Jump to content

Drugs in Shetland


da ness tattie man
 Share

Recommended Posts

The trouble with opiates is that they do not only alleviate physical pain, but also mental stress. The majority of users don't set out to become criminals. Their drug use is usually a manifestation of some deeper underlying problem, rather than the actual problem in itself. Many people use heroin and cocaine recreationally without any significant problems (quite often in the middle/upper classes), but we'll never have the statistics because it's hardly something they are likely to boast about in the present climate.

 

Where do you draw the line when "pandering to the idiots who won't look after themselves"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 1.2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

draw the line when they don't look after themselves

 

having a few drams after a hard day alleviates stress,

taking the dog for a walk alleviates stress,

going for a game of squash, golf whatever alleviates stress,

with the publicity that is there nowadays no one can honestly say "I didn't know how adictive it is" when it comes to smack so there is no damned excuse for taking it in the first place unless by prescription for pain the docs can otherwise do sausage all about.

If someone is damn fool enough to work with yun sharn you can only try and persuade them to see sense if they wont then on their own head be it.

I have friends who are at it and I've made it very plain to them what I think, I can and will do no more than that as long as they insist on taking it.

If they genuinely try and get clear of it they will have my full support if not then like I've already said they may as well jump of the knab and save us all a lot of grief.

 

I've known folk to use coke recreationally for years without too much problems I've never known anyone to use smack recreationaly without it screwing them up eventually.

the problems caused by coke are ussually financial once the money runs out the habit stops, smack on the other hand when the money runs out the stealing starts

Link to comment
Share on other sites

asprin, paracetamol both drugs both legal, used properly they are useful used improperly both will kill you.

 

quite true, trouble is, few people will enjoy taking a bunch of asprin. people will always seek ways to alter their headspace as long as there is the understanding that our headspace can be altered.

 

as long as this is viewed as the problem we can either criminalise people for thinking or criminalise people for choosing to put a particular substance in their body... perhaps we could give an enjoyment-inhibitor drug to everybody in the country, administered regularly from the moment of birth in case they ever decide to take some mind-bending brainwarp juice in the hope of experiencing something outside of their governmentally approved lives at the weekend.

 

if we understand that people will seek ways to alter their headspace we should allow them the opportunity to do so and try to limit the damage done in the process.

 

 

or we can just get a lynch mob on the go and drag out the tar and feathers every time the papers tell us some poor kid had no idea how much water to drink after they'd had an E.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If people can afford to take drugs and want to let them. I see nothing wrong with it.

 

Thats the problem, eventually they can't afford to take the drugs and they start nicking off family, when the family kicks them out they start nicking off other people and then they end up in trouble with the law.

 

Personally speaking I believe if folks want to get high as a kite and taken away to another place then let them but the second they start breaking the law to pay for their habit they get banged up like anyone else. Make them go cold turkey to get off it and then see how they feel about it after that. Of course that will never happen because the human rights of the junkie are being abused :shock:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^Stealing is less of a leap for users who are already marked as criminals.

Take away the drug laws and 'bingo' millions of instant law abiding citizens.

If you mark the whole crate as a bad batch, the real rotten one's have more space to hide.

 

There are plenty of laws I don't agree with but certain drugs do need to be illegal. Dope smokers much as I don't agree with it are generally harmless enough but my experience of smack heads makes me think allowing it to be legal is going to cause a whole load of other problems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
Guest Anonymous

The Changing Face Of Shetland’s Alcohol/Drug Culture Over The Last Three Decades

 

Growing up in Lerwick in the 70s and 80s drugs were something you very seldom heard about, other than from the television. Youngsters (and adults) prided themselves in their alcohol consumption and this was considered socially acceptable at the time. I remember incidents of very young children (some primary school age) having to get their stomachs pumped.

 

It seems to me that 13 or 14 years of age was the norm for drinking alcohol, usually at the country discos away from the watchful eyes of parents. By the time teenagers were about 15 or 16 it wasn’t uncommon to be drinking in pubs. The control of underage drinking seemed to be somewhat lax and poorly policed. It wasn’t uncommon for youngsters to be established regulars drinking on an almost daily basis come their eighteenth birthday.

 

I must have been about 14 or 15 the first time I encountered cannabis. Two people my own age were “skinnin’ up†in the Viking Café toilets and they tried to persuade me to sample it. For all I knew at that time they may as well have been digging spikes into their arms, so I swiftly left in a state of fear — I’ll stick to my Special VAT cider thank you very much!

