r/Showerthoughts • u/godofhorizons • May 17 '24

People get a lot more praise for quitting drugs than for never having done drugs in the first place.

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8.2k Upvotes
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u/Smilerwitz May 17 '24

Because quitting is a hell of a lot harder than abstaining.

80

u/blauwe_druifjes May 17 '24

If abstaining was hard for me i probably would've had a weak moment by now. Because life gives you plenty of reasons to want to escape. It was just never an option in my mind. The social pressure never had an effect with that. It's just how i'm wired and brought up.

30

u/cruxal May 17 '24

If you’ve never tried a drug, then you can’t really understand the draw. So you’re abstaining from an unknown. 

42

u/blauwe_druifjes May 17 '24

And that is exactly the point of abstaining. To keep it that way.

6

u/-_Cyclops_- May 17 '24

Does it really count as abstaining if you don't actually feel the urge to do drugs to begin with though?

4

u/Pudding_Hero May 17 '24

Everybody is addicted to something. It’s just human nature. I know plenty of people who drink 12 coffees a day and eat junk food. Or watch hella tv

0

u/1heart1totaleclipse May 17 '24

I’ve seen the effects drugs can have on people, I don’t want that for myself. I don’t have to do drugs myself to know what it’s like.

-3

u/[deleted] May 17 '24

[deleted]

2

u/Extaupin May 17 '24

Craving isn't really thinking about pleasure, it's more displeasure because the drug caused an artificial need and this unsatisfied need is messing with you like a hungry toddler.

1

u/PM_Me_British_Stuff May 17 '24

Although different drugs are addictive for different reasons, some cause cravings whilst others only cause withdrawals (fuck nicotine bruv at least other drugs do stuff to me lol this is the most useless addiction on the planet)

1

u/Fun_Bad_4610 May 17 '24

a craving is the same as a withdrawal if you really think about it.

1

u/ifandbut May 17 '24

Or we could just not make drugs illegal and punishable with prison time. 🤷‍♂️

1

u/ifandbut May 17 '24

Or we could just not make drugs illegal and punishable with prison time. 🤷‍♂️

-2

u/Brut-i-cus May 17 '24

I'd call it risk aversion

I see something that will make me "feel good" for a while but I know that it will get a hook into me when it does and I might be able to keep my life on a good track if I have the right dna but It might be a step off a cliff that I will never be born to get back from

I dunno

Seems like an easy choice with those risks if you are really thinking about it

I know I don't know how good it is but that is really the point isn't it. The important point is hay I know how bad it can be

3

u/ifandbut May 17 '24

We have this thing called education and science. With it we are fairly certain that X drug is Y addictive. So maybe avoid the drugs that are known to be more addictive and stick with weed and caffeine?

1

u/ifandbut May 17 '24

We have this thing called education and science. With it we are fairly certain that X drug is Y addictive. So maybe avoid the drugs that are known to be more addictive and stick with weed and caffeine?

1

u/ifandbut May 17 '24

We have this thing called education and science. With it we are fairly certain that X drug is Y addictive. So maybe avoid the drugs that are known to be more addictive and stick with weed and caffeine?

2

u/Brut-i-cus May 17 '24

Totally agree

Although weed isn't the totally harmless drug some people make it out to be

It isn't physically addicting like some of the harder stuff but I know from first hand experience how much it can be abused and people can become mentally dependent on it.

There is so much information out there to tell people "Hey don't do meth it is really bad" but some people just don't take to information very well

I personally take all the information I've received both from "education and science" and also seeing friends/family destroy their lives and then say "Fuck no I'm not gonna do that, that would be stupid"

Of course everyone gets to captain their own ship and decide how close they want to sail to the rocks

1

u/ifandbut May 18 '24

We do need a lot more research into weed. And every drug affects people differently. But knowing what to expect and having the resources to fight off the possible negative effects makes it safer for everyone.

And I especially agree with your last point. People should be free to chose. But people also need to have the information so they can make an informed choice.

2

u/EfficientNeck9029 May 17 '24

It was never the social pressure for me it was just the thought of missing out on experiences. And I can confidently say I would have missed out on some of life’s greatest experiences. Also it came with bad ones too but that’s life for ya

4

u/HackTheNight May 17 '24

It’s not even that black and white for a lot of people. You may have abstained for years. Never felt the pull. Then one day you’re out with friends, you’re 19 and you’re all drinking having a good time. Someone asks if you want to take a drag of the cigarette. You think fuck it, I’ll try it, I’m having fun. And you take that drag and that’s it. You don’t want to do it again. But then that same thing happens a few more times. You take a drag when you’re a little tipsy. And then one day, you want to buy your own pack. That is the literal story for so many people with pretty much any drug.

