OT: Crank, Speed, Meth, Crystal, etc.
 

In Texas this drug has become a total epidemic. Is it that like in other areas as well? Everyone seems to be doing it the last couple of years. I know people that you would NEVER suspect would be packing 8 balls in their pocket. People like attorneys, district attorneys, executives, etc. It seems snorting lines is just the latest past time around here. Also, the club crowd appears to have traded in their ecstacy to tweak all night on crank. A few people that I know have progressed their habit a little and now smoke the shit from time to time when their nose is sore or they have a sinus infection. I read somewhere that in 1998 around 50 meth labs were busted in Texas, but in 2001 authorities raided over 450. Wow. :eek:

HornsManiac

Re: OT: Crank, Speed, Meth, Crystal, etc.
 

Because rich people don't do anything illegal or bad.... :rolleyes:


HBO has been running a special which all but teaches you how to make it which seems kinda odd... Looks like you can sniff it and you can smoke it, but once you start injecting it your done for good... can't quit.

Damnit. Sopranos, Six Feet Under and now How to Make Crank. I just gotta get my HBO turned back on.

Re: Re: OT: Crank, Speed, Meth, Crystal, etc.
 

No, I think his point was not this cheap. Crank is inexpensive compared to cocaine (which is what you used to see in those people's pockets).

And to answer Horn's question, yes, it is bad everywhere. This stuff can be made by anybody, and just about every community has a couple of labs. We just had a promient doctor busted for running a crank lab (why a doctor who could sell precriptions would make crank, I have no idea.)

District attorneys are attorneys, too, you know! :p

I am so far removed from the drug scene, I just asssume my colleagues don't do it. Probably a bit of naivete on my part...

The question that begs asking is why people of affluence would use drugs to escape reality. Doesn't material wealth make one happy and content? What else does one need?

You would think so. I've given up trying to figure people out.

All I know is, I've been mildly wealthy (upper middle class, roughly) my entire life and happy. I assume that if I continue to move up the ladder, I will continue to be happy, maybe even happier. I have never, and likely will never, find a reason to use drugs.

As for what drives other people, I don't have a clue.

North Dakota and Minnesota are really having troubles with it. Since so much of both states is wide open land(ND) or all forrest(MN) it is very tough for cops to find it. It was like 3 or 4 months ago they arrested a guy who ran a drug ring that supplied I believe tons of it to the market a year. He got life in jail with no parole.

The biggest problem too is that it is running the rural PD out of money trying to stop it.

If you smoke it, you develop little red bumps all over your body. At least that is what happened to two of my friends that did it. And then they scratched them open and were covered in open sores. it is really bad stuff. They are essential worthless now that they do it which is sad, one kid dropped out of college and the other is a girl who became a stripper who will sleep with you for $50.

Dude, if you're happy now just think how much happier you'd be during hour 35 of your meth binge! Ya, there is a chance you might kill your children and throw their heads out the window of your moving car because your sleep deprived brain thinks they are the spawn of satan, but nothing in life comes without risks!

But why? maybe I'm just content on being happy, and don't need to be "happier" in order to live. Thus, I won't have the need to make myself "happier" by artificial means.

On certain occasions, my daughter has reminded me of spawn from satan - I didn't need any drugs to help with the comparison.

If you can be happier than you currently are you aren't really happy. Here, use my needle, it's pretty clean, I washed it under the sink on monday.

Sorry guys- I was being facetious. The point I was trying to make is that material wealth doesn't bring peace. It may bring short term happiness, but that's about it.

Ah, there's the fallacy. Since one can theoretically always be happier than they are at any given moment, there is apparently a need to achieve that higher state of happiness which drives people to attempt to attain it from drugs.

Sorry, that's not necessary in my case. I have my music to put me in that state. I think I've spent enough on CDs and concerts to OD on drugs, but there's no collateral damage like there is with drugs.

While I would agree that if you aren't living a happy life or at "peace" with your life, no amount of money is going to give that to you, that still doesn't explain why money can ruin an otherwise happy or peaceful life.

I don't think money can really build or ruin someone's happiness much over the long term... it all comes down to perspective. If you're rich and truly happy you'd probably be just as happy scraping by. Same thing if you're poor and miserable, you'd probably be just as miserable if you were rich. Its not really what you have, but how you view it.

My friend, you have just summarized my whole state of mind...

FrogMan

except hearing loss

hey fatboy.

Whaddyasay?

Actually, you are right about that. While I still blow my ears out in the car, getting married probably added 25 years to my hearing. I used to listen to music every night as I fell asleep, with the best headphones I could buy, on "10." Despite the loudness, I was usually asleep within 3 or 4 songs. I wasn't able to continue that with the wife sleeping next to me, for obvious reasons. If I had kept that up, I'd probably be deaf now.

