What interests me the most is the prominent distaste for drugs in this community. I'm unsure if it's a statistical disproportion or if the anti-drug voice is simply loud, but it has me very curious of where the overlap is between furry psychology and opinions on drugs.
I used to "smoke weed errday" for a couple years but it started sparking anxiety or putting my attention inward which makes it a hit/miss substance to consume in a social setting. These days if I take it, it's when I'm alone playing some music, drawing, or relaxing with games. It's recreationally legal and regulated where I live and thus perfectly safe to consume. The taxes collected for it also are funneled into mental health funds and addiction rehabilitation facilities.
Since my first layoff from work I've started habitually drinking alcohol. I've grown quite fond of the effects but there are plenty of studies pointing toward damage to the body so it's something I need to tone down.
There's plenty of research pointing to the negative effects abusing of synthetic drugs like meth, heroin, and not-prescribed pharmaceuticals like opioid painkillers and adderall. Those are not compounds I'd advise taking and I'm not interested in taking them myself.
Psychedelics, primarily psilocybin (magic mushrooms), are an intriguing one. Recent research suggests psilocybin consumption can actually
be healthy for your brain under specific circumstances. It sparks neurogenesis (formation of new neurons), increases visual acuity and even cognitive ability. Statistically it's also (again, just with the small amount of research that's been done so far), by FAR the most successful treatment for PTSD with the lowest reported side effects compared to any synthetic pharmaceutical. It's also is nearly impossible to overdose to a life-threatening point, and has extremely low reported addicts. In fact, users who've consumed them, even after a positive experience, report a
lack of desire to take them again until weeks, months, or years have passed, if they ever want it again. They have a tendancy to be a one-and-done compound.
It does, however, alter your consciousness, and like any mind-altering substance there have been cases with patients who were harmed or needed psychiatric aid after consumption. Research
does suggest these cases usually involve a mix of other drugs, but it doesn't dismiss the possibility and the risk of consumption, especially if the user is not in a controlled environment with professional aid.
But just for the record, this is all simply research that interests me. I'm not under the impression that
"everyone should take psychedelics!" I've taken them personally and have really been opened up to new ideas, but I've also been hurt badly by them and even sent myself to the ER out of panic. Also, they do not work the same in everyone, as the human mind is very complex and all individuals are different. I just support the growth of humanity, and if there's something to be studied without ill-intent to any living being, I'm into it. For science!
EDIT: Here's a couple sources for the research I was talking about. And a study posted by WIRED.
REMEMBER these are STUDIES and not definitive. I don't want to to be overly cautious but I've tried talking about this subject objectively in the past and there's always a group who responds with anger. It's just science... there's nobody telling you to take drugs
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