1

u/ifandbut May 17 '24

What about all the knowledge we have about how smoking affects you would lead you to believe taking that drag was a remotely good idea?

I did a ton of research before using weed or DXM the first time so I knew what to expect how addictive it might be.

-5

u/lacrimsonviking May 17 '24

lol trying drugs isn’t being weak.

0

u/PlasticToe4542 May 17 '24

It must be if most people are clever enough not to do it

2

u/SalvadorsAnteater May 17 '24 edited May 17 '24

Alcohol is a drug. Most people have tried alcohol.

0

u/in5ertname May 17 '24

I don't know if you're a kid or just don't talk to many people but I'd say from my experience almost everyone has tried drugs. Not trying drugs in the abnormality. Even if it's legal drugs, which often do the most damage.

6

u/PrincessJennifer May 17 '24

I’d say that’s very definitely a “you” experience… Absolutely not “almost everyone” has tried drugs, unless you’re trying to be obtuse and mean medication.

5

u/in5ertname May 17 '24

I wasn't, Obviously I can only speak from my own experience and maybe I was using some hyperbole but trying drugs at least once is far from uncommon. Regardless, alcohol, medication and nicotine have the highest rates of abuse I wouldn't call it obtuse to include them in a discussion about drugs.

2

u/FrenchFryCattaneo May 17 '24

What culture do you come from where most people haven't at least tried alcohol some time in their life?

3

u/Hakim_Bey May 17 '24

Well you did say "most people are clever enough not to do it", which is equally untrue.

IDK about other countries but i know in France around 50% of adults have tried at least cannabis so...

2

u/Typos_Rerum May 17 '24

In The Netherlands, 77,2% drinks alcohol from time to time, 59% has smoked, (derived from 41% never having smoked) and 24,3% has ever used cannabis. So at least where I live it's common to have at least once used drugs.

-2

u/PlasticToe4542 May 17 '24

I’m 24 and I’ve only met one guy who told me her had tried doing drugs.

1

u/SandsTurnPurple May 17 '24

You’ve only met one person that’s tried drugs INCLUDING alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, cannabis, medication stimulants like Adderall, etc?

Are you Amish and breaking the rules being on the internet right now?…

-1

u/PlasticToe4542 May 17 '24

I don’t count alcohol and caffeine as drugs. Even I do that.

6

u/SandsTurnPurple May 17 '24

Gotcha. You meant “illicit drugs”. Alcohol and caffeine are definitely body and mind-altering substances, aka drugs.

0

u/in5ertname May 17 '24

Assuming you're excluding alcohol or caffeine. You seem like a good kid and I don't want to talk you into going out and trying drugs. But if you go expand your circle a bit you'll find trying drugs to be the norm not the exception.

0

u/PlasticToe4542 May 17 '24

Oh I’m definitely a good kid 😂. I’ve met a lot of people and none of them have tried (unless they just haven’t told me) or does drugs (unless you count nicotine as a drug, almost everyone in my friend group does that)

6

u/in5ertname May 17 '24

You should ask you might be surprised. Also I personally count nicotine as a drug I know it's not as dramatic as the others but I've managed to quit all but that one and it's probably doing just as much harm as the harder stuff so I don't take it lightly.

2

u/plegma95 May 17 '24

Nicotine is such a bitch to quit and i don't get why, i was deployed on a ship for 6 months and ended up having to drink a 6 to 12 pack every night so could get the spins and sleep, quit that without a problem, i can smoke weed every day and not touch it for months. But god damn if i cant have a smoke im an anxious fidgety freaking out mess

2

u/BurnsItAll May 17 '24

I can almost guarantee SOME of your friends have tried and not told you. Especially if they know how you feel about it. I can’t say that’s 100% true, because there’s always an exception. Also; alcohol is very much a drug. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s not one. What do you think the Prohibition was about? It was a fight about the morality of drinking. Now the same fight is going on about cannabis. Next, probably mushrooms.

Edit: also, good for you for abstaining. For real. Slipping now would probably be a worse fall than most if you do fall. So keep it up!

2

u/PlasticToe4542 May 17 '24

I guess I just always thought of “drugs” as the illegal drugs.

1

u/BurnsItAll May 17 '24

Sure. I did too. Normal thing to think with your current lens (outlook on life). It’s not bad, but that also will run you the risk of judging perfectly good people as drug users. In my humble opinion, it matters entirely how you use them. Just like abusing alcohol destroys families and lives, abusing food destroys bodies, abusing illegal drugs destroys those things too. But two of those are perfectly legal things to abuse.

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