Salvia divinorum

[exigence]

My friend was telling me he tried some of this, its legal in most states execpt a few tenesse maby vermont and one other i cant remember. its some kinda sage plant when he smoked it he said he was tripin like mad, also it wears off in like 10 mins right before the trip starts going bad. this is the first iv heard of somthing like this i dint know if any of you guys have had it.

this is soposed to give some sort of spiritual enlightnment and increased self awarness.

[Jenner]

My friend was telling me he tried some of this, its legal in most states execpt a few [like] tenesse maby vermont and one other i cant remember. its some kinda sage plant [and] when he smoked it he said he was tripin like mad, also it wears off in like 10 mins right before the trip starts going bad. this is the first iv heard of somthing like this i dint know if any of you guys have had it.

this is soposed to give some sort of spiritual enlightnment and increased self awarness.

F
Please see me after class and have your parents sign this paper.

liek omgz why am i flailing skool?!?! Teecher musnt liek me

Just getting you used to it, kid, keep down this road and you'll be seeing it a lot.


Edit: Weee, imperfection.

[Alunissage]

You missed "tripin", "somthing", and replacing the first comma with a semicolon.

Though actually I'd disagree regarding the quotation marks, because his friend probably didn't speak in the third person. I'd leave out the comma and put the first quotation mark before "tripin" [sic], then replace the comma after "mad" with a period and start the next sentence with "Also". That's assuming that the comment about it wearing off in 10 minutes is not part of the quote.

[Jenner]

You missed "tripin", "somthing", and replacing the first comma with a semicolon.

Though actually I'd disagree regarding the quotation marks, because his friend probably didn't speak in the third person. I'd leave out the comma and put the first quotation mark before "tripin" [sic], then replace the comma after "mad" with a period and start the next sentence with "Also". That's assuming that the comment about it wearing off in 10 minutes is not part of the quote.

Yes, it could be better, I'm not a professional and I wasn't going for "professionalism." I was, in fact, fairly rushed while doing this at the time too. Let's not forget that editing and entering in the forum code for the alterations into the original post made the entire message extremely messy. The more I marked and edited it the more the bracket stuff crowded up the original quote (especially with the color= and /color which had to be reused.) So, I mean, in that respect it's obvious I'd miss some things. Especially since I'm actually pretty rusty myself in the writing department (I've been slacking!) In response to suggested alterations that were skipped and could have been pointed out, I didn't flag "kinda" so I didn't feel justified to flag the other 'slang.' I mean, if it'll make you happy Alunissage I could, of course, go through and flag slang and get all “Grammar Nazi” on him. But, the overall reason behind replying in this format was to point out what a horrible decision he was making with his life and where he's taking his future with such rubbish. A message I was sure even you could approve of.

[Alunissage]

Sorry, I meant that to be more jocular than critical. My analytical side just tends to kick in when a grammar question comes up, and when writing and rewriting that paragraph I forgot to put in the emoticons I'd intended. I do a lot of editing for my work and have that sort of conversation with my boss (here's what I'd say, here's why) frequently.

I'm glad you said something, because, as you may have noticed, I've about bitten through my tongue keeping from doing so. For some reason folks don't take it well from me...

[Jenner]

Sorry, I meant that to be more jocular than critical. My analytical side just tends to kick in when a grammar question comes up, and when writing and rewriting that paragraph I forgot to put in the emoticons I'd intended. I do a lot of editing for my work and have that sort of conversation with my boss (here's what I'd say, here's why) frequently.

I'm glad you said something, because, as you may have noticed, I've about bitten through my tongue keeping from doing so. For some reason folks don't take it well from me...

Hmmm, internet speak be hard, Alun. I know there have been times where I've participated in a thread and come off all "holier-than-thou" better then you. It's hard for me to imagine myself giving off those vibes, 'cause I'm Jenner! Jenner uptight and self-inflating? Naaaw. (Mean unfeeling icequeen I can do, but upright elitist prick? Not so!) The problem is the way people "read" a person's tone, since this is a textual thing, it makes it that much more difficult. There have been times I've read this or that and been all, "grrr that jerk" or "raaar that that hussy!" As I get older I find the youth reading me with that "I am better then you" vibe more and more. Seems people might be reading your tone like that too, I know I have in the past.

[GhaleonOne]

Jenner, you'll always be that mean unfeeling icequeen to me.

Though I haven't read much through this thread yet, it sounds like you should really exercise some caution here, exigence.

Just glancing through the wikipediaentry, these few quotes bring up a red flag:

"Motor-control is negatively affected."

"...may additionally include reports of perceptions of dimensional distortion, vertigo, feelings of intense exhilaration and/or panic, sensations of wind or physical pressure, hearing voices, flanging of sound, significant open and closed-eye visuals, loss of speech, life changing experiences, dissociation and various hallucinations of experiencing alternate realities, out-of-body experiences, visiting parallel universes, dissolution of one's ego, as well as imagined contact with beings or entities. Many users report twisting or splitting feelings. Ordinary objects appear to morph into powerful visually animated creatures. It is also not unusual that, while experiencing the effects, a person will not remember that they have taken Salvia, which can cause the user to panic. A strong feeling of déjà vu is commonly reported as an effect of large doses of Salvia."

