Giving up drugs for Lent 2012

Day 1 PA (Post abstinence) - Even nice girls do coke

In which a migrant laborer gave up drugs for Lent, swam to an island, and gave Buddhism the once-over.

Otto Pérez Molina, president of Guatemala, in today’s Guardian:

“Decades of big arrests and the seizure of tons of drugs and yet consumption and production of damaging substances are booming. 

“The fall in the consumption of one drug is rapidly undermined by the rise in demand for another. 

“In the same vein, the destruction of drug production in one territory is quickly replaced by the increase of drug production in another. 

“The causes for drug consumption seem to multiply over time, as do the incentives for drug production. 

“This is not a frustrating fact. 

“It is just a fact.

“Knowing that drugs are bad for human beings is not a compelling reason for advocating their prohibition. 

“Actually, the prohibition paradigm that inspires mainstream global drug policy today is based on a false premise: that the global drug markets can be eradicated. 

“We would not believe such a statement if it were applied to alcoholism or tobacco addiction, but somehow we assume it’s right in the case of drugs. 

“Why?

“Moving beyond prohibition can lead us into tricky territory. 

“To suggest liberalisation – allowing consumption, production and trafficking of drugs without any restriction whatsoever – would be, in my opinion, profoundly irresponsible. 

“Even more, it is an absurd proposition. 

“If we accept regulations for alcohol and tobacco, why should we allow drugs to be consumed and produced without any restrictions?

“Next weekend, leaders from the Americas will meet in Cartagena. 

“This is an opportunity to start a realistic and responsible intergovernmental dialogue on drug policy. 

“The presidents of Colombia and Costa Rica, Juan Manuel Santos and Laura Chinchilla, have both already expressed their interest in fostering a dialogue on drug policy. 

“It is not by coincidence that both presidents have served as ministers of security or defence. 

“Those of us who have experience on security matters know what we are talking about.

“Guatemala will not fail to honour any of its international commitments to fighting drug trafficking. 

“But nor are we willing to continue as dumb witnesses to a global self-deceit. 

“We cannot eradicate global drug markets, but we can certainly regulate them as we have done with alcohol and tobacco markets. 

“Drug abuse, alcoholism and tobacco should be treated as public health problems, not criminal justice issues. 

“Our children and grandchildren demand from us a more effective drug policy, not a more ideological response.”

Otto is a tough guy who has put away some really tough guys, and his views are succinct and sensible. 

Daily Mail columnist Peter Hitchens, by contrast, is a dick.

“Campaigners for drug liberalisation are almost invariably drug users, whose motives are self-serving, though they generally don’t say so. 

“It is their illegal act which impels them to join this cause, because they would rather it were legal.”

It’s unlikely that Pete would espouse his views face to face with Otto.

Pete is a drug user, in his case alcohol, but would probably object to the description.

He might not have ever taken cocaine, but consumption of psychoactive drugs, whether nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, cannabis or others, is effectively universal.

Why do people persistently do drugs? 

It can be argued it’s a human urge comparable to that which drives sexual activity.

Should the state pass and enforce laws which govern interpersonal relationships? 

Sure, to the extent of effecting an agreed upon standard of common good.

Should the state pass and enforce laws which govern the consumption of psychoactive substances? 

Sure, to the extent of effecting an agreed upon standard of common good.

So how to agree upon the standard of common good? Scientific evidence would be a start.

There is no evidence that the current framework of classification of substances from A thru to freely available bears any relation to the relative harm the use each drug is associated with.

In most countries cannabis is illegal to possess or supply, its use kills no-one.

Cigarette smoking on the other hand kills millions, and fags are available at every corner shop.

Alcohol use is associated with a wide range of health complaints ranging from the minor to the lethal, and is celebrated in a wide range of activities from post sports match piss ups to religious ceremonies.

Ecstasy use is relatively safe, but can you buy pills at Cosmic Corner?

The current system works better as a guide to the relative recreational effectiveness of each drug.

The laws aren’t designed to limit the dangers of drug use, they’re an unfeasible attempt to limit the amount of fun that can be had.