I think I can help explain why so many people want this drug and why people who should be happy already only feel that much happier on crank. You have to look at the physical changes that take place when you use meth. Meth directly causes your brain to release more dopamine which is what makes a person's body feel happy. This is similar to how testosterone makes a man feel manly. The incredibly happy feelings mostly come when it is injected and smoked more than when it is eaten or snorted. On the HBO special one junkie described it as having an orgasm, eating chocalate cake, and being in love for the first time all at once.

Another reason people use is because in today's society time is money and no one has enough of either. People who are wired can work, and work, and work some more until the early morning hours. Then they can go home and sleep for only a few hours get back up and work 19 more hours the next day. Speed doesn't have any negative side effects that keep you from functioning normally such as tripping, halucinating, etc. when used like this. It simply makes you feel good and gives you the awareness and energy to accomplish the things in life you need/want to accomplish.

On a similar note, some people just want to party much later than they could if they were not wired. For example, you can go to a club at 9pm and drink until 2am when it closes. At 2am when you would normally be way too drunk you still feel good wired. You are not drunk or sleepy and you are looking for the next place to go and hang out. Some people think getting wired is safer than drinking because you can drive a car normally when wired and you can't do that drunk. In fact, a lot of people get wired and then don't drink at all. They just chew their gum, drink lots of water, and have a grand old time.

It is true that after several days without sleep you can start feeling serious ill effects from speed i.e. crazy thoughts, feeling paranoid, becoming violent, etc. The ongoing debate is is this caused by speed itself or just a lack of sleep? When you go for days at a time you are binging and that is an entirely different world than doing enough to keep you awake all night until you want to come down and go to sleep at 9am. I don't know anyone who uses crank to stay awake for more than about 24-36 hours at a time and I know a ton of people who use it.

They also say that speed is probably the most addictive drug on the street and there is not much help for the addict. Even when hooked on heroin you can get methadone to help you kick the habit, but with speed there is no "methadone." Some stats say that 50% of everyone who tries crank once will try it again at some point in their life and that 98% of everyone who tries it twice will use it again at some point. Those stats along with the fact that only 6% of addicts are successfully treated and never go back to using are quite alarming. Again, though, it must be fairly stated that almost every addict whose life is shattered by the drug is a needle junkie and not the type of people that I know. Still, using the drug is probably not a smart choice to make because some people cannot keep it under control. They will eventually end up on the needle and at that point it is pretty much over for them.

HornsManiac

Dope is for dopes.

Just as a devil's argument, I'm curious to know if Ksyrup and others that foreswear 'drugs' also avoid alcohol.

Please don't misinterpret, I'm not trying to pass judgement. My recollection from my psychology degree is that there's a fair amount of evidence that one of the human 'drives' is the desire to alter one's consciousness. Why do little kids like spinning around and all those various playground toys that make themselves dizzy? Because it's a departure from 'normal' experience. People drink coffee because it perks them up.

We could get real philosophical here and discuss "What is 'normal' in terms of consciousness?", and point out that any number of things, from illness to various foods to the time of day etc. have an effect on our conscious state, but my basic point is that at the root of most drug-taking is a primal desire to change one's consciousness. Are there better ways of doing so that are less harmful? Sure, but I think that saying if someone is wealthy shouldn't they be happy enough to not need to do drugs is to both over-simplify the situation and to miss much of the point of drugs.

I probably have 3-5 drinks a year, tops. I own one bottle of alcohol - now about 3 years old and 75% full - of amaretto, which is the only alcohol I really like. I also do not drink coffee and since I've been on the Atkins diet for 4-6 months, I have not even had a caffeinated drink during that time. I have never done drugs or even smoked a cigarette, for that matter. I got drunk once in college and hated the feeling of not being in control. So I never did it again.

So for me, there is little or no urge to alter my conscious state. Or at least, not by the "conventional" methods. Music is my "escape," if that's what you want to call it.

"Another reason people use is because in today's society time is money and no one has enough of either. People who are wired can work, and work, and work some more until the early morning hours. Then they can go home and sleep for only a few hours get back up and work 19 more hours the next day. Speed doesn't have any negative side effects that keep you from functioning normally such as tripping, halucinating, etc. when used like this. It simply makes you feel good and gives you the awareness and energy to accomplish the things in life you need/want to accomplish."

This is basically what I was going to say before I saw that HM did it.

The one side effect, however, is that once you come down off the speed high, you feel more tired than you normally would have. So then you need a hit of it just to make it through the next day, and the next, and the cycle continues.

