Can't argue with that logic. That's what all the temperance people back in the day could never understand. Drinking wasn't the problem, dealing with existence in industrial society was.
shit alcohol killed my family. lost everyone from car accidents homicides suicides cirrhosis hypothermic death.. all the fighting all the drama & bullshit was due to alcoholism. i quit drinking 9 years ago cause i was headed down the same road as them & all it took for me was a trip to the hospital when i got alcohol poisoning at 21. after that i stayed sober. im 30 now. im pretty proud i could say that im sober. i hope everyone struggling with any addiction can overcome & liberate themselves from this disease. before its too late.
amen, the alcohol eventually turned on Bukowski, made him sick & he quit before it killed him, & then he died. I quit 3 + yrs ago, it was taking good life energy & leaving dread doom & gloom in its place, I don't wanna go out like that.
@@LosrandirI gotta agree with my 83-yr old dad who remembered when Schlitz used to be head-to-head with Budweiser, that it was mainly advertising that pushed the Anheuser-Busch company ahead. Do not fear the awesome Schiltz! (For those who didn't like it, they called it SCHITZ back in the 1980s and '90s when I was a teen / real young adult)
Growing up with panic Disorder & anxiety attacks in social groups and in open places like malls, alcohol was the only thing that worked to get me through life for the last 45 years.
@@acapulcoscebu449 who told you he wasn't confident? also hypnotherapy works for light things for few/gullible passive people. Bur ido think nowadays there are way more things to try (depending on context) than to stick with the toxic alcohol. alcohol helps for a while but wrreaks havoc on your brain and body.
Just recently ordered his "On Drinking," the hard cover edition. Born in '92, I've been addicted to his poems & witty reads since 2009. He's a man of words that soon as you believe you've discovered everything you think you know of him, you discover more & more. It's glorious. 🍻.
@@nploda1408That book was incredible indeed! (Even though with some dating experience I could relate to a bit of it in my 20s, by my 30s and especially 40s--it's like the dude predicted by future without being a self-fulfilling prophecy.. I still like women, but I took the red pill a long time ago on them and it was the best thing ever!)
Getting drunk makes me feel like a rock star for a few hours but the entire next day spent recuperating from the hangover is sometimes not worth those few hours.
@@luckyluc6654Nailed it! I love booze and weed. In fact, I need to go back to throwing in some weed. Nevertheless, Charles is right in this interview in a lot of ways. Even though Ace Frehley of Kiss stopped drinking, he had a classic comment about his teeth totaling bandmates and control freaks, Paul and Gene, that went, "NEVER TRUST A MAN WHO DOESN'T DRINK!" (Even in my two or three year stints of abstinence from alcohol, I'd rather hang around a drinker than some damn teetotaler tiptoeing around society)
I have to disagree. I've seen more people get destroyed by alcohol then weed. Weed has its own issues. But I'd rather be stoned and relaxed then drunk and clumsy
That wasn’t the issue he was addressing. Bukowski was saying that marijuana users lose their vitality and vigour through repeated use of the drug. In my experience, I’d agree with his assessment.
My great-granduncle still had fought in WW1 at the Isonzo front, he drank at least a double-litre of white wine every day, said that pure water would 'give one worms', he died at the age of 96.
People born in early 20th century were/are made of different clay. Maybe it's about the food or the air of their youth, maybe the fact that they did much more physical work and were more active in general - either way these people often lived to 90 and above.
He is one of a kind man, and a legend, but let's face it, he's just telling this BS to justify his alcoholism. It destroys your life, and you live in chaos, BUT if chaos is what you seek then I say it is a very good idea, and I can respect it 😁
Don’t agree. He was always looking for something more, not simply an excuse to live his life. The fact he didn’t know what it was he was looking for, makes it all the more real and human. Fabulous human being, flaws, warts, shortcomings, everything most of us are shit scared to be. Hats off.
