Why does there appear to be a high rate of substance use among
people interested in Philosophy? If there was just "You" there,
nutritionally ok enough, nothing extra added on, what would
change? == I've done and enjoyed trying a bunch of stuff in the
past. I enjoyed the special fx but when I learned that it
_really_ doesn't introduce anything novel: that it's
more-or-less adjusting existing levels of the internal systems
(more of this, less of that to create the fx), my interest waned
because they're basically mood changers, and I can change my
mood just by thinking. Yet at the same time, I still do coffee
and cigarettes. I could probably substitute exercise or
something (occasionally cutting off oxygen to my brain to
simulate the effects of smoking I suppose... but I'm not much
for any kind voluntary asphyxiation) - but it's not likely I
will. Still, these things _do_ have effects. I guess it's sort
of a "Who Am I without my ______?" type question. == Well
,there's positive (temporary) effects of nicotine, which is what
keeps me using it, but at the cost of all the stuff I'm well
aware of it. I suspect there's some kind of med that could
replace its function: it is definitely a cognitive enhancer,
although so is a decent set of B vitamins. Alcohol I don't use
too often but I do on occasion (once a month or two) as a
"cleanser". I see it as rubbing alcohol for the innards: The
same way rubbing alcohol can take a sticker off of a car window,
alcohol in the brain washes away some sticky residue in the
brain. [literally washing it away), so I think it's good for
people sometimes. == I suspect you're right. I used to be my own
pharmacist, playing with whatever was at hand, testing on
myself. I know enough about nutrition to come up with a diet
that works well for me: applying it is another task. I stopped
playing with stuff after a year using pseudoephedrine in the
early 00's. Loved its effects - along with caffeine, some of the
B vitamins along with exercise and stuff.... but I found I got
saturated with it and my body was revolting after a while. I had
to move away from it. I believe people 'tend' to be geared
either towards needing more depressant-type products like
alcohol or pot or opiates, and others 'tend' to be more geared
towards needing speedy type stuff, like nicotine, caffeine, LSD.
I don't know if that's true or not, but it seems to be how I
categorize it simply. == [I say "my body was revolting" but not
looks-wise: I was at 3% body fat... and cold all of the time...
I tried pushing myself to get down to the weight in those old
1950s weight/height charts but it's impossible for me, unless I
was to start losing a lot of muscle] == Well the only thing is:
what the substances are doing is adjusting levels of
neurotransmitters in the nervous system, including the brain,
which is what produces the effects. Many roads to the same
results. ==
