What about prohibition?

  • LeylaLove [she/her, love/loves]@hexbear.net
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    11 hours ago

    Glad I’m not wasting my life on that shit anymore. I’ve been addicted to many things, and alcohol would make me waste away worse than fentanyl. I’d just grab a fifth (or two or three) and just drink until I passed out. And I’d get so depressed when I drank, it wasn’t even fun, I’d get drunk and instantly want to kill myself and often times start hurting myself in some way. I’d go days without eating because I was too drunk to remember I was hungry, and constantly nauseous from consuming nothing but vodka. I didn’t remember anything I ever did, I’d just forget absolutely everything.

  • Lyudmila [she/her, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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    14 hours ago

    Alcoholism Reaching All-Time Lows in Declining American Empire

    Lyudmila Pavlyuchenkova | Pravda North America

    Once 2/3 of the population, alcoholics now make up a mere simple majority of the US population. This supposed tragedy for the alcohol industry comes not off the back of an effective public health initiative, but instead due to the immiseration of the American youth.

    As older Americans die off due to age, younger Americans simply cannot afford to take their place in the economy of self-harm.

    “Literally half of my local grocery store is filled with overpriced alcoholic versions of drinks primarily marketed to children. Every other end cap is spiked energy drinks, hard lemonade, twisted iced tea. Alcoholic Capri Sun and whatever Hard Kombucha is. Man, I can’t even afford Keystone Light,” said local man Haywood Jablome.

  • Maeve@kbin.earth
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    8 hours ago

    Congratulations to everyone who almost/quit harmful substances. It’s definitely not easy at first, but does get easier. I’m proud of us!

  • PKMKII [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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    13 hours ago

    My alcohol consumption is way down from 10-15 years ago. Beer occasionally, hard liquor and wine is at this point a special event thing. Doesn’t help that, being a taller/larger person, it takes a shit ton of liquor to get me buzzed and I ended up feeling shitty before I’m intoxicated.

  • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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    12 hours ago

    honestly there’s just better buzzes out there with less side effects, especially for social fun

    • cannabis (not quite the same, but great social lubricant if everyone starts sober and gets high together)

    • kratom (more medical utility but can be fun for outdoor adventures in groups. starts as a stim and ends with some sleepiness, so plan properly) (DISCLAIMER: not recommended for experimentation but has current and historical uses as an alcohol alternative) for more info check out layla’s guide

    • kava (basically IRL synthahol from star trek. dials right in to the 1-2 drink buzz with no risk of further. downside is reverse tolerance and doesn’t work for everyone)

    • some kind of GABA-B substance (more risky since most are research chems (F-phenibut comes to mind), often very long lasting, but all the inhibition of alcohol without being drunk and hard to black out on unlike GHB agonists).

    (all have a risk of addiction as any substance but comedowns/withdrawals are significantly less then alcohol, as well as not being potentially lethal. also OD risk is either physically impossible or extremely difficult)

    • BigWeed [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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      15 hours ago

      kratom

      I don’t know how to say this nicely. Don’t do kratom unless you’re already an opioid addict and you need to come off. It’s not a safe drug to experiment with recreationally because it’s so easy to get addicted to. I’m a heavy drug user and promote experimenting with drugs except for opioids (and kratom) because of how many people I’ve seen absolutely ruin their lives on it.

      • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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        12 hours ago

        i know vastly more people that use kratom occasionally and responsibly then don’t. not everyone has that spark inside that lights up when mu receptors are tripped. just because we have it doesn’t apply to everyone.

        much of the recent media blitz against kratom is due to the kratom lobby’s deal with RFK jr to ban 7-OH in exchange for saving leaf kratom. not sure if this is going to work.

        increase in addiction to “kratom” is mostly due to ease of access to 7-OH and highly potent liquid concentrates at gas stations. in high doses, kratom’s natural antagonists are overwhelmed by the partial opioid agonists (or in the case of 7-OH, full agonists). thus, it behaves more like a classical opioid. and since the average person’s first exposure to kratom these days is potent concentrate shots, they can more easily become physically addicted.

        occasional use of leaf (or full spectrum concentrates) has low risk of physical addiction. leaf at less then 1-2 g a day could take months to develop physical addiction.

        i used kratom to get off stronger opioids, and to prevent cravings or a relapse. for .50 a day it was a fine bargin to make. all my plugs disappeared, i fell away from the scene entirely, and can now taper slowly at my leisure.

        but it is vastly more difficult to become instantly addicted off kratom because it’s short acting, partial agonism, and delta action. too much and it’s like you’ve taken Salvia, right down to the “flushing” effect, dizziness, and disassociation. it’s like a built in braking system. also nearly impossible to OD.

        not sure how this is ruining lives. there will always be exceptions. compared to every other opioid out there, it is the safest and best tolerated and that’s an absolute scientific fact

        • BigWeed [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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          12 hours ago

          I definitely think it should be legal and accessible because it’s a valuable tool for people on opioids. I don’t think we have a kratom epidemic. But in a conversation about alcohol alternatives with people who aren’t as informed about drug experimentation, I’d voice that kratom as a lot more potential consequences from say kava, cannabis, etc.

          • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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            12 hours ago

            i don’t disagree with you there. look i mod the drugs com, and our #1 priority is harm reduction. and i know we aren’t on it right now

            i added disclaimers, i can add more for kratom. but it is undeniably used as an alternative to alcohol for many people (i often read the AKA testimonials and i was surprised myself), i can’t conceal that fact.

        • No_Bark@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          12 hours ago

          Yes. I had a buddy who started taking it to ween away from his alcoholic tendency to enjoy a 5th of whiskey every night, and he quickly became addicted.

          He told me the withdrawals felt worse than what he was dealing with from the alcohol (though he was getting hit with both), ended up losing his job and spiraling into a recluse who spent all his time in bed or doing kratom. He eventually got help and got better.

          There’s this idea that its a “safe” drug, and posts encouraging its use in threads like these as some sort of alternative to getting drunk don’t help that perception. Its very addictive and the withdrawal symptoms suck just as much if not more than with booze, although I don’t think you can die from Kratom withdrawal the way you can from alcohol. Someone fact check me on that.

          Edit: What makes it dangerous is how quickly you can become physically dependent on Kratom.

          • I found alcohol much worse, a lot closer to what I have seen in fent withdrawal (never personally experienced that fortunately)

            Definitely became dependant but it felt more like antidepressant dependency, where the addiction isn’t psychologically difficult but stopping cold turkey sucks. Sometimes I wonder if it would have been much harder to quit if I didn’t have to order it in the mail, which is a pretty good obstacle for a craving.

          • LeylaLove [she/her, love/loves]@hexbear.net
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            10 hours ago

            I mean there’s not a lot of research into kratom withdrawal, but from my experience it’s not anywhere near deadly, and I’ve withdrawn from pretty high doses. I had a much worse time withdrawaling from alcohol and actual opiates, kratom withdrawal was something that I could still hold my job through,

            I recommend kratom to users of pretty much any hard drugs because it’s far more functional of a drug. I know people who didn’t really get sober, but they switched out their meth or fentanyl use with kratom and started living functional lives. Shit, I did it with fentanyl and got my life back for a while, it really only got nasty when I started mixing it with alcohol or experimenting with 7-OH.

            It’s safe in the sense that compared to everything else you can get ahold of, it’s the least likely to ruin your life.

        • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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          13 hours ago

          Yeah. Dude’s aren’t ODing on it, but they just sit in their apartment everyday doing nothing but kratom. It ruins tour social life, it ruins your work life, and it just straight up ruins your life because it’s so hard to stop using.

          • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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            12 hours ago

            how’s that even possible? by your second dose you feel nothing. your bloodstream is loaded with anatongists it’s like being on narcan. only people that i’m aware of doing this are in severe, chronic pain.

            it’s not heroin there is no escalating high. at most you feel like you took 1 vicodin. this has got to be people pounding down 7-OH tablets, which is 0.05% of kratom by weight and purely synthetic

          • It helped me get to work as the least impairing drug I found that dulled my emotional pain enough. After work was for liquor lol

            I feel like I had a pretty successful run with it and the times I had to withdrawal weren’t nearly as bad as what people say, though I guess you can’t know what your withdrawal will be like until you’ve done it

        • BigWeed [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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          13 hours ago

          Not kratom in isolation. But if there is one drug that I’d say to not fuck around with it’s opioid and opioid-like analgesics. I have some friends who have been struggling for the past 15 years to get off of opioids, and many who didn’t make it. No other drug category has contributed more to decimating my friend group.

    • regul [any]@hexbear.net
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      15 hours ago

      Kava tastes like very bitter dirt, unfortunately.

      There are a few kava bars in town and I tried one of their expensive kava cocktails and oh my god it still tasted like fucking dirt.

      • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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        12 hours ago

        nah this stuff isn’t cool and i just listed legal or “legal most everywhere in the U.S., check your local laws” substances. basically stuff that can be purchased by those over 21 like alcohol, locality depending.

        i’m the nerd here for knowing about this off the dome

    • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      14 hours ago

      I wanna try Kava! When I was drinking heavily, I’d have 2-3 kratom drinks daily (3.5g each) but now that I’m not drinking all the time, I don’t really feel like having kratom. Vaping nicotine is also not fun now that I’m not drinking. Kava sounds fun, though!

