!'m 18

[henrah]

w00t w00t

Now I can legally buy alcohol that I won't drink ahah!!!


Any tips on how to celebrate an 18th? And any nostalgic memories?

[thalbergmad]

On my 18th, I got drunk, laid & woke up in a skip.

[pianistimo]

happy eighteenth birthday, henrah! 

according to the personality test on the other thread, i have an adventuresome quota of 2.  i guess i'm not the person to ask about what to do.  but, henrah, today i went biking in the rain.  just go do something daring for u.  having broken a leg - i was going at the pace of an old lady - but here come three rad bikers 60mph.  - my husband stops right in front of me for some reason - so right as they pass i say 'don't stop!'  they thought i was talking to them.  it sounded, well, kind of strange.  thankfully i didn't bump into my hubby at 5 mph because he got the message.

[stevie]

happy birthday

randomly

[jre58591]

i wish i could give you a hearty happy birthday. i cant help but feel a bit jealous, for the drinking age here is unfortunately 21. 18th birthdays here dont mean much.

well, anyways, happy birthday

[johnny-boy]

i wish i could give you a hearty happy birthday. i cant help but feel a bit jealous, for the drinking age here is unfortunately 21. 18th birthdays here dont mean much.

well, anyways, happy birthday

You can still drink; just not alcoholic beverages. I prefer iced tea anyway.

Best, John

[Tash]

my 18th, ok we'd just flown to germany, so in sydney time, i spent it sleeping. in germany time i went to the german museum and looked at cool old pianos, and then bought myself a cocktail at the hotel bar that night. except it wasn't that cool cos they didn't check my ID, and you can drink at 16 there anyway. not that i had any ID at the time except my passport...which reminds me, the first time i went out clubbing, was just after i'd come back from overseas and didn't have my licence, so lugged my passport around! how embarrassing it was a crap photo. tried going out to dinner a week before my 18th and wanted a cocktail except they wouldn't let me cos i said i'd forgotten my ID! and i was like we're here celebrating my 18th! sad

[prometheus]

I don't think they will ever ask for an ID if you but a drink in a hotel bar. I mean, that is what you do when teenagers of around 16 to 18, during the noon school break, try to buy alcohol or something.

[steve jones]

w00t w00t

Now I can legally buy alcohol that I won't drink ahah!!!


Any tips on how to celebrate an 18th? And any nostalgic memories?

Happy Birthday mate.

How to celebrate? Hmmm, I went to Blackpool on my 18th... it got messy... so much so that I cant remember anything, let alone any tips!

So I guess my advice would be, dont get so trashed that you forget everything (unless ofcourse you do something that you WANT to forget  ).

All the best,

SJ

PS. Im 25 next week... on 06/06/06... how scary is that! Paganini eat your heart out 

[instromp]

Happy Birthday!!!!!

From what most ppl i know do is go out clubbin' in thier 18 b-days

I think i'll do that too,lol

My birthday is monday and i'll be 16!

EDIT: that means ur a gemini too ,lol geminis, we rock

[henrah]

Happy Birthday!!!!!EDIT: that means ur a gemini too ,lol geminis, we rock

Yep we do!!

I can't actually full on celebrate my birthday till next weekend, cos I've got an exam tomorrow and thursday. Lameage But when I do, I won't be getting trashed as I don't drink much. But I will certainly be getting quite monged with my friends, sit around in the sunshine, take some cool photos, enjoy nature and talk about existence

Gonna go see X-men at the Magdelen cinema in Oxford. It's got such nice seats! They're big two seater sofas with an arm rest in the center, and you can properly lounge about on them... it's great, I can't wait!!!

[instromp]

Yep we do!!

I can't actually full on celebrate my birthday till next weekend, cos I've got an exam tomorrow and thursday. Lameage But when I do, I won't be getting trashed as I don't drink much. But I will certainly be getting quite monged with my friends, sit around in the sunshine, take some cool photos, enjoy nature and talk about existence

Gonna go see X-men at the Magdelen cinema in Oxford. It's got such nice seats! They're big two seater sofas with an arm rest in the center, and you can properly lounge about on them... it's great, I can't wait!!!

