Afghanistan back under Taliban rule

*IMJ* · 08-17-2021, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Deadman

Of course the US govt is in bed with some of the drug cartels in Mexico, why do you think some politicians want to decriminalize all the major drugs in this country?

-ouch-

What politicians want to do that?

~~Sumac~~ · 08-17-2021, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMJ

-ouch-

What politicians want to do that?

DemocRATs, of course.
They have already legalized Marijuana.

*MsMarvelDuckie* · 08-17-2021, 11:05 AM

Funny, but Netherlands and most of the Nordic countries beat us to it LONG ago. And seem to be doing quite well as a result. Fewer addicts, fewer people in jail, etc....

~~Sumac~~ · 08-17-2021, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

Funny, but Netherlands and most of the Nordic countries beat us to it LONG ago. And seem to be doing quite well as a result. Fewer addicts, fewer people in jail, etc....

Not anymore:
Heady days of Amsterdam's drug culture turn bad as hard stuff brings violence and corruption

Why The Netherlands Is Becoming A Narco State

Netherlands: The possible consequences of liberal drugs policies
The drug mafia can pervade everything if you give it enough scope: The Netherlands has turned into one of the largest exporters of synthetic drugs, partly because of its drug policies, says Anabel Hernández.

See, when you legalize something that previously was a criminal offense, it doesn't remove the problem: its just enhances demand, which at some point outgrows supply and, voila, criminals enter the scene and the whole thing once again become used buy crime cartels and corrupted bureaucrats.

This is the same reason why legalizing prostitutions is a bad idea. It won't save anyone, it will just make demand for prostitutes bigger. You can figure out consequences yourself. If you care, that is.

*The Deadman* · 08-17-2021, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MsMarvelDuckie

Funny, but Netherlands and most of the Nordic countries beat us to it LONG ago. And seem to be doing quite well as a result. Fewer addicts, fewer people in jail, etc....

Yeah, because heroin addicts will stop being heroin addicts if the drug is made legal....

*MsMarvelDuckie* · 08-18-2021, 12:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Deadman

Yeah, because heroin addicts will stop being heroin addicts if the drug is made legal....

They approached it as an illness, TREATING the addiction rather than punishing it. It was working, too, by all accounts. Might have changed more recently, but I don't keep constant tabs, so, ??? I know the number of addicts WAS going down because they could get treatment instead of being treated like criminals for just using it.

~~Leo656~~ · 08-18-2021, 11:41 AM

Addiction is not an illness, it's the culmination of a series of poor life choices combined with a strong, nearly iron-clad selfish streak. One constant among all "addicts" is the fact that they put their own comfort and happiness far above that of everyone around them, including their families.

Put simply, all addicts are to some degree simply narcissists. In that they only care about themselves, not who they hurt. And they use things like "Bad Things Happened To Me" or "I Am In Pain" as excuses to justify their own bad behavior and poor choices.

I know this because I grew up in a family of addicts and surrounded by many more of them outside my immediate family. If the "Genetic Predisposition" thing were true, then I'd be lying in some hovel somewhere with a needle in my arm and a bottle of cheap booze in my hand, because I promise you, few people you know had more cokeheads, junkies, and alcoholics in their immediate and extended families than I have. And drugs were CONSTANTLY available to me so the temptation was always there. And as far as using "trauma" as an excuse to "self-medicate", without throwing a Pity Party I can assert that I've got most people beat there, as well. I was physically and emotionally abused quite often as a child, primarily by those same "addicts", which continued well into adulthood.

I also spent two weeks in a rehab facility several years ago (not for addiction, but for reasons of mental health, but they put everyone in together), and got to know several people who were at various stages of their own "addiction". To a man, several of them would admit during quiet moments, "It's all a lie. We know exactly what we're doing, we're just selfish. That's all it is. We lie and say we're powerless to control ourselves, but the truth is, it's just easier this way. We don't want to deal with Real Life, and we're too ashamed to look in the mirror, so we drink or we do drugs and we SAY we can't change, but it's bullsh*t. We can when we WANT to... but for now it's just easier this way."

