Bonk-us

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"'Scuse me while I kiss this guy"
- Jimi Hendrix

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It was a lovely party.

There were little balloon bundles hanging from the ceiling, each consisting of two round ones and a long one in the middle - very tasteful. There were cakes decorated with similarly shaped designs. And there were banners hanging from the walls wishing good luck to "Kapitanoski, the only socialist in Moscow".

There was vodka, whiskey and three kinds of rum, all of which I tried with various mixers. There was so much food even twenty or so hungry lefties couldn't manage it all, though some of us continued to try till four in the morning.

Some comrades had clubbed together to buy me a gift - a rather nice and splendidly warm coat for the Moscow winter (currently -18 degrees). I slurred a speech of acceptance and thanked each and every person there with a big kiss. Well, all the men, anyway. Some more than once.

Eight hours drinking, flirting, having silly conversations, having profound conversations, eating and once or twice slipping gently onto the floor. Collectively known as "having a good time". I then somehow got home and slept for sixteen hours of the next twenty.

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Sometimes I wonder whether any of the proscribed psychiatric drugs developed in the last thirty years work at all. I'm thinking of those mass consumption drugs which have plenty of side effects but no actual effect, either because the condition doesn't exist (Aspergers, possibly Tourettes) or it's not chemical in nature (Social Anxiety Disorder aka Life, ADHD aka Childhood)

Prozac and Paxil rely on the "serotonin" theory of depression, seriously questioned twenty years ago and disproven ten years ago, but still commonly reported as fact in the popular press.

The "norepinephrine" theory, basis of Strattera, is so far as I know still at the "seriously questioned" stage.

Ritalin, xanex, lexapro, cymbalta, zoloft...all marketed as safe new wonderdrugs, swallowed by the unhappy middle classes everywhere for a few years before they realise they've been conned yet again, when they switch to a new safe new wonderdrug...

...before it turns out fifteen year later the pharmaceutical company knew all along the original drug didn't affect the symptoms and screwed everything else up, but had no idea why it had any of it's effects at all.

At least some of the the older drugs had some effect on the symptoms they were marketed for. Valium stopped you worrying, and indeed made you forget what was worrying you. Ketamine's so effective it would tranquilise a horse. Marijuana would be a wonderful argument for Intelligent Design theory.

But then, what do I know? I've got Oppositional Defiance Disorder - aka the best way out of depression.

Or maybe I'm just Szaszsy. Go here to become as well balanced as me.

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