Should One Post When Intoxicated?

Would I be remiss in saying it's always five o'clock somewhere?

Yes.

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I think what one's post is about is important? I don't think, like with SI, one should post about the details? So, when intoxicated, I don't think one should "brag" or lament that fact and discuss the details of how one wishes one only drank 2-3 beers instead of the entire case and boy, will I have a hangover tomorrow?

Too, I think posting drunk (my only experience) sometimes is its own "punishment" as I'm rather a perfectionist about grammar and spelling and my typing skills go all to heck when I'm drunk and it takes me forever to get a message written as typing/proofreading take so long to get right!

Well, personally, I don't get drunk, if that's what other people equate with intoxication. As for myself, I just get a buzz on and then go to sleep at eight o'clock or so. I don't go to bars or parties, I've never drunk and driven in my entire life, I only consume legal substances, and all kinds of boring stuff like that. It's been interesting (very interesting!) to see the kinds of reactions my original post has elicited. I don't think I'll do anything of the kind again because I get the feeling I'm stepping on the corns of some vulnerable people, which I really don't want to do at all. I'm an elderly man who likes to have two or three drinks of an evening with his wife and then go to bed. Not terribly exciting. But I certainly felt like the fox among the chickens after I'd posted here! Squawk!!

I don't think it matters....as long as you can type and spell and want to get a thought or feeling out there....does it really matter? Usually in that state, we dare to be honest with ourselves...maybe that's a good thing. We all struggle and I'm sure we all understand......

Ha! I think the answer might depend on the person.

I do believe it is in the guidelines that you are not supposed to post while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

I did not find "drug" or "alcohol" in the Guidelines.

Medicines are drugs; I don't think this site can "care" about posting and psychotropics because of the nature of the site.

As a side note, here is the notice in the chat rooms, compliments of the webmaster:

Quote:

Welcome to the Psych Central Community Chat System. Please contact a Community Team member (a moderator or administrator) to report problems while in chat. All Community Guidelines apply here. Note: Do NOT enter chat under the influence of alcohol or drugs; members doing so may be immediately suspended without warning or notice.

Here's one from the guidelines:

Quote:

Messages containing or condoning illegal acts

PS Driving while intoxicated IS against the law here in the USA.

From the Terms of Use (often known as TOS, terms of service):

Quote:

which is unlawful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, libelous, obscene, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, vulgar, racist, obscene, profane or otherwise objectionable;

PS "obscene" is listed twice so it must be very important. I think posting while drunk might lend to being that (obscene) once in a while?

So it appears to my feeble mind that--at the present time-- posting while under the influence is allowed, as long as you can keep to the guidelines.

(I always felt it a matter of interpretation regarding the chat rule, for instance, as most members I know here are on some type of psychotropic medication, so they would never be allowed to chat.)

I would rather that anyone so posting, though, not announce they are drinking alcohol or "doing" drugs (and of course, those under age would be breaking the law by drinking, so that's already not allowed here.)

I think we might also consider a member who is triggered by someone who is actively drinking and saying so... but then, alas, some members can be triggered by almost anything.

Do your best is what I say. How can I argue with that?

JD said (among other things): "I would rather that anyone so posting, though, not announce they are drinking alcohol or "doing" drugs (and of course, those under age would be breaking the law by drinking, so that's already not allowed here.)"

I heartily agree with JD. If we do such things we ought to do them with discretion and not when we are so blown away that we no longer know what discretion means. Take care.

I think the only time one shouldn't post is when one is suicidal as one should be calling/posting elsewhere, doing something to get help. I do believe that one should not give details on one's state, whatever one's problem is, like with SI and eating disorders, neither "revel" in it or revile one's self but I don't think that is anything other than usual courtesy to self and others.

Everything you say here is (in my view, at least) correct, Perna. There's not a single thing with which I could take issue. For those of us who are smack dab in the middle of a crisis, there are quite a number of other places which are really geared up (as PC is not) to deal with crises. Look on "Resources" or "Find Help" above, or look in the first few pages of your local phone book, or google your particular kind of crisis. If anyone has such problems on a regular basis, it would be silly NOT to stockpile those phone numbers and websites beforehand. HELP is REAL and AVAILABLE NOW. You just have to look in the right (easily available) place. Take care!

I am quite unpredictable whilst intoxicated. I could be

A) Really loopy and silly

B) Really angry and nasty

C) The annoying "tear in the beer" boo hoo type.

Usually it's C.

Now we come up to the definition of drugs.
a. Some 'drugs' are prescription to people with specific conditions, while for another person these same meds are not rescribed and therefore illegal/recreactional.
b. Some 'drugs' are never for prescription use, and will always be illegal/recreational.

I think there's nothing wrong with posting after a few drinks, as long as you are coherent, make sense and are not offending anyone. When this gets out of hand, it is no longer appropriate

wow this thread has really taken off must have struck a nerve....i say ok do whatver just don't announce it!!! we don't wanna know!!! and intoxicated or not it's never the time to act ugly on any forum or chat. u don't have to be intoxicated for some of us to lack common sense and act stupid

One thing lacking here is the historical point of view. Many artists of varying kinds have tried to create while blasted, but very few have succeeded. Among Americans, we have such known substance abusers as Stephen Foster, Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, Jack Kerouac and F. Scott Fitzgerald, none of whom turned out anything of value while under the influence and whose continued drinking ultimately destroyed whatever talent they may have had. There were, however, at least three others who did not appear to wither in the blast of alcohol or drugs: O. Henry (William Porter), William S. Burroughs and William Faulkner. While there may be some positive mystical effect resulting from having been named "William," parents should refrain from so naming their male children even if they desperately desire that their offspring make a mark in the cultural world.