The ONLY people who ever reach and maintain "sobriety", are the ones who will come clean and admit to that fact. Enabling them does nothing, nor does writing it off as some "disease" they have no control over. ALL of that is nonsense. You simply have to CARE that your actions and behavior are killing you and hurting the people closest to you. You have to CARE that your kid can't go to college because you spent their entire savings on drugs. You have to CARE that the kid you beat bloody simply for being in the room during your Bad Mood is going to have scars both physical and mental for the rest of their life. You have to CARE that your family is going to be homeless because you simply stopped paying bills because you were more concerned about a fix.

If you care, you can find the strength to get clean and stay that way. You don't need to be a super-hero. I'm not. I just have common sense. I simply looked around at all the terrible people I was surrounded by and said, "I want nothing to do with these people or their 'lifestyle'." This is why I'm one of the very few people in my immediate family who isn't "an addict". I can drink without getting blackout drunk... because I have common sense, and because I don't use drinking as a way to run away from my life or my Very Real problems, all of which are only made worse by adding being constantly drunk on top of them. To say nothing of what sticking chemicals in your arm or up your nose will do.

Others in my family? They choose to perpetuate the cycle, mostly. "My parents were mean to me, so now I get drunk/high and be mean to my own kids. It's only fair!" To me, this is the very definition of blindness, or selfish, uncaring narcissism. "This behavior makes ME feel better, everyone else can get f*cked." Stupid.

Like seriously, how stupid does a person have to be, knowing what we know Now, to dabble in things like heroin or cocaine, knowing full well what happens to 99% of the people who do? We're not talking about smoking a joint and eating a whole box of Pop Tarts, we're talking about Real Drugs and what they do to people. Knowing what's on the other side, why would anyone go that route, and further, once they become "addicted" why should we feel sorry for them? It was their own stupid choices that put them in the position they're in. It's not like they didn't know what they were getting themselves into.

The ONLY "addicts" I feel even a little bit sorry for, are the people who get addicted to opiate pain medication while under their doctor's care and then struggle to get clean or end up falling into harder stuff when their script runs out. Because those people were misled by people they trusted to keep them well who ultimately cared more about profits than they did about human life. I think we've all seen the news enough over the last two decades to know that irresponsible over-prescription of opiates IS a very real problem which many people in turn have ended up suffering from.

But even then, at the same time, a little self-awareness and common sense could still have helped SOME of those people not to fall into the trap, if they hadn't blindly followed bad advice given to them by a "trusted" medical professional. To again speak from experience: Once upon a time, I crushed (not "broke", literally crushed) part of my finger at work and had to undergo some reconstructive surgery on it. I was prescribed an antibiotic ("So it won't get infected and kill you"), and Oxycontin, aka "Heroin's Next-Door Neighbor", the very same drug that pushed so many unsuspecting people into becoming full-blown drug addicts. I was resistant to this, but the doctors were insistent; "You're going to need it, you're going to be in SO much pain during your recovery that without the pain medicine you won't even be able to function. Just take it as directed and you won't have any problems." Which I'm sure is what EVERYONE is told, and yet...

I never even finished the first prescription. Having never taken opiates before, I immediately felt the side effects, and I couldn't stand them. I never took a single extra pill - and would in fact sometimes skip a dose - because I couldn't handle the nausea, the "numb" feeling, the mental fogginess, or the spur-of-the-moment mood swings. One day, I just stopped taking them altogether and decided that living with the pain (which never got as bad as they swore it would) was preferable.

But see, if I'd done what I was told by my doctors - or ended up taking "Just one extra pill here and there" like so many other people do - I might've ended up "an addict". I made a choice. I didn't like what my "professionally-prescribed medicine" was doing to me, so I decided to advocate for myself and stop taking it before I ended up doing real damage to myself. I'm convinced that anyone in my situation could have done the same thing, IF they were self-aware enough.

