A very close friend of mine is a drugs counsellor, actually a relapse prevention expert. One of his clients is a barrister.

Yes it was actually....about 8/9 times!!!!

Theres always exceptions,but I still think the vast majority of junkies wont have jobs.
Another point,if someone does have a drug habit,but works,earns a wage & supports his habit from that wage then is his habit a problem ?

it becomes a problem if he loses his job because of it!!!!!

Maybe,but would you say that a drug addiction is a problem if the addict doesn't use crime to finance it ?

In moderation all things are ok - I have taken all drugs other than heroin (sort of a drug snobbery). Now I'm not wanting to draw attention to myself or 'look big/clever' but I did take drugs for a long time and to be honest, thoroughly enjoyed them.

From magic mushrooms, fly agarics, resin, skunk, coke, speed, qualudes, mazis, valium, e, opium, acid to name the most. Havent took coke for 7 years and stopped taking it about a year too late alas, stopped smoking resin 3 years ago(after 16 years) and skunk just five months ago (about 12 years). I now live on tea, red wine and selected beers.

Whilst having no cravings for any of the drugs any more, i no longer smoke tabs either, I can easily refuse. However if I decided to do them again I would chose acid simply because of the insight gained and the utter unbelievable heightening of the senses - to listen to a select 10 cds whilst on a trip again would be a nice one off. Would have to smoke plenty of skunk tho' to take the edge off and maybe a mazi or two to get me to sleep!!

However, I have no desire really to go there and whilst at the time it was ok I do believe that I had a wee coke problem for a while and stopped it far too late. Nevertheless i stopped and it's like sugar in my tea now, don't do it more, not interested - plus probably know if i started again i'd be goosed.

So in conclusion in moderation they're fine, but coz I could afford what i did i didnt have to justify it to anybody.

Only problem i find with heroin is that people know how bad it is (it is called nasty in some circles) buut still fookin do it out of peer pressure and because of the hit too. Was offered it oft, but refused it.

By far one of the worst drugs out there has to be alcohol. Due it's legality it is socially accepted but when you're bitten by the drink god help you. You can avoid illicit drugs, by changing your lifestyle and avoiding dealers etc, but how difficult is to avoid booze, it's advertised everywhere, it's for sale all over etc etc

Problem for the health service when thier bodies start giving out!

Drugs is a very loose terminology here - prescribed drugs for treating illnesses are very different to those which are used to get high/off your tits etc, but some of those can also be addictive.
Regardless, anyone who has a drug addiction has to be said to have a problem.
PS I am not entering into a debate with anyone about that remark, because it is only my opinion - and I'm not going to change it.

Apologies for being a latecomer to this thread. In my work (social work) I have come across many people effected by drugs and I include excess alcohol consumtion in this as well. Often people get involved in the harder drugs as an escape from the hoplessness of their situation. Relative poverty, poor education, mental / physical / sexual / emotional abuse, low esteem and low expectations, poor prospects generally and often inadequate role models. As someone said earlier drugs have been around for ages, but only relatively recently have they been available to the less well off. I'm afraid it's all just a symptom of our society. I've seen people go to prison and return to drugs / crime whilst others stay clean. Crime rarely effects the very well off and so there is little incentive to help put this right in fact it acts as a control or deterrent for some seeing the sad state of others.

In other words, the real deterrent would be knowing that you were more likely to be caught than not? I can believe that, sadly without throwing lots more money and people at the Police Service improvements are only likely to be marginal.....

Exactly.

However in their infinite wisdom, the present administration have given the police a free hand and made them responsible, ergo, for raising their own funding, whilst also feeding their investment through the back door of Council Tax.

So all the funding goes on the soft targets like motorists, litterers, drunks and young hoodlums and nothing goes towards the big targets like drug dealers or organised gangs.

So they get stronger and the police are 'seen to be doing' although for fucks sake how hiding behind a tree with a speed camera in your hand helps the man in the street is beyond me.

Bunch of spineless tax collectors is our Majesty's Police Force now.

Somehow I'm not surprised that the word 'idle' appears in your working day....

I think that's overly intrusive. If a person is doing their job properly then what business is it of the employer what the employee does outside of company time?

you shouldn't have to take a piss test - if you're not performing properly then the employer should realise this without having to look at your piss. if you are performing properly, seriously what does it matter what you do in your own time?

it's also an issue (more in prisons than work, admittedly) that because weed stays detectable in your body for a month or so, and coke and smack (among others) can be flushed out in less than 48 hours, people who know they are going to be tested veer away from the mellow smoke and go for the alternative choices.

Stop eating chips then?

It would probably cost even more than you think. I'll spare everyone the essay, but accounting for holidays, how many hours we work a week, paperwork etc., how many extra police officers do you think you need to have one extra policeman on the street for a full 24 hours?

do you not see the glaring irony there?

Of course he does; he's just trying to wind someone up again!

well you can't criticise people for going on about drugs, and then go on about getting pissed. alcohol is a drug as well and you might be doing more damage with your booze than a lot of people are doing with drugs. the illegality issue means nowt, really.

it's just a matter of personal freedom and you're free to get drunk just as much as others are free to get high, without you whinging, as long as they're harming no-one else.

enlightened?

oh well, I'm the inexperienced 'bunkerite' that fell right into his snare then.

I had six pints of Guinness last night and the more I drank the worse the music got. Does that mean Guinness is some kind of reverse drug?

I had seven pints of Carling and I even remembered who did 'Lay Your Love On Me' was by!!

But I couldn't remember Samantha Sang...

Enjoying a few pints at times is sweet and dandy,no problem,as is enjoying a few joints,or the odd Ecstasy or whatever.Using alcohol or drugs isnt a problem until use turns into abuse.
They have different effects & cause different problems,but abuse of either does cause problems,so you really cant say alcohol is better than drugs.
There is more alcohol abuse than drug abuse.

Everything in moderation is the message innit??

Too much of anything is bad for you but isn't that just common sense?? It's not usually the addiction that kills you, it's the lifestyle that goes with the addiction. You can take smack for donkeys years and never suffer a moment's illness but once you need more and more and more and resort to desperation to get it is when the shit crawls up yer neck.

Thats fine ADG,theres plenty of guys who have a joint because they like a smoke rather than to become wasted.
BUT there are those who go straight for the strongest skunk available & get as monged as possible & there are those who go for the strongest brew available to get as wasted as possible as quickly as possible.
As I said alcohol can be abused just as easily as drugs,possibly moreso because its legally available.

will you stop talking about me in public please!!

what so if the beer didn't get them drunk they would still drink it?

most people I know drink booze to get drunk. therefore it's used in exactly the same way as drugs.

Do you know people who actually enjoy being legless?

My only problem with beer is that getting drunk stops you drinking more!

What about all them barbeque's what you have??

I've never heard of someone who 'hates getting drunk' but 'likes beer'

bizarre

if you hate getting drunk why don't you drink non-alcoholic beer? Becks do a decent one.