Addiction? my confession, my dilemma.

[stonero]

Before I start, I have to say, this is only for MATURE adults.

Hey guys

I guess I'll start this thread off by asking the question, are you addicted? I think to some extent we all as smokers are partially addicted, with the true statement that it is not the substance that makes an addict and infact the person, I also believe there also is a strong corrolation between irritation, trouble sleeping, and marijuana. Although these are some of the lighter affects it has personally done on me.

Before I continue I'd like to boldly state that my family is 100% AGAINST the use of marijuana.

Over the course of the past few months I have really started to think about how marijuana has affected me, and my family. It has been a very long time since I have clearly noticed tyhe upsetting affects of this. Hrm, I really dont know where to start. My whole family believes I was an addict to marijuana, and because of this, I have seen the rapid depressing affects and stress this has had on my family, especially my parents. Since my family comes from a very morally strict background(South African, English), there was always a sense of strictness I felt that all my friends never felt back when I was younger. Around the age of 16 my parents had me in by 8 30 on school nights, and 10 30 on weekends. Normally I was always on time and never tardy, but one night I came home 45 minutes late, stoned, and remember my dad opening the front door before I had a chance to, and screaming at me to come inside. Now THIS was when I realized how much more strict my parents were then others. I had always accustomed myself to other people's family rules, more specifically my friends whose parents lead a more relaxed method of raising their child. That age though, 16, was a very bad year for me. My parents had switched me to a private school because of my use of marijuana, they had also switched me friends quite a bit by banning many of my friends I had wanted over to be allowed in my parents home.

There are many reasons, which I do not want to go into, why my parents always had the more strict approach.

I remember around that time hearing my mom crying about how addicted I am to "drugs" and stuff. And I dont know how to explain it, but it really puts a wound in you. It is very hard to explain, but ever since then I have been aching inside. At one time, my mother said she got 3 out of 4 kids right, me being the black sheep.

Ive realized now the damaging affects I put unto my family. The most ironic part, however, was that I can guarentee anyone that I wouldnt have been addicted if there was no strong belief that addiction exists in marijuana. So in reality, it was my parents strong ideals and beliefs that lead me into the position I was in, addiction, or so I theorize.

The other problem was that, at that age in my life, I was very vulnerable. The more my parents cried about my addiction, the more I wanted to get high. It really is quite funny how there is such a vicious demonized cycle. It's also quite humourous to comprehend the fact that morals establish good from bad, yet a persons strong moral belief lead to someone in a such a bad position.

Now, it was not like I did coke or anything like that back in my highschool days, but marijuana was a very big part of my life.

How I got into such an emotionally challenging position, I dont know. And when a kid normally smokes pot, the person just smokes pot, and lives the same. But I guess I was one of those kids who's position was an anomolly.

To be honest, my family hasn't really been the same since I was 16. Although I cannot fully put the blame onto myself for this change, as there were other problems they encountered. But those problems weren't to the same affect as the problem they had with me, pot.

A few years back, I even wrote an essay on addiction, how social and environmental factors are the most crucial factor of addiction, or in luckier cases, lack thereof.

Feel free to e-mail me if you would like to read it. Although it is 11 pages.

To end this all I have to say that not everyone in my position would get addicted, clearly, but I believe that having an addictive quality like I do and being in the position I was in led me to be in thats aweful position.

I guess I wrote this just because I felt the need to open up, maybe clear the innate melancholy I have been experiencing for a very long time.

But on the subject, are you addicted? (whether its emotionally mentally or physically[i dont believe anyone could be physically addicted, that has to do with the substance and not the environment, i.e. tobacco])

p.s. it reall took alot for me to write this so hopefully you can be respectful.

Thankyou for your time and for reading this.

[peacetoker90]

Sounds to me like you need another J to realize its all cool man.

+rep for same Jim Morrison quote

[stonero]

Originally Posted by peacetoker90

Sounds to me like you need another J to realize its all cool man.

+rep for same Jim Morrison quote

hahahaha thanks man ill take that into consideration

[naughtyneighbor]

I don't understand why you haven't clearly explained to your parents that marijuana is relatively harmless? It sounds like they think it is like coke. Maybe you've tried, but I'd thought maybe I would put it out there.

Also, do you smoke tobacco? Because I think that adds to the family emotions because cancer and health-related risk of cigarrets, etc can get very disturbing.

