I'm not special in any way. But I've been pretty liberal with drugs despite their stigma.

Before I talk about myself, I'd like to point out a sore spot in our classification of drug culture -- Being a "nerd" / intellectual does not include being a square / prude. Though they go hand and hand often, because up-tight people tend to keep to themselves, and avoid any risk-taking behavior. These people tend to be well-learned because reading and learning is an extremely low-risk endeavor.

But I think the truly smart people take evidence in a bayesian way, they become aware of risks, yet know to reason from first principles. The only way to yield new knowledge is to veer from the well-trodden paths.

And so, with that preamble out of the way, I take certain drugs often for medical reasons. I've done pretty much every drug under the sun in my college days, and every one of those drugs changed me in a positive way, despite the prude and straight-edged grandmas protesting that I would become addicted or go bonkers, or kill myself somehow. The psychadelics in my opinion, are the most worthwhile drugs, that only really need to be tried ONCE to have an immense effect on someones' life. I don't think someone should do acid every day -- I'm not that guy. But trying it once is definitely worthwhile. And any more than the first time, even a few times, is not even all that profound.

I take amphetamines orally, a few times a week to help me with my focus issues, when studying. I have insufflated them before, back in college, and it's not good for the noses' capillaries, the sinuses, etc.. It's just dumb, a party thing, what immediacy could be gained through faster administration is lost in the mal health effects.

I have chronic pain from multiple herniated discs from an accident. I take opiates daily to help with focus, because pain is extremely exhausting, and will wear you down. You will literally feel mentally tired from the body having to had processed pain -- you'll even need to eat more.

I disagree with synthetic opiates being prescribed. Oxycodone is stronger than heroin in receptor affinity. Addicts will even prefer it, in even oral formulations, versus heroin. Morphine on the other hand, is less pleasurable, and is the gold standard for pain. The synthetics like Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Hydrocodone, were created because the side effects of morphine were deemed too numerous. When I first took morphine, I hated it. It made me nauseous, made my poops hard, and well, it just made me dizzy and disoriented. But once I gave it another chance, it worked really well. Morphine and codeine are the poppy plants natural alkaloids. Why go with a synthetic opiate designed to have a stronger affinity than the natural one?? That is just asking for addictions.

If insurance in the United States were better, Tapentadol would actually be the drug of choice for pain relief that all doctors should prescribe. Tramadol works great for minor pain, and Tapentadol is the second revision of Tramadol, designed for moderate to strong pain, by the same drug company that discovered Tramadol. But unfortunately, it costs $1500 a bottle for the innovation. I used to take it until I lost my good insurance. It is both an opiate and a norepinephrine agonist, like Tramadol, but has stronger opioid agonism. Souped up Tramadol. Less physically addictive than pure opioids like morphine, yet stronger pain relief, drug science is amazing.

Both of these drugs, amphetamines, morphine, can be abused. But they have so much utility for people who can benefit from them. Amphetamine abuse is high in rural communities that utilize a lot of manual labor. And that naturally follows from amphetamines enabling a higher capacity to do both physical and mental work.

So when I see the blind opinion that drugs are bad..mmkay -- that they will instantly addict even open-minded rational, logical people -- I have to provide the other perspective. Responsible use. Drugs improving someones' life who would otherwise be severely tired and inefficient.