The Goat Pen

AlabamAlum wrote:Hedge,

Understood. The most salient point -and I have trouble even typing this- came from Rat. You do not hear of pot heads in rehab or at NA meetings or whatever.

Alcohol is a far, far worse issue in America. Despite that, I sometimes hear people call booze "healthy" because of some AHA studies from two decades ago - ignoring the fact of the deleterious effects on the kidneys and liver and the belief that plain old grape juice may have as many benefits.

Comments about grape juice offering the same health benefit that wine offers is the very argument that LDS missionaries make when arguing against alcohol to European (would-be) converts.

I can't speak for rehab but I've sat in on a number of AA meetings, rarely was any speaker "strictly on alcohol"

it was for the most part weed & alcohol or crack & alcohol

There have been a few studies on the dark juices. It's what my own physician recommends. I, of course, ignore him and drink ETOH for the... *cough, cough* .... health benefits .

No doubt you see combos of addictions in those meetings. I do not believe a significant portion (if any) are there for pot only. I have no doubt, however, that the vast majority use America's gateway drug: booze.

Most of the finance people I know "pre-game" with weed to keep from going overboard on the alcohol...and it allows them to make it to the 8am market meetings without a hangover (or beer flatulence).

What is ETOH?

Sorry. ETOH is ethyl alcohol. Booze.

"I can't speak for rehab but I've sat in on a number of AA meetings, rarely was any speaker "strictly on alcohol"

it was for the most part weed & alcohol or crack & alcohol"

I've never done much mixing of drugs (except speedballs). Not by design, it's just when I, e.g., smoke pot, I lose my taste for alcohol. Or if I'm into a good drinking session, weed will throw me into a tailspin. I guess there have been times when I've done blow that I've drank copiously, but it's mostly a result of the nervous, obsessive behavior engendered by the blow. I've certainly never had a coke buzz dulled or even mitigated by alcohol. I never drink when using narcotics (or vice versa), or at the most maybe nurse a beer until it gets warm or I nod out. The only serious cross-use I can think of is alcohol and exstacy. I'm sure I've put away a case of beer while using X, but you never really feel the effects of the alcohol in that situation...

The AA I always knew didn't give a shit about your drug use. That's what NA was for. I never saw much of the booze/weed thing.

hedge wrote:The only serious cross-use I can think of is alcohol and exstacy. I'm sure I've put away a case of beer while using X, but you never really feel the effects of the alcohol in that situation...

I (barely) remember one night in Vegas (before I was domesticated), after a hot run in black jack, a buddy and I went to Cheetahs to burn off some of the cash. After I hit it off with two strippers, one of them says to me "hey, do you roll?" I was like "yeah, sure" (not knowing wtf she was talking about). So she gives me an E pill and I figured I always wanted to see what was the deal with it, so I took it (and drank more water than necessary...but still, better safe than sorry, all considering).

It was a crazy night...morning...afternoon. Crazy.

Ah, Vegas...

the last time I spoke with the stripper, years ago, she was living back in LA and had fractured a bone in her neck trying a crazy move on the pole. I do not miss Carmen

I could drink like a fish on shrooms back then. Never did E. That was past my time.

Past your time? When was your time? 1979?

If you liked shrooms, you'd like X. It's milder in trippiness with the added boost of the speed. Good combo. Unlike many other drugs, I never (or at least very rarely) regretted doing X...

Just as I was typing that, a UPS commercial came on TV and one of the characters said "You're on a roll"...

1988

I used to go to every concert in town. Either worked them as a paramedic or got let in the back for free by other medics. Mostly did booze. Have smoked two joints (didn't care for it at the time).

The most popular pill of that time (with the crowd I hung out with) were quaaludes. I tried them twice. All they did was make me sleep, and I did that fine on my own, so never saw the need to try it again.

I worked summers doing security at riverbend here. I saw Whitney tounge kiss a fat lady before she went on stage & I saw Huey Lewis do the largest line of coke I've ever seen injested. Best times though were walking the lawn & taking possession of illegal herb. Or, if it was a Hank Williams Jr. concert, whiskey .

Best after parties ever. It all went backstage to the band & the staff was always invited.

Medics didn't get invited to shit. The PR person usually gave us free tee-shirts and albums/8-tracks/cassettes.

I saw Huey at Riverbend. heh...and now that I think about it , it must have been 88 or 89

Terrible.

eCat wrote:I saw Huey at Riverbend. heh...and now that I think about it , it must have been 88 or 89

I worked backstage for that one so it wasn't me who took your joint.

Ah Huey, those were the days when the words "saxophone" and "rock and roll" didn't seem like such a bad pairing.