I personally don't think alcohol is really that big an issue if a person can keep it in moderation, but yeah, seems Bukowski was totally in denial about his alcoholism, though he was a severely traumatized person, so it makes sense... Honestly it's amazing he was able to go on drinking for as long as he did. He must have been super fortunate genetically, at least regarding that aspect of himself, veteran drunk that he was.
Charles discovered alcohol at 16. For him it was like finding relief from his existence and tension. It worked for him. At 35 he was in the hospital corridor vomiting blood. Like many others, he was waiting for death... Thanks to the taxes paid by his father he was entitled to transfusions and so he came out of it... Some of Buk's acquaintances and his loved ones died... He had a hard temper, and in the end he wasn't even died of alcoholism.. One important thing to say about Buk. He always wrote even when he was drinking and for him it was a way to endure life and a shitty world and be able to make the words flow, he almost never used alcohol to numb himself.. He grew up during the depression of 29.. And his father often hit him with the strop to sharpen the razor. Every person has their own life. He was lucky and it was for everyone who found: love, irony and sincerity in his writing, and also a friend as a companion during sleepless nights!
Possibly for him, with his terrible childhood, alcohol worked, but the vast majority of heavy drinkers, who aren't creative, end up destroying themselves and their families. Agree with him about marijuana.
@@sunnymann9639 Don't do it. Trust me. I've been an alcoholic since I was around your age, and it's soul-destroying. It won't help at all - it'll just make your depression and other issues much worse.
@@lh7325I’m gonna keep that in the back of my mind but I don’t see this feeling in my head disappearing anytime soon. It’s like a mountain sitting on my head. But thanks ima definitely take that into consideration
@@sunnymann9639 i remember reading a quote, don’t remember from who, that said something along the lines of “it’s true that alcohol numbs the pain, but it weakens your resolve to overcome the pain that drove you to drink in the first place.” Booze only temporarily mutes feelings that you’ll have to reckon with eventually, only they’ll be worse by then. Heartbreak drove me to years of heavy drinking and it’s no solution, believe me!
"The lifetime number of drinks for people who are prone to depression should be ZERO. You cannot handle it." "You should use [drugs/alcohol] to feel DIFFERENT, not the same."
I wish all drunks were like this man. He had a calm and endearing charm even after a bottle of scotch. Some of my friends cant even have two shots withought wanting to throw fists
he's absolutely right, marijuana may make u peaceful but its short lasting & lessens ur spirit dramatically, dulls ur senses & makes u weak...whiskey can bring u back from the dead, liven u up, makes u feel connected /w a great energy
Alcohol lessens your spirit much more than weed , it actually destroys it long term. He knew nothing about the health and spiritual benefits of cannabis
@@StephNuggs yeah well i have been drinking every day since i was 13 and since 20 i have been drinking from morning till im asleep. And i am 34 now. So i think i know a thing or two about a thing or two...
He could be right that drunks can bounce back more easily than habitual dope users. But ... like many drunks he doesn't ask why so many drinkers end up in dead-end jobs. They blame everything for what's troubling them except the drink itself. Maybe if they weren't drinking so much they wouldn't be in a crappy job.
Nah the system is in place long before that. Some people will take to drinking no matter what. I could make a million dollars an hour and I would still drink everyday. It is what it Is.
there’s no difference between these jobs and alcohol. its purpose is to keep the masses calm like he is. the system‘s not interested in losing the working class, not because they’re not interested in the people but in not losing their power.
I can't agree with this. Drinking can distract you from the pain of enduring life, but if that's all there is then I prefer to experience it and try to work out what it's telling me (if anything).
I had a girlfriend who had a complete psychic break from heavy pot use. Started hearing the voice of God and became a devout holy roller after years of agnosticism. Her life is better now but I feel like it was forced on her, the change was
@user-gs3tq6bx2u Actually psychosis is a documented effect of long-term pot use, but NOT alcohol. Cirrhosis is a documented long-term effect of HEAVY drinking, but NOT pot. You see? Let's not deny facts here so potheads don't have to feel bad about what they're doing to themselves.