Anything that causes this sort of stuff isn't going to do anything for you. I never understood what the fascination was for getting high, or doing things to cause these sorts of things to your body. Not only does it negatively effect you, if can have serious consequences to the people around you.

[Jenner]

"Motor-control is negatively affected."

"...may additionally include reports of perceptions of dimensional distortion, vertigo, feelings of intense exhilaration and/or panic, sensations of wind or physical pressure, hearing voices, flanging of sound, significant open and closed-eye visuals, loss of speech, life changing experiences, dissociation and various hallucinations of experiencing alternate realities, out-of-body experiences, visiting parallel universes, dissolution of one's ego, as well as imagined contact with beings or entities. Many users report twisting or splitting feelings. Ordinary objects appear to morph into powerful visually animated creatures. It is also not unusual that, while experiencing the effects, a person will not remember that they have taken Salvia, which can cause the user to panic. A strong feeling of déjà vu is commonly reported as an effect of large doses of Salvia."

Anything that causes this sort of stuff isn't going to do anything for you. I never understood what the fascination was for getting high, or doing things to cause these sorts of things to your body. Not only does it negatively effect you, if can have serious consequences to the people around you.

Also, partaking in mind-altering substances has additional negative effects to ones social growth in a society. Including a higher chance of dropping out of school, motivational issues, generally under-achieving. People who habitually take drugs have a high occurrence of dropping out of school, joining a band, taking up hackey-sack, bathing intermittently, and stagnating cultural and personal growth.

[GhaleonOne]

taking up hackey-sack

Hey now. There's nothing wrong with hackey-sack. It can help build up ball skills for us soccer players. Not to mention, it takes coordination.

[Kizyr]

Also, partaking in mind-altering substances has additional negative effects to ones social growth in a society. Including a higher chance of dropping out of school, motivational issues, generally under-achieving. People who habitually take drugs have a high occurrence of dropping out of school, joining a band, taking up hackey-sack, bathing intermittently, and stagnating cultural and personal growth.

It appears to also eliminate your ability to speak English, even if it's your first language. KF

[Benevolent_Ghaleon]

I heard about this a couple of months ago, but i decided against doing it before i could find it.

Just smoke weed or something. The buzz lasts longer and it won't turn your brain into a damn puddle or something.

I'm not sure if this stuff is legal because it isn't popular enough or if it has to do with people thinking about it and making the sensible choice.

[JWL]

(IMO barrier up!)

To put all my cards on the table here, first I have to say that I am very, very, very against drug abuse. To me, "drug abuse" means taking drugs for any reason when there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. I don't care if it's legal or if it's not legal.

Second, hallucinogens don't cause "spiritual enlightenment" - they cause you to, well, hallucinate. They cause you to see things that aren't there. You might find this effect amusing, but in abusing these drugs you will be moving away from reality, and thus away from enlightenment.

If you want actual enlightenment, try reading a book. Or meditating. Or *gasp* praying. If you want to make your brain malfunction because it's fun and you have nothing better to waste your money on, then go ahead and abuse drugs. But as the others have said, doing so can have drastic social consequences.

I'm not the boss of you (obviously), but is life really so bad that so many of us have to abuse drugs to deal with it?

[ilovemyguitar]

To me, "drug abuse" means taking drugs for any reason when there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. I don't care if it's legal or if it's not legal.

That seems like an awfully narrow-minded definition of "drug abuse." While it's entirely possible to abuse something like marijuana or whatever, I hardly see smoking out once in a while as "abuse."

[Werefrog]

To me, "drug abuse" means taking drugs for any reason when there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. I don't care if it's legal or if it's not legal.

That seems like an awfully narrow-minded definition of "drug abuse." While it's entirely possible to abuse something like marijuana or whatever, I hardly see smoking out once in a while as "abuse."

The other problem with that definition is that you don't define what a drug is. Is nicotine a drug? Is caffeine a drug? I mean I don't think I'm abusing a drug when I go to Starbucks. What about alcohol? If I have a single drink on my 21st birthday, did I abuse a drug?

[JWL]

That seems like an awfully narrow-minded definition of "drug abuse." While it's entirely possible to abuse something like marijuana or whatever, I hardly see smoking out once in a while as "abuse."

Occasional abuse is still abuse. That doesn't make you a chronic drug abuser, but it does make you someone who did, at some point, abuse a drug for non-medicinal purposes.

The other problem with that definition is that you don't define what a drug is. Is nicotine a drug? Is caffeine a drug? I mean I don't think I'm abusing a drug when I go to Starbucks. What about alcohol? If I have a single drink on my 21st birthday, did I abuse a drug?

