Can "gifteness" be lost?

Can "gifteness" be lost?

When I was a kid my parents took me to some psychologists, and came to the conclusion I was a gifted boy. I actually did do some "smart kid" stuff as a kid, such as teaching myself to read using text to speech at 4, reading encyclopedias and biology books, being offered a promotion (Which I turned down because I was going to be with some assholes who bullied me), teaching myself english (My mother language being spanish), and making some crude videogames at 9.

But that was when I was a kid. Now that I'm an adult I don't actually feel like a prodigy. I feel like I'm just slightly above average. That upsets me a lot. I don't know why did that happen, but I think it may be because I started to attempt socializing at 12. Or maybe because my parents where poor and sent me to normal schools instead of smart kids schools.
The only thing that remained from those years is OCD.

Do I still have a chance to become what I used to be?

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Dude I am fucking 19 and I can't do 4th grade math

No it can't be lost

I am Jack's wasted life.

What do you want to do with your little life?
Being a prodigy doesn't matter unless you accomplish something?
What are your dreams?

>But that was when I was a kid. Now that I'm an adult I don't actually feel like a prodigy. I feel like I'm just slightly above average.

This is honestly what happens to the vast majority of child prodigies. They advance rapidly at early ages and then peter out while everyone else catches up to them. Just the way it is, broseph.

let me break it to you son,
psychology isnt a science. so what ever that dude told you was utter gibberish.
then you cant lose smartness.
being smart means being able to notice certain paterns as you go along in life.

ex: you are about to work on something and notice a certain pattern or make a connection with something you have done before in your life so you make what ever you are about to do easier. Basically taking shortcuts in life.

Im in my second year of mech eng. and thats all it is memorize and understand formulas in math and then apply them to real life problems and on tests.

so the only thing i suggest is dont do any tests online or ask a psychologist. its stupid and useless. Just practice a lot on what ever your doing. focus, try not to let porn or girls take over your life focus. understand the value of money and hard work. and do your best also socialise as much as possible.

tell me more about yourself [no specifics]

Age ?
what country ?
educational level ?
maybe i can teach you something from my mistakes so you can better yourself.

I was gifted in middle school, now i have difficulty adding 2 digit numbers without a calculator.

Just think about what you're saying.

You started out ahead, but never really stayed in the lead.

You feel you never really got to meet the people you needed to, to take yourself to the next level.

So... at this point congratulations on being pretty normal and thus having to compete with everyone else, I guess?

The only thing you've got going for you, is that if you do work hard towards a worthwhile goal, you'll probably succeed. As opposed to the "hard learners" that just can't grasp higher-level concepts (found in books) and need to experience things first-hand making tons of repeated mistakes.

Sounds like what you're missing is the adoration and accolades, not the being 'gifted' itself.

Any skill or ability will atrophy if not used.

Also, such abilities often come at the cost of other aspects of your psyche, sounds like you might have been a savant at some things but a social retard, balancing out your life skills means some are blunted while others are brought up to speed.

Keep in mind-
"A hard working retard is worth more than a thousand lazy smart men.'

In same boat user. Have an iq of 138. After school ended it has meant fuck all. I have real problems relating to most people and I come across as condescending unintentionally. I make good money doing a job I don't really like. I have anxiety and depersonalization too.

If OCD behavior happens I highly recommend taking N-ACETYL L-CYSTINE as a supplement. I take 1.2 grams a day split in two doses. Really takes the edge off.

Your not the brightest bulb in the scientology church chandelier, it seems.

Want a real answer? Kinda, it can be wasted. Which is what happened, it becomes harder and harder to stay ahead of the group, unless you excessively work, you will eventually be caught or almost caught by others. Most humans are average, a good amount are barely above average(you) then there are extremely rare cases of people very above average(Hawking, and other well known scientists, mathematicians, scholars, etc).

I went through the same shit as a kid Sup Forumsro. I was put into something called the GATE program. Gifted And Talented Education. Memorized mythology took tests way above my grade level.

Then I did a shitton of drugs later in life and lost it all.

where do you work?

it cant be lost. become the elete

go outside

Scientology... what did i say that makes you think im a Scientologist ?
scientology isnt even scientific ?

