"hard" drugs?2. What drugs do you consider hard?There was, as expected, a degree of controversy from some posters about the use of the term 'hard' as applied to drugs. They made the very reasonable point that all drugs can be problematic if used to excess, and that a case can be made that those drugs traditionally considered 'hard' may be less damaging that alcohol and tobacco. Be that as it may, I believe that one can make a useful distinction between the 'recreational' drugs -- ie, those substances with relatively low risks, particularly the risk of addiction, and drugs like heroin and cocaine. Not only are the degrees of risk associated with these drugs different, but to a fair degree, those who use these drugs tend to create a different subculture -- a subculture with a set of problems that differ vastly from those faced by recreational users. Finally, the use of the term 'hard' was intended to be somewhat ironic -- a reflection of the macho values associated with this type of drug use. The drugs are 'hard' because they are used by 'hard men'. You got some problem with that?
From: "Anapiel"
...there are three types of drug users: 1) Experimental drug users who like to take very precise doses and (lord help us) record the effects, and come up wth meaningless psychobabble about k-space and setting, and metaprogramming and such. If it floats your boat, fine, but I've never met a psychonaut who was actually fun to be around while taking drugs. Control freaks. . .and they favor psychedelic type drugs, but make far too big a deal about high doses, and need terms like ego-disintegration to make getting fucked up sound like an intellectual pursuit. 2) Recreational drug users. These folks take a little bit of everything, unlike the EDU's. Drugs are just for having fun, and while the RDU will occasionally lapse into mystical shit while on acid, an RDU will invariably forget to write in the lab notebook in favor of frolicking in a field of dandelions, playing hacky-sack, or some such. Probably the most fun drug user to be around, short-term. . .but also risky, because an RDU, like the teenager at the keg party, is often unaware when they cross over the line from somewaht fucked up to out of control. RDU's often take too much of whatever is going which is goood but hasn't done this often enough to adjust. Nonetheless, an RDU usually sticks to pot, coke (snorted), the occasional opiate. . a psychedelic here and there. Basically likes the smorgasbord, but only eats it on weekends and special occasions. 3) And then there's the people for whom this ng exists The Hard Drug User [Trumpets rise]. The primary philosophy of the HDU is "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom." otherwise known is "lets get fucked up". Bang meth, as phreex says. The question why would someone do that much of substance X is meaningless to an HDU. You do excessive amounts of a substance because, when you're dealing with Hard Drugs, the more you do, the more fucked up you are, and that is a Good Thing. Fuck the lab notebook; I can barely cook a shot, I certainly have no urge to record my impressions. Its a bilevel plateau system: NotFuckedUp/FuckedUp. OD'ing? heh. Any HDU worth their salt walks that line like bird on a wire whilst singin like a drunk in a midnight choir; the RDU's worry about od'ing. HDU's worry about having enough to cop a buzz, and still leaving some for the next day. EDU's care about mapping the psychic landscape; HDU's care more about mapping new places to score and convenient places to do drugs when your on the go. Anyways, I'd wager whoever got all shocked over taking what they considered to be the GHB equivalent of two litres of vodka (and many folks would see nothing wrong with that) is an EDU. And to them, I say. . .welcome to chapter 13. ADH. Home of the hard drug users. Enjoy your stay, but we recommend losing the lab notebooks; they make many of us, who have very bitter memories of the Men in White Coats, quite anxious. |