For me it’s driving while under the influence. If you couldn’t tell, I like me some ganja. However I have long since held the belief that it is utterly insane to drive while under the influence of most substances, with maybe nicotine and caffeine being the exception. All too often I see other stoners smoking and driving, which I simply can’t fathom. I’ve only operated a vehicle once under the influence and it was just to move a U-Haul around the block to a different parking spot, which was such a scary experience while high that I refuse to even consider getting behind the wheel again while high.
I just started using the hamstudy.org website and app, and started participating in the ham subreddit on Reddit. Then I bought a Baofeng UV-5R and got my GMRS license. I used that to learn all about finding repeaters, programming the radio, etc… Then I kept studying and got a Yeasu FTM-7250DR, a power supply, and a Comet antenna. Once you have a radio you can start learning hands on. It doesn’t need to be an expensive radio, and you don’t need a license as long as you don’t broadcast.
Thanks !
NP. One more thing I did was read a book called Pass Your Ham Radio Technician Class - The Easy Way. Hamstudy is really good for practice, and memorization, but it doesn’t really explain the principles behind the answers. That book does a great job of explaining things like bands, frequencies, tones, etc… You’ll have a much stronger understanding of how things actually work, instead of just having answers to questions.