Time To Stop Accepting Mind Alteration?

[andy-hughes]

I have been considering the effects of drugs - all drugs - and the reason people use them.

The conclusion I have reached is that every single person who uses any kind of drug - tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, does so in pursuit of a level of mind alteration.

Only the amount consumed, and the desired effect vary, the initial reason is identical throughout - to alter the mind's perception of the present.

Now this can vary from a glass or two of wine at the end of the day, or at a party, or a cigarette to 'calm the nerves' right through to the desired temporary oblivion of a large dose of heroin.

Of course, as a culture, we have absorbed the first examples as simply cultural norms, accepted and even encouraged, less so the last one which remains illegal.

But my point is, the subliminal desire to alter the mind to whatever degree is present in all of them.

Now the first argument would be - 'I drink because I enjoy the taste ...'.

Fine, then you can drink non-alcoholic wine or beer and not notice any difference can't you.

But no, we persist with 'acceptable' drugs because we, as a culture, accept that mind alteration is an acceptable thing to have in our society.

My question is - is it acceptable?

Should we not look at educating children and young people - the adults of tomorrow - that mind alteration is actually not a good thing at all, and is in fact creating a false reality, and leading to death through dangerous driving, liver damage, psychosis, and all the other results of ingesting drugs.

Drugs are not good, and we should be looking at getting rid of them as acceptable in society.

Thoughts please?

[Togo]

Having had a quick flick through the thread I can assure you that I have not changed my mind.

[andy-hughes]

beso - // Without mind alteration through drugs, much of the most celebrated music and art in the world would never have been created. //

You've already said that, and I've already said - asked and answered.

[andy-hughes]

beso - // The body even makes its own opiates that are released when we are physically stressed. Exercise should be banned as mind altering.

Adrenaline. That is powerful stuff. Life should boring lest people alter their minds with it.

Dopamine, serotonin. All bad bad bad. //

You need to read the OP, and the thread, and then you won't need to make points that are not connected to the OP.

[andy-hughes]

Patsy - // I hear what Andy is saying, it would be interesting to see results.
But,...it will never happen voluntarily, as life as we know it, is very stressful to a lot of people, and not coping very well. So it is no wonder/ understanable, that a lot of people want to take mind altering drugs, lgal & illegal, unfortunately.
I seen this quote today from Keanu Reeves;
"The truth is, we don't struggle with depression, we struggle with the reality we live in" //

Thank you - a voice of sanity at last!!

I fully appreciate that the changes I suggest are unlikely to happen for maybe hundreds of years, if ever.

But as I keep on saying - it was simply a subject for discussion, not 'my world' or some notion of a fascist future, just an idea, and thankfully you are one of the very very few people who have read my OP and understood what I meant by it.

[andy-hughes]

Togo - // Having had a quick flick through the thread I can assure you that I have not changed my mind. //

Consider me assured.

[andy-hughes]

Zacs - // Without mind alteration through drugs, AH might never have been created. //

You'd have to ask my parents, both no longer here.

It's a thought.

It adds nothing whatsoever to the point of the OP, but it's a thought.

[beso]

Some say "drugs are for people who can't handle reality."

Others say, "reality is for people who can't handle drugs."

To each their own.

[royfromaus]

Thank you - a voice of sanity at last!!
____________________________

LOL
Do your daughters drink alcohol, andy?

[andy-hughes]

roy - // Do your daughters drink alcohol, andy? //

What my family do, or do not do, is no business of yours, or of any relevance to the discussion here.

[douglas9401]

The paint will soon by dry enough for the latest corner to be escaped from.

[andy-hughes]

douglas - // The paint will soon by dry enough for the latest corner to be escaped from. //

As pointless and off-topic as ever.

[royfromaus]

It gets worse and worsererer

[bednobs]

i cba to read through 200+ posts of the andy show so someone may have saidthis already, but mind altering drugs are nice. didnt the oper have a breakdown for which presumably mind-altering drugs altered his mind to make him feel better?

[andy-hughes]

bednobs - // i cba to read through 200+ posts of the andy show so someone may have saidthis already, but mind altering drugs are nice. didnt the oper have a breakdown for which presumably mind-altering drugs altered his mind to make him feel better? //

Do me the courtesy of reading the thread and you'll find your questions answered there.

[andy-hughes]

roy - // It gets worse and worsererer //

It does - time for you to stop posting?

Unless you have something pertinent to the discussion to add?

I was right first time.

[bednobs]

could you at least give me the page it's covered on ?

[andres]

I have skimmed through the answers on this thread and although I seem to be in the minority I have to agree that most drugs are mind -altering and potentially dangerous. I don't like the way that society seems to be adopting a relaxed ,permissive attitude towards drugs.
I look back to the 40s when ,if they couldn't afford the doctor and prescribed drugs ,people would take aspirin or Beechams pills. not exactly mind -altering but to relieve pain Then in the late 50s along came L.S.D. definitely a mind-altering substance. Under the influence of this hallucinatory drug people imagined they could 'fly'. Jumped out of upper windows, leapt off rooftops and all kinds of other weird things.
Then cannabis was the in thing. Growing it, feeding it and then smoking the dried leaves . This drug became a favourite of the Hippies and free love in the 60s.It loosened people's inhibitions and altered their minds.
Then there is nicotine. One puff and within ten seconds this drug reaches the brain and puts the user into a flight or fight situation. To calm the brain you have to give it more.Alcohol is another drug in common use. Slightly different because people often start using it because they like the taste. It alters a person's whole personality. Some become sleepy ,quiet and calm. Others become aggressive and argumentative. Loss of balance, memory loss kidney ,liver and possibly chronic alcoholism often follow.
Cocaine, ecstasy ,heroin, morphine are all mind -altering drugs. The main organ to deal with drugs in the first instance is the human brain . The way it deals with drugs is far too complicated to put into a few sentences but it is a very interesting subject.
However although I agree with AH to a certain extent I really can't see any answer or solution to the growing problem of drugs in society.
Back in the 50s/60s the Government's answer was-----'Just say NO'. Fat lot of good that did!

[andy-hughes]

andres - // Back in the 50s/60s the Government's answer was-----'Just say NO'. Fat lot of good that did! //

Telling people not to do something - anything, that they like doing, is highly unlikely to meet with a positive reaction. That's just human nature.

And that is the simple reason why drugs have been created, and continue to be popular - people like them.

Of course, liking is not the same as benefiting from, but that's another debate for another day.

[RandyMarsh]

I have not read all the thread Andy, what about things like Mushrooms?, natural growing things. How do you feel about them? x

[Zacs-Master]

‘ It adds nothing whatsoever to the point of the OP, but it's a thought’

It adds everything to the OP. It’s fairly likely that you were conceived under the influence of alcohol. ,ost people are. If such substances had been banned before your birth, you’d likely not be here.