5 ms·

Yes, it is bad...but, what are the alternatives? Where I'm from, smoking weed is equated with being a junkie, and just getting caught with a positive urine test

Yes, it is bad...but, what are the alternatives? Where I'm from, smoking weed is equated with being a junkie, and just getting caught with a positive urine test can ruin your life and career (no joke).

david2ndaccount 3y ago
It’s possible to enjoy life without needing chemicals to do so.
- eikenberry 3y ago
  Not everyone is that fortunate.
- Jotra7 3y ago
  [dead]
- goostavos 3y ago
  Easier said than done : (
- jkachmar 3y ago
  sure but some people also find life more enjoyable with the addition of recreational substances. for such folks, especially ones who don't have much exposure to recreational drug use outside of drinking culture, i think GP's question is perfectly reasonable. there are plenty of people whose drug of choice used to be alcohol and have since switched to something else and found equivalent or greater satisfaction; seems like this thread might be a good forum to have that discussion.
- jaggederest 3y ago
  No, it is not. Asphyxiation is very unpleasant. Hint: anything made up of matter is a chemical. You probably also enjoy a lot of "chemicals" that are mind-altering or intoxicating without realizing it, unless you're very strict about your diet indeed. Casomorphins are delicious, you see, and can life without chocolate really be said to be enjoyable? Better skip fruit juice and bread, as well, given that they certainly include a percentage of alcohol and fermentation byproducts.
  - netule 3y ago
    > Asphyxiation is very unpleasant. Nitpicking, but tell that to the asphyxiophilia crowd.
    - OkayPhysicist 3y ago
      I'd argue that the intoxicating part of asphyxiation is the rush from the reintroduction of oxygen, more so than the suffocation itself. Though there's also something to be said for the adrenaline rush of your body thinking its dying.
- ranting-moth 3y ago
  Of course it is possible. But I think in modern society which our brains are definitely not evolved to handle, people use alcohol as an temporary escape. Plus society (actually marketing, so society by proxy) tells you that you are odd/unusual for not drinking). It's peculiar how we as species have evolved into this destructive behaviour.
- yodsanklai 3y ago
  > It’s possible to enjoy life without needing chemicals to do so. I could list many pleasant things which are not required to enjoy life. Cannabis or alcohol are among them. Can be pleasurable without any adverse effect if used reasonably, which most people manage to do.
- lrvick 3y ago
  It is also possible to enjoy life without sex. For some people they would even prefer it. Others are depressed without regular access to it. Everyone is wired differently, and some of us need different things to get occasional boosts of dopamine that help keep us motivated and productive in life. Best not to judge others when their dopamine sources differ from yours and cause no harm to anyone else.
- npteljes 3y ago
  What you're saying is on an individual's level, and what OP saying is on the population's level. It certainly is possible for an individual to stop abusing chemicals and to thus achieve a higher quality of life, but I can't imagine a whole society doing this, because of the historical examples. So, social poisons are here to stay, and alcohol seemed to be resilient to government intervention, so, that's all there is really.
metadaemon 3y ago
Weed is better in the states from that perspective. The best option is probably just working out though. Lifting can produce some fairly nice endorphins.
pyrophane 3y ago
Also, weed isn't really that comparable to alcohol anyway. It is a very different drug and while some people really enjoy it, others don't. Also, while I do strongly believe that weed is healthier compared to alcohol, it isn't without it's own problems.
- xwdv 3y ago
  Weed is not “healthier”, stop spreading this mythical crap.
  - jprd 3y ago
    How about, "evidentially less physically and societally damaging if consumed at what could be perceived as congruent levels"?
  - ahahahahah 3y ago
    There's nothing mythical about it. Weed is certainly healthier than alcohol, just like coffee is certainly healthier than cigarettes. It's not about weed being particularly healthy.
lordkirchner 3y ago
Non-alcoholic drinks are really good and have lots of options now. Athleta Brewing Company and Phony Negroni, for example.
- LesZedCB 3y ago
  yeah athletic brewing is pretty amazing. i also just had a bbq yesterday and got some of the NA coronas and they basically tasted identical haha!
Mizza 3y ago
https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/professor-david-nutt-invented-new-alcohol-no-downsides-2088768 https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/professor-david-nutt-inv... The same author as the book proposes a chemical alternative. He's an interesting guy. Product page: https://gabalabs.com/ https://gabalabs.com/
- OkayPhysicist 3y ago
  Reading about his alternative, it sounds a lot like GHB, which I suppose makes sense. In small doses, GHB gets you that drunk feeling with out the hangover. It looks like they're investigating ways of reducing the misuse/abuse potential relative to GHB, though, reading their patent.
paganel 3y ago
For me good alternatives are good coffee and plain or sparkling water. About this latter choice I have to give an unironical shootout to /hydrohomies and to Cristiano Ronaldo [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZLS1V3iMw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZLS1V3iMw
hahnbee 3y ago
Yeah best alternative is to not consume substances that negatively harm your body. im not sure if "easier said than done" is being applied here in terms of it being hard not to drink in social situations or it being hard to quit drinking when using it to simply cope with life, but you can find stress relief through people and the small things in life...? I can't drink because my body viscerally reacts negatively to it like I get hives. I think it sucks for social situations but I don't really find it necessary for me to find an outlet through substances but this is all personal experience.
yodsanklai 3y ago
It's pretty ironic that weed is frowned upon when alcohol is not. I very rarely drink (had alcoholic parents and learned the lesson), but I do enjoy smoking weed at times (2-3 times a month, at most). I find it much lighter and harmless than alcohol, no hangover, no risk of getting drunk and acting crazy. Yet, it's something I hide from my colleagues and family. There's still some stigma attached to it in my country.