What difference does it make? Some people would indeed include caffeine as a drug to be abused. I myself wouldn't, but it is a valid point nonetheless. Personally I would say that one drink isn't abuse, but many drinks are abuse. That's just my opinion.

OK, let's take the case of alcohol. If someone intentionally drinks enough alcohol to get drunk, then that person abused alcohol. I don't think that's an unfair thing to say. It would be unfair (and inaccurate) to call them a drunk or an alcoholic, but it's hard to deny that they did use alcohol just to get drunk.

I've gone off on enough of a tangent here. We're talking about hallucinogens, and a question about using hallucinogens for the purpose of "spiritual enlightenment". It would be difficult to argue that such an act would not be drug abuse. Let's not get off point here.

And I repeat my previous question if there is anyone who can answer it, though I'll make myself more clear - is life really so bad that we have to abuse hallucinogens and narcotics to make life more bearable?

[Werefrog]

What difference does it make? Some people would indeed include caffeine as a drug to be abused. I myself wouldn't, but it is a valid point nonetheless. Personally I would say that one drink isn't abuse, but many drinks are abuse. That's just my opinion.

OK, let's take the case of alcohol. If someone intentionally drinks enough alcohol to get drunk, then that person abused alcohol. I don't think that's an unfair thing to say. It would be unfair (and inaccurate) to call them a drunk or an alcoholic, but it's hard to deny that they did use alcohol just to get drunk.

I've gone off on enough of a tangent here. We're talking about hallucinogens, and a question about using hallucinogens for the purpose of "spiritual enlightenment". It would be difficult to argue that such an act would not be drug abuse. Let's not get off point here.

It makes a huge difference. How can you define drug abuse without defining a drug? You can't. And yes you are right any subtance can be abused. But by your definition (and without a proper definition of what a drug is), we're all abusing drugs unless you abstain 100%. Even chocolate has caffeine.


I probably should have prefaced by saying I don't use drugs. The only drug I use on a regular basis is caffeine (twice a week at Starbucks). Heck, I probably haven't even used Tylenol in two years (if I have I must have forgotten because I was tripping of caffeine.)

Again, Exigence don't do drugs. In the end, the negative effect outweigh the positive.

[ilovemyguitar]

Personally I would say that one drink isn't abuse, but many drinks are abuse.

So, having a single drink isn't abuse, but smoking a single joint is?

And I repeat my previous question if there is anyone who can answer it, though I'll make myself more clear - is life really so bad that we have to abuse hallucinogens and narcotics to make life more bearable?

Not everyone who uses drugs is doing it to escape some horrible existence. For many (most, I'd wager) it's simply recreational, or it's a means to unwind.

[Alunissage]

And yes you are right any subtance can be abused.

Indeed; we just had that thread about water abuse.

I agree in the main with JWL, by the way. "Making your brain malfunction" is a very good way to put it. Of course, people do that in other ways too, such as sleep deprivation.

I never remember the exact verse, but there's something in Proverbs or the like that says something to the effect of "A little wine is good for the belly, but he that drinks too much is like to be at the mast of a ship", that is, pitching back and forth. I dislike the taste of alcohol, so the only effect I've ever felt from it is (rarely) sleepiness because on those rare occasions that I do have a drink I'm so slow I took two hours to drink a wine cooler. However, I would not want to experience any other effect because I'd rather be clearheaded. I'm an adult and responsible for my actions; it behooves me to remain competent. But certainly there can be beneficial effects without intoxication.

Now, I'm on an assortment of medications to assist with coping with my ADD. That's kind of the converse... ADD used to be called "minimal brain dysfunction" (isn't that nice?) and the meds are to address that. I take them to try to focus at work, and sometimes I get really frustrated and depressed when I can't. And yet that's really about the only reason I do take them, so I can manage to maintain a job which is not really scatterbrain-friendly. Creatively, I don't mind having a mind going off in all directions and constantly coming up with ideas; the frustration is not having enough time to deal with them and not being able to remember mundane things like my lunch (left at home). That's plenty of excitement for me; the last thing I'd need is to make my brain malfunction further.

I don't think that was the point I intended when I started that paragraph, but I"ve forgotten what it was now. Typical.

Oh, and JWL may also agree with me on this, to me legality is important. Whether or not I agree with the laws, I have a contract with the country I live in by virtue of my citizenship to obey those laws unless they specifically conflict with a higher Law. As such, I consider illegal marijuana use unacceptable. That's a separate principle from my general disgust with clouding one's brain, regardless of legality (i.e., drunkenness).

[GhaleonOne]

If any of you want to talk about illegal drug usage, find another board for it. I don't want a damn thing to do with it here. I've put up with enough potheads to last a lifetime, and really don't want to listen to anyone defending the garbage. You want to smoke weed, whatever, it's your life, but I don't want to hear about it on my boards. Topic locked.