The Effects of Drugs on Entertainment

Most people in the music biz see narcotics as a ubiquitous entity in the industry. Pills like Ecstasy and painkillers and other drugs like Molly, Cocaine, LSD and the often-decriminalized Marijuana are used by many and abused by some. Certain drugs like LSD and MDMA (Ecstasy) heighten the senses so club attendees and concertgoers often take these drugs to intensify the entertainment experience. Marijuana and alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes people more receptive to certain forms of art especially music.

Cocaine is known to make people euphoric, energized and impulsive. Many musicians use Cocaine to hype themselves up before a performance or to combat a grueling tour schedule. The customers use drugs to intensify their experience and the performers use drugs to intensify their performance. The drugs I named above are mainly street drugs and can only be purchased illegally. There are several legal narcotics such as Xanax and Adderall that offer the same benefits as their illegal counterparts but are not as associated with abuse.

Working as a music producer I realized that there are very few music studios that don’t allow pot use indoors. The recording process is treated as a ritual with many performers and Marijuana is almost a tool of the trade for many Writers, performers and producers. The question is do drugs make entertainment better? The answer is no. Drugs don’t ultimately change your environment but they do change your perception of it. Yes some people do create great music under the influence but smoking a joint doesn’t make you sing or play better it just alters your mood so that you enjoy the process more. The same goes for the consumer, getting high at a show doesn’t make the band suddenly play better. The feelings induced by your drug of choice coupled with a satisfactory environment often make people have a better experience.

All drugs legal or illegal have negative side effects but for most people the worst side effect is incrimination. I have been to many concerts and the one thing I’ve noticed is that police rarely detain anyone for drug use at these events and that goes for Eagles concerts or Jay-Z concerts. Even police understand that certain environments are conducive to drug use. I do-not condone drug use by anyone especially under aged patrons but there’s no denying that for some people Drugs and certain forms of entertainment go hand in hand.

Narcotic use often begins as a social practice for many people and then grows into a terrible addiction. Drug use can lead to unemployment, incarceration and death. There are several opinions about marijuana use but drugs like Heroine and cocaine are not really up for debate these are drugs that kill people everyday. Anyone reading this that thinks they may need help please seek it through the treatment link.