8 ms·

First alcohol, now this?! How else will we drown our sorrows and numb our pains?

by hackly 5y ago

gumby 5y ago
Exercise and a healthy diet. I typed this in jest but instead of closing the tab I realize that yes, this is a good alternative, perhaps the best, if you can do it. Not everyone can, and typically it’s not their fault if they can’t.
- jimsimmons 5y ago
  That sounds like more work. How do bootstrap?
  - isoprophlex 5y ago
    My personal take Go to bed/wake up at the same time everyday: might be easy Learn to cook: might sound more difficult, learn to make 3-4 healthy but easy "cant go wrong" dishes (pulled chicken and broccoli eg.) You'll love eating your own food soon enough. Exercise: hardest for me as I hate exercise. No silver bullets, just gotta stick with it.
    - amarant 5y ago
      The trick with exercise, I find, is to find something that is fun first, exercise second. What that is will be different for different people: if you're a social person, you might try dancing(think salsa or other pair dances), or if you're the competitive kind, try some competitive sport that doesn't rely solely on physical fitness: anything where technique is as or more important as physical form will help you forget you're exercising and just focus on having fun/winning the game. The perfect exercise is the one where you don't realize you've been exercising until you stop and smell the sweat!
    - MiyamotoAkira 5y ago
      I only like doing exercise where my brain is active all the time. So sports where there is competition (I play squash), or where i need to keep thinking about it (swimming so I don't drown), or one that doubles as social activity (like partner dancing)
- hdjrudni 5y ago
  I mean I don't, but I take the blame for that. Not god's fault I'm lazy.
  - curiousgal 5y ago
    > Not god's fault I'm lazy. It is though isn't it? [Insert free will debate here]
    - hungryforcodes 5y ago
      God is your supplier, I'd say he was at fault for sure. You're probably out of the warrenty period though...
- anonporridge 5y ago
  Chop wood, carry water.
- leksak 5y ago
  Those suggestions might hold up for some people but even those seemingly innocuous avenues might cause things to go awry when used as tools for emotional regulation. And, maybe my counter-arguments falls outside of the scope of the qualifier "healthy". But, I'd be mindful of the two devolving into exercising too much, which isn't fun to deal with (persistent injuries), and eating disorders that cause anxiety of their own. At least, that's what happened to me. For some of us, the way to deal with numbing stuff means changing our lives so there is less numbing needed.
- pm90 5y ago
  Exercise and healthy diets do not have the same effect on your mind as weed. I say this as a person who has a fairly healthy diet and exercises everyday. Marijuana alters your state of consciousness. It enhances certain senses (taste being famous) but also allows for socializing and empathy. As a person who’s extremely narcissistic, it has helped me gain a lot of empathy by allowing me to “step aside” and observe my actions and those of others around me. And if you’re high with your partner, you can have a very fulfilling bonding experience (emotionally as well as sexually). The only thing I’ve experienced come close is meditation. But that takes a lot of time and effort.
- sterlind 5y ago
  my friend does drugs excessively and wonders how I stay so straightedge. I don't drink or smoke, I eat a healthy vegan diet and exercise as much as I safely can. but it's because alcohol and weed give me panic attacks, and interact with my meds. my body is slowly degenerating so I'm in constant pain and my exercise routine consists of rehab. I feel like the pain and constant mental strife is aging me faster than weed would. heck, it'd be medical in my case.
- maccard 5y ago
  i exercise a few times a week and eat well (take out/eat out once a month or so, everything else cooked at home, and vegetarian). That doesn't mean I don't want to have a few beers on a weekend still!
- Broken_Hippo 5y ago
  These are not replacements - you cannot replace one with the other. You simply might find you don't enjoy being inebriated. With this advice, honestly, most folks that smoke would ask if you have ever smoked pot regularly and how long that lasted. To tell you the truth, I'm more likely to exercise and eat healthily if I'm stoned. Taking a walk while stoned is pretty wonderful, and more taxing exercise aren't as bothersome. I think this is why pot is popular among some bodybuilders: Get stoned, lift weights and enjoy life. (I worked with a competitive bodybuilder, and this routine was pretty popular with non-steroid users). Food tastes really good while stoned, too, and this includes healthy stuff.
- jabbany 5y ago
  I'd say it's really a time tradeoff. In my experience, the main reason to not eat healthy or exercise is because doing those things takes time, easily a LOT of time (e.g. cooking and cleanup easily account for 2-3 extra hrs/day and the numbers are similar for exercise [both active (dedicating time to it) and passive (walking around everywhere)]). In the same vein, use of psychoactive substances is probably also a tradeoff between taking time to properly conduct mental maintenance v.s. a quick and dirty solution.
  - u-rate 5y ago
    Not true. There are TONS of easy and healthy recipes out there. You can also just meal prep and cook for a whole week in lne session.
    - jabbany 5y ago