Spot on about weed, turns people into crashing bores who talk about nothing but smoking weed. Imagine sitting in a bar listening to some jerk talking about drinking beer.
There are plenty of ppl out there smoking weed as drifters, living spontaneous lives. That way of living had been termed as "Pineapple Expressing". So no, we can nolonger always associate Marijuana with absolute laziness.
That’s only the newbies😂😂 think about when you first started drinking? Every drink you haven’t seen before was like meeting god. Drunk. Stoned. All a different bag baby..
Weed is a good drug. But it should be moderated more than booze and nicotine. Or caffeine for that matter. I’ve seen so many people become pot heads and they lose their emotional connection. Bukowski is saying, at least alcoholics face reality on a regular basis.
People need to consider that his view of potheads and drunkards is only specific to what he has seen. He has no universal opinion on the subject, it's subjective because anyone else can find contradictory information. That being said, he is always enlightening.
ive been a pot smoker for at least 6 years, still get the urge to smoke but i stick to alcohol and cigarettes. not because they're better vices, theyre not, but because weed tends to give me a numbness in my head like my brain was attached to an electric outlet on 200 amps.
I don't really want to assign a lable to this very talented and tormented and blessed man....for all his pain and pleasure and excess and madness yeah he is pretty high up there...a great soul
Marijuana basically amplifies your intention, so it will do what you want in your processing, if you want to just be numb it will do that, if you want to connect more it will definitely do that, emotional processing as well, when you take THC what is actually happening is your brain is utilizing different areas within itself than it would usually, enhancing creative thought, and new perspectives
i spent my early 20s smoking weed 24/7 but eventually gravitated back to drinking. not sure if its a good thing but nowadays (am 31) prefer a good drink rather than smoking some
Pot isn't a drug. It is a waste of time though. If you wanna smoke a bit before you go to bed that is cool, but if you smoke it during the day it just makes you feel retarded
no its definitely not a fucking good thing that you switched out one of the least destructive drugs of all time for one of the most. Charles was right on a lot of things, what he said here was stupid.
@@mongogojjo5944 bro are u stupid? Drink or not drink we all are gonna die fool!!!! Everyone here is gonna die and nobody is gonna remember us in 1000 years just do what ever you fucking want, just don't do it in excess that's all
My dad and gran pappy before him was drunkards. I'm a drunkard. I wanna break the cycle. This is not the way to be. This is outdated tech, we got better shit now like life family country. I use to totally agree with him . Till I literally felt the hand of death. The grim reaper is real. I'll share my story with anyone who asks.
I used to smoke alot, drink even more. There has always been a divide, a gap, between drunks and stoners, but we each got our own poison. Some people do multiple poisons though. They are the ones who truly understand the nature of addiction, without judging others.
I'm not advocating either way. But a major study was done and they concluded that pot ages the brain faster than booze. I smoked a lot of pot in my youth and now drink pretty regularly. Based on hangovers I think booze is harder on the body and brain than pot. But when I was a stoner, I did know that I was in a haze. A nice haze, but in a haze.
Major study? Source? That’s utter crap. Unless the subjects in the study where limiting themselves to one drink . Getting drunk causes much more brain damage.
Everyone has their preferences, and I just trust people. The truth is, everyone is trying to be their best, most productive selves. Really. And they know themselves the best. So let people do what they want. And likewise, always judge them equally, too. A person shouldn't have the excuse "I was drunk" or "I was high". No, that's them. But on a personal level, yeah, I hate pot. And I'm also very suspicious of caffeine. But it's all because it just personally dimishes me. I just really think that I can't think as well on it, and thinking is my only value, my lifeblood. One more note - I was really freakin tired of ruining my health with alcohol, so I got medication. Gabapentin. I seriously can't believe that I don't crave alcohol all the time now. Thank god for it. I eat a lot, and sleep a lot, but at least I'm not friggin drinking. I had to learn personally the effects of drinking constantly. It will rot your teeth out, and ruin your bowels. I got blisters on my tongue from constantly drinking. Man, it's a miracle I survived. I also smoke occasionally now too.
