OFF: drugs

[M Holmes]

Arin Komins writes:

> So I've never touched drugs (aside from the standard
> caffeine, etc.)
>
> I drink alcohol, but not to excess (being drunk is a nasty
> depressive experience for me.)
>
> But I've always wanted to.
>
> But.  I'm deathly afraid of addiction.  I've
> got an addictive personality, if there is such a thing
> (at least judging by my collector instincts).
>
> Any advice from the list?  good drugs to try, ones to stay
> away from?  good environment for a first trip?

I've seen a study of personality types versus drug usage. The most
interesting result was that people who got addicted to drugs correlated
much more in type with the people who said they'd never touch drugs than
with the folks who used drugs without any addictive pattern. Tentative
concusions were that people who firmly abstained might have some insight
that they were more likely to become addictive users than occasional
users (as always, more research needed but not funded). However, that's
enough to indicate that listening to your own intuition might be more
sensible than trying 'em just for the sake of having done so.

Your mileage may of course vary. Like skiing, rugby, or formula one
racing, it's an individual risk/reward calculation. What you've already
concluded about yourself might well skew the risk end of your own
personal balance.

> (also...does anyone have a good pointer for how long various drugs
> stick around in one's system?  I've done drug tests for work
> before, and don't want to sabotage potential jobs.....)

LSD and opiates: hours or a few days at worst.

Cannabis: six weeks to a couple of months detectable in urine - six
months detectable in hair clippings (longer for longer hair). LSD and
cannabis may microrelease later from body fats, though probably not to
detectable levels. Dunno about the rest, but the alt.drugs FAQ on the
web is considered a good source for questions like this.

I'd also consider the morality of submitting to drug testing. While it
may be convenient for any one person, it encourages this kind of
intrusive authoritarianism every time anyone acquiesces.

> Arin

FoFP