Henry was known by many to consume a quart of whiskey each working day (during which he was quite prolific), let alone the drinks he swallowed after dark before dying at the age of 49. Burroughs, of course, was into morphine and heroin and somehow, in between solid years of stone intoxication, managed to turn out quite a number of interesting works both of fiction and non-fiction, living until the age of 83. Faulkner actually won a Nobel Prize (as did Lewis, but in his case awarded more in the nature of a tombstone).

The subject of the relationship between creativity and substance abuse has fascinated many. The only too sober conclusion almost all scholars have drawn after years of research is that intoxication of any sort is about as bad a thing as possible for anyone panting after a literary muse. Our alcoholic and drug-addicted cultural stars would in all probability have done far more and far better had they restricted themselves to Dr. Pepper or Sinex Nasal Spray. Europeans and other non-Americans appear to have had better luck resisting such temptations, treating artistic pursuits more along the lines of standard vocations comparable to selling insurance or real estate and thereby escaping any perceived necessity to be particularly "different" or "inspired."

Take care.

i have in the past but in the mood section theres a mood that says buzzed i guess its still there now im clean so i dont post while intox anymore also in moods i saw drunk & hungover so i was always kinda unsure

As has been stated before, if the rules are to be followed to the letter, very few of us would be allowed to post here, just by our very nature. I myself take a daily dose of a Class C Controlled Substance which, if taken by anyone other than myself, can result in 4-8 years of incarceration and a $10,000 fine. Under most cases, such a mood-altering drug would constitute sufficient transgression of the "post sober" policy to be punishable.

The spirit of the rules that are in place is clear: to provide an environment that is friendly to everyone, and to discourage certain practices that would go against that goal. In order to fulfill the above mentioned goal, a certain level of cognitive capability is generally required; thus, the use of such mood-altering substances as Zanex, Concerta, Adderall, and what-have-you, are not only not disallowed by the rule, but actually encouraged when they would benefit the person's mental or physical state. Excessive alcohol, illicit substances, or even Tylenol PM, however, are not the kinds of chemicals that promote cognitive ability.

Exceptions exist, of course, but under most circumstances, try to post when you are in a stable and clear state of mind, and ALWAYS keep your posts polite and civil. It's common decency, in a world where there is not always as much as there should be. But we can all do our part to put a little more in it

im prescribed klonopin 3mg a day & like ive posted other places there were times when i wasnt very responsible with them & would be pretty buzzed when posting but i wasnt hostile just extra limp. like other people said i would get philosophical when i used to drink & when people r alcoholics or just drunk for a nite thats the only time when a lot of people can get their feelings out. well like for me when i was on crack real bad this was the last place i thought about going glad those days r over thank the Lord!

few questions:

1. how do we know? I make much more sense intoxicated that some people do when they are perfectly sober. Should all people who cannot express their thoughts well be banned?

2. Some prescription drugs are worse than the stuff that is not encouraged. Xanax or Valium your doctor prescribe you can have worse effect on your mind than few Cosmos in a bar or a joint after a hard day... what is the difference? Many docs will give out mind altering drugs as if it was candy...

Excellent, excellent point. There are all too many of us who require some form of "mind-altering drug" (whether alcohol or something else) in order to speak not only intelligibly, but movingly, seriously, affectingly. Yes, it's a very fine line between such speech and intoxication. But huge numbers of us, like perhaps VenusHalley (and, Lord knows, myself) need some form of stimulation or relaxation to externalize the sometimes eloquent lucubrations that would otherwise resound forever silently, without echo, in our own soundproof, solitary-confinement, mental dungeons. Take care, VenusHalley.

Well, I will try and only post if I have something constructive to add - intoxicated or not...

The admonition in the chat lobby warns members of potential consequences should they enter chat under the influence. I could not find a similar admonition in the Community Guidelines or Terms of Use pertaining to entering a forum under the influence.

The second part of the initial inquiry asks whether posting under the influence should be permitted. Since the Guidelines and Terms of Use do not explicitly prohibit under-the-influence postings, it would seem all is well provided the Guidelines and Terms of Use currently in place are not breached.

The second part of the original inquiry, however, seems to be tied to the first, whether it is wise to post under the influence. The morality of doing so has been discussed. The concern appears to be, if it is immoral to post under the influence, whether the posts should be permitted?

PsychCentral is a self-help support community. Perhaps the more pertinent question here is if the post is supportive? If so, in my view, the morality of the poster is best left to his/her conscience.

To those who need stimulants eloquently to impart their superior wisdom for the benefit of members less blessed, I say carry on.

Byza - very well put.
And I tihnk it brings the conversation back in line. There's nothing to be proud about if you are posting intoxicated (It would not be an achievement), but I don't see anything wrong with it if your intention is still in line with this forum's objectives - to offer support.