Granted, PCP doesn’t sound like a good choice for most folks, and the brief list of atrocities commmitted while high on “love boat” is sickening. I disagree with the inclusion of self-branding on the list for two reasons:
Plenty of people self-mutilate for reasons related to feelings of control over self, and I believe these cases are mostly unrelated to drug use.
A smaller group self-modifies for aesthetic reasons. While self-branding is an extreme example, I suspect it exists.
I guess it depends on how you feel about it when you wake up/come down. Personally as an athiest I would be pretty horrified if I realized I had branded myself with a giant cross. I would certainly call it a stunningly senseless act of, maybe not violence, but painful stupidity at least.
But then, if it was something I was planning to get around to someday, (note to self: brand giant cross on chest) I might be glad to have it over and done with.
You can see self-branding on the upper arms of a lot of African-American football players, usually in the form of a Greek letter (representing their college fraternity).
I can attest (from what I’ve seen, not anything I’ve been stupid enough to do) that self-branding by fraternity members isn’t limited to African Americans. I don’t know if it’s more prevalent in a particular demographic group.