[whpeace]

Seems like you are in quite a spot. Being honest and trying to rectify the situation with your mom might make things worse if she is stubborn. I assume dropping weed is not an option, and this is certainly understandable. If I were in your situation, I might just try and live a double life so to speak. Don't smoke before you see your parents, don't do anything related to cannibus culture while in the presence them. If you are successful in school/job and marijuana has an overall positive effect on your life, they really have NOTHING to cry over. The situation you do not want to end up in is if your family gives you an ultimatum saying "weed or us." Sadly, I've seen this happen and it never ends happy :/

[Five To One]

Originally Posted by peacetoker90

Sounds to me like you need another J to realize its all cool man.

+rep for same Jim Morrison quote

You didnt even read what he wrote did you?

He was just saying how he thinks pot put him in a bad position and you reply
"Sounds to me like you need another J to realize its all cool man.

+rep for same Jim Morrison quote"

You probably just read his sig.....

[Elo]

Having smoked tobacco for many years and being addicted to it, I can say, without a doubt, that I am not addicted to Marijuana.

That's not a fun situation to be in, and knowing that it hurt my family so much, I wouldn't smoke pot while living under their roof.

But there comes a point and time in your life where you are a big boy and make your own decisions. And even parents, no matter what, can't hang on forever. They have to let you grow up and live for yourself. If you smoking lowers your morale and self esteem, I would seriously evaluate whether or not smoking is right for you to begin with (which is exactly what you've done here, so I'm going to stop rambling.)

-Elo

[Phatrick]

Originally Posted by Elo

Having smoked tobacco for many years and being addicted to it, I can say, without a doubt, that I am not addicted to Marijuana.

That's not a fun situation to be in, and knowing that it hurt my family so much, I wouldn't smoke pot while living under their roof.

But there comes a point and time in your life where you are a big boy and make your own decisions. And even parents, no matter what, can't hang on forever. They have to let you grow up and live for yourself. If you smoking lowers your morale and self esteem, I would seriously evaluate whether or not smoking is right for you to begin with (which is exactly what you've done here, so I'm going to stop rambling.)

-Elo

Hey, a fellow Gainesviller!

On topic: I would just say respect your parents. Try not to come home stoned, and work hard in school or work or whatever you're doing. Let them build trust back into you and show them that a little plant hasn't taken over your life like they seem to think.
You could also consider just dropping smoking. It's not hard to quit, and I would say it's worth it not to smoke to be able to be accepted by your family. Don't be the burnout that hates his family and smokes to feel better. Smoking, like drinking, won't solve any problems, and even though we know it's mostly harmless, obviously your parents don't.
Good luck with the problems, man.

[KushFarmer]

I would sugest u listen to some of the smart people on this site... such as whats been said above.... once i was under the same kinda situation with my rents.... id sugest not smoking UNDER THIER roof what u do on ur own time is ur choice legaly speaking also that is


hit that shit when u feel the need, it will always be there..... tolerance breaks r a good thing.... i just smoked my last bowl of some medi. purp kush


ne ways man stuff always works out as it should

[Killa Cam]

wow this sounds soooo much like me...when i was 16 i got kicked out of school for having 2 bowls, 1 scale, bags but luckly no chronic...my mom rushed to get me from school cryed for awhile my dad yelled a lot...i have had to be home before 9 for a while and stuff...but now i put my life first (school, work, fitness) and then on weekends or times when i have everything complete i smoke...you might think you are addicted because you smoke when u r sad or u feal like u need it but smoke when you are happy and it is 928357928375893 times better and knowing that your parents are proud of you for having a job, doing well in school, and keeping up with your image then sparking up a fat blunt is the best thing ever...but message me because i would like to read your paper you wrote...stay up +rep

[stonero]

