Probably (not based on any hard science) the least harmful would be to eat in some form marijuana. Keep it as infrequent as possible, as even that stuff is pretty nasty to the fantastic synapses of a healthy brain.

The fact that "a lot of top athletes have tested positive in recent years for recreational drug use" proves very little, except perhaps that many of them are unhappy and that some of them are not particularly wise.

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Where would you want to swim ?

Recreational drug use is rampant in society among athletes and non athletes. The odd once in a blue moon reefer shouldn't do any long term harm or effect athletic performance, but chronic pot smokers run the same risks as regular cigarette smokers.

Can't tell you about the other stuff because I've never really tried it.

"the least harmful would be to eat in some form marijuana."

Hash muffins.

And does this "person" happen to go by the moniker of "chilipepper?"

Seriously, I'd get a new set of friends and not go where the current ones seem to be leading you. Health considerations are not your only worry. There's also legal, moral, and ethical issues. Would you want a drug arrest on your record ? Would you want your kids to find out that you used drugs? Would you want to see a cop killed by a drug dealer and think maybe he was the one selling the drugs you bought?

Ha Ha, pretty obvious wasn't it?


Yeah its a difficult situation, alot of these people are my tight friends that i've known for over 10 yrs and they all have high paying executive careers (no children tho) - we all party'd hard at varsity and did a few things we regret now.
Losing them as friends is simply not an option for me!

I've given almost everything a go, and even though some of it is quite tempting, my health, fitness and social & moral conscious far out weighs my desire to get "high" with friends.

Was more interested in recreational drug use and its effects on endurance performance, however, i do thank you for your reply, and respect your stance on the issue.

whatever you do, stay away form ecstasy. If you must do it, do it around someone you want to have sex with.

meth, lsd, coke...all that shit is too hardcore for me. I'd consider doing shrooms over any of that stuff, but even then, that can't be good for your brain. I've also heard too many horror stories of people going having bad trips on shrooms, and seeing as how it can take anywhere from 8 hours to 3 days to stop tripping, that's not something i want to go through.

I would sell you shrooms in a heartbeat though.

I'll do the weed thing with a few freinds a few times a year. It's more of a social/relaxation thing than an attempt to alter my mental state or perception.

I know many pro athletes (swimmers, cyclists, runners, triathletes) who smoke weed from time to time. Just don't do it more than a handful of times a year. The actual chemicals that get you high aren't bad for you, and are even naturally produced, so if you get high of weed via other methods than smoking, do it as often as you please.

Ullrich tested positive for extacy (MDMA). Personally, I've never and will never do anything but marijuana, extacy, or mushrooms (and the latter two I probably won't every do again, just because they don't sound interesting anymore). Weed may make you not *want* to work out, but I think it's by-and-large harmless. A night drinking a pint or two in a smokey bar is probably 10x worse for your lungs than a hit or two of weed. Extacy is life-changing (at least it was for me), and in a very positive way. You might be tired and a little depressed for a day or two after (I've never been either), but no lasting ill effects. I always catch a cold after taking mushrooms.

"Probably (not based on any hard science) the least harmful would be to eat in some form marijuana"

that's a good way to get sick and waste your money. THC is heat released, so the weed has to be boiled in a liquid, strained of the weed, and that liquid can then be either consumed as is, added to a baking mix (boiled butter), or used as a marinade (thankgiving is just around the corner)....

I thought I heard Dr Dean say that morphine was the most compatable drug to the human body. If memory serves he said it was less harmful than alcohol or just about any other drug.

I could be mixing it up with something else though.

~Matt

If I were you I'd start with black tar heroin, but just on the weekends after your workouts. You can always move on to the hard stuff later.

"Losing them as friends is simply not an option for me! "

If they're really your friends they will accept your decision not to partake.

I like your style.


Sort of like doing an Ironman as your first tri experience.

Dude, I'm hearing you. I think you may be a bit younger than me, but I can tell you that something that really struck me in my mid thirties was seeing people I had fallen out of touch with behaving just like we all used to 10 yrs ago - throwing down cocaine and E like it was no big deal. I know we used to think it was cool in our twenties...but I find my mortality a lot more pressing now than I did then. I know I'm not going to live forever, and I don't want to spend any of my precious time here hooked up to some life support system because I went and had a 'wild' night one night.