I refer you to the episode of Family Ties when Alex got diet pills (similar effect, not sure if it was actually meth in the episode or not). He used them at first just to stay up later to study for a big test. But then he just kept taking them and taking them.

And that's what happens to everyone. It starts off as just something to get them through a tough night, and before you know it they need it just to function during the day.

dola...

"People drink coffee because it perks them up."

I drink coffee because I love the taste of coffee. In all seriousness, caffeine really doesn't effect me at all. (No, I don't drink coffee everyday)

Just thinking about coffee....mmmmm....love that smell, love that taste...coffee just pwns!

I take a little concoction of Pine-Sol extract and yak cheese prior to posting just give me a little edge. It makes a good meatball sauce as well.

I love the smell of coffee, but can't stand the taste.

There was an episode of Saved By The Bell over the same thing. Jessie (you know, the naked chick from Showgirls) took them to help her study for a test and wound up not being able to stop taking them (until her friends interviened and showed her what she was doing was wrong). Not that I ever watched SBTB or anything...

There was an episode of 90210....:)

I feel the exact same way. I used to love getting up in the morning and making my parents coffee so I could sniff the coffee jar, but to this day I can't imagine why anyone actually drinks the stuff.

hmm I think the reason I did so much lsd and psychadelic mushrooms was an attemp to alter my consciousness...unfortunately the effects were only temporary...

Crank? I have never seen it nor has anyone I know ever done it.

Marijuana is the most oft-used substance here, with X real far behind.

The closest I've ever come to even getting a buzz was when I had a few glasses of wine at dinner the night I got engaged. I haven't tried and won't try drugs. Pointless. I've even managed to almost cut out caffeine, although I still have a a caffeinated soda every once in a while (which is much better than drinking 4 or 5 Dews a day like I used to). I hate everything about coffee ... the smell, the taste, even Juan Valdez's burro.

Amen brother KSyrup!

Coffee is an aquired taste. I did not like the taste at first and drank for the effects, but now I drink it black, purely for the taste.

"(until her friends interviened and showed her what she was doing was wrong). "

Wouldn't it be great if all of life's problems were solved this easily?

"but to this day I can't imagine why anyone actually drinks the stuff."

To this day, I don't know why anyone would want to drink donkey piss-water, er, I mean beer. But to each his own I guess.

I hear you on that too, beer is a terrible drink.

Mmmm, beer.....gurgle....

The people who are able to control it are the ones who just deal with being extra tired for one day. The people I know that get wired on weekends (or a little more often) just accept the fact that on Sundays they are going to be tired all day. They don't, however, do another bump to get them through Sunday. You are right when you say that is how addiction starts, because once you give in and start needing more crank to "recover" from the day before you are well on your way to becoming an addict who has lost control.

If you will notice I still used the word "addict" because very few people can just put down speed and never touch it again, so by definition they are probably considered addicted. However, they may go weeks or months without getting wired. Still, they will almost always without fail get wired again at some point. I know people who only get wired every few months, but like clockwork they get wired every few months and probably will for the rest of their lives. Here starts a new FOFC debate, are people like this truly addicts in your mind and the minds of society?

HornsManiac

Crank comes in small rocks in many different colors. I have seen it look almost cocaine white, grey like cigarette ashes, and various shades of yellow, tan, and even pink. If you are going to smoke it you generally smoke the rock or a part of it. If you are going to snort the drug it must be chopped with a knife, razor, or pill crusher into a fine powder. Damn, I think I have too many tweaker friends. :o

HornsManiac

So you guys who don't like beer......do you not have a sac, too? :D

I go by taste. If it doesn't taste good, I don't eat or drink it.

Beer and coffee do not taste good.

I think it takes more 'sac' to admit you don't like beer than it does to just follow the other lemmings and poor that filth down your throat :D

Like coffee, beer is an acquired taste. Used to hate it, did it for the effects :). Now I could kick back and drink a Keystone for the helluvit.

Do you non-beer drinkers also think Lesbians are disgusting? :D

that is some great unintentional comedy.

A KEYSTONE????

Honestly, you could add cigars and scotch to the acquired taste list. First time terrible, next time not so bad, third time you're sold for life.

Don't fuck with my stones, thats my favorite for cost and quality. :D

Yes, but more than likely it's purely a physcological addiction.

Shorty - I thought you were still in school?

Damn, I need to stop socializing with so many criminals. ;)

HornsManiac

X is unreal in terms of the feeling you get when using. I've tried it maybe 6-7 times, although it's been 2 years since my last time and that was on my honeymoon with my wife. An orgasm on X is unreal... in fact just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. Things like taking a shower, chewing a starburst, playing with silly putty, using a vicks inhaler, etc... are definitly erotic on X.


