Forum Navigation

Main Forum Index

The forum index is organised into sections, forums and subforums with each being more specific to a particular topic than the parent.

Sections are for grouping similar topics together. You cannot post a message in a section, they are just there to make it easier to find the forums and subforums you are looking for.



Forums are categories within a section. In most cases you can create a discussion or post a message in a forum (there are a couple which are just containers for the subforums within them).

In most cases the forums have more specific subforums within them as it can be difficult to find things with such broad topics as are used for forums. You can create a discussion or post a message in subforums.

Forum or subforum Main Screen

The forum or subforum main screen contains a list of links to the discussions for that topic. The discussions can be further filtered by prefix by clicking on the appropriate prefix. If the topic of a forum or subforum is of particular interest to you, you can select Watch Forum to receive an alert when a new message is posted in it. The forums and subforums at drugs-forum have a huge number of discussions, so you may sometimes have to navigate through a few pages of discussions to find exactly what you're looking for. Important discussions that are accessed frequently are pinned or stickied to the top of the main forum or subforum screen for easy access.

Finding the right place to ask or find the answer to my question

This guide will walk you through the process of finding the right place. As you have seen above, the forum is organised into sections, forums and subforums. In order to find the right place you would therefore first identify the correct section, then the right forum and finally the right subforum. In some cases your question will be most appropriate for a forum rather than a subforum, but most information is found in subforums. Also, as noted above, some forums are just containers for their subforums and posting is disabled in them. Where applicable that is noted in this guide. Because of the sheer number of forums and subforums the guide is spoilered. Check the descriptions against your questions and then click the appropriate spoiler buttons to move to the next step. Links are provided to forums and subforums, but the main purpose of this is to demonstrate how the structure of the forum works in a way you can follow in future. Some non-English language forums or with restricted access are excluded from this guide.

Identify the right section, then forum, then (if applicable) subforum:

My question is about the effects of drugs on the body, a combination of drugs, drug testing, pharmacology, drugs and sex, drug law, a survey or the website itself.

Spoiler: Various drug related topics section

My question is about the website. About Drugs-Forum.com forum.

Spoiler: Click here to check for a more specific subforum

I want to check announcements. Announcements subforum.
I want to report a bug. Bug tracker subforum.
I want to request a new site function. Functionality requests subforum.
I want to make a suggestion or help out with the site. Improving DF subforum.
I want to ask a question about how to use the site. Site use subforum.
I want to discuss reviews of products. Review discussion subforum.

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My question is about drug law. Drug law forum (container only)

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about drug law and its enforcement Law and order subforum.
My question is about drug law policy and reform. Drug Policy Reform & Narco Politics subforum.

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My question is about the effects of drugs on the body, a combination of drugs, drug testing, pharmacology, a survey or sex and drugs. The euphoric body forum.

Spoiler: Click here to check for a more specific subforum

My question is about drug tests. Drug testing subforum
My question is about a combination of drugs. Drug combinations subforum
My question is about sex and drugs. Sex and Drugs subforum.
My question is about pharmacology. Pharmacology subforum.
I would like to post or view a survey. Surveys subforum.

My question is about recovery or addiction

Spoiler: Recovery and Addiction section

Drug Addiction & Recovery forum (container only).

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about alcohol addiction. Alcohol addiction subforum.
My question is about amphetamine addiction. Amphetamines addiction subforum.
My question is about cannabis addiction. Cannabis addiction subforum.
My question is about cocaine addiction. Cocaine addiction subforum.
My question is about downers (including benzodiazepines) addiction. Downers addiction subforum.
My question is about GHB addiction. GHB addiction subforum.
My question is about opiate or opioid addiction. Opiate and Opioid addiction subforum.
My question is about addiction to a drug not otherwise listed here. Other drug addiction subforum.
My question is about a family member or friends addiction. Family and friends addiction subforum.
My question is about addiction generally, rather than a specific drug. General addiction discussion subforum.
My question is about psychological or social aspects of addiction. Psychological and social subforum.
My question is about rehab facilities. Rehab discussion.

My question is about a specific drug, or how to use it safely

Spoiler: Drug Information and Harm Reduction Section

My question is about Alcohol. Alcohol forum.

