OT: Why do we do the things we do?

[Thermodyne]

Man how times change. In my teens (mid 70's), I lived on Miller Beer. A lot of people I knew were into wobble weed, but beer was the joy of my life. $10 would get me a case of beer and a tank of gas.

[Starhawk]

Well all alcohol has ever caused me is pain and further depression so yeah times have apparently changed though I know a lot of teens between 15-17 that get drunk or high just about every other day one of them was a 16 year old girl I worked with who had a 2 year old son.

BTW doing the math she got knocked up at 13 gave birth at 14.

[Thermodyne]

I guess it should be noted that alcohol is a depressant. And should be positively avoided by people who are depressed. A depressed person having several stiff drinks is sort of like filling the fire bottle with propane. It will just make things worse. If you think you are depressed, get some professional help. Don’t self medicate with booze and don’t try to council yourself by airing your problems in an unprofessional (lack of a better word) “forum”. Depression is a serious illness and should be treated by someone trained to do so. Depression is nothing to fool around with. Seriously depressed people sometimes cause harm themselves and on occasion harm others.

[Starhawk]

Well I'm not currently depressed I was depressed it was about a year ago, now I'm just dealing with typical teenage anxt (sp) heheh. so don't worry about me.

And yeah I know about the depressent part now heh trust me on that part.

[Kamog]

I don't drink, and once in a while somebody tries to pressure me into drinking. When I was a kid, my own father tried to get me to drink! And I didn't listen to him. I have seen some of my friends get drunk and do stupid things that they regretted later.

[Atrocities]

To answer Post #357292, one word, Genetics. Nuff said.

[Puke]

people consume drugs for one reason only: they like the way they make them feel.

they may like it because they are dis-staisfied with how they feel the rest of the time. they may like it because they think it makes them something beyond what they normally are. they may like it because they believe it will elevate them in the esteem of their peers.

but it all comes down to people liking the way drugs make people feel.

A better question, is why do people like things that are self-destructive from our point of view. and that probably comes back to not being satisfied with how they normally - soberly - feel.

but from a purely economic standpoint, no one does anything that they dont enjoy. "Do what you will" *IS* the whole of the law. Everyone has a Marginal Propensity to Consume, and if they percieve a benefit from some course of action, or an unacceptable opportunity cost from some other course of action, they will choose the path that affords them the most percieved benefit.

we're all fairly simple creatures, really. the question isnt "why are you such a complex, misunderstood, self-destructive monster?" the question is "why are you such a dumb #$%^, bereft of any economic sensibilities?"

Or perhaps the question is "why is puke such an overly-analytical schmuck?"

i dunno, but im willing to lay dollars to donoughts that we'll never have an answer as to why some people are a bunch of angsty drama-queens. save for their marginal propensity to pout.

and im also offering good odds that i wouldnt be the grumpy old bastard that i am today, if i had done something more than offer a shoulder to cry on to the pretty girls in high school that were caught up in a blizzard of sex, booze, and cocaine.