Are You On Drugs?

[Dan Gould]

38, and aside from the gut, quite healthy. 

...

Of course, if I got rid of the weight, maybe I could keep that day from coming for a bit longer?

Sorry... but no. You have two good years left. Enjoy them. After that, bit by bit, it all falls apart. You'll also get uglier. Go ahead, look in the mirror. Tomorrow you'll look worse. Anyone find that they're getting better looking as they age? Anyone? Show of hands? Didn't think so.

ON THE EDIT: Birthday: 14 September 1965 -- Make that less than two years.

I'm sorry.

You mean I have no hope of looking like Sean Connery or John Forsyth?

[Jazzmoose]

I was a major pot fiend until about 14 months ago, when I quit cold-turkey. It got to the point that I had to smoke dope before doing anything. I went thru an 1/8 every 5-6 days. I've always admired those who could do it in moderation. It ain't me, babe!

I hear you brother, that was me until about ten years ago. "An eighth a week is all I ask"; I'd already left the meth, 'shrooms and 'cid behind as relics of my youth, but the reefer was hard to give up. Now I don't use any recreational drugs. Drink decaf even. Quit smoking cigs about five and a half years ago.

Now the bad side: I'm badly overweight, and I have finally been given a wake up call at 46: high blood pressure. My cholesterol is actually low, which annoys my other half (more eggs, dear; back off!), but the blood pressure is going to be a problem. The doctor says I need to lose at least fifty pounds. So, I've actually started excercising more. I already rode a bike and/or walked everywhere, I've now started lifting for the first time in twenty years (and I'm still amazed at the difference 20 years makes!!) three times a week. The weight is going down, but too slowly; I need to face up to the fact that even the metabolism boost the lifting gives me, I'm going to have to alter my diet. Of course, the thing that sucks there is that I'm old enough to know that a "diet" isn't something to "go on" and then "get off"; it's for life.

I see other people my age, and it seems to be a mix. Some are doing great, and some are starting to just give up, unsnap their pants in the evening and turn into sludge while waiting for death. Me, I'm not ready yet...

Edited to answer the damned question: Claritin and Paxil CR, if you must know...

Edited June 23, 2004 by Jazzmoose

[Uncle Skid]

This has got to be the most simultaneously depressing and uplifting thread ever!

At 38, I could stand to lose a few pounds, exercise more, and drink less. However, the peak being long gone is something I'm reluctant to believe.

[chris olivarez]

At one time the only drug I didn't do was Heroin. Everything else was fair game.Now its pretty much all in the past. The last thing to go was pot and I haven't done it for several years and I really don't miss it. I drink occasionally but thats pretty much it.

[Soulstation1]

i can't believe i'm writing this

my private drug stats

i LOVE weed.

i am a wake and bake person.

i smoke WAAAAAAYYYYYYY TOOOOOOOOOO MUUUUUUUCH.

1/2 ounce a week, if i gots it i smokes it.

my sis says i smoke too much, no shit!!!!!!!

she says i'm "a hype", like on friday, Smoke Dawwg, baby!!!!

no coke or other drugs since 1988.

tried acid twice and mushrooms about 5 times

i likes the 'shrooms with oj

never did anything with a needle

drug/alcohol abuse runs in my family, everyone and i mean everyone has done one or the other.

my dad still smokes weed at 57 and we hear he's smoking other shit too

i haven't talked to his ass since 1986

grandfather was a raging alcoholic and a straight out racist.

he hates black folks, so he never saw my sis and me, until his funeral

my uncle liked crack so much his dealers burned his damn house down to the ground.

then, what did the idiot do with the insurance $$$$$$, smoke it up. my uncle is a loser. he did over $100,000 in drugs in less than 10 years

all my cousins smoke weed and the other shit

my cousin died drinking and driving, probably was also high on weed

ss1

Edited June 23, 2004 by Soulstation1

[Soulstation1]

ps

i failed one drug test and lost my job, about 4/5 years ago at coca-cola.

ss1

[wesbed]

i failed one drug test and lost my job, about 4/5 years ago at coca-cola.

Damn, man!

