[dannyw]

We need to change the message from "don't take drugs" to "if you choose to take drugs, take them responsibly".

Start with low doses, don't mix (alcohol,benzo,opiates), and remember that unless taken therapeutically, drugs should be an occasional party thing and not an escapism for life.

It's also totally fine to not do drugs. I'm going sober (except a beer or two) for an indefinite period of time, just because that's what I feel like.

Maybe I'll go on a mushroom trip for new years eve, who knows, but drugs shouldn't define your life.

[PragmaticPulp]

> We need to change the message from "don't take drugs" to "if you choose to take drugs, take them responsibly".

The phrase for this is “harm reduction” and it has been around for a few decades in the pro-drug communities.

The challenge is that harm reduction material is largely targeted at avoiding overdoses or fatal combinations as you mentioned, which can give users a false sense of confidence about their ability to avoid addiction.

I’ve watched a couple close acquaintances slowly decline over time due to what they thought was responsible drug use. You can do all the right things and still end up addicted to and dependent upon addictive drugs. Fortunately they were both able to afford rehabilitation programs that got them back on track.

I visited one of them in the rehab program. The price tag was high so selection bias was obviously at play, but it was interesting to see that every person there was also an adult professional who thought they were smart enough and self-educated enough about drugs to avoid succumbing to addiction, which was clearly not the case.

I don’t have any answers or solutions to the topic, but I do know that addiction is a risk that most addicts seem to downplay at the start of their experiences. Few people go into drug habits expecting to become dependent.

Perhaps more interesting is the uptick in people addicted to psychedelics, partially driven by the growing perception that they’re not addictive. It seems that these patients aren’t addicted in the traditional sense of becoming dependent, but they get hooked on the escapism aspect or the idea that they’re just one or two trips away from a major epiphany. Not all of the rewiring that takes place in these experiences is necessarily in a healthy direction. It can happen, so people should at least be aware of it.

[goodpoint]

> drugs should be an occasional party thing

Please don't! If all this research thought us anything, it's that powerful substances are emotional surgery. Not something to attempt in an unsafe environment.

[quchen]

On the contrary, parties can be very safe environments. Much like there are better and worse places to drink, there are better and worse places for taking other drugs. A lot of factors play into the setting. Music is very often a plus, feelings of freedom, being outside, good weather, like-minded people – relaxed open air festivals make for a good example.

[goodpoint]

You are missing my point. That's exactly what I'm saying: a trusted environment with trusted people VS people taking random substances in a random disco.