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MaryCalifornia
04-16-2014, 01:36 AM
I will start this thread by stating that I drink in moderation in social settings and enjoy it. However, I believe that alcoholism is a rampant epidemic in our society, touching every family in a bad way. I read TT's post about the drunk driver who killed her friend's son, and it was his 7th DUI. My friend is getting divorced from her alcoholic husband, after her alcoholic sister suddenly died after a brief period of abstaining and then drinking again about 5 years ago. Alcoholism ruins so many lives and families, it makes me furious.

I can see that the dominoes are falling and marijuana will soon be legal everywhere. I don't smoke it and don't really have any thoughts on it. I just hope it doesn't destroy as many lives as alcohol does.

Thoughts? Predictions?

zeldabjr
04-16-2014, 04:08 AM
I think it will become legal everywhere eventually...Alcoholism is prevalent in my family...my brother, a niece, and a nephew...and countless cousins are alcoholic...and the effect is far reaching...as far as pot goes...I don't think it's as harmless as many people think...scares me to think of it legalized...

irga
04-16-2014, 05:17 AM
It's been almost exactly 3 years ago today that I lost my uncle due to his alcoholism. You're right that this is prevailing disease in every society, unfortunatelly.
As for marijuana, there is a huge debate nowadays in Poland whether it should be legal or not. Personally I wouldn't like to see it available for everybody, especially for children and youngsters, as it IS addictive and may lead to the use hard drugs. Just today I came across an interesting related artice:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10768847/Even-casual-use-of-cannabis-alters-brain-warn-scientists.html

EagleLady
04-16-2014, 08:54 AM
I think some people need to do a little more research on Pot before they dismiss it. Medical Marijuana has benefits.

MaryCalifornia
04-16-2014, 11:18 AM
I for one believe that medical marijuana should absolutely be available everywhere, to those who need it for relief from symptoms, just like other doctor-prescribed medications. It does work, no doubt, and to legally withhold it from sufferers is cruel.

I should have clarified in my original post that I'm discussing legalization for recreational use, for everyone, just for fun. I don't know what the age limits are by state - assuming 18 or 21.

DJ
04-16-2014, 01:29 PM
I agree having medical marijuana available to people who get a prescription for it is ok. It has many benefits. My father died of alcoholism and believe me if DUI offenders could see a man in late stages of cirrhosis it may just make them stop and think about what they are doing to themselves and others.

irga
04-16-2014, 03:40 PM
I think some people need to do a little more research on Pot before they dismiss it. Medical Marijuana has benefits.

Somehow I feel it's addressed to me...
As I said,

I wouldn't like to see it available for everybody, especially for children and youngsters, as it IS addictive and may lead to the use of hard drugs
I did not refer to medical use of marijuana since, as I understood, this was not the subject of this thread.

Victim of Love
04-16-2014, 04:41 PM
I think in many ways the jury is still out when it comes to recreational marijuana but I agree that it should be available for medical uses where it's beneficial. Regrettably I saw firsthand several years ago how using it recreationally can result in disastrous outcomes when the son of one of my friends was allowed to smoke pot beginning around age 13. By the time he was 18 he had graduated to crack and meth. I spent a tense and frightening night sitting with her at the ER when he OD'ed and crashed twice before they were able to stabilize him. Unfortunately the father was an alcoholic who was in serious denial, insisting that his drinking was a choice rather than a serious illness and repeatedly declaring he could quit any time - and he was stumbling drunk when he got to the hospital. Imagine seeing the two of them laughing and joking about the whole situation the next day. The son kept saying, "Wow, I can't believe they (his friends) brought me to the hospital. How lame is that?" The mother told him he crashed twice and nearly died; the father kept saying, "That's my boy! How cool is that!?!" AND he told the kid how PROUD he was of him.

The kid was sent to a rehab boot camp and came out clean & sober but it only lasted for about six months. And in that same period of time the father began experiencing 'waking blackouts' where he would appear to be functioning normally but had absolutely no recollection of it after. He was diagnosed as suffering from Korsakoff's psychosis due to chronic alcoholism. He refused to quit drinking or driving (both on the strong advice of his doctor) and was eventually responsible for a serious accident that left a 14-year-old girl paralyzed and her mother requiring extensive reconstructive surgery to repair the facial damage she suffered. The police found an empty vodka bottle, half a 'suitcase' of empty beer cans and 2 ounces of marijuana in his truck at the scene and he tested off the charts. Sadly, he still drinks and smokes pot, drives without a valid license or insurance, and STILL insists that he can quit any time he chooses. The son has 4-5 DUI arrests in as many years. My girlfriend divorced him and has subsequently washed her hands of the son who is in his late 20's and lives & parties with his Dad.