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My question is about amphetamines. Amphetamine forum

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about adderall. Adderall subforum.
My question is about concerta or ritalin. Concerta & Ritalin subforum.
My question is about methamphetamine. Methamphetamine subforum.

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My question is about cannabis. Cannabis forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about the health effects and benefits of cannabis. Cannabis & Health subforum.
My question is about paraphernalia. Cannabis paraphernalia subforum.
My question is about coffeeshops. Coffeeshops subforum.

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My question is about cocaine or crack. Cocaine & Crack forum.

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My question is about a dissociative. Dissociatives forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about DXM. DXM subforum.
My question is about ketamine. Ketamine subforum.
My question is about nitrous oxide. Nitrous Oxide subforum.

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My question is about a downer or sleeping pill. Downers forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines subforum.

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My question is about Ecstasy or MDMA. Ecstasy & MDMA forum.

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My question is about an ethnobotanical (Psychoactive plant). Ethnobotanicals forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about caffeine or coffee. Caffeine & Coffee subforum.
My question is about coca. Coca subforum.
My question is about DMT or ayahuasca. DMT and Ayahuasca subforum.
My question is about kava-kava. Kava-Kava subforum.
My question is about kratom. Kratom subforum.
My question is about LSA seeds. LSA seeds subforum.
My question is about nightshades. Nightshades subforum.
My question is about peyote or san pedro cacti. Peyote & San Pedro subforum.
My question is about saliva divinorum. Salvia divinorum subforum.

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My question is about GHB. GHB forum.

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My question is about herbal ecstasy. Herbal Ecstasy forum

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My question is about LSD. LSD forum.

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My question is about magic mushrooms. Magic Mushrooms (Psilocybe & Amanita) forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about amanita. Amanita subforum.
My question is about finding and identifying magic mushrooms. Magic Mushroom hunting subforum.

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My question is about opiates or opioids. Opiates and Opioids forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about buprenorphine. Buprenorphine subforum.
My question is about codeine. Codeine subforum.
My question is about fentanyl. Fentanyl subforum.
My question is about heroin. Heroin subforum.
My question is about hydrocodone. Hydrocodone subforum.
My question is about hydromorphone. Hydromorphone subforum.
My question is about methadone. Methadone subforum.
My question is about morphine. Morphine subforum.
My question is about opium or poppy preparations. Opium & Poppy subforum.
My question is about oxycodone. Oxycodone subforum.
My question is about oxymorphone. Oxymorphone subforum.
My question is about tramadol. Tramadol subforum.

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My question is about a research chemical. Research Chemicals forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about cannabinoid research chemicals. Cannabinoids subforum.
My question is about Beta-Ketones. Beta-Ketones subforum.
My question is about dissociative research chemicals. Dissociative RC's subforum.
My question is about opioid research chemicals. Opioid RC's subforum.
My question is about Phenethylamines. Phenethylamines subforum.
My question is about Tryptamines. Tryptamines subforum.
My question is about branded research chemicals. Branded RC's. subforum.

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My question is about a drug not featured elsewhere in this list of forums. Various drugs not covered by other forums forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

My question is about antidepressants. Antidepressants subforum
My question is about antipsychotics. Antipsychotics subforum.
My question is about deliriant antihistamines. Deliriant antihistamines subforum.
My question is about nootropics. Nootropics subforum.
My question is about tobacco. Tobacco subforum.

I want to socialise with other members of the site.

Spoiler: Social Forums Section

Social Forums forum.

Spoiler: Click here to identify a more specific subforum

I want to discuss the members of drugs-forum. About DF members subforum
I want to post something funny or make a joke. Funny shit subforum
I want to discuss computers and technology. Computers subforum
I want to discuss mysticism, religion, spirituality or similar insights. Insights & Mystical subforum
I want to discuss drug culture. Drug culture subforum
I want to discuss something off-topic. Some for all subforum

Discussion View

In the discussion view you will find the messages people have posted about the topic of that discussion along with the time it was posted and any ratings of the discussion or messages within it. You will also find information about the member who posted it in the header for the message, which includes their member level and whether they are a staff or donating member. There is an option to review the quality of the discussion at the top left of the first message, just below the title. Options are available at the bottom left of the message (in a hamburger menu for small screen users) for reporting or rating individual messages.

