Original:
The only thing that really worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge. And I knew we’d get into that rotten stuff pretty soon. Probably at the next gas station.
In my early years, I was offered ether once. And I’ve never seen nor heard from it since (granted, I never really tried to find it)… but it was probably one of the rarer substances I’ve crossed paths with
When I first read Fear and Loathing, that quote stuck out a bit for me. I could see it; how easy those depths could be found (and completely forgotten). I’ve done my fair share of Xanax-over-indulgence in the past, but even that didn’t fully compare.
Xanax is over and done when you’ve lost yourself; there’s no memory coming back. Ether keeps downing you while you’re constantly coming back, and it becomes a hell of a rollercoaster. Like a fever-dream type thing — it is not something I could imagine publicly-indulging on… let alone, doing that while tripping, fucking hell!
So that quote rang a little true to me. I’d wager there really is nothing ‘more helpless and irresponsible and depraved than a man in the depths of an ether binge’, especially when compounding with other chemicals. I literally couldn’t imagine… and kinda glad I never found out lol. God speed for anyone testing those waters
