Drugs in poker

[Claw75]

 Is Claw's addiction physical, or mental ?  Does it matter ?

the caffeine thing is definitely physical.  I first noticed it after I'd run out of diet coke and didn't get out to buy any more - didn't feel a need to as I didn't realise until I wasn't drinking it the effect that not having it would take.  In fact it took me a while to realise that the reason I was so restless and irritable was because I hadn't had any diet coke in a bit.  Scary stuff really.

[ShatnerPants]

Is it true that until recently, getting caught supplying grass was a couple of years inside.  Supplying heroine is 10 - 15 years.  But now they've changed the law so that supplying grass gets the same stretch ?

If so that seems really, really stupid to me.

Why?

Well, from what I've read here and elsewhere over the last few days, and talking to people over the last few months, I've come to the conclusion that there seems to be several different levels of illegal drugs ( for those with more knowledge feel free to correct me here )

There's cannabis , coke, and hard drugs.  All are more rife than I used to suspect.  To the point that it's as cheap ( if not cheaper ) to get out of your head for a weekend on grass than it is on alcohol.  And many people believe that grass is no worse than booze.

But most agree that hard drugs are.

And coke is somewhere in the middle.

Now, if someone wants a smoke, and goes to a specialist dealer then they will be supplied with grass.  The dealer wont have the harder stuff, because the penalties for getting caught with it are 5 times as bad.  So the smoker doesn't come into contact with the harder stuff, unless they go looking for it.

Now if the punishment for carrying a supply of grass ( which is comparatively bulky ) is the same as carrying morphine pills  etc ( which take up very little spce ) are the same, what is to stop your grass supplier diversifying into harder stuff ?  So as well as offering you an 1/8 of bud, you can now have something a darn sight tougher at the same time.

I'm assuming that even drug dealers have an aversion to a 15 year jail term, whereas many might think 2 years ( with 1 off for good behaviour ) is an occupational hazard.

So my logic says, by giving the dealers a chance to specialise, we are protecting the users, even if only from themselves.

[ShatnerPants]

 Is Claw's addiction physical, or mental ?  Does it matter ?

the caffeine thing is definitely physical.  I first noticed it after I'd run out of diet coke and didn't get out to buy any more - didn't feel a need to as I didn't realise until I wasn't drinking it the effect that not having it would take.  In fact it took me a while to realise that the reason I was so restless and irritable was because I hadn't had any diet coke in a bit.  Scary stuff really.

But are you likely to cut down, and wean yourself off it ?

Or cut it out completely ?

Or just carry on taking it, just making sure you keep your 'supplies' up ?

[boldie]

 Is Claw's addiction physical, or mental ?  Does it matter ?

the caffeine thing is definitely physical.  I first noticed it after I'd run out of diet coke and didn't get out to buy any more - didn't feel a need to as I didn't realise until I wasn't drinking it the effect that not having it would take.  In fact it took me a while to realise that the reason I was so restless and irritable was because I hadn't had any diet coke in a bit.  Scary stuff really.

But are you likely to cut down, and wean yourself off it ?

Or cut it out completely ?

Or just carry on taking it, just making sure you keep your 'supplies' up ?

Diet Coke is the devil's drink. jyst drink normal coke, it's less bad for you than the diet stuff.

i cut out coffee ages ago. When I used to work at IBM I could drink 10 cups a day easy. But when I had a day off I hardly touched it and used to get enormous headaches in the evening. they would only stop when i had another coffee. I only drink tea on a daily bases these days. Contrary to an urban myth a cup of tea does not nearly have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee does.

Caffeine is a bugger of a "drug" really, but you don't find that out until you stop taking regular quantities of it.

P.s. excellent post to the one you made above. 

[Jon MW]

...Contrary to an urban myth a cup of tea does not nearly have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee does.
...

A cup of tea can have nearly as much caffeine as a cup of cheap instant coffee, that's where the myth came from.

But if you're drinking cheap instant coffee then you don't deserve any sympathy for your lack of caffeine.

[boldie]

...Contrary to an urban myth a cup of tea does not nearly have as much caffeine as a cup of coffee does.
...

A cup of tea can have nearly as much caffeine as a cup of cheap instant coffee, that's where the myth came from.

But if you're drinking cheap instant coffee then you don't deserve any sympathy for your lack of caffeine.

Instant coffee is evil...even the expensive kind...but yeah if you're drinking Tesco Value instant coffee you deserve all the head aches you'll get....(then again, you'll probably be too drunk from cheap cider and distracted by the Jeremy Kyle show to notice any lack of caffeine.

