Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

I know plenty of people, mainly back in London, who are regular dope smokers who in their mid to late 30s and remain well adjusted and intelligent doctors, programmers, lawyers and accountants. Not a sniff of mental illness. Sadly it can lead to paranoia and other mental illnesses but it is not common. I don't think marijuana is a big deal and indeed it has significant therapeutic uses.

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

And some people just enjoy it and go on living perfectly normal lives.

If you are predisposed to mental illness then, yes, it can make things worse, as can alcohol abuse (but taxed drug = good, untaxed drug = bad).

I'm certainly not condoning it's use by people who are vulnerable (and how would you know before you had it ...) but it all has be put into context.

We have moved a fair way past Reefer Madness ...

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

What's the Bill Hicks line about 'You never see a positive drug story on The News" ... he pretty much nailed the relative merits of relaxing with a joint versus necking several pints of lager.

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

I lost one of the people I have loved most in the world to suicide after many years of excessive drink and dope smoking. He had many depressive tendencies, but they always manifested themselves more when he was smoking dope, the demons in his head became more real and finally tortured him too much. Although he was sober and there was no dope in his system when he died, I'm convinced that the fact his only escape was into a hallucinogenic world had a lot to do with his final decision. Any sense that people talked into him in between sessions always fled his mind with that first drag of a dope-filled cigarette.

This was in Australia, and some of the people who shared his supply were fairly high state government employees, all smoked very openly, and he grew it himself in his front garden :eek:

No way would I say that this would be everyone's experiences, I also had many biker mates back home with well-paid jobs and fantastic lifestyles who spent more on dope in a week than I could afford in a year, but it shows the dark side of it.

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

12 year old daughters...

Know how to manipulate their parents, set them up and prey on their biggest fears.

With parents who constantly worry about it, and talk about those fears, what better way to shake them up a bit? Or make sure they get a bit of drama in their lives by making up a few stories ....


Sorry, but equip your kids with the right values, show them your support no matter what, have the attitude .... Its out there ... No doubt you'll have a go, we all did (well most of us)... but its a bloody stupid thing to do and life has more meaning with out them.... And you might end up with kids who don't stray.... Too far.... For too long... But no doubt they will, with either drugs or alcohol at some stage....


Just take a pinch of salt with the words of a twelve year old...they are just bloody kids, finding their way, exploring what pushes your buttons and others too... Take them too seriously and you could end up loosing friends.

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

I know there is that sector of society which seem to handle it so to me it's a sort of percentage game. Some people seem to handle it but in the main it's a game I personally am not interested in and I can't say I am entirely comfortable with it.

To me, 'it's not cool'. And in some professions it's a no-no.

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

Another Australian statistic from that report was:

• 61.9% have never tried any drugs
• 84.7% have not used any drugs recently (in the last 12 months).

And a comparison to UK figures...
ie: 63.8% in the UK have never tried any drugs.
and 90% in the UK have not used drugs in the last 12 months.

These figures seem to show both countries being similar for trying it, although more Australians with 'recent' usage, 15 out of every 100, instead of 10 out of every 100..

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

You truly are Mr Statistic! :thumbsup:

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

And there is more.......... ;)

Annual prevalence of cocaine use as a percentage of the age 15-64 population from the World Drug Report 2006, published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

2.8% USA
2.4% England and Wales
1.4% Scotland
1.2% Australia
0.5% New Zealand
0.4% Northern Ireland

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

Working in mental health, I've seen the tragic effects on the adolescent brain of drug use; the main culprits being THC and amphetamines (especially speed). If you start young, then your susceptibility to drug induced psychosis is greatly increased as your brain is still developing.

I work on a 36 bed unit. I reckon at least eight of our current patients are youngsters with DIP. Many go on to develop schizophrenia. I have however also seen some young people come to their senses after their first 'episode' and swear (often truthfully) never to touch drugs again.

Whilst it is true that most people can smoke dope without developing a mental illness, is it a chance you want to take? Two good friends of mine who also happen to be mental health nurses (and good ones at that) were heavy drug users in their youth. Both will admit that whilst they never became mentally ill, their brain chemistry is probably permanently altered as they have suffered significant memory loss and personality change. The physical effects of drug use are also significant: dope is full of toxins just like cigarettes. It certainly isn't 'safer'. Cocaine destroys your peripheral circulation (being a sedative) and most significantly, your cardio-vascular system can be significantly compromised. Well I could ramble on...

Having said all that, partly because of the nature of the drug itself, but also its legality, alcohol causes far more physical and mental damage to the individual than all other drugs put together. I also did elderly mental health nursing care for several years and never ceased to be astonished by how much dementia was caused or exacerbated by alcohol. Sobering thought really...

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

And Ecstacy:

Australia 4.0%
New Zealand 2.2%
England and Wales 2.0%
Scotland 1.7%
Northern Island 1.6%
USA 1.0%

And Amphetamines:

Australia 3.8%
New Zealand 3.4%
England and Wales 1.5%
USA 1.5%
Scotland 1.4%
Northern Island 0.8%

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

I'm surprised Oz is so high up on speed and e's - where are the clubs where you might want to dance all night? I dabbled in pretty much everything starting when I was a Uni student to probably 30 but mainly because I used to dance all night at Fabric and some of the other massive house venues in London. I can't imagine being high as a kite and just sitting in an empty pub listening to the ever present Bon Jovi. :eek:

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

Where's Northern Island?

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

:) Can I blame the spell check? I cut n pasted the second one, honest!

Re: the real aus,the dark side..
 

And Opiates:
0.9% UK
0.6% USA
0.5% Australia
0.5% New Zealand