Letters to the Editor
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Drugs and alcohol are for losers
I have been drunk and used pot a few times early in life. I socialized with people who did. It slowly dawned on me that the use of drugs (including alcohol) was not productive. Many of us can probably be a casual user of drugs, without succumbing to the ravages of overuse. But why? Too many of us will succumb to addiction and the relatively unaddicted users are essentially egging them on.
The LW mentioned that his girlfriend was drunk when she tried the coke. How often does she get drunk? If socializing with friends generally involves getting drunk or even fairly high, she is a loser, and he should terminate the relationship.
I have several friends who are Docs. They have told me if it were not for the aging addicts they would have no business.
A large minority of us are addicts, who will screw up everything they touch. These addicts have most of the auto accidents, gamble, drink, use drugs, and generally mess up everything in their lives. The should be avoided, even though they might appear to be fun to be around, especially when they are young. That fun will turn to misery soon enough.
It is never safe to "lose control". Car and Driver magazine used to run tests of car driving under the influence, where their editors (all skilled drivers) drove through obstacle courses while gradually getting drunk. There was noticeable loss of ability at 0.03 blood alcohol. Most of the people killed in survivable aircraft accidents had been drinking.
The need to use chemicals that cause loss of capability is self-correcting in the long term. Natural selection will do the job, but it isn't and won't be pretty.