It’s not illegal to buy a dozen beers and a bottle of vodka and drink till you throw up, otherwise known as an overdose, every day for a year.

However it is illegal to consume half an ecstasy tablet and go to a rave and have an amazing night even once in your life.

It’s perfectly legal to chain smoke cigarettes, but it’s not legal to sit in your own home, smoke a spliff and watch a funny movie.

Sure, how fun a drug is should be taken into account when decisions are made about its availability, but so should health consequences and societal aims.

Both formal drug education in schools and informal education in media is so compromised and skewed as to be mostly useless and at times actively unhelpful for both individuals and society.

A child could see thru the hypocrisy, and children frequently do.

Good luck for the upcoming summit Otto.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lent is over and so of course is Giving Up Drugs For Lent 2012 altho another mix is in the pipeline so keep a look out for that.

I drank half a glass of wine with dinner tonight and briefly felt drunk which was quite fun.

Re: cannabis, I’d happily disappear into a haze of vapor but my guy is all out so let me know if you’ve got any hook ups.

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(Source: seelenlos)

Day 40 - Rockin’ robins

In which a migrant laborer gives up drugs for Lent, swims to an island, and gives Buddhism the once-over.

Buddhism - tick.

Swum to the island - tick.

Giving up drugs - well, mostly ticked altho since March 22 I have drunk liters of coffee, consumed cannabis for a few days when ill, and imbibed a glass of champagne.

Plus there’s still six days to go, but as we’re pretty much there I’d call GUDFL 2012 a success.

In terms of subject matter for this here blog, there’s been plenty of miscellaneous music, druggy banter, and crime I plan to cover later this week.

As for birds of New Zealand, I got up close to a number of endangered native robins this morning.

I’m on the mailing list for the Mainland Island Restoration Operation (MIRO), who work in partnership with Greater Wellington Regional Council in East Harbour Regional Park.

They called for volunteers to take 40 North Island robins by helicopter from Kapiti Island, a large protected area off the west coast, and release them in the park behind my current location and home town of Eastbourne with the aim of establishing a sustainable population.

Yes I know we’re all a bunch of tree huggers but in my opinion native flora and fauna is something to be encouraged and it’s nice to get involved.

Take off was delayed due to fog, which is very unusual in the Wellington region, but eventually we heard the chopper as it headed toward the beach, and then a couple of four wheel drives pulled up with a bunch of cat boxes in the back.

After a lengthy prayer from a kaumātua (Maori elder) and a brief briefing from the MIRO dude we were assigned a box, each with a single bird inside.

I was fearful mine would be dead or maimed after its unsettling journey but it fluttered and chirped like a little gremlin all the way up the hill until it was time to ready to fly.

Money shot below.

New Zealand robin release - Butterfly Creek - April 1

It felt a little bit special actually and I’m hoping next time I go up there my bird will come and land on my finger like I’m Snow White.

Overall I feel pretty virtuous, calm and happy, which isn’t to say the prospect of a ingesting a shedload of intoxicating substances isn’t appealing.

I will be a very cheap date however. 

Day 39 - Made

In which a migrant laborer gives up drugs for Lent, swims to an island, and gives Buddhism the once-over.

Made it to the island!

Cold tho.

Now for enlightenment.

Day 38 - Slipping into nothingness

In which a migrant laborer gives up drugs for Lent, attempts to swim to an island, and gives Buddhism the once-over.

Meditation went ok this morning.

I took the advice of the woman leading a session I attended at the Bodh Gaya Centre in town a couple of weeks ago, who said to just concentrate on the end of your nose.

Eyes closed I felt like I was focused more inwardly, and I breathed more slowly and deeply.

As soon as I started I felt almost instantly calmer but then Flight of the Conchords intruded, probably due to my unsuccessful attempt to buy tickets for their upcoming New Zealand shows.

In an attempt to console myself I had earlier watched a few vids on Youtube, and I had the lyrics of ‘You Don’t Have To Be A Prostitute’ going round my head.

“You can say no to being a man ho” is not the most effective mantra, I have discovered.