      Phenibut felt awful to me, made me dissociate for like two days the last time I did it. Not for me anymore.

      You mention GHB… I miss GHB so much. GHB plus exercise, like biking, or just a nice walk outside is such an amazing feeling.

      • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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        13 hours ago

        GHB got a bad rap. it was far less commonly used for unsavory stuff but was folded in to the legislation focused mostly on rohypnol because it was a popular “supplement” for insomnia and some lobbies had it added

        honestly i could call it a perfect alcohol replacement if it was legal. would be like a 95% improvement. plus instead of a hangover you get a burst of dopamine and feel great the next day

        phenibut lasts almost 48 hrs that’s why I clarified with F-phenibut, which is far shorter acting although more potent by weight (lasts 4-6 hrs, x10 potency). still not for everyone, and physically addictive (with w/d similiar to benzos but less intense)

        and if you don’t feel like kratom i’d definately say stick with that feeling. it sucks to get addicted to even if it takes a long time/high doses.

        Kava can’t hurt to try. it’s more widely available now that they grow it in florida too and the price has come way down. just be sure to have an empty stomach, maybe try an extract first before you get into mashing powdered root in coconut milk

        • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          12 hours ago

          I loooove GHB so much. It DID definitely make my partner and I more frisky than usual, but it was just awesome to get messed up on without drinking! My partner and I would weigh out 1.7 grams, drink that, then top it off with .5 a half hour later and just FLOAT.

          There is one danger though… I had a friend who got REEEALLY into GHB. Like, she would do it every single night before bed, and not weigh it out using a scale. She had a great time for a while, but when she wanted to quit, she had HORRIBLE insomnia… since it works on your GABA and serotonin and stuff. She tried to quit sooo hard but the lack of sleep was destroying her. She ended up getting really drunk one night cuz she didn’t have GHB, had a bad run-in with someone we used to be friends with, and went home and died by suicide.

          I’m not blaming GHB on this, but it definitely was a main contributor as to the downfall of her mental health. The main culprit was addiction.

          But yah, GHB can definitely be addictive to people susceptible to that. I’m “lucky” that the only thing that my partner and I got sucked into (and we’ve done everything…) was alcohol.

          • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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            11 hours ago

            oh yeah like everything that plays with neurotransmitters it can be no joke. really sorry about your friend. i lost my bestie in a similar way, but different substance (bad run in with authorities, betrayed by neighbors, and did the same)

            i binged alcohol early in my life, like partying on some weekends from 16 to 20 and then just stopped when 21. did worse stuff after but i’m glad i dodged at least one

            • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              11 hours ago

              I’m sorry about your bestie, too. That’s awful. :c

              My partner and I have been partying every night with like 15+ drinks since before COVID, so being sober this week for the first time in so many years has been wild! Other than the shit sleep, it’s been totally fine though!

              • Des [she/her, they/them]@hexbear.net
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                11 hours ago

                keep it up! don’t let small derailments take away your progress if they happen.

                once the insomnia fades (or you find a good supplement or aid to help) you will both be 90% there

                with good sleep comes strong willpower and it’s just a matter of filling your former party time with other fun stuff instead

                • Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  11 hours ago

                  Thank you! I’m okay with the bad sleep right now, waking up and not being hung over is amazing! My partner and I have Gabapentin, which definitely helps for sleeping.

                  So far we’ve filled the time we’d be drinking with naps, cuz we’ve been exhausted after working. I’ve got some games and movies planned, and it’s nice enough to take walks now!

          • Rom [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            14 hours ago

            Also weed is not legal federally and employers are still allowed to discriminate against you for using it.

        • Biggay [he/him, comrade/them]@hexbear.net
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          13 hours ago

          Feel like more of society is focused around alcohol, especially historically. We have accounts from ancient Egypt about brewing beer being an acceptable reason to miss work. Hell one of the main reasons Islam is less popular than it should be is the total proscription of alcohol. Cannabis doesnt really seem like it was ever too strong to be commercialized early on in human development, and even then coffee, tobacco, and tea all made major inroads to at least western society in the renaissance, with cannabis still being a central asian commodity. Alcohol on the other hand occurs almost inevitably and is a useful way to store calories and water.

          • Belly_Beanis [he/him]@hexbear.net
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            12 hours ago

            There’s the hypothesis some of the first cities built by humans and the spread of agriculture was due to alcohol production. Alcohol brewing is older than writing. And we’ve known about its harmful effects for thousands of years to the point Roman Senators under Ceasar would accuse each other of being alcoholics as political slander.

            Everything else is new by comparison. And our knowledge of what these drugs do is much more limited. Reefer Madness is still what a lot of people believe about marijuana, for example.