The search engine

Accessing the search engine

The search engine is a tool that allows you to search any area of Drugs-Forum for something that is relevant to a specific subject.

Quick search can be accessed by navigating to a particular forum or subforum and clicking the search field on the top right corner of the forum navigation (for mobile users opening the search icon).



Advanced search can be found by clicking "Search Forums" from the navigation bar anywhere in the forum, or for mobile users selecting the additional options on the navigation bar and selectiing “Search Forums”, from the drop down menu.

Searching the forum

Quick search

This is the best way of getting a search done quickly, although you have less control over the results that you get. To search, click the white text box and type all of the keywords that you want to include in your search. They should be separated by spaces. Then click the “Search” button, which is to the bottom of the dialogue box, to perform your search.



There is an option for searching only for posts by a specific member. This is particularly useful if you know a member has particular expertise in a specific subject, or if you remember reading a post by a member that you want to re-read.

Another option is available for finding posts newer than a specific date. Some older information on the forums may be no longer accurate due to new understanding of science or for other reasons. This option allows you to filter out those older posts that may have information no longer relevant to your needs.

The third option allows you to specify a minimum word count from the search results. This is useful for filtering out useless one liners that don't properly provide the sort of explanation you're looking for.

A radio box is pre-selected if you access the search engine from a specific forum or subforum. It is useful for restricting your search to the subject of that specific forum. Searching child forms is a second radio box option which lets you include the subforums of the forum you are searching in the results. A third radio box lets you choose to display the results as threads rather than posts. This is useful for managing the continuity of results as many posts will not be in context outside of the format of a thread, and it allows you to quickly identify threads that might have a lot of information on the subject you are searching.

If the search dialogue does not have all of the search options you desire, you can click "More" to be taken to the advanced search page.

Advanced Search

This is the option that allows you to narrow down your search criteria more than any other, making it very useful for finding specific posts, threads, or information that you may struggle to find with the quick search function. There are multiple options on the advanced search page that help you search, and you can use as many or as few of them as you need. Access advanced search by following the instructions above.



At the bottom of the “Advanced Search” page, the “Search” button enables you to carry out your search using all of the options that you selected.

A: Search site area

Most of the time you will likely be searching forums, but occasionally you will want to search other areas of the site. The tabs in this section allow you to narrow your search to a specific part of the site such as forums, articles, studies and reviews. You can use search everything to search all those areas.

B: Keywords

This is very similar to the Quick Search option. Keywords that are relevant to your search can be typed into the text box, and then only posts/threads containing a keyword will be included in your search results. The radio box below the text box allows you to either search entire posts for the keywords, or “Search titles only” for the keywords. The latter may be useful for finding more useful threads completely dedicated to a particular subject.

C: Search by Member

This option means that you can get search results that only display posts/threads by a particular user, whose username you should type into the textbox. You can specify multiple members by separating their usernames with a comma. After typing a few letters of the username a popup will offer suggestions, which is a good way of ensuring the username is spelled correctly.

D: Newer Than

This option allows you to only include posts from after a particular date in your search. This option is useful if you want to ensure the information in the search is up to date.

E: Word Count

This allows you to specify a minimum and maximum number of words in the posts located by the search. Specifying a minimum number of words is useful for filtering out useless one liner types of post that don't provide sufficient detail. Specifying a maximum number of words can help filter out long and rambling posts that offer more detail than you desired.

F: Minimum Number of Replies

This option allows you to set a minimum on the number of replies that a thread has, and only threads that meet the reply requirements that you set will be included in your search. To set a minimum number of replies, select a value of greater than 0 (which is set to 0 by default). Only numerical characters work here.

G: Threads Prefixes

Whenever a thread is posted, the user posting it can select a prefix to go before the thread title to help explain or summarise what the thread is about. This option allows you to search for threads with a particular prefix by selecting prefixes from the list. The list includes all of the prefixes. To select multiple prefixes, click on the prefixes that you want to include in your search whilst pressing a “Ctrl” button on your keyboard.

