# What drugs have you tried **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 1, 2012, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015 "2012-08-01T01:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/41 "2012-08-01T10:11:35Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > I am intrigued by people who have never tried any mind-altering substance because they don’t see the appeal.. I think it is why I don’t drink or do drugs other than to control my pain and deal with my insomnia - I actually happen to _like_ myself. I don’t feel the need to self medicate my way through life. The occasional getting drunk in my youth was for the whole tipsy/spinny fun not because life sucked and I was depressed. Well there was also the odd getting drunk at someones wedding or christening because of a zillion toasts. All those sips add up:smack: I have not really ever just grabbed a bottle of something, or a bowl of marijuana to get inebriated deliberately at home alone. My doc encourages me to have a glass of wine or two most evenings if I want but I rarely do [I prefer to sink the calories into food] ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/42 "2012-08-01T10:16:42Z")
The “I never bothered since they held no appeal” option appears to be missing. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/43 "2012-08-01T10:28:00Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Me too. I find these sorts of answers perplexing; bordering on disingenuous. I mean, ok, you may not like what you imagine drugs would be like for _you_ but how on earth could you not understand the concept that being able to take a pill, smoke a joint or drink a drink and (for a while at least) escape whatever unwanted feelings you may be feeling and feel _good_ is an incredibly appealing concept for people and the human condition in general? What makes you think I don’t understand that? I simply have no interest in using them _myself_. I don’t skydive either, that doesn’t mean I’m anti-skydiving; it just means I don’t like heights. ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/44 "2012-08-01T10:37:44Z")
Very happy I experimented - I think it’s made me a more rounded person plus I had a lot of fun on the way. Some drugs I wouldn’t touch though like heroin or crack. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/45 "2012-08-01T10:44:32Z")
**Ambivalid** , 1. apparently the physical sensations many people get from relaxant drugs are similar to the ones I get from “it is not MS”. So, those same physical sensations which mean other people are “getting a buzz” tell my own instincts “oh fuck I’m getting sick and need to get home NOW because this is only going to get worse”. This is based on minimal samples of alcohol (disregarded in the OP) and on the reactions of people who like relaxant drugs to my own descriptions of “not MS”. 2. there seems to be a deep, and probably at least partially genetic, divide between people who need drugs in order to be able to do certain things and those who do not; this applies both to “being able to give themselves permission to do things they actually think of anyway” and to “being more creative while under the influence”. I happen to be on the “do not” side. In the words of an old friend “man, she’s got crazier ideas sober than the three of us doped up to our eyes”. 3. back in my teens, the main reason being given to try drugs was that “they’re cool”. Oh sure. That dude across the hall, who had about eight years on me, reeked of pot and horse, and who gave me looks so dirty that when I had to leave the house I checked to make sure he was not waiting for the lift, was cool. U-hu. If that’s cool, give me a blowtorch. So, while I understand that other people find drugs attractive, please attempt to understand that not everybody does. You know, sort of like some people like penises in their bed-partner and some do not? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/46 "2012-08-01T10:59:19Z")
I’ve tried pretty much everything other than heroin, and even that is questionable, as fentanyl might sort of count. Enjoyed very last one of them, though coke is just too damn enjoyable for me. ---
**Author:** ![LotusPotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LotusPotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LotusPotus)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/47 "2012-08-01T11:17:17Z")
All of the above except heroin, I knew I’d probably like it way too much so chose never to try it. Crack only once but I did speed, E’s, LSD, mushrooms every week for many many years from age 16-27 (when I got pregnant and stopped all drugs completely even the hash and cig’s). I smoked skunk most days during this period to and it increased immensely when I left home at 19. As a recovering alcoholic the only drug I take is 4 or 5 cigarettes a day. I also used to sniff a whole lot of rush (amyl nitrite/ Poppers) in my clubbing days, such a huge massive rush which literally lasts about 10-20 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/48 "2012-08-01T11:37:25Z")
In addition to the poll options, I’ve done amyl nitrite and speed. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/49 "2012-08-01T12:32:12Z")
I’ve never tried any of those. I’ve never smoked, though I do drink alcohol socially (maybe twice a month.) It’s never appealed to me, but even if it did, there are obvious cons to experimenting with drugs. It’s illegal, it can be dangerous (my 30-year-old uncle is dead because he O.D.ed on heroine), and the last thing I need in my life is an addiction. I think if marijuana was legal, I might try it, but on the other hand, I care about my lungs. I’ll just come right out and say it. I think it’s foolish to experiment with drugs, kind of like playing chicken with a speeding freight train. I do support their legalization because the war on drugs is just stupid, but from a personal standpoint it seems the potential negative consequences far, far, far outweigh any benefit. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/50 "2012-08-01T12:37:15Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Someday I’d like to try datura, but only with an experienced shaman guide in a sacred setting. Ditto ayahuasca. Do you mind if I ask what you find tempting about ayahuasca? From reading Kira Selak’s article in National Geographic, it sounded pretty frightening and intense, even with shamanistic guidance. The results of Charles Grob’s research sounds pretty fascinating, though. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/51 "2012-08-01T12:41:49Z")