      > There are TONS of easy and healthy recipes out there. The cooking itself is not difficult, but you have surrounding activities that take significant time like prep, cleanup (dishes, cookware, table etc.), and extra time for grocery shopping (want fresh vegetables? you're probably going to have to shop every 3 days if not everyday. want diverse meals, you're going to need to spend time planning) I have timed myself and the extra time cost here is definitely significant. I still cook my own meals because I think the trade off is worth it but I'm completely aware how much time (even the "invisible" time) I'm investing to do that. > You can also just meal prep and cook for a whole week in lne session. There's several points here: 1) prepping ahead of time doesn't suddenly make it cost no time... you're just shifting the time (likely into weekends, where a lot of people would probably want to spend that time doing other things!) and 2) pre-prepping means you either limit what type of food you can have (decreasing in quality the further it is from prep day) or it means you need to freeze, seal or can stuff, which negates a lot of the health benefits to begin with, potentially produces waste (sealing) and costs extra time!
  - FrozenSynapse 5y ago
    > In my experience, the main reason to not eat healthy or exercise is because doing those things takes time, easily a LOT of time Instead they waste the time that would've made them healthier and happier on bullshit.
- Rndthrowaway212 5y ago
  Yeah, and it's a big if. Personally, I tried, and ended up having suicidal thoughts every time I exercised. With weed, that's not a problem. If one has sorrows that need drowning, then the first step should be dealing with those issues and seek help if needed -- not trying cliché things that sound like they came from some mindfulness channel on Youtube.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- sdze 5y ago
  > ExerCiSe AnD a HeAlThY dIeT God, I can't hear that stupid saying anymore. Tell that the MD of a psychiatric hospital. He will have a good laugh.
  - oblio 5y ago
    Are alcohol and light drugs really helping or just covering the problem? Keep in mind that a psychiatric hospital is working on actual psychiatric disorders, i.e. super serious medical problems (where your brain is rewired in "interesting" new ways, possibly forever). We're not discussing about a psychologist here, who's working on what are comparatively mild conditions.
  - sufficer 5y ago
    Cope.
  - gumby 5y ago
    Doesn’t help with a broken leg either. My friends who are addicts (those that have survived) are using serious drugs and most of them have complex issues to deal with. But lighter drugs, whether analgesics or pot/alcohol aren’t of any use for serious illness. And those kinds of drugs are the ones under discussion.
hungryforcodes 5y ago
The pedants are taking over...
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
throwaway_4ever 5y ago
Seriously. Am I supposed to just work and have a boring milquetoast existence hiking or whatever to make it to 80? When it really comes down to it, the most euphoric moments and best memories of my life have been messed up on weed and alcohol with people and music. Itd be depressing to move on and just reminisce about when times were better…
- isuckatcoding 5y ago
  Your description of being messed up on weed actually sounds depressing. I’ll take a hike in some beautiful nature anyday over depressing night in smoking weed. You have no idea how positive an effect being outside in nature has on you.
  - chanc3e 5y ago
    And your description of a hike fills me with dread and depression. The differences between us is what makes life worth living. Your outlook has you on a bad road mon ami.
  - throwaway_4ever 5y ago
    It probably is depressing. I’m expected to choose between a less enjoyable life or knowingly making myself stupider and unhealthier, obstructing other life goals I may have had. How do you think I’ve never been outside in similar nature? The reality is I’ve experienced both countless times so I literally do know exactly how much of an effect that has while the same can’t be said vice versa. I’ve been to many national parks, forests, beaches, campgrounds, ski resorts, mountains all over the western US for decades. Yes it’s more wholesome and serene, but it’s sadly not a comparison for the sheer euphoria experienced imbibing recreational drugs in a variety of social settings. Why do you think EDC, Woodstock, and other major concerts are so huge?
  - cthalupa 5y ago
    Sometimes I go hiking. Sometimes it's with camera gear. Sometimes I go camping, or hunting. Sometimes I go into my garage and lift weights. Sometimes I take walks around the neighborhood. Sometimes I sit at home with a glass of scotch and music on. Sometimes instead of scotch, it's pot. Sometimes I have friends over, and we start making our way through my alcohol collection, and the music gets turned up, and we're dancing around like idiots in my kitchen. Sometimes I decide I want to try new things and I make half a dozen cocktails so I can have them in my repertoire while entertaining, and end up quite drunk, even while home alone. Sometimes I get high, sit on my couch, and play video games. I go out plenty (or did before the pandemic), and that frequently meant indulging in these previously mentioned vices. A favorite of mine over the pandemic has been to play the solo journaling RPG 'Thousand Year Old Vampire', and to keep the drinks flowing while I do it. I enjoy all these things, and could not replace any one of them with another. And while I tend to not imbibe much of anything while out in nature - largely because I'm already clumsy enough - I also know hikers, including thru-hikers, who smoke every night on the trail, and talk about how wonderful that experience is. Not so much on the drinking side of things, for the thru-hikers, but I expect that is more about weight than anything. Obviously, everything we do has some sort of impact on our bodies, and I suppose you can make an argument about the objective relative health impact of any of them. But to try and argue that someone's subjective experience is an objectively worse one? That's silly. People can enjoy different things than you, and that doesn't make them "depressing"
