millededge
Active Member
meth and alcohol are not interchangeable
The effects overlap, yes. Both disinhibit. At higher and sustained doses alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, whereas meth is a stimulant. Meth is also much more potent and dependence prone.
Outside of Aboriginal communities in remote areas, theft of alcohol is pretty scarce, mainly due to availability at low cost in large outlets, where clean skin wine can be had for 4-6 dollars per 750mL bottle, sometimes less than 4 bucks. It could hardly be cheaper, when it is about the same price as a 600mL coke from a vending machine.
On the other hand, theft for meth is commonplace where it is widely available, here and in poorer countries. It is consumed until none is left over a period which can extend many days. Many thousands spent on this drug in a relatively brief period is common, even vast sums, but nothing like this for alcohol, even at 1L spirits per day.
If the intent is displaced consumption using the lowest price for a substance, alcohol is clearly cheaper than meth and smoking cigarettes, cheaper than almost anything, including solvents. But people will choose smoking cigarettes and meth over alcohol as they are more addictive, despite the severe legal penalty for meth and the financial penalty for smoking in Australia, in the order of 10 times more expensive than Indonesia and 6-7x more than Fiji.
People will smoke straight after a major operation if they can walk outside, drip in one hand, fag in the other.
In the case of smoking, cost makes a difference. Smoking rates have fallen.
People will smoke meth even if they neglect every relationship that mattered, even their own minimal caloric intake.
They will choose this over alcohol typically because the effect sought is different.
I think with meth it seems to give a person a greatly inflated view of themselves and their life while under the influence, a level of denial which lasts ages, unlike that of alcohol which tends to pass with intoxication.
I just don't see your substitution idea working, shiny. It was tried with kava in the NT and it didn't work.
Chalk and cheese.
The effects overlap, yes. Both disinhibit. At higher and sustained doses alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, whereas meth is a stimulant. Meth is also much more potent and dependence prone.
Outside of Aboriginal communities in remote areas, theft of alcohol is pretty scarce, mainly due to availability at low cost in large outlets, where clean skin wine can be had for 4-6 dollars per 750mL bottle, sometimes less than 4 bucks. It could hardly be cheaper, when it is about the same price as a 600mL coke from a vending machine.
On the other hand, theft for meth is commonplace where it is widely available, here and in poorer countries. It is consumed until none is left over a period which can extend many days. Many thousands spent on this drug in a relatively brief period is common, even vast sums, but nothing like this for alcohol, even at 1L spirits per day.
If the intent is displaced consumption using the lowest price for a substance, alcohol is clearly cheaper than meth and smoking cigarettes, cheaper than almost anything, including solvents. But people will choose smoking cigarettes and meth over alcohol as they are more addictive, despite the severe legal penalty for meth and the financial penalty for smoking in Australia, in the order of 10 times more expensive than Indonesia and 6-7x more than Fiji.
People will smoke straight after a major operation if they can walk outside, drip in one hand, fag in the other.
In the case of smoking, cost makes a difference. Smoking rates have fallen.
People will smoke meth even if they neglect every relationship that mattered, even their own minimal caloric intake.
They will choose this over alcohol typically because the effect sought is different.
I think with meth it seems to give a person a greatly inflated view of themselves and their life while under the influence, a level of denial which lasts ages, unlike that of alcohol which tends to pass with intoxication.
I just don't see your substitution idea working, shiny. It was tried with kava in the NT and it didn't work.
Chalk and cheese.