It's all about different priorities, I suppose, and how you get your kicks. Getting up at 5.30 to do a big race would seem like madness to some people, but its a big buzz for most of us here, I reckon.

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kiwipat

per ardua ad astra

One thing to rememver is that these drugs really haven't been studied extensively, so all this talk about so and so chemical being harmless is really just based on anecdotal evidence and wishful thinking - just take it with a grain of salt.

On the other hand, a lot of the drugs you mention can be used occasionally without destroying one's life. I assume your friends are reasonably functional people in society. Of course you have to know when to say when - overindulging can lead to a seriously unpleasant experience (pot and psychadelics) to a potential heart attack (coke for example)

Aside from the effect of smoking (anything) on the lungs, these drugs taken in small doses every once in a while aren't really going to affect endurance performance. But if you're taking Ecstasy and expecting to go to bed early for a 5:00am workout, think again... ;)

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If you think you need to do drugs to keep friends...well...that should be a clue to you...that's just plain wrongheaded. You need to decide if doing drugs is right for YOU...taking into account all the associated issues. My sense is the answer is no, or you wouldn't be asking this question. They don't fit very well into endurance sports. Don't be afraid of disappointing your friends. Odds are, they won't be...and who knows...they may likely follow you! Follow your OWN sense...not what you think others want you to do.

i smoke pot from time to time. have done a bit of other stuff, but not recently.



chasing the dragon is smoking heroin dude. dont go there.



oph yeah and herbals/bzp are just as bad for ya.

I'd like to preface this by saying that I believe we all suffer from varying degrees of "paralysis". My observations have shown me that an extremely small portion of the population actually knows how to stand, sit, or just be perfectly still. It is exceptionally difficult. Most people don't even know how many breaths they generally take per minute, which has a huge impact on one's consciousness. People talk about "good form" and to me it seems that the difference between the people who have exemplary form and those who have sub-par form has to do with awareness, and the ability to stop any and all tremors/unintentional movement. I think cannabis is likely the most scoffed drug on the WADA banned list, and yet more powerful than EPO if used in the proper setting. Also, I'd like to add that the body's vitality and mind's lucidity is at it's peak when sobriety is attained. Now defining what sobriety is can be quite a task, and some might suggest that it's nearly impossible for some to attain it without first having their "assemblage point" jolted by something like cannabis. Such that my point is clear, I believe that the clean and sober athlete has more potential than the doped athlete; and yes I'm aware I'm of the underwhelming minority when it comes to this mode of thought. Here's an article about cannabis and muscular sclerosis, and many many more can be found over at pubmed.com. For the record, no, I don't smoke anymore. Cannabis 'helps MS sufferers'



Cannabis has medical uses
Cannabis has been proven, for the first time, to be an effective treatment for the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Many MS sufferers have taken the drug illegally, claiming that it has a therapeutic effect.

Now UK scientists have shown that a compound in cannabis can prevent muscle tremor and spasticity caused by MS.





Our research suggests that cannabinoids can play a crucial role in controlling some of the neuro-muscular problems seen with MS
Dr David Baker, Institute of Neurology They also found that synthetic chemicals mimicking the compound have a similar effect.

This could lead to the development of commercially-available alternatives to cannabis that have the same effect.

MS sufferers usually experience episodes of paralysis, interspersed with periods of remission.

As the disease progresses symptoms of spasticity, or muscle rigidity, and severe tremors may appear.

The researchers, from the Institute of Neurology at University College London, tested cannabis on mice who had been given an animal equivalent of MS.

The mice were injected with the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as well as three synthetic compounds.

One, methanandamide, was similar to a cannabinoid produced naturally in the body.

All had a significant ability to reduce both tremor and spasticity.





Lorna Layward has welcomed the research
A synthetic compound called WIN55 proved the most effective against tremors, halting uncontrolled limb movements in as little as one minute.

Researcher Dr David Baker said: "The effect was really startling. It was a question of now you see the tremor, now you don't."

The compounds work by binding with two types of receptor found in the brain and spinal cord.

Blocking the receptors with other chemicals not only prevented the therapeutic action of the compounds, but made the existing symptoms much worse.