he0001 5y ago
I stopped drinking three years ago. Not because any problem just decided to stop. Started working out 3-5 days a week, heavy weightlifting. It’s been great and I feel happy, more motivated and it have split my focus, given me some much needed perspective. The only downside seems like I’m not getting tired as much as I used to which sometimes effects my sleep. No regrets.
theflyinghorse 5y ago
Controlled, ability based violence! Aka martial arts with an emphasis on live training. I do jest only somewhat. As a personal anecdote I find sparing to be a tremendously positive tool to get my mind off of work and daily troubles.
- adrianN 5y ago
  Whether taking punches is healthier than weed or alcohol is of course questionable.
  - theflyinghorse 5y ago
    Depending on the particular martial art strikes could be light or even missing entirely as is the case of grappling arts such as judo or jiu-jitsu thus lessening the risk of head trauma.
    - achenet 5y ago
      Agree that judo/jiu-jitsu have far less risk of head trauma/concussion, but as far as sports go they are still relatively dangerous - I quit after having one too many injuries. I would say probably the safest sport, and my current favorite, is Olympic weightlifting, although climbing is in many ways similar to jiu-jitsu, and much safer.
vmception 5y ago
Ditch the alcohol, moderately do this. I’ve been finding it interesting how many more communities Ive found that abstain from alcohol and all the white powder drugs, but are cool with all psychadelics (with more than a few people only liking thc and shrooms because theyre “naturally occurring” compared to molecules “made in a lab”). I wasnt looking for these communities but its predictable now. I see the merit in it. I just drink other places. But it does make me wonder if I will be a person that declines a drink and confuses someone’s entire worldview who expects an explanation or tries to push a drink on me. So far with active groups this big and easy to find it just seems like its not hard to go a long time without a drink without needing to consciously try.
post_from_work 5y ago
Recreational sex? (also I endorse sibling's comment of exercise + healthy diet)
colechristensen 5y ago
Calm Fitter, healthier and more productive A pig In a cage On antibiotics … by realizing there’s no way to zero risks and that trying to do so leads to a life perhaps not worth living Who cares if a drink isn’t risk free or a joint makes your a little slower, live a little.
- oblio 5y ago
  Life is plenty worth living without this stuff. But I guess we can't really come to an agreement since you've just defined people like me as "pigs in cages".
  - achenet 5y ago
    It's a reference to a Radiohead song. :)
  - colechristensen 5y ago
    Hey, you do you. There are a million reasons not to do something, but if the deciding factor is a low grade long term risk I do suggest a person take that risk and live their life.
drzaiusapelord 5y ago
Loving relationships Healthy habits Emotional growth Challenging hobbies Fulfilling romances Exercise and using your body Seeing yourself as a whole, not "othering" others Making time for family Telling those you love, that you love them Spiritual practices Getting lost in a book Learning to cook Volunteering and activism etc,etc You know, everything that's wonderful about life before capitalism, or at least the most popular implementations of it, told us we don't have time for such things anymore, that both partners need to work 40+ hours a week each, and we've been finding shortcuts to fulfillment and stress relief since. Worse, the status quo has co-opted a lot of good things and turned them into tools for further capitalist oppression. See "learn meditation to be a better employee to help with stress" narratives pushed at so many companies instead of narratives about "why is our work so stressful and what can we do about it?" I feel like I can't talk to a coder before the conversation turns into "So what drugs are you abusing to remain competitive in the workplace?" We're in such a sea of workplace oppression, its practically water fish swim in, and its often difficult to point and say "Look, the abuses of low-regulatory capitalism is the water here, do you see it?" Instead we just go back to talking about doubling up on ADHD medicine, microdosing exotic chemicals, getting high to 'get by,' low-key drinking problems, caffeine usage thats out of control, etc. This stuff, if not real, would be unbelievable in a dystopian sci-fi novel just a couple decades ago, but here we are. We're becoming Mentats from Dune addicted to sapho juice to please our paymasters.
odiroot 5y ago
Well, ketamine seems to be promising as of late...
bagacrap 5y ago
Ayahuasca

