Responsible Drug use
Many years ago when I was just 16, drugs were everywhere, cheap, plentiful, and still sort of novelty items. I of course tried as many as I could as often as I could and soon found out about the joys of poly-drug use.

I wasn't completely stupid though. I sort of believed the warnings about drugs killing you and doing worse things (these were surprisingly true as some of my friends found out later on) but I still wanted to experience the good times my friends promised. Therefore I went to the adult section of the local public library and borrowed (stole) their copy of the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR). In the pre-internet days this was the only source of medical information on the effects and side effects of various drugs and what to expect when ingesting multiple drugs (usually limited to just two drugs at a time).

It was a big help in keeping me alive at times as I was very serious about updating my PDR's as the library bought new editions and researching each new drug as it became available. I also did a lot of field testing to insure the drugs actually provided the promised effects. I also was a reference source to many of the people I knew and usually received a lot of free samples in return for passing on my knowledge.

I got bored with all of the drugs after a few years and went on to other pursuits but I can possibly thank my early experiences for pushing me into the field of science ultimately getting a couple of graduate degrees in the geosciences and working in this field for the past close to 30 years.
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Mon 20 Sep 2010, 17:43, Reply)