Intelligence and drugs - is there a connection?

[Freya]

Okay, I discussed with my mother about this and I'm still interested what other people think about that issue.

The leading questions (for those who don't want to read the whole post xD) are:
- Do people who are intelligent - above average - tend to do drugs?
- Shouldn't they be intelligent enough to know that this is bad (and that they can become addicted)?

These were the two questions I asked myself. I talked with my mother about it and funnily the first question CAN be true. At least we both know some people who do drugs.

A former friend of mine for example. He thought he was totally dumb all the time (at least he said so) until the day someone told him we was intelligent (above average). At least he says so. I can't quite believe that he really is intelligent. He just can't be.
As most people my mother and I know, he claimed he thought about the world a whole lot of time and thought that it was all bad. These persons mostly say that as they're so intelligent they can see the world as it really is: rotten, bad. So they get depressed over that thought - they don't see any way to change it.
Whereas the people who aren't scored "intelligent" think that they can change the world and make it a better place.
Besides, I think it's commonly known that handicaped people tend to be happy and think the world is a great place to be.

So those intelligent people all want to escape from this bad world. (Uh, wait, I'm getting sarcastic, sorry for that, I think I can't be neutral when it comes to drugs...) How? Easy: Drugs. They make them feel better and let them escape reality. (I haven't done drugs even ONCE so I can't say if this is what everyone feels. But I've heard from the "intelligent" person I mentioned above that he just did it to feel better and.. somehow compensate his inner pain.)

The one I mentioned isn't the only one I've heard about. A guy I liked also was claimed to be rather intelligent - he smoked weed. (No, not just "a bit each month", but each week and a whole lot!)
My mother told me about a girl she heard about who attended university when she was only 17/18, but now has gotten pregnant - and dropped her study.
Also, and that's why I even came up with that topic, I read some reports of school about my brother and his teacher in the first and second grade wrote that he was "very intelligent". I wouldn't say that my brother's that intelligent. He doesn't do drugs regularly, but he drinks a whole lot of alcohol each week and as far as I know he's done drugs when he was 17 or so. .-."

So I wondered about the second question: If you're so intelligent, shouldn't you know that you hurt your body through doing drugs? That you can get addicted? That this will cost you a lot of money?! That may be totally stupid of me, I know, but I just can't believe that people who do drugs are very intelligent. It's not that people who do drugs are dumb, either. It's just that intelligent people should know about the risks of drugs.

I just don't get this all. What have you experienced?

[Tiffany]

I've experienced that people all across the board and social structures do drugs. Although to be fair, exactly what type of drug are you talking about? "Drugs" in general is a pretty nebulous statement.

Like Pot Smoking. Everyone's brother, sister and grandmother here smokes pot. I swear that my guy and I are the only exceptions to the rule. I used to, but don't anymore. I much prefer having a beer or a glass of wine rather than smoking up. But that is just me.

Crystal Meth is on the rise, as it gives you crazy energy and helps people lose weight. I've known people who have done cocaine, and heroin but I was surprised at both.

From what I've seen in my life, drugs are a personal choice and I don't exactly think that it is from an intelligence POV. My guy's sister can legally smoke weed (she carries a card for medicinal use). Girl is CHRONIC. She smokes more pot than I can shake a stick at. At this point in time she's working on her Masters in Sociology. She is a brilliant, brilliant girl. She smoked pot long before she became able to do it legally (was in an accident, and uses it for pain therapy now).

So in her case, I wouldn't equate it to her intelligence. Then again you can argue that she may be book smart but not street smart.

Personally I think it is too broad a topic to be able to pigeonhole people into a single category. Why do people drink? It might not be illegal, but it certainly is addictive and can ruin people's lives. Does that make me less intelligent? I love my beer, and I love my wine. I'd be highly offended if someone tried to tell me I was of a lower intellect because I choose to use them.

I hope I'm not coming across as harsh, it isn't meant to be. Its just one of those topics that (IMO) aren't easily summed up. Good topic though!

[Freya]

I've experienced that people all across the board and social structures do drugs. Although to be fair, exactly what type of drug are you talking about? "Drugs" in general is a pretty nebulous statement.