First alcohol, now this?! How else will we drown our sorrows and numb our pains?

by hackly 5y ago

First alcohol, now this?! How else will we drown our sorrows and numb our pains?

Exercise and a healthy diet. I typed this in jest but instead of closing the tab I realize that yes, this is a good alternative, perhaps the best, if you can do it. Not everyone can, and typically it’s not their fault if they can’t.

jimsimmons 5y ago
That sounds like more work. How do bootstrap?
- isoprophlex 5y ago
  My personal take Go to bed/wake up at the same time everyday: might be easy Learn to cook: might sound more difficult, learn to make 3-4 healthy but easy "cant go wrong" dishes (pulled chicken and broccoli eg.) You'll love eating your own food soon enough. Exercise: hardest for me as I hate exercise. No silver bullets, just gotta stick with it.
  - amarant 5y ago
    The trick with exercise, I find, is to find something that is fun first, exercise second. What that is will be different for different people: if you're a social person, you might try dancing(think salsa or other pair dances), or if you're the competitive kind, try some competitive sport that doesn't rely solely on physical fitness: anything where technique is as or more important as physical form will help you forget you're exercising and just focus on having fun/winning the game. The perfect exercise is the one where you don't realize you've been exercising until you stop and smell the sweat!
  - MiyamotoAkira 5y ago
    I only like doing exercise where my brain is active all the time. So sports where there is competition (I play squash), or where i need to keep thinking about it (swimming so I don't drown), or one that doubles as social activity (like partner dancing)
hdjrudni 5y ago
I mean I don't, but I take the blame for that. Not god's fault I'm lazy.
- curiousgal 5y ago
  > Not god's fault I'm lazy. It is though isn't it? [Insert free will debate here]
  - hungryforcodes 5y ago
    God is your supplier, I'd say he was at fault for sure. You're probably out of the warrenty period though...
anonporridge 5y ago
Chop wood, carry water.
leksak 5y ago
Those suggestions might hold up for some people but even those seemingly innocuous avenues might cause things to go awry when used as tools for emotional regulation. And, maybe my counter-arguments falls outside of the scope of the qualifier "healthy". But, I'd be mindful of the two devolving into exercising too much, which isn't fun to deal with (persistent injuries), and eating disorders that cause anxiety of their own. At least, that's what happened to me. For some of us, the way to deal with numbing stuff means changing our lives so there is less numbing needed.
pm90 5y ago
Exercise and healthy diets do not have the same effect on your mind as weed. I say this as a person who has a fairly healthy diet and exercises everyday. Marijuana alters your state of consciousness. It enhances certain senses (taste being famous) but also allows for socializing and empathy. As a person who’s extremely narcissistic, it has helped me gain a lot of empathy by allowing me to “step aside” and observe my actions and those of others around me. And if you’re high with your partner, you can have a very fulfilling bonding experience (emotionally as well as sexually). The only thing I’ve experienced come close is meditation. But that takes a lot of time and effort.
sterlind 5y ago
my friend does drugs excessively and wonders how I stay so straightedge. I don't drink or smoke, I eat a healthy vegan diet and exercise as much as I safely can. but it's because alcohol and weed give me panic attacks, and interact with my meds. my body is slowly degenerating so I'm in constant pain and my exercise routine consists of rehab. I feel like the pain and constant mental strife is aging me faster than weed would. heck, it'd be medical in my case.
maccard 5y ago
i exercise a few times a week and eat well (take out/eat out once a month or so, everything else cooked at home, and vegetarian). That doesn't mean I don't want to have a few beers on a weekend still!
Broken_Hippo 5y ago
