Performers and

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,

LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[Scot Free]

Lucky, I too choose to be drug free today. I've done so for 3 1/2 years now. Read the horror part of the my story in the who's who's part of the forum. The story is as yet unfinished, when I get some time I will finish it. It is good to know there are others in "the craft" with whom another level of "identification" can be reached. I have met a few, but not many. Don't get me wrong,I am open to everyone and share lots of commonalities with many but there is a certain recognition with those who have been through the difficult process of getting and staying(or not) clean.
Cheers to you Lucky!

[Peter]

Well that's what happens when you get distracted. All I sent was the quote and no response. Maybe that is why the administrators allow us to edit.

Anyway Lucky, I agree about being drug free in all aspects of our lives. The only disagreement is I use the legal things IN MODERATION. I do drink beer AFTER a show but a maximum of 2 beers.

As a professional Clown I feel we have to be an example to the families that watch us, so no drinking alcohol or smoking while in make up. It is hard to be an example to children while smelling of tobacco so I don't smoke at all.

"I have choosen to be drug free (meaning no alcohol/cigarettes/coffee/or any drug of any form).
This was a personal desision that I had made,because of many reasons,both positive and negative.
It is for me is a subject that I would love to discuss with you others out there."

[This message has been edited by Peter (edited 12-17-2001).]

[Jenny]

Bless you for this one, Lucky.

My favorite thing about becoming a performer has been the marriage of work and pleasure, and "la familia" of performers. It is the stuff of personal, professional and spiritual sustenance.

Interplay with these great spirited fellow comrades is almost always enriching and inspiring, and so frequently involves coffee or beer, wine, what have you.

Therefore, I generally find the BENEFITS of such substance use to be invaluable. Not to mention the full on PLEASURES -as in a bottle of wine with friends- or the NECESSITY -as in coffee.

There ARE of course the health drawbacks though. As a former athlete and current performer working on a new physically demanding show, this certainly creates a contradiction in my life.

One of the beauties of this profession is how it tends to keep us young, in spite of self-destructive habits in some cases.

I don't know, but I'm off to meet a most important fellow spirit/peformer/drinking buddy for some pints right now. Gotta run.
Or maybe I'll take my bike? It's awfully cold out...

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,


LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[Peter Voice]

Ritchie. I remember when you embarked on this journey to become drug-free about 2-3 years ago and I've never known you not to achieve what you set out to do.
The issue of drugs and artists has appeared a few times lately in various media. One popular thought was that the highs of success were so great that a substitute was needed during the long periods of rehearsal and between gigs. Another view was that the edges, the frontiers have to be pushed, go further than any-one has before, and that the drugs can facilitate this.

Perhaps both or neither are true, drugs are different things to different people.

Some performers lifestyles can create a suituation where drugs are (dangerously) almost considered a tool, the comedian or DJ that has to start at 3am who has a little line just to keep going, "the audience is full of booze, speed, E's or some cocktail, anyway".

I'm in no position to preach, I drink and smoke way too much but I do know that a great show(of any sort) is a better high any-time and that I usually do my best when I'm straight and focused. I think my drug intake is a sort of misguided self-medication (as is my choice of profession and lifestyle).

I think it's cool you've done it, Richie.

ps. Can you do a Chalk Circle logo on my shoulder for me when I'm NZ next?



[This message has been edited by Peter Voice (edited 12-17-2001).]

[Bri]

Lucky, Great Job! Sounds as though things are now going really well for you!

Personally I drink a bit, and enjoy my occassional coffee. I've never been much into the drug scene, and don't ever think that I will be.

One of my favorite philosophical quotes is "Everything is good in moderation."

With what we do as professional performers we all tend to be a little bit wacked. There are plenty of extreme personalities (with what we do, plenty of obsessive compulisves, type Apersonalities, etc, etc, What's important is that people recognize who they are, and deal with it. We all react differenly to certain substances, and as long as we're aware of our relationships to drugs/booze, and that we're happy with that relationship then life is "generally good."

Take it easy!
Bri

[Triona]

Eliminating all those substances must have been tough, congradulations!

