Drugs & Creativity

1. 61

   Bambi L'Amourposted 9 years ago

   
   Hey,
   
   Just wondering if anyone else finds they write differently depending on their chemical consumption? Whether it's coffee & cigarettes (my personal choice) or maybe a little reefer or even straight up slamming some ice if that's how you roll, I'd really like to see how your creativity is affected (or not affected) by whatever you happen to imbibe. (first time on the forum so please forgive me if i'm in the wrong section/site/line of work

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   1. 89

      Cardisaposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I guess my "drug" would be music. If I play Strauss while writing my mind just opens up. If I eat chocolate before writing I write happy stuff. Other than that nothing else but fresh morning air affects me.

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         jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Nice! Love it, Cardisa.

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   2. 79

      Sed-meposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      You're house is so clean.

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   3. 83

      bethperryposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      My Muse is much more fluid and focused with coffee and a cigarette.

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   4. 90

      Patty Inglish, MSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I write best after fasting for several hours.

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         Mark Ewbieposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         I initially misread that.  Hell of a trick I thought.

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            Patty Inglish, MSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

            So amusing...

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   5. 92

      jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Funny post, made me smile, Bambi.

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   6. 0

      sheilamyersposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I guess you could say my choices are cigarettes and iced tea. However, I always have those things near me whether I'm writing, reading, or watching television so I can't really say they have anything with my ability to write better.

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2. 60

   tirelesstravelerposted 9 years ago

   My stimuli are  caffeine and exercise.  I get more done under their influence.

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3. 61

   Bambi L'Amourposted 9 years ago

   Coffee and cigarettes are a classic, I just finished a piece began with a jam last night and was formally completed about half an hour ago... enjoying my cigarette!!

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4. 94

   lisavollrathposted 9 years ago

   I create for a living, so my muse is my bitch. I can turn it on an off without any chemical assistance. The only variable might be which type of tea I'm drinking today.

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      Bambi L'Amourposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, I'm impressed, good for you that's quite the achievement!

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      1. 94

         lisavollrathposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Nah. Just one of the perks of doing it for almost my entire life, and having a mortgage to pay. That end of the month payment can be a powerful kick in the butt to my muse!

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5. 67

   Arachneaposted 9 years ago

   I was talking with a friend the other day about how a number of famous writers were known for their affairs with the bottle. Even Sherlock Holmes needed a little pick-me-up from time to time for good sleuthing. The somewhat recent revelation (a few years back now) that a very prominent fiction author wrote their best stuff while a regular cocaine user is another example. The author in the last example is no longer using and has gone clean (or whatever the terminology is) but is still writing marvelous books. There are a number of authors who are well known and don't require chemical means to produce good stuff. I don't include music and coffee and the like in the category of chemical need. But, that's my preference.
   
   So, uhm, back strictly on topic. No, I don't require chemicals to write well. coffee is a must to jump start those grey cells to get anything done at all, writing or not.

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   1. 61

      Bambi L'Amourposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Well we can expand the topic to include any type of stimulant that one uses to boost their creativity.
      
      If you've visited my profile you'll have gathered that I have had a long and varied relationship with many different chemicals and substances, for me the best thing to get me into the relaxed but mentally sharp state are any dopamine-affective drugs, lately Ethylphenidate's which are essentially a slight variant on different (meth)amphetamines.
      
      Societies throughout civilisation have used mind-altering substances to expand their consciousness and boost or sedate various states of the mind and I don't see that ending any time soon, the form might change but not the game and power of curiosity will ensure that things will generally stay the same.

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6. 92

   Titiaposted 9 years ago

   Multi tasking. I don't drink coffee or tea ever. Coffee gives me a stomach ache and I just don't like tea. I smoke too much cigarettes when I'm on the pc all day.
   
   When I'm writing I can leave the pc in the middle of a sentence and go outside to do something in the garden or go to my sheep and let the wind blow all the cobwebs out of my head.
   
   I've no daily routine, I go by the flow.

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7. 74

   cheaptrickposted 9 years ago

   Jack Daniels to even out the voices,then Valium to encourage that one soft obscure one...hiding at the fringes of my perception...the southern bell...the magnolia trembling with fear ...hiding in her closet...hoping she's not discovered by the bad men who want nothing more than to defile her...to trample her dignity.
   Then the Valium runs out and I sober up...the sadness overtakes me once again as the cycle completes its self...I've lost her...for the millionth time...in exactly the same way...my love remains unexpressed...she is my blessing;she is my curse...for she remains in the deepest reaches of my failing sanity
   "You see me now a veteran
   of a thousand psychic wars
   I live out on the edge
   where the winds of limbo roar"~Blue Oyster Cult~
   
   Someone gave me the red pill
   when I specifically asked for the blue
   Know I know who I am
   but I'm not so sure about you

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      jansharesposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Voted up, awesome, beautiful, and interesting. Delete and put it in a hub.

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      1. 61

         Bambi L'Amourposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         ^ The Blue Oyster Cult may have a wee problem with that I agree though, absolutely beautiful and incredibly well thought out lyrics

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   2. 92

      Sherry Hewinsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I like beer. All that Valium and Jack Daniels would be too much for me, but two or three beers loosens me up just enough. It's hard for me to get too drunk on beer.
      
      I bowl better after I've had a couple too.

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8. 66

   Hunter Lposted 9 years ago

   Well definitely no alcohol. Codeine, Kratom and z class sleepers can help me to create ideas and notes. I'm currently writing this on etizolam, which has me slightly hazy, so not much ticking over. I intend to try ethylphenidate, as in low doses the dopamine receptor hit provide some real focus

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