I've always thought that a safer alternative to narcotics (opiates) was pot. For example, if a construction worker gets home aching everywhere, they might take some painkillers and down them with alcohol because it'll feel better (though dangerous).
Maple Story is ok, but it gets boring too fast. Gunbound sucks: too many naive Southeast Asians and the items that matter (armor, weapons, etc) can't really be kept since they go away after a few months (even if you buy them with actual money).
It has already been colder around these parts than it was last year. Last night was maybe the tenth time this month that the temperature has hit 32F (which is unusual).