I personally think the moderation thing with substances like alcohol and caffeine (okay I'm on my third Coca-cola this morning) is okay. A drink now and then with friends is not a big deal. Getting blottoed every night is. On controlled or illegal substances, however, I'm not so liberal. Unfortunately the detrimental effects of the abuse of drugs and/or alcohol far outweigh the so called "creative enhancement" that one can supposedly gain from them. I realize that the legality issue doesn't exist in some places of the world, but legal issues don't have any effect on the brain cells you kill with that stuff.

I've a history of alcoholism in my family, so I'm overly aware of my alcohol intake. There was a point where I realized that I was drinking way too much, but I was fortunate enough to be able to break out of the habit and now I have maybe one or two drinks a month (average). I've never had any interest in drugs, my first boyfriend and his crowd were into it and I saw how stupid they got with the stuff, so I stayed away.

I applaude anyone who can pull themselves up out of a bad situation. It takes a whole lot of courage and work, especially when it seems like going back is the easiest thing to do.

[le pire]

Give up wine???!?!

UNTHINKABLE!!!!

Never been into drugs, never will.


étienne

[Jim]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size="2">Originally posted by Bri:
One of my favorite philosophical quotes is "Everything is good in moderation."

Bri, you forgot the tag line:

Everything is good in moderation... including moderation.

For the record, I've never been into drugs. I have a beer about once a month and, well, OK... is two cups of coffee before noon really an addiction?

As for the controlled substances, I've seen too many people use the excuse that drugs "Open up their minds" and "Enhance their creativity" which sounds great, but what good is creativity and an open mind if you're sitting on a couch and drooling?

People can do whatever they want to themselves and I've learned to not mind all that much. I just avoid behavior I don't enjoy. (Just don't smoke a cigarette within 10 feet of me or you'll hear it.)

Hey Lucky, maybe you can start a topic called "Performers and body modification" and espouse on the virtues and benefits of tattoos and implants and piercings.... I'm quite curious why people do that stuff and you seem to be an expert on the subject!

Jim

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,

LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[Scot Free]

Lucky, I added the second instalment to my story in the who's who's section. It basically is a description of my First Step.

I have never been able to do anything in moderation, My old slogan was...
"too much of anything is just enough!"

One thing I have learned in the last 3+1/2 years is the importance of having balance in my life. Praxis of balance is another story. It is difficult for me, I get carried away easily and need to be vigilant to stay in harmony.

I don't know if I believe that it is totally a genetic problem. I have been told I have a disease and there is something inherently "defective" about me. I'm having a hard time with that one these days.

I was sick. I don't feel sick today and yet I am told that if I don't identify myself as still sick, I will get sick again.

I have chosen to not listen to the people who would tell me that today. How does one get well if they continue to tell themselves that they are sick?

I do not have it figured out, but I refuse to live in fear of looking outside The Program for answers.

[Barry]

Hi Lucky,
We have never met, but, have heard your name tossed around the stories in the perf scene many, many times. My name is Barry and I want to take this moment to say hello, and on the nature of this particular discussion say BRAVO. It takes a lot of strength and great courage to push aside one´s addictions and habits and scratch through the surface and feel the pain and struggles that sent you there in the first place. Good luck and stay tuned on you... cheers


just reread this posting and i hope i don`t sound glib or flipant. I have a lot of respect for anybody who knows they can´t do even a little of a substance and then goes out and clears themself up. In the last few years this happened to one of my oldest freinds. I watched him go down a bad path once...pull himself out...then go down the same path again...and then pull himself out for good. I have got nothin´ but respect for your choice.
barry

[This message has been edited by Barry (edited 12-19-2001).]

[Peter Voice]

Lucky, I tried to email you at the address luckyrich@freemail.com.au but it didn't work. The postmaster sent it back with a failure notice.

[This message has been edited by Peter Voice (edited 12-19-2001).]