Also, my uncle was an EMT for years but quit the same day he responded to a call that required jaws of life to extricate two people from their demolished vehicle, innocent victims of a drunk driver. They were my counsins' best friend and the boys' mother and they were pronounced at the scene. The other guy was drunk and high - and walked away without a scratched, complaining that he didn't know what all the fuss was about because the vehicles could be replaced!

I admit that I enjoy having a glass of wine from time to time, but always in moderation and never on an empty stomach. I am NOT an advocate of alcohol OR recreational drugs. I don't believe recreational drugs should be legalized and wish there was a greater focus on finding a resolution to the rampant drinking problems in this country. Just my opinion.

bluefeather
04-16-2014, 05:17 PM
HORRIBLE story VOL

I don't think marijuana should be legalized but I do believe it's good for certain medical purposes when used very carefully

tjh532
04-16-2014, 10:45 PM
Ok, my two cents worth. I will start by saying that I do not drink at all. But I have no problem with those who do, as long as they can stay in control.
Pot, on the other hand, I worry about. I am fine with medical marijuana. It is prescribed and regulated. I think that eventually it will be legalized everywhere, just like alcohol. But then we will start reading articles and stories about people killed by a high driver instead of a drunk driver. I guess what worries me is the attitude many have, that pot is harmless - it isn't. There is a reason why they call it a gateway drug. And it is addictive.
I have a friend that counsels kids who have been put on probation for drinking and drugs. She tells me that what is happening now is that some dealers are lacing pot with harder drugs in order to get them to need a bigger high, and to move on to harder drugs. Its scary what people will do.
And just a disclosure here - I have a son who has gotten into some trouble with drugs. It isn't fun, and watching him try to stay away, even though he only used for a couple years recreationally, has been hard. He is doing really well, but it is so easy to relapse. I hate that kids have the attitude that drugs are no big deal.

MaryCalifornia
04-17-2014, 12:32 AM
Thank you for your personal stories everyone. This is what I was interested in. Supports my beliefs that alcohol abuse touches so many lives in so many countries, and I do worry about the impending issues from legalized pot. Also, seems like everyone who has been to an Eagles show this year has been subjected to nearby pot smoke. I don't really mind that, I feel like people are having a good time, I guess I'm mentioning it to make this topic relevant to the board! (But I guess it's already relevant since the thread is "Cheap talk and WINE" :cheers:

WalshFan88
04-17-2014, 01:39 PM
I definitely think legalizing marijuana for recreational use is not a wise move. I think it encourages other drug use and can cause adverse effects.

I only drink very occasionally and when I do it's not very much as it has a tendency to make me loopy quicker than most people (probably due to some of my medication I'm on) but 1 or 2 here and there is fine.

EagleLady
04-17-2014, 02:15 PM
Smoking Medical Marijuana is better than taking dangerous Pain Pills.

Ive always been a dreamer
04-17-2014, 05:51 PM
Gosh – this is such a complicated topic and I sure don’t claim to have the answer. I’ll go ahead and put my two cents in to offer a somewhat different perspective though. Alcoholism and drug addiction are prevalent in my family too, and I’ve seen them both destroy people and relationships firsthand as well. But quite honestly, I don’t think the destruction had anything to do with whether the substance of choice was legal or not. You all have given some good reasons against legalizing pot, but, again, I’m not convinced that the issue of legality has any direct or indirect link to the substance abuse. In the cases I’ve seen, the addict is going to find a way to get their drug of choice no matter if it’s legal alcohol, prescriptions drugs, or illegal substances. I don’t know if there is any real benefit to criminalizing its use. Now, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t criminalize the negative behavior that may be a result of substance abuse. In other words, to me, I don’t see a lot of benefit to locking someone up for possession of pot, but if the user goes out and steals to get the money to buy pot, then that’s definitely a criminal matter. I think the strongest arguments in favor of legalization are that there would be more regulation over what is actually in the substance being sold and also the revenue that a governmental entity could raise from taxation of the sales.

Brooklyn Roads
04-18-2014, 12:53 AM
Smoking Medical Marijuana is better than taking dangerous Pain Pills.

That can go two different ways. Any kind of drug will inhibit you in some way. Even a Benedryl can make someone very sleepy and may make them not think clearly on the road or on the job, hence the warning on the label.

With that being said, smoking medical marijuana may be better in some ways than pills, but it does have its drawbacks - damage to lungs, after effects, feeling hungry afterwards, unable to think clearly during and after use, hallucinogenic thoughts, etc.

I would not say it's better; I'd say it's about equal, for different reasons. That's just my opinion though. None of us are "wrong," we just have different views and this topic really strikes a chord with many of us who've been affected by the harming effects of any substance abuse.

Brooklyn Roads
04-18-2014, 01:01 AM
The stories on here are heart-wrenching. I am so sorry for those who've been truly effected by the carelessness of those who've gotten behind the wheel and driven drunk and do not take responsibility or have any remorse for their actions.

