yes of course.

One of the great unspoken truths of modern society is that the overwhelming majority of people who take drugs do so just for that reason -- because they are fun.

A sizeable minority go on to develop problems with them because a) they exacerbate underlying mental health problems or b) the user becomes addicted.

But IMHO one of the reasons drug education programmes are largely unsuccessful is that they don't draw a distinction between safe, reactional drug taking (yes there is such a thing) and problematic drug taking.

Someone who takes cocaine or ecstacy occasionally and knows when to stop and how to stay safe is at no greater risk than someone who drinks to excess every weekend (probably less so). Someone who does it every day, or who escalates to heroin or crack cocaine, is going to be in all sorts of trouble.

But the blanket policy of "say no to all drugs" is very quickly rumbled by people who have taken drugs safely as a lot of bollocks.

If you're 17 and try ecstacy or whatever kids take these days safely and realise that nothing too bad is happening to you, you are less likely to trust the official recommendation not to take other drugs. And some drugs, particularly heroin, are seriously bad news.

I'm not necessarily in favour of legalisation for other reasons, but I think we need to radically overhaul the way we talk about drugs.