Drug: A chemical substance that affects the processes of the mind or body.
This could mean absolutely anything. Legality is irrelevant.

There are many reasons to take substances. What substances do you take and why?

Note: Spiritual Growth and Expansion of Mind are separated because I feel Spiritual Growth pertains to balancing an imbalance, learning meditation, practicing patience, etc, and expanding ones mind pertains more to imagination, thinking outside the box, open-mindedness, et cetera.

No matter which poll option you choose, please post to elaborate on your particular reasons; everyone is unique.

In case of wanting to choose multiple poll options begin your reply in this thread by stating each one, and vote for whichever you feel is the primary reason in the poll.

(I ponder if anyone will actually say they use drugs to escape from life)

---

-Medical
-Recreational (Primary Reason)

Alcohol, white wine specifically, is lovely for recreational use in relaxing, and concentrating on certain things like playing music.

Green tea, or any type for that matter is lovely as a morning pick-me-up (which surprises some because of the lack of caffeine or any actual "chemical pick-me-up", as well as for sickness, and for relaxing at night to sleep.

Certain sugary foods are nice as they fall under the category of "comfort food." It can be a nice reward for a good days work.

Love tryptamines because they allow me to solve complex problems from different perspectives. Illuminate novel knowledge I have burried between the layers of the working cluttered mind. Et cetra.

Smoke cannabis occasionally to unwind, laugh more, sleep better, and sometimes in aid with meditation.

You know these things don't be a stranger

<3

I take different drugs for different reasons.

coffee = delicious, to wake up
cannabis = all sorts of reasons, from recreation to anxiety relief to escapism
dmt = seems like the right thing to do

alcohol green tea and sugar?

..first you leave chat..now this

:-C < extremely sad face

Ultimately all of my experiences contribute to our spiritual growth and substances aid in the unlocking of new contexts, perspectives and paths otherwise left undiscovered.

Oxygen, without it I'm finished. One of my favorite drugs

I almost chose to aid with medical issues, because I do take them for that reason. They allow me to function and not suffer from cluster headaches and migraines that are extremely debilitating. Mushrooms and LSA seeds for that. I use Salvia (and now changa) to alleviate severe depression as well, which I believe can go hand in hand with the migraines/headaches. They are so insanely painful I have wished for death, and they also have brought my quality of life down to about a zero in the past. Thankfully, these psychedelics have changed me and allowed me to live a life worth living again.

All that said, I value the spiritual growth aspect just as much as the medical value. I would still take them without the spiritual component, but it would be much like taking a simple NSAID pain reliever or something such as that. No real consciousness shift or meaningful insights, just slapping a band-aid on it so I can go about my life.

All of the reason above and more. I voted expansion of mind though it depends which one in which context.

I ticked "escape"... because that's the closest to what I'm using drugs for.

When I'm in the psychedelic state, I feel that my everyday existence is a prison, a way of being which is severely constrained by my ego programs. As psychedelics let me break through this programming (or that's how it seems), I'm hooked on them for life (or until I manage to get beyond without utilizing them).

After several months of churning in my life, there comes a point when my ego becomes so hard and brittle that it becomes painful. That's when I feel compelled to use psychedelics, to ignite again that psychedelic atomic bomb which can dissolve my boundaries and bring me back to "ground zero", where the whole process can be started again.

Tea, including green has caffeine in it... It's perfect in the morning as I don't like coffee.

PS. Mind expansion is my choice.

My choice was mind expansion.
I had a 5 year break from drugs, apart from weed, until june this year, when the spice found me.
I used to take drugs to increase the experience of the activity i was doing, MDMA in raves for example, or to escape everyday worries for a few hours, it was a time to enjoy for what it was, nothing more nothing less.

Since my perspective of reality was blown apart by the spice i have used it with the hope of glimsing something special, maybe grabing ideas and concepts of whats really going on.

It very strange but the spirit molicule has made me realise things that i already knew, but didnt understand. I hope that it continues to effect me in this positive way and it continues to expand my grasp on reality and the life game.

Tryptamines: For deep insights and to be instilled with the sense of wonder I have slowly lost over the years. To be reminded that I am actually God.

Phenethylamines: To basically relax and have fun. Some of them are also incredible bonding agents between friends and loved ones.
To be used sparingly.

Cannabis: To keep myself from drinking, lol.

Acid: A good, clean trip for dancing for hours at outdoor psychedelic trance parties. Gives me a lot of non-speedy energy and in conjunction with dancing helps me to work through my troubles and issues. I become quite the intellectual whilst on the stuff and it's good for a laugh too.

Hi
Good idea for a thread. It's nice to know why fellow Nexians use them.
Personally I use drugs (pretty much only psychedelics) for mind expansion. I hope that I manage to at least glimpse some of the truths out there. Whether its the whole alien/ufo debate which I am thoroughly intrigued by, 2012 etc..., or even the true origins of our species. I've had some wonderful insights on DMT and LSD about these 3 topics. I know they might just be the rantings of a mad man on a high dose of psychedelics but a lot of it is presented as truth during these experiences, and well I for one take most of it to heart.

I also use them for some type of spiritual growth but its more of a by-product of the whole psychedelic experience and I rarely go looking for it. Basically I don't believe in organised religions and their ideas of God/the creator - rather I'm happy to believe that who/whatever created us is somewhere/when watching our progression through time and space with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. I really don't need much more than this to be happy.