Normally thoughts come and then go, but Jemaine and Bret sang insistently.

Eventually I was able to shake them by imagining sinking deeper and deeper into water.

This is probably not the best preparation for tomorrow, when I plan to swim to Makaro / Ward Island, and hopefully back again.

(For those who might be wondering, a number of places in New Zealand, or Aotearoa, have both European and Maori names.)

However I am feeling reasonably fit after completing the 11 kilometer Mt Lowry Challenge last Sunday.

Below is a photo taken on an earlier expedition up the first part of the course - Makaro / Ward Island is in the middle of the picture on the far right, and on the other side is from where I embark.

Wellington harbor from the Cheviot Rd track - March 2012

Not sure what I’ll do if I come across an orca. Any suggestions?

(Source: slippingslippingslipping)

kristiii:

21 Jump Street drug scene

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violetdomination:

Some random ecstasy we found tucked up in our kitchen draws… :s WUT THE FUCK EVEN

Just realized that Lent is over next week.

sandys-lullaby:

I’m still not a nicer person. Oh well, next year.

Day 36 - Eye of the Party

In which a migrant laborer gives up drugs for Lent, attempts to swim to an island, and gives Buddhism the once-over.

Only ten days to go before I can recommence drug use, according to my self-imposed Lenten fast.

Giving up seems easier this year, possibly because I’m no longer working at an office in London’s notoriously druggy Shoreditch district.

Alcohol was (and still is obviously) freely available from numerous shops, cafes, boisterous pubs and clubs in the area, if you’re into coke usually someone’s got a number of a guy who arrives remarkably promptly, and for cannabis I’d meet my dealer in a convenient alley about ten minutes walk away.

Here in this sleepy beachy suburb in the antipodes there are far fewer options for hedonists, so my appetites remain mostly dormant.

I still miss marijuana however, and have found it hard to get down to doing another mix. 

This could possibly be explained by research publicized in a recent article in Time Magazine: “Increasingly, science is confirming that altered states of consciousness — whether induced by drugs, alcohol, sleepiness, travel or anything else that removes us from our usual way of seeing the world — do indeed improve creative thought. The inhibition of what researchers call executive functioning, which includes focus and planning — abilities that decline when we’re under the influence — may be what lets us generate new ideas and innovative solutions, instead of remaining fixed on the task at hand.”

Regardless of my current sobriety music has remained an important part in my life, but I haven’t had an urgent urge to splice tracks and record the results, hence the large gap between episodes.

However I did put in more practice for this latest chapter and once I got going I totally rocked my bedroom.

Again it’s live and my mixing is a bit punk, but please take whatever strong psychoactive substances you have to hand and crank it.

Track list for Giving Up Drugs For Lent’s Eye of the Party (stream in the player above or click the link and then right click on Download episode) is as follows:

iPhone ‘Eastbourne beach 26/03/2012 11:55 a.m.’, Enrico Coniglio ‘The Void’, Internet ‘Cocaine’, Iggy Azalea ’Backseat feat Chevy Jones’, The Weeknd ‘Life of the Party’, Hudson Mohawke ‘Thunder Bay’, The Sight Below ’Life’s Fading Light’, The Phenomenal Handclap Band ‘Following’, Depeche Mode ‘I Feel You’, Teen Daze ‘Shine On You Crazy White Cap’, AlunaGeorge ‘You Know You Like It’ (Riton Rerub), Los Massieras ‘Rumores’, D’banj ‘Oliver Twist’, Shy Child ‘Disconnected’ (Ocelot remix), Nicki Minaj ‘Starships’, Tiga ‘What You Need’ (Proxy remix), will.i.am, Mick Jagger, Jennifer Lopez ’T.H.E.’, Dan Auerbach ‘Goin’ Home’, iPhone ‘Cicadas’

A cicada

Insomnia.

elainablas:

So I had a 7 paged research paper to do tonight and I was exhausted. I decided to cheat on Lent and have coffee even though I gave it up. Now I cannot sleep at all and am having the worst insomnia ever. I see what you did there, God… Thanks.

(Source: je-suis-fort)