Marijuana’s all I could ever ask for. Though I don’t do it much these days. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/52 "2012-08-01T12:45:01Z")
> [@PoorYorick](#): > > Do you mind if I ask what you find tempting about ayahuasca? From reading Kira Selak’s article in National Geographic, it sounded pretty frightening and intense, even with shamanistic guidance. The results of Charles Grob’s research sounds pretty fascinating, though. Spiritual exploration, basically. And I’m an herbalist by training, and fascinated by the actions of plants. But there are some plants that one really needs a formal introduction to, and are not (IMHO) for casual acquaintance. I’d like to see what ayahuasca has to teach me. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/53 "2012-08-01T12:50:18Z")
I tried marijuana a couple of times but didn’t really feel anything, so after that when it was being passed around, I just passed. That got me a few paranoid looks, lemme tell ya! But even earlier, I had a perfectly legal prescription for an amphetamine. It was prescribed for weight loss and it was fabulous, at least for the first few days. I was in a perpetually good mood and bursting with energy. I don’t remember exactly how much weight I lost, but it certainly worked in that regard. I’d have a bite or two of something, and I was satisfied. Unfortuately, the effects weren’t permanent. In time the weight came back, but by then amphetamines had been added to the controlled dangerous substances list and I was never able to get another prescription. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/54 "2012-08-01T12:54:55Z")
None, nothing, nada, not even cigarettes, so no vote from me. I do like my hard cider or a glass of wine, but you exempted that so, still no vote from me. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/55 "2012-08-01T12:58:37Z")
> [@dnooman](#): > > I think it’s not only a good idea for every adult to get “high” at least once on pot or something similar, but you’re cheating your self if you die without having done so. > > It’s not about getting high at all, it’s about seeing that there are different ways in which to interpret our surroundings. I know that this sounds like stoner bullshit to people who have never tried any “illegal” drug, but you only have to do it once to see what I’m saying. > > It’s really quite laughable to hear someone say “I don’t have to get high to…” or “I’m just fine without drugs in my life blah blah…” > > Try it once, then you can speak from a point of experience instead of one of ignorance. > > I open the floor to all the people that have smoked pot to the point of intoxication as a brief experiment, that feel that the experience was detrimental to their life. Count me in as a person that no longer chooses to do any drugs at all, but is glad that I at least saw what it was like. > > This is one case where the moral high ground people are the actual fools, speaking about something they know nothing about. We’re not talking about junkies, stoners or crack-heads, just people who have gotten high at least once. Again, I can only speak about pot usage. Yeah it does sound like stoner bullshit. I’ve tried in my youth. It gives you a temporary nice feeling. It does not make you enlightened. Thinking and learning does that. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/56 "2012-08-01T13:00:29Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Yeah it does sound like stoner bullshit. I’ve tried in my youth. It gives you a temporary nice feeling. It does not make you enlightened. Thinking and learning does that. I agree. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/57 "2012-08-01T13:02:38Z")
Having an older sister with a drug problem commit suicide when one is in 7th grade kinda takes the shine off the whole experimentation thing, y’know? Not interested. Most of my friends dabbled in this and that, so I guess I had plenty of exposure to it. Didn’t much like their company when they indulged either, come to think of it. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/58 "2012-08-01T13:08:00Z")
None. I apparently went around with the wrong crowd. I was offered weed at 14 and then didn’t see any drugs again until I was 30. If it had been around during my college years I probably would have experimented but I wasn’t so eager that I seeked them out. Now I think that ship has passed. I’m just not curious anymore. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/59 "2012-08-01T14:28:06Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Yeah it does sound like stoner bullshit. I’ve tried in my youth. It gives you a temporary nice feeling. It does not make you enlightened. Thinking and learning does that. I wouldn’t, nor did I, say that drug use makes one enlightened. It does make your brain work in ways it otherwise would not. You’ve either experienced that effect, or you haven’t. How’s the shade under the bodhi tree there? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2012, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015/60 "2012-08-01T14:39:20Z")
I think I’ve complained before about the presumption that all these substances have something in common as DRUGS!!! apart from being illegal. First the non-addictive “recreational” stuff: I’ve tried Marijuana and found I hated being stoned, so meh. LSD was fascinating but boy could that do with an off switch, an eight hour psychic roller-coaster ride is mentally knackering. I don’t think I’d do that again, too intense. MDMA, bloody brilliant, stopped using that when my safe supply of the good stuff dried up. Speed, well if you want to stay awake, OK, but gave me no sort of buzz at all, so again meh. Meanwhile, the really heavy, stupid stuff: Coke… turns people into complete _arse-holes_, me included. Glad to say I never actually paid for this crap (long stories), will never touch this stuff again. Heroin. You are joking right? Too fracking dangerous. I sort of understand the posters who are saying _“Just not interested”_ here. It is apparently rather nice, but fuck the down side is a bit extreme, what with addiction, overdoses and y’know DEATH. I’m risk averse enough that I’ve never smoked (hard to quit it seems, and lung cancer always seemed a bit of a bummer) so there’s no way I’d ever try this. Crack. Same as H, why the hell would you risk that? Some of these things are NOT like the others. And a passing shot, if you’ve never had an acid trip you really have no idea. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-have-you-tried/630015.md?page=4)