[martin ewen]

I have every respect for people as performers.
But shiny happy people give me the screaming fucking shits.
I have nothing against people who want to help other people (there is a world of hard trodden humanity out there)
And I believe human nature to be generious (when its not being selfish self-serving and pathetic)
So it is with as much reserve as I can muster that I add my contribution to this thread by observing that whether you take drugs as a means of getting by or specifically don't take drugs as a means of getting by, it amounts to the same thing irrespective of how many people you interact with. Its still all about YOU getting by. You can use your drug free/ drug filled friends as ammunition to justify your position but it still comes down to you just getting by.
I believe that you can get addicted to group dynamics, performers believe in themselves at times in relation to the audiences they affect, recovering substance abusers do exactly the same thing in a different setting. And enlarging that setting has obvious advantages.
Supporting your fellow human in pursuit of being better individuals is a good thing and I'm not picking a fight f.
But trading one compulsion for another is exactly that and the fact remains that every recovering addict knows they would be dead if it weren't for their change of heart and I question that as a good thing.
I also question the fact that you more or less have to hear voices in your head to realise A: how special you are, and B; how easy your life is if you give your control to an imagined higher power. and C: How that implies that your life,with all the freedom of choice it offers you (you think) is just a passage towards a point where you acknowledge fate and thus become an insipid tool of whatever power you abdicate/celebrate/ prostrate yourself at the foot of. (But helping addicts can't be wrong.)
Addicts are the small picture folks, and if you are one, be concious, be humble be well.
Still attention's where you find it.
Can someone buy me a drink please.

[Barry]

Fair enough, martin.
I, myself, could not control my compulsion to add to this particular thread even though I am personally tired of the whole self-agrandisement that endlessly plagues performers. (for that matter, I can´t control it now)
`though, i also agree that helping addicts can´T be wrong...that is helping them to free themselves. If the addiction one is trading is a compulsion to talk about their addictions instead of imbibing on substances that are harmful to them...I´ll help breifly.
It seems that all of us here are addicted to that little bug of LOOK AT ME. and attention IS certainly where you find it.

Somehow, i get the feeling that neither you, me, or said lucky d. rich are Happy Shiny PEople, so not to worry. Buy yourself that drink and I´ll buy one for myself, and if I ever meet you I will reimburse you for it.
It´s on the house.

Funny, I cant seem to find the PINT , NEEDLE,or SPLIFF icon in the smilies field.
help us out...mr. Jim!

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,

LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[Vantage]

Rich,
Who is to say who the better person is, or why. There are quite a few people out there who are complete asses and have virtually no redeeming value what so ever that don't use any drugs and never have. There are also many very productive members of society that are very cool and helpful people, many whom we all consider friends, that do use drugs. Whose to make the decision that one way is better than another. Certainly not you! Speak to a native American tribe that used Peyote to have "visions" or mountain people that grew up chewing on coca leaves to help them deal with the extreme altitudes in which they live. I have talked to the local meth dealer on occasion and have learned to listen to what he has to say.

Drugs do not make a person. They certainly can have a dramatic effect on that person but they can also have virtually no effect at all. This all depends on who we are talking about and what there life entails. I am very happy that you are proud to not use drugs. I also realize how hard it can be to stop taking them or, under the pressure of others, to never take them at all. The thing is........ I also realize that it is not MY right or place to try to make that decision for anyone but myself. It is also not my place or yours to tell anyone what would make them a better person. They are who they are. I enjoyed reading your opinion. Remember though, it is just that, YOURS and an OPINION!
By the way, Caps Lock appears to be stuck on your key board. You might want to look at that.

James

[martin ewen]

Rich/lucky
Its cool bro..i'm just where you once were.
I havn't finished going too far and apoligise for even briefly giving you the hump.

respect
martin

[scot]

ldr,
That's good. If that is what you wanted to do, I encourage you, whole heartedly, to do it. I love it when people look at themselves and decide how to fix their lives and go for it.


everyone,
Though it's true, I know you've all heard all that stuff in your school shows.