You sound like a huge pussy. We live in a massively dumbed down society. If you're smarter than most it's not a big deal. Go have some fun. Bang some broads. And fuck off.

nah bro

lower your self-esteem

I want to help humanity in some meaningful way. That's why I'll begin studying Nanotechnology Engineering next month.

I fix stuff. Refrigeration mostly. I am good at it because of my inate curiosity and problem solving ability. Plus I get to work alone, which I like. But it is physically taxing and lots of traffic. When I do work on my own I earn more then 70 an hour.

Always wanted a job in science but had trouble finishing school, if something bores me I really can't muster the will to do it most of the time. I always wondered why you had to learn according to others rules.

age: 22
country: USA
education: Finished bachelors in microbiology. currently studying for the mcat. recent practice test result: 505

help me

Consider biology. Brains are more like muscles than they are like a bank account or a computer. You quit exercising your brain, and you fucking lost it. Your mind is a weak, flabby ass piece of shit occupying space in your skull. Your only choice is to start exercising, and hope you can get back of piece of what it once was.

Look, worrying about how intelligent you are is pointless. You need to focus on your life and becoming what you want to become, in the grand scheme of things even intelligence is a social construct.

We define it one way, but there are people out there that think creationism is real, that the earth is flat, etc...

The point being you could be the smartest Ken Ham in the world to creationists, or the smartest Tom Cruise to scientologists.

What defines who you are ultimately is what you are willing to believe, most people will believe any old shit you say if you do it with confidence and to the right audience.

Sure there are polymaths and savants and shit out there, but sometimes that comes at a price in other parts of your life.

Ultimately, it just doesn't matter because your brain males you, you. Your life is yours, don't get caught up in other's version of reality.

bingo

Age 18, Ecuador, just graduated from high school a few months ago.

What's one thing in common all geniuses have?

Obsession.

Since you say you have a gift, I'd start now towards a goal that you think you can excel over the normal.

Apparently I have a musical "talent" or gift (I've been told numerous times from musicians) I decided to pursue this life and see where it takes me. Although my mistake was going to med school. So now I have to catch up in the skills I could have developed within the 2 years I wasted.

Well, I hope you find your answer and stay with it. Good luck.

Fuck you user. I wish I was even 1/4th as smart as you, but yet I didn't hit the genetic lottery so I have to make up for it using persistence and diligence. I have to try so fucking hard to be stellar when people like you understand concepts and make connections at the first glance. Why the hell aren't you using that? I would literally kill to have an aptitude like yours. You should use what you have

its mostly about motivation op. You cant really become "less smart" unless you take a hard head injury.

That said, just like any other skill, if youre not used to something you're going to have to relearn it.
Same with learning. If you basically do nothing mentally stimulating for years on end you're going to be a little slower on the uptake than you used to be, but you'll get back in the groove if you apply yourself.

Hey, what was your mcat/GPA scores? I'm trying to get into med school right now.

If you wanna stay ahead my recommendation is do research into something you enjoy and pursue it as a passion. Learning it will give you a sense of accomplishment, and the next goal after that would be to master said passion. That will keep you going awhile. Then rinse and repeat. It's what my father did. He began with welding, learned it's in and outs, then went into smithing, (guns horseshoes etc) by the time he was 70 he could make about anything gun or ranching related with smithing or welding.

If you stopped spending all your time fisting your prolapsed asshole to loli porn and dreaming of the good Ol days, you might realise that even gifted fucks like you need to exercise that cum-addled piece of shit inside your head u call a brain. Do some study and stop trying to be the best fagit.

or maybe you're just lazy.

2 scenarios

1. you were just precocious. meaning you had the mental age of 16 at 11 for example. once you became an adult, everyone else caught up. be glad to be above average at all.

2. poor physical health and mental health can break this. for example negative emotions for long periods of time can alter brain structure, and if the body's in poor physical shape (bad diet, poor health, or even drugs), it won't sustain the neurons and they just die off.

Psycholgists probably lied cos they wanted to fuck your mom. Is your mom an easy lay?

you go through a final neural shedding phase at 24 when your PFC also matures, you see a general decrease in creative thought by regarded creative people at about the same time

Yeah. I know. It feels bad. I am doing fine in life but am not nearly living up to what I thought my potential to be. I should be studying ethnobotany or physics or something I love learning about but instead i make sure the world has soft serve ice cream.

the idea of mental age is about as old and out of date a Freud

That said, part of the WAIS III is some knowledge and vocabulary but that would really only give you a 10-15 pt bump, it is more how the questions are answered.

