5 ms·

Marijuana, hallucinogen use, binge drinking at historic highs in U.S. 35-50Y

chiefalchemist 3y ago
Self-reported, nuff said. That is, as these things become more socially acceptable, they're less likely to be under-reported. It would help if they took random hair samples and tested those as a cross reference. Along the same lines, marijuana is becoming more available (i.e., decriminalized), which is naturally going to increase availability and usage. Hallucinogens are on a similar path. Your pee might eventually not show traces but your hair is like an elephant, it never forgets. All that said, I would think there should be some concern for the fact that more and more individuals need such help just to get by. When are we going to address this? Where is the leadership that has the backbone and vision to do so? "Let them smoke weed" isn't cutting it.
- mensetmanusman 3y ago
  Hospital data point to the same trends: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/alcohol-related-emergencies-and-deaths-united-states https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-to...
TurkishPoptart 3y ago
I'm not surprised. Men, and humans in general, have far less utility and purpose than ever. Why discuss current affairs with your neighbor when you can browse the news online? Why talk to strangers when you can reach out via a phone app?
- Transpire7487 3y ago
  Why bother saving for a home when buying one is now out of reach for most people in their lifetimes? Why bother having children when climate change is going to boil everyone alive? Why bother getting a good job when even good ones barely pays enough to live outside of living to work while I’m stuck with tens of if not hundred of thousands of dollars of student debt? Why look forward to a comfortable retirement when inflation is making my savings worth less and less and social security will be insolvent in 10 years, or I’ll just die or be bankrupt from healthcare before that? F*ck it let’s just wasted and high.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - eekwatersrising 3y ago
    [dead]
dimal 3y ago
> The study also showed that past-year use of cigarettes, sedatives and nonmedical use of opioid medications (narcotics other than heroin) showed a 10-year decline for both adult age groups. Reports of past-year amphetamine use continued a 10-year decrease among 19-to-30-year-olds and a 10-year increase among 35-to-50-year-olds. So, maybe people are transitioning from one set of drugs to others? The stuff that’s going down seems generally worse than the stuff that’s going up.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
replwoacause 3y ago
My drinking is certainly higher than I’d like.
- loa_in_ 3y ago
  Alone drinking never really helped me with anything, social drinking was always a good time and a way to alleviate stress on the other hand.
vonwoodson 3y ago
This article seems to pose this as a problem... It's a victory! We have been working to end prohibition for decades, and it's working! In 22 states adults now have access to either medical or recreational marijuana and psychedelics, in general, are following a similar path. While the tone of this article (starting with the sad looking fellow with "addiction" in the caption) is what it is, I'm very happy and excited to see that people are coming to their senses to end this stupid "War on Drugs".
- seeknotfind 3y ago
  I agree. Though how much is too much remains to be seen. The pendulum will swing too far one day. The more progress we make, the sooner it's too much to take. In future generations we'll have the War on Drugs to look back on, so we won't make the same mistakes, but drug use will become too much at some point, and we'll look for other ways to curtail it.
  - SOLAR_FIELDS 3y ago
    Well the pendulum has been so far on the other side for so long that I personally don’t mind and am looking forward to the day we have this entirely hypothetical problem because it will mean that the opposite, darker era is over.
- asfgsfionio 3y ago
  You can oppose "prohibition" without supporting drug use. Most drugs are clearly harmful to the human body. This includes cannabis and alcohol. Hallucinogens can cause lasting psychological changes. Maybe you shouldn't be afraid of drug use, but you should be wary. And I can't think of anything much more self-destructive than binge drinking. It's right up there with opioids.
  - btreecat 3y ago
    I'd be cautious using language that groups so many types of chemical inputs under a single umbrella despite the gulf between them.
asu_thomas 3y ago
I recently started doing more party drugs as a replacement for dating women. Dating in 2023 is just an absolutely miserable experience and party drugs are not, so I setup fun party plans instead of dates now. I've been on enough dates in my life to realize when the odds and likelihood of ROI are not on my side. I'm happier now and I meet plenty of women; they just aren't the types I'm likely to marry.
- beezlewax 3y ago
  I'm sorry you prejudge these party going women although you party yourself?
devwastaken 3y ago
Can confirm, can also confirm it's changing things for the better. It could have been very simple. Prescription for a couple days for edible tablets, an inhaler vaporizer good for a week. To treat pain, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions. But the medical industry and the fed especially continued to use marijuana and psychs as a method to increase arrests and gain votes to further themselves. Nobody gets into that kind of power without investors and powerful interests behind it. So now it's left out of the regulatory equation because government failed and by nature humans are doing what they want to anyways. You can see the rhetoric even now, people still believing the crafted memes Ronald Reagan left behind.