My 15 year old cousin (in 1991), went against her mother's wishes to go out with her friends to help celebrate one of her friend's brothers coming back from the Kuwait/Gulf War. The kids were partying hard, she was stuck out in the middle of no where and had to hop into an open truck with no seat belt and ride back home. The driver, who was under the influence, mistook a curve and over compensated when he turned back into his lane and crashed into a ditch. All involved were killed (about 13 kids in all and the 2nd deadliest crash in our county to date) and thrown from the vehicle. My cousin was one of them. She likely died from breaking her neck when she was thrown 100 ft from the vehicle. In my cousin's defense, they did an autopsy on her and found no alcohol in her bloodstream. I am proud of her. She stayed true to herself.

It is heartbreaking what drinking and drugs can do. It can change your life in a split second.

Tiffanny Twisted
04-18-2014, 07:11 PM
well for me, to sit with your friend as she howls from the depths of her soul as she HOLDS HER 24 YEAR OLD SONS ASHES IN A BOX....its so sobering and helpless for there is nothing to say to comfort in this situation.

The man who drove his truck in front of her son who wore a helment on his motorcycle on his way home from work then drug him for blocks had an application for the tingy that you have to breath in to start the car but he never filled it out. He is a serial drunk driver.

Now his parents are fighting for something called "Liams LAw" to be passed with mandatory stiffer sentences but are being told that judges "don't like that".But they are working tirelessly for this and have found some lawmakers in pa to help support this

(bill.http://www.dailylocal.com/general-news/20140414/man-admits-to-fatal-dui-cops-want-tougher-laws)

Liam was a great guy and minding his own business when someone who couldn't control himself changed forever the lives of many including me.

I don't mind people enjoying themselves but don't drink and drive hand the keys over to someone who hasn't been drinking.'I am always the designated, lol I don't drink for a lot of reasons. ONe it messes with my medication ...if I did drink it would have to be the same each nite and it never appealed to me to have a drink each night..I'd rather eat dessert.lol
But I was also raised and abused by an alcoholic step parent so it never appealed to me.

As for as pot....don't smoke it at a concert ..its not fair to others who don't want to be exposed to your second hand smoke. I really don't care what you do in the privacy of your own home..as long as you arent driving a car etc or hurting minor children or exposing them to second hand smoke.

for god sake....Since Jan I have buried two people who died from Lung cancer.
all of the above is just my opinion. don't shoot me. You asked I told what I feel in my heart.
I just have been directly affected by it....nothing will ever change that horrible wake for Dianes son Liam nothing will remove it from my mind it is burned there for eternity.

tjh532
04-18-2014, 08:17 PM
Tiffany - that is so horrible - I'm so sorry for your friend. I'm glad that they are doing something to try and change the law. You never forget experiences like that. So sad.

One nice thing about this board is that we can all respectfully post our opinions. I don't think that you need to be worried that someone would be upset with you over your opinion.

I agree that there need to be tougher laws. When I was in high school, a friend of mine was drunk on the last day of school. She ran a stop sign and hit a motorcycle. The driver survived, but she killed the passenger on the back. She was never the same. Her life basically came to a halt. I ran into her about 10 years after we graduated, and she was still in counseling, and her life was still a mess. She never forgave herself. A careless stupid mistake in high school ( and most of us made some stupid mistakes as teenagers) has ruined her life. Although the family of the girl that was killed could argue that at least she is still alive. How hard would that be, to have to live with the knowledge that you took someone's life?

Tiffanny Twisted
04-18-2014, 08:30 PM
thanks tjh532 much appreciated.

I don't mean to get on the soap box..it just hits so close to home for me with the 1 year anniversary being april 28 and the guilty plea being entered this week.

I will never ever ever forget holding her as she held him in a box
The last time I had talked to Liam he told me how proud of his Mom he was and how talented she was with her art. So for me it is a great memory with his big smile talking about his Mother...

You are right, the girl you know who had the accident her life on earth is forever changed over a split second bad decision or choice.
Its ashame she doesn't do something like talk to kids about what happened and try and reach them that way.

as a former parents association president and vice president and board member at my sons high school, I always tried to have people come and talk to parents and students about things that would make them think and make good choices. (campus safety at college from a parent who lost a child to crime and started a foundation in her name and changed laws in PA) Maybe this girl could do some good for others from her horrible expierence.

sorry didn't mean to go on and on but my nerves are raw over this this week

bluefeather
04-19-2014, 11:36 AM
SO touching in a HORRIBLE way TT, I'm so sad these kind of things seem to have to happen though they could be avoided

Tiffanny Twisted
04-19-2014, 02:06 PM
ty bf appreciated again folks did not mean toget up on my soap box it just touched me very deeply