do you smoke? not cigarettes...hint hint

[junkeR]

My idea of a good gaming session is some green tea w/ honey mixed in. My mom always said I should have become a priest.

[KindGrind]

Green Tea/honey is my gaming tipple, too. Funny you should mention it, because I just had one. Coffee (expresso), no matter the hour, is also something I always consider when in need of something to drink.

Beer is something I reserve for other types of games when I'm not alone, stuff like fighting/music games.

[jonny5]

i reserve green tea and honey for when i am knitting

jk

[junkeR]

i reserve green tea and honey for when i am knitting

jk

Yeah, my ex-gf said I act like I'm 50. I'll probably have a rocking chair very soon.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

I'm not curious enough to try weed.

[chempop]

I raged pretty hard in high school, started smoking, drinking, tripping and got a lot of people into it. The tripping was just a phase but I have so many incredibly hilarious memories with great friends, I don't regret any of it. Year later after a really rough breakup I got into daily Cognac and other Brandy drinking while I had a good income, now I drink maybe once a month if that.

Some people it works for, others not so much. For some time I have been aware of the positive effects that occur in people who expand their mind a little, such as a boost in creativity which is one of the reasons why I got into it as much as I did. Some of my friends I wish never got into it and years later they are stuck in a dead end lifestyle of always searching for the next bag, it saddens me quite a bit.

Now I'm a educator and community leader in my area, teaching art, dance, theater and other creative activities with children of all ages. Despite my drug addictions as a teen, I think I turned out pretty darn good... doesn't my profile pic just scream "let me be responsible for your young child!!!"

[captpain]

Green Tea/honey is my gaming tipple, too. Funny you should mention it, because I just had one. Coffee (expresso), no matter the hour, is also something I always consider when in need of something to drink.

Beer is something I reserve for other types of games when I'm not alone, stuff like fighting/music games.

I drink green tea and various black teas almost nonstop. It's replaced my likely unhealthy coffee consumption, which I really don't miss.

Definitely perfect for games, though. Play a stage, take a few sips when the score's rolling up, then go right back to shmupping.

It helps with studying, it's easy to make...

[Ed Oscuro]

I'm sorry, but I gotta say this:

I thought this was about BJs.

chempop: Something I find interesting is that I do a pretty good impression of creatively batshit insane (not on the Forums, not too often; most of my material here is pretty sad), and I'm pretty much a teetotaler. All I've ever done is secondhand cigarette smoke and the occasional drink - never have gotten more than a slight buzz (and of course there's also the psychosomatic multiplier to consider).

Hey - I guess whatever works to unlock that hidden creative self is good, as long as it doesn't lead to permanent destructive addictions (and even then sometimes it's a good tradeoff as far as society goes, i.e. Burroughs).

[captpain]

Hey - I guess whatever works to unlock that hidden creative self is good, as long as it doesn't lead to permanent destructive addictions (and even then sometimes it's a good tradeoff as far as society goes, i.e. Burroughs).

You'd better be pretty sure that you're world-class before you get addicted to anything to 'benefit society', though

[evil_ash_xero]

OH, I had to edit this, since I didn't understand the question for some odd reason.

Sometimes, yeah. Rarely though.

s/m

[Ed Oscuro]

Hey - I guess whatever works to unlock that hidden creative self is good, as long as it doesn't lead to permanent destructive addictions (and even then sometimes it's a good tradeoff as far as society goes, i.e. Burroughs).

You'd better be pretty sure that you're world-class before you get addicted to anything to 'benefit society', though :lol:

whether tis nobler
in the MIND
to get so stoned you don't know wat race you are
and start breathing outrageous slings and arrows and fortune cookies

[GaijinPunch]

Have you ever heard of delirium tremens? I mean, people have died from alcohol withdrawal. It fucks with your GABA receptors to the point where they don't even work anymore. It's been scientifically documented. Look it up on wikipedia or something, I'm not just making this shit up...

