El Zen Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 5 hours ago, Designer1 said: Definitely. It's still the main site I visit day after day. I will be a very sad bugger the day it no longer exists. But. It will always exist. ...won’t it? Other than VT, nicotine (smokeless) is my main and only proper addiction. I do think I am prone to addiction, though. I’ll get easily hooked by games, working out etc. I’ll also feel physical stress if I have to miss a Villa game, or can’t attend home games for my Norwegian team (I’ve missed about a handful in a decade). I guess that is a form of addiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted September 5, 2019 Moderator Share Posted September 5, 2019 14 minutes ago, tonyh29 said: I'm a binge drinker and have no issues with going months between any alcohol When the NHS defines binge drinking as drinking more than 8 units (3 units per 5% pint) in a sitting, then a lot of people technically become 'binge drinkers' who wouldn't regard themselves as binge drinkers. Ignoring that (IMO ridiculous) definition for a second, I think actual binge drinkers know who they are*. I'm definitely a binge drinker, in that I like a session. If I go to the pub then I'm probably out until the end of the night. Unless I've specifically decided beforehand that I'm 'leaving after X' then I'm probably out til the end. But, like you, I can go any amount of time without a drink (I'm currently on a dry September co-incidentally). * for me, a binge would be 6 pints and above. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I'm lucky that I don't have an addictive personality at all. I have smoked and never liked it. Drugs? Recreational ones were meh. Painkiller addiction was real but past that now Alcohol... bit like Tony, I can go months without it and then go away with the lads and i'll turn into Pete Doherty for a week. As soon as I'm back home I can stop. A lot of my people in my office drink every night a home... that baffles me, I can't enjoy alcohol at home. Its a social thing for me. I deleted all my social media years ago and don't miss it at all. I see a large number of younger people are obsessed with their phones and social media... sad to see really. VT is my only vice now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 2 hours ago, BOF said: When the NHS defines binge drinking as drinking more than 8 units (3 units per 5% pint) in a sitting, then a lot of people technically become 'binge drinkers' who wouldn't regard themselves as binge drinkers. Ignoring that (IMO ridiculous) definition for a second, I think actual binge drinkers know who they are*. I'm definitely a binge drinker, in that I like a session. If I go to the pub then I'm probably out until the end of the night. Unless I've specifically decided beforehand that I'm 'leaving after X' then I'm probably out til the end. But, like you, I can go any amount of time without a drink (I'm currently on a dry September co-incidentally). * for me, a binge would be 6 pints and above. Yeah by binge I mean I feel going to the pub and having 4 pints is a waste of time , I’d rather drink cola in those situations my binge drinking is things alike next Saturday when I’ll be all day drinking at the ashes followed by a pub crawl then a live band somewhere and then pestering the hotel bar for a beer at .4am 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 I don't like to drink I like to get drunk Drinking without getting drunk seems a waste of money to me 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted September 5, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted September 5, 2019 47 minutes ago, villa4europe said: I don't like to drink I like to get drunk Drinking without getting drunk seems a waste of money to me I like to drink (I love a good draught ale). I don't like to get (too) drunk. Getting a mild buzz on (say, three pints) is perfect. But even that will make me feel a bit shit a couple of hours later. I went to a retirement 'do' for an ex colleague yesterday. Spent about four hours in the pub, had five pints, enjoyed it, felt crap last night and most of today. That was pretty much a binge for me, and I ALWAYS regret it. Back to one bottle of Guinness at home tonight. Perfect. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyp Posted September 5, 2019 Share Posted September 5, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, Rodders said: I've gambled for 15 years, and currently in my latest attempt to quit. At Uni it was around the time Texas Hold Em seemed to explode, so that was easy - spare time, grant money, and easy access never a good combination. Also sport betting, I knocked poker on the head about 10-11 years ago, but sports betting is so easy to carry on with. I've had various phases of getting arried awya, self-excluding myself and stopping for a few weeks, at one point a full 8 months, but the temptations and the offers that flood in always bring you back. What's a harmless free £10 bet here or there? It's almost worse when you have an initial win - that £60 profit one weekend invariably never lasts. I'm fully aware the house always wins, and the odds are against me and have been for some time but the irrationality of addictive / compulsive behaviour draws you in. After a certain period of time the idea that "one big win" would be enough to make me stop was obviously just a daft rationalisation of why I kept coming back. Fortunately, the spells of financial **** ups were relatively