# What would you do/not do if there wasn't risk involved? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 18, 2008, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265 "2008-11-18T09:24:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/1 "2008-11-18T09:24:04Z")
I wouldn’t drink more because I only like to drink when I’m in the mood for it anyway. I wouldn’t smoke because even without fear of cancer, it’s just nasty. Maybe I would try an occasional cigar because the smell doesn’t bother me, at least not outside. I wouldn’t do dangerous things more often than I already do. The main obstacle to bungy jumping / skydiving / ultralight flying more often is just monetary. I would probably be a lot sluttier tho. I wouldn’t cheat or want an open relationship, but if I was single and not worried about STDs I’d probably hook up a lot more often and try some pervier things like orgies. ---
**Author:** ![Tenar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@Tenar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenar)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/2 "2008-11-18T09:38:45Z")
You already touched on one of mine. If there were no risk (and, consequently, no fear), I would love to skydive. I would also go swimming CONSTANTLY. (Without going into details, I have a condition which makes it unwise for me to swim anymore. I dream about swimming all the time, both asleep and in waking.) Driving at extreme speeds would be fun, too, assuming that there were no legal risks as well as no health risks for me or anyone else. I would tell a LOT of people who call me at work to ask incredibly stupid questions where they could go with their B.S. and their sense of entitlement. (I wouldn’t be mean to everyone. Just the ones who deserve it. I promise! I actually \*LIKE \*helping people, most of the time.) If the “no risk” policy includes emotional risks, hoo BOY would I do things, including finding some excuse to sing in public. I love singing, but I’m (ordinarily) afraid of sounding like that poor, crazy “American Idol” aspirant who killed herself the other day (without the “fashion sense” or the obsession with Paula Abdul, I hasten to add). ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/3 "2008-11-18T10:14:10Z")
I would start smoking again. I’d probably try heroin and some other hard drugs as well. Drive really fast (as long as the “no risk” includes no risk to other people). Eat and eat and eat until I was finally full. > [@Tenar](#): > > If the “no risk” policy includes emotional risks, hoo BOY would I do things, including finding some excuse to sing in public. I love singing, but I’m (ordinarily) afraid of sounding like that poor, crazy “American Idol” aspirant who killed herself the other day (without the “fashion sense” or the obsession with Paula Abdul, I hasten to add). Ooh, good add! Yes, singing in public would be way up there for me, too. It’s not that I have a bad voice, I actually have (or had) quite a good voice, but I’m so nervous about it that I screw it up or can’t find a key. If I could just relax, I’d be fine. Also, if we remove emotional risk, I’d hit on a lot more people, and accept the offers of a lot more people. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/4 "2008-11-18T10:36:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I’d probably try heroin and some other hard drugs as well. …and be a drug dealer. It could be fun. Deep-space travel. Also, explore the Sun’s as well as our other neighboring planets. Skydiving. (I’ve gotten lucky once so far) Crash test dummy. Dive down into the abyss. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2008, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/5 "2008-11-18T10:52:43Z")
Bye bye, condoms! Forever! I would also use cocaine occasionally, like I did four years ago, if it weren’t a bit unwise for my particular heart-health situation. Of all of the drugs I’ve dabbled in, la coca is the one I miss the most. If there weren’t a risk of addiction and other long-term health consequences (and I had more money), I would do coke a lot more than that. I would definitely do heroin again, too, if there were no risk of addiction and if there weren’t so many potentially dangerous impurities. Some people have suffered serious brain damage from an impurity in street heroin that’s activated by heat, which makes smoking it (my preferred method from the past) an option. I can’t say I would do it on any regular basis, though; it’s just not wise to taste ambrosia that often. I suspect it would make everything else just seem unimportant if you got carried away with it. (Not to be construed as an endorsement of same.) I would also dive and drive off cliffs if it didn’t involve death or dismemberment at the end. It seems like fun. > [@Tenar](#): > > I love singing, but I’m (ordinarily) afraid of sounding like that poor, crazy “American Idol” aspirant who killed herself the other day :eek: I have not heard about this. Reality TV obsession has gone too far in this country. I call for an immediate, sweeping ban. Somebody call the President-Elect on the red phone! > [@EpicNonsense](#): > > …and be a drug dealer. It could be fun. I did it in my dumber days, and stopped because of the constant nightmares about getting pulled over, being ratted out, my home getting raided, etc. If there were no risk involved, I would probably grow and sell; it _is_ fun and I loved sharing my favorite strains with people. Of course, I could legally grow pot now and sell it to dispensaries, since I have a legitimate prescription, but it’s not really practical for a number of reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/6 "2008-11-18T12:52:47Z")
Invest in the stock market. 😃 Chat up women/ask them out. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/7 "2008-11-18T14:22:39Z")