In normal circumstances, the body produces natural cannabinoids, which bind to the receptors.

The scientists believe this mechanism controls body movement, and is disrupted in MS sufferers.

They believe it could be possible to boost levels of the natural cannabinoid to improve control of body movement.

The same receptors are also found in the pain centres of the spinal cord. One of the claimed health benefits cannabis is said to have is pain relief.

Crucial role



I've seen people with tremor so severe that they have to lie with their arms behind their back
Dr Lorna Layward, Multiple Sclerosis Society Dr David Baker, from the Institute of Neurology, said: "Although not a cure, our research suggests that cannabinoids can play a crucial role in controlling some of the neuro-muscular problems seen with MS."

Co-author Dr Lorna Layward, from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, said: "This is the first time that we have had any objective scientific evidence that cannabinoid-like compounds have a therapeutic effect on some of the symptoms of multiple sclerosis."

She said current treatments were either not very effective or caused severe side-effects.

Tremor was particularly difficult to treat and could be severely disabling.

Dr Layward said: "I've seen people with tremor so severe that they have to lie with their arms behind their backs.

"The symptoms may be so violent that they can actually break limbs. People cannot feed themselves or get dressed by themselves. It affects their whole lives."

She said it would probably be several years before the current research could be translated into pharmaceutical products.

A Medical Research Council clinical trial is currently looking at the effect of cannabis and THC on spasticity in 600 MS patients. The trial will not produce results for about two more years.

About 85,000 people in the UK have MS. The highest incidence in the world is in Scotland, where one in 500 people have the disease. The reason is thought to be partly genetic.

I know the majority of posters here frown upon this sort of discussion, but personally I find a bit of comfort in hearing that not everyone here is as uptight/narcissistic/type-A-personalitied-out as it sometimes appears.

I'm not condoning the use of illicit drugs per say, but I do respect the actions/desires of those who choose to do so. I'm a big believer of "don't knock it 'til ya try it" - WITHIN REASON.

"not everyone here is as uptight/narcissistic/type-A-personalitied-out as it sometimes appears. "

Some of us even confess to being liberals, support gun control, question the invasion of Iraq and admit to have smoked pot once or twice.

Although none of us have actually inhaled.

go for the opium!

In all seriousness, you can still hang out with your friends without getting high on whatever they're doing. My best friend is now a serious pothead. Untill she decides to stop, I'll still be her friend and smoke up no more than twice a year. And it's fine. Just stay away from anything coke or heroin relates.

   

I sort of disagree with turtles. It really depends on your personality. Although drinking doesn't do much for me, I like pot. And so I have decided to completely avoid it. I went from smoking a few times a year to smoking a few times or more a week. Be careful. While pot might not be physically habit-forming (like nicotine), it certainly is habit-forming. The habit really snuck up on me. Some people (like turtles) can only smoke up a couple of times a year. Others find that they end up doing it a lot. You may not notice any decline in athletic performance right away -- although it certainly doesn't help -- but smoking anything is bad for your health and pot definitely can sap your motivation to train. Eating it is not a bad suggestion, but eating it can be much more intense than smoking and it can be much harder to control your dosage. If you don't use pot frequently and/or if you are unfamiliar with its effects on your body you very well might hate eating it due to the intensity and unpredictability. My $.02: if you don't have easy access to drugs, go ahead and try x or pot. It won't hurt you to use them occasionally and the experience can really be fun. If you are around drugs frequently (e.g. if your friends smoke or roll often), you may be better off avoiding drugs altogether. Although biking on a deserted bike path after a few hits can be really fun ;)

"Some of us even confess to being liberals, support gun control, question the invasion of Iraq and admit to have smoked pot once or twice."

Pissant, liberal, communist bed-wetter!!

;o)

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

"I find a bit of comfort in hearing that not everyone here is as uptight/narcissistic/type-A-personalitied-out as it sometimes appears."

DUDE!! Type As are the prototypical druggies!! We don't do ANYTHING just a little bit. Stop and think for a minute - what's the difference between a person who would stick a needle in their arm, smoke hashish, drop acid, snort coke, have sex simultaneoulsy with three women and ride a motorcyle at 110 mph without a helmet and a guy who would swim/bike/run 140.6 in the same day?

A- About ten years...

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...