Posts by placidranger

The Swiss approach to tackling heroin addiction

In short—they provide addicts with free access to methadone. It’s a way to pull them out of the street life, which cuts down on crime and disease outbreaks. Plus, it gives them a chance to actually focus on something productive while they work toward getting clean.

dustypilot22 said:🙏

I'm in favor of legalizing everything.

Of course, provided there are certain conditions in place.

The idea that cigarette addiction doesn't affect non-smokers is often just plain wrong, isn't it?

Look at the USA, Italy, or Ireland... places where smoking in public spaces is prohibited, whereas here, it remains a real health hazard for everyone else.

And yeah... I couldn't care less about being politically correct. 😎

👍

👍
Back in the USA, cocaine was perfectly legal—sold in stores from its discovery in the mid-1800s through the early 1900s. It was in Coca-Cola, various wines, different tonics, and powders. Everyone used it—from Sigmund Freud and Thomas Edison to Hollywood stars and even the Pope; soldiers, athletes, and just regular folks alike. It only got banned once they realized excessive use leads to addiction and mental health issues.

I agree that much more should be legalized, but those "conditions" are where the trouble starts. Angela Wright mentioned above that people should lose their Medicare coverage. Why would that happen if they’re paying their premiums? Sure, they’re risking their health—but by that logic, we should strip Medicare from anyone who is obese, or anyone involved in extreme sports, or any activity that puts their health at risk.

Legalization would bring "pure" drugs to the market, which would drastically reduce their harm and simultaneously crush the crime associated with drug trafficking.

Brandon Castillo4 said:Kudos. And good luck with the fight against your illness.

Otherwise, credit where credit is due to those here who have actually overcome drug addiction. I'm not going to beat my chest because I DIDN'T go through that, nor am I going to judge, spit, fight, or look down on anyone. Who am I to do that? Who is ANYONE to act superior over another person?

Pure hypocrisy, that's what it is.

But fine, I'll risk being characterized by (some) as some backward person stuck in the past—it hurts, but I can't stay quiet.

Nowadays, you aren't even allowed to argue about anything because political correctness—and no, I don't mean personal computers—has ruined everything. Today, everything is an insult to someone, and everything is just "someone's lifestyle choice," a part of a culture that shouldn't be touched lest its "authenticity" be threatened.

That's why Scientologists and Jehovah's Witnesses defy medicine, and why today, the fun for losers whose brains have been eaten away by boredom consists of drugs, brawling, hooking up, and stuff like that.

Nobody is saying everyone has to spend their lives honing talents or figuring out how to be more successful tomorrow. Nobody *has* to be a conformist and think about having a family with two kids, a Golden Retriever in the yard, and a BBQ every weekend if they don't want to.

But you can kiss my ass before I start nodding along to morons like the OP, whom I am 150% certain is a TROLL, starting a discussion that clearly has no end just because "what's the harm in arguing if I haven't tried drugs?"

I don't need to try it (taking psilocybin once is a nothingburger, and I'd insult people who actually had to struggle with real issues if I claimed I had "tried" it). I drank enough when I was a teenager to tell you today that it's crap; I've seen people spin roulette for 35 minutes and bleed out up to 60,000 Euros. With my own damn eyes, I saw a man lose 140,000 Euros at the roulette table. I personally put down 20 $0.00 and lost it all within the next 3 hours.
I spent nights in casinos at the roulette table, and so what? Should I say it was actually great because, hey, there's this awesome adrenaline rush that's better than sex?

That’s total bullshit. Every single addiction is bullshit. A habit involving cigarettes, your morning coffee, and the newspaper isn't going to kill anyone. But heroin? That ruins lives. Honestly, thank God and pure luck that some people are actually here with us today instead of six feet under. I know for a fact that Will is a solid guy—from what I’ve gathered through this forum and hanging out at a party once or twice.

But just because I'm saying this doesn't mean I'm afraid of looking unrefined. I’m speaking up because I don't think I am. I don't judge a person based on whether they used drugs, gambled, drank, or whatever other mess they got into in their past.

I truly don't give a damn.