I have an exam tomorrow also ,I cant drink just yet since my mom is highly against but soon i will,lol.....what your going to do sounds cool and relaxing and that X-men movie sounds great too, im going to see it one day this week with a few friends since school is over wednesday(YES,Im free!!! )

[henrah]

Well, it's an awesome film, and the special effects are great! The very first scene involved them creating entirely digital heads for Xavier and Magneto to make them look 20years younger, and it looked flawless! Also there was a freaky part where Wolverines skin was being ripped off constantly and healing, twas gross...

[zheer]

On my 18th, I got drunk, laid & woke up in a skip.

  On my 18th i was homeless , penyless, jobless, and ended-up in hospital with god knows haw many medication flowing through my blood.

[instromp]

Well, it's an awesome film, and the special effects are great! The very first scene involved them creating entirely digital heads for Xavier and Magneto to make them look 20years younger, and it looked flawless! Also there was a freaky part where Wolverines skin was being ripped off constantly and healing, twas gross...

Noooooo dont tell me!! ,lol. I havent seen it yet.

[henrah]

When you do, stay after the credits. You'll be amazed...


Seriously, do it. People might think your crazy, and they do go on for a long time, but stay. It's worth it.

[Kassaa]

Is the 21 age limit in the US also for soft-alcohol like beer, or only for whiskey and stuff like that?

[henrah]

All alcohol. Even those with less than 1% alcohol content, called 'Point Nines' I think. Unless that's only Canada...

21 limit sucks, as 18 is really coming of age. Would be hard pressed to find an 18th that didn't have a friend of a brother/uncle/dad that bought in alcohol for them.

[instromp]

When you do, stay after the credits. You'll be amazed...


Seriously, do it. People might think your crazy, and they do go on for a long time, but stay. It's worth it.

My other friends told me the same thing, and i will.

[Kassaa]

All alcohol. Even those with less than 1% alcohol content, called 'Point Nines' I think. Unless that's only Canada...

21 limit sucks, as 18 is really coming of age. Would be hard pressed to find an 18th that didn't have a friend of a brother/uncle/dad that bought in alcohol for them.

Hmm, the limit for beer and wine and the likes is 16 here, for whiskey it's 18.

[franz_]

w00t w00t

Now I can legally buy alcohol that I won't drink ahah!!!


Any tips on how to celebrate an 18th? And any nostalgic memories?

In our country you can legally buy alcohol at the age of 16

[BoliverAllmon]

Well, it's an awesome film, and the special effects are great! The very first scene involved them creating entirely digital heads for Xavier and Magneto to make them look 20years younger, and it looked flawless! Also there was a freaky part where Wolverines skin was being ripped off constantly and healing, twas gross...

did you stay after the credits? there was another scene to the movie.

[allthumbs]

In our country you can legally buy alcohol at the age of 16

Wonderful, get an early start on alcoholism!

[Kassaa]

Wonderful, get an early start on alcoholism!

Better than an early start on killing.

[henrah]

did you stay after the credits? there was another scene to the movie.

Sure did! But... HOW DA F**K??? IT IS NOT POSSIBLE!!!

And did you see Magneto make that chess piece wobble? I didn't, but my friends swear they did.

[allthumbs]

Better than an early start on killing.

Unfortunately, the two are often linked (alcohol and violence).

[henrah]

Unfortunately, the two are often linked (alcohol and violence).

Which is one of the many reasons why I don't like alcohol, and makes me baffled about how it's legal over cannabis. Politicians and anti-cannabis people always bring up the arguement of a link with psychological problems, but that's only when there's a problem already existing.

I won't go into a vent, I shan't. Just weigh up the bad things about alcohol and the bad things about cannabis, from a purely objective view.

[Kassaa]

Unfortunately, the two are often linked (alcohol and violence).

I'm talking about the the selling of guns in the US.

[allthumbs]

I'm talking about the the selling of guns in the US.

Amen to that!

[allthumbs]

Which is one of the many reasons why I don't like alcohol,

Can't argue with you there.

and makes me baffled about how it's legal over cannabis.

The reason is that cannabis is often a gateway drug to harder drugs (heroin, cocaine, meth-amphetamene for example).

Politicians and anti-cannabis people always bring up the argument of a link with psychological problems, but that's only when there's a problem already existing.

Well, it's called 'dope' for a good reason and you are mistaken, if you think that it's a benign drug. The medical profession has already documented some of the adverse effects the long-term abuse of cannabis.

Scientists don't even know the long term effects of all of the 4000 or odd chemicals found in cannabis smoke.