small. There was one time I chased some lost money on in play betting and lost £200 in about 2 minutes. That was a low point, for someone either a student or on low income that was stupid. I've had various controls on multiple sites with deposit limits, which seemed to work for a bit, I've had times where I've accepted the habit, and said, right £40 / month is a budget, factor it in as a social cost you're happy to pay for some fun. But the hook is more than just trying to enjoy a nice profit, it was filling time, and then occupying my thoughts. When you wake up to check your accy on overnight sports results from tennis or football the other side of the world, you realise you've got it wrong. But even realising that, you don't stop, because, hey, that was just one bad night. Just take a couple of days or weeks off and you'll return to "sensible habits" - weekend only betting. That is the next step in containing it. But then you allow that, and you realise you've spent a weekend pre-occupied by accy's and you've not got the emotional energy for anything else, you can't be arsed to read a book, your attention span has gone, you try watching shows or films etc whilst following matches in play, you cannot relax and immerse yourself in any one activity for long periods of time, without wandering if there's not some random event you could place a small £2 bet on. It's only 2 or 3 quid, what's the harm. And when you've then lost 3 of those of in a row, another £10 deposited into the account as you'll have better luck next time, you realise weeks have gone past, things you wanted to do, or needed to, say some studying or tidying fall by the wayside. Each element is just insidious. On it's own it all seems so small and slight, and easy to rationalise as comparable to other non gambling activities - "this is just my leisurely distraction, no biggie". In the past 3-4 years it has been so easy to do as my work has been so quiet and dull, that I have been able to spend afternoons on livescore / flashscore betting on tennis as I am bored. Instead of doing my postgrad diploma, "you can't study at work as you can't focus", but I can apparently happily waste all day checking scores, each point of tennis, each ball of cricket etc. I've opened and closed and excluded myself from so many accounts I've lost track, - but I always kept one or two sites open or short term closed off, just in case, but a month or so ago, was the first time I permanently excluded myself from most of the accounts. I think there are a couple of others which I've simply closed myself off for a year from, but that's progress I guess. I hate it. I hate how it consumed my thoughts, and how easy it is to rationalise, even if the financial cost was - in gambling problem terms - pretty small - the waste of brain space and energy on it has been depressing. It affects relationships, I've lied to people including past girlfriends when asked if I was gambling, and it's easy to be light about in friends and make jokes about cheeky bets and it seem like just a healthy past time. By consuming all that time and energy up, it then stops you looking properly at say other jobs, or activities you may want to do, as you've spent that time worrying about who beat who in some random match. I'm currently in a healthy relationship, and with a wedding next year and plans for kids after that, that reality has helped focus my mind and hopefully disabuse myself of the notion that the activity is harmless, I want to be all in engaged and not distracted - tangent time: my new bugbear is smart phone use - it drives me up the wall, so much of life seems to be geared up to prevent us from just enjoying the moment - but the bastard thing is so convenient. I don't know what qualifies as addiction, or compulsive behaviour, but when you want to stop doing something and you can't, that's sufficiently frustrating and stressful to be considered some form of problem. Even though I rarely caused myself financial hardships, a few bad days aside, over the course of all gambling I've done since starting as an 18 year old, I could probably say my outlay on gambling is between 10-15k. Spread out over time it probably isn't lot's but I can't imagine my winnings as topped £3k. My first ever bet came in was a fiver on 60/1 odds that came in. In hindsight I probably wish I hadn't won that. Smart phone use is the latest shitfest that's buggering up people's lives and I think it is an addiction too. My sympathies for those with addictions. The process of addiction versus habit is night and day really. Addiction is about physical brain changes. You see some people say "Oh after the first line etc " i was addicted. Technically untrue and impossible. Though if it's used as some form of anaesthesia to soothe some part of the brain that's been hit with trauma etc then the process of addiction can take hold quite quickly. I've dealt with it for years and come out the other side. Counselling and a good grasp of how the brain works etc has helped me enormously. Tried 12 steps. Not for me. Helped many though. Edited September 5, 2019 by Johnnyp Mistake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V01 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 11 hours ago, villa4europe said: I don't like to drink I like to get drunk Drinking without getting drunk seems a waste of money to me I like getting drunk, but I don't like being drunk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KentVillan Posted September 6, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 6, 2019 For me it's alcohol and cocaine. I guess I had an addiction to gaming in my teenage years, but it was so obviously destructive (staying up til 5am on school nights, etc.) that I knocked it on the head without any external help. I don't play computer games anymore. An interest in message boards is the main hangover from that experience, though. Alcohol I've always had a certain level of control over, so wouldn't say I'm necessarily a full-blown "alcoholic", and while I've smoked lots of pot and taken plenty of party drugs in my time, they never really felt like they had a hold on me. (Although I've always had that "no off switch" thing, where I would take like 8 pills in a night, while my mate would be content with half a pill). But alcohol triggers cocaine use, and cocaine is a whole different ballgame. If you're one of those people who does it occasionally, just be aware that pandora's box has been left slightly ajar, and I would strongly recommend that you close it while you still can, because the knock on effects are horrendous. What starts out as a couple of lines at a party turns into 3g by yourself in your bedroom. If you think it's a rich person's addiction, yes it definitely got worse when I started earning more money in my thirties, and London is definitely the epicentre of the problem. But nowadays with cheap credit and somewhat cheaper cocaine, it's an affordable problem for most people who don't have too many financial responsibilities (i.e. a lot of young single men). I've definitely noticed that rich people take it much younger (while still at school). I was never exposed to it as a teenager, but some London rich kids introduced me to it at university, and then you've always got the idea knocking away in the back of your head. I think it's totally immoral, and I despise people who calmly plan their weekends around it while they're at work, like it's a nice pudding for their dinner party. For me it's always a drunken impulse purchase at the end of the night. How do I have dealers' numbers? Well, I always delete them, and try to clear them from my phone, but it's actually surprisingly hard to completely delete all traces of a number from your phone (Siri has a great memory for deleted contacts), and if you do, you can usually find someone who's willing to give you a number. Plus they send "marketing" texts fairly frequently, especially when they detect you've gone missing for a couple of weeks. I have more sympathy for the dealers. Some of them are nice enough people just trying to get by, probably caught up in the addiction cycle themselves. Others are raw scumbags who I would happily kick to death. Blocking their numbers is the worst thing you can do, because then you have a convenient blocklist of dealer numbers. [If anyone has any clever ideas for overcoming this issue, please do share.] I've tried lots of things. Not drinking is essential, and the thing I find saddest, because I do like just having a couple of beers and watching the football, or having a few pints after playing football. I can go months on end without doing anything silly, but it usually catches up with me in the end. I've lost numerous good jobs and good relationships as a consequence. On the job front, I've become an expert at getting out before the situation gets so bad I get fired, but you always feel low because you're letting down good people with your lies and excuses. On the relationship front, I usually get into relationships when my head's in a good place, and I'm showing my best side, and then perhaps a few months or a year or so later, I will get bored or feel like there's some excitement missing from my life, and it'll creep back in. At one point I experimented with going out with someone else who was also a fuckhead, and that was insane. Never again. I don't know why I'm sharing this on here really, but I like the anonymity of Villa Talk and the fact it's mostly populated by intelligent, thoughtful people. Actually feel much better for just dumping this on you. Telling friends, etc. can be helpful, but it can also lead to this awkward feeling that people are checking up on you, or analysing you when you're talking to them. Any hint of tiredness or rapid talking or spending too long in the toilet or whatever and you feel like you're being assessed by a medical professional. It can make you feel quite detached. Also, as much as people usually want to be good friends, and won't disown you for it, it does mean you're seen as a sort of second-class citizen in a lot of ways. And some people really do just regard drug addicts as scumbags who deserve it. I wish I could explain to you how intense the impulse is. I fully accept that my younger self was an idiot for getting into all this stuff (he was young and impressionable and adventurous and wanted to look cool), but I am still paying the price now 15 years later, despite everything I try. I can go a full year of "recovery" and then I just tumble back into it. I would love to hear from anyone else who has overcome this (private message if you prefer). Anyway, there's always tomorrow. Onwards and upwards. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperTed Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 I’d say I’m prone to compulsive behaviour but don’t know if I’d define myself as having a addictive personality. Other than a punt on the Grand National I won’t gamble and occasionally have dabbled in drugs, but I have gone 6-8 months without touching the stuff and if it’s offered I will. I do enjoy a drink though. I don’t know if this’ll make sense to anyone else but sometimes I do feel like I beat myself up and make it seem like a problem when I’m fact it isn’t a problem. But isn’t that typical addict mindset? I feel for people with gambling addictions. Cigarettes are sold in plain packaging and can’t be promoted but if you watch a game of football you have to sit through flashing lights and great odds, only for bellwhiff Ray Winston to tell you to gamble responsibly afterward. I remember a South Park episode about a character being addicted to paid mobile games. It talks about how the alcohol industry will force it down your throat:- “DRINK DRINK PUSSY DRINK” but followed with a quick “Please drink responsibly.” Maybe if it wasn’t so readily available to us all, all these vices? Anyway, I’m rambling. As I write this I’m enjoying a Magners in the pub waiting for a friend. Swings and roundabouts. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperTed Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 @KentVillan I’ve just posted about the marketing element behind gambling and drinking and I’m genuinely baffled that even dealers are developing their own marketing campaigns. On another note, more power to you mate. Hope you can get over the hill. From what you’ve said I’ve been there a few times. It does get better mate. Just find as much focus in something productive. I could list a few tired cliches but I’ve honestly found that you just need to find something in yourself and you overcome this nonsense. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KentVillan Posted September 6, 2019 Author Share Posted September 6, 2019 6 minutes ago, SuperTed said: @KentVillan I’ve just posted about the marketing element behind gambling and drinking and I’m genuinely baffled that even dealers are developing their own marketing campaigns. On another note, more power to you mate. Hope you can get over the hill. From what you’ve said I’ve been there a few times. It does get better mate. Just find as much focus in something productive. I could list a few tired cliches but I’ve honestly found that you just need to find something in yourself and you overcome this nonsense. I think there's a horrible convergence of TV shows like Breaking Bad / Narcos, hip hop / grime culture which often revolves around being rich from selling drugs, and then the whole youth entrepreneur "hustle" culture where being a salesman 24 hours a day is somehow considered cool. So they see themselves as the CEO of their little enterprise. I've been given business cards before. It's ludicrous really. I suspect the police just can't be arsed to go after a low-level dealer who may only have a few grams of anything on him at any one time, so the whole thing has been allowed to spiral out of control. Also, as the market has become more competitive, dealers are more likely to be "nice" to their customers - delivering on time, giving you fair weights, not cutting it, charging you a reasonable price, giving occasional discounts, etc. It really is very similar to any other market for any other product, just with the added risk of your brain exploding. They're probably also a bit desperate for the cash, given the world they've found themselves in, so when a good customer suddenly goes missing (they may only have about 5-10 main customers) that's a big dent in their revenue. Anyway, while it's probably an economist's dream, for an addict, it really doesn't help at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xela Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 1 hour ago, SuperTed said: I feel for people with gambling addictions. Cigarettes are sold in plain packaging and can’t be promoted but if you watch a game of football you have to sit through flashing lights and great odds, only for bellwhiff Ray Winston to tell you to gamble responsibly afterward. Most (all?) sports have banned tobacco advertising and alcohol advertising is frowned upon (although not banned in all sports IIRC) but the whole of the football world is awash with gambling sponsors. Must be over half of the premier league now. Like you say you have Paddy Power or Bet365 trying to be all pally/laddy with fans, which really pisses me off. Should be banned 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazzap24 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 On 05/09/2019 at 16:59, Michelsen said: But. It will always exist. ...won’t it? Other than VT, nicotine (smokeless) is my main and only proper addiction. I do think I am prone to addiction, though. I’ll get easily hooked by games, working out etc. I’ll also feel physical stress if I have to miss a Villa game, or can’t attend home games for my Norwegian team (I’ve missed about a handful in a decade). I guess that is a form of addiction. I’m a bit like this. I can form habits pretty quickly (good and bad), but then I find the good ones drop off after a while, but the bad ones hang around for ages. I think everyone has it in them to become addicted to things,, but like any illness/condition some are more to prone to serious issues than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Rugeley Villa Posted September 6, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted September 6, 2019 (edited) @KentVillan Cocaine Cocaine Cocaine. Such a glamorous thing eh? I’ve been an addict for around 16 years. I never thought it would do the things to