Factors of Addiction<o></o>
Addiction is a powerful thing, it can overcome us all. People very often underestimate the intensity and power of addiction. The dictionary defines addiction as the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma. What this means is the body becomes emotionally, physically, or mentally attached to a certain substance. The severity truly depends on the substance itself. Addiction can be through anything, whether it is chocolate, or heroin. Addiction is not only physical, but mental and emotional as well. Emotional addiction is where the person endures the substance for their well being, this is the worst type of addiction between the three. The person feels euphoric when he or she takes in the substance. This is bad because they will need to lean on it in all times in need. Over a period of time, the person will find themselves needing the substance for everything. The person may have an empty bank account because of this addiction as well. Mental addiction is the lesser of the two. This addiction consists on a false belief they he or she endures the substance to enhance their life. This goes on until he or she cannot distinguish reality from there own perception. When this happens, there should be clear signs to the addicts loved ones that something is going wrong. This is where the debate of marijuana comes into order. Marijuana for medical use has been allowed in our own province and many states around the <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1lace> This is because it eases the pain of Glaucoma, Leukemia, and many other disabilities and diseases. The philosophical dictionary states moderation as a person who has the virtue of moderation subordinates the desire for pleasure to the dictates of reason. For Aristotle, all virtues are to be understood as the mean between vicious extremes. This one word, moderation, is what separates human from addict. Although moderation is the key to an addiction free lifestyle, this is not the only factor that affect’s addiction.<o></o>
A large study of 2,634 public high school students in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1lace> in 1968 analyzed the social and environmental factors of adolescent drug use. Strong correlation of drug use was associated with broken families, income less then $3,000, substandard housing, housing value less then $5000 and renter occupancy. These studies help prove that social and environmental factors in the early years of a child’s life will contribute to future use of illegal substances, eventually leading to addiction. <o></o>
Methamphetamine (Crystal Meth) is one of the most addicting substances on the face of this earth. This is a segment from an interview with a former meth addict named Ann.<o></o>
It’s unbelievable and usually what happens is you end up being homeless. I ended up homeless in two weeks. You’re caught. Trapped. If you don’t do the drug, you can’t get up off the ground. You can’t even lift up your head – it feels like it weighs 300 pounds. <o></o>
<o> </o>
The problem is that Meth causes a drug-induced schizophrenia. They get paranoid, they become psychotic and aggressive. The most passive person in the world will become aggressive on Meth. My husband was like that – he was just as bad as I was. He sold my Christmas turkey for dope one year. I did the dope with him. That’s how insane it is. ¹<o></o>
<o> </o>
This type of addiction is a powerful thing and to conquer it one must first take one serious step. Denial is the one barrier holding the addict away from help. Crystal Meth literally can turn an individual on the street in two weeks. Some of the physical affects are hard to believe. One high dose of Crystal Meth in an animal is proved to damage nerve terminals. Now that is only once, addicts tend to snort, shoot, or smoke Meth several times a day. Some long-term effects include:<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Dependence <o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Addiction psychosis<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Paranoia<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Hallucinations<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Mood disturbances <o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Repetitive motor activity<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Stroke<o></o>
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·<!--[endif]-->Weight loss<o></o>
<o> </o>
These are only a few of the many seriously damaging affects that Crystal Meth has on the body and mind. It is not likely that the person would be able to function properly with any ONE of these symptoms. <o></o>
However, there are many studies that conclude addiction to being environmentally and socially influenced. <o></o>
In 1994 a man by the name of Robbins studied the effects of narcotics on the Vietnam War Veterans. Between the years 1960-1974 there was close to half a million lower-middle class boys sent to fight. The average age of the soldiers was only 19 years old and the constant sight of mutilation began to take a toll of the boys. Around 90 percent of the soldiers became addicted to narcotics. Many people at the pentagon became worried that all of the veterans would return as drug addicts. Contrary to this popular belief less then 2 percent of the men were addicted once they returned. This is because the stimulus that created a desire for narcotics was not present. Stimuli could include the sights, smells and sounds of both <st1:country-region w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:country-region> and war were (for the most part) not present in the <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1lace>. Most of the returning soldiers who were still addicts could have been stimulated by the same warm and moist conditions of the south-western <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1lace>. This case study proves that human beings are driven by conditioned stimulus. This goes to show that a change in environment can result in a change in behavior, even in one as strong as narcotics addiction. This study can help modern day psychologists to stop many types of addiction.<o></o>
There are different substances that affect people in different ways. A 2005 study shows that family atmosphere, strength of family relationships, sense of family tranquility, family hierarchy and alcoholism as the main factors influencing the future drug use of the children. The study also shows that hostility and chaos in a family greatly increases the risk of developing drug addiction. In families where the parental authority figure was the mother rather then the father, likelihood of drug use in the children also increased. In almost half of the cases where the child became addicted to drugs there was alcohol consumption in the family.<o></o>
