A Chemical For Everything A Chemical For Everything, A Chemical For EverythingA Chemical For Everything A Chemical For Everything; A Chemical For Everything A Chemical For Everything A Chemical For Everything A Chemical For Everything
A. Sugar (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 95 percent)
B. Caffeine (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 75 percent)
C. Nicotine (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 25 percent)
D. Alcohol (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 60 percent)
E. Marijuana (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 30 percent)
F. Cocaine (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 5 percent)
G. Heroin, Opioid, Fentanyl... (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 2 percent)
Some people argue against the consumption of animal-based meats, that killing organisms and consuming them is morally and economically bankrupt. I understand their arguments. I know a guy--a pretty smart guy--who will argue till you are both blue in the face that eating straight beef is the best diet that a person can do for maintaining your weight and health. There are many sides to each coin, or at least two, as most coins have. I wanted to discuss chemicals and drugs that people use to get by, to maintain or excel in their pursuits, be it professional, normal, recreational, or by means of relief or extra assistance or escape.
I will discuss the seven boosters that I have listed, A through G. I am most guilty of the first chemical, or compound. That is something that most of us consume to some degree or another, and that chemical compound is sugar. There are many types of sugars, many that our bodies need. There are natural sugars that are present in fruits and other regular foods. Most of us know sugar that comes in candy and other sweet products, like cookies, cakes, pies, ice cream, and even cereals and otherwise healthy food stuffs.
A. Sugar. We know that too much of the sweet stuff gets us a sugar high, that it is bad for too much sugar to be in our blood, that it can convert into fat and excess makes us unhealthy. I have eaten or drank a large amount of sugar all my life. It can be bad for our teeth and oral hygiene, it can be bad for our figure or waistline, it can turn us into diabetics, which is not a good thing. For some people, especially youth, it can turn them into hyperactive monkeys.
Many of us have a sweet tooth, and I claim guilt. I love chocolate things, like most people, which usually has trace amounts of caffeine as well. Sugar and spice, and everything nice. This is the biggest energy chemical of all, yes?
I plead guilty as charged.
Who profits? Most countries, many people around the world make sweets, candies, chocolates, drinks and sugar-based treats, donuts, cookies, pies, cakes... The list is endless. Some people get diabetes and a few other sugar related maladies. Others become obese and weak. C'est la vie.
B. Caffeine. As mentioned, this is found in smaller amounts in chocolate. But coffee is the main way that people imbibe it. It is of course very popular in many ubiquitous carbonated beverages. It is also found in many teas, and in the last twenty or so years it is prominent in many energy drinks. There are pills that can be used for caffeine content. Overall, caffeine is a very popular drug. Some people depend on coffee or caffeinated teas or drinks for their daily energy and production.
Some people recognize that caffeine is not for them. It causes some side effects that causes headaches, heart palpitations, staying awake or wired, or even becoming too tired after the initial rush. My wife was told to stop consuming chocolate because of its caffeine while pregnant with our second child. Not easy, but she did it. The baby's heart was running a bit too fast, I guess.
Caffeine is a staple to most people, as coffee is their dependency. It also is a huge cash crop for many countries and populations to cultivate and export. While caffeine is used as a tool for productivity, I find it unnecessary to get maximum energy and efficiency. At the end of the day, to each his own, but I think it can be a crutch at best, and a danger at worst.
C. Nicotine. Ahh, good 'ole tobacco. Most people who use it smoke it, but there are now patches and perhaps pills (that might be a stretch), certainly dip and chew, but a lot of the planet consumes this chemical in many forms. Perhaps vaping and all those other more modern devices provide more opportunities to consume. Smokeless stuff. Yech.
Some people get hooked, as tobacco with nicotine has an addictive quality. I wonder if the compulsion is worse than sugar. I always thought so, but then again, I know what it is to be compelled to get my sugar fix. We know it causes cancer, that the tar of the cigarettes gets into the lungs. Second-hand smoke affects non-smokers, and may cause its share of cancer to them, too. It is a nasty habit; I have been around dippers and chewers that are even grosser. Nasty.
This is a huge cash crop; the states of North Carolina and Kentucky grow most of it. In Indiana it used to be the state's 6th biggest crop per the economy. I know that Virginia has big plants, like one on the south side of Richmond, and a lot of the money of it flow through the Commonwealth. I guess many slaves (enslaved people) were exploited to work it once upon a time.
I know guys who smoke cigars, who are otherwise sane and healthy people. My uncle Howie used to smoke a pipe. I remember the stink in my house when he once visited from far off Pennsylvania or Massachusetts. I had an Indian professor at UCLA, Deepak Lal, who left a pipe smoldering during a very long afternoon class. Man, that was awful! I remember my Aunt Jeannette smoking cigarettes, and some of it blown in my face in a stuffy restaurant bench table. I remember the reek of cigarettes in my sisters smallish shared apartment in Soho, Manhattan, New York. My friend's dad, Mr. Lumbley, a chemistry teacher of all things, smoked like a chimney. So did Mrs. Holland across the street, grandmother of Andy Holland. Perhaps his mom and dad smoked too?
It kills and has killed a lot of people. Joseph Smith was told by the Lord that tobacco was meant for sick cattle. Billions and billions of dollars in production, sales, and hospital and medical care later, we see the rates dropping. But vaping is a newer phenomenon.
Big money.
D. Alcohol. Talk about big impact and big money, huge influence on humanity. This drug permeates most societies throughout the world. Even the places of so-called teetotalling cultures. Like Muslim countries. Alcohol is still drunk in most of them, to varying degrees.
Do I have to explain or break down this drug? It's pretty huge. There are some religions who go without it, but some faiths use it in their services. Some people who have no official reason for not drinking it simply do not like the taste, the effects, or
E. Marijuana (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 30 percent)
F. Cocaine (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 5 percent)
G. Heroin, Opioid, Fentanyl... (estimated U.S. percent of people who consume it: 2 percent)
I started this in October and I did not finish it... Publishing undone.
