Long Term Drug Abuse And Brain Damage

[Pioneer1]

I'm sure most of you have grown up seeing those public service announcements and commercials warning you of the dangers of drug use.
How dangerous it and what it does to your brain and body.

Remember the dude who used to crack open eggs and fry them in skillets talking about "this is your brain on drugs"....lol.

I know that much of the drugs out on the streets are harmful and the negative effects and consequences are clearly observable.
However one consequence or negative effect doesn't seem to be quite as observable: INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT.

If routine drug abuse supposedly "fries" the brain and ruins it, why aren't most long term drug users retarded or severely intellectually disabled?

You know people who've been smoking crack or using heroine for years.
You can usually tell by their emotional instability that they're "off" or have some sort of problem, but most of them aren't "stupid" as such.
They can hold conversations, be social, hold jobs, scam, cheat, come up with lies.
Things the average retarded/intellectually disabled person can't do.

There are many musicians, entertainers, actors, and even professionals in the academic world who are addicted and have spent YEARS abusing cocaine and heroin.
Why are they still able to think well and perform well and maintain their professions and even families?
Retarded and "slow" people can't do that.
Most people you knew as slow or intellectually disabled growing up couldn't even reach that level anyway.

I'm interested in hearing OPINIONS (because I know most of you aren't medical experts) on why years of rampant drug use by most people doesn't seem to severely damage their intellect.

[ProfD]

IMO, drug usage does not prevent a *normally* developed brain from absorbing and retaining information. 

 

Drugs and alcohol will temporarily impair a person's ability to making logical decisions and/or control their physical actions.

 

Apparently, there is no longer term neurological damage as a result of drug use because lifetime drug users operation just fine when they are not *high*.

 

On a side note...POTUS OJ just signed an executive order making cannabis a schedule 3 drug.  I believe that puts the US steps closer to federalizing weed usage.

 

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

 

IMO, drug usage does not prevent a *normally* developed brain from absorbing and retaining information. 

 

This seems to line up with most of my observations as well.
Keep in mind though, I'm specifically talking about the ABUSE of drugs or MISUSE of drugs.
Not necessarily their proper usage for medical purposes or even "moderate" use of street drugs.

 

 

 

Drugs and alcohol will temporarily impair a person's ability to making logical decisions and/or control their physical actions.

 

Which is puzzling as to why they don't usually cause "permanent" or severe impairment with long term use.

Broken legs usually heal.
However how many people can repeatedly break their legs over and over again without eventually becoming a cripple?
 

 

 

 

Apparently, there is no longer term neurological damage as a result of drug use because lifetime drug users operation just fine when they are not *high*.

 

With most long term hard drug abusers, I can tell a difference in the way they move and interact with people.
But still, usually no type of intellectual decline that could be compared to someone with...say....Down Syndrome
 

 

 

 

On a side note...POTUS OJ just signed an executive order making cannabis a schedule 3 drug.  I believe that puts the US steps closer to federalizing weed usage.

 

Well....
Being the populist that he is, he just did that to increase his popular support.
You have millions of weed heads out there who could give less than a fuck about politics but if they think Trump is going to legalize Marijuana then he's "their man"....lol.

I've wondered about this for a long time, even as a kid.
How can some people abuse alcohol and drugs yet be smart, popular, and make enough money to get rich.
It didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Eventually it dawned on me that it actually DID make sense....it was a lie.

Perhaps they should start telling children the truth about things like drug and alcohol abuse.
Stop saying things like it "fries" or "melts" your brain, when it actually doesn't and most people can clearly see that it doesn't.
 

 

[ProfD]

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Keep in mind though, I'm specifically talking about the ABUSE of drugs or MISUSE of drugs.

As I alluded to above, even with abuse and misuse of drugs, other than overdose and death, drug abusers still maintain their faculties when they're not high.

 

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Which is puzzling as to why they don't usually cause "permanent" or severe impairment with long term use.

Drug and alcohol abuse does mess up other organs over time. It just doesn't seem to impair the brain in such a way to render someone a vegetable. 

 

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

With most long term hard drug abusers, I can tell a difference in the way they move and interact with people.
But still, usually no type of intellectual decline that could be compared to someone with...say....Down Syndrome

Right. Having been around a number of drug addicts, they might do weird sh8t but they're not intellectually deficient. 

 

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I've wondered about this for a long time, even as a kid.

How long did it take for you to realize Santa Claus wasn't real?

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

How can some people abuse alcohol and drugs yet be smart, popular, and make enough money to get rich.
It didn't make a lot of sense to me.

Eventually it dawned on me that it actually DID make sense....it was a lie.

Just like Santa Claus and religion. People use whatever it takes to keep the masses oppressed. 

 

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Perhaps they should start telling children the truth about things like drug and alcohol abuse.

Capitalistic society is perfectly fine with building wealth on it but doesn't want to encourage drug and alcohol usage.

 

16 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Stop saying things like it "fries" or "melts" your brain, when it actually doesn't and most people can clearly see that it doesn't.

They don't want young people to become drug addicts and alcoholics. Preferably they should be adults.

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

 

As I alluded to above, even with abuse znd misuse of drugs, other than overdose and death, drug abusers still maintain their faculties when they're not high.

Right. Having been around a number of drug addicts, they might do weird sh8t but they're not intellectually deficient. 

 

I find this somewhat amazing.
I've been seeing this since I was a kid.
So many people who've been abusing dope and alcohol for years yet still remain smart, witty, and sociable.

 

 

Drug and alcohol abuse does mess up other organs over time. It just doesn't seem to impair the brain in such a way to render someone a vegetable. 