Moral of the Story: Every single "addict" has an origin story where at some point, "I knew what I was doing was wrong... I just didn't care."

That's not a "disease". That is A Choice.

~~Sumac~~ · 08-18-2021, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo656

That's not a "disease". That is A Choice.

Amazing post!

Also, it is the same conclusion I came to after having my own experiences with addicts: if they don't help themselves to get back on their feet, no amount of pleading, logic, rationale, will help. Basically they should stop being being selfish trash and face reality that they are killing themselves and hurting people close to them. But that is something ONLY THEM can do. No interference from the outside can stop it. I can attest to it.

Of course, in a modern West it is not rewarded, because, modern West is all about personal gratification, consequences be damned. You want to dress like a dumb parrot with dildo up your ass? Yes, please! You want to chop your balls, because, you think there is a cute girl inside of your head? Yes, please! You want to pretend that you are loser, because, of rare mental syndrome or impossible gender and not, because, you are worthless parasite with no skills? You got it!

World of selfish imbeciles. But such worlds don't live for long.

*The Deadman* · 08-17-2021, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IMJ

-ouch-

What politicians want to do that?

https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/15/2...icy-reform-act

https://www.thegazette.com/staff-col...is-aging-well/

Theyve been at this sh*t for years.

08-17-2021, 11:05 AM	#3
MsMarvelDuckie I Married a Duck! Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: The bowels of Hell, Texas(otherwise known as Decatur) Posts: 8,773	Funny, but Netherlands and most of the Nordic countries beat us to it LONG ago. And seem to be doing quite well as a result. Fewer addicts, fewer people in jail, etc.... __________________ "You IDIOTS! You've captured their STUNT doubles!" -from "Spaceballs" "Where Science ends, magic begins." -Spiral, Uncanny X-Men #491 My various stories and fan-fics are now here- https://m.fanfiction.net/u/4770494/#end

