Poll about gamers and drugs

[Green Knight]

DISCLAIMER: I'm not looking to start a political discussion. If you feel drugs should be legal, should stay illegal, etc please keep it to yourself. That's not what I want to talk about.

What I want to talk about is: How many gamers here do drugs and how many gamers do you know do drugs. And I don't care what kind. Just a simple yes or no.

I ask because I've recently joined a gaming group, and most of the players seemed pretty fond of drugs. And just the other night, I spent some time with some members of my old group and found out to my dismay that the whole group has become a bunch of stoners (back in the day, only one of them smoked pot. Now apparently all of them do).

Let me clarify a bit. I'm a clean-living kind of guy. I've never even had so much as a sip of beer or a cigarette, much less taken drugs. And my concern isn't peer pressure. I'd sooner chop off my left nut then take drugs. So the fact that the 2 members of my old group harangued on me the other night to take pot didn't make me budge one bit, though saying no repeatedly got tiresome (not that I'd say yes just cause I was tired of saying no).

Just that I find it odd that I've recently met so many gamers who're druggies. I've been out of gaming for damn near 6 years, now, with a couple attempts last year to find new games, and only succeeding recently. So I've been out of touch with the gaming community for a while. So am I the oddball out, here? Are most gamers into drugs, and I'm one of the few ones who isn't? I dunno. Just lately it just seems as if me and the RPG gamer community parted ways a long time ago, and only now am I realizing it. I've been thinking for a while about quitting altogether and selling my books because I haven't been able to find any games. Now I've found some games, but I'm still thinking of quitting, as I've been lessed then pleased with the kind of people I've been meeting.

So what're your experiences in this area? Are my experiences just abnormal, or what? Appreciate hearing your thoughts.

 

[The Crimster]

No, not all gamers are druggies.

I think you just happened to meet an odd group, and then had the bad luck to find out your old group turned to drugs (for whatever reason).

I applaud you for sticking by your guns in not partaking. I have been drug free all my life, despite repeated attempts by a variety of people (only few of which were gamers).

I recommend you keep looking. You will find gamers that are more your type of people. Our hobby is ever-increasing in popularity, as the stigma is slowly diminishing. Be of good cheer.

The Crimster

 

[The Crimster]

And hey - too bad you're in Miami! I'm in Orlando, and we're always looking for drug-free gamers...!



The Crimster

 

[jollyninja]

well, i am an individual who used to be a chronic pothead. now i smoke up about once every year or so. the rest of the year, i don't smoke cigarretes and generaly i limit myself to 2 drinks in a night on the once per month occasions when i do drink alcohol. i'm not as straight and narrow as you but i can identify with your problem, one of the guys in my group used to show up drunk or hung over about every 4th session when we played on weekends, now we go on wednesday and the problem has disappeared.

keep trying man, if you enjoy the game, you'll find some people who share your lifestyle or at least will not throw theirs in your face.

 

[Zander]

DISCLAIMER: ...I've recently joined a gaming group, and most of the players seemed pretty fond of drugs. And just the other night, I spent some time with some members of my old group and found out to my dismay that the whole group has become a bunch of stoners (back in the day, only one of them smoked pot. Now apparently all of them do).

Let me clarify a bit. I'm a clean-living kind of guy. I've never even had so much as a sip of beer or a cigarette, much less taken drugs. And my concern isn't peer pressure. I'd sooner chop off my left nut then take drugs. So the fact that the 2 members of my old group harangued on me the other night to take pot didn't make me budge one bit, though saying no repeatedly got tiresome (not that I'd say yes just cause I was tired of saying no)....

So what're your experiences in this area? Are my experiences just abnormal, or what? Appreciate hearing your thoughts.

I empathise with you 100%, Green Knight. I've never smoked or taken narcotics. I do drink alcohol sometimes, but never to excess.

Last year I wanted to join a gaming group, but was excluded. They didn't give a reason. The only one I can think of was that I asked if they took drugs (namely, pot) while gaming. They made it clear that they did. I wasn't angry that they turned me down, just sad.

 

[NiTessine]

Well, I don't do drugs. Or smoke. Heck, I don't even touch alcohol... And none of the gamers I know do drugs either. At least I don't think so. With their personalities, it might be a bit hard to tell.

 

[Maerdwyn]

I haven't used drugs, nor has anyone I game with used any in my presence (Though it's possible they may, or may have in the past, in other settings, I guess. It's never come up.) Our group does occasionlly have a beer or a glass of wine, especially if I cook dinner for them or something.

 

[Zerovoid]

I know that drug use might be a part of some group's gaming sessions, from what I've seen posted on these and other boards. Casual drinking is probably even more common. I've never played in any group with people who do drugs while gaming, and I definately wouldn't want to. Never done any myself, and only drink extremely rarely.

I would guess that drug use is about the same as in the general population, possibly adjusted for demographics, since alot of gamers are males in their teens and twenties. I don't think there's any correlation between drug use and gaming.

 

[King_Stannis]

of my old group, 3 out of 5 players used marijuana. i tolerated it because we gamed at one of the users house. it also didn't seem to have too much of an adverse effect on gameplay, though some nights i would come home with a headache. actually, it was more sad than anything else - especially considering two of them were in their thirties at the time. my good friend was the last of the three, but he has since cut wayyyyy back - if not quit altogether.

in my new group no one uses drugs to the best of my knowledge.

 

[Green Knight]

And hey - too bad you're in Miami! I'm in Orlando, and we're always looking for drug-free gamers...!



The Crimster

Something tells me if I were in any other city BUT Miami I'd be having much better luck.