These are not replacements - you cannot replace one with the other. You simply might find you don't enjoy being inebriated. With this advice, honestly, most folks that smoke would ask if you have ever smoked pot regularly and how long that lasted. To tell you the truth, I'm more likely to exercise and eat healthily if I'm stoned. Taking a walk while stoned is pretty wonderful, and more taxing exercise aren't as bothersome. I think this is why pot is popular among some bodybuilders: Get stoned, lift weights and enjoy life. (I worked with a competitive bodybuilder, and this routine was pretty popular with non-steroid users). Food tastes really good while stoned, too, and this includes healthy stuff.
jabbany 5y ago
I'd say it's really a time tradeoff. In my experience, the main reason to not eat healthy or exercise is because doing those things takes time, easily a LOT of time (e.g. cooking and cleanup easily account for 2-3 extra hrs/day and the numbers are similar for exercise [both active (dedicating time to it) and passive (walking around everywhere)]). In the same vein, use of psychoactive substances is probably also a tradeoff between taking time to properly conduct mental maintenance v.s. a quick and dirty solution.
- u-rate 5y ago
  Not true. There are TONS of easy and healthy recipes out there. You can also just meal prep and cook for a whole week in lne session.
  - jabbany 5y ago
    > There are TONS of easy and healthy recipes out there. The cooking itself is not difficult, but you have surrounding activities that take significant time like prep, cleanup (dishes, cookware, table etc.), and extra time for grocery shopping (want fresh vegetables? you're probably going to have to shop every 3 days if not everyday. want diverse meals, you're going to need to spend time planning) I have timed myself and the extra time cost here is definitely significant. I still cook my own meals because I think the trade off is worth it but I'm completely aware how much time (even the "invisible" time) I'm investing to do that. > You can also just meal prep and cook for a whole week in lne session. There's several points here: 1) prepping ahead of time doesn't suddenly make it cost no time... you're just shifting the time (likely into weekends, where a lot of people would probably want to spend that time doing other things!) and 2) pre-prepping means you either limit what type of food you can have (decreasing in quality the further it is from prep day) or it means you need to freeze, seal or can stuff, which negates a lot of the health benefits to begin with, potentially produces waste (sealing) and costs extra time!
- FrozenSynapse 5y ago
  > In my experience, the main reason to not eat healthy or exercise is because doing those things takes time, easily a LOT of time Instead they waste the time that would've made them healthier and happier on bullshit.
Rndthrowaway212 5y ago
Yeah, and it's a big if. Personally, I tried, and ended up having suicidal thoughts every time I exercised. With weed, that's not a problem. If one has sorrows that need drowning, then the first step should be dealing with those issues and seek help if needed -- not trying cliché things that sound like they came from some mindfulness channel on Youtube.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
sdze 5y ago
> ExerCiSe AnD a HeAlThY dIeT God, I can't hear that stupid saying anymore. Tell that the MD of a psychiatric hospital. He will have a good laugh.
- oblio 5y ago
  Are alcohol and light drugs really helping or just covering the problem? Keep in mind that a psychiatric hospital is working on actual psychiatric disorders, i.e. super serious medical problems (where your brain is rewired in "interesting" new ways, possibly forever). We're not discussing about a psychologist here, who's working on what are comparatively mild conditions.
- sufficer 5y ago
  Cope.
- gumby 5y ago
  Doesn’t help with a broken leg either. My friends who are addicts (those that have survived) are using serious drugs and most of them have complex issues to deal with. But lighter drugs, whether analgesics or pot/alcohol aren’t of any use for serious illness. And those kinds of drugs are the ones under discussion.