me that it ended up doing. It strips you of your pride and self worth. I absolutely despise myself when I’m on it, and I’m completely suicidal for the next week or so. Good job I haven’t got the bollocks to actually go through with it, or it could be the kids that stop me. Without coming across all high and mighty , but I’ve done it all on cocaine. Had some great night. Orgies , group sex, all that kind of stuff. Had great days and nights in the boozers with all the lads just drinking ourselves stupid, but staying sober because of the cocaine we were putting up our noses. How else was I going to go on 3-4 day benders with very little sleep if any at all. Failed days at work , failed my responsibilities at home and as a dad . I was hooked straight away and I always wanted to be hooked, or I thought I did. I was one of those people that not only planned my nights around it, but planned my whole life around it. I even used to get a bag in when my kids had their birthday party. Why not? There would usually be a bar there, and no one would know I was on it. I had no shame in going to the toilets in a wacky warehouse whilst the kids would be playing . For two of my children’s birth I was high the following day. So they were 1, maybe a few days old, and I was using cocaine. Ive has dealers putting shit through my letterbox at 3-4 in the morning. I’ve booked myself into hotels alone just to sniff cocaine on my own. I used to create arguments so I could go out all night and get wasted. The most I’ve done in a 24 hour period was half ounce. My mum was away, and I’d fell out with the missus . We had one child at the time, and I just locked myself away with this huge bag and got wasted. I used to rack up lines infront of my mum because I thought she’d be cool with it. I had no thought of what it might be doing to her seeing me like that. I’ve lost friends and I’ve had women kick me into touch because I was too mad for that lifestyle. Luckily my wife has stuck by me. Had some very dark times. Ended up addicted to shooting cocaine up. I was hooked on that for 5 years , and I was basically a junkie. I caught Hepatitis C(Which I got rid of)from it, and was hanging out with some proper down and outs . I could literally write a book on it, and probably you could as well . I look at myself as very lucky to still be here. I’m clean now,and take my medication for depression/anxiety , but most days are a battle. It’s nice getting in bed at night knowing you’re clean , and then waking up knowing you’re clean too. Alcohol is a massive problem for me too. It goes hand in hand with cocaine as you know. I hardly drink at the moment. Us coke heads are all the same. We have the same traits and we know how we all work inside our heads. If you know you know. Anyway I could go on and on, but stay strong, because it will kill you one day. If it doesn’t kill you in the physical sense , it will kill you spiritually, which is just as bad as being proper dead imo . If you’re ever having an hard time, just drop me a pm. I know the craic. Edited September 6, 2019 by Rugeley Villa 13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 I love a gamble too. Mad for the footy and horses. I’m always in control , and only bet what I can afford to lose, or shall I say what I’d be comfortable with losing. Is it a problem though ? Yes, because it effects my moods, and I’m constantly checking. I also look forward to betting day which is usually a Saturday . I gave myself Cool off time before, and I’ve lowered my weekly allowance at times. I do enjoy it though and have no plans on stopping. It won’t ever get out of hand I’m sure of that , but it is nice to give yourself a break from it. It takes a weight off your shoulders when you don’t gamble. When the big festivals are on I’m literally totally consumed by that days racing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rugeley Villa Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 Now for a good addiction. Chocolate and milk . Both are a must have everyday. I get moody if I don’t have my chocolate fix . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KentVillan Posted September 6, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted September 6, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Rugeley Villa said: Without coming across all high and mighty , but I’ve done it all on cocaine. Had some great night. Orgies , group sex, all that kind of stuff. Had great days and nights in the boozers with all the lads just drinking ourselves stupid, but staying sober because of the cocaine we were putting up our noses. How else was I going to go on 3-4 day benders with very little sleep if any at all. Yep, there's no doubt that the initial attraction is that you do actually have a pretty good time. Ironically, in the early days (when your mind and body are still in fairly good nick) it gives you a lot of the qualities that make a man attractive to women - socially confident, able to handle his drink, fearless. Try telling any young man that something that helps you get laid AND makes the sex feel better and last longer is a bad thing. One of my boldest moves was to move to Colombia for a year (pre-Narcos, pre-tourism boom) to "test" myself. I had a Colombian mate who said Colombians didn't really do coke, they just exported it (true, btw) so I thought I would embrace the local culture and see a different side to the country. Now I don't really regret going at all. One of the best experiences of my life. A