Would you support my writing a book on how failed liberal policies to support and "destigmatize" drugs and gambling have fueled our addiction/overdose crisis - even if it meant fewer articles?
Must include porn too. The BIG 3 issues affecting young males. Dope, gambling, and porn addictions. Have heard too many stories of young men who cant have 'relations' with their girlfriends due to porn and its affect on their brains
Addictions are like roach motels: you can check in using your voluntary, rational judgment, but you can't check out because the voluntary component is gone with addiction. On that note, I would also recall that the libertarian view is that adults should be able to do what they like as long as they don't harm anyone else. And that is a good view, but I believe that one component of that statement is that is missing is that they must have capacity (in the legal sense of the word) to do so. So it should be something like: "adults should be able to do what they like as long as they don't harm anyone else as long as they have capacity to make that choice."
In many cases (e.g. addictions to many drugs, gambling and the like (porn as mentioned above) once people are addicted they no longer have capacity to make the decision to stop. It is like smoking, people get hooked and no longer have the ability to quit. And while smoking clearly has health issues, so do many other additions.
Alex, whether you publish the chapters on here as a serial and then publish them later, or write a book that is not on here, it would be doing a service to the country and the world to help educate people as to the dangers of any type of addiction. Shoot, if you publish chapters on here you'd have a ton of "proofreaders" and critical eyes.
It is the anticipation of a dopamine hit which is often most addictive (before you write the book, read A Brief History of Intelligence, it is great). What do people check their phones 60 times an hour? In anticipation of, perhaps, having a "like" or message etc.
As always, it is refreshing to read what you write because whether or not you always get it right, you seem to be responsive to the comments here.
Agree wholeheartedly. However I would add to your capacity component. Not only should they have the capacity to decide, but also the means to care for themselves without subsidies from the government or others. Related to the no harm to others, but includes the economic burdens that follow addiction and the aftermath.
Very true. My wife and daughters “accuse” me of looking at my phone too much. However I am usually reading a Substack or some other news & info site, not just scrolling. So am I addicted?
Have we considered that young men aren't avoiding relationships because of porn; it's that they turn to porn because modern relationships often feel like a bad deal for them. If relationships were fulfilling, rewarding, and fair, porn wouldn't be their first choice—it would be a fallback, not a replacement
I for one am convinced that porn rewires the brain of young men. When that happens it changes relationships with women. The porn-affected man sees women as sexual objects and sexual fantasies based on what he has seen in porn or porn he has read. It messes with what should be a healthy marital sexual relationship.
Agree. In our local high school, MOST of the girls were sexually abused and or raped. And I’d guess that ALL the boys had seen a LOT of porn, based on what the girls described as happening.
When dating becomes a minefield of attempting to please the modern feminist...I seriously can't imagine dating at this point in history. Totally agree.
Not to mention marriage where often the courts treat fathers as banks without much concern as to how not having time with them impacts the kids. Pre-nups would help there.
Maybe it varies by state, but the whole, "Mom gets kids & house & alimony" is def NOT the default. (I know someone forced to pay a total deadbeat Dad alimony + child support + 50/50 custody.)
Absolutely, this is a terrible problem in the US right now. Not only does it cause high dissatisfaction with one's sex life, but it also is wasted and unproductive time and isolates rather than builds community and is part of the break down of America.
I think you should write what you're passionate about. TELL YOUR CHILDREN was very good and there is a need for a follow-up about the de-stigmation of drugs resulting in more pain and suffering and death. I don't know enough about gambling to know if that is a comparable -- I've dabbled a little on betting, but I don't think you're talking about a $5 bet on the Super Bowl!
I think such a book would be great and highly informative but I would implore you to include pornography. Even though the subject demands a book unto itself, I believe it should be mentioned since it is as devastating to families and children as any of the other addictions mentioned.
I thought for years legalization was the best (of many bad) options for drugs, but after seeing my home state of Colorado became a disaster I'm wondering how much legalization is to blame for that here.
💯agree that legalized pot is a disaster for my home state of Colorado. Any analysis must also included the rampant increase in crime associated with the effective legalization of non government pot that comes with the normalization of pot use. Black market pot can sell at a 25% discount to legal stuff because it isn’t taxed. So the law abiders buy at the store and pay the tax, the rest buy on the street without concern.
In CA, we don’t have to wonder. Legalization of drugs, free needle exchanges, and “safe spaces” to shoot up have completely destroyed any sense of community and of personal accountability. Mental illness is rampant, homelessness is a career choice, civic pride is a thing of the past, and we’re deeply in debt trying the same failed “help” programs over and over and expecting a different outcome.