Self-reported, nuff said. That is, as these things become more socially acceptable, they're less likely to be under-reported. It would help if they took random hair samples and tested those as a cross reference. Along the same lines, marijuana is becoming more available (i.e., decriminalized), which is naturally going to increase availability and usage. Hallucinogens are on a similar path. Your pee might eventually not show traces but your hair is like an elephant, it never forgets. All that said, I would think there should be some concern for the fact that more and more individuals need such help just to get by. When are we going to address this? Where is the leadership that has the backbone and vision to do so? "Let them smoke weed" isn't cutting it.

mensetmanusman 3y ago
Hospital data point to the same trends: https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-topics/alcohol-facts-and-statistics/alcohol-related-emergencies-and-deaths-united-states https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohol-to...

TurkishPoptart 3y ago

I'm not surprised. Men, and humans in general, have far less utility and purpose than ever. Why discuss current affairs with your neighbor when you can browse the news online? Why talk to strangers when you can reach out via a phone app?

Transpire7487 3y ago
Why bother saving for a home when buying one is now out of reach for most people in their lifetimes? Why bother having children when climate change is going to boil everyone alive? Why bother getting a good job when even good ones barely pays enough to live outside of living to work while I’m stuck with tens of if not hundred of thousands of dollars of student debt? Why look forward to a comfortable retirement when inflation is making my savings worth less and less and social security will be insolvent in 10 years, or I’ll just die or be bankrupt from healthcare before that? F*ck it let’s just wasted and high.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- eekwatersrising 3y ago
  [dead]

dimal 3y ago

> The study also showed that past-year use of cigarettes, sedatives and nonmedical use of opioid medications (narcotics other than heroin) showed a 10-year decline for both adult age groups. Reports of past-year amphetamine use continued a 10-year decrease among 19-to-30-year-olds and a 10-year increase among 35-to-50-year-olds. So, maybe people are transitioning from one set of drugs to others? The stuff that’s going down seems generally worse than the stuff that’s going up.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

replwoacause 3y ago

My drinking is certainly higher than I’d like.

loa_in_ 3y ago
Alone drinking never really helped me with anything, social drinking was always a good time and a way to alleviate stress on the other hand.

vonwoodson 3y ago

This article seems to pose this as a problem... It's a victory! We have been working to end prohibition for decades, and it's working! In 22 states adults now have access to either medical or recreational marijuana and psychedelics, in general, are following a similar path. While the tone of this article (starting with the sad looking fellow with "addiction" in the caption) is what it is, I'm very happy and excited to see that people are coming to their senses to end this stupid "War on Drugs".

seeknotfind 3y ago
I agree. Though how much is too much remains to be seen. The pendulum will swing too far one day. The more progress we make, the sooner it's too much to take. In future generations we'll have the War on Drugs to look back on, so we won't make the same mistakes, but drug use will become too much at some point, and we'll look for other ways to curtail it.
- SOLAR_FIELDS 3y ago
  Well the pendulum has been so far on the other side for so long that I personally don’t mind and am looking forward to the day we have this entirely hypothetical problem because it will mean that the opposite, darker era is over.
asfgsfionio 3y ago
You can oppose "prohibition" without supporting drug use. Most drugs are clearly harmful to the human body. This includes cannabis and alcohol. Hallucinogens can cause lasting psychological changes. Maybe you shouldn't be afraid of drug use, but you should be wary. And I can't think of anything much more self-destructive than binge drinking. It's right up there with opioids.
- btreecat 3y ago
  I'd be cautious using language that groups so many types of chemical inputs under a single umbrella despite the gulf between them.

asu_thomas 3y ago

I recently started doing more party drugs as a replacement for dating women. Dating in 2023 is just an absolutely miserable experience and party drugs are not, so I setup fun party plans instead of dates now. I've been on enough dates in my life to realize when the odds and likelihood of ROI are not on my side. I'm happier now and I meet plenty of women; they just aren't the types I'm likely to marry.

beezlewax 3y ago
I'm sorry you prejudge these party going women although you party yourself?

devwastaken 3y ago

Can confirm, can also confirm it's changing things for the better. It could have been very simple. Prescription for a couple days for edible tablets, an inhaler vaporizer good for a week. To treat pain, anxiety, PTSD and other conditions. But the medical industry and the fed especially continued to use marijuana and psychs as a method to increase arrests and gain votes to further themselves. Nobody gets into that kind of power without investors and powerful interests behind it. So now it's left out of the regulatory equation because government failed and by nature humans are doing what they want to anyways. You can see the rhetoric even now, people still believing the crafted memes Ronald Reagan left behind.