spectacularly beautiful country with loads to offer besides the obvious. I had an amazing time. But I hadn't counted on the fact that 50% of the expat community were committed cocaine enthusiasts (the other 50% being a mix of foreign government workers and sex tourists). Naturally I gravitated towards the cocaine enthusiasts, and at £3 a gram, I was able to indulge on a scale I had never thought imaginable for a lowly mortal. I really thought I was reliving the making of Oasis's Be Here Now (which, btw, is the best proof any man needs that cocaine is the devil). [Sidenote: I have been back since, and while in many ways it has improved, I was saddened to see a noticeable uptick in young cocaine tourists paying their Pablo Escobar pilgrimage. Disrespectful to a great country - many Colombians see it as equivalent to someone visiting Germany to pay homage to Hitler. Better to go and pay your respects to Juan Pablo Angel.] But the "glamour" phase is a relatively brief phase in the life of the cocaine addict, maybe a few years if you're lucky. The regret phase is much longer, more painful, and more expensive. Can totally relate to the idea of getting a hotel room so you can do a load of coke by yourself. No doubt involving a ton of porn (the gateway drug for most men of the internet generation, surely?). It's no way to live a life. On top of that, years of cocaine abuse will screw up your circulation and your physical health, ruining the best bit of the cocaine life (the sex) since your skin will be in bad shape, your body will have lost its youthful muscle, and your willy will probably need a dose of Viagra. Look at Diego Maradona if you want any proof of the direction it goes in. A lot of people talk about drugs as a way of self-medicating depression and anxiety, but for me it feels more like a form of mania. Like I'm in a manic-depressive cycle, and it's the manic phase where drugs become a problem, while in the depressed phase I tend to be more self-protective. The biggest risk for me is things like: playing football and winning, getting a pay rise at work, going on a date that goes well. Basically the kinds of things that most people would see as positive. For me they seem to put me in this mindset where I want to go to war with myself. Like I have some berserker switch in my head that wants to turn any small victory into a 3 day rampage. I have to say whenever I see footballers have a dramatic dip in form, weird injuries, etc. and it's a player who likes to go out, I always suspect something like this going on in the background. I've heard that some pros will wait to be tested, and then get on it that night to maximise their window of safety. Clubs and leagues are often quite protective of players caught doing recreational drugs, preferring to treat it rather than punish it, so it'll often go by unannounced (look at the Alex Hales situation in cricket - only came out because someone leaked it to the press). My view is that as a society we need to get addiction on the same level as other mental health problems. It's really not that dissimilar to Tourette's or OCD. One of the biggest enemies of getting better is the fear of telling people what's going on, because of the social stigma, and then by hiding it, you break that trust with the people closest to you. Nobody likes being lied to. Obviously some people will see that as an easy get out - "Why did you miss work?" "Because of my cocaine addiction. Please pay me the three days' sick pay I'm owed." Naturally I wouldn't advocate a completely punishment free approach, but I think we do have to get closer to fully medicalising it, not just from the perspective of the NHS (which does tend to see it as a medical problem), but socially and in the workplace. Cokeheads are very good at playing up to their "party lover" image, but deep down they're just drug addicts who see weekends, and festivals, and parties, and social gatherings as convenient cover for their addiction. Anyway @Rugeley Villa I massively appreciate the offer of support. Will PM you another time anyway. Thanks for sharing your story. Edited September 6, 2019 by KentVillan 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 (edited) Booze. Once I get a taste I can’t f**king stuff until there’s nothing left or I’m asleep. I can go days without it but feel like shit and take meds for depression. I don’t drink to be social, just the feeling. Happily drink alone. Only thing that stops me becoming a full blown alki is my career. Dirty habit. Edited September 6, 2019 by Vive_La_Villa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted September 6, 2019 Share Posted September 6, 2019 8 hours ago, KentVillan said: cocaine use, Interesting and somewhat enlightening post Never tried myself , my total drugs experience was sniffing amyl nitrate in the toilet of a nightclub in Uxbridge with Zammo Mcguire and Pogo Patterson whilst singing “just say no “ , that might still be the highlight of my life !!! Sounds like I missed out ..: i worked at an investment bank for a few Year’s and you could see it’s usage was rife , good luck to anyone needing a poo around lunchtime as the cubicles were always full but daft as it sounds before then I thought cocaine was something you took to sorta make you feel invincible and full of confidence ... to my eye it looked like they literally needed it to function through the working day ... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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