And you can overdose from H20. Obviously there will be changes in your body's behavior when you take something away, but at what level? Seriously, how many drinks a day does it take (and for how long) until your body doesn't function when you quit. As a 9 year smoker, I never once woke up from a sleep and had to have a cigarette, vomited, shook, or anything. Ask a heroin junkie how many times he has. Not saying it can't happen w/ alcohol. Saying it usually doesn't. I've had times in my life when I would've hit the gray zone of 'alcohol dependency' and can boast of the same non-events.

now to hear you recommend it as well has me of the mind to quit this weekend.....
hmmm......ive been meaning to quit for a while.....
thanx for the tips GP...cross your fingers for me

Best of luck dude. Just follow the rules, it will come. Your girlfriend will appreciate it as well. You know, the hardest thing for me to do when I quit? Bars were easy... arcades were a bitch. Virtua Fighter 4 and a pack of cigarettes went hand in hand.

[Zebra Airforce]

I was stoned for about 4 years straight. I decided it's something that should be done rarely. It costs too much for too small of an effect if you are smoking alot.

I don't smoke anymore, can't afford it, and I don't hang out with anyone who smokes these days. I did run into a guy and we smoked a little between classes once, but that's it for the last couple of years.

[bitkid]

alcohol is physically addictive

This I actually don't buy though. Most drugs are not physically addictive... heroin is one of the few. Nicotine is definitely not. Read the book above for the proof.

Alcohol is definitely physically addictive if you drink consistently enough and drink a lot of it at once. Like any drug you build up a tolerance to it. You would have to drink quite a bit each day to get to this point though. I had to go through rehab for another addiction and I saw a lot of people coming off alcohol. You get the shakes, extreme anxiety, sweats, can't sleep...a whole load of nasty symptoms. The most severe symptoms can be convulsions and hallucinations (that's why they call it delirium tremens).

Alcohol increases stimulation of the GABA receptor site in the brain which gives you the central nervous system depression. If you become dependent on alcohol these receptors actually decrease in number which means that when you stop, your brain doesn't regulate a lot of functions properly and goes into irregular firing of the synapses.

[Acid King]

Yeah, alcohol is neurotoxic, it destroys your liver, is physically addictive, amongst a plethora of other things. Weed might fuck with your emotions, but it can't kill you.

All true but statistically speaking, regular consumers of moderate amounts of alcohol live longer and are less prone to certain diseases.

[jonny5]

Green Tea/honey is my gaming tipple, too. Funny you should mention it, because I just had one. Coffee (expresso), no matter the hour, is also something I always consider when in need of something to drink.

Beer is something I reserve for other types of games when I'm not alone, stuff like fighting/music games.

I drink green tea and various black teas almost nonstop. It's replaced my likely unhealthy coffee consumption, which I really don't miss.

Definitely perfect for games, though. Play a stage, take a few sips when the score's rolling up, then go right back to shmupping.

It helps with studying, it's easy to make...

you do realize that black teas and green teas have almost as much caffeine as coffee...even more than coffee if you drink weak coffee

not much of a trade off......although the anti-oxidants in green tea are good for you.....black teas are actually worse for you than coffee

[jonny5]

now to hear you recommend it as well has me of the mind to quit this weekend.....
hmmm......ive been meaning to quit for a while.....
thanx for the tips GP...cross your fingers for me

Best of luck dude. Just follow the rules, it will come. Your girlfriend will appreciate it as well. You know, the hardest thing for me to do when I quit? Bars were easy... arcades were a bitch. Virtua Fighter 4 and a pack of cigarettes went hand in hand.

i dont go to bars......we dont have arcades here anymore....except in my living room or farther than i am willing to travel, so im ok on those fronts....mind you here you cant smoke in either of those places.....

at home isnt bad either cuz i can occupy myself with games and whatnot

work is bad.....everybody at my work smokes so its hard not to when i am at work.....hopefully the book can help me through it......

