Addiction
To those of you whom know me, know that i used to use herb (Cannabis) & back in the dayz, I used to serve too.
Right now I'm in a drug court program because I wuz caught with a semi-large amount.
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I used to smoke sometimez, but mainly I used it in tea form or to cook with; and I often would take breaks from it.
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To me.....that's not wut you'd really call an addictive substance if I'd go for months at a time without using it.
What's crazy is throughout all the debates with counselors & officers, their only excuse has been that it's an addictive substance...................
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Of course, as you can see, I'm an advocate towards the legalization of marijuana, but I also seek to prove that we are naturally creatures of habit. We all have our addictions & patterns that pull us in. When it's all said & done, I'm really just an advocate for the legalization of freedom.
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I know that there are substances, that after long periods of use, can affect how the body reacts without them in the system.
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For example: heroin, crystal meth, crack cocaine, etc.
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Now, I dont advocate putting certain thingz into our bodies, but I also do not feel it is right for one man to demand what another man chooses to do with their body.
In places like Amsterdam where it is legal to do basically anything, the crime rate & addiction rate is one of the lowest in the world.
Why?
Because when you tell someone they can't do something, it makes them wanna do it even more. We are all free spirits at heart & will rebel against rules.
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LOL. What's even crazier is that there are certain proven addictive substances that are legal like tobacco, alcohol, & caffeine.
So who really determines this shit after all?
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When it boils down to it, addiction is a mind thing. We make ourselves feel dependant on whateva our addiction is. Yes, we are BE~ings made up of chemicals & certain chemicals mixed with other chemicals create chemical reactions just like in a science lab.
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We feel good when neurons in the reward pathway of our brains release a neurotransmitter called dopamine.
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A neuron is an excitable cell in the nervous system that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signaling. Neurons are the core components of the brain, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nerves.
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They respond to stimuli, and communicate the presence of stimuli to the central nervous system, which processes that information and sends responses to other parts of the body for action.
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Here's wut a neuron in our brain looks like:
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Neurons in the reward pathway communicate by sending electrical signals down their axons. The signal is passed to the next neuron across a small gap called a synapse.
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Dopamine is released into the synapse. Excess dopamine is taken back up by the sending cell, while other nerve cells release an inhibitor that works to prevent the receptor nerve from being overstimulated.
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Now, addictive substances increase the amount of dopamine in the synapse, heightening the feeling of pleasure. Addiction occurs when repeated use of something disrupts the normal balance of brain circuits that control rewards, memory and cognition, ultimately leading to compulsive behavior towards use.
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My argument is that "wuz wrong with people wanting to be overstimulated with pleasure?" & my counselor's argument is "why do we need a substance to do gain pleasure?"
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Well, if that's the case, we might as well die. lol
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Everything we do; everything we physically or mentally are pleased by, is based on substances.
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Wut would happen to half the world if meat wuz just made illegal, because it's not needed to survive?
Seriously?
We don't need meat & most animal products aren't good for our health; plus meat-eaters are more likely to be xtra lustful, quicker to fight, & think more irrationally in pressured situations compared to vegetarians.
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I mean, obesity is really taking over our society & in many cases, it's killing people.
Don't get me wrong. There are people who have genes that lead them to be bigger than others, but much of America's obesity is due to an addiction to food = a compulsive attraction to stuffing our faces.
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How many of you love chocolate or other sweets?
Many of you get a high off of these products. Believe it or not. Chocolate releases a certain amount of dopamines & could even become an aphrodesiac.
Sweets hype some people up + people who use candies & cookies on a regular basis have been known to have "withdrawals" too.
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I know this doesn't apply to everyone, but the same goes for herb & other illegal substances.
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Many of yall get sick & automatically feel u have to pop a pill or drink some medicine.
Isn't that an addiction?
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Most timez, these chemicals don't cure us.......they just temporarily take away the pain or uneasiness. On top of that, they make you dependant on these substances everytime u have the subtlest cough or headache.
