Alcohol/Drugs and Brain Damage

Repost from the old site. For those who are worried, I would add a few pointers from my own life. I’ve been using drugs and drinking, one or the other or both, recreationally, for almost 40 years, and my health is superb. Of course, as with all things, moderation is the key. There were some wild binges of drinking and/or drug use where I thought, “Wow, this time I have definitely damaged my brain for sure!” At that time, I just stopped using whatever it was that had me worried and waited for a bit, and it seemed that at some point, all my brains came back, and then some. In some cases, I a number of cases, I had to wait for 3-10 days (average ~1 week), but in one case, it took a month to get back to where I was. After almost 40 years, you would think that I would be getting more and more fried by the year, but it’s just not so. To be quite honest, in many ways, it seems like I am smarter than I have ever been. Furthermore, no one who meets me or knows me ever thinks I am stupid in any way whatsoever. It is quite the opposite. Not trying to brag here but people regularly say things like, “You’re are one of the smartest people I know.” I don’t think they would say that if I was fried. When you exercise or play sports, they say listen to your body. With drinking and drugs, that too, but also listen to your brain. If things start seeming foggy, slow down for a bit and see if things clear up. Most if not all cases of permanent damage from this stuff have occurred from people who did not heed the warnings and careened right on ahead. To summarize my writings on the subject: Methamphetamine and Ecstasy are terrible for the brain, Ecstasy so bad you should not take it even one time. PCP is quite bad for your brain and probably ketamine is too. You can play around with any of those drugs a dozen or so times in a lifetime (and possibly more), and you won’t suffer any permanent damage. Any more than that, and things get a lot dicier. Heroin is easy on the brain but nasty in any other way. Opium, and all opiates, are also harmless to the brain but can be addicting. Use must be judicious and occasional, if at all. In particular, don’t mix with other downers. Long term alcoholic drinking permanently damages the brain. With less heavy drinking, the permanence of damage is much less clear. At low levels, drinking causes no damage whatsoever. The widespread notion, proffered even by many doctors, that each drink “kills brain cells” is utter nonsense. Cannabis, marijuana or hashish is one drug that can be used even very heavily by adults with minimal permanent effects on the brain. Occasional use by adults seems to be completely harmless to your brain. The question of brain damage by very heavy cannabis use has not yet been resolved, but even if it occurs, most of it seems  to clear up on cessation. Daily use of small amounts by adults can occur for years with apparently minimal damage. Any damage that occurs has not yet been proven, but if it exists, it seems to be quite subtle, and I am uncertain how significant it is. Unfortunately, for minors, the question of little to no damage is much less firm, such that I recommend that anyone wait at least until they are 18 to begin using cannabis. Of all of the drugs of abuse, as far as heavy use goes, cannabis is by far the easiest of them all on your brain.

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20 thoughts on “Alcohol/Drugs and Brain Damage”

  1. ” To be quite honest, in many ways, it seems like I am smarter than I have ever been”
    This is probably because your sex drive is declining. Clear thinking is one of the few good side effects of this. I thought mine would decrese some after I passed my teenage years. I guess that’s like saying a billionaire will have less money after he spends $100,000. It really becomes awful when some bitch with DDs decides she wants to take the same upper levels math courses as you two semester in a row and sits right in your line of sight and you want to walk up to her and punch her in the face and say “You don’t need to learn anything. You have huge titties. Hundreds of rich guys are lined up trying to fuck your brains out. They don’t care what’s contained in them. Now get them the hell out of my class before you get pearl necklaced, bitch!”

  2. Most people who smoke dope will defend the drug and defend their so called right to smoke and they will tell you it’s okay and and it has not affected my healt, hey it’s not that bad etc which is just plain bullshit and they know it but will never ever admit it.