im like 27 and ive been smoking for like 14 years.... .....ive never really not smoked for my entire adult life and most of my teens.....i dont know what its like to not smoke

[Aquas]

I do smoke weed, fairly regularly lately. Like a bowl a day if I have it. There are noticiable positives and negatives of smoking it for me, but it's just part of the trade off. My problem is that if I have any in my possession, I can't just hold on to it and smoke at my leisure. I like to be stoned all the time. So, because of that I take months off from smoking sometimes, helps to clear the head too if you're doing it so often. Weed makes me feel lazy and unmotivated, but if I've got an RPG to sit down with, count me down for the smokage. I drink below moderation, and I also smoke ciggies (want to quit.)

Other drugs disinterest me because of their drastic effects.

[jonny5]

I do smoke weed, fairly regularly lately. Like a bowl a day if I have it. There are noticiable positives and negatives of smoking it for me, but it's just part of the trade off. My problem is that if I have any in my possession, I can't just hold on to it and smoke at my leisure. I like to be stoned all the time. So, because of that I take months off from smoking sometimes, helps to clear the head too if you're doing it so often. Weed makes me feel lazy and unmotivated, but if I've got an RPG to sit down with, count me down for the smokage. I drink below moderation, and I also smoke ciggies (want to quit.)

Other drugs disinterest me because of their drastic effects.

im the same.....i dont crave weed but if i have it i will smoke it....

seems to be a lot of people here who want to quit smoking cigs.....we should start a thread to help the smokers of shmups forum quit....shoulders to lean on and all that

[moozooh]

I tried weed a few dozen times, but it doesn't really work for me. It becomes easier for me to laugh at various things, but I've successfully triggered this state without the use of any external substances in the past, so it's a moot point. The last couple times I did was a show initiated by my friends in order to demonstrate them that I can smoke a dose enough to knock out pretty much everyone they knew, and still remain mentally sober. (Not so much on the physical side, though, since my whole body was shaking like there was no tomorrow. Not anything pleasant. :\ )

I also tried a good number of other substances, mostly psychedelics and dissociatives. Had a mandatory bad trip on LSD (managed a useful self-therapy right there) and lots of fun with Salvia Divinorum, among other things. All was for a good purpose, and I'm not regretting any of it.

The funniest thing is that I don't smoke cigs, barely ever drink alcohol, rarely drink coffee or tea. If I take any other drug, it happens roughly 2-4 times per year, irregularly, and I'm not actively pursuing the opportunity even though I can afford it. Besides, salvia is pretty much the only drug I plan on returning to some day, just because it's such mad, completely hysterical fun both to take and watch others taking.

DXM is dextromethorphan, it's a dissociative hallucinogenic like Ketamine or PCP, and it's also the active ingrediant in cough syrup.

Haha, there aren't many things that can forcibly make you notice how you love being sober as effectively as a relatively high (but not yet dangerously high) dosage of this shit.

Special features include:
• not being able to move;
• not being able to feel;
• not being able to remember who you are;
• effect duration of up to 24 hours.

The first thought that comes drilling into your mind after you come back to all of your senses is that you're finally normal again, and that you don't want to repeat this or anything close to this (unlike the most common type of weed experiences). :D

[D]

Hey get this!
In the Netherlands, you can't smoke in any inside public place anywhere, not in disco's, not in cafe's unless they have a special smokers section.
But, but, but, guess what.....
In coffeeshops (where you buy weed legally) IT is allowed to smoke weed, just as long as it has not been mixed with tabacco.

This is where I live, The Netherlands!
Back to you Jonny

[jonny5]

you are from almere, eh?

quite close to amsterdam....lucky guy

do they have 'coffee' shops outside amsterdam proper or is it all over there?

definitely want to visit someday.....japan is first tho

[kernow]

I smoked herb for a long time, 15years maybe, but only the last 10 or so of that I was caning around 10 bongs a day, I've given up now for six months and don't really want to touch it again, but not for the social aspect, I generally still hate people regardless.

