# Can anyone raise their virtual hand on these boards and say,"I don't take drugs?"Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468 "2007-10-29T17:25:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/41 "2007-10-29T20:10:07Z")
I drink caffeine daily and occasionally take some acetaminophen. Otherwise, nuthin’. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/42 "2007-10-29T20:32:44Z")
For about 5 years in my twenties I was 100% drug free. No pharmaceuticals of any kind, no caffeine, no alcohol. The exception was a week-long period when I was as sick as a dog. I turned up at the university health center feeling like I was half-dead. They gave me an anti-biotic and, at that time, it was the first medication of any kind I’d taken in about three years. When my course was over, I was drug free again for a couple more years. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/43 "2007-10-29T20:37:58Z")
I rarely take pills. I have to be really hurting to take ibuprofen. But I do drink caffeinated beverages, if you’re counting those. Does alcohol really count as a drug? Whatever, I hardly ever drink. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/44 "2007-10-29T21:22:00Z")
I’ve never taken any illegal drugs, and there was quite a while when I would rarely have had a need for anything OTC (and wasn’t on any prescriptions). Like pretty much through my 20s. Now I’m on a couple of prescription meds and take OTC for motion sickness, colds, aches, … Old age is a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/45 "2007-10-29T22:04:34Z")
Who, me, take drugs? I am not a thief, sir. I pay for all my drugs. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/46 "2007-10-29T22:21:59Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] Unfortunately, the OP’s definition means that water is a drug, cows’ milk and olive oil too. I’m sure there are more. [/QUOTE] I think I clarified this : > [@](#): > > I didn’t want to bring in second hand drugs like the hormones and antibiotics because I thought that would certainly exclude most peoples. So for now, let’s disclude those, and stick with things you knowingly put into your body that are drugs in the afore mentioned definition. However, this was brought to your attention here: [QUOTE=Asimovian] Quartz, ignore my last comment. I think I missed your point. [/QUOTE] So…what do you mean? The chemicals it takes to process such food stuffs? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/47 "2007-10-29T22:22:04Z")
Except for alcohol and caffiene, I don’t. No recreational drugs, no prescription drugs (last time was 30 months ago - hurt my back and was on muscle relaxant and pain med for a few days), I just don’t ever seem to need OTC painkillers or antihistamines at all. They are in my house, but I’ll bet they’re all past expiration. My back is the one chronic thing that gives me trouble, but that is a once a year thing and most times a heating pad and some exercises take care of it. I did have viral labyrnthitis diagnosed about five years ago, and after cat scans and stress tests and a bunch of other things in the ER, they gave me some OTC air sickness pills and said “Scary, huh…” Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/48 "2007-10-29T22:36:48Z")
I don’t drink (it makes me more socially inhibited and I don’t like the taste of alcohol anyway). I don’t smoke. I don’t drink coffee or soda (caffeine doesn’t affect me and I don’t like the taste) I have no regular medications or vitamins. I occassionally take a Benadryl or Claritin for allergies or Motrin for cramps. (something like once or twice a month) How’s that for drug free? ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/49 "2007-10-29T22:45:41Z")
I think I qualify now and then. I don’t do recreational drugs anymore (it’s probably been 20 years), don’t smoke, drink only a few times a year, and the only prescription or OTC drug I take is for gout, which I can go without for up to several months if I don’t have an attack. I’ve cut down on caffeine in the last couple of years, and limit myself to a max of one Diet Mountain Dew a day at work, and sometimes don’t have any. On weekends I drink Diet Sprite and/or water. So on days where I only drink water, I think I qualify. So there are days (weekends mostly) where I wouldn’t have any drugs, at least none that spring to mind. And there are long periods when the only drug would be caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![Yag\_Rannavach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/858c86/32.png) [@Yag\_Rannavach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yag_Rannavach)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/50 "2007-10-29T22:46:18Z")
I have one or two alcoholic drinks every few weeks. Nothing regular, sometimes I go a month or six between drinking alcohol. I have 1-2 cans of soda per day. I can (and have) stopped drinking soda with no caffeine withdrawal symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/51 "2007-10-29T23:04:21Z")
I probably drink alcohol 3 times per year - maybe. I have three prescriptions in my cabinet (Domperidone, Demerol, and Flonase). The first two are for emergencies and I’ve never had to use them, but it is the time of year for me to take Flonase, unfortunately. Headache medicine doesn’t work so that really isn’t an issue. For muscle pain I rub A-535. Getting that stuff on your junk is bad news, let me tell you. I’ve been weening myself off of caffeine lately. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/52 "2007-10-29T23:11:17Z")
