Alcohol/Drugs

[Synaesthete]

I go clubbing every week and rave like crazy, people think I AM on drugs because of the way I dance, but I am clean and sober - all I drink all night is water. The music is my fuel. I have endless amounts of energy and I dance more than anyone else in the club... all I need is the right music.

You do not need alcohol or drugs to be able to "have fun", because YOU define what is fun to you, no one else. It is just that many people feel they do need alcohol/drugs in order to have a good time.

Clubs are about music primarily, if you love music and enjoy dancing then try clubbing. Fuck alcohol and drugs... who needs them???

Alcohol/drugs are not hobbies, they are a cop out. Find something that makes you happy, and let other people and their "rules" exit your mind.

[eastofeden]

My question is whether or not this is going to limit my options a lot.

I don't see the drugs being a problem, but a lot of people view alcohol as a great way to have fun, and I don't participate in that. A bar or a club wouldn't really be my place. How much is that gonna limit my options?

And as I said before... I don't intend to do either at any point of time in the future.

If you go into a club you will find alot of company...people who do not particpate in the consumption of alcohol or drugs...so you will not be alone.

[fredv3b]

Think of all the money you are saving ;o)

I would suggest that you missing out on fine wines, beers, etc. However, sadly, as far as i can tell most drinkers are also missing out on them too. Also you are certainly not missing out on them when you are in a club.

[rayray]

I am a one drink a night person and have never done drugs and I have never found it to limit my options in fact I think it broadens my horizons more than anything. A clear eye makes it possible to see mistakes you may be making...

[Vigilias]

I spent a fair while working on two UK National Helplines taking calls from people who were using alcohol and drugs and had been doing so for so long they were having to use just to get through another day. Many had been claimed by the physical and psychological addiction and were afraid to quit because, in the case of Alcohol, Heroin and Barbiturates, withdrawal is so distressingly uncomfortable, even painful.

Alcohol in moderation is fine. The trouble begins when you start using your preferred substance as a social lubricant. We all know someone who has or does have a few drinks to make themselves feel more relaxed before they go out. Or someone who drops a few pills for the same reason.

I think my attitude towards alcohol was formed my parents and grandparents who very rarely if ever drank and never in the home except perhaps special occasions. I was also brought up living above two quite large pubs that my parents ran. Alcohol was never anything special to me. Although it nearly killed my dad!

The brewery were delivering one day and the cellar doors were open. The huge wooden casks were lowered down a slope to the cellar by two Draymen using a rope. My dad was below to make sure the cask went were it was intended. A particularly large wooden cask was being lowered but the rope snapped. The cask rolled down the slope and smashed in to the wall in front. My dad managing to get out of the way just in time.

As for drugs, even those that are not considered addictive can be dangerous. Most of them mess with the central nervous system causing the heart rate and breathing to either accelerate or slow down. Stimulants such as Amphetamine Sulphate (Speed) of Cocaine can cause grand mall brain seizures and heart attacks. MDMA or Ecstasy can cause your body to overheat sending you in to fits. Even drinking water to rehydrate can kill in this case. Worth mentioning, if this happens to you or someone else, get them somewhere cool and quiet and keep them calm. Sip about a pint of non alcoholic fluid over a period of an hour, don't gulp.

As well as anything else, you can never tell what a drug is "cut" with. Drugs are very, very rarely 100% pure and contain adulterants such as... well anything to make a little go further. Warferin (An anticoagulant or clot buster used to treat blood clots but also used in Rat Poison) is not unheard of. Another danger is that you may come across an unusually pure supply and accidentally overdose.

Persistent drug-seeking behaviour, criminality, poor health, addiction, withdrawal Cold Turkey when you cant any and eventually a horrible, miserable existence and finally death is the lot of the average drug user.

I'm with Boy George on this one, I prefer a cup of tea!