# What drugs would you do if they no longer had any effect? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2009, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524 "2009-06-02T23:49:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/21 "2009-06-03T16:47:44Z")
Mushrooms. Because even without the psychadelic effects, there’s just this natural high that you can only get from ingesting cow shit. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/22 "2009-06-03T17:25:56Z")
I’d still drink gin and tonics if they didn’t me drunk, because I find it a much more refreshing drink than any soda, and tastier than water. And if smoking wasn’t bad for me, I’d take it up again in a heartbeat, even without the other effects of the nicotine. It’s the sociability of smoke breaks that I miss, and the chance to get outside for five minutes and clear my head and think about what to do next - I had some of best ideas on my fag breaks. Oh, and it goes so will with a glass of wine and an intense conversation, and it’s so relaxing after a big meal, and goes so well with coffee… …Yeah, I miss smoking, why’d you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/23 "2009-06-03T17:32:55Z")
None. Maybe mushrooms if they somehow found their way on my pizza or in my salad because I also enjoy the non-psychoactive cousins, but the effect is the whole point to me. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/24 "2009-06-03T18:07:00Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I like your style. I’d do the same thing with the marijuana. I never understood how people could compare the smell of weed to shit. > [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Because they never encountered any of the really good stuff. As featured in _High Times_ magazine–with tightly curled buds & red hairs… That’s the stuff that can smell the worst. Low and mid-grade weed all smells the same. That really high-end stuff has a lot of variation in it. Some of it smells great, some of it is so sweet and “skunky” smelling that I can almost make myself nauseous just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/25 "2009-06-03T21:22:01Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > That’s the stuff that can smell the worst. Low and mid-grade weed all smells the same. Nah - crappy weed smells the worst. Very good, stinky weed may smell _more_, but it’s a pleasant smell. Usually, if weed smells offensive (to me and my peers, anyway) it’s for one of two reasons: [ol][li]Not properly flushed before harvest. This’'ll give an “off” taste & smell.[\*] (More strikingly) A sloppy cure. A heater cure can be pretty damn nasty, but the very worst is when it’s just allowed to dry indoors with no circulating air - this leaves too much time for mildews and molds to begin to get well-established, resulting in an acrid taste and smell. Bleargh.[/ol][/li] I’ll take the bag that skunks up the room from the back of the sock drawer over the one that seems unremarkable until it’s actually burning and then makes people wonder if you’ve got a burning tire stashed away somewhere – but neither of them if not for the effect. I would still consume alcohol & caffeinated substances regardless of whether or not they had any psychoactive properties. Most times if I have a beer, it’s just the one, anyway - doesn’t touch the head. Caffeine is pretty much incidental to the enjoyment of coffee and chocolate, for me. If I could drink two litres of java a day without an elevated risk of heart disease and random full body twitches, I’d never drink water again. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/26 "2009-06-03T21:58:05Z")
Beer, bourbon and cigars. I haven’t gotten a buzz from cigars since I started chewing so I mainly do it for the taste and smell and it is great for keeping the bugs away while you’re outdoors as well. Beer and bourbon taste fantastic and if you could get rid of the calories while keeping the flavor would easily replace water as my main drink. ---
**Author:** ![Claire\_Beauchamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ec9cab/32.png) [@Claire\_Beauchamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claire_Beauchamp)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/27 "2009-06-03T23:38:18Z")
> [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](#): > > I agree. I appreciate good wine and spirits for several reasons not one of which is “to be able to get drunk.” > > Actually, I found this to be odd about the OP because it suggests that the reason people drink is solely to get drunk. Not at all true. Ditto. That’s like saying people only eat ice cream to get fat. I can drink a glass of wine with dinner and not feel ANY effects. I drink alcohol – whether it’s wine or a mixed drink – because I like the TASTE, not because I drink enough to get high. ---
**Author:** ![busterbloodvessel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@busterbloodvessel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/busterbloodvessel)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/28 "2009-06-04T00:43:36Z")
I’d probably smoke two packs of cigarettes a day. I quit because I don’t want cancer, but I love the whole ritual. I might drink a nice beer now and then, but without the effect of alcohol, I’d just as soon drink some milk. Definitely no hard alcohol - what’s the point? I’m certainly not going to smoke weed, take psychedelics, pop pills, or snort lines if there’s no effect. They’re just the means to an end, right? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/29 "2009-06-04T01:20:32Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I like your style. I’d do the same thing with the marijuana. I never understood how people could compare the smell of weed to shit. The smell of marijuana is a lot like the smell of pussy. I usually like it because I associate it with a pleasant state. But it can vary a lot, and sometimes it’s too strong to be pleasant. And if I didn’t have that pleasant association, I probably wouldn’t want to smell it at all. (for instance, I wouldn’t burn marijuana-flavored or vagina-flavored incense just for the scent) ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/30 "2009-06-04T19:26:20Z")