[Claw75]

 Is Claw's addiction physical, or mental ?  Does it matter ?

the caffeine thing is definitely physical.  I first noticed it after I'd run out of diet coke and didn't get out to buy any more - didn't feel a need to as I didn't realise until I wasn't drinking it the effect that not having it would take.  In fact it took me a while to realise that the reason I was so restless and irritable was because I hadn't had any diet coke in a bit.  Scary stuff really.

But are you likely to cut down, and wean yourself off it ?

Or cut it out completely ?

Or just carry on taking it, just making sure you keep your 'supplies' up ?

the last one

I used to drink regular coke Boldie - too much of it.  Landed me in hospital with a nasty kidney infection when I was younger though

[ShatnerPants]

 Is Claw's addiction physical, or mental ?  Does it matter ?

the caffeine thing is definitely physical.  I first noticed it after I'd run out of diet coke and didn't get out to buy any more - didn't feel a need to as I didn't realise until I wasn't drinking it the effect that not having it would take.  In fact it took me a while to realise that the reason I was so restless and irritable was because I hadn't had any diet coke in a bit.  Scary stuff really.

But are you likely to cut down, and wean yourself off it ?

Or cut it out completely ?

Or just carry on taking it, just making sure you keep your 'supplies' up ?

the last one

I used to drink regular coke Boldie - too much of it.  Landed me in hospital with a nasty kidney infection when I was younger though

Top notch !!

( Not the kidney infection, obviously.  )

[boldie]

 Is Claw's addiction physical, or mental ?  Does it matter ?

the caffeine thing is definitely physical.  I first noticed it after I'd run out of diet coke and didn't get out to buy any more - didn't feel a need to as I didn't realise until I wasn't drinking it the effect that not having it would take.  In fact it took me a while to realise that the reason I was so restless and irritable was because I hadn't had any diet coke in a bit.  Scary stuff really.

But are you likely to cut down, and wean yourself off it ?

Or cut it out completely ?

Or just carry on taking it, just making sure you keep your 'supplies' up ?

the last one

I used to drink regular coke Boldie - too much of it.  Landed me in hospital with a nasty kidney infection when I was younger though

Diet coke really is just as bad (actually worse)

[WYSINWYG]

 Is Claw's addiction physical, or mental ?  Does it matter ?

the caffeine thing is definitely physical.  I first noticed it after I'd run out of diet coke and didn't get out to buy any more - didn't feel a need to as I didn't realise until I wasn't drinking it the effect that not having it would take.  In fact it took me a while to realise that the reason I was so restless and irritable was because I hadn't had any diet coke in a bit.  Scary stuff really.

But are you likely to cut down, and wean yourself off it ?

Or cut it out completely ?

Or just carry on taking it, just making sure you keep your 'supplies' up ?

the last one

I used to drink regular coke Boldie - too much of it.  Landed me in hospital with a nasty kidney infection when I was younger though

Diet coke really is just as bad (actually worse)

Regular coke much better for your performance, if you're learning something.

[PocketLady]

I think youre showing your age a wee bit pocketlady.I couldnt care less if people use drugs but to say governement tells us alcohol is ok isnt correct.Common sense tells us what would happen if they banned alcohol  ,they can't ,its too late.Alcohol is a big problem to the governement with money spent on the nhs and police but not as bigger problem as drugs.Drugs are not legal and your friendly drug dealer dosn't really know what hes selling you.So one week youll get one thing and another something else.Thats where most od's come from the strenth changing and substance and the user not knowing. They would like to ban alcohol so how could they now make drugs legal?Drugs are far more dangerous.In most cases if you drink to much you end up in bed with the hebejebies.Many drugs you take too much of you dont live to tell the tale.

If you read what I said carefully you will see that I was referring the public perspective on alcohol and drugs.  I'm sure the government doesn't think alcohol is okay but that is the message they send to people when they tell you that that alcohol is legal and other drugs are not.  Also, like I said before, if you drink too much water you won't live to tell the tale, and that's true.  Too much of anything will kill you.  I'm not saying that either alcohol or drugs are good in some circumstances, I'm merely stating that some drugs are preferable to alcohol if you had to choose between them.  Go read my post about the list that was done by a large group of scientists about which drugs are the most dangerous before you start insisting that all drugs are dangerous.  This list was written by people much better informed than either you or I.

Drugs are not legal and your friendly drug dealer dosn't really know what hes selling you

And this bit I pick out in particular because it is one of reasons I think some drugs should be legalised.  It'll probably never happen, but if it did then it would put a stop to people not knowing what they are buying, because we would all be able to pop merrily down to the well monitoried and regulated dope shop.

