I may be stereotyping US Americans a tad; but when I moved to Ecuador, I was a smoker. Their tobacco is second to none, cigarettes that actually smell good. At the time, most smokers I knew in the US were pack-a-day. Ecuador, maybe 4 or 5 per day. Not one who would smoke the excess of a whole pack in a day. Mexico, same, Guatemala, same.
Thing is, I move back to the states, hate our shtobacco, and quit.
Wise move, Retro. I’m in the process of cutting back on my Covid excesses. Might drop it altogether. My brother just went sober. Had to, though. 8th week, no alcohol no cigarettes. Proud of him.
I started young, too. My parents both quit, successfully, on New Year’s Eve. Left an emergency pack in the freezer, just in case. I found that pack and that was my first. Then, drinking brau at parties, smokes just went well. Then, in college, I went daily. I’d like to thank Ecuador for great last smokes. I’m done. Maybe alcohol, too.
Cannabis is legal in Massachusetts, but no - I haven’t revisited it since my 20’s. My neighbor shared a gummy with me a few years ago - told me not to use the whole thing at once so I bit off about 1/3. Nothing happened. So I tried the rest of it and couldn’t wait until it wore off…
I lost my father, three brothers and a sister-in-law to alcohol. I hope your brother is successful with sobriety and you have him around for a long time.
In Milwaukee, we used to start pretty young; me included. Was carrying half barrels in 8th grade. Now, I drink quite differently, but that past can haunt you if you’re not paying attention. Hope you live and long and happy. Good to be alive is all I know.
I’m so sorry. For all the stink people make about “illegal” drugs it’s been proven again and again that alcohol is next to none in its destructive force. But we digress.
PS: Those gummies can be strong, I hear. I have a high tolerance but ingestables don’t affect me at all.
I hear you, but I have seen quite a few people just get torn up by cocaine. It simply crushed them and left them with a shell of a life. I do not know anyone close to me, yet, that has experienced opiate/fentanyl addiction, but if anything it looks worse/more addictive than cocaine.
Alcohol absolutely ruins the lives of more people than illegal drugs but some illegal drugs appear to not only be more addictive but even more destructive of the lives of the people suffering from an addiction to them.
But this is just my personal observation, I do not know the true numbers or the degree to which differing drugs/alcohol impact the lives of people who are addicted to them.
Oh, for sure. I was thinking of demonized drugs that are still classified higher than they should be (mushrooms, LSD, MDMA, and the like). Cocaine, as Rick James used to say, is one hell of a drug. Opiates are awful and def on the same level as far as societal impact goes as alcohol. There’s also clearly a genetic disposition to addiction / preference for certain… life enhancements.
Meth would like to take a bow.
Meth, crack, heroin, and the former formula of OxyContin.
All ugly and destructive in different ways.
I’ve prosecuted all types of drug users.
Meth is by far the worse.
I would never wish meth addiction even on my worst of enemies.
Ok, well, maybe the worst, but only the worst.
It’s awful to watch. We have a big meth problem in southwestern Ontario. My friend’s vehicle was broken into, while she and her husband were at home, and their security camera caught some kids in hoodies video. When the vehicle was found, abandoned, it looked like people had been smoking drugs inside it.
A 55 yo family friend, mother of 2, died this January after developing a bacterial infection that intravenous drug users tend to develop. Her drug abuse began in her mid 40s after becoming addicted to painkillers following a surgery.
A pretty grim thread drift happening now.
Can we get back to arguing about costs of dining out?
But why? I thought we’d established that it’s all in my head 
In my experience living in Berlin there were plenty of mediocre restaurants.
There were and are plenty of mediocre restaurants everywhere I’ve lived.
And I’ve lived in lots of places.
Five continents so far.
true, , , mighta’ shoulda’ added a qualifier ‘outside of mega dorfs…’
I don’t like, don’t do ‘big cities’ - so my experiences have been in small to medium places that are absolutely dependent on repeat customers.
often offered the same advice to people ‘doing the tour’ - all the big tourist traps . . .
get off the tourist path, go where the locals go…
There are mediocre restaurants everywhere, and they are popular. I’ve always found the notion of any particular populace/nationality to be more or less discerning about the food they consume to be absolutely preposterous.
Which is also why “ask a local where to eat” when traveling is utterly meaningless and positively unreliable.