As I said, I'm not that much into drugs. I just know that the person I mentioned as my example has tried almost everything: cocaine, heroin, LSD, ecstasy, etc. I don't know which one he does regularly, I've cut all ties to him when I heard that he did it for the first time. ^^"

But as you mentioned your beer and wine: I don't think of alcohol as a drug. I meant the really bad drugs. (Alcohol is a drug, too, I know, but I consider it as not being that bad because it doesn't make you an addict as easily as other stuff. Correct me if I'm wrong about that, please.)

I love my beer, and I love my wine. I'd be highly offended if someone tried to tell me I was of a lower intellect because I choose to use them.

No. Definitely no! Perhaps I should've explained more thoroughly what I consider cause and effect.
Cause is intelligence - effect is drugs.
You are intelligent (above average!) and that's why you see the world in black and try to escape it (through drugs).
It's not that I say those people aren't intelligent AT ALL. I just can't believe that they're VERY intelligent. I know it's a difficult topic...
I wouldn't say you're dumb because you like beer and wine. That's even quite okay with me (as long as I'm not forced to like it, too ).

The thing is: If you're intelligent, you should know what you're doing. Of course many "normal" people also know that, but most of them don't do it. (Or am I just blind? I know that there are quite a lot people smoking weed sometimes, but not everyday, not regularly, just when the moment's right.)

[Padraic]

I've tried weed (funny enough I "apparently" am intellegent, according to others.) didn't do anything, so I don't think its so magical, and good.

I also don't get why everybody thinks its so good because I was talking about it last night with some family friends and my brother (who does it a lot) was saying how it makes everything boring for him so he goes to sleep (like once he smoked up and fell asleep on the couch and I had to entertain the guests he had over -_-'), and our friend was saying how when she used to do it, it would make her overly paranoid. I was really confused about why it was so good, and why everybody smokes up, if all it does is negative things?

And the people who think the world is screwed up, why do you think its screwed up? From people like them, who think the world is messed up beyond repair, who don't do anything but screw it up more. I'm happy with the world the way it is, although it could be a little greener in some parts...

I think the reason they try drugs in the first place is because they think their too smart to get addicted. There are few people who won't get addicted to things. Trust me by experience its not a good thing. (I don't have an addictive personnality because I can't remember what something feels like... but there still might be cravings... so its not can't or won't, its just a minimal addiction).

[Che]

I don't think there's a connection between intelligence and doing drugs, I think we just find ourselves surprised when someone with intelligence chooses to make a bad decision. And what is a bad decision? How do we define that? I know many intelligent people who smoke marijuana and I don't think they are making bad decisions. You'd most likely never guess they smoked marijuana as they aren't your typical "stoner".

If by making bad decisions you mean abusing drugs that can have long term negative effects on your body, then I would have to reply and say that just because you are intelligent doesn't mean you make perfect decisions. Everyone is human (which means we make mistakes).

I know many smart people who make bad decisions like having sex with someone they just met without using a condom, etc. Does that mean they're not intelligent anymore?

[Josh_R]

I have many friends who do a multitude of different drugs and some are smart and some arent. In my opinion your intelligence has nothing to do with you doing drugs. Anyone can become addicted to drugs stupid of smart. Take me for example I was f*cked up for a while on vicodin, oxy's, and percocet's and I happen to be a samrt individual. Couldn't help got hurt in football one year and they prescribed me pain pills after my surgery and I got addicted real quick.

I have had many intelligent friends fall victim to heroine, coke and many other's. Everyone f*cks up from time to time we are human intelligence has nothing to do with it.

[Alpha]

I see 'intelligence' as knowing how to take mistakes, and knowing how to not make them a second time around. I graduated at the top of my class in high school, but I had smoked weed occasionally from when I was 16 until that point (18-and-a-half)(haven't for a year since; reason: not sure). Each year I got progressively better at school. Is that a correlation between drug use and achievement? Hard to tell. Maybe I was 'intelligent'. If so, I certainly didn't recognise weed as a mistake that I needed to act upon.