I do dabble in some opiates from time to time for pain management. Multiple broken bones and dislocations, including a few ruptured spinal disks throughout my child-hood have left me pretty sore. The by product of experimenting with opiates is the substantial euphoria (I try keep my doses low, but sometimes... you know - I don't really use it as an escape but more as a time to unwind, relax and hope to god my knees stop aching.

Hope that sums up my drug use pretty well.


Peace

PW

Edit: I also forgot to add that I do take acid and mushrooms to laugh my ass off and have a good time at psy parties

It's been a long interesting road with my drug use to be sure.

I never even had an alcholoic beverage until I was 22 years old. In some way, I've always really valued the way my mind works. The way I look at things is very unique, even before my psychedelic research so I never wanted to corrupt my mind by altering it with any kind of substance.

On the flip side of this though, I've always suffered from extreme anxiety (I used to have attacks often) and depression. After I lost my relationship of seven years, I ended up dating this really young (albeit attractive ) 18 year old (I was 23 at the time for reference, just wasn't a good idea...). To this day I still say this woman is the most worldly person I've ever met. She just had to have EVERYTHING in existence to be even remotely satisfied. Very much your standard 'valley girl' type personality.

I've always been a spiritual seeker, and dating this girl who wanted me to join the rat race of humanity so badly caused me INTENSE spats of anxiety and some of the worst attacks I've ever experienced. At the time, I was living with my best friends who all smoke pot, and on one of these very difficult nights a friend offered to smoke me down. I had always been reluctant to open the door to the drug world, but having reached a point where I felt I just couldn't take anymore, I partook of the ganja for the first time

Marijuana was a miracle to me. It totally took away my anxiety. Having found this wonderful little weed, it became verrry easy to tell this girl to take a hike since pot seemed to make me not take life so seriously or be afraid of being alone.

Another thing to note is since I've always been spiritually minded, after smoking pot I just started to look at religion differently. Most mainstream western religions, especially Christianity, discourage inquisitive thinking into the dogma they push. While stoned and thinking about stuff like god and the nature of man, insight after insight made its way into my conciousness until I formed a working hypothesis that the relaxed state of mind I found myself in on Marijuana was the appropriate state for contemplation of the divine.

Soon after this, I experimented with magic mushrooms since I had heard of their transcendent qualities from a group of my close friends. Shrooms not only put me in the required state of mind, it shoved me past it into the realm we call hyperspace in this community. It was at that point that my hypothesis was proven correct, but it was short-sighted. That state of appropriate contemplation was like standing on the door to the divine with your hand on the knob, but not having opened the door yet. Shrooms threw open the door and pushed me down a rabbit hole I'm still trying to get to the bottom of.

The rest, as they say, is history

I selected mind expansion, even though spiritual growth has been a welcomed side-effect. I started smoking pot around the same time that I started drinking alcohol (early twenties) and at the time it was to relax and escape a bit. I quickly grew more fond of weed than alcohol because of the mind expanding aspects of it. I tried mushrooms with the intention of getting a small dose of mind expansion but mostly treating it as a recreational drug. The experience put me in my place. I spent over an hour laying in my bed, crying with joy at the fact that I was alive; amazed that I existed at all. Since then my use has been mostly a desire to get a closer glimpse into the awe that is reality.

It's very easy to get high and have a terrible discussion on philosophy, religion, etc. But occasionally they shine like diamonds and a truth is illuminated in a way that you hadn't considered before.

Yes I tried to pack it in but it was killing me!!! Brooommmptishhhh lol

I take piracetam every other day to give me focus and drive and have to say its great stuff! I take raw chocolate every day in some shape or form. I have been smoking cannabis a good bit lately for lots of reasons, enjoying it too, I go through phases with it and im in the middle of one lol I drink alcohol recreationally from time to time, really like some red wines, my parents are into it so its free and im here, hence the reason I cant drink ayahuasca which I have sitting there, which I used to do in my own house every few weeks. Rarely smoke dmt due to setting. I have had some methylone recently socially which was enjoyable. For a while there I was taking mxe every few weeks but its been a couple of months since I took it, great afterglow, one of the reasons I was taking it so often. I sometimes smoke plain salvia leaf too.

i take diffrent drugs for diffrent reasons, but mainly because they make life more interesting and keep me inspired to do other things

I chose spiritual growth. Normally, I try and meditate at least 3x a week, but it doesn't always happen. No matter what though, every time use drugs, I find some (even if it is only a couple seconds worth) of time to thank the plant ally that allowed this great venture. Call it prayer, call it meditation, or whatever, but i try and work it into whatever substance I am using... even coffee. My first huasca experience (sub-breakthrough) was filled with ritual and prayer, and it was such an enlightening experience, it opened my soul to the beauty of the world. I love to see what other psychedelics will show my "spirit".

This doesn't mean they aren't fun though! I love to use drugs like cannabis and LSA to just have some fun, relax, and unwind.

In fact, I have used drugs for just about all those reasons at some time or another. Salvia for migraines, cannabis for math, huasca for spiritual, DXM (carefully) for mind expansion, and DMT... to blow my mind apart.

I picked "Expansion of Mind", but was originally looking for the "Because they're great" option.

I won't outright say you're wrong, because the green tea you drink might have caffeine, but:

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Decaffeinated+Green+tea

Mine does not. Nor does my white tea.