I wasn't alive during the '80s but from what I gathered, this phenomenon has only become even more insidious and pervasive in modern times. I can definitely see how society (as that it can be reduced to a single, monolithic entity) has some pretty hypocritical views on the consumption of drugs.
Considering how probable it was that Reagan's CIA introduced crack to the the inner cities, it makes sense that he would vehemently contradict himself publicly to justify - and generate support for - his "war on drugs". And we all know what a resounding success that's been!
I'm a living testament to the positive psychoactive effects that weed can have on an Aspie. I mainly use it as a "social lubricant" whenever I'm hanging out with my comrades, but also to heal myself from my near-daily PTSD flashbacks, and most importantly, to enhance my creativity. But aside from the ganja, and the occasional booze, I stay away from any of the harder stuff. This is just out of personal preference and a desire for self-preservation. I've seen more than enough cautionary tales in my own life...
However, I will admit I'm kinda curious to try out shrooms someday. But I'm wary of any psychedelic because I have an uncle with paranoid schizophrenia, and the last thing I need is to have a catastrophic psychotic episode, lose all the incredible progress I've made in the past several years, and end up like him. If I take any mind-altering substance, I simply want reality to feel warmer and for the colors to look a bit brighter, not the ability to telepathically communicate with God and smear my own feces on the walls, thank you very much!
So I have a genetic rationale for my doubts about psychedelics. If I do ever get a hold of some shrooms, I'll only consume a minuscule dose, and with a close friend physically present... preferably my honeybear, who's expressed a similar curiosity. I know he's by my side no matter what happens, so he'd make an ideal "trip sitter". It'll be an interesting date idea, that's for sure...
I don't buy the whole BS "weed is a gateway drug" narrative - not for a second. But I do think that same idea is more accurately applied to alcohol, which is exponentially more normalized in our culture, and more crucially, opioids. Don't get me started on those.
While I don't mean to come off too like a tin foil hat-wearing lunatic, I do think the pharma giants have seriously prioritized profit over genuinely improving people's lives. This is unfortunately inevitable with any massive corporation under capitalism, regardless of what products they offer, and medicine is no exception.
Just think about all the lives that have been ruined and potential squandered by domineering, patronizing "parents" of autistic kids who drag them to shrinks and force-feed them zombifying doses of so-called "AnTi-pSyChoTiC" drugs, just to get them to shut up and fall in line. I can not put into words the sheer level of disrespect and revulsion I feel for any p-doc who profits from the psychiatric-industrial complex.
Often times, psychiatrists will not disclose any information about what they're prescribing. They look at their patients like circus sideshows, talk down to them like preschoolers, and coerce them to amputate their own souls and / or chemically castrate themselves with these poisonous meds. Their justification is that it's all "for the patient's own good", as if somehow they know what's "best for them" better than the patient themself. Then, the patient, mentally surrendered and reluctant to self-advocate for fear of being sectioned, is successfully guilt-tripped into taking these pills in pursuit of some fabled "sanity"... all so the doc can go on a golf retreat at GlaxoSmithKline's expense or some s**t like that.
You may wonder why I'm so goddamn bitter about shrinks. I have a deep, personal reason for this. The sad state of affairs with my uncle is all because he was taking a nap one summer day, and his AC broke down, causing his body to overheat. Basically, all the lithium in his blood boiled. And now, he's confined to a nursing home for the rest of his life, wheelchair-bound and unable to speak in anything except for slurred monosyllables.
My number one greatest nightmare is to be taken advantage of in a moment of vulnerability, like he was all his life, and me being set on a course where I end up in a similar position as him. A waking death, a living Hell, like the protagonist of the Metallica song "One".
This may sound kinda twisted, but out of compassion for my uncle, I wish he passed away then. If I could find out the name of the Dr. Mengele wannabe who first prescribed him lithium, I would sue his ass to kingdom come. This egregious case of malpractice makes me want to puke blood and drown Mt. Everest.
Sorry for all the ranting and raving, like I typically do. When I think about these things, I tend to get pretty heated. I hope a few of you were able to gain at least some insight or catharsis from this post.
My doctor told me my lithium levels are on the low side so maybe that's a factor.