david2ndaccount 3y ago

It’s possible to enjoy life without needing chemicals to do so.

eikenberry 3y ago
Not everyone is that fortunate.
Jotra7 3y ago
[dead]
goostavos 3y ago
Easier said than done : (
jkachmar 3y ago
sure but some people also find life more enjoyable with the addition of recreational substances. for such folks, especially ones who don't have much exposure to recreational drug use outside of drinking culture, i think GP's question is perfectly reasonable. there are plenty of people whose drug of choice used to be alcohol and have since switched to something else and found equivalent or greater satisfaction; seems like this thread might be a good forum to have that discussion.
jaggederest 3y ago
No, it is not. Asphyxiation is very unpleasant. Hint: anything made up of matter is a chemical. You probably also enjoy a lot of "chemicals" that are mind-altering or intoxicating without realizing it, unless you're very strict about your diet indeed. Casomorphins are delicious, you see, and can life without chocolate really be said to be enjoyable? Better skip fruit juice and bread, as well, given that they certainly include a percentage of alcohol and fermentation byproducts.
- netule 3y ago
  > Asphyxiation is very unpleasant. Nitpicking, but tell that to the asphyxiophilia crowd.
  - OkayPhysicist 3y ago
    I'd argue that the intoxicating part of asphyxiation is the rush from the reintroduction of oxygen, more so than the suffocation itself. Though there's also something to be said for the adrenaline rush of your body thinking its dying.
ranting-moth 3y ago
Of course it is possible. But I think in modern society which our brains are definitely not evolved to handle, people use alcohol as an temporary escape. Plus society (actually marketing, so society by proxy) tells you that you are odd/unusual for not drinking). It's peculiar how we as species have evolved into this destructive behaviour.
yodsanklai 3y ago
> It’s possible to enjoy life without needing chemicals to do so. I could list many pleasant things which are not required to enjoy life. Cannabis or alcohol are among them. Can be pleasurable without any adverse effect if used reasonably, which most people manage to do.
lrvick 3y ago
It is also possible to enjoy life without sex. For some people they would even prefer it. Others are depressed without regular access to it. Everyone is wired differently, and some of us need different things to get occasional boosts of dopamine that help keep us motivated and productive in life. Best not to judge others when their dopamine sources differ from yours and cause no harm to anyone else.
npteljes 3y ago
What you're saying is on an individual's level, and what OP saying is on the population's level. It certainly is possible for an individual to stop abusing chemicals and to thus achieve a higher quality of life, but I can't imagine a whole society doing this, because of the historical examples. So, social poisons are here to stay, and alcohol seemed to be resilient to government intervention, so, that's all there is really.

metadaemon 3y ago

Weed is better in the states from that perspective. The best option is probably just working out though. Lifting can produce some fairly nice endorphins.

pyrophane 3y ago

Also, weed isn't really that comparable to alcohol anyway. It is a very different drug and while some people really enjoy it, others don't. Also, while I do strongly believe that weed is healthier compared to alcohol, it isn't without it's own problems.

xwdv 3y ago
Weed is not “healthier”, stop spreading this mythical crap.
- jprd 3y ago
  How about, "evidentially less physically and societally damaging if consumed at what could be perceived as congruent levels"?
- ahahahahah 3y ago
  There's nothing mythical about it. Weed is certainly healthier than alcohol, just like coffee is certainly healthier than cigarettes. It's not about weed being particularly healthy.

lordkirchner 3y ago

Non-alcoholic drinks are really good and have lots of options now. Athleta Brewing Company and Phony Negroni, for example.

LesZedCB 3y ago
yeah athletic brewing is pretty amazing. i also just had a bbq yesterday and got some of the NA coronas and they basically tasted identical haha!

Mizza 3y ago

https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/professor-david-nutt-invented-new-alcohol-no-downsides-2088768 https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/professor-david-nutt-inv... The same author as the book proposes a chemical alternative. He's an interesting guy. Product page: https://gabalabs.com/ https://gabalabs.com/

OkayPhysicist 3y ago
Reading about his alternative, it sounds a lot like GHB, which I suppose makes sense. In small doses, GHB gets you that drunk feeling with out the hangover. It looks like they're investigating ways of reducing the misuse/abuse potential relative to GHB, though, reading their patent.

paganel 3y ago

For me good alternatives are good coffee and plain or sparkling water. About this latter choice I have to give an unironical shootout to /hydrohomies and to Cristiano Ronaldo [1] [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZLS1V3iMw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ZLS1V3iMw

hahnbee 3y ago

Yeah best alternative is to not consume substances that negatively harm your body. im not sure if "easier said than done" is being applied here in terms of it being hard not to drink in social situations or it being hard to quit drinking when using it to simply cope with life, but you can find stress relief through people and the small things in life...? I can't drink because my body viscerally reacts negatively to it like I get hives. I think it sucks for social situations but I don't really find it necessary for me to find an outlet through substances but this is all personal experience.

yodsanklai 3y ago

It's pretty ironic that weed is frowned upon when alcohol is not. I very rarely drink (had alcoholic parents and learned the lesson), but I do enjoy smoking weed at times (2-3 times a month, at most). I find it much lighter and harmless than alcohol, no hangover, no risk of getting drunk and acting crazy. Yet, it's something I hide from my colleagues and family. There's still some stigma attached to it in my country.