People tell me I'd enjoy pot (because of my dynamic personality? ). All I've done in my lifetime is alcohol. Even then, I usually prefer the 'good' stuff. However, tonight I'm drinking a cheap Light. 'You' know I've got Coors Light in my fridge.

I've never even tried smoking a tabacco cigarette. Sheesh.

[Soulstation1]

i failed one drug test and lost my job, about 4/5 years ago at coca-cola.

I've never even tried smoking a tabacco cigarette. Sheesh

when you told me that afew months ago, i figured you never smoked weed

Edited June 23, 2004 by Soulstation1

[Jazzmoose]

ps

i failed one drug test and lost my job, about 4/5 years ago at coca-cola.

ss1

That makes a lot of sense...after all, everyone knows that Coca Cola is much better for you than pot. Who needs teeth anyway?

[wesbed]

That makes a lot of sense...after all, everyone knows that Coca Cola is much better for you than pot.  Who needs teeth anyway?

I visited an old friend of mine last February. He lives in a small town in the northeast corner of Missouri, close to the Iowa border. I was constantly surprised how people in his area seem to have no freaking teeth. Like, where did their goddamned teeth go? Most of the folks in Tucson, where I live, from what I observe, have teeth. Is there something in the Missouri water, too many drugs, too much Coca-Cola, or what?

Yeah, I saw dentist offices in the small towns of Missouri. I'd say that being a dentist in that area would produce a very tight profit margin. Damn. Probably not a good business venture to undertake.

We ate in a local Mom & Pop where I observed a woman, mid thirties, enjoying fried chicken without a single tooth. She was showing a friend how to gnaw the chicken off the bone, in just the right way, so as not to tear her gums.

[Brandon Burke]

This has turned into a really intesting thread. Wow...!

I don't have any cool dirt. I did some psychedelics in the very-early 90's and can count on one hand the total number of times. Never did coke or anything of that ilk. That shit creeps me out. Last time I did a psychedelic was over ten years ago (and I'm 30). That was enough. Never had a bad time, I got what I needed to get out of it, and I prefered to keep it that way.

I haven't been able to smoke grass in ages either. Makes me too self-conscious. It's a *special occasion* thing for me anymore and almost always involves either playing or listening to music. On the rare occasion that I smoke grass in a social situation, it invariably involves me thinking of a sound in my head and really wishing I was near a tape recorder so I could get it down on tape.

Pot is an aural stimulant for me. Period. It has nothing to do with "just hanging out". My ears and brain are too sensitive to even the slightest sound. For example, in pre-school I used to listen for patterns when my mother had the dryer on: ba-doo-ba-dunk, ba-doo-ba-dunk, ba-doo-doo-ba-dunk, ba-doo-ba-dunk, etc. Sure, it means I'm no fun when I'm high but I wouldn't give that up for a million dollars. And I think it makes me a better musician, despite my lack of formal training. On the other hand, it also makes me too sensitive to just "chill out" when I'm high. I pay too close attention to things. So I don't really do it anymore.

[Saxophone__Vagina]

cool to see that other members don't have a problem with marijuana, i was pretty skeptical about the response my post would get, but nothing bad happened

Edited June 23, 2004 by Saxophone__Vagina

[jazzypaul]

Strangely, I never really got into weed. Would smoke it if it was around, would buy it occasionally, if the time was right, but never really made a habit of it. Psychedelics, on the other hand, were a completely different story. My girlfriend in high school was known as the acid queen of DuPage County, and I was her guinea pig of sorts when new shipments would come in. After 2 years of that, my brain kind of melted after a bad trip, and I went into a serious depression for about a year. So, no more of that. Or so I said. When the Three Blind Mice were playing often, there was one guy that would always come to our shows and give us shrooms after our sets. One of those nights, we ended up at a casino, and somehow, I won $275 at a blackjack table while tripping balls. That's a night that will not be soon forgotten.

As for other stuff, I was an alcoholic through most of my early 20's. Went to AA, and realized that the thought of having to be around these sad sacks all the time was enough to keep me sober. And it has been. Now I can drink socially and keep a lid on it. Of course, I do have a weakness for Patron that gets me into trouble quite often, but we won't talk about that.

