Has anyone here ever been addicted to something?

[Duke]

For me, I think it was booze for a few years in my mid 20's. I'd love to blame it on being a "phase" but I think it was a little more than that. I actually couldn't have fun without booze in the situation. Then of course I started smoking weed and actually purchasing it for the first time in my life. I bought weed for a period of about 4 months and realized I had a problem and pretty much dropped everything at that time.

Now if I drink, it's pretty rare. Maybe a beer here or there but I might average about a 6 pack per month, maximum. I never smoke pot anymore thought and have no craving for either drug. As I write this post, I'm sipping on a coke.

[tm]

i drank like a fiend throughout college, we all did. luckily, i just hit a point where i had had enough. the road to hard core alcoholism was there, but it just wasn't in my wiring i guess. now it's a rare day that i really hit it, i just dont have the desire.

[Duke]

I'd have to agree, the road to hard core substance abuse was in front of me, fortunately, I passed out in the ditch next to it.

[tm]

LMAO. i'm getting married next month, and i have no desire for a bachelor party. nothing could happen there that i haven't already done. more than once.

[Duke]

does that include sex with an animal?

[Mondo]

Originally Posted by tm

i drank like a fiend throughout college, we all did.

I think drinking while at college/University is almost a requirement here lol.

I can't say I was addicted to anything bar cigarettes but up until I was about 23/24 I'd pretty much take anything that was put in front of me and finish it off (I would never tough smack/heroin or anything like that though).

I took the term binge to a new level, if it was there or in my house I wouldn't stop till it was finished. If I was going to a club I'd have to take somthing, if there was a party I'd be up all night on somthing. This was when I was training everyday at Karate as well, doing weights etc, it wasn't good, I got a reputation for being aggressive and OTT...me and by best freind were terrible, we'd take loads of speed, mdma etc go out and were simply intimidating to anyone. We'd have been training allot of the day, mix this with drink, drugs and a night club, Im suprised that nothing really bad happened to us but we were so supremely confident nothing would...I was a total a**hole at that point. If someone pissed me off I'd just punch or kick them when I was off my face on somthing, the consequneces didn't matter. I was scary to myself and the people around me. It was the whole lifestyle, the drugs were just part of that, the worst part and the bit that brought out the extremes of my personality.

I guess that doesn't sound like the guy you play BF and IL2 with Duke but a few years ago that was me. I won't say it wasn't fun but I never want to repeat it, I could have gone right of the rails so easily. Im glad it isn't like that anymore. I got a handle on things and stopped. I think had it continued I'd have got in real bad trouble and Im certainly not proud of who or what I was or doing. Apart from a a drink now and then I've not touched anything for years now.

I maintain, drugs aren't bad, they just need moderation like everything else in life. Drugs aren't bad, its the experiances you have with them are good or bad. There not bad but if you make bad life choices at the same time then things can turn out for the worst.

The trouble with all drugs, be they booze, pot, cocaine etc is the misinformation about them and the lack of eduction that people have on them. People get told that there bad and get told horror stories of people on drugs yet the drugs had little of nothing to do with the outcome of the situation.

Im ranting now but....

One instance of this was a few years ago when ecstasy was really big in the UK and a girl called Lea Betts died while after taking some. The drug didn't kill her, she was killed by a stomach hemoirrage (sp?) because she drank to much water but the press blamed the drug. Thats a direct result of bad drug education and misinformation.

Wow, that was a post and a half.

[Paul]

Last fall I ate a lot of chocolate and drank to much soda, now I workout, drink water, juice and eat balanced wholesome meals. Hi, my name is Paul and I was a junkfoodaholic. Kinda.

[Duke]

I don't know if it's just my background, personality or what, but I think this is, by far, one of the best threads I've ever seen online.

Mondo, I wouldn't be too concerned with what I think. But if you are, let me tell you how your post has changed how I think of you. I've gained a ton of respect for you for not only opening up but also for the person you've become after the ride. I love to see stories where someone experiences something and comes out the other side with a better understanding of what events took place. Believe me, I know for a fact that many people can't do that, they can't even look outside the box at all which is one of the biggest reasons for addiction and family suffering. I'm living proof of that.

I agree with your post but have a bit of trouble with the drugs not being bad. I'm not a lobbyist of any kind, but I'd rather see most drugs stay illegal. I've just witnessed too much crap and how it's destroyed people, their families and their own lives by addiction. You look at cigarettes, which should be illegal, and how many people are addicted to them. All the rest of the drugs are no different, including booze. The general population isn't even well educated on the effects of alcohol for cyring out loud, it's crazy.

The other thing I think of when reading these posts is my daughter. She's always at the front of my mind, and I worry that she will experiment. Actually, I'm not really as worried about that as I should be, I am worried though how she'll come out the other end. The thought of my little girl sticking a needle in my arm is enough to give me stomach cramps. I know and accept the fact that she'll likely experiment on something, I just hope she feels the confidence, security and comfort in being able to tell me about it.

[Roserman]

Nope, never been addicted to anything at all. Did weed one time in my life to just see what the big hoopla was, didn't do anything for me whatsoever. I guess you can just call me a social drinker.

[Duke]

Weed never really hooked me either. I always just toked up when someone had a joint. My main reason for buying was so I could supply the joints for a change and gave up smoking when some buddies of mine gave me a baggie full of good bud. I buried it by a creek I knew as a kid in a trees roots and gave up smoking it.

[Mondo]

I don't mind opening up about it cause its in the past.

Thats scary thing Duke, Im bound to have kids one day and Im thinking to myself do I educate them about i?, ask them not to and punish them if they do drugs (that would be hypocritical, after all I did and my parents were understanding)? or let them experiment and turn a blind eye? Where I live its a University town and its got club culture etc so I can't expect they won't be exposed to drugs at some point.

Originally Posted by Duke

I agree with your post but have a bit of trouble with the drugs not being bad. I'm not a lobbyist of any kind, but I'd rather see most drugs stay illegal.

I totally agree there but at least in the UK there starting to revise laws so some MS sufferer can smoke a bit of pot and not get arrested.

[Duke]

Well I think it's in your best interests to educate them based off of your own experiences. I know I'll be doing it with my daughter and have been to some degree over the past several years, even though she's only 9.

I think the more human your kids see you as, the more likely they are to open up to you. Too many parents these days have to remain flawless and always correct in the eyes of their children. Not only is that impossible, but also makes you a hipocrite in the eyes of your kids. Children are very observant.

[Cindy]

Does the internet count? :oops: