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Considering all psychotropic drugs of which nicotene is not included, would anyone like to estimate the addiction rate of Americans. Alcoholism should be included in your estimate.
Considering all psychotropic drugs of which nicotene is not included, would anyone like to estimate the addiction rate of Americans. Alcoholism should be included in your estimate.
around 3 yrs ago I had to do some research for something I was working on, & statistics as of then included these:
8% of American adults who have (past or present) made alcohol a part of their lives are alcoholics;
4.9% of adult American women and 8.7% of adult American men are illegal drug users.
reason I found the topic/statistics to be so darned fascinating is I currently reside in an area where both alcoholism & illegal drug use are so commonplace that 'they' insist Everybody has these addictions
around 3 yrs ago I had to do some research for something I was working on, & statistics as of then included these:
8% of American adults who have (past or present) made alcohol a part of their lives are alcoholics;
4.9% of adult American women and 8.7% of adult American men are illegal drug users.
reason I found the topic/statistics to be so darned fascinating is I currently reside in an area where both alcoholism & illegal drug use are so commonplace that 'they' insist Everybody has these addictions
Putting those together does that come to around 20% ?
Putting those together does that come to around 20% ?
No.
Not that putting them together has any significance but doing so would be ~8% to ~14%.
(depending on how you weight the numbers)
In the same way that a portion of humanity has always had various and certain attributes... the percentages of that representation has been fairly constant. Some fluctuation at any specific point certainly (for all manner of sociological reasons) but the mean average has still not varied much.
This reality is the one of the best reasons to have tolerance for most of those who are at the edges of the norm... they're "normal" as well.
---
Back to the OP:
You need to define your terms better; "addiction" is just too broad and vague to be meaningful.
No.
Not that putting them together has any significance but doing so would be ~8% to ~14%.
(depending on how you weight the numbers)
In the same way that a portion of humanity has always had various and certain attributes... the percentages of that representation has been fairly constant. Some fluctuation at any specific point certainly (for all manner of sociological reasons) but the mean average has still not varied much.
This reality is the one of the best reasons to have tolerance for most of those who are at the edges of the norm... they're "normal" as well.
---
Back to the OP:
You need to define your terms better; "addiction" is just too broad and vague to be meaningful.
Thanks for the input. Would "Chemically Dependent" be a better definition ?
A hard drinker, for example, would be chemically dependent on alcohol for a period of time until faced with loss of job, family etc. and he would then decide to stop. An alcoholic would not but both are dependent on their drug of choice.
Is marijuana considered psychotropic ? IMO, yes. With the emergence of crack cocaine do you really believe that crack cocaine users or meth users can injest those type of drugs and remain on the "edges" or become significantly addicted in a very short time ?
The refinement of modern drugs, heroin not so much, seems to have a relitively profound impact on addiction rates, wouldn't you agree ?
Thanks for the input. Would "Chemically Dependent" be a better definition ?
That gets into context and intent I suppose.
What is your intent anyway?
Quote:
A hard drinker, for example, would be chemically dependent on alcohol for a period of time until faced with loss of job, family etc. and he would then decide to stop.
You think?
Quote:
An alcoholic would not but both are dependent on their drug of choice.
You're throwing around all sorts of terms commonly understood to be on a continuum.
Recognizing that such a continuum exists both physiologically and as regards impacts and repercussions...
well, that would probably go a long way toward being coherent.
Quote:
Is marijuana considered psychotropic ? IMO, yes.
...
Quote:
With the emergence of crack cocaine do you really believe that crack cocaine users or meth users can ingest those type of drugs and remain on the "edges" or become significantly addicted in a very short time ?
...
Quote:
The refinement of modern drugs, heroin not so much, seems to have a relitively profound impact on addiction rates, wouldn't you agree ?
I have no idea what point or points you may be trying to make.
Are you stoned or something?
That gets into context and intent I suppose.
What is your intent anyway?
You think?
You're throwing around all sorts of terms commonly understood to be on a continuum.
Recognizing that such a continuum exists both physiologically and as regards impacts and repercussions...
well, that would probably go a long way toward being coherent.
...
...
I have no idea what point or points you may be trying to make.
Are you stoned or something?
I speak english not psychobabble which you seem to be doing. What continum are you referring to, there are lots of those ? Are you a troll or are you really trying to offer an answer? You appear to be all over the place and like to throw insults around a lot.
You chose not to answer the questions on crack and meth. The intent of this thread is self evident. An educated response is all that is requested.
You need to do more research and come up with a point
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pawporri
Thanks for the input. Would "Chemically Dependent" be a better definition ?
A hard drinker, for example, would be chemically dependent on alcohol for a period of time until faced with loss of job, family etc. and he would then decide to stop. An alcoholic would not but both are dependent on their drug of choice.
Is marijuana considered psychotropic ? IMO, yes. With the emergence of crack cocaine do you really believe that crack cocaine users or meth users can injest those type of drugs and remain on the "edges" or become significantly addicted in a very short time ?
The refinement of modern drugs, heroin not so much, seems to have a relitively profound impact on addiction rates, wouldn't you agree ?
No, the refinement of modern drugs has little to do with addiction rates. Addiction rates have remained relatively stable over time. Prohibition has an effect on addiction rates and usage rates, especially of the illegal drugs, but also legal drugs that are diverted to street sales.
It is difficult for people to seek treatment when they have to admit to using something which is illegal, and they are teated as criminals instead of someone who is sick (even if it is self inflicted). More often than not they can be turned in to the police for prosecution and their job and chilren will be lost, not a good prospective outcome for an addict or their families.
Why exclude nicotine (addictive), or caffiene (addictive) for that matter? They are both psychotropic drugs, as are ritalin (addictive) and many other legal drugs. In fact, the DEA itself says that the biggest danger to society today is the misuse and aduse of perscription medication.
You do get it that percentage of true addicts have generally remained stable over the longer term despite variations in avalability and punishments for use and abuse? This of course contradicts the anti-legalization movement, which predicts that those states that have relaxed their drug laws would see an enormous increase in use (Oh the children! Oh the children!). Hasn't happened.
Sorry to burst your bubble about crack cocaine. Chemically it is the same as power cocaine, so the effects are the same. Using either for a few weeks could result in addiction, but might not. Not all users become addicts. The Feds have recently recognized the disparity in sentencing and have moved to equalize punishments regarding crack and powder cocaine.
If your point is that a lot of Americans are medicated with both legal and illegal psychotropic drugs, you don't know the half of it. It is much more pervasive than the numbers so far discussed would indicate. We live in a sociaty where Drs push pills on people for everything, and the patients are no better. They don't think they have really had a good Dr visit unless they walk away with a perscription.
Very few people trust the government to tell the truth about any drug legal or not, so they sometimes self medicate with anything they can get their hands on.
We live in a medicated society within a toxic environment, is this news to you?
Thank you for shining your "Beacon" of enlightenment. I agree with your point that we live in a medicated society within a toxic environment. It is not news to me but I am trying to see if it is possible to gage the depth & breadth of the problem. The reports indicate that it is pretty monumental, especially when prescription drugs are factored into the equation. As an ex-smoker I do understand the grip of nicotene addiction, but I never got arrested for drunken smoking. I was trying to focus on any drugs that alter consciousness and affect/impair judgement.
When you say "much more pervasive" would you care to provide any further input on the legal and illegal problem our country is up against.
Thanks again for your explanation.
No, it is too political, and you should do your own research
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pawporri
Thank you for shining your "Beacon" of enlightenment. I agree with your point that we live in a medicated society within a toxic environment. It is not news to me but I am trying to see if it is possible to gage the depth & breadth of the problem. The reports indicate that it is pretty monumental, especially when prescription drugs are factored into the equation. As an ex-smoker I do understand the grip of nicotene addiction, but I never got arrested for drunken smoking. I was trying to focus on any drugs that alter consciousness and affect/impair judgement.
When you say "much more pervasive" would you care to provide any further input on the legal and illegal problem our country is up against.
Thanks again for your explanation.
It's not possible, in my opinion, to gage the depth and breath of the "problem" precisely, because the numbers are manipulated, by both sides, to favor their particular point of view. I will say that users are not a problem. Those who take their recreation or medication, in legal or illegal drugs responsibly are the majority, but alcohol and tobacco still cause far too much harm, without enough control on their use and abuse.
As far as illegal drugs are concerned, cannabis is the most pervasive by far, but it is also the least harmful of all the illegal drugs, and many of the legal ones. The punishment for its use in most states far outweighs the "danger" as many studies have shown, but I'm not your paid researcher, so you need to spend a little time and look them up yourself, then draw your own conclusions.
If you are looking at drugs that alter consciousness and affect/impair judgement than you have to include nicotine. You will find several studies that show how nicotine impairs judgement.
My favorite was the driving simulator test where they subjected the smokers and none smokers to driving in a snow storm that was increasing in severity the longer they drove. The non-smokers stopped driving when it was clearly unsafe to do so, but the smokers kept on driving much longer, even to the point of near fatal accidents, visibility approching zero, and with significantly diminished braking and steering ability. So maybe, if nicotine addiction were not so tolerated in our society, just maybe, it would have been safer for the other drivers around you, if you were areested for driving while under the influence of a mind altering substance. Just because the changes in your brain were more subtle than when using alcohol doesn't mean that you weren't impaired. But that is a whole different discussion for another thread.
I think the fact that over 800,000 Americans get arrested each year for breaking laws involving cannabis, mostly for possession, would give you some insight in to where the "War on Drugs" has taken us over the last 40 years. 200,000 of those were students, who likely lost any grants or other financial aid they may have had, not to mention having the arrest and conviction on their record - try getting a job with that history.
I hope you understand that the biggest problem we have is prohibition as it is currently structured. Also the lack of any real regulation or control of the drug market (legal or illegal) shows the failure of the current policies. Making something illegal immediately prevents the government from regulating its use and abuse. Why don't our leaders understand that?
In your research you will come to find that other countries have had more success in dealing with the minority of all drug users that become addicted by treating addiction as a medical problem, with a medical solution. Even our own government is now giving lip service to focusing on rehabilitation and a medical perspective, although the DEA's budget still reflects a largely criminal and punitive focus.
There is a wealth of information out there on the internet with which to educate yourself. Some of the best information comes from foreign studies because our government doesn't grant permission to do studies that might show results different than their current views.
The DEA and the FDA control drug policy in the US and they depend on the current view for their funding. The DEA only took 10 years to tell the Universiy of Mass. that their application to grow cannabis and do herbal studies on it was denied, and this is typical of their answers to responsible research establisments.
So, go study, and then we can have a real conversation.
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You need to do more research and come up with a point