H: Search in Forum(s)

This option allows you to choose which forums will be included in your search. There is a complete list of all forums and sub forums, and you can click on what you want to search in order to select it. To select multiple options, hold a “Ctrl” button on your keyboard whilst clicking on all of the forums that you want to be searched. If the “Search child forums as well” box is checked, then all of the forums within the ones that you highlighted will also be searched (i.e. if “Downers and sleeping pills” was selected, then the “Benzodiazepines” subsection will also be searched).

I: Order Results by

Here you can choose the order in which your search results are displayed, so that you can sort through them easier or try and ensure that what you want will be closest to the top of the list. "Selecting "Word Count" will return the largest posts. Selecting "Most Recent" will return the posts with the latest responses. Selecting "Most Replies" will return the largest threads. Selecting "Relevance" means that your results will appear in order of how well they match your search criteria. Relevance is the default.

When “Display results as threads” is selected, your search will produce a list of threads, which may be useful for finding a broad range of information. When unselected, your search will produce a list of specific posts that match your search criteria; this may be useful if you need specific information and don’t want to sort through lots of large threads.

Search Tags

Clicking the “Search Tags” tab on the advanced search page will bring up a page with these modules:



Users can put tags onto any threads. Tags are special keywords assigned specifically to a thread, specifically to make searching and finding other threads with similar tags easier. To search for threads assigned to a specific tag, simply type the tag term that you want to search for into the text field in the tags module, and then press the “Search” button. Tags can have more than one word, and if you search for a tag that has no threads assigned to it you will see an error message that says the tag cannot be found. As you begin typing in the field a popup will offer suggestions of valid tags that fit what you have typed.

Below the tags text field and search button, there is a “Most Popular Tags” module, which contains the most searched for thread tags in alphabetical order. The size of the font used for a tag here is indicative of how often that tag has been searched for compared to others. Clicking on one of the tags will bring up a list of all threads with that tag, in order of when the last response to the thread was.

Search Operators/Parameters

AND returns only results that have both search terms. If only one of the keywords is present it will not trigger a response.
Usage: The search term cocaine AND addiction would return results about cocaine addiction, but exclude posts just generally about cocaine, or about addiction to something else.

OR returns results that contain any of the search terms. If both terms are present it will rank higher when ordered by relevance, but otherwise has no impact on the returning of results.
Usage: The search term addiction OR dependence would return results with either or both the terms sometimes used to describe addiction, ensuring you do not miss results from your search.

NOT returns only results that do not contain the search term.
Usage: The search term cocaine AND NOT addiction would return results about cocaine, but exclude search results that also include the term addiction.

() is used to group parts of a search query together when using operators.
Usage: The search term cocaine AND NOT (addiction or dependence) will exclude results that include the addiction or dependence keywords from your search results.


"" is used to to surround a phrase and denote a keyphrase instead of a keyword.
Usage: The search term "central nervous system" would return results with that exact phrase, but not with the individual words on their own.

Example of an advanced search query using operators

Heroin AND (addiction OR dependence) AND "how to manage cravings" AND NOT (methadone OR suboxone)

This search phrase returns a very specific result for a person looking to manage cravings from heroin addiction without using methadone or suboxone.

Posting permission in the chemistry forums

In order for you to be able to post in the chemistry sections you can apply for access, by filing an access application (write up an article of at least 600 words on a chemistry related topic of your choice) in the Access Applications section. If the moderators rates it positive you will be granted access to the chem forums. Other members can post in Chemistry Basics.

Viewing new content

The navigation bar contains a link to new forum posts that you have not yet viewed. Select "New Posts from the navigation bar.



A link is also available on this page at the top right of the list of threads to locate recent threads (instead of new threads).

The "What's New" button on the navigation bar has a similar function to the new posts button, but instead of taking you to the new forum posts tab of the new content page, it takes you to the overview of new content tab of the new content page which includes the other types of content on the site such as journals, articles and reviews.

The sources forums

The sources forum is for legal sources only. In order to be able to access the sources forum you must be a Gold member or higher. The sources forums are only visible to Gold members. We do not allow sources discussion anywhere else, in order to avoid spam and illegal activity. Please avoid starting threads about eBay or with "eBay" in the title as this almost invariably leads to source discussion.

Watched Content

Watched content will generate an alert when there is new content that you have not viewed.