hungryforcodes 5y ago

The pedants are taking over...

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

throwaway_4ever 5y ago

Seriously. Am I supposed to just work and have a boring milquetoast existence hiking or whatever to make it to 80? When it really comes down to it, the most euphoric moments and best memories of my life have been messed up on weed and alcohol with people and music. Itd be depressing to move on and just reminisce about when times were better…

isuckatcoding 5y ago
Your description of being messed up on weed actually sounds depressing. I’ll take a hike in some beautiful nature anyday over depressing night in smoking weed. You have no idea how positive an effect being outside in nature has on you.
- chanc3e 5y ago
  And your description of a hike fills me with dread and depression. The differences between us is what makes life worth living. Your outlook has you on a bad road mon ami.
- throwaway_4ever 5y ago
  It probably is depressing. I’m expected to choose between a less enjoyable life or knowingly making myself stupider and unhealthier, obstructing other life goals I may have had. How do you think I’ve never been outside in similar nature? The reality is I’ve experienced both countless times so I literally do know exactly how much of an effect that has while the same can’t be said vice versa. I’ve been to many national parks, forests, beaches, campgrounds, ski resorts, mountains all over the western US for decades. Yes it’s more wholesome and serene, but it’s sadly not a comparison for the sheer euphoria experienced imbibing recreational drugs in a variety of social settings. Why do you think EDC, Woodstock, and other major concerts are so huge?
- cthalupa 5y ago
  Sometimes I go hiking. Sometimes it's with camera gear. Sometimes I go camping, or hunting. Sometimes I go into my garage and lift weights. Sometimes I take walks around the neighborhood. Sometimes I sit at home with a glass of scotch and music on. Sometimes instead of scotch, it's pot. Sometimes I have friends over, and we start making our way through my alcohol collection, and the music gets turned up, and we're dancing around like idiots in my kitchen. Sometimes I decide I want to try new things and I make half a dozen cocktails so I can have them in my repertoire while entertaining, and end up quite drunk, even while home alone. Sometimes I get high, sit on my couch, and play video games. I go out plenty (or did before the pandemic), and that frequently meant indulging in these previously mentioned vices. A favorite of mine over the pandemic has been to play the solo journaling RPG 'Thousand Year Old Vampire', and to keep the drinks flowing while I do it. I enjoy all these things, and could not replace any one of them with another. And while I tend to not imbibe much of anything while out in nature - largely because I'm already clumsy enough - I also know hikers, including thru-hikers, who smoke every night on the trail, and talk about how wonderful that experience is. Not so much on the drinking side of things, for the thru-hikers, but I expect that is more about weight than anything. Obviously, everything we do has some sort of impact on our bodies, and I suppose you can make an argument about the objective relative health impact of any of them. But to try and argue that someone's subjective experience is an objectively worse one? That's silly. People can enjoy different things than you, and that doesn't make them "depressing"

he0001 5y ago

I stopped drinking three years ago. Not because any problem just decided to stop. Started working out 3-5 days a week, heavy weightlifting. It’s been great and I feel happy, more motivated and it have split my focus, given me some much needed perspective. The only downside seems like I’m not getting tired as much as I used to which sometimes effects my sleep. No regrets.