"Gifted" also isn't a crazy high IQ, just between 1 & 2 SD above mean

Do you cum in the ice cream?
Also checked

A lot of people feel that way.
I have a high IQ and great ability, but I'm at a 7.25 an hour job because I don't care enough to try. I could go to school for business but what's the point of wasting 4 years for fuck easy math and 60k debt. I had a 27 on ACT(Not great, but good enough for a full ride in college for my state). My suggestion to OP, find a way that makes you happy, a low stress fucking non caring job gets me thru the day

So many elevens

it's not lost, the skills are rusty. the proof of this lies within your ability to pick up new skills as an adult. if you still "get it" faster then your peers, you've still got it. I worked blue collar jobs for ten years before brushing up on standardized tests and going back to school. now I'm headed to my and every other potential engineers dream school in the fall. apply yourself to what you enjoy and don't be afraid to take the leap to get it.

It's actually because you are a millennial safe space unique snowflake bitch made faggot. Your moms is probably a hotwife that has the queen of spades tattooed on her ass and gets gangbanged by 3 niiggers every weekend while your dad films it and beats off.

you dont need help mate your on the right track.

So let me give you a small run down:

1. Is your schedule full
if not fill it with active things.
For example the time you are spending on the internet bring it down to one hour and spend 1 hour at the gym. you dont have to lift weights. just do cardio.
-If you fit then your on a better track.

-find a hobby.
read into cars, philosophy, politics.

-a very necessary part of life is understanding different philosophical points of views.
The way you live your life is based on the philosophical ideas you were taught as a kid or read as you grew up.

-Read books by Aristotle, Plato [the republic], Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, etc.
--you dont like reading like me ,then listen to the audio books.
---you dont like reading, or listening then watch youtube video that summarize and make the info entertaining.

-MUST READ THE ART OF WAR. This will teach you how to win at many things.
______________________

Now that you have an informative hobby that you can spend time reading and learning about, A decent understanding of logical ways of thinking and a general perspective on philosophical ideas so you don't always question life, and that you are phyisically and mentally fit you can move on to the next step.

________________

Read the news in general and get the headlines , for example on your facebook page that you will spend one hour you can see what is trending, that will give you an idea.
ALWAYS SEE BOTH SIDES OF AN ARGUMENT
so lets say you are reading the news paper, you must know that the news by both sides is biased, never fall into a dogma where you close yourself off to one belief.

Example: I was a trump supporter, my liberal friends would say a lot of shit. My response was if he fucks up or doesnt do what he said he will, then to me trump is just another bush.

and thats what happened... so by saying what i said i didnt limit myself, and i wasnt wrong.

And if you are wrong admit it like a man.
Part 2 next

You're starting to understand that you're really not that special unless you put your nose to the grindstone and actually work hard

Watch this video and continue on your path to enlightenment youtu.be/8G9QIIvSpzE

follow your passions. Everything else in life can come and go, validate you. If ice cream is your passion do it, (There are at least 4 notable food science programs in the US) if physics is, find a way to do that. Don't do something because someone else says it is a good idea or what you should do, do what drives you forward. Passion and hard work are worth more than talent.

I've herd a few times that yes you can be 'gifted' compared to others at your age but as you get older you eventually even out with your peers so not necessarily gifted anymore. For example my brother was considered gifted all throughout high school taking all honors classes and got into some program to do college math classes as a senior...i eventually surpassed him in college to a higher level of math and we were pretty even in terms of gpa and now with our careers

Well, I used to be fat as fuck as a kid, and I have had some freakish, deep, intense, metaphysical, mathematical, horrific night hallucinations where I wake up vomiting in the toilet while screaming nonsense.

That and avoid drugs. When you live in your own head so much the allure of shutting that down is strong. I'm a recovering addict and almost every really intelligent person I know are battling it too.

>"gifted" determination by psychologist rather than school.

That's a euphemism they used to describe your mental disorder.