Im having the same problems , im 32 trying to stop drinking cause all m’y Life ive been sipping ! I ruined my relationship with my ex my lasts jobs my health im feeling ultra anxious cause i know Im conscient that if i Keep up like these im gonna Die soon
yeah, what he said here was laughably ridiculous. I would've punched him for it, coming from someone who drinks booze, smokes weed AND pops pills. I don't give a fuck life is too short, weed is only good for enhancing drugs that give you actual Euphoria like morphine and other opioids. Otherwise it's a waste of time
i’ve smoked everyday for 10 years and he’s right marijuana drains your soul out of you. it dulls your personality and fogs your mind. it also increases anxiety and depression. go look at the medical papers it’s facts. marijuana is incredible if you’re sick but if you’re healthy it’s very limiting
Well that two minutes didn't stand the test of time, lol. I love an old drunken poet but at the end of the day, I love them more cuz they're an old drunk than because they're a good poet.
This comment section has some really dumb comments, this was when cannabis was highly illegal, his comments seem like he’s favoring a legal side, and acting arrogant toward weed smokers😂 fact of the matter there are much more gun violence, deaths, domestic abuse, murders/suicides from alcohol abuse. Cannabis is the peace plant!
Much respect to Bukowski but every drug addict loves to find a way to defend his drug of choice. I've heard a cronic pot smoker give the exact same argument as this one. In the end of the day everything is fine in moderation. And if you feel you can't handle it with moderation then don't handle it at all.
One thing which is true about marijuana is that at the end you become a slug : no more energy, no more will, no more mind... just a slug who smokes grass.. Alcohol is terrible as well.. even worst.. but with alcohol you still can do things.. & Life, the meaning of Life is to do things.
Weed is not the secret to the universe. If you like it great, but don't make it a lifestyle choice. You will wake up one day and realize you've been living in a semi retarded haze. The mind has to be curious always
Bukowski, though a famous drinker, went on to discover in his old age that he was capable of writing just as well sober as on the bottle, and he explicitly stated that he regretted not learning this fact sooner. Furthermore, and more to your point, some corners of his work reference instances of him smoking reefer, usually with underwhelming results, but once in a blue moon he gave it something tantamount to weak approval. I think he did incorporate it more routinely during a few short phases of his life, but it never did for him what alcohol did.
"3 Dollar a week room"... In 2024 my studio apartment is over $1,300. 1,300 divided by 30 is 43.3. Cost of living since this interview has gone up 14 times. The rich don't care, never will. They'll just have more people write articles about how poor people aren't buying diamonds and blame the poor.
People praising his take on alcohol and weed, like what the fuck?? the most brain dead takes on this comment thread lol, pretty disappointed to see. Everyone should take his point of view with a grain of salt….for obvious reasons lol.
thc weirdly has a longer wd cycle (cant sleep for a week, cold sweats, emotions all over the place) than booze. Why I stopped smoking it, well one of the reasons. Better to just live a life completely sober. Alc is definitely not the thing but can play a part for a time on to the road to greatness.
no it's not. Alcohol is a gateway drug, I would have never tried speed or cocaine in my life if I wasn't drunk I hate uppers. There's nothing gateway about weed at all, Caffeine is the first drug most people ever consume, are you gonna say caffeine is a gateway drug now? NO, people like different things. People have different tastes in drugs, and alcohol IS a drug.
@@mongogojjo5944 well for my experience it has made me want more anti depressants or a way of “escape” it’s different for everybody. But it is still a gateway drug for many
@@mongogojjo5944 anything addicting is considered a drug. Anyways I hope everyone reading this gets through the things they don’t talk about. Swallow your pride and your anger cus it’s not cute
