Is this true or close to the truth?

[fistfullofsteel]

Less than 5% of the world's population lives in the USA but we consume more than 50% of the world's cocaine. The money that USA spends on alcohol rivals the amount the USA spends on its national defense, which is in the billions. Over 15 million are diagnosed with clinical depression in the USA and over $500 million is spent on antidepressants.

I am skeptical of statistics sometimes but if it is true, why do you think we are like this?


Take a look at the club, party board, and all I read about is drugs and drinking at a club or somewhere else. It's kind of sad I think, maybe it's none of my business but I still care about my countrymen or countrywomen. Or maybe I shouldn't care?

 

[casavant]

Wish I had an eightball right now.....

 

[HumorMe]

It is sad. People have a hard time facing reality. I never had the urge to use drugs so I really don't know what they do to you except for what I have read. It's just not for me. The statistics are alarming though!

 

[WODIN]

The 5 % number is true. I would imagine the others are probably close as well.

But remember when dealing in percentages you have to go against the relative basis for the information. That's why it is more meaningful to judge a home price by the Median than the average price. Capice?

 

[Lao Tzu]

we spend $384 billion annually (i'm sure that is close to the 2001 budget) on weapons of war. That would mean, on average, every american (man, woman, child, elderly) spends $1000 a year on alcohol, something i doubt. I remember Milhoule talking about how he sometimes managed to spend $300 a night in a bar, so he is bending the average.

Plus, a case of beer is $14. 14 x 52 = 728. So i guess it is semi-realistic.

Me, i'm economical. In indiana you can get 56 oz of whiskey for $12.99.

 

[casavant]

It is sad. People have a hard time facing reality. I never had the urge to use drugs so I really don't know what they do to you except for what I have read. It's just not for me. The statistics are alarming though!

I'm not a regular drug user of any sort, but I must say reality is a matter of perception anyway. I think your decision not to use drugs is admirable, but if you tried some of them you would understand a lot more about why people do them. Life is hard. It always has been. For all the moments of true happiness and elation there's so much more that is boring drudgery of worse. People have used drugs of one form or another ever since the beginning of mankind to deal with this. Amen.

 

[fistfullofsteel]

The 5 % number is true. I would imagine the others are probably close as well.

But remember when dealing in percentages you have to go against the relative basis for the information. That's why it is more meaningful to judge a home price by the Median than the average price. Capice?

I'm not buying a house though.

Nodstrom, I know at least 5-7 people without even really thinking about it off the top of my head that spend at least $1000 on alcohol a year.

 

[Y_lifter]

I have seen similar stats for

OIL / GAS
Food
Water
Electricity
etc

 

[Lao Tzu]

I'm not buying a house though.

Nodstrom, I know at least 5-7 people without even really thinking about it off the top of my head that spend at least $1000 on alcohol a year.

but everybody would have to spend $1200 a year on alcohol. Babies, the elderly, etc.

There are about 16-18 million alcoholics, so i can see them spending $3000 a year each, but i don't know where the other 300 billion dollars goes.

 

[fistfullofsteel]

Are we nation of bunch of wimps? That's if you believe that a person is sort of wimpy if a person does drugs and drinks to escape their problems. Maybe we like to party alot, but maybe we like to party not just to have fun but to also escape our daily selves. But what if the partying becomes a part of our daily selves?

 

[fistfullofsteel]

but everybody would have to spend $1200 a year on alcohol. Babies, the elderly, etc.

There are about 16-18 million alcoholics, so i can see them spending $3000 a year each, but i don't know where the other 300 billion dollars goes.

well, are does 16-18 million alcholics who admit to it, but what about those who don't admit to it? you also have to include sporting events and concerts and gatherings of such.

 

[casavant]

Are we nation of bunch of wimps? That's if you believe that a person is sort of wimpy if a person does drugs and drinks to escape their problems. Maybe we like to party alot, but maybe we like to party not just to have fun but to also escape our daily selves. But what if the partying becomes a part of our daily selves?

I just did my taxes and now I'm about to go buy some beer to ease the pain. I guess I am a wimp.

 

[HumorMe]

I'm not a regular drug user of any sort, but I must say reality is a matter of perception anyway. I think your decision not to use drugs is admirable, but if you tried some of them you would understand a lot more about why people do them. Life is hard. It always has been. For all the moments of true happiness and elation there's so much more that is boring drudgery of worse. People have used drugs of one form or another ever since the beginning of mankind to deal with this. Amen.

Casavant

It's a choice I made at an early stage in my life and one that took discipline to follow. I'll never understand technically why people do use drugs but it's their choice and one for me not to judge. Life is hard but it would seem drugs would make it that much more difficult, IMO. Habitual use is one of the main problems, IMO. Some people can handle it, others can't

 

[casavant]

Like addickt said in another post no too long ago, we are just here to kill time until we die.

 

[fistfullofsteel]

I propose that we steal Wodin's Brain and we probe it and we get the information from 10's of thousands of years to better understand human behavior.

 

[casavant]

Casavant

It's a choice I made at an early stage in my life and one that took discipline to follow. I'll never understand technically why people do use drugs but it's their choice and one for me not to judge. Life is hard but it would seem drugs would make it that much more difficult, IMO. Habitual use is one of the main problems, IMO. Some people can handle it, others can't

I'll agree with that. Heavy drug use does not lead to happiness, from what I've seen. And coming down from a night of binging on coke is one hell of a shitty feeling- bigtime mindfuck.

 

[HumorMe]

...And coming down from a night of binging on coke is one hell of a shitty feeling- bigtime mindfuck.

I don't want to imagine what that would be like. I guess I'm just a puss.

 

[beefybull]

we spend $384 billion annually (i'm sure that is close to the 2001 budget) on weapons of war. That would mean, on average, every american (man, woman, child, elderly) spends $1000 a year on alcohol, something i doubt. I remember Milhoule talking about how he sometimes managed to spend $300 a night in a bar, so he is bending the average.

Plus, a case of beer is $14. 14 x 52 = 728. So i guess it is semi-realistic.

Me, i'm economical. In indiana you can get 56 oz of whiskey for $12.99.

Same here in the K to the muthafuckin S. "Kentucky Gentleman" is one of my fave cheap bourbons but after finding other cheap liquors (nearly every kind of liquor has the cheap $10-17 1.75L/56oz plastic bottle) such as rum, gin, etc. I've kinda gotten out of drinking as much bourbon whiskey. Now its mostly the $14 bottle of Virgin Islands Rum. It's almost like fruity vodka in a way. I was amazed when I took a trip down to Houston earlier this year. Liquor was so cheap there.

As for drugs being a crutch or whatever, it depends on the substance. The world doesnt need any more heroin or crack addicts. But more people smoking marijuana would be a good thing. Most people disrespect drugs because they've never tried them, and if they did, they sure wouldnt be badmouthing most of them.

 

[AAP]

Is it a surprise? Take into account that most of the other people not in the 5% live in places that may not afford the means of buying coke. Or they may be opium/hash addicts. 5% of our population is still much more than some countries total population anyhow.

One strange thing I read a couple of years ago that sort of stayed with me is that once, in London, over 500,000 various bills that had been in circulation that day of various currency denominations, were pulled from a series of random banks and tested for coke traces. 100% of all bills had traces of cocaine on them. This was weird to me.

 

[spongebob]

im thirsty

 

[rippedtrojan]

this is my theory:

people (as a whole) are fucked up. yes even me.