Small talk is far more damaging to your brain than any drug.

[D]

you are from almere, eh?
quite close to amsterdam....lucky guy
do they have 'coffee' shops outside amsterdam proper or is it all over there?
definitely want to visit someday.....japan is first tho

Coffeeshops are everywhere in the Netherlands. The bigger the city, the more shops there are per square mile. Well, Amsterdam is one messed up town. There are so many road contruction project going on at the same time. And on each you got 2 or 3 people working, it's taking years and years! That's my biggest gripe with Amsterdam
In Almere there 1 or maybe 2 shops. Yet it is the 5th largest city in the Netherlands, so damn, there goes my theory about the percentage of coffeeshops. I would say that theory still goes, Almere excluded.
I work in Amsterdam, so I'm here all the time. After work too.

[Acid King]

The only unfortunate thing about the Netherlands is the fairly recent ban on mushrooms.

[moozooh]

…Except in special teashops, where you buy mushrooms legally, and are allowed to consume them as long as they aren't mixed with vegetables.

[D]

…Except in special teashops, where you buy mushrooms legally, and are allowed to consume them as long as they aren't mixed with vegetables.

I award this with 2 smilies



Actually, I had no idea mushrooms were banned, damn!

[GaijinPunch]

Alcohol is definitely physically addictive if you drink consistently enough and drink a lot of it at once. Like any drug you build up a tolerance to it.

Tolerance has dick to do w/ physical addiction though. I had a huge tolerance to tobacco and it's not physically addictive. Here's the addiction test.

-Find addict
-See if he can sleep for several hours straight w/o needing a dose of whatever he's totally addicted to.
-If he can, he's not *physically* addicted.

Clearly his body is function fine w/o said product. I'm sure on some level somewhere there's some physically addictive properties of alcohol, and somewhere someone's body might shutdown without it. I'm going to go out on a very sturdy limb and say it's rare.

You get the shakes, extreme anxiety, sweats, can't sleep...a whole load of nasty symptoms. The most severe symptoms can be convulsions and hallucinations (that's why they call it delirium tremens).

I would like to know how much they were drinking, and what other gear they were getting off of.

Alcohol increases stimulation of the GABA receptor site in the brain which gives you the central nervous system depression. If you become dependent on alcohol these receptors actually decrease in number which means that when you stop, your brain doesn't regulate a lot of functions properly and goes into irregular firing of the synapses.

Ecstacy makes you high as fuck and then depressed as balls a few days later (by a similar notion, by creating too much Seratonin or one of those fucking natural opiates). I ate heaps of these through my 20's and never jonesed for one (even though I had some bad Monday thru Wednesdays). Impossible? Of course not? Just rare. Mind over matter comes to... uh... mind.

[Ozymandiaz1260]

Alcohol addiction and withdrawal is a lot different than with other substances. And it does take a long time, like a decade of daily drinking. As has already been stated, it fucks with your GABA receptor site which can induce life threatening seizures. It also changes the way that your liver deals with alcohol, meaning instead of filtering it like it would normally it actually changes it to something different. It really isn't worth arguing about, and you're right, it is really really rare, and I honestly have no clue how some people can get so far gone. If you're interested in knowing about it, just look it up on wikipedia or something.

Also, Serotonin is a monoamine neurotransmitter, not an opiate, and I never get depressed after MDMA use, I actually usually get this happy afterglow for the few days following. Everyone's body is unique, and reacts differently to different chemicals.

[jonny5]

MDMA.....god.....its alright as far as chems go but it leads to VERY long nights sitting up talking about nonsense in my experience.....

and lots of 'wanna do one more rail?' talk.....not to mention the 'wheres the chix at' comments.....lolz