While proponents have given anecdotal evidence that marijuana usage has eased certain medical conditions, the scientific studies done so far fail to support such a conclusion.

In fact, studies are under way to look at the relationships between cannabis use, schizophrenia, and other serious mental disorders.

https://fermat.nap.edu/html/marimed/app_E.html

I won't go into a vent, I shan't. Just weigh up the bad things about alcohol and the bad things about cannabis, from a purely objective view.

I would say, both have caused problems in Society (alcohol, especially).  Society, IMHO, would be in a much better position having rid of these addicting drugs altogether (excluding bona-fide medical drugs of course).


Cheers

allthumbs

[henrah]

The reason is that cannabis is often a gateway drug to harder drugs (heroin, cocaine, meth-amphetamene for example).

This, I think, is only because it's an illegal drug, and the sellers of it are likely to also be selling other illegal drugs, which include the hard drugs you've mentioned. It is only because of the situation it's in. If alcohol were an illegal drug, it would also often be a gateway to other, harder drugs. Anything illegal is a gateway to other illegal things, simply because in most cases people do it because it's forbidden.

This website explains many effects of cannabis well, as it is quite unbiased in opinion of whether they are good or bad. Of course, the long term effects of cannabis are fairly bad; but the long term effects of alcohol, heroin, tobacco, ecstasy, or anything else are bad too. This is why - in my opinion - moderation is key. I have etched that as a motto for me to live by, as anything in large amounts can be detrimental. Too much of a social life can make you lose touch of yourself, and too little of a social life can make you lose touch with other people; and it applies to everything in life.

But I understand about the detrimental effects of cannabis (when used heavily and regularly), which is why I think we need to be educated about it, we being the people. I think that education about drugs should start at the same age as sex education, and that a strict curriculum should be enforced to ensure that there isn't any input of biased opinions from the teachers so everyone has an equal understanding of the drugs. Then - and only then - could cannabis be effectively legalised. Obviously there will still be the people who overuse it to the point of near death, but that comes from their personality and would be the same with anything, like other hard drugs or alcohol, and there's little we can do about that.

All I basically want to say is: we should be allowed to indulge ourselves in the detrimental effects of cannabis, much like we are currently allowed to destroy our livers with alcohol and destroy our lungs with tobacco. I think cannabis has just as equal a right to be used as alcohol and tobacco do.


My £0.02,
Henrah

[allthumbs]

This website explains many effects of cannabis well, as it is quite unbiased in opinion of whether they are good or bad. Of course, the long term effects of cannabis are fairly bad; but the long term effects of alcohol, heroin, tobacco, ecstasy, or anything else are bad too. This is why - in my opinion - moderation is key. I have etched that as a motto for me to live by, as anything in large amounts can be detrimental.

Henrah, I looked at your site. It would be an unfortunate mistake to get your advice from a site that even in the disclaimer states...

DISCLAIMER

The information provided on this page is presented in good faith, and is derived from a combination of my own personal experience, anecdotal evidence and written sources. However, it definitely should not be taken as a substitute for sound, professional medical advice if you have a pre-existing medical condition. (Most GPs will give an honest opinion about cannabis use if asked straight out.) If you have a condition which you believe will be affected in any way by cannabis you smoke at your own risk.

This site would be laughable, except for the fact that young people may take this guy seriously. I wouldn't be getting my advice from a site called "Drew's Cannabis Information Site' that "is derived from a combination of my own personal experience, anecdotal evidence and written sources."

He doesn't cite any of these written sources and 'anecdotal evidence' is an oxymoron.

When Drew says about the side effects drugs in general, "Either we get scaremongering about its negative effects or descriptions of its beneficial powers which fail to acknowledge so-called "side effects". (I say "so-called" because I don't believe any drug has "side" effects..., not only is he dead wrong but irresponsible in such a statement. Meth-amphetamene, for example, can be addictive after only one useage and the results of addiction to this terrifying drug are horrendous.

I won't speak to the rest of the site because it would take up too much time and space.

However, if you are interested there is an excellent DVD produced by the Canadian National Film Board (NFB) in conjunction with 'Odd Squad Productions' called "Through a Blue Lens". This 1999 documentary is the result of the efforts several Vancouver Police officers who filmed the addicts they encountered on a daily basis in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

For more info, check out this web site.

https://www.oddsquad.com/

Stay safe.

