To add: The rough estimate (from the data that I've seen) is something like 50% of the population that's over the age of 85 has Alzheimer's. That's an astounding number, when you think about it. Especially for a disease that has no established cause (what causes plaques?), no effective treatment or cure, and for which there is no definitive diagnosis until after death.
"You know the reason that we say drugs are 'bad' is that they have various facts that can cause permanent damage and such. You must understand this or else everything fails."
I'm sorry, but your statement is really only concretely applicable to alcohol, which is often not even considered a drug. To date, there has been no scientific evidence that "proves" the conclusion that drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin cause permanent damage.
There are always case studies and someone has always heard about Aunt Susie's daughter's friend's boyfriend who screwed himself up using marijuana or cocaine. That's because of several factors, including set and setting and drug combinations. Many of these effects occur with combined drug use, something with which no one's system wants to deal. Alcohol in combinations is especially prominent here. Set and setting is a psychological/psychopharmacological concept that says drugs will affect different people in different ways, and more importantly, the same person in different ways, depending on the environment in which drug use occurs.
And while drugs do act on the systems in the brain that are responsible for chemical release, the effects you cite do not occur. Effects such as tolerance can. But contrary to popular belief, marijuana in "reasonable amounts" isn't bad for you...cocoaine in "reasonable amounts" isn't bad for you...with respect to brain chemistry. All drugs have side effects, from claritin headaches to cocaine induced heart attacks. Those aren't permanant effects, they're user specific acute effects.
Alcohol exhibits the most dangerous effects: when ingested, it is transported to every part of the body. When it reaches the brain, it not only increases the depressing functions of certain cells (hence the classification depressant), but it begins to destroy the membranes of brain cells. The cells will cease to function, in effect, the user is killing brain cells.
Many antipsychotics do have horrible side effects, however, the few suidides that do occur often occur within the 6-8 week window before the drugs begin to work. There has been no conclusive evidence directly liking antipsychotics like Prozac to suicides.
As with any controversial topic, many times the commonly held viewpoint isn't necessarily the correct one. This is one: before you set down something as fact, check your references. Aunt Susie's daughter's friend's boyfriend may not be reading the literature.
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To add: The rough estimate (from the data that I've seen) is something like 50% of the population that's over the age of 85 has Alzheimer's. That's an astounding number, when you think about it. Especially for a disease that has no established cause (what causes plaques?), no effective treatment or cure, and for which there is no definitive diagnosis until after death.
"You know the reason that we say drugs are 'bad' is that they have various facts that can cause permanent damage and such. You must understand this or else everything fails."
I'm sorry, but your statement is really only concretely applicable to alcohol, which is often not even considered a drug. To date, there has been no scientific evidence that "proves" the conclusion that drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin cause permanent damage.
There are always case studies and someone has always heard about Aunt Susie's daughter's friend's boyfriend who screwed himself up using marijuana or cocaine. That's because of several factors, including set and setting and drug combinations. Many of these effects occur with combined drug use, something with which no one's system wants to deal. Alcohol in combinations is especially prominent here. Set and setting is a psychological/psychopharmacological concept that says drugs will affect different people in different ways, and more importantly, the same person in different ways, depending on the environment in which drug use occurs.
And while drugs do act on the systems in the brain that are responsible for chemical release, the effects you cite do not occur. Effects such as tolerance can. But contrary to popular belief, marijuana in "reasonable amounts" isn't bad for you...cocoaine in "reasonable amounts" isn't bad for you...with respect to brain chemistry. All drugs have side effects, from claritin headaches to cocaine induced heart attacks. Those aren't permanant effects, they're user specific acute effects.
Alcohol exhibits the most dangerous effects: when ingested, it is transported to every part of the body. When it reaches the brain, it not only increases the depressing functions of certain cells (hence the classification depressant), but it begins to destroy the membranes of brain cells. The cells will cease to function, in effect, the user is killing brain cells.
Many antipsychotics do have horrible side effects, however, the few suidides that do occur often occur within the 6-8 week window before the drugs begin to work. There has been no conclusive evidence directly liking antipsychotics like Prozac to suicides.
As with any controversial topic, many times the commonly held viewpoint isn't necessarily the correct one. This is one: before you set down something as fact, check your references. Aunt Susie's daughter's friend's boyfriend may not be reading the literature.