Saturday, February 19, 2011

What I think about Marijuana


     Okay folks I've been putting this post off but I finally am putting it out there.  A few people would like to know what I think about Marijuana; an addicts point of view.  Simply put I think Marijuana/Cannabis is about as addictive as video games.

     ADDICTIVE?  Yes.  Addictive.  So let's simply define my usage of the word addiction since many will argue over Cannabis' role in addiction.  Addiction to me is a compulsive or obsessive action that is done generally for the purpose of euphoria or pleasure and shows a tendency to impact the course of other actions.  Simply put it's something you like to do a lot and draws negative consequences from its usage.

     With that being said, anything can be addictive right?  Sure.  Sex, food, gambling, even Marijuana.  I'm speaking of this from only my first hand account.  I went through periods of using where the only drug I did was Marijuana.  I did it every waking second, getting high 8 times a day so I could stay baked for the entire duration of me being awake.  I loved Marijuana and loved a lot of the "magic" I felt with it.  Thoughts seemed different, music seemed more vivid, and things overall seemed funnier.  I was in love with the drug almost instantly.

     For me though Marijuana really stopped being fun after around 2 years of constant habitual usage.  I had a major panic attack one time after getting high and it completely killed a lot of the euphoria I felt.  I went on to use over another 4 years and every time I would get high it would be 50% fun and 50% anxiety.  I would feel nervous about another panic attack and it just was never the same.  I was constantly chasing those feelings I had during my first two years of pot usage.

     That's just me though right?  Sure.  Only a few people I ever met who smoked pot, smoked it habitually.  I only met a handful who smoked morning, day, and night everyday.  Clearly not everyone becomes addicted to this substance.  That being said most people who try harder drugs also do not become habitual users though their is a stronger tendency to become addicted.  Addiction lies within the synapses of the brain.  I laugh at people when they say "Marijuana is not PHYSICALLY addictive, only mentally/psychologically".  Do you think Cocaine and Heroin addicts bust back on their drug of choice 6 months of sobriety because they are "physically addicted"?  Do you think it takes on average seven trips to rehab before an addict begins long term sobriety because of physical addiction?  Physical addiction only puts a barrier on sobriety.  You stop using and you get sick, or you get withdraw, etc.  It does not keep users compulsive and obsessed.  All drugs are mentally additive.  The brain is used to those drugs and maintains certain chemical reactions based upon their input.  This is all addiction really ends up being.

    Now clearly the effects of Marijuana on the brain are different than hard drugs (even most hard drugs are different from each other).  That being said, there is a propensity for Marijuana users to use habitually.  I find getting high all day demotivates me and makes me tired and mentally sluggish.  If you find it does the opposite, good for you.  If you find Marijuana stimulating and something that makes you a better person, good for you.

     I don't intend to change anyone's mind with this post.  I only intended to give out my viewpoints and my thoughts on the matter.  If you love Marijuana and you disagree with everything I've said, that's fine.  If you're smoking everyday and think about getting high while sober, there's a good chance there may be an underlying issue present in your life.

(Even Bill Maher mentions daily usage as being potentially harmful.)

     I go back to my video game analogy.  Not everybody plays video games addictively but for some people it completely takes hold of their entire life.  They miss out on being with their friends, miss out on work, and really miss out on life in general.  I find the same things would happen when I was smoking pot all the time.  That being said most of the health hazards for Marijuana are somewhat benign though that doesn't make it safe by any stretch of the imagination.  I am actually FOR Marijuana legalization because I think it's safe enough to allow responsible adults a choice on its usage (though I don't want to get into that here).

     If you like to smoke pot, fine.  Have fun.  I really don't care and I'm not trying to make you quit.  If you find no ill-effects and no negative impact from usage then what is there to say?  Really ask yourself though if it's something that is simply present in your life without being burdensome.  Are you really getting the most of each day with Marijuana in your life?

     With all that said, nothing is going to make me want to go back to using.  I'm done, drugs aren't for me.  I'm staying clean and sober.  I would love to hear what you guys have to say on the subject of Marijuana and maybe throw down a story or two on how it impacts your life.  Sorry for the length of this post, I tried to keep it brief.  Cheers.

48 comments:

  1. i never got that big into pot, i did it back in high school a few times, i preferred the drunk feeling over the high feeling more though

    now i just gotta quit playing video games so much, i quit over the summer, now thats its winter time i'm playing them a lot more instead of picking up my guitar and learning a new song

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  2. Good post, and yes I agree with you. If you can find a way to moderate, it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it can easily become addictive.

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  3. It's not really addictive as you need it.. but the feeling of it could be addictive

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  4. @Brendan:
    It depends on what you mean by "need". I've certainly had times where I was medicating with it and without it I would feel extremely depressed, bored, and lonely. In that sense I would say I "neeeded" it. In the sense of "do I need it like I need air", I would say no it was not like that. Though harder drugs CERTAINLY fit into that category: "I need this drug like I need food to eat and water to drink, just to not die."

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  5. I once had an emotional addition to pot. I thought I needed it to forget about my problems or have a good time. But once I realized that was an issue keeping me from things that really make me happy. It was easy to quit.

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  6. Yeah I'm starting to realise now after smoking regularly for a year that all weed has done is cause problems in my life. I would like to stop smoking but I am surrounded by it. I also enjoy the alternate reality you experience when you're high day and night for months on end (I do not mean enjoy but i can't think of another way to describe it, more like you have no choice to enjoy it because it becomes your life).... This is my experience anyway......

