Well it’s official: My friend’s kid died of a drug overdose (huffing). I used cocaine once. I had one line and had a life-changing epiphany I’d like to share.I remember that there had been a basketball player that had apparently died having tried cocaine for the first time (turns out he had a heart defect and the cocaine pushed him over the line, if I remember correctly). At any rate the news of the day was that one could die from Cocaine on a single use.As I raised my head from the mirror, having snorted my one line, I realized that I had just risked death — the cessation of my existance (as an Atheist, there is no afterlife, so death is pretty bad). No matter how small, it was a stupid risk. Stupid is the word — I felt really stupid for having taken such an unneccary risk.And that’s why I don’t use cocaine. That’s how Atheism stopped me from using hard drugs.I wonder if this is unique, or if there is a pattern here (admitted sample size of 1). How many Atheists keep clean because life is finite and therefore more precious than those who think there is more after death?And then we can relate this back to Pat Tillman and other Atheists in the armed forces. Does Atheism make those who risk their lives for family and country more brave/heroic than their theistic counterparts?
arcticwoman
A well reasoned perspective. Welcome.
Reason
This is from Wikipedia. A list of countries that had a prohibition period. I don’t think it worked well anywhere but I could be wrong. I wish it were that easy because Alcohol abuse causes soo much misery.
* 1900 to 1948 in Prince Edward Island, and for shorter periods in other locations in Canada
* 1914 to 1925 in Russia and the Soviet Union
* 1915 to 1922 in Iceland (though beer was still prohibited until 1989)
* 1916 to 1927 in Norway (wine and beer also included in 1917)
* 1919 to 1932 in Finland (called kieltolaki)
* 1920 to 1933 in the United States
mxracer652: You’re brave and I wish you success and good health. Also, most people get nervous with me if I’m behind schedule and in the drivers seat. But I like to watch races anyway!
Wecome: Arcticwoman
What: One thing regarding the subjects of ending of prohibition and racing that sticks with me is when Reagan pardoned that Nascar driver who got his fast paced experience out running the coppers during those American outlawed bootlegging days. I forget the guys name (and shouldn’t) What a story!
I’m responding to this a bit late, but that is the exact thing that keeps me from doing drugs.
Part of it is the whole risking-death thing, but another part is that I don’t want to alter my consciousness. Being alive in the first place is pretty cool. We have a unique opportunity to EXPERIENCE things, and we only have that ability for so long. But then you die.
I want to take full advantage of that opportunity, and would rather not have my perception clouded by something that is in effect a cheap thrill.
test
test