I tasted dad's alcohol when I was a kid. I used to drink caffein but, will no longer use it to alter my sleep state. I never smoked, never did pot or anything harder. I don't take drugstore medicine unless it's a prescription. I want people to know that it's possible to live this kind of life if you feel like it.
scot

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scot nery
mailto:scot@juggle.comscot@juggle.com</A>
deadjugglers.com (http://www.deadjugglers.com)

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[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,

LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[Vantage]

ldr,
I, myself don't use any drugs or anything that you call "poison", I have but never to great extent and I haven't used anything, even alcohol, for years. I happen to agree with you that drugs aren't something that improves a person. What I cant agree with you on is trying to change people are asking them to change based on your opinion of what they should do is. We have both made the point that "Opinions are like Assholes", I have mine and for the most part it agrees with yours. I can see the lead by example thing. We don't use, people see that, hopefully we set a good example and others follow. I can't see pissing everyone off because the point got pushed to far though.

Different styles, that's all.

James

[This message has been edited by Vantage (edited 12-26-2001).]

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,


LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[Rich Potter]

My personal *opinion* is that people would in general get along better if they took the time that they spend on drugs: pot, crack, lsd, coffee, alcohol, and instead, spend that time learning how to spell.

--Rich
(who once tried cocaine and didn't notice any difference except he had a flashback to his last novacaine injection)

[Scot Free]

It appears as if spelling is important but the use of consistent tense within sentence structure is not.

The message rings true regardless of the presentation. If you are slowly killing yourself and are "lucky" enough to have a moment of clarity while someone is offering a solution that worked for them you may find a new way to live.

The passion and gratitude that comes with a second (or third...) chance is not easily concealed and why should it have to be?

If the words could help just one person they are worthy of, at the very least, tolerance from the rest of us.

Nobody has said that if you do drugs you suck as a person, the message is clearly:
I suck as a person when I do drugs and I found a way to stop in the face of desperation, despair and powerlessness. I want make myself available to others who can not stop themselves.

There seems here a certain level of naivety as to the level of abuse and self-destruction Lucky has found a way out of.
We are not talking about a bad weekend here, we are talking about a black hole that empties into an abyss of despair and self hatred.

Pound away Lucky.


[This message has been edited by Scot Free (edited 12-31-2001).]

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,


LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[le pire]

Lucky Diamond Rich

Having a strong opinion is one thing, and telling some one to "fuck off" is another. In other topics you called everyone else's unicycle advice "shit."

A "strong" opinion does not necessarily mean it is "more valid" than someone elses, nor is it a justification for flaming.

If I am misunderstanding your intentions here, my apologies, but it looks like you need to choose your words with a bit more discretion before you click on &lt;send&gt;.

Just to stay on topic: Drugs are BAD!

étienne

[Scot Free]

For the record I no longer choose to identify myself as an "addict". Part of my process of getting and staying "healthy" has been to let go of such labels.

The principle of "attraction rather than promotion" has always been big with me.
Lucky, your intensity may push away rather than attract those with whom you would share your experience, strength and hope.

[Rich Potter]

Scott, touche'.

Diamond, apparently I've touched a nerve.

For the record, I have a high level of respect for ex-addicts. I've never been an addict, but I know how hard it is to change bad habits, and I've seen the effects of addiction on people.

My posting, although tongue-in-cheek (and not intended to be a personal attack) did reflect my philosophy that bad habits (drug addiction, overeating, self-mutilation, compulsively correcting peoples' spelling, etc.) are easier to break when replaced by positive, less destructive habits, such as juggling, learning a musical instrument, learning to spell, or masturbation. (not necessarily in that order)

So albeit sublimated, my first posting *was* on topic. Telling me to fuck off is *not* on topic.

--Rich
(Having spoken my piece, I now fully intend to "fuck off". Ta!)

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,

LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[Scot Free]

Lucky, I am interested to know what brought about the change. Did one single event take place that just brought you over the brink to seek life rather than chase death, or was it a series of events? What was the catalyst that gave you the willingness to really look at yourself and make a choice to surrender to your destructive side?

For me William S Burroughs sums it up:
"Desperation is the raw material for drastic change."

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,


LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>

[LUCKY DIAMOND RICH]

recovering button pusher,


LDR

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]

[ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: Lucky Diamond Rich ]</p>