But man, if I'm reading today's social etiquette correctly, you have to be careful not to accidentally mention that drugs are garbage. Apparently, if you haven't personally tried them, you don't have the right to an opinion. Look, I agree 100% that you shouldn't judge PEOPLE in a condescending, knee-jerk way. But saying drugs are shit isn't about attacking someone's character; it's about the fact that they lead to social isolation and self-destruction in every aspect of life. It might not happen in every single case, but it's definitely happening more often than with a cigarette or a cup of coffee someone knocks back while grinding through an eighty-hour work week.

Cheers.

Why should anyone be denied the other side of the coin? On one hand, everything you’re saying holds water—it’s the same cycle playing out with kids in high school, yet the number of new users and addicts keeps climbing.
You mentioned you used to gamble—do you regret it? Any remorse there?

Personally, I don't regret a single "hit." I’ve experienced things I never would have without it—even if most of those experiences were just internal, a shift in perception or some hallucinations.

Noah Sanchez7 said:Oof...

You know, I wish I were one of those people who just thinks: Life is trash, everything sucks, just let me deal with my own business.
It would be easier for them. But, yeah. I'm just not built that way.

So, just drop it.👍

You don't actually want to be different. It’s just nice to think you're special—that you aren't like everyone else, even if you have to suffer a bit to prove it.

Life is a mess; deal with it. We're all stuck in this same broken system, facing the same reality. Yet somehow, people still manage to find their own little distractions, pleasures, or reasons to actually get out of bed in the morning.

If you prefer living this way—fine. Go ahead. Be depressed, stay angry, and nurse your grudges. Just realize that this is your choice, not some inevitable result of your circumstances or any other external factor or whatever excuse weaklings use to justify themselves.

Noah Sanchez7 said:True. But is that really being a loser?

Of course it's bad—suffocating everyone in your orbit isn't a winning strategy. And honestly, it’s bad for you, too; you'll never get the attention you're chasing, which is a one-way ticket to a depressive spiral.

Noah Sanchez7 said:You all make valid points.

Love you guys, 😘

I’ll find a girlfriend and live a straight life. I'll finish school, get a job, and eventually take out a loan to buy a damn good big-screen TV and a car. Maybe even grab a plane ticket to Africa, though I've been there before.

Fight Club?

Who actually cares about what you hate or despise? I don't get why you haven't just accepted it yet and started living your life. Yeah, people are selfish, we lie, we're hypocrites, and we judge everyone else while looking out for ourselves... so what? What's actually stopping you from moving forward?

Angela Wright said:Pardon my French, but you are a complete loser! My keyboard is practically crawling with the nonsense being spewed by you and people just like you.🙂

Look, since you’re such a genius, why don't you give me some advice? How about telling me how to convince the bureaucrats at Medicare not to lie to my mother and others fighting brain tumors? How do I make them stop denying her another dose of Temodal? They claim it doesn't work for recurrences, yet we have top-tier specialists sending us interpretations from Houston confirming it's the only way to help her and that it's standard practice everywhere else in the world—except here, in this pathetic excuse for a country where Medicare wastes money on losers like you who think they know the "right" way to get high, providing massive payouts for methadone once you realize you screwed up and got hooked, not to mention all the useless institutional therapies, psychologists for you and your family, and all that other garbage!

See, you moron, my mother didn't choose her illness, but you and your kind choose yours, and then you still get to play the "poor victim" to get assistance that my mother can only dream of!

I’m all for legalization, but if we go that route, I’m also for cutting off all government assistance for addiction. Go get high until sunrise for all I care.🙂 🙂

Only until you drop?

I’m sorry to hear about your mother, but I don't think you quite caught my drift. harm reduction exists to cut down on accidents—and by extension, the need for emergency room visits.

It still blows my mind how people lump all drugs together. MDMA, LSD, meth, oxy—it’s all the same bucket to them. You try one thing and suddenly you're better off dead; you've basically stepped straight into "drug hell."🤮

Angela Wright said:It’s honestly ridiculous how everyone jumped on this thread, acting like they all have some profound insight or the one "correct" answer, meanwhile, the guy who started it hasn't even bothered to reply 🤣 I bet that was his whole game—just baiting enough people to trigger this massive wave of posts.

As mindless as this topic might be, drugs always find a way to reel people in, one way or another. 👍

What really gets under my skin—and yeah, call me overly sentimental if you want—is seeing how much more traction this gets compared to the heavy-hitting threads. We have topics dealing with issues that actually matter to our lives, things that affect us all, and they barely get any views over an entire month. It’s a damn shame. 😳

So, you think this topic isn't important?

