theres something called addiction.
There's also something called getting HYPHY AS F*** with the queen
I think that's fun! People denigrate and insult the Parham attack, 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5, left and right and constantly. That's getting hyphy as fuck with the queen! But I know three people who reached 2000 OTB playing only that opening as white, and one was a 2200 for years. They played it so much, and knew so much about the lines that though it was supposed to be "inferior" no one had studied it, or taken it seriously, sort of laughed over the board at it, and then found themselves in trouble all the time. "General Principles - just attack the queen." Okay. Because someone playing 2.Qh5 for decades doesn't expect that. I've seen lots of games, played it lots of times (Not as much as them) and I never saw that queen trapped. I ran it through the engines, and White never comes out utterly terrible, and the wins are on par with just about any opening with perfect play. Maybe cracks start to evolve into the finer lines at 2400+, but it may well be viable, and damn fun, at regular levels.
Sounds a lot like my brother's experience. He was happy when he had it, but he didn't always. His habit cost a fortune, something like a hundred bucks every time he went to get some, which I'm not sure but that might've been daily, and there was a lot of pretty low things he did to get money. We all stopped lending him money so then he would steal from us. I remember he stayed over at my place one night and in the morning he was gone, along with my playstation and my wife's gucci watch. He's doing good now though, besides not finding enjoyment in everyday things like before.
Oh, that's sounds pretty far in. At my peak I only required about $300, $350 a month for all I needed. A significant bill, but nothing like $100 a day. But the productivity I got back in return did pay for the investment, so no regrets. The key is to keep as even of a keel as possible, and maintain a steady discipline and routine without going overboard. Depends on the person of course, but I knew the stories and kept the recreation within manageable parameters.
Slow Pawn is correct. Opiates just make everything more interesting. Everything from Chess, Roller Coasters, reading, studying, sex, being around people, to doing dishes is just more "fun." I found I even wanted to learn shit like how to fix cars and program in C, on them. Just imagine a buff that adds a +2 to your "Interest, Ambition, Motivation" stats. I learned more with them than a lifetime without. It is also true, that when they finally dry up and no more are around, (and it always happens, eventually, the source goes cold, no matter how reliable before, and the music stops) there is a big sense that the world is boring. You do find difficulty in having fun with things you did before.
His habit started out that way. I think some people have better self control when it comes to things like that. That's why I think methadone was his only option. I never agreed with the idea of methadone, I always thought it more of a substitution rather than a solution, but it his case it saved his life.
Mine started, and finished that way, and I was able to manage over 6 years. The big growth and loss of control never happened for me, but of course, I can't map my abilities and life to others. It can be done, which is why I am an advocate for recreational drug use - within limits and for those that can comfortably manage it. For me, it did nothing but explode my production (I have a portfolio of work that will garner me jobs and employment for the rest of my life, that I would never have built without the "assistance" of what I called "My little helpers.), give me an entirely new dimension on life, and make every day something to look forward to. However, there is no counter to the argument - when the music stops, and it always does, I don't care how reliable it seems - the day will come when something will happen, someone will move, stop, get caught, get scared, tired of running around, or lose their script - and when that day comes, the piper comes knocking on the door and the bill is due. The process of getting used to a world without is..... not easy at all. That's the biggest bill to pay, the months, if not years after when it's just so difficult to have a great day like you used to. Everything could be fine! Money in your pocket, out with friends and family, fun activities. But when you get home, and it's time to relax...boy that itch comes a knockin and it won't go away.
Never liked Methadone. Just made my face numb, didn't hit right, and it lasted too long and you couldn't "turn it off" when you wanted to sleep or not be high anymore.