I take drugs damn near every day. In fact, I’m taking some as I type! Sweet, sweet drugs! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/53 "2007-10-29T23:50:37Z")
Nothin’ stronger than Excedrin since the last time I was in the hospital. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/54 "2007-10-29T23:55:47Z")
I take all kinds of drugs. Chiefly alcohol; I have a glass of wine and/or a beer most nights. I drink good beer and I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I take Tylenol when I need it, I chew Tums when I need those, I’m on blood pressure meds and I’ve tried just about everything I could get my hands on back in my experimentation period. I’m not completely averse to doing any of them again when the opportunity arises, although I don’t seek it out anymore, so it’s more like, if someone hands me a joint at a party I’ll take a hit. Anyway, I’ve had a handful of friends who never take any drugs whatsoever unless absolutely necessary (ie, medical emergency). They seem to be the healthiest, most pain-free and most clear-minded people I’ve known. Good for them, but frankly, I think there’s a lot of benefit to being blotto every once in a while, and it’s hard for me to trust someone who’s so in control in _every moment_ that they absolutely must not get loosened up by alcohol or drugs, _ever_. No offense to those who don’t partake, that’s just my experience. Intoxication and psychedelia have taught me a lot of things, anyway. Ironically, one of the drugs I’ve taken in particular that makes people shake their heads when they find out I’ve taken it, actually helped me kick some really bad habits I had in my straight-edge days; one of those habits in particular could’ve easily ruined my life. BTW, I just remembered that in my senior year of high school I did a fairly comprehensive study of drug intake across my school’s student body. I’ll have to see if I can dig it up. > [@twickster](#): > > Throw in caffeine, and I don’t think you’ll find anyone. I’m actually almost 100% caffeine free these days, after my caffeine addiction landed me in the hospital. (I’m serious.) I’ve known a couple of other people who are 100% caffeine free. > [@Phlosophr](#): > > How do you folks that only take caffeine and/or OTC cold meds feel day to day?? This isn’t what you asked, but I’ll answer it anyway: every aspect of my life got better after I kicked caffeine. (In the long run, I mean. The first month or two was a _bitch_.) I wake up more quickly and easily; I fall into a regular sleep schedule more easily; I don’t get the “afternoon crash” anywhere near as badly; I don’t go through my day on an endless wired/tired cycle anymore; I have a longer attention span; I’m calmer and less of an asshole; I’m less nervous. I miss coffee for brief moments sometimes, if I happen to smell it roasting, but I do _not_ miss the effects that downing coffee and espresso all day had on my life. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Since you seem to want to include caffeine and cold medicine in with “drugs” (thus disqualifying 99.9 with a bar over it% of the world), what is the point of this exercise? To see if anyone on this Board actually does it, it seems. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/55 "2007-10-30T00:06:47Z")
Gee, if you’re including headache-level pain relief, and throat lozenges, how can anybody say “No”? Seems a bit unfair to call them drugs, though. But that’s all I take, and have ever taken, as far as I can recall. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/56 "2007-10-30T01:01:12Z")
Half a pot of coffee and one 81mg aspirin a day. I will take an occasional ibuprofen for a headache. Would a medication such as Preperation H count? A recent hemi flair up required a few days of usage. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/57 "2007-10-30T02:07:27Z")
There’s the occasional alcohol on the weekends for me, but that’s (usually) about it. Truth be told, I’d like to take more drugs, but my sources are all the way back in my old college town. ---
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/58 "2007-10-30T02:20:16Z")
I’m drinking a beer as I read this. So I guess no :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Phantom\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@Phantom\_Dennis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phantom_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/59 "2007-10-30T06:02:12Z")
Benadryl at night sometimes, to help me sleep. The occasional beer, maybe twice a week. The rare ibuprofen for headaches. That’s it! I feel good. There was a time when I was into recreational drugs, but I’ve pretty much grown out of it by now. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2007, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468/60 "2007-10-30T06:56:09Z")
I’m not sure of the question here, but I’ll just follow everyone else’s lead. I don’t drink alcohol and never have. I don’t drink coffee and never have and haven’t had caffeine (chocolate, sodas, caffeinated teas) for many years. I’ve never taken recreational drugs. I’ve taken a Tylenol once every couple years. I’ve taken a cold medication a couple times in my life. I’ve taken an antihistamine many years ago for a short period. I’ve taken antibiotics a handful of times in my life–ironically mostly unnecessarily. But I do take vitamins, so if that counts, I take them every day. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-raise-their-virtual-hand-on-these-boards-and-say-i-dont-take-drugs-poll/424468.md?page=4)