Sounding off
Interesting thread. Throwing in my 2 cents.
On Fred’s decision, there is no room for 3rd party judgements on right or wrong to banning the guy. It’s Fred’s world, he makes the rules. The guy is a coke-head who comes on the board blathering about it and Fred blitzed him. I agreed with it after I thought about ‘why’, but that’s beside the point.
I found it interesting his observation about why he pays his rent. It was a meaningful expression about what’s important in his life and why. Imagine the world we would live in if the majority of people lived this way. Nope, not for me, especially when traveling by air…
I’ve seen the drug’s presence all my life. Cousins, friends, associates, professional people, lawyers, doctors, nurses, coke abuse runs the gamut. I hear coke is making a come back, and that's bad for us all. Personally I’ve done coke a few times, on rare occasions when someone twisted my arm, sometimes not even much. The high is wonderful. It doesn’t take much research to learn why. It’s the vasopresin
“Vasopressin is a brain hormone that is released by the pituitary gland. It improves attention, concentration, memory retention, and recall (both short-term and long-term). Vasopressin facilitates more effective learning by helping to "imprint" new information in the memory centers of the brain, a function which cannot be achieved without the action of vasopressin. Cocaine, LSD, amphetamines, Ritalin, and Cylert (pemoline) cause a release of vasopressin. Frequent use of these drugs can deplete levels of vasopressin with a result of making you slow and dopey.”
Now, the problem. Vasopressin is manufactured in the pituitary in small quantities at a more or less fixed rate. As more and more is called for from the pituitary gland, the manufacture of Vasopressin slows down. The result is that you get less and less of a bang out of the coke. The side effects of coke abuse lead to Vasopressin depletion, which leads to brain chemistry imbalances, and probably (guessing) why the depression sets in.
Coke is a beautiful feeling for a short period but unfortunately it is a threat to the user, and ultimately a threat to society’s welfare. As this board is not a therapy board for Lotus Eaters on their way to burnout and self destruction, I have no issues about seeing someone banned who comes on grandstanding over his habit. Do I care about the poster’s well being? I’d be a hypocrite if I said so.
His life is making a beeline for the drain. I think it's useful to others to know about it, to understand why, and to avoid the same fate where possible.