 

It appears that the liver is the organ most damaged by excessive dope and alcohol abuse since it's the main poison filter in the body, but other organs are also affected.

 

 

 

 

How long did it take for you to realize Santa Claus wasn't real?

 

I believed right up until my Father broke the news to me one day when I was sitting on the floor playing...lol.

I had to be around 4 or 5 and I was asking him about something concerning Santa Claus and he was standing in the bathroom getting dressed to go to work and broke the news to me STRAIGHT...no chaser...lol.

 

I took it pretty well though.

"Santa Claus" didn't always get me what I wanted anyway, so I wasn't too disappointed that he didn't exist....lol.

 

 

 

Capitalistic society is perfectly fine with building wealth on it but doesn't want to encourage drug and alcohol usage.

 

Perhaps among certain groups or "classes" of people they actually do.

 

If people are "too sober", they'll start actually DEALING with their problems head on and solving them instead of just anesthetizing their pain and frustration through substance abuse.

The new thing now is ENERGY DRINKS...lol.
Those seem to be more addictive than Crack with most people.

 

[ProfD]

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

So many people who've been abusing dope and alcohol for years yet still remain smart, witty, and sociable.

Some of my favorite relatives fit into that category.

 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

It appears that the liver is the organ most damaged by excessive dope and alcohol abuse since it's the main poison filter in the body, but other organs are also affected.

Right. Liver gets the worst of abuse. Lungs and heart take a beating too.

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I believed right up until my Father broke the news to me one day...he was standing in the bathroom getting dressed to go to work and broke the news to me STRAIGHT...no chaser...lol.

Your dad had enough of some fat white man in a suit getting credit for his hard work.

 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Perhaps among certain groups or "classes" of people they actually do.

 

If people are "too sober", they'll start actually DEALING with their problems head on and solving them instead of just anesthetizing their pain and frustration through substance abuse.

Capitalists don't give a d8mn about which class of people are using drugs and alcohol.

 

They're all about getting paid one way or three.

 

Drug and alcohol use and abuse feeds into many other aspects of the economy. 

 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

The new thing now is ENERGY DRINKS...lol.

Right. They will push anything it takes to make people feel more productive.

 

Instead of getting the proper amount of sleep and rest, folks are pushing themselves to cram more awake time into their endeavors whether it's work, school or play.

 

Energy drinks and pills are gateway drugs.

[Pioneer1]

21 minutes ago, ProfD said:

Some of my favorite relatives fit into that category.

I too have some relatives, some friends, and some acquaintances who fit this description also.
Some of whom are more financially well off than I am.
Many of them were also more socially successful.
Able to talk their way into any type of relationship be it financial, sexual, social, business, etc.; like you said...not while they're high....but when they were sober.

Again, this didn't describe MOST of the alcoholics or addicts that I knew and know...but a percentage of them.

I'd say less than 10% of the alcoholics and drug addicts that I knew were high achievers in something.
But the vast majority of them fell into the NORMAL range of intellect.

On the flip side, there are plenty of people with Autism and Retardation who never drank, use drugs, or smoked a cigarette....but this didn't improve their intellect.

 

 

At the risk of sounding a bit jealous......

Although I don't think they were necessarily rewarded for doing the "wrong" thing, it's a bit confusing and frustrating at how some people who constantly do the "wrong" thing can end up in a better position than those who supposedly did the "right" thing. 

We do know that excessive drugs and alcohol kills off braincells.
So I'm wondering did they have an excess amount of "disposable" braincells or something that they could afford to fuck them up and STILL have a well functioning brain...lol.

 

[ProfD]

7 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

On the flip side, there are plenty of people with Autism and Retardation who never drank, use drugs, or smoked a cigarette....but this didn't improve their intellect.

They were born compromised. Unfortunately, we do not have the technological capability of fixing those birth defects.

 

7 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

Although I don't think they were necessarily rewarded for doing the "wrong" thing, it's a bit confusing and frustrating at how some people who constantly do the "wrong" thing can end up in a better position than those who supposedly did the "right" thing. 

Several factors go into becoming successful including preparation, opportunities and luck.

 

7 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

We do know that excessive drugs and alcohol kills off braincells.
So I'm wondering did they have an excess amount of "disposable" braincells or something that they could afford to fuck them up and STILL have a well functioning brain...lol.

There's no rationalization for why some folks win without trying while others try really hard and do *right* only to come up short.

 

Also, keep in mind that just as some folks are born with birth defects, there are other folks whon are born gifted and/or talented in different ways.

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

I remember having a conversation with you a while back about musicians, drug use, and creativity.....and you stating that you didn't use drugs and didn't need it for your musical abilities.

Not that you're not already honest, but be PERFECTLY honest.....lol......
Does it bother you at all that some dude with a Crack or Heroin problem and has been on the shit for years but was born with some sort of talent can come up in a studio and make a HIT song or even album and a shit load of money on it?

Get all that money.
Fuck all of it up in dope.
Then do it all over again next year?




*PS
Man, if you say "no"....I'm going to question whether YO' ass is human or AI....lol

[ProfD]

38 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

Not that you're not already honest, but be PERFECTLY honest.....lol......
Does it bother you at all that some dude with a Crack or Heroin problem and has been on the shit for years but was born with some sort of talent can come up in a studio and make a HIT song or even album and a shit load of money on it?

Get all that money.
Fuck all of it up in dope.
Then do it all over again next year?

Absolutely not.

 

it doesn't bother me one bit because I've always been extremely self-confident and a go-getter. 

 

Because I've always been able to get whatever I need and/or want, I've never had a reason to be jealous or envious of anyone else.

 

I'm 100% human. Because I function at a high level but tend to be emotionally cold, some folks have accused me of being a robot.