Drugs, gambling... porn, video gaming, sugar... all of our humanities vices are getting more and more accessible. Even more concerning: they are becoming very profitable for a select few.
All that said, I still voted for stick to Unreported Truths. My reasoning: this is a more impactful medium. Easy to share with others and easy to digest for those who would not take the time to read a book.
Meh. Doesn't really interest me because I already know about most of it. I think a book on the dangers and corruption of Big Pharma and ongoing Covid "vaccine" cover-ups would be more timely. Also, the clot shots caused many, many deaths, including two close friends of mine. The proof is out there.
And what about the addictions to ultra-processed foods that are loaded with sugars (fuels addiction so consumers keep buying more) and other toxic ingredients, causing the obesity epidemic and literally killing people?
Big Pharma and Big Food have a symbiotic relationship that keep people addicted and sick... and their profits skyhigh.
"I’m very conscious that you pay my mortgage, and I don’t want you to feel I am taking advantage."
I just adore you, Alex! The fact that you say this makes me so happy. It's such a stark contrast from MSM that treats the readers/viewers/ general American populace as idiots worthy only of condescension!
I clicked, "Heck yes! And I'll preorder it" even before I read the above quote.
The War on Drugs has been as big a scam as the War on Poverty and the War on Terror. "Wars" on vague concepts are unwinnable and cost taxpayers infinity money. They also are excuses for government to erode our civil rights, which is why they are so loved by neocons, liberals, bureaucrats and their media lackeys.
While it's a critical set of issues, I'd be more in favor of you investing in a 2nd updated edition of Pandemia. No one else can lay out the facts and articulate this important piece of history like you can.
I agree. My partner is still a covidiot and needs a comprehensive book to understand the whole shitstorm. Though he loves me dearly, I’m sure he’s tired of listening to my ranting. :). A book like this will make my life easier.
I don't expect daily writing for my subscription value. Once or twice a week of a quality article is sufficient regardless of what else you do with your time. Books having a staying power in society that Substack or any short articles do not, so I think there's intrinsic value in using some of your time to create media with a lasting impact.
I am a long-time subscriber, Alex, having signed up within days of you being booted off Twitter. If you downshift your time spent on Unreported Truths, I will likely not renew my subscription. Your columns have already been reduced due to your litigation efforts against the Biden administration. I was and continue to be supportive of that. There are, however, so many urgent issues that need addressing by serious journalists like yourself, that I would prefer you not spread yourself so thin.
I believe if you post less often on Substack, it will affect your subscriber count. I don't want to pay you while you go off to write and promote a book that will bring you additional personal profits. I think you'll have to find a way to keep up with Unreported Truths and write the book on the side, or else do the math and see if it makes sense to lose some subscribers but sell books. (I don't dispute the book is a worthy cause, but you can't have your cake and eat it too.)
Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m at a point in my life where I stopped drinking 3 years ago, never really used the devil’s lettuce and gamble less than $1 a game on football (only sport I watch nowadays). If I were 28 instead of 68, I think I would be having a really hard time in this economy and would fall prey to those life sucking distractions.
Excellent article mes 2 fils sont devenus bipolaires après avoir commencé le cannabis. comme l' IA me traduit en français vos "Unreported Truths" et je suis devenu un de vos fervents lecteur ... J'achèterais vos livres comme ceux de d'autres auteurs si je pouvais les lires dans ma langue. Merci.
I read Tell Your Children and think books like this are needed. (And I don't have children.) If you're going to write something similar (sounds like it), it should emphasize the alcohol culture we live in. I'm not talking about alcoholics who wake up and start drinking a bottle of Jack, but the vast majority (me included) who drink wine, beer or anything else on a frequent basis, as if it's water. Nobody blinks an eye at it. Alcohol is a massive cause of many diseases, along with mental health, family and financial problems...the list goes on. Gambling is another issue and I suppose if you're going to write about an "addiction culture," it should be included. Even Texas, where I live, is moving toward legalized pot and gambling. The politicians can't resist the dollars these things generate, no matter their prior stance on the issues.
Must include porn too. The BIG 3 issues affecting young males. Dope, gambling, and porn addictions. Have heard too many stories of young men who cant have 'relations' with their girlfriends due to porn and its affect on their brains
That is a good one.