>be me
>was in gifted/talented program in elementary school
>was a lazy student in high school and didn't apply myself
>joined military
>signalcorps.png
>shitty soldier but great at my job
>highest level math was algebra 3
>taught myself trig and calc
>got out and got a job as an instructor in my career field
>had to answer difficult questions from certain students
>use any and all available resources to find answers
>realize google is more useful than a college degree
>now an "engineer" by job title working in LMR
>going to school part time to get actual engineering degree
>shocked myself when maintained a 4.0 GPA through 1st year of school

OP, just go your own way. Learn from everything and everyone you can to a point that satisfies YOUR quest for knowledge. I can honestly say that I'm pretty certain at this point that life isn't so much about achieving greatness. Nobody gets to an old age and tells their grandchildren about how their greatest memories were of achieving X or getting X. Life is about your legacy. It's not what you end up with that matters, it's how you got there.

You're right, it isn't.
But psychology is.

Yeah I'm going into business for myself. I don't hate my job I just am not passionate for it. 10 years of doing this more and I will have the ability to focus on what i love doing which is cooking and foraging. I make very good money but it feels kinda hollow.

IQ: 144
College degree: DNF

A lot of people on here, at least in the before times, are smart fuck ups. I think the sweet spot is 115, where you're used to having to work a little in high school but still able to grasp harder concepts. I slept through school with As and didn't know how to study in college. Now i work with simples and just get the ideas quicker.

similar here
>no idea what IQ
>professional workplace
>normies around me appear dumb as fuck every single day
>make more money than them which is why i put up with it
>learnt work ethic way too late in life
>low achiever

Oh shit. This is good information.

Let me elaborate myself a bit more.

1. My schedule is full as fuck. I'm in a program where I tutor homeless kids because most of them are falling behind in school. But, I got a very bizarre prodigy and this high schooler got into one of the nation's top 10 high schools, and helping him on his schoolwork is helping me review the fundamentals of the science section on the mcat.Also volunteering for a domestic abuse child mentor program and stem encouragement program where I talk about my work in the lab and as a med scribe.

2. I also hit the gym to do cardio, solely for the purpose of having more endurance so that I can study for longer hours. Currently clocking in a 4 hours of sleep each night and my body feels like it can sustain it.

3. Heavily into politics and browse /news/, Sup Forums, and the drudge report often to discuss my opposing views with my liberal friends.

4. Hobby- vocaloid songs. I know, it's hardly impressive. I just really like songs with a set purpose and message unlike most mainstream anything which follows a set fomula with a theme and calls it music.
ex. youtube.com/watch?v=AOV2c0TiPpI

and I'll start reading the books you recommended as soon as my test is over

PART 2:

The reason why i said all those things was to prepare you for the second phase.

After having fixed your personal life physically and mentally.

its time to meet the world.

Socialize as much as possible.

The key to gaining friends is that you must have a spectrum in your head.

There are some people you will meet that you will see some similarities, so you can be friends, while others will be just like you and those can be close friends.

Never shame anyone on there point of view, so lets say hes you meet a chinese person and he talks about food and the subject about dogs comes around... so what your reaction should be:
I certainly find it intriguing how different cultures have different and strange cuisines; however, i must admit that maybe dogs is a little off my spectrum.

By saying that you have told him no but in rathher respectable manner keeping as a friend.

always be as respectful as possible. There is no point in making enemies, rather the people who seem really off putting are the ones you stay neutral.

By the end of it you should have 3 max very close friends. and a general of 10 normal friends.

NEVER TRUST ANYONE WITH DEEP SECRETS. NO ONE.

NOT EVEN YOUR VERY CLOSER FRIENDS

you have to get to know them very well and knowing people in a calm envionment doesnt mean much... its only when you put people under pressure and stress that you can see their true colors.

and some people will back stab you when their back are against the wall.

________________

from here i will stop and i hope it works out for you.

no its not.
neuro-psy is
psychology isnt scientific at all.

trst me i have had long debates on that one, done many psychological experiments just were i went in to fuck up there stats. a bunch of subjective trash

>be given a pencil paper and calculator
>told to figure out somthin
>use THE FUCKING CALCULATOR
>do it in like 5 mins
>guess it was suppose to take 30
>WEHRE DID YOU SEE THE ANSWER?!
>really bitch?
>show her the work
>u-uh

Thanks alot for the information. I find it hard to find friends easily because many of my interests are esoteric and I can't keep up a conversation about mostly pop culture that my cohort loves.

I'll keep your in mind, thanks man!

Do another IQ test now.
Read something about crystalline and liquid intelligence.