Ahhhh... the younger days.


Todd

Marmel appears to be a classic example of over compensation. I'm betting he's actually a repressed homosexual.

And I LOVE lesbians!!!

If you need X on your honeymoon, what in the hell are you gonna use for the 25th anniversary?

Submitted.

LMAO Great stuff, Ksyrup.

HornsManiac

Well, I probably drink 1-2 beers a week- sometimes a little more, sometimes none at all. And I must admit that taste isn't the only part I like. I also like the way it warms me up and relaxes me. However, this is a much milder effect than, say, getting high on crank. Parallels can be drawn, I suppose, but there's really no comparison. Now, if I drank, say, 6 beers in one sitting, then clearly I would be using it as an escape mechanism, and in my opinion, drugs are not a healthy escape. Why not read a book or play a video game...

dola

The hard part is discerning where that line lies. To simplify I would say the line is drawn when it reaches escape as in: "I must have a beer to help unwind after a long day". I suspect that's how the addiction starts. If you're drinking beer everyday, you have a problem. A problem under control, perhaps, but a problem nonetheless.

new rules. cant curse in a QOTM

By then I am sure some chemist student reject turned addict will have introduced Viagra laced Ecstasy for the impotent druggie in your life. :D

HornsManiac

To answer the original question, it's not popular up here at all. I think it's mainly a rural/southern thing for now.

yeah we enjoy the beer and the pot up here in good old connecticut

Not having ever tried crank I have no idea what the range of effects are. Obviously with alcohol you can range from hardly any effect to completely bombed. I've been completely bombed, I've been extremely high on dope and I've taken both LSD and magic mushrooms. While each experience is different, I'm not prepared to say they're all that different in terms of how far away from "normal" consciousness they take you. Yes, bombed on alcohol is a completely different experience than tripping heavily on psychodelics, but they're both quite a long ways from your baseline experience.

My point is still that most people do drugs to alter their experiences. The reasons why are as varied as there are people in this world, but the primary purpose is the same.

For those that drink coffee solely for the taste, I curious - have you switched to decaf then? I'm not a coffee drinker myself (never could acquire the taste) so maybe that's a dumb question - I suppose decaf could taste like crap in comparison to regular. But I still suspect that most that drink coffee on a regular basis are still doing so partly for the buzz, even if they've developed a tolerance and don't notice it so much anymore.

The thing about saying "drugs are not a healthy escape" is how do you define the word 'drug'? Our government and by conjunction society has done such a good job of demonizing the word that most people would agree with your statement, but where do you draw the line in describing something as a drug?

Don't get me wrong here - I acknowledge that there is certainly a point where casual use can turn into addiction and becomes an unhealthy situation. And I also don't mean to imply that because I believe there is an inherent drive in most people to alter their consciousness at times that it excuses addictive/destructive substance abuse. I also believe that if one is going to deliberately mess with their consciousness, they should do so in a way that doesn't cause a danger to others (i.e. driving while altered, etc.)

I just think it's overly simplistic to say "drugs are bad" and questioning why anyone leading a seemingly good life would want to take drugs is a narrow viewpoint.

meth in a nationwide epidemic. It affects every community in the country probably

Hardly, Airhog. I'm too lazy to type more, read my other post.

I can't argue that my perspective isn't narrow - it's the only one I've got! :)

When was the last time you heard of a meth lab bust in the blue states? It's always East Bumfuck, Arkansas. Up here we stick to alcohol, weed, XTC and coke.

drugs are bad

True 'dat. Hope you didn't take that personally...

I'm curious, do you do anything that you would consider as something that changes your normal experience, i.e. are you an adrenaline junkie, a workout fiend, etc.?

In NJ it's mostly pot and X. Haven't heard of many (any) meth lab busts in my neck of the woods.

No, not really. Like I said, I think music is as close as I get to an "altered state."

LOL! That is a quote of the day :p

We didn't need anything, we've done it before and wanted to see what it was like laying on the beach in Jamaica, so on the last day of our honeymoon we dropped them and just layed there talking and enjoying the night... They were a present from a good friend of ours.


Todd

just because they arent busting labs doesnt mean its not being made and shipped there...

okay I have to retract my statements, Apparently meth hasnt taken hold in the northeast.

Another interesting fact is that 4% of labs produce more than 80% of the countries meth supply. I would imagine that many of the meth labs you see getting busted are just built by some junkie looking to supply himself and make a few bucks, these arent the labs that are supplying this country.

LOL!



Todd

There was a meth lab bust in Philadelphia...

Speed is a really big problem here in Iowa. People usually make it out at their farms...

Was this question for the forum missed? Opinions please, are these people really addicts?

HornsManiac