Other than beer (or other alcohol, I guess), which I truly enjoy the taste of\*…what would be the purpose of using a drug that has no effect? \*I’m assuming smoking tobacco products would or could fall into that category, too, for some. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/31 "2009-06-04T19:50:30Z")
> [@AboutAsWeirdAsYouCanGet](#): > > Ugh to me, it smells like baby puke. I once flushed my brother’s pot down the toilet b/c I couldn’t stand the smell one second longer. Which is exactly how you know it’s not good weed. Good weed smells like flowers. Not sweet exactly, but kind of a woody, tobacco-y, jasmine/honeysuckle scent. I also agree on the tastes good part of pot, as well as good liquor. I’d totally still indulge even if there were no other effects. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/32 "2009-06-04T21:16:25Z")
Probably none. I like the taste of beer and some other drinks, but even the best non-alcoholic beers and virgin mary’s aren’t very interesting to me. I guess maybe I’d smoke if there were no health considerations. An addicted smoker doesn’t smoke to get a buzz, anyway. They do it partly for the hell of it, and after a few hours, to avoid withdrawal. Only a non-addicted person gets buzzed. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/33 "2009-06-04T21:43:07Z")
> [@Jennyrosity](#): > > And if smoking wasn’t bad for me, I’d take it up again in a heartbeat, even without the other effects of the nicotine. It’s the sociability of smoke breaks that I miss, and the chance to get outside for five minutes and clear my head and think about what to do next - I had some of best ideas on my fag breaks. Oh, and it goes so will with a glass of wine and an intense conversation, and it’s so relaxing after a big meal, and goes so well with coffee… > > …Yeah, I miss smoking, why’d you ask? Are you me? _sigh_ 4 years and counting. . . I’ve thought about getting one of those [electronic cigarettes](http://www.smokingeverywhere.com/), but it’s just too expensive for me. ---
**Author:** ![carlotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@carlotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlotta)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/34 "2009-06-04T23:43:30Z")
I am not a big drinker. I often go weeks without a drink and then only one or two max in an evening, I really enjoy the taste of (good) wine and beer. But I wouldn’t bother if I didn’t get a mild buzz, in fact I gave up margaritas even though I like the taste because I stopped being able to get a buzz off them (why would this happen?). I have never drunk caffeinated coffee. I started drinking decaf because I liked the smell and taste. The real stuff gives me the jitters quick. I’d be curious to know if chocolate actually had any drug-like effects (mood-lifting I would guess) that I would notice the absence of. I can’t imagine I would miss such effects enough to lose interest in the wondrous divine taste. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/35 "2009-06-05T02:08:22Z")
I’d definately keep up the fine liquors and coffee. I’ve smelled some pipe tobaccos that I wouldn’t mind finding out if they taste just as good. And with the recommendations for marijuana, I’d try it if legality weren’t an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/36 "2009-06-06T17:51:12Z")
I drink tea/coffee purely for the caffeine,I think that anyone who drinks non alcoholic beer is insane. Its like going down the gym for a couple of hours and not getting the endorphines,weight loss or muscle toning,totally pointless. I don’t think that I really understand the question. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2009, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/37 "2009-06-07T23:46:50Z")
I’d buy myself a ton of Bailey’s. I can’t drink and I LOVES me some Baileys. What I really miss though is caffeine. Diet Pepsi Jazz, Dr. Pepper, etc. (I KNOW there’s caffeine-free Dr. Pepper out there, but it’s impossible to find). I used to be able to able to have some, or a cup of coffee here and there, but anymore just one and I’ll end up having a seizure and blacking out. :mad: Thank god for decaf coffee, at least. (The nice thing is that you can drink coffee any time of day) ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/38 "2009-06-08T00:18:10Z")
> [@TheFaerie](#): > > Which is exactly how you know it’s not good weed. Good weed smells like flowers. Not sweet exactly, but kind of a woody, tobacco-y, jasmine/honeysuckle scent. Maybe if you were getting the same stuff all the time, but such a specific description is like going into detail on what “good soup” tastes like. There are lots of kinds of good soup. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/39 "2009-06-08T16:58:17Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I KNOW there’s caffeine-free Dr. Pepper out there, but it’s impossible to find Diet or regular? I see the former at Wal-Mart all the time. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524/40 "2009-06-08T17:20:49Z")
It would be great to drop some acid, then sit in an armchair with a nice cup of tea and do The Times crossword. Then again, it might be missing the point… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-drugs-would-you-do-if-they-no-longer-had-any-effect/498524.md?page=3)