"and some people will back stab you when their back are against the wall."

SO MUCH FUCKING THIS

is mentoring those kids really benefiting you.
you must understand that everything you do is about a trade. you gain or lose.

so if that time can be spent doing something better for yourself. then do it.

if you think it gives you something of great value than keep it up.

keep up the fit body.
try to add some muscle,
having a fit and muscly body gives the world perspective on you a cleaner view. People look up to you and more attracted...

GET MORE SLEEP. MINIMUM 6 hours.

The reason i was talking about a hobby is because if gives you a subject that it will let you talk with people about. Also you can find forums and sites where you can hang out.

if you enjoy it and its a conversation starter then why not.

The only iffy case you have is the tutoring the kids i guess... i think if you would spend more time on yourself, bettering yourself it would be good.
But always look at the cup half full... that will give you a lot of power in understanding children, help you raise your kids and by teaching them... it teaches you how to get a message across to people in a normal convo. or debate.

keep it up:


the friends you find are at uni or job... those you will last you very long.

False.
You are factually wrong.

Truth be told, no. But to get into med school now requires community service specifically aimed at disenfranchised groups, and I love teaching. I can use the time to better myself, but I won't be able to fill that part out of the application

Well If anyone wants to contact me [email protected]

prove to me how psych is a science
thats why its part of the social science departement at most ivy league uni's right

It's a soft science, because they still use the scientific method, experiments, and statistics

>
>prove to me how psych is a science
>thats why its part of the social science departement at most ivy league uni's right

TOP KEK soft science and hard science
its either a science or not fuck off.

ill give you a little story our physics prof told us in college.

So this Psychologist just finished writing his PHD paper on a psychopath killer and to summarize his thesis stated that because he was mistreated by his parents the kid grew up to kill and rape families...

right about when he was going to get his phd approved... research paper by detectives and the police dep. state that he wasnt maltreated by his parents rather it was a respectable family.

the PHD thesis statement took a 360 and rewrote the whole sheet simply based on that evidence.

pschology is a joke buddy, this is coming from a guy from the engineering dep. Everyone from the real science/eng/med dep. laughs at your asses for thinking psychology was a science.

I actually destroyed a profs. argument on unconscience biased when he brought up statistics.
simply asked where he got them and who..
he responded a research paper... asked him if they were psychologists,
he said yes
told him psychology isnt a science and there for the stats are utter shit.

he laughed told me i do have a point and the whole whole class of 250 eng. students laughed their ass off

social sciences arent real sciences ... christ have you stepped in uni...

they simply call them socail science to make the dumb kids feel special... but you still get a bach in arts when you graduate.

also its the same with Political science courses... also not a science but they plug in science to make them feel special

they're trying to infer drivers for very complex systems, therefore fuzzy.
kinda like the way primitive medicine understood the body and mind (shakras and shit).

compared to the state of science today in the west, you're right. psych is voodoo

well when they spoke about shakras it wasnt working and it wasnt scientific ... and right now normal pschy isnt science i can recognize that nuero-psych is

I feel you bro. I was in the exact same position. Im 21 and I've been trying really hard for the past year (for as long as I have to) to reclaim that lost potential. I'm not sure it's possible, but I think it diminishes the less you push yourself/use it. Good luck user, it's a frustrating difficult path.

>Psychology
>a soft science
As a neurologist i can tell you that it really isn't as soft as we once thought

Any psychologist could tell you that there are physiological components to psychopathy and mental disorders in general

neurologist dont fall into pit hole... you guys are cool stay away from those dumb cunts

I guess
Its just when people think they have all the answers it doesn't matter if they are wrong, if they are confident they spread misinformation.

interesting post OP. I actually feel related for once.

Common problem. Your intelligent as a kid and grow up to be intellectual later. Learn the difference and reignite your intelligence. Your past aspirations will always remain. Whats coming next, is totally up to you

your environment determines whether or not you can thrive to your full potential.

have you thought that maybe you're your own worst enemy?
perhaps you're a perfectionist?
perhaps you harbour fears or success?

I speak from personal experience, that is somewhat similar to yours.
Analyse your daily habits, analyse your daily environments and improve them both slowly over time.
Once you start the ball rolling again (as you were when you were a child) things will begin to unravel for you.