[Joe G]

Loved weed the first year I smoked it (especially listening to music), but it quickly lost its luster after that. I never touch the stuff now.

~

About one's declining years, my dad is 57 and is in incredible shape. He works pretty hard at it though. He bikes, rows, lifts weights, and does a lot of cross-country skiing in the winter. His strength and stamina just kills me when I go out riding or skiing with him. Makes me glad to see him taking good care of himself, as I want him around as long as possible.

Funny how we know that exercising and eating right makes us feel great, but still we seem to always have to make ourselves do it. So easy to backslide.

[SEK]

On Monday, I got the results of the M.R.I I had last Saturday to monitor my periodically recurring brain cancer (first diagnosed in 1991, with four craniotomies [and a course of radiation] since then): There's been no change since my last scan six months ago! Now I hope that I can relax for a few months.

My last surgery was almost two years ago. I'm considered verrry lucky, having lived eleven years longer than my initial prognosis. That last surgery left me with some weakness on my right side, but it usually doesn't keep me from doing what I need to do and would not often be noticeable to the casual obsever.

Otherwise, I'm okay, all things considered, and I've been told that I look younger than most guys my age (50), fwiw -_- .

I have taken anti-seizure medications since 1987, first Dilantin and Depakote, and now just Keppra. I had to stop most "gainful employment" in 1988 (I had taught computer science full time at a local community college before then). I had to stop driving about four years ago.

I try to do my part around the house by doing most of the cooking, some home repairs (but no ladders), and some of the cleaning. During the summers, I've been able to grow gardens of vegetables and flowers, but the gardens are significantly less ambitious than back when I was healthy.

I haven't been able to have wine, beer, or weed for 17 years. I often have trouble sleeping, but I must have sufficient sleep to avoid seizures. So I'll sometimes take a benedryl or a little ativan.

My primary care physician does not have me take cholesterol tests anymore, because that's not going to be an issue for a guy like me . My blood pressure's been normal.

Age and stress have taken their toll on my joie de vivre. How does it go(?): "I'm not the man I once was, but I am the man I was once" (or something like that)

When I was a kid, I dropped a lot of psychedelics. I also ran on the high school cross country team. Kept running and exercising for another twenty years. I ate everything from macrobiotic to pizza, ribs, and plenty of fried chicken. Over the years, I've eaten less meat, hardly any during the past decade.

Since high school, I've put on about thirty pounds, mostly during the past dozen years when my metabolism has been slowing down and I've become more sedentary.

[ralphie_boy]

I'm doing pretty good thank God. Just had my physical and everything's ok. Just turned 45 and I've been exercising regularly for about 2.5 years now and it's made a big difference. I have a bad case of acid reflux though so I take Prevacid daily and have to go for an endoscopsy every two years.

I also do the minoxydil and propecia thing to try to keep my hair on my head.

[7/4]

Let's see...no pescribed medication, gave up on most of the un-pescribed ones years ago. Weed makes me paranoid, so I drink too much, but I'm working on cutting back on that and the caffeine.

As for my health, since I was 26 I've been a bit overweight. It's gone up and down. When I was 36, we discovered I had a cyst in my left femur, (they thought it was cancer). The cyst was caused my an aneurysm. So the doctors fixed that and I lost a bit of weight. At 39 I was really ballooning (5'11" 234 lbs) and my doctor put me on the Aktins diet. Lost 65 lbs. Gained 42 back, then recently got it back down to 197.

Sheesh!

Hypoglycemia is a daily problem too.

[rockefeller center]

Reading this thread makes me feel healthy. Thanks!

[Peter Johnson]

Reading this thread makes me feel healthy. Thanks!

Hey Rock--how's smoking treating you? Didn't you take it up at New Year's?

[rockefeller center]

Reading this thread makes me feel healthy. Thanks!

Hey Rock--how's smoking treating you? Didn't you take it up at New Year's?

Hehehehe, you remembered. You are crazy. Yes, I took it up and must say that I like it quite a bit. I don't smoke more than 3 cigarettes per day, though.

[PHILLYQ]

Reading this thread makes me feel healthy. Thanks!

