Well i may be a bit paranoid, especially after getting a "Cease and Desist" from MGM, but i'm having trouble hitting the P2Ps anymore. Granted you should be fine as long as you don't leave them up and uploading to other people, but i'm just not that crazy about them. My issues with BitTorrent is that it tracks your IP, and it's really really easy for "them" to track you down.
If you want stuff, and don't mind putting in the time to figure it out, I'd check out newsgroups.....a good easy client is Newsbin Pro
http://www.newsbin.com/
All you gotta find out is your local ISP's newsgroup server (could be something along the lines of news.ISPNAME.com) and then start downloading. It's good for you.