Addiction creates itself in many unique ways through the most unsuspecting substances as well. An example of such would be chocolate. A “chocoholics” addiction starts out by an upsetting day, and what better to relax watch a movie and eat chocolate? What the user doesn’t know is that chocolate has the active ingredients phenylethylamine, theobromine, anandamide and tryptophan. These trigger mood enhancing neurotransmitters and chemicals that are eventually released in the brain, causing one to be happier, because of chocolate. As great as this sounds, this is a textbook example for addiction. Easy access, cheap, and it is a psychological stimulator. This is only a stimulant to addiction to more food. This is where many cases of obesity come into order. Obesity is a nation wide epidemic and many cases involve depression, causing addiction to a certain food. This then causes severe to fatal health problems. Obesity, why is it such a big deal? There is only one true answer, the media.<o></o>
The media is one of the most influential factors on today’s modern society. What is cool? What is lame? How should I look? These are all occurring questions asked by many of today’s youth and teen children. This could possibly be the reason kids decided to try their first drug all in itself. With popular media figures advertising the use and distribution, a lot of today’s modern drug abusers started drugs because of the influence the media has on it. Examples of such media figures are Afroman, Cypress Hill and Dr. Dre. This is a truly a bad thing because according to the Asche’s conformity experiment when suggested to pick one answer over the other and 2/3’s of the surveyed people conformed to the suggestion. This shows the obvious ability to conform in humans. If we as humans conform easily then let us take a look at a few of the factors that help us to conform to many daily activities and situations. Well there is only one thing that truly came to mind when discussing factors that influence conformity to any degree. A person’s position in society is the main factor to be the main reason for conformity in humans. But what if this isn’t just limited to conformity? What if a person’s role in society tied into addiction? What if a person’s position in society determined the ability to conform one another and the intensity of addiction? Here below is an excerpt from a news article found on the internet.<o></o>
Monkeys at the bottom of the social dominance hierarchy are more prone to cocaine addiction, say researchers. But they caution against making direct comparisons with humans.<o></o>
"The positive spin on our findings is that enriching the environment can produce large and robust changes in the brain," says Michael Nader at <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Wake</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Forest</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType></st1lace>. "These lower the propensity for using drugs."<o></o>
But he rejects the simplistic interpretation that the changes he has identified might underlie any link between cocaine use and social exclusion in humans.<o></o>
The researchers set up a social group of 20 macaques and after three months the dominance hierarchy in the group was established. PET scans of the monkeys' brains revealed that dominant monkeys had a 20 per cent increase in D₂ dopamine receptors compared with subordinates.<o></o>
Dopamine is a chemical messenger that is released at junctions between nerves. The pathway transmits pleasure and pain sensations and is directly affected by drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy which boost dopamine levels.<o></o>
The monkeys were trained to self-administer cocaine. While both dominants and subordinates used the drug, only the subordinate monkeys became addicted.<o></o>
<o> </o>
Social status is a definite contributing factor to the likelihood of drug addiction. A 2002 study on macaques monkeys show that low social rank monkeys (subordinate) were more prone to cocaine addiction then their dominant counterparts. Scientists are saying that social rank may lead to changes in brain chemistry. This relates to the levels of dopamine in each of the social ranks of the macaques. The dominant monkeys’ already high level of this chemical, which is associated in the ‘reward system’ of the brain may be responsible for the fact that they were less likely to use cocaine. The researchers figured this out by placing 20 monkeys that were caged by themselves for a year and a half into five groups of four. Once the hierarchy was established in each of these groups they were taught how to self-administer doses of cocaine. After they compared the monkey’s brain activity and other research before and after being placed in groups they concluded that dopamine levels in the five dominant monkeys greatly rose due to the fact that they were in control of the more submissive subordinate monkeys. Therefore the dominant monkeys were less likely to use the cocaine because of already high levels of the natural dopamine. The subordinate monkeys used the substance as a way of making up for lack of social rank, which is shown by their regularly lower levels of dopamine. <o></o>
Environment is a very strong factor in addiction. The environment that the drug addict is in when they use becomes a set of stimuli. These environmental triggers and cues contribute to the intense cravings for a substance. Once the first trigger sets off, the user becomes a victim of the vicious cycle of addiction. This cycle only grows when the user becomes victim to many more triggers, and as time goes by, the addicted user becomes trapped, helpless. <o></o>
A large study of 2,634 public high school students in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1lace> in 1968 analyzed the social and environmental factors of adolescent drug use. Strong correlation of drug use was associated with broken families, income less then $3,000, substandard housing, housing value less then $5000 and renter occupancy. These studies help prove that social and environmental factors in the early years of a child’s life will contribute to future use of illegal substances, eventually leading to addiction. <o></o>
Addiction is a very complex condition, and it is influenced by many different factors. Family ties, atmosphere and sense of happiness and structure of authority in a family are all strong factors in developing drug habits later on in life. These views can be carried on later on in life when a social rank is developed Social rank plays a powerful role in addiction. Social rank influences addiction because the established hierarchy has many advantages over the lower ranked specimen. All these advantages create a circumstance from which the hierarchy does not gain the condition of addiction and the lower ranked specimen do. Environment also plays a large role as the environmental triggers are among the most powerful factors in addiction. Overcoming addiction can only be possible with change. A change in social environment as well as the places around us can have an extraordinary impact on addiction. The definition of addiction is always changing, views on the causes of addiction and what it is are constantly being explored, but one thing we know for sure is that the social and environmental factors of addiction are among the strongest factors that exist.



i wrote this when i was 16 by the way.(gr 11)
<o></o>

[KillerSmoke]

Hey Elo and Phatrick, I actually have some family that lives in Gainsville. Partay next time I'm down