You can watch a thread for a few reasons. The simplest way to watch a thread is to start a thread or reply to a thread. You can also manually watch a thread by clicking the watch thread link on the thread as shown in the discussion view section of this article. To unwatch, you can click the again and select "Unwatch Thread".

Just about any section or content can be watched with the link usually found at the top right hand corner of the content.

Alerts

Typically when someone adds content which you are watching, you will be sent an alert notifying you of the new content. Also alerts will be sent when other actions have taken place such as receiving conversations, receiving infractions, and when someone follows you.

You can set your alert preferences to send you an email when you have an alert.

Changing Alert Preferences

You can change your alert preferences from the "Alert Preferences" page, accessible from your control panel. Alerts can be customised in great detail for different types of content across the site.

Setting email alerts

Selecting the "Preferences" (note: this is different to "Alert Preferences") option from the user control panel will open a dialogue box in which you can elect to receive email notifications of various alerts.

Following members

You can follow a member by clicking their username and selecting "Follow". This will allow you to quickly access their profile from the "People you follow" section of your user control panel. They will also gain access to any content on your profile which you have made available only to people you follow.

Ignore member

You can ignore a member by clicking their username and selecting "Ignore". When added to your ignore list, a user won't be able to send conversations to you or leave a message on your profile page. You won't be able to read the posts of a member who is on your Ignore List.

To remove a user from your ignore list, go to the "People you Ignore" page from your user control panel, and select "Stop Ignoring".

Sending messages to other members

Drugs-Forum has two messaging systems, profile messages and direct messages. These two differ a bit.

Profile messages

A profile message is left visible for anyone on the profile page of the user. Simply navigate to the members profile page and a text box will be available to leave a profile message. Profile messages are not intended for deep and meaningful conversations and there is a character limit on what may be said in them and no options for formatting. For more substantive communication there is the direct message option.

Direct messages

The direct message option is what you would call a Inter-Drugs-Forum private messaging system, the message is only visible for the recipient(s). A direct message has basically the same formatting options as a forum post. A direct message can be between more than one participant. Additional participants may be added to a direct message by the direct message starter, or by other direct message participants if that option was selected by the direct message starter.

To begin a direct message with a member click on their username and select "Send Direct Message"

Signatures

Donating members can create a personalised signature to be displayed following their posts. The function will now be accessible by navigating the "Signature" option from the user control panel page.

The signature must follow the same rules as posts. Also, a note of forum etiquette: signatures can be fun, but when they get too large, they can be annoying to other users. Please be considerate with your signature size.

And if you don't like seeing signatures at all, no matter what size they are, you can stop them from displaying. To reach this option, click the "Preferences" option from the user control panel and uncheck the radio box that says "Show people's signatures with their messages"

Note that while linking is currently enabled in signatures, it is enabled only so that donating members may include in their signature a message promoting donations. The feature has been abused in the past and functionality exists for it to be turned off, and you should expect that it will be turned off if it is abused.

If a donating member wishes to include a message promoting donations in their signature, they can copy and paste the following line into the edit signature box:

[i]You can help fund Drugs-Forum and gain additional member privileges including live chat, blogs and increased forum access and functionality. [URL='https://drugs-forum.com/wiki/Donating']Click here for instructions on how to donate.[/URL][/i]

Which will display as this:

You can help fund Drugs-Forum and gain additional member privileges including live chat, blogs and increased forum access and functionality. Click here for instructions on how to donate.

No Permission Errors

As a Newbie or a Mercury member (but not limited to those user groups), you may be denied accessing certain parts of the site or from performing specific operations, such as accessing some forums, posting in or creating threads. This also happens if you try to create a thread in the Chemistry subfora, other than Basic Chemistry, without having submitted an application or being a donating member. Sometimes posts are deleted after you've been sent an alert so you have a link in the alert to a post that is no longer available to be viewed.

Usually when you are denied access, you will see this on your page:

Image goes here

As your permissions change by being upgraded to different Member groups you will be able to do more and functionality will be expanded. Please refer to Member Groups for a quick reference on some of the permissions you have in regard to your member status you are currently in and how to get upgraded to a higher user group with more site privileges and permissions.