BB and the Brain

I've got very limited time to write, as I'm due in class in 45 minutes.

That works to my disadvantage.

Perhaps it works to the reader's advantage, since it'll lend itself to brevity.

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I keep meaning to explore the connection between violence and self-medication, or at least the connection that seems evident to me.

Take your average Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school. Forgive the generalization, but my understanding is that those places attract a certain thug mentality. Anyone with any experience that supports or refutes my hunch please chime in.

But in my experience, and I have some, those schools attract guys who are more martial and less artist. There are some famous BJJ fighters who are also among the angriest guys you'll ever see. Nick Diaz comes immediately to mind.

And Nick has been in trouble lately for marijuana showing up in his random, athletic commission-required urine samples.

I've been told that Eddie Bravo, one of the most respected and talented BJJ instructors on this planet, is shown smoking marijuana in his instructional videos.

I'm doing a poor job of exploring this connection the way it deserves, but I can't get past my suspicion that some men with violent natures are drawn to BJJ, and that these same men self-medicate what is probably a problem that's pathological, with marijuana or other drugs.

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Sadly, I have known a few women who have dated angry, abusive men who also smoked grass incessantly. I don't know whether the drug, which is reputed to calm users down, lessened the abuse.

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A good article on the use of SSRIs by adolescents in the NY Times.

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Outta time. Maybe I'll explore this the way it deserves at some point. I'd LOVE to hear the opinions of folks on this.