I agree with you, I was just posing the question as a ‘devils advocate’ position.
I somehow doubt this is a case of somebody disobeying a law they find morally repugnant and more a case of somebody disobeying a law that they find inconvenient. There are lots of laws like that, and that’s why people jaywalk and litter and park in handicap spaces and take drugs to help them study.
Anyway, the OP didn’t ask “is it wrong?” but rather “what is wrong with this?”
The answer boils down mostly to “you’re putting yourself in danger because an addiction to amphetamines can sneak up on you very quickly.”
You think you’re the first user to ever say that they were controlling their illegal drug use and that there was no way they’d get addicted?
This, this, this! A million times this!!!
Am I willing to accept that somewhere out there someone said, “I’m not going to get addicted to X,” and then went on to use it in small quantities infrequently, and never got addicted? Yes, surely it has happened at some point in human history.
Am I willing to accept that the VERY VAST majority of people who say this are full of shit and will end up getting addicted and possibly ruining their lives? Yes!
Is it morally wrong? Probably not, so long as you aren’t hurting anyone.
Are there potential health concerns like addiction, escalation, or side effects? Possibly. I’m not a doctor so I don’t have an expert opinion.
Sometimes when people say “I wouldn’t do that shit”, it’s not always because they are rigid moralistic extremists. Sometimes they say it because it’s not that great for you.
If all of a sudden, your posts are ten pages long without any breaks or returns, then I might worry about your amphetamine problem.
Agreed. But the thread sure got up on a high horse pretty quick.
“It’s wrong because it’s illegal” is nonsensical.
I guess it can be argued that if you need breaks to reduce tolerance, that can imply that you’re in danger of becoming addicted.
How about “it’s illegal because it’s wrong?”
Not always nonsensical. Often not true though. And doesn’t seem to apply in this case.
Amphetamines are addictive, yes. That’s not a moral issue.
Yup. There’s a good chance of dependence, not to mention amphetamine psychosis, which can even occur in some people in lower doses. This can include classic psychotic side effects like paranoia, feelings of persecution, hallucinations, etc. Part of the problem with symptoms like this is that the user probably won’t have the capacity to realize the unreal nature of the symptoms due to their psychological basis, unlike bad physical side effects like fever, dizziness, vomiting, and the like.
I seem to recall from my psychology classes that back in the '50s or so, amphetamines were prescribed by doctors to depressed/tired housewives as the ultimate “pep pill” - and then some of them started getting amphetamine psychosis side effects, and suspecting husbands/neighbors/etc. of conspiring against them.
I’m often nervous about how illegal drugs are made - I don’t think they’re following Current Good Manufacturing Practices or can be classified as US Pharmacopeia grade. :dubious:
Except that some drugs are currently illegal so the supply of them is run by criminals.
There’s a difference between buying alcohol when you’re putting money in the pocket of some liquor store owner and buying alcohol when you’re putting money in the pocket of Al Capone. When you give money to drug dealers, you’re helping fund things like murder.
Illegal drug users and addicts have little choice but to support criminals, given the choice most would probably prefer not to(I don’t have a cite but one might exist).
And if addiction is a possibility why can someone not risk it voluntarily? And why is physical addiction viewed as the absolute worst outcome, needing some pills to function can be managed.
*I actually think OTC amphetamines would be the healthier situation than what exists now, with many people addicted to and consuming UNGODLY amounts of caffeine daily. I’d take the amphs over a case of energy drink daily, healthier for the heart.
Is it just amphetamine sulphate you are taking? If so, just be careful that you aren’t taking some just to get yourself back to square one - feeling a bit rough hey a couple of lines woohoo back in the game - that’s a fairly easy pattern to fall into.
If somebody’s become addicted, that’s a real problem right there. But I’m assuming this is a case where the person truly does have a choice of whether or not they use drugs.
I suppose addiction isn’t optimal or desirable, but it is hardly the end of the world.
In legal drugs alone there are plenty of people that can’t function without nicotine/caffeine/alcohol every day but as those are legal and the price reasonable they get by pretty easy. I guess you might say they are dependent but that is kind of mincing words.
I could imagine someone noticing they function better on drug X and knowing it is addictive still making a choice to use it daily.
Chipping can lead to using can lead to addiction. Popping a molly to get through finals is one thing but depending on speed to help you study on a regular basis is another. Are you going to class and keeping up with the material? If so, why the need for a boost?
In the long run (excuse me, short marathon,) nobody likes a speed freak. It gets tiresome. And it doesn’t get them anywhere.
It’s playing a form of Russian roulette with your life, effectively. If you’re young, and smart enough to ‘study’ you’re probably smart enough to realize this. Alcohol is a dangerous dance too, of course. But there are people who manage to use it throughout their lifetime without falling to addiction. (The lucky ones, the careful ones!)
On the other hand, how many regular speed users do you know who didn’t become destroyed addicts, ruining their own lives and causing endless pain and suffering to those who love them? Yeah, I can’t think of even one either.
What’s wrong with it, is the same thing that’s wrong with Russian roulette. It’s playing fast and lose with the gift of life, as though it had no value to you whatsoever. When the chamber comes up empty, well, it’s all just another amusing distraction of a parlour game. (Does that intensity make you feel more alive?) But when the chamber comes up full, suddenly your body, and those who love you, will be paying the freight on your cavalier entertainment, in the form of enormous suffering.
Very few things, in this world, are as painful as watching those you love suffer. When it’s due to your choices and foolishness, it’s orders of magnitudes worse, I promise you. Be prepared.
I would beg you to revisit this choice. Look closely at those who do not need the crutch of meth to get by with their studies. Are they really better than you? I don’t think so. So quit acting as if they were. These are adult choices you’re making now and they come with foreseeable consequences. Tread very carefully, I beg of you.
I wish you Good Luck!
Do you count coffee as the dangerous addictive stimulant it actually is?
Certainly, but how does that make risking becoming a meth head acceptable?
People manage coffee addictions, without impacting those around them, all the damn time. Know anybody stealing from their relatives for coffee money? Or anyone in jail for buying/possessing coffee? Didn’t think so. A pretty weak tea point, I think.
I’ve used both amphetamine and methylphenidate, starting when I was 11. I have a diagnosis of ADD, so in the form of Ritalin and Adderall. I work at jobs which suit my attention span issues (constant physical movement, constant busyness and multi-tasking, many small repetitive tasks to be accomplished in order, no opportunities for procrastination) so I don’t need it regularly. I let my prescription lapse and when I need to learn or concentrate at a higher level, I just buy a few pills. I usually have a friend or two who is selling them.
I have never ‘gotten high’ on amphetamine and have never had any desire to. Even when I’ve increased my dosage by 5 or 10mg, I don’t like the ‘speedy’ feeling I get (perhaps because I also have anxiety). I like it best when it works but I can’t FEEL it working. But that’s just me. While I drink alcohol on a regular basis these days, had a phase where I smoked a lot of weed, and have tried Xanax etc and opiate painkillers (opiates unfortunately do almost nothing for me…), I just am not someone who enjoys getting very intoxicated or who wants to do that a lot. It comes naturally to me to moderate my intake even when getting drunk in order to ensure I don’t get that drunk (and I always perform my hang-over prevention routine before getting in bed). I think it would be impossible for me to ever have a substance abuse problem.
Anyway, I don’t think there is anything wrong with using any variety of substances in moderation, but most especially when they give you some benefit beyond being fun/making you feel good.