Addictions are like roach motels: you can check in using your voluntary, rational judgment, but you can't check out because the voluntary component is gone with addiction. On that note, I would also recall that the libertarian view is that adults should be able to do what they like as long as they don't harm anyone else. And that is a good view, but I believe that one component of that statement is that is missing is that they must have capacity (in the legal sense of the word) to do so. So it should be something like: "adults should be able to do what they like as long as they don't harm anyone else as long as they have capacity to make that choice."
In many cases (e.g. addictions to many drugs, gambling and the like (porn as mentioned above) once people are addicted they no longer have capacity to make the decision to stop. It is like smoking, people get hooked and no longer have the ability to quit. And while smoking clearly has health issues, so do many other additions.
Alex, whether you publish the chapters on here as a serial and then publish them later, or write a book that is not on here, it would be doing a service to the country and the world to help educate people as to the dangers of any type of addiction. Shoot, if you publish chapters on here you'd have a ton of "proofreaders" and critical eyes.
It is the anticipation of a dopamine hit which is often most addictive (before you write the book, read A Brief History of Intelligence, it is great). What do people check their phones 60 times an hour? In anticipation of, perhaps, having a "like" or message etc.
As always, it is refreshing to read what you write because whether or not you always get it right, you seem to be responsive to the comments here.
Agree wholeheartedly. However I would add to your capacity component. Not only should they have the capacity to decide, but also the means to care for themselves without subsidies from the government or others. Related to the no harm to others, but includes the economic burdens that follow addiction and the aftermath.
Very true. My wife and daughters “accuse” me of looking at my phone too much. However I am usually reading a Substack or some other news & info site, not just scrolling. So am I addicted?
Yes, at one point I had subscriptions to two different newspapers when I lived in Dallas, was I addicted to newspapers?
Have we considered that young men aren't avoiding relationships because of porn; it's that they turn to porn because modern relationships often feel like a bad deal for them. If relationships were fulfilling, rewarding, and fair, porn wouldn't be their first choice—it would be a fallback, not a replacement
I for one am convinced that porn rewires the brain of young men. When that happens it changes relationships with women. The porn-affected man sees women as sexual objects and sexual fantasies based on what he has seen in porn or porn he has read. It messes with what should be a healthy marital sexual relationship.
Agree. In our local high school, MOST of the girls were sexually abused and or raped. And I’d guess that ALL the boys had seen a LOT of porn, based on what the girls described as happening.
When dating becomes a minefield of attempting to please the modern feminist...I seriously can't imagine dating at this point in history. Totally agree.
Not to mention marriage where often the courts treat fathers as banks without much concern as to how not having time with them impacts the kids. Pre-nups would help there.
Maybe it varies by state, but the whole, "Mom gets kids & house & alimony" is def NOT the default. (I know someone forced to pay a total deadbeat Dad alimony + child support + 50/50 custody.)
Exactly. I don’t know the facts, but my sixth sense is that porn may be the most addictive and hardest to overcome.
Must include porn AND electronics (from games to social media and even news) including and maybe especially our phones!
good point
Absolutely, this is a terrible problem in the US right now. Not only does it cause high dissatisfaction with one's sex life, but it also is wasted and unproductive time and isolates rather than builds community and is part of the break down of America.
Totally agree and love the book idea and ok with fewer articles but must include porn addiction as well.
Yes. A 1000x yes.
I’m in favor of anything you can and want to do to call out failed liberal policies. Go for it!
I think you should write what you're passionate about. TELL YOUR CHILDREN was very good and there is a need for a follow-up about the de-stigmation of drugs resulting in more pain and suffering and death. I don't know enough about gambling to know if that is a comparable -- I've dabbled a little on betting, but I don't think you're talking about a $5 bet on the Super Bowl!
Alex, crunch the numbers on the alleged revenue bonus that legalized marijuana was supposed to create. I'm certain there's no real benefit.
I think such a book would be great and highly informative but I would implore you to include pornography. Even though the subject demands a book unto itself, I believe it should be mentioned since it is as devastating to families and children as any of the other addictions mentioned.
great point
I thought for years legalization was the best (of many bad) options for drugs, but after seeing my home state of Colorado became a disaster I'm wondering how much legalization is to blame for that here.
💯agree that legalized pot is a disaster for my home state of Colorado. Any analysis must also included the rampant increase in crime associated with the effective legalization of non government pot that comes with the normalization of pot use. Black market pot can sell at a 25% discount to legal stuff because it isn’t taxed. So the law abiders buy at the store and pay the tax, the rest buy on the street without concern.