[PocketLady]

I don't get - what on earth makes folks want to do it?

-They find life boring
-They are trying to block out unpleasant feelings/memories
-Peer pressure
-Once they start, they're addicted

Again as many people have said before it's the same as asking why do people drink alcohol?  They drink it to make them feel good and give them confidence, for the most part.  Drugs make you feel good, and quite often without the nasty hangover that alcohol brings.  Obviously a lot of people might say "Well if you are happy with your life then you shouldn't need to use drugs to make you feel good."  Whilst it's true that unhappy people are most likely to become alcoholics or drug addicts, for many people drugs are an experience.  A friend of mine once told me about something called Saliva which is a legal drug originating from Mexico (I think) which Shamans used to use to obtain a higher level of consciousness.  Two of my friends tried it once at home.  One of them was convinced that they were actually a floorboard, and the other fell in love with a giant Winne The Pooh which was behind the sofa.  All safe experiences but an experience that you are never going to be able to have otherwise (although not an experience everyone will want to have I'm sure...), and I think the whole point of life is to experience as much as you can while you're here.  The problem is when the addiction comes along.

Like I said previously, the worst drug I have ever done is smoked weed, nothing that serious.  I remember one night I had been at one of my local casinos playing a comp when a few of us decide we were going to go back to one of our friends house to carry on the night with some more poker and booze etc.  It just so happened that this guy was a drug dealer, mainly in the form of growing and selling weed.  So we went to his house and he produced this huge box full of weed, never seen anything like it before, and just basically said help yourselves.  As the night went on some coke was produced from somewhere, and my boyfriend of the time asked me if I wanted some.  Although personally I think I would like to experience some of these narcotics in my life, I'm fully aware that I get addicted to stuff extremely easily.  I smoke and play poker for starters!  So I declined on the basis that if I liked it, I know it could easily turn into a habit and I'm not ever going to let that happen. 

I can understand the people who hate drugs and alcohol, are tee total, and want them both to be banned.  But I cannot understand the people who think drinking is ok - and smashing up windows and people's faces, and threatening people and throwing up, and killing people in drink driving accidents - but that cannabis (and others) is not ok.  And in my opinion this all comes from the fact that the governement tells us alcohol is ok (because it's legal) and that drugs are not.  Drugs are bad and we all have that drilled into us from when we are old enough to go to school.  They tell us about the extreme cases, kids dying from taking one E, coke addicts becoming prostitutes, people getting HIV from sharing needles, Amy Winehouse, and this becomes the public perspective on drugs.  But if anyone cared to actually think about it for themselves for a while and considered the possibility that the government isn't always right, then their perspective might change somewhat when they see that for the most part drugs aren't actually like that at all.  For example I asked a friend (completely tee total, anti drugs, anti everything) last night if they would rather be sat next to a drunk person or a person on drugs in a poker game.  They immediately said "Drunk" as a reflex, but once they'd thought about it said "Oh actually I'm not too sure." 


I think youre showing your age a wee bit pocketlady.I couldnt care less if people use drugs but to say governement tells us alcohol is ok isnt correct.Common sense tells us what would happen if they banned alcohol  ,they can't ,its too late.Alcohol is a big problem to the governement with money spent on the nhs and police but not as bigger problem as drugs.Drugs are not legal and your friendly drug dealer dosn't really know what hes selling you.So one week youll get one thing and another something else.Thats where most od's come from the strenth changing and substance and the user not knowing. They would like to ban alcohol so how could they now make drugs legal?Drugs are far more dangerous.In most cases if you drink to much you end up in bed with the hebejebies.Many drugs you take too much of you dont live to tell the tale.

I would be hiding now, if i were you lol

Lol, I did my best to ignore the age comment in an attempt to show how mature I am obviously

[s.tahcker]

What i mean by age is you wouldnt remeber Prohibition.Please expand if there is something else you would like to say.)

[s.tahcker]

And this bit I pick out in particular because it is one of reasons I think some drugs should be legalised.  It'll probably never happen, but if it did then it would put a stop to people not knowing what they are buying, because we would all be able to pop merrily down to the well monitoried and regulated dope shop.
[/quote]

Last point.Even if you do know what you are talking many people dont know when to stop.Like i said with booze ,in most cases, youre sick and the body can just about handle it.With class A drugs you die....

[gatso]

What i mean by age is you wouldnt remeber Prohibition.Please expand if there is something else you would like to say.)

good point. she wasn't alive in 1920s america.