Honestly, yes. That is the sorry state of affairs today in America but times are changing. Generally, when the average thoughtless person hears something can "get you high" it produces an automatic response. This is of course psychological, due to the tv, movies, school or whatever experiences growing up that induce that mindset. But with recent years, marijuana has been legalized in several states. Alot of myths are being broken, new things learned. Some people who i knew to be anti marijuana have actually changed their stances. Times are changing, but currently yes, most people will think inherent negativity when they hear anything can get you "high".
But what's funny is somehow alcohol remains legal. Causing driving accidents and deaths. Alcoholism, which leads to a threshold of issues in one's life, eventually death possibly. And btw, i have been a home brewer for a number of years until just a few months ago.. ( don't want to mix drinking alcohol with kava, thus i haven't been brewing any beer ). But anyways, im not anti alcohol, but i realize it is what it is.
I recommended it to a good friend and my wording was that it was 'the opposite of coffee '. Not sure how accurate that is but it my opinion. Coffee is notseen by most as a 'drug '. Yet, it is pharmacologically ( is that a word? ). It effects the nervous system as a stimulant. Cocaine is a stimulant. Most average Joes will see coffee in a much more benign and friendly light than cocaine. How would you describe coffee to someone who never tried it, without making it seem like cocaine? What if that person was averse to mind altering things, would you tell them to avoid coffee?? Lol im serious, because to me kava os just coffee on the other end of the spectrum. But otherwise i feel the comparison also makes the conversation tangible to both the uninitiated in kava, as well as those who would avoid anything that alters the mind.
There's allot of cool thoughts and responses in this thread. Again, with my coffee example, what if we all were the few who discovered and drank coffee and this were coffee forums. Would we hide and feel like we are doing something bad? Or would we say "this is a pretty cool bean, i hope more people find out about it and science studies it more ".
There are posts here and there where kava drinkers refer to "doses" of kava. That terminology, to me, makes no sense. I drink alot of green tea, i dont refer to a cup of green tea as a dose. When i take Advil, i consider 200mg a standard dose. Thats just me though, i accept that other people have other ways of talking, other ways of experiencing kava, definitely not trying to be negative, just pointing out an observation and personal feeling about it.
Otherwise, again, there's alot of cool thoughts in this thread i hope ive added a few too without reiterating or repeating much of what's already been said.