Cheers

allthumbs

[BoliverAllmon]

Sure did! But... HOW DA F**K??? IT IS NOT POSSIBLE!!!

And did you see Magneto make that chess piece wobble? I didn't, but my friends swear they did.

yep the chess piece wobbled. leads to the idea of another x man movie.

[henrah]

Ooops, nearly forgot about this topic!


You're right about that site thumbs, it shouldn't be taken as 'sound, professional medical advice if you have a pre-existing medical condition.' I am speaking from my own experiences, and I chose it to illustrate the experiences I have had, as I can link to many - if not nearly all - of the experiences of that guy.

When Drew says about the side effects drugs in general, "Either we get scaremongering about its negative effects or descriptions of its beneficial powers which fail to acknowledge so-called "side effects". (I say "so-called" because I don't believe any drug has "side" effects..., not only is he dead wrong but irresponsible in such a statement. Meth-amphetamene, for example, can be addictive after only one useage and the results of addiction to this terrifying drug are horrendous.

He's not wrong at all. Side effects are - simply put - effects that aren't the main purpose of the drug. The addiction that comes easily to Meth-amphetamene is simply a more prominent and exaggerated effect of every drug. I can't see your arguement here thumbs. How is it irresponsible to explain what is meant by a side effect?

That film looks very interesting, I might take a look when I have some free time.

Now I'm going to go enjoy myself outside for a moment, and maybe improv a bit more.
Henrah

[allthumbs]

He's not wrong at all. Side effects are - simply put - effects that aren't the main purpose of the drug. The addiction that comes easily to Meth-amphetamene is simply a more prominent and exaggerated effect of every drug.

My comment about the author's irresponsibility was directed to the part of his statement about"so-called "side effects". (I say "so-called" because I don't believe any drug has "side" effects"

All drugs have side effects, including legal prescription drugs, alcohol, nicotine etc.

I can't see your arguement here thumbs. How is it irresponsible to explain what is meant by a side effect?

Nothing in and of itself, however when one downplays or even tries to eliminate the negative side of these addictive drugs, one does a disservice to those who may wish to experiment without the full knowledge of what these drugs will do.

See the video 'Through a Blue Lens'. It is very powerful and pulls no punches and has been deemed the NFB's most successful film of all time.


Cheers

allthumbs

[prometheus]

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances out there. Only stuff like heroin is worse. Alcohol on the other hand damages your personality if you become addicted. In my country one in ten people is an alcoholic.


It is also funny that people lash out against drugs, any drug even those that are non-addictive, while they consume alcohol on a regular basis and take asperin when they feel the slightest headache.

[henrah]

My comment about the author's irresponsibility was directed to the part of his statement about"so-called "side effects". (I say "so-called" because I don't believe any drug has "side" effects" .... All drugs have side effects, including legal prescription drugs, alcohol, nicotine etc.

You are misinterpreting him. When read alone, the part you have quoted is saying that there aren't any side effects to any drug, which is what you are getting at. But you have missed off an entirely relevant part of the sentence that comes after it. 'Either we get scaremongering about its negative effects or descriptions of its beneficial powers which fail to acknowledge so-called "side effects". (I say "so-called" because I don't believe any drug has "side" effects - all it has are effects which aren't used as a selling point. This goes for negative "side effects" as well as positive ones -' Your definition of 'side effects' and his definition of 'effects which aren't used as a selling point' are exactly the same. The 'side effects' you are talking about that come from drinking alcohol (loss of inhibitions and danger awareness) and smoking tobacco (addiction to nicotine, cancer of the lungs and heart) are the effects that aren't used to sell the drug. Have you ever seen a tobacconist or any tobacco company try and sell their tobacco products on the premise that they give you lung cancer? I wouldn't have thought so, because lung cancer is a negative effect of smoking tobacco, and the negative effects are the ones that people commonly refer to as being 'side effects'.

Nothing in and of itself, however when one downplays or even tries to eliminate the negative side of these addictive drugs, one does a disservice to those who may wish to experiment without the full knowledge of what these drugs will do.

He is not downplaying the negative side of cannabis, and he is most certainly not trying to eliminate them. Thumbs, you have to see that he is simply stating the name 'side effects' as what it is commonly referred to: the effects that aren't used to advertise/sell the drug, be them positive or negative. And how is he doing a 'disservice to those who may wish to experiment without the full knowledge of what these drugs will do'? He isn't downplaying or trying to eliminate the negative sides to these drugs, he doesn't change the negativity of them - so he isn't doing a disservice to anyone.