Hey Rock--how's smoking treating you? Didn't you take it up at New Year's?

Hehehehe, you remembered. You are crazy. Yes, I took it up and must say that I like it quite a bit. I don't smoke more than 3 cigarettes per day, though.

Careful with that nicotine, now that's a REAL addictive drug. I was a pack-a-day smoker from 12years old to 35. Quitting that was TOUGH! I had motivation(pregnant wife) and I went to an acupuncturist,and it worked. The treatment was weird, being turned into a human pincushion, but three treatments in one week and I was 'cured'. I last smoked a cigarette on 2/12/92.

[connoisseur series500]

i can't believe i'm writing this

my private drug stats

i LOVE weed.

i am a wake and bake person.

i smoke WAAAAAAYYYYYYY TOOOOOOOOOO MUUUUUUUCH.

1/2 ounce a week, if i gots it i smokes it.

my sis says i smoke too much, no shit!!!!!!!

she says i'm "a hype", like on friday, Smoke Dawwg, baby!!!!

no coke or other drugs since 1988.

tried acid twice and mushrooms about 5 times

i likes the 'shrooms with oj

never did anything with a needle

drug/alcohol abuse runs in my family, everyone and i mean everyone has done one or the other.

my dad still smokes weed at 57 and we hear he's smoking other shit too

i haven't talked to his ass since 1986

grandfather was a raging alcoholic and a straight out racist.

he hates black folks, so he never saw my sis and me, until his funeral

my uncle liked crack so much his dealers burned his damn house down to the ground.

then, what did the idiot do with the insurance $$$$$$, smoke it up. my uncle is a loser. he did over $100,000 in drugs in less than 10 years

all my cousins smoke weed and the other shit

my cousin died drinking and driving, probably was also high on weed

ss1

Beautifully written in your own inimitable style, SS.

...like a little short story.

Keep on truckin' man...

[connoisseur series500]

Now all you have to do is start backing the right sports teams.

I mean, the Brownies and Lakers...

[Peter Johnson]

Reading this thread makes me feel healthy. Thanks!

Hey Rock--how's smoking treating you? Didn't you take it up at New Year's?

Hehehehe, you remembered. You are crazy. Yes, I took it up and must say that I like it quite a bit. I don't smoke more than 3 cigarettes per day, though.

Yeah, PhillyQ is right--but it is manageable. If you keep it to 3/day, I think things should be just fine.

I really miss smoking, even though it's been eight years...

[brownie]

When I started messin' around with the Paris jazz scene back in the late fifties, I was still a teenager. I was introduced to grass by musicians and liked it. Problem was it was hard to get and expensive. Usage of grass at the time was nothing like it is nowadays. This made smoking the stuff a pretty rare occurence for me.

By the time I reached 20, I was drafted and sent to Algeria for a couple of years in time to witness the end of the war there.

I was stationed in a coastal small city halfway between Oran and Algiers. Found pretty quickly there was a steady supply of 'kif' (hashish from Morocco) available from the locals there and I must say it helped make the nights of guard duty - and there were a lot of those - much less painful.

But I never became addicted to the stuff. When I came back to civilian life, I just forgot about it.

Tried LSD while in New York in the '60s. Interesting experience but once was enough. I was just being curious.

Also I must thank a couple of New York jazz musicians who advised me about not getting involved with the stuff. Besides I saw too many musicians I admired wreck their life with drugs.

Grass was readily available by then. Smoke good and bad and gave up - except on rare occasions - shortly after.

Never smoked cigarettes much. A pack of week must have been the most I ever got into. That was decades ago. The last pack I bought was a couple of years ago and it still is not finished.

My drug is cigars. Havana cigars exclusively. Used to smoke a lot of those but I have curtailed this to several a week, depending on the costs, the availability and the mood.

When my son (now 26) started smoking grass with schoolfriends, I advised him to be careful with this. Which he did. He is not indulging any more. But I have not been able to persuade him to put an end to his cigarette smoking.

No major health problems, although I could shed a number of pounds. I do a lot of walking every day of the year. I still have enough teeth (well almost...) to bite into apples to keep the doctor away. I go see the doctor every three months just to be on the safe side.