Once a 17-year-old makes up his mind, there isn't a soul on God's green earth who can talk him out of it... at least, I wasn't like that at 17, even though I was a model child.

That’s exactly the point—you can't reason with him, but you can offer advice so he handles things as safely as possible.

What was the motivation behind starting this thread? What exactly are you hoping to get out of this discussion?

So I'm against everyone, am I?
Fine. Let them talk. It’s actually quite peaceful this way.

Keith James812 said:The best move for him is to take zero "pills," just like he should every single time from now on...

It’s just great having a forum where the moderators are "explaining" to minors how to best dose their drugs. 🤣

Someone needs to scrub this disgrace, and maybe draw cosmic_skipper55 a diagram so they can actually grasp reality for once...

Go ahead, draw it. I’m still waiting to see this "sublime" moral epiphany or brilliant insight you think needs illustrating.

crimsonbear23 said:I agree with the sentiment, but he wasn't actually looking for literature; he was asking for a recommendation on which high would be the best one.🙄
That’s entirely subjective, really. The most effective way to learn is through hands-on experience—you know, actually taking it. That way, you figure out what works for you and what doesn't before deciding how to proceed.

Looking at his initial post, there isn't a single hint that he cares about the consequences; he just wants to try SOME kind of drug.
Honestly, forget this... I'll just sit here and dream about eating artichokes with young Bob Dylan... that sounds ten thousand times better than any trip could ever be!

So what's your move then? Just blow him off and let him figure it out himself?

dustypilot22 said:🙏

Now, this is the only question worth asking. 👍

I might even phrase it a bit more gently:

Would you even care if your child decided to use drugs?

Even if it was just "experimental"... 🙄

If they're actually going to try it, I'd rather be in the loop—knowledge is power, after all. Maybe they’re just acting out of pure curiosity, or maybe they're running from some underlying issues that could actually be solved this way. Either way, I'd prefer to know.

I’ve always been a proponent of transparency and open discussion over silence and fear-mongering. It’s much better for someone to fail because they jumped in without knowing the ropes than to walk blindly into a disaster simply because nobody told them what was coming—or because they were too stubborn to realize they were out of their depth. We need to be talking more about the permit process.

dustypilot22 said:Honestly, I know at least two guys who have basically lived on the sofa permanently. 😁

And they still haven't changed one bit. 😁

Three, four, maybe five joints a day and they're good to go.

Sure, my apartment has basically turned into a storage unit for all the random stuff they leave behind at my place, but honestly... my God...

Nobody's perfect, right? 😁 😁 😁

is... there are plenty of them... but hey, it's their choice.

Sandra King86 said:I don't know, placidranger... there's always gonna be an idiot out there. Tomorrow he'll probably show up asking "what's the safest way to rob a currency exchange." And the worst part? Some even bigger moron will actually give him advice...

That's already happening 😁 have you checked out Mole?

Using drugs is just self-destruction—it's not like they're out there robbing banks or anything.

dustypilot22 said:If you're lucky enough.

On my street, three people from my old crew passed away before they even hit 25. Two of them have spent way more time behind bars than actually being free, and two others are stuck in that endless loop of rehab-to-prison-to-rehab. Only one guy has managed to stay clean for nine years now.

He’s a truly great guy with incredible grit. He’s the living embodiment of that "what doesn't kill me makes me stronger" mantra.

Seriously, he’s tougher than ever. Not just mentally, but in terms of his knowledge, experience, and even his finances.

He's a steady family man now. 🙏

And looking at everything he's been through and how he pulled himself out of it...

If they made a movie about his life, the average viewer might find it less believable than something like "The Godfather" or "Scarface."

But hey, a deal is a deal...
I know plenty of people who never moved past weed—maybe they dabbled in some amphetamines and just ended up spiraling exactly how they started.

It’s not like I’m out here egging anyone on or encouraging them to try something—it’s just that scare tactics aren't going to change a damn thing.

dustypilot22 said:Maybe that isn't the intention, but either way, it certainly isn't leading them toward a good life or a long one.

Even if they make it through, what they go through might leave them with very little to remember.

Yeah, that's how the spiral works—first it's weed, then it's coke, then needles, and before you know it, you're knitting sweaters in a state penitentiary. 😁