In CA, we don’t have to wonder. Legalization of drugs, free needle exchanges, and “safe spaces” to shoot up have completely destroyed any sense of community and of personal accountability. Mental illness is rampant, homelessness is a career choice, civic pride is a thing of the past, and we’re deeply in debt trying the same failed “help” programs over and over and expecting a different outcome.
Drugs, gambling... porn, video gaming, sugar... all of our humanities vices are getting more and more accessible. Even more concerning: they are becoming very profitable for a select few.
All that said, I still voted for stick to Unreported Truths. My reasoning: this is a more impactful medium. Easy to share with others and easy to digest for those who would not take the time to read a book.
Good point. With today’s attention span book reading is not high on people’s list of to do’s.
Sugar. Yes.
Meh. Doesn't really interest me because I already know about most of it. I think a book on the dangers and corruption of Big Pharma and ongoing Covid "vaccine" cover-ups would be more timely. Also, the clot shots caused many, many deaths, including two close friends of mine. The proof is out there.
And what about the addictions to ultra-processed foods that are loaded with sugars (fuels addiction so consumers keep buying more) and other toxic ingredients, causing the obesity epidemic and literally killing people?
Big Pharma and Big Food have a symbiotic relationship that keep people addicted and sick... and their profits skyhigh.
I voted for pre-order, and I will. All of these behaviors seem to have a common root, and would be worth exploring.
"I’m very conscious that you pay my mortgage, and I don’t want you to feel I am taking advantage."
I just adore you, Alex! The fact that you say this makes me so happy. It's such a stark contrast from MSM that treats the readers/viewers/ general American populace as idiots worthy only of condescension!
I clicked, "Heck yes! And I'll preorder it" even before I read the above quote.
The War on Drugs has been as big a scam as the War on Poverty and the War on Terror. "Wars" on vague concepts are unwinnable and cost taxpayers infinity money. They also are excuses for government to erode our civil rights, which is why they are so loved by neocons, liberals, bureaucrats and their media lackeys.
Good point
While it's a critical set of issues, I'd be more in favor of you investing in a 2nd updated edition of Pandemia. No one else can lay out the facts and articulate this important piece of history like you can.
I agree. My partner is still a covidiot and needs a comprehensive book to understand the whole shitstorm. Though he loves me dearly, I’m sure he’s tired of listening to my ranting. :). A book like this will make my life easier.
I don't expect daily writing for my subscription value. Once or twice a week of a quality article is sufficient regardless of what else you do with your time. Books having a staying power in society that Substack or any short articles do not, so I think there's intrinsic value in using some of your time to create media with a lasting impact.
I am a long-time subscriber, Alex, having signed up within days of you being booted off Twitter. If you downshift your time spent on Unreported Truths, I will likely not renew my subscription. Your columns have already been reduced due to your litigation efforts against the Biden administration. I was and continue to be supportive of that. There are, however, so many urgent issues that need addressing by serious journalists like yourself, that I would prefer you not spread yourself so thin.
I believe if you post less often on Substack, it will affect your subscriber count. I don't want to pay you while you go off to write and promote a book that will bring you additional personal profits. I think you'll have to find a way to keep up with Unreported Truths and write the book on the side, or else do the math and see if it makes sense to lose some subscribers but sell books. (I don't dispute the book is a worthy cause, but you can't have your cake and eat it too.)
Yes! Yes! Yes! I’m at a point in my life where I stopped drinking 3 years ago, never really used the devil’s lettuce and gamble less than $1 a game on football (only sport I watch nowadays). If I were 28 instead of 68, I think I would be having a really hard time in this economy and would fall prey to those life sucking distractions.
Proud of you Outdoorsman!
Excellent article mes 2 fils sont devenus bipolaires après avoir commencé le cannabis. comme l' IA me traduit en français vos "Unreported Truths" et je suis devenu un de vos fervents lecteur ... J'achèterais vos livres comme ceux de d'autres auteurs si je pouvais les lires dans ma langue. Merci.
I read Tell Your Children and think books like this are needed. (And I don't have children.) If you're going to write something similar (sounds like it), it should emphasize the alcohol culture we live in. I'm not talking about alcoholics who wake up and start drinking a bottle of Jack, but the vast majority (me included) who drink wine, beer or anything else on a frequent basis, as if it's water. Nobody blinks an eye at it. Alcohol is a massive cause of many diseases, along with mental health, family and financial problems...the list goes on. Gambling is another issue and I suppose if you're going to write about an "addiction culture," it should be included. Even Texas, where I live, is moving toward legalized pot and gambling. The politicians can't resist the dollars these things generate, no matter their prior stance on the issues.