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08-18-2021, 11:41 AM	#7
~~Leo656~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: nWo Country Posts: 27,703	Addiction is not an illness, it's the culmination of a series of poor life choices combined with a strong, nearly iron-clad selfish streak. One constant among all "addicts" is the fact that they put their own comfort and happiness far above that of everyone around them, including their families. Put simply, all addicts are to some degree simply narcissists. In that they only care about themselves, not who they hurt. And they use things like "Bad Things Happened To Me" or "I Am In Pain" as excuses to justify their own bad behavior and poor choices. I know this because I grew up in a family of addicts and surrounded by many more of them outside my immediate family. If the "Genetic Predisposition" thing were true, then I'd be lying in some hovel somewhere with a needle in my arm and a bottle of cheap booze in my hand, because I promise you, few people you know had more cokeheads, junkies, and alcoholics in their immediate and extended families than I have. And drugs were CONSTANTLY available to me so the temptation was always there. And as far as using "trauma" as an excuse to "self-medicate", without throwing a Pity Party I can assert that I've got most people beat there, as well. I was physically and emotionally abused quite often as a child, primarily by those same "addicts", which continued well into adulthood. I also spent two weeks in a rehab facility several years ago (not for addiction, but for reasons of mental health, but they put everyone in together), and got to know several people who were at various stages of their own "addiction". To a man, several of them would admit during quiet moments, "It's all a lie. We know exactly what we're doing, we're just selfish. That's all it is. We lie and say we're powerless to control ourselves, but the truth is, it's just easier this way. We don't want to deal with Real Life, and we're too ashamed to look in the mirror, so we drink or we do drugs and we SAY we can't change, but it's bullsht. We can when we WANT to... but for now it's just easier this way." The ONLY people who ever reach and maintain "sobriety", are the ones who will come clean and admit to that fact. Enabling them does nothing, nor does writing it off as some "disease" they have no control over. ALL of that is nonsense. You simply have to CARE that your actions and behavior are killing you and hurting the people closest to you. You have to CARE that your kid can't go to college because you spent their entire savings on drugs. You have to CARE that the kid you beat bloody simply for being in the room during your Bad Mood is going to have scars both physical and mental for the rest of their life. You have to CARE that your family is going to be homeless because you simply stopped paying bills because you were more concerned about a fix. If you care, you can find the strength to get clean and stay that way. You don't need to be a super-hero. I'm not. I just have common sense. I simply looked around at all the terrible people I was surrounded by and said, "I want nothing to do with these people or their 'lifestyle'." This is why I'm one of the very few people in my immediate family who isn't "an addict". I can drink without getting blackout drunk... because I have common sense, and because I don't use drinking as a way to run away from my life or my Very Real problems, all of which are only made worse by adding being constantly drunk on top of them. To say nothing of what sticking chemicals in your arm or up your nose will do. Others in my family? They choose to perpetuate the cycle, mostly. "My parents were mean to me, so now I get drunk/high and be mean to my own kids. It's only fair!" To me, this is the very definition of blindness, or selfish, uncaring narcissism. "This behavior makes ME feel better, everyone else can get fcked." Stupid. Like seriously, how stupid does a person have to be, knowing what we know Now, to dabble in things like heroin or cocaine, knowing full well what happens to 99% of the people who do? We're not talking about smoking a joint and eating a whole box of Pop Tarts, we're talking about Real Drugs and what they do to people. Knowing what's on the other side, why would anyone go that route, and further, once they become "addicted" why should we feel sorry for them? It was their own stupid choices that put them in the position they're in. It's not like they didn't know what they were getting themselves into. The ONLY "addicts" I feel even a little bit sorry for, are the people who get addicted to opiate pain medication while under their doctor's care and then struggle to get clean or end up falling into harder stuff when their script runs out. Because those people were misled by people they trusted to keep them well who ultimately cared more about profits than they did about human life. I think we've all seen the news enough over the last two decades to know that irresponsible over-prescription of opiates IS a very real problem which many people in turn have ended up suffering from. But even then, at the same time, a little self-awareness and common sense could still have helped SOME of those people not to fall into the trap, if they hadn't blindly followed bad advice given to them by a "trusted" medical professional. To again speak from experience: Once upon a time, I crushed (not "broke", literally crushed) part of my finger at work and had to undergo some reconstructive surgery on it. I was prescribed an antibiotic ("So it won't get infected and kill you"), and Oxycontin, aka "Heroin's Next-Door Neighbor", the very same drug that pushed so many unsuspecting people into becoming full-blown drug addicts. I was resistant to this, but the doctors were insistent; "You're going to need it, you're going to be in SO much pain during your recovery that without the pain medicine you won't even be able to function. Just take it as directed and you won't have any problems." Which I'm sure is what EVERYONE is told, and yet... I never even finished the first prescription. Having never taken opiates before, I immediately felt the side effects, and I couldn't stand them. I never took a single extra pill - and would in fact sometimes skip a dose - because I couldn't handle the nausea, the "numb" feeling, the mental fogginess, or the spur-of-the-moment mood swings. One day, I just stopped taking them altogether and decided that living with the pain (which never got as bad as they swore it would) was preferable. But see, if I'd done what I was told by my doctors - or ended up taking "Just one extra pill here and there" like so many other people do - I might've ended up "an addict". I made a choice. I didn't like what my "professionally-prescribed medicine" was doing to me, so I decided to advocate for myself and stop taking it before I ended up doing real damage to myself. I'm convinced that anyone in my situation could have done the same thing, IF they were self-aware enough. Moral of the Story: Every single "addict" has an origin story where at some point, "I knew what I was doing was wrong... I just didn't care." That's not a "disease". That is A Choice.