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  7. Never taken drugs or used illegal substances so haven't experienced any of this! Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Excellent post. I'm a cannabis user myself, and for a period of about 2 years I used all day everyday, and never once felt I was addicted to it. Even to this day if I have any I will smoke it every day, morning until night. Whenever I run out I will want to get high for a day or two after but nothing major, after that I really don't think about it. I think it mainly comes down to your personality.

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  10. i do agree that marijuana can be addictive in the sense that it's habitual. but it's not a physical dependence in that the "need" is there. i quit after almost a year and a half of constant use, everyday multiple instances. i quit cold turkey and never think about it. ive had harder withdrawals from caffeine
    but yes it is habitual.

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  11. I'm so glad you posted this. I smoke weed every now and then, so it's not a daily habit. I find that if I do it as much as once a week, it's not good. I try to keep my usage to one night every so often. Same with my drinking; I try to keep it in check.

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  12. cannabis was never a real problem to me. it is temping though. i find it's way harder to get alcohol under control.

    nice read! def. a follower

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  13. I've always wanted to try it. I cant smoke for shit though. haha

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  14. It can definitely be addictive, like you say, it depends on the person. I've tried a plethora of substances, legal and illegal, yet the only one I've ever become addicted to is nicotine. For someone else, it's something different.

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  15. i feel like it's generally something you grow up and just do less and les

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  16. i don't smoke but i'm with people that do, i haven't noticed any changes with them i also believe it affects different people in different ways

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  17. Greenluigi is right!
    Every person is different

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  18. you put alot of weight on due to having munchies after you've had a joint haha

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  19. Ok first of all, I just blazed and i'm baked as fuck. Second of all weed isn't an addictive or habitual drug, it is a daily enhancer of everything. I slightly cringed when I wrote weed as being a "drug", a drug is Advil or Codene, anything made from humans. Weed is a plant, and it's been around longer than we have.

    Following & Supporting
    -Easy

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  20. Excellent post. Really liked your insight into the drug.

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  21. All of this is very true ! Marijuana affects the user differently, its definitely not for everyone !

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  22. Argh! Where do start? I guess I agree with the daily usage might = addiction. I suppose it is the manner in which you use it. If you "reward yourself" with THC, then your body might come to expect it.
    However, I cannot deny it's power as a muscle relaxant and stomach soother.

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  23. This is one of the realest things I have read on blogspot!

    I had the EXACT same experience with a panic attack. I made smoking pot my mission in life at one point and everything else was secondary. I was high 24/7 no matter what I was doing and I loved it. Then one day I fainted from hypotension and thought I was dying. I had a 10 minute panic attack while driving to the doctor. All my friends smoke pot and it doesn't do anything for me anymore because I constantly think I'm going to have another panic attack. The feeling of thinking your dying is one you will never forget. In a way though, it perspectivized my life and caused me to change for the better. I realized I had isolated myself from my family, friends, responsibilities just to get high.

    I think using marijuana infrequently in social settings is acceptable but chronic use is never good. It's recently been shown to cause schizophrenia and anxiety disorders.

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  24. I agree with you 100%. It's addicting but not in the sense that you get physically sick but in the sense that it makes you feel good, and when something does that people will always want it.

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  25. thanks for the info about the inside of this "drug"

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  26. Well I have tried it and quite frankly I don't find the results to be positive enough to justify any negativity. I guess I am just immune to it's more "trippy" effects.

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  27. Can't say I have ever tried it. But good for you, I enjoyed reading your post.

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  28. In my country almost all of the adolescents smoke weed and don't grasp the idea that they can actually get addicted. I smoke myself, but with boundaries I made for myself to keep my smoking under control. It's really individual and it's good if people listen to others and don't make a too biased opinion about this drug.

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  29. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions on the matter.

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  30. Weed has had a great impact on my life in a number of ways. Far as being lazy and sluggish, I find vaporizing and using sativas have neither of those effects. If anything I am more energetic.

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  32. I pretty much agree with you. Anything can be addictive. If you smoke weed everyday, it IS going to alter you mind; that's the idea behind drugs!!!
    It's an habitual addiction. If I was to tap my heels together 6 times everyday at 9am for two years, I'm going to be "addicted" to that.. It'd be weird not to!

    It needs to be legalized though. Alcohol is a FAAAAR worse evil than weed. Weed wouldn't even be on the evil scale if it weren't for criminals (which is everyone who uses in the eyes of our faithful leaders...) and gangs. Murders etc happen because of it, and that's only because they insist on it being an evil presence.

    Did you know that hemp (a.k.a weed) can be used to make clothes? Betcha did.
    Now, did you know it can be used as a (better) alternative to paper? A substitute for fossil fuels? Plastics (which are biodegradable)?

    And here's the kicker;
    It can, and HAS, cured cancer. Check out Running From The Cure; The Rick Simpson Story and see for yourself the real evil.
    The govt. want to demonize a miracle plant (NOT a drug, a PLANT).
    Then again... It'd hurt their profits. Something that benefits mankind is a very verrrry scary thought indeed...

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  33. I agree with you on how anything could be addicting but it really depends on the person.

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  34. I think it's all down to ther user at the end of the day. You need self control otherwise you could easily become addicted.

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  35. with weed and all addictive substances it all depends on the person doing it, if they become addicted or not. i used to smoke and i quit fine but i know people who are struggling to quit

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  36. Get horrible paranoia when I smoke but love rolling to the music I post on my blog, check me out.

    I wish you the best, followed.

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