Thumbs, please read through his intro again. Really read it through and take in all the detail of grammar. Hopefully you will see that he isn't doing anything that you are saying he's doing.

Henrah

[henrah]

It is also funny that people lash out against drugs, any drug even those that are non-addictive, while they consume alcohol on a regular basis and take asperin when they feel the slightest headache.

I've never understood why people do this. I think over the years the word 'drug' has been ingrained to mean 'illegal drugs'. I'd be hard pressed to find someone who admits to 'doing drugs' when they drink alcohol or smoke a cigarette.

[prometheus]

I guess it is danger for the unknown. The same goes with sleeping pills. The moment the doctors prescribes you something you happily take this. Same with children and Ritalin. The medicine industry has managed to get the ue of ritalin under children off the scale. It has happened in the US and it is now happening in some parts of Europe.

I mean, do you know someone who actually reads the clausule of the medicine they get prescribed?

Same with food, actually. Foods get modified in all strange ways. I am not sure about the US but in my country chicken meat is injected with a mix of water and pork protein to make the chicken breasts bigger. Also, sugar is added to everything. All kinds of things are done. And people do not care. They just buy and eat.
Let's not even start about where their food comes from, Slave chocolate from Ivory Coast, destroyed forests on Borneo for palm oil. Destoyed Amazon Rain forests in Brazil for soy production, used to feed pigs to feed humans. The few multinationals that utterly dominate food trade; Cargill, Bunge, ADM, Monsanto, Altria, AGP, etc. Almost all the stuff you can eat has gone through their hands at some point but very little people know any of these multinationals.

[henrah]

I mean, do you know someone who actually reads the clausule of the medicine they get prescribed?

Funny thing: I was just reading the label of an ibuprofen bottle before I took the last one. Stomach ulcers and bleeding?? Doesn't sound too good! And the silly thing is, they say that it might cause headaches!

We live in a heavily corporate world. But could we live in the opposite, like it was back in the caveman days? Catch your food and eat it. But eventually our 'perfect world' of everyone fending for themselves and being a true part of natures cycle will fall apart, as there's bound to be a person who thinks "Hmmm... maybe I could catch a lot of food, and give some to others in return for something they have so they don't need to catch their own food!" Then eventually he'll get greedy and do many things to make more of whatever he was making, which would include beefing up (no pun intended ) the meat that he catches.

[hiline]

Happy birthday henrah; though it may be a bit late.
I 've just turned 18, too. 

[henrah]

Thanks Hiline - a belated happy birthday is still a great thing!

Have you anything planned for your 18th? Do you live in a country where it's legal to drink now? Or possibly you can already drink?

[hiline]

Thanks Hiline - a belated happy birthday is still a great thing!

Have you anything planned for your 18th? Do you live in a country where it's legal to drink now? Or possibly you can already drink?

Yes, it is now officially legal for me to drink; but I have already drunk several times.
Nothing special for my birthday; I don't want to get crazy at any moment on that day. I watched the 6/15 going and the 6/16 coming.
I used to bother my parents on my birthday parties with helping me celebrate the birthday with my friends, but now as I am already an adult, I don't feel like doing such a thing any more. A peaceful birthday with my parents; that's enough.

[gruffalo]

congrats. mine is on 20th July, but i dont know what im doing yet. not having a house party , too stressful and will prob get trashed.

[hiline]

congrats. mine is on 20th July, but i dont know what im doing yet. not having a house party , too stressful and will prob get trashed.

Let's save the congratulations for the day.
How about spending time talking with your family or playing the piano ? Or just get online and inform people about your birthday.

[Waldszenen]

Happy 18th mate... only happens once in your life, dunnit?

[gruffalo]

Let's save the congratulations for the day.
How about spending time talking with your family or playing the piano ? Or just get online and inform people about your birthday.

its gonna be something big, because this is the kinda thing where i like having almost every friend i know to be at the party, so like the whole of my year at my old school will prob come (c.120) and plus some cousins, college friends, people from music, people from tennis etc. i might rent out a large hall and get my friend to DJ. i went to a party like that and it worked out incredibly well. i wont play the piano (only in the morning) because i am doing a big piano work-out this summer, so i need a break from it.