 

As I continued on a downward spiral working and frittering away my wages in the pub, almost on a daily basis, I began to find myself meeting up with different people and moving in different circles. I became more informed about cannabis and at about 19 or 20 years of age I sampled it for the first time. Because of the nature of my drinking habit I found it very displeasing at first and was quite often sick. I remember having to hold on tight to the floor on a few occasions, or I would spend part of the evening resting my head on the cold white porcelain of a toilet pan for some relief. I also got fairly bad bouts of paranoia; however this did get me thinking as to where my life was headed.

 

I continued to drink to excess and I found myself, usually while under the influence of alcohol, more inclined to try other drugs. Speed and LSD were becoming popular by now. Speed was more of a drinking tool. It allowed me to stay up and party all night while drinking dangerously excessive quantities of alcohol. The comedowns were horrendous and after being up for three or four nights at a weekend it would take almost as many days to come back down, although in reality I never did come quite back down to earth as alcohol was always there as a pick-me-up.

 

LSD was an eye opener. I saw some things I never want to see again, but also amidst all the crazy tripping I began to find myself, and realisation started to kick in. I had some euphoric moments where everything seemed clear and some crazy moments where I could do nothing for laughing. The laughing was sometimes hysterical to the point where it was difficult to draw breath. Anyway, I had a deep look within myself, and I wouldn’t recommend this as any kind of therapy, but I began to see the makings of an alcoholic.

 

At this point in my life I sought counselling for alcohol, and I took to smoking cannabis on a regular basis, vegging out in front of the TV and generally doing very little with my time—but I was off the booze!

 

I eventually got to a stage where I gave everything up, even cigarettes and spent six months or so in a living nightmare which was reality.

 

After a couple of failed relationships I found myself at the doctors suffering from depression and ended up on a Prozac script. I was signed off work and found myself getting back into some old habits again. It wasn’t uncommon to go out of a weekend, sometimes even weekdays and neck a concoction of anything and everything. Always alcohol and perhaps speed, coke, Es, mushrooms and always a few joints.

 

As I slipped back into my old habits and back into an “undesirable†crowd other opportunities started to arise. I was with people who were taking heroin or were on methadone scripts and it was only a matter of time before I decided to give it a try. I thought I had found the solution to my problems as they all melted away after chasing some smack. I melted into the sofa with an itchy nose feeling a bit queasy, but at the same time euphoric. Of course the next stage is to spike yourself in the vein. I was strangely impassive when I carried out this deed. All in all I used heroin and occasionally methadone on and off over a six-eight month period (and also mogadon, valium,etc).

 

I finally got off my backside, got back into work and am now living in a happy relationship with children whom I have no desire to see go through the same thing.

 

We live in a changing society and the changes in Shetland over these last three decades have been phenomenal. Anybody can make the wrong choices, or find themselves in unforeseen circumstances and set off down the wrong path. It’s not so easy to turn around.

 

Unfortunately, the reality is that alcohol and drugs are here to stay in Shetland and it’s our duty as a community to ensure our children make the right choices. The alcohol problem is something that really needs addressed forthwith, and the drug problem needs to be nipped in the bud as it is already escalating at an alarming rate.

 

Education is of utmost importance, and I was very glad of the support services provided in Lerwick when my seams started to unravel. Anyone, from any background can find themselves in this situation—no-one is exempt!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

^^^^^^^That is one of the best posts i've read on Shetlink. It's very honest and everyone should read through the entire message as some good/valid points are made. I think teenagers or people who are thinking of taking drugs should read this message. This is an example of someone who has experienced drugs and knows how destuctive they can be. Oneofpost The best part is at the end with the Summary/Conclusion.

The Changing Face Of Shetland’s Alcohol/Drug Culture Over The Last Three Decades

Unfortunately, the reality is that alcohol and drugs are here to stay in Shetland and it’s our duty as a community to ensure our children make the right choices. The alcohol problem is something that really needs addressed forthwith, and the drug problem needs to be nipped in the bud as it is already escalating at an alarming rate.

 

Education is of utmost importance, and I was very glad of the support services provided in Lerwick when my seams started to unravel. Anyone, from any background can find themselves in this situation—no-one is exempt!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having read oneofpost's article, it seems that one drug leads on to another stronger drug and on to another stronger one and so on quite easily. People seem to be saying that smoking cannabis is not worse than drinking alcohol, but most people who drink alcohol would never contemplate taking cannabis or LSD or Heroin, however I bet there are loads of people who have taken cannabis who move on to stronger drugs. There is a big barrier between taking alcohol and moving on to 'drugs'. However the barrier from taking one drug to another stronger one is small. That is why I think cannabis is more dangerous than alcohol. It will lead you on to stronger more dangerous drugs more easily than alcohol would.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...