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Terratic
"Earthstruck"

Registered: 01/27/13
Posts: 149
Last seen: 1 month, 19 days
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Age Demographics
#19384830 - 01/07/14 08:16 PM (10 years, 23 days ago) |
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This would be a sociological question, I guess.
Why do the majority of psychedelic users within North America fall within the age range of 18-28 years, with the mean age being around 23? Throughout many decades, it seems to have remained consistent.
Age distribution relating to internet usage can superficially be factored in, since I'm making this assumption partially based on some internet polls I have seen, among other sources. I'm also not talking about those surveyed who admit to using them at some unspecified point in their life, where it would be much broader, but the age at which use is more frequent.
Certain substances seem to be more popular among certain age groups, too. DXM, for example, is more popular among minors, while Ayahuasca seems to attract older adults and middle-aged adults more so than other hallucinogens.
Why does use tend to decrease as a person gets older? I know there are exceptions, but perhaps the older forum members might be able to shed some light on that. Admittedly, I am also a young adult, and it saddens me to see that their use is concentrated within these groups and that I might end up following the same pattern as I get older.
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DividedQuantum
Outer Head


Registered: 12/06/13
Posts: 9,818
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Re: Age Demographics [Re: Terratic]
#19384944 - 01/07/14 08:38 PM (10 years, 23 days ago) |
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I am in my thirties, and my consumption of virtually everything has been reduced almost to nil.
I used to use drugs, mainly psychedelics, and especially cannabis, extremely frequently.
I don't know if there's any better way of saying why except that maybe I just grew out of it. One can talk of expanding one's consciousness and all that, but the main reason people do it is because it's fun. It stopped having that allure for me. I guess I just mapped out my mental territory on these substances to such an extent that it simply wasn't interesting or fun for me anymore. As the years went on, it stopped being exciting and sort of became routine. I moved on to a job at which I couldn't do drugs for a while, and when I became eligible to pick it back up I never did. Simple as that.
It's interesting that you ask the question because frankly I've never even really thought about why I stopped.
-------------------- Vi Veri Universum Vivus Vici
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zappaisgod
horrid asshole


Registered: 02/11/04
Posts: 81,741
Loc: Fractallife's gym
Last seen: 7 years, 7 months
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Re: Age Demographics [Re: Terratic]
#19385078 - 01/07/14 09:05 PM (10 years, 23 days ago) |
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When you become a man you put away childish things.
Mostly
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dragonsmack
Stranger


Registered: 08/12/13
Posts: 44
Last seen: 6 years, 2 months
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Maybe it is because when you are young, you aren't as concerned ( but still worried ) about the consequences of getting caught. Older guys tend to have a 250k house, cars, kids in school, most likely a wife that isnt into psychedelics along with family and friends that don't do it either. Younger guys tend to have more opportunity to score it by going to pretty much any club or through friends of friends etc.... It is kinda sad because when you hit your 40s and up that is when you should be doing psychedelics and freeing yourself of so many years of being a slave to the grind.
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hmmn


Registered: 01/09/13
Posts: 372
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OP do you have any reference for your numbers? I've never seen such claims before..
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Icelander
The Minstrel in the Gallery



Registered: 03/15/05
Posts: 95,368
Loc: underbelly
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Re: Age Demographics [Re: Terratic]
#19385805 - 01/07/14 11:22 PM (10 years, 23 days ago) |
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IMO it's lack of energy. Had I the energy at 60 that I had at 20 I'd still be tripping balls. My body can't take it anymore though. Simple as that, for me at least.
-------------------- "Don't believe everything you think". -Anom. " All that lives was born to die"-Anom. With much wisdom comes much sorrow, The more knowledge, the more grief. Ecclesiastes circa 350 BC
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Terratic
"Earthstruck"

Registered: 01/27/13
Posts: 149
Last seen: 1 month, 19 days
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Re: Age Demographics [Re: hmmn]
#19385890 - 01/07/14 11:42 PM (10 years, 23 days ago) |
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Quote:
hmmn said: OP do you have any reference for your numbers? I've never seen such claims before..
http://www.serendipity.li/dmt/166607.html - A study from the 1990s
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/14304800
http://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/3365943 - Another poll from here
http://csp.org/practices/entheogens/docs/kundalini_survey.html
http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/archive/index.php/t-555894.html - If you only take into account the respondents who list their DOC as a psychedelic, not necessarily implying that those who list opiates or stimulants don't also use them frequently.
There are also other identical consensuses from Bluelight that gave similar results.
Check the age of the people who submit experience reports on Erowid. They also tend to fall within the 18-28 range.
Also, the Counterculture of the 1960s.
Need I say more?
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redgreenvines
irregular verb


Registered: 04/08/04
Posts: 37,534
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Re: Age Demographics [Re: Terratic]
#19386142 - 01/08/14 12:54 AM (10 years, 23 days ago) |
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I had a great resurgence in my late 40's (shrooms and salvia) - got lucky with some lsd from good people in the community in my 50's, and now at 62 I am doing my thing a bit more than before because of those clever rc's which have emerged like lsz and 25-i-nbome that you can buy pretty much anonymously (worried that these will be a short-lived availabilty as the fascists continue to clamp down on fun)
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