theflyinghorse 5y ago

Controlled, ability based violence! Aka martial arts with an emphasis on live training. I do jest only somewhat. As a personal anecdote I find sparing to be a tremendously positive tool to get my mind off of work and daily troubles.

adrianN 5y ago
Whether taking punches is healthier than weed or alcohol is of course questionable.
- theflyinghorse 5y ago
  Depending on the particular martial art strikes could be light or even missing entirely as is the case of grappling arts such as judo or jiu-jitsu thus lessening the risk of head trauma.
  - achenet 5y ago
    Agree that judo/jiu-jitsu have far less risk of head trauma/concussion, but as far as sports go they are still relatively dangerous - I quit after having one too many injuries. I would say probably the safest sport, and my current favorite, is Olympic weightlifting, although climbing is in many ways similar to jiu-jitsu, and much safer.

vmception 5y ago

Ditch the alcohol, moderately do this. I’ve been finding it interesting how many more communities Ive found that abstain from alcohol and all the white powder drugs, but are cool with all psychadelics (with more than a few people only liking thc and shrooms because theyre “naturally occurring” compared to molecules “made in a lab”). I wasnt looking for these communities but its predictable now. I see the merit in it. I just drink other places. But it does make me wonder if I will be a person that declines a drink and confuses someone’s entire worldview who expects an explanation or tries to push a drink on me. So far with active groups this big and easy to find it just seems like its not hard to go a long time without a drink without needing to consciously try.

post_from_work 5y ago

Recreational sex? (also I endorse sibling's comment of exercise + healthy diet)

colechristensen 5y ago

Calm Fitter, healthier and more productive A pig In a cage On antibiotics … by realizing there’s no way to zero risks and that trying to do so leads to a life perhaps not worth living Who cares if a drink isn’t risk free or a joint makes your a little slower, live a little.

oblio 5y ago
Life is plenty worth living without this stuff. But I guess we can't really come to an agreement since you've just defined people like me as "pigs in cages".
- achenet 5y ago
  It's a reference to a Radiohead song. :)
- colechristensen 5y ago
  Hey, you do you. There are a million reasons not to do something, but if the deciding factor is a low grade long term risk I do suggest a person take that risk and live their life.

drzaiusapelord 5y ago

Loving relationships Healthy habits Emotional growth Challenging hobbies Fulfilling romances Exercise and using your body Seeing yourself as a whole, not "othering" others Making time for family Telling those you love, that you love them Spiritual practices Getting lost in a book Learning to cook Volunteering and activism etc,etc You know, everything that's wonderful about life before capitalism, or at least the most popular implementations of it, told us we don't have time for such things anymore, that both partners need to work 40+ hours a week each, and we've been finding shortcuts to fulfillment and stress relief since. Worse, the status quo has co-opted a lot of good things and turned them into tools for further capitalist oppression. See "learn meditation to be a better employee to help with stress" narratives pushed at so many companies instead of narratives about "why is our work so stressful and what can we do about it?" I feel like I can't talk to a coder before the conversation turns into "So what drugs are you abusing to remain competitive in the workplace?" We're in such a sea of workplace oppression, its practically water fish swim in, and its often difficult to point and say "Look, the abuses of low-regulatory capitalism is the water here, do you see it?" Instead we just go back to talking about doubling up on ADHD medicine, microdosing exotic chemicals, getting high to 'get by,' low-key drinking problems, caffeine usage thats out of control, etc. This stuff, if not real, would be unbelievable in a dystopian sci-fi novel just a couple decades ago, but here we are. We're becoming Mentats from Dune addicted to sapho juice to please our paymasters.

odiroot 5y ago

Well, ketamine seems to be promising as of late...

bagacrap 5y ago

Ayahuasca