[Swan]

Originally Posted by Redway

Anti-drugs hypocrisy (as a general note).

Cannabis as a plant is varied and packed with all sorts of benefits (from various non-psychoactive cannabinoids, like CBN and CBD, to actual THC, like it or not) and ketamine and psychedelics likewise (when they’re done safely) and alternative treatments for severe, treatment-resistant depression and OCD and other mental health issues. But some people continue to demonise them while (especially in this Britain) one of the greatest poisons of all, alcohol, continues to be glorified. I’m far from teetotal but the thing is I’m not a hypocrite either. Alcohol is one of the most destructive drugs in the world (ethanol is literally poison, no matter how nicely packaged) and there’s no medical benefit to be gleaned from it beyond a bit of red wine at dinner or a sprinkling of beer, but it gets a free pass in places like the UK because it just happens to be the first drug that was socially accepted, and people expect you to drink to your liver’s discontent every weekend and all Christmas. But if you’re pro-alcohol and anti-weed/mushrooms, something in the reasoning’s flawed and very wrong. Especially if you expect people to not see you as a homeless alkie with alcoholic paranoia/hallucinosis and advanced cirrhosis lying in a vodka-den but can’t hear sense about some of these other substances without assuming that the person’s a stoner-bum who lies in a den of green iniquity and doesn’t accomplish anything for themselves all day. If they’re like that, chances are it won’t be the weed.

I rarely agree with what you say, and i know you rarely agree with what i say, but you are absolutely spot on in that post.

I've been watching quite a bit of telly over Christmas, films and tv shows old and new, and one thing that is a constant is alcohol. It's so unbelievably normalised in our every day lives, yet offers no health benefits whatsoever. It's bad for you mentally and physically. And it's massively overrated too.

I don't watch modern soaps, only classic Eastenders, but my God, alcohol is consumed 24/7. Any scenario and every scenario calls for a drink, it's crazy really.

There was a show called People Just Do Nothing, quite good tbh, and appealing for people of my age (mid 30's). Anyway, a character on there takes drugs all the time, it's his character's make up, yet he's offered a drink and says "oh nah i don't touch that stuff, messes with your head" Excellent line, and much truer than we've been conditioned to believe.