In no particular order: Bicycling Skydiving Skiing SCUBA diving Deep sea submersibles Piloting light aircraft and helicopters Driving really fast cars Eating all kinds of unheathy/unsanitary foods Start drinking regular coffee again (not decaf) Install a beer keg and tap in my office, get drunk at noon on workdays. Tell my employer that the majority of the executives and most of the people in IT, HR, and Legal are overpaid and clueless and we would be doing the shareholders a favor by firing them. Quit my job, move somewhere good, max out my credit cards, and try out one of my crazy business ideas. Tell everybody in Oklahoma that I hate their attitudes and culture and I’m only here to take their money. Tell my brother that ‘The Forum’ is a scam for stupid people that has actually made him unhappier. And that his wife and kids are much more deserving of the money he gives those shysters. Make mortgages to people who can’t afford them, then sell the worthless paper to banks. Take the profit and get out before the whole sham collapses, leaving the banks and borrowers to clean up the mess. Wait, there really wasn’t any risk in that. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/8 "2008-11-18T14:50:25Z")
Ride an insanely powerful motorbike everywhere, at insane speeds. I’ve always loved speed and bikes, but have stayed away from motorbikes (at least since I was a teen) because I’m a klutz and it would be a question of when, not if, I would have a serious accident if I let myself ride one. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/9 "2008-11-18T15:04:25Z")
Drive really really fast. Visit a lot of places in the world that are currently not on my must-see list because of security or health concerns. Keep living my quiet, lazy life, and probably eat more butter. (Because you’ve taken away the associated risk of early death from heart disease!!) ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/10 "2008-11-18T15:08:43Z")
Skateboard and try all the really fun-looking tricks I’ve seen other skaters do. Parkour. Gamble in Vegas. Box. Experiment with hallucinogens. Find Osama bin Laden. ---
**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:** [November 18, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/11 "2008-11-18T16:17:07Z")
Visit all those malaria areas I currently avoid. ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/12 "2008-11-18T18:07:17Z")
I’d sleep with a ton of people. At the drop of a freakin’ hat. I’d take up cat burglary as a hobby. Heavy cream and butter in EVERYTHING. I wouldn’t drink more or smoke at all. No drugs either. I still wouldn’t want to skydive or drive crazily. ---
**Author:** ![Gwyen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/858c86/32.png) [@Gwyen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gwyen)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/13 "2008-11-18T18:17:58Z")
> [@Furious\_Marmot](#): > > In no particular order: > Bicycling > . I never would have thought of this to be that risky really, not like skydiving or heroin. Am I missing something Personally I would swim with the sharks, sans protection. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/14 "2008-11-18T18:21:35Z")
1. go to a place where hundreds of horny people swarm naked, fuck anyone willing on a whim. Test out dozens of pussies, mouths and asses with my bare dong. ---
**Author:** ![Sonnenstrahl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Sonnenstrahl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonnenstrahl)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/15 "2008-11-18T18:23:23Z")
If that includes the “risk” of getting obese, I would eat tons more sweets. I have a huge sweet tooth. But if it only included the health risks that accompany obesity, I still wouldn’t. I’m too vain. I would also never return my library books on time. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/16 "2008-11-18T19:26:59Z")
I’ve done a whole lot of risky/stupid things already but I’d like to take a cruise down the Nile all by myself. I’d also eat chocolate and cookies every day. I’d probably try heroin too because even in my druggiest youth I would never stick a needle in myself. For me that was the line between having fun and being a junkie. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/17 "2008-11-18T19:33:36Z")
I would rob several banks to fund my new hobby of touring all the most dangerous places of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/18 "2008-11-18T19:40:45Z")
Eat a lot more, if I knew I wouldn’t gain weight or clog my arteries. If I were single, do a lot more dating and have a lot more sex than I ever did in the early dark days of AIDS. But now I’m happily married, so no behavior change there. Try some hard drugs I never did but often wondered about. Heroin, LSD, etc. Get a badass Corvette and hit the open road. Skydiving. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/19 "2008-11-18T19:48:24Z")
Marijuana. I’d probably smoke weed instead of drink, if it were legal. ---
**Author:** ![Furious\_Marmot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dfb087/32.png) [@Furious\_Marmot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Furious_Marmot)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265/20 "2008-11-18T19:52:11Z")
> [@Gwyen](#): > > I never would have thought of this to be that risky really, not like skydiving or heroin. Am I missing something You’ve never seen me on a bicycle. After the last near death experience, I swore I would not use one of the infernal things anywhere except a wide open field ever again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-not-do-if-there-wasnt-risk-involved/473265.md?page=2)