I think you're missing a few very important points here. While a great deal of anti-drug propaganda has given the majority of society a very skewed idea of what drugs do...
Oh I don't doubt it, I have absolutely no actual experience with drugs apart from what I saw my friends go through.
...the fact remains that anyone who can't be fun or creative without drugs will certainly offer only pale imitations of creativity with them. Drugs are best, in fact, for people like you....
Perhaps, but I've enver had any real interest in them... they really can't offer me anything that I want. Thus, I stay away from them.
To say that drawing from drug experiences to make better music is cheating is a bit like saying it's cheating to write a song about a breakup when you haven't actually broken up with anyone...
I disagree, to a degree... (Go go contradiction!). If someone writes a story that sounds personal and passes it off as such but, in fact, has no actual experience with the subject I consider him a fraud. This is probably influenced by the decision I made to not publish any of my own writing, its all fake. I haven't had the experiences necessary to write honestly about life. This is, again, opinion, but I really don't think people should write personal sounding things and pass it off as their own experience. Sorry, I realize this is tangental but I tihnk it can in a way relate to the original point.
First of all, I don't want to sound hostile because I realize that these remarks are coming from someone who does not, in fact, understand the nature of drug use and therefore doesn't know any better, but really, who are you to assume that using drugs to enhance creative expression is in any way indicative of an inability to express the same creativity without drugs?
You're right, I don't have any authority to make this claim. I am simply speaking my mind on the subject, you are welcome to disagree with me. Its an experience I'm not interested in.
[qoute]As for your choice of substance use, this makes me very, very sad. For one thing, all three of the substances you've mentioned are, in fact, highly addictive and harmful substances that do very little to aid anyone's life in any way that they couldn't help themselves with minus the substance.[/quote]
First, I'm not addicted to any of these. Second, I enjoy them on an occaisonal basis so as not to ruin the experience or my body. I hate cigarettes, so those are out too. Bleck, nasty. Third, everything kills you in some way, I may as well enjoy myself in a responsible manner. I don't use any of these in excess, unless you count the all-nighters I occaisonaly pull fueled by coffee or energy drinks. I really need to try some herbal alternatives.
Then why are you OK with musicians who drink and smoke, but not with musicians who smoke weed and take mushrooms or LSD?
I get upset at any artist who does something to the point it kills them. We were talking about drugs so in this context it would sound like I am talking about drug overdoses. Alchohol, drugs... whatever, kill yourself doing something stupid and I'm going to be pissed. Driving too fast... whatever.
Hallucinogens are literally the precise opposite of narcotics. You can't OD on them and you can't addict yourself to them. Not a single person has ever died from marijuana or LSD toxicity, and only a single report that I know of references someone who died from eating too many mushrooms (and that person also drank 21 beers during the same time frame).
I've heard the same thing. However, and correct me if I'm wrong, you can develop psychological dependencies on them. And even if that doesn't lead to OD'ing on whatever halucinogen it can lead to other things that will fuck up your life.
My main point is, find out what you're talking about before you start forming opinions about what it means. I highly recommend that you do some research on Erowid.org or a similar website and figure out what exactly drugs do before you start deciding what you think of the people who use them.
Well you see, its discourses like this that help teach me. Nothing better than rational discussion to learn with. I'll check out that website when I get some spare time. Cheers.
KharBevNor:
I'm actually not really against the legalization of Marijuana. I've seen sufficient data to suggest it has legitimate, as well as recreational, uses. Still, not for me. My only real problem with weed is that the majority of what people are smoking today is not 100% natural Marijuana. Instead you've got this chemically altered shit thats more powerful than any naturaly grown weed ever. I mean... shit, I don't eat vegetables that were grown with chemicals... why the fuck would I smoke something with that in it?
And yeah... Cigarettes=Evil. Fuck them.