If you think u lost it, u never had it.
None of that is "prodigy worthy".
Kids can learn to code, and basic design architecture because it simple arithmetic.
and plenty of children read before 4, I read before 4 as well but that does not mean that you have a higher ability of understanding. In fact it's being proven more and more than those without a mental disorder can achieve the same tier intellectual abilities as those above them, the only difference is within the individuals interest. Where we sought knowledge of mathematics, liturature, and the sciences, other chose music, athletic, socializing, food, etc.

You are not special, you are not "gifted" and never were. If you crave higher knowledge and/or capabilities in general, seek it, like you will die if you do not.

>Can "gifteness" be lost?
yes
>Do I still have a chance to become what I used to be?
no

on the other hand some thuggish retards become math researchers after a NDE
but that's fucking rare

>cant lose smartness
can
misuse of energy (sexual, physical, emotional, mental) being the cause

I'm 41 and you just about summed up my life as well. I'd like to think it's still there, and that the "hobby" stuff I work on in my free time may bear fruit one day and change the world. But I suspect that's really just mental jerking off, in the end.

Jesus, whoever in this thread says anything about "I know it's not mainstream" or "unlike most, I don't like mainstream" is an absolute imbecile. Ignorant people like this need to kys.

>depersonalization
explain
no psych words bs

Let me explain. Not because mainstream is good or not, but because music choice in general does not reflect intelegence.

dude you're far from alone, in fact you're typical
polymatharchives.blogspot dot fr/2015/01/the-inappropriately-excluded.html
youtube.com/watch?v=MVTv4jTYDRY

If you were to use a USB in this way then wouldn't it either explode or electrocute you?

>Your mind is a weak, flabby ass piece of shit occupying space in your skull.
your mind isnt your brain bro
but yeah fucking up your brain fucks up your mind

A brilliant mind can only be ruined with drugs, if you don't feel like you excel like you used to it's because you haven't taken in the knowledge you require.

I was conversationally fluent at three, using vocabulary my parents didn't even know the meanings of, they'd say "where'd you hear that" or "wow that was a big word" and my answer was always "I saw it on TV". I entered the advanced fifth grade science fair in the third grade, and made third place overall, and first in my category. I scored absolute maximums on all of the reading level assessments, but my teachers thought I was cheating because I didn't like to read big books with small words (it turned I just couldn't fucking see and reading gives me headaches)

But now all that is gone. I'm 18, graduating high school in less than a month, make slightly above average grades in my on-level classes, and fail drug tests. I feel like I've disappointed my mother, because she always thought I'd be one of those wonderkind that went to college at twelve years old. But I'm not. I'll barely be able to go to community college because I didn't try hard enough and I let my power slip away.

>You cant really become "less smart" unless you take a hard head injury.
yes you can
lol you fags are clueless
call it circumstancial or structural, you still lose your smarts
also look a this guy

retard

there you go, if that prodigy inside you died, you'd have started studying something worthless. Keep your head up big guy

But now I am starting to realize that I didn't get dumber, I just stopped getting smarter, with my parent's divorce I went through a lot and had far too much on my mind to be concerned with school. The only thing I paid attention to even close to as much as before was my affection for learning about electronics and computers, but even that I slowed down on, wasting my time online watching retarded comedy sketches when I could've been reading forums, installing linux distros, or learning to code. So I've promised myself that I have to start trying like I used to, my life isn't full of bullshit anymore I'm in a good place and I'm ready to be brilliant again. Perhaps not a genius but definitely above your average supermarket monkey.

I'm in a similar boat except I feel like I'm surrounded but mostly idiots. Humanity is doomed because most people are retarded. I only really respect scientists and engineers, the rest are plebs.

>negative emotions for long periods of time can alter brain structure, and if the body's in poor physical shape (bad diet, poor health, or even drugs), it won't sustain the neurons and they just die off.
this
good description of the causes, poor one of the effects
it's not just the brain but you got the gist

It can't be lost, but others around you can certainly catch up.

Not really, it's not lost.Your brain still has the juice, but you just don't use it. Learn new shit, think about what you're learning don't just memorize it, try to understand new concepts.And when problems hit you, don't go for the easy way, don't opt-out with alcohol or drugs.Do try 'em if you're curious, curiosity is healthy.But don't abuse drugs.It's so easy to shut down your issues using substances, but they won't make those issues go away, just make you turn a blind eye.