  3. Robben, please. Neurotoxicity of the MDMA is debated. By no means it could be listed anywhere near Crystal Meth in one breath which is what you’ve just done. Krank is terribly addictive but it really gained land only in the U.S. and pretty much in Australia. In the other drug markets it is dead. Plus even this demonized metamphetamine is not doing any permanent damage to your brain when taken few times with descent breaks in between. The MDMA and its most recent analogs (within the ever expanding family of the so called ‘research chemicals’) are almost unnoticeable to your nervous system if taken in moderation. The 3MMC is probably the current champion here because the pure MDMA is rather rare (as its penalized in most of the countries while RC novelties can’t be penalized by definition – they are invented faster than the legislators gather). Look for prof. Nutt’s research and classification of drug hazards. Heroin and opiates in general are basically higher that you imply and MDMA is way lower. Ketamine and more refined and contemporary dissociates like MXE are kind of mater of taste (not mine for sure) but there is always a risk of short-term psychosis and theoretically lethal cardiovascular failure (ketamine was used as systemic anesthetic).

      1. You’re right. Sure it is. But unlike coke or speed or crystal meth no ona really goes into exctasy binges. It’s because of its psychodelic activity for which of all seven or so main kinds just the 5-HT2A receptors are held responsible (possibly via thamulus path but this is unclear) but this is enough to keep you from goin on MDMA spree. You dont want this OEV to linger for weeks, you cant work on MDMA. So, with the limited use, the the use is always almost limited by the mechanism mentioned, MDMA neurotoxic effects don’t take off before the very aircraft lands safely in the next day neurotransitters low. Which is good as it protects the whole machinery from exhaustion.
        Plus, there is so many more neurotoxic agents or simply these angry fucks called free radicals that act like ugly and malicious old town spinsters because in fact the ARE spinsters – the outermost orbital’s unpaired electrons. The most widely claimed harm of MDMA is that it numbs the 5-HT and dopamine receptors eventually leading to their reversible damage. In very few studies – irreversible. There are however some animal studies in which MDMA caused prolonged ENHANCED neurotransmission via the dopaminergic path after a chronic MDMA use.
        Once again – there is really a good choice of safer and legal agents of activity at least as good as MDMA or better. ¡Aproveche!

  4. Who the hell said stimulants aren’t fun? It will keep you dancing, talking all night. Perfect for night clubs. Not that I would know personally…..

      1. Lets just say I changed a lot. Dont care much bout all that crap anymore. If Im bored, I’ll read about it to pass the time, but now just interested in making money and nightlife.

  5. Rob, what about benzos like alprazolam, Zolpidem, Nitrazepam, lorazepam i heard (nitrazepam and zolpidem the worst) it could wreck far more damage to the brain than any of these hard drugs (crack, meth, heroin) when used for a long time or heavy dosage for recreational purposes…
    and what about stimulants given for certain disorders like ADHD do they have any effect on brain on a long term basis?

  6. Rob, u said u didn’t like speed, so I thought u weren’t fond of stimulants. After all, speed is the ultimate, most potent form of stimulant.

    1. I do not like meth, but I have taken amphetamines in pill form hundreds of times. I used to have an Adderall prescription.
      I used to love cocaine.
      I love coffee.
      I like to go fast. 😉

      1. MDMA is also great by the way, if u want to be more “lovely” towards strangers and feel no inhibition towards new girls.

  7. I started drinking at 14 because I was on a holiday with my cousins and they forced me to get drunk. They forced me to have it and I was scared of being picked on for two entire weeks until I got home. They were always nit picking me over small things like my stomach being rolley and my clothes not being fashionable. Having no parents to discuss it with, I drank it after FIRMLY SAYING NO hoping they would leave me alone for the rest of my life if I did.
    After that holiday, they started buying me alcohol regularly unfortunately and would hide it in my cupboards for me. They gave me a fake Id and I discovered if you can’t beat em join them. Let’s face it, noone wanted me to be sober or I would of been adopted out.
    I heavily drank from 14 throughout my teens. It caused me to be raped and beaten by some faggot who thought beating me and raping me would sober me up.
    After that, I had severe depression and have been on anti psychotic medication ever since on and off.
    I’m only 32 and probably have an abi. I am going to the drs tomorrow and am organising myself to have a brain scan.
    Thank you george McArdle for adopting me and looking after me so that I wouldn’t be raped, beaten and drunk as a child. Put down and tortured.
    YOU ROCK

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