fun fact: any policy on drugs that isn’t harm reduction is going to cause addicts to suffer and die

fun fact: Drug addiction is a public health issue, and approaching it as if it were a law enforcement issue is prejudicial to addicts and will result in their suffering and death

if you just assume addiction is a method of self-medicating, you’ll pretty much never be wrong.

now, not everything people self-medicate for actually has a proper treatment. i’m pretty sure the reason my uncle made sure to be slightly drunk at all times ‘to round the sharp corners off of things’ was sensory processing disorder. i have that too, and i just kind of accept that i’m going to randomly get my brain sandpapered from time to time. there is no medication for that. all you can do is dull your senses. i’ve chosen not to, but i can’t blame him for his decisions. when a ringing phone feels like getting hit upside the head with a frying pan, liver damage sounds like a fair price to pay.

anyway, it seems really self-evident to me that people don’t enjoy living the life of an addict, they do it because the alternative looks worse. people don’t get addicted to substances just for funsies. they start making a habit of taking something because of insomnia, or grief, or headaches, or depression, or seething undirected rage and terror they can’t put a name to – something that they can’t ignore or shrug off. and for whatever reason – lack of access, lack of knowlege, lack of money, or it just plain doesn’t exist – they aren’t able to apply the Approved Correct Remedy. they use what they can get.

addicts aren’t some weird otherfolk who inexplicably just Do Drugs because they’re Bad. addicts are you with a problem you can’t solve.

these facts aren’t fun but they are pretty important

It’s very strange seeing people use ‘theyfab’ as a ‘progressive’ and ‘okay’ term. Like damn. Transmeds and 4channers have been using that word for years to describe ‘cis women who pretend to be nonbinary to be quirky’

Thats cause theres a subset of people that pretend they are progressive while being incredibly oddly similar to 4chan. As someone whos been continuously harassed by those types for years, and whos colleagues have also been targetted, if they walk and talk like a 4chan troll and they had a "alt-right phase" maybe it was not as much of a phase as they thought and they haven't unpacked their regressive hateful views. If you mock "theyfabs" and "transtrenders" I think you are transphobic and need to go unpack your views on nonbinary people.

Three friends share a carcass at Potrero Ranch outside of Kingsville, TX, USA.

photograph by Josefina Espinosa Salumunek  

vultures actually do befriend caracaras and they hang out! they open carcasses and eat them more efficiently when they work together. apparently this hawk is willing to try some social dining, too.

people b saying things so definitively. like man i think it depends

Keith Haring for Sesame Street

“ever notice how all nonbinary people are afab?” no but i have noticed how every single amab nonbinary person ive come across is either forcibly labeled as a trans woman or a cis guy who just Loudly Gay 

persist

what's so striking to me about younger queer generations rn isn't the lack of knowledge about queer history, but the complete unwillingness to engage with it, when confronted with an identity or history they haven't heard of before they react with disgust rather than curiosity. (for example) instead of asking where the leather pride flag came from and what the leather community is and represents they immediately question the need for something like that to exist, not even willing to listen and learn from both elders and peers. this is also more broadly a problem in leftist spaces in general, being reactionary is somehow the default now, and anything that's different or unknown must be an attack and bad. really hoping y'all manage to grow out of this deeply conservative way of interacting with the world.

Ya gotta…

Can't afford art school?

After seeing post like this 👇

And this gem 👇

As well as countless of others from the AI generator community. Just talking about how "inaccessible art" is, I decided why not show how wrong these guys are while also helping anyone who actually wants to learn.

Here is the first one ART TEACHERS! There are plenty online and in places like youtube.

📺Here is my list:

Second part BOOKS, I have collected some books that have helped me and might help others.

📚Here is my list:

As for Supplies, I recommend starting out cheap, buying Pencils and art paper at dollar tree or 5 below. For digital art, I recommend not starting with a screen art drawing tablet as they are more expensive.

For the Best art Tablet I recommend either Xp-pen, Bamboo or Huion. Some can range from about 40$ to the thousands.

💻As for art programs here is a list of Free to pay.

Those are the ones I can recall.

So do with this information as you will but as you can tell there are ways to learn how to become an artist, without breaking the bank. The only thing that might be stopping YOU from using any of these things, is YOU.

I have made time to learn to draw and many artist have too. Either in-between working two jobs or taking care of your family and a job or regular school and chores. YOU just have to take the time or use some time management, it really doesn't take long to practice for like an hour or less. YOU also don't have to do it every day, just once or three times a week is fine.

Hope this was helpful and have a great day.

Incase people missed this.

the establishment fears this.

He likes to be held like baby

Hey, I can't sleep so I drew your cat. I hope that's not weird

Not weird at all! You captured his bliss so perfectly!

He just looks so perfectly content. I love it. Do you mind if I ask his name? I used to have a kitty who would sleep in my arms too