Do u know wut that does to ur immune system?
It makes it weak & leaves it lost, not knowing how to battle serious sickness on its own.......And it all starts with ur mind.
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Anutha major addiction, which will never be eliminated, especially in a society like this, is sex.
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Let’s look at what goes on in the brain during sex and orgasm. Although u think everything happens between ur legs, the experience of orgasm actually occurs between ur ears. Certain pathways are turned on, while ur "defenses are turned off". This happens by means of chemical messengers and the nerve cell receptors they bind to. These neurochemical changes take place in the limbic system, or "mammalian brain." The mammalian brain controls almost all bodily functions. It’s the seat of emotions, desires, drives & impulses. It’s where u fall in & out of love…or lust.
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Basically, ur brain does the same shit it does when u intake an illegal substance. Dopamines are rushed into the brain & other parts of the brain are shut off.
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It's a high!!!!!
And in most people, sex has become an addiction. How many people yall know that are mean or bitchy when they don't get sex on a regular basis?
Sorry to tell you guys, but that's wut u call a withdrawal in drug terminology. lol
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It's even to the point where people are addicted to their emotions. Emotions are just chemical releases in the brain that trickle down throughout our nervous system.
Many mental illnesses are due to people's addiction to the highs & lows that certain emotions give.
Bipolar sydrome is one example.
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In this drug court program, their main goal is to supposedly make u not use whateva it wuz u got locked up for in the 1st place; to replace it with sumthin else. They do this by making u stay "clean" for a year or 2.
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My challenge to them is to refrain from TVs & computers for a year or 2.
(the most addictive thing in America right now)
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My counselor feels like this doesn't count b-cuz it's not a substance being put into ur body & it's not harmful. I beg to differ. TVs & computers shoot out harmful electromagnetic waves & affect the frequencies in our brain neurons. But newayz, wuzn't the point to this program all about breaking us from addiction? lol
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Most people can't go a week without TV, let alone a day.
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The TV's an easy way to affect the dopamine use in our brain. 1st of all it's being shot directly into our eyez. I don't know too many other substances that are intaked in this way. 2nd of all, due to acting & film editing, our emotions are thrown left & right.
Some of yall might see me as reaching too far to argue a point, but i feel the TV is very relevant to this subject. It still causes chemical affects in our brain patterns & that is how these people supposedly determine wut drugs are.
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This whole drug war & these laws built around it are all abuncha BS. Open yall eyez. We've perceived the substances that we see as drugs due to how they've brainwashed us.
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For thousands of years (since the beginning of recorded history), people have utilized substances for physical, mental, & spiritual gratification.
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The ancient Myans & Incans used to chew the cocaine leaf for extra boosts of energy. The Native Americans used to puff on peyote during prayer circles. Jesus even turned water into wine (an alcoholic beverage).
Cannabis wuz being used in China since 3,500 BC.
It's only been illegal for less than 100 years.
Society wuz built on people using substances to gain higher levels of consciousness.
Almost all the great leaders, artists, philosophers, & scientists throughout HisStory had a substance of choice.
Some of our most classic novels like "FRANKENSTEIN" were written under the influence of sumthin. How did sumthin that has enhanced mankind become sumthin so wicked in less than a century?
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This picture below is of a Hindu sadhu (holy man) puffing on the herb, which wuz given to us by a holy deity named Shiva, for us to achieve enlightenment. The tradition of smoking weed is as ancient as wearing clothes.
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Dont get me wrong. I don't advocate addiction on any level even if it is herb. We shouldn't be controlled by the lack of any substance or feeling.
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Mind over matter is the realest reality.
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But God did give us will & that's not for anutha human to determine.
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The same money being put into locking up people & destroying folks' lives could be utilized towards education. Better education within our society would introduce an effective, positive change into our daily human interactions; not a drug war.
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NE~Wayz yall.
BE Aware of ur habits & addictions & BE the best you that you can BE.
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LuvNLight
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