There were some very powerful drugs in that era, and I am not proud of this, but I tried most of them (but never heroin...that was considered hard core, bad stuff that only really messed up people tried...times have changed haven't they?)
Technically speaking, I don't know if the drugs were more or less powerful back then, but drug use was very different than from what I see today. You had to know people to get drugs, you couldn't find them so easily, prescription drugs were not used often.
I had an unusual "drug of choice", I preferred hallucinogens (LSD, peyote, Psilocybin and PCP). My boyfriend and I used them regularly for four years and seriously believed we were expanding our minds. We'd plan a weekend around "tripping" and I have to admit it was interesting up until my first bad trip, never touched LSD or the hallucinogens again after that.
I also had a boyfriend who was into cocaine, so I did that for about a year. I guess my drugs choices changed with relationships.
The "worst" drug I experimented with was PCP (aka angel dust, very, very bad stuff, don't even know if its still around today).
During all of it, I drank way too much.
I guess I was lucky because I never became addicted. I limited my partying to the weekends and when I was about 25 I just lost interest, almost as if I outgrew it.
My point in all of this - I do think today's problems are MUCH MORE SERIOUS than the drug use I was immersed in from 1973 - 1985. (not counting alcohol - that was just as serious then as it is now).
I saw some horrible things related to drugs back then, and a few friends did become addicted, but most of us moved on seemingly unscathed. It was something we added to our lives as opposed having it become the focus of our lives, as it has for so many people today. From my personal observations, in the 70's/80's it was mostly "recreational" today its a life threatening epidemic (especially opiates).
P.S. I am not condoning, defending or glorifying my past drug use, just stating the facts.
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11 comments:
I guess it depends on where you grew up and who you hung around with. I would say that very few of the people I knew made it into adulthood unscathed by severe drug and alcohol issues. The only thing that has changed to me is that there are expensive treatment centers where young people can go to learn about addiction. In my high school, only a select few were not stoned on something. RX drugs, valium, qualudes - passed around like candy. Pot, cocaine, heroin, LSD, PCP - as easy to buy in the parking lot of McDonald's as it was to buy a burger. Alcohol-the stronger the better. The other thing that has changed is that a lot of kids are armed with weapons today. Way back when, everybody was into the peace sign.
Back in the day the drugs you bought where made by University students. Todaay they are made by high school kids. Very dangerous. I too smoked pot, took LSD and smoked opium, took magic mushrooms and snorted dust, all bad but survived it all. Alcohol was the drug of choice that lead me to near death.
What do you think change?? I have friends too leading successful lives in their 50s and 60s and they told me all the drugs they took back in the day. They seem not scarred mentally or physically or emotionally. One friend is a doctor of education.
When I think of LCD I think of being woke up at about 3am by the sound of my son's friend as he was convulsing on the floor after taking LCD. Glad those days are long gone.
Make that LSD.. lol.. maybe LCD is the HiDef version of the drug.
LOL at Kansas Bob:) I agree, the drugs were more pure, not quite as dirty and cut with so many chemicals. Also agree we didn't have treatment centers when I was growing up, there was no talk EVER of rehab...we just had to play it out and hope for the best. I used also and am thankful I am here today living a different life. I think the opiate increase is because they changed the laws in the late 80s to make it easier to obtain the class IV prescriptions. You used to have to be dying or have all your wisdom teeth pulled out to get your hands on percocet, etc. Now, they give it out like candy.
The potent Rx drugs and availability of heroin is newer. Heroin was definitely a drug for hard core, homeless people when I was growing up. I think those who were going to get addicted to something, went on to become alcoholics. They are the addicts of that decade. You and I (and most people who used drugs recreationally in the 60's/70's) do not have the addiction gene so we were able to lay it down. The people who had the addiction gene went on mainly to be alcoholics.
Madison, Wow, it was not like that around her at all. Were you in a big city? That's the opposite of how it was here. The drug users in my HS were the minority not the majority. Very scary.
Michael, its ironic to me that alcohol is legal and advertised as something fun and exciting and sexy, yet its so dangerous to so many people.
Ms Hen, most of the people I know that drugs back then are fine today, in fact I can hardly think of anyone I know that didn't take drugs. I think a lot of things have changed (some mentioned in these comments) and also society has changed - the kids today have a very different outlook on life than we did back then, maybe I'll write about my observations on that sometime.
Bob, have you been smokin that funny stuff again?
Lou, Exactly. Well said.
Renee, excellent point about the Class IV RX Laws! That is a HUGE reason for all this and it makes me furious because you know its all about MONEY for the pharm companies.
I am just grateful that I never did anything worse than some pot and hash back in the day. I can remember thinking then that I needed all my brain cells. I still feel that way even more today.
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