And Freya, why must intelligent people be afraid of the world as you say? If one is 'intelligent', using my definition, then one would know how to improve the present and future relative to the past, and would probably have many grand ideas and aspirations, making them fairly happy. Sure, weed can make you happy (happier), but one doesn't have to be sad in order to use it. It has a lot more to do with friends than anything else.

[Freya]

And Freya, why must intelligent people be afraid of the world as you say?

Hm, maybe I misunderstand you, but where did I say that they MUST be afraid of the world? They aren't necessarily. It's just that many people who claimed to be intelligent told me that they think the world is bad. (Funnily, they don't see any way to fix it, though they're intelligent.)

Okay, I see now that perhaps everyone thinks about intelligence otherwise. I don't think there is a proper definition for "intelligence", but here's how I see it: An intelligent person is able to think things through, make decisions he thinks about before and knows how this world is. This is definitely NOT a great definition, but it's basically what I think intelligence is.

I talked about that topic with my brother a while ago and we both agreed that probably the IQ is overrated. I think all those "intelligent" people told me their IQ and therefore said that they were intelligent. I've also heard that there are more types of intelligence. (Some kind of social intelligence, emotional intelligence, musical intelligence...) So I don't know what those people tested.

[Govinda]

It's often been said that the most intelligent people have the biggest demons. Demons that often lead them to despair.

I don't think there's a correlation between intelligence and drugs, though. There may be a correlation between ambition and not using drugs, but you don't need to be smart to be ambitious. Everyone, regardless of their intelligence, likes to relax sometimes; or if we're talking harder, like heroin and meth, everyone is curious about what kind of high they can get. I will never try heroin or meth, but it's not because I'm vaguely intelligent; it's because I've seen, and been taught, about what those drugs can do. The majority of the population are like that too.

[Confession]

I come from a background surrounded by a multitude of drugs. Weither it be Dealers, Users, Producers, or Cop raids, I have seen it all.

When it comes to the correlation between intelligence and drugs, I don't think there is any.

Not everyone can be intelligent, It is not in somes genetic makeup to be so, yet anyone can become addicted to drugs.

Also you really have to define drugs, I mean Caffine is a drug.
As Govinda said, the link between drugs and Intelligence is soley based on the pressure put on the "intelligent" people to mkae use of their gift in the upmost way, which can lead to a thought of pressure, and easy escapes from them are Drugs and Booze... And cheap woman, but thats a different story.

When speakign of true Intelligence, you can almost be certain that with it comes Curiosity, and as it has been said before. "Curiosity, makes smart people drug hounds"

At least I think thats how the quote went, I could be wrong.

In Summary: The only way Intelligence could be linked with Drug use is the ever growing ambition to know everything there is to know.

[Sinister]

It's not so simple. Establishing intelligence is something that we still can't do, even with the help of diagnostic tests created by specialists. Someone mentioned "drugs" is a nebulous term... Intelligence is an umbrella term, a vagary that literally refers to nearly a dozen properties of the human brain and how it operates at peak performance To establish all these qualities in one human being, operating at a level that is said to be "Intelligent"(which is a frighteningly loose term, open to individual interpretation.) and to discover their opinion on drugs... Even in doing that you will still come under heavy fire for hundreds of reasons, not the smallest being that there may be no connection between the two whatsoever.

One person may advocate the use of drugs in expanding the mind and consciousness. One might deem that their ill effects on health are not worth the supposed mental benefits. Another might not care one way or the other and just like getting high. All three of these stances may possibly be assumed by a supposedly intelligent person motivated by different impelling circumstances and morals.

-Sin

[Angel Black]

Okay, I discussed with my mother about this and I'm still interested what other people think about that issue.

The leading questions (for those who don't want to read the whole post xD) are:
- Do people who are intelligent - above average - tend to do drugs?
- Shouldn't they be intelligent enough to know that this is bad (and that they can become addicted)?

There are many ways to end in drugs, even though it is true smart people get a way to avoid all of them, sometimes it is not posible.It is like drinking, some people go get drunk once in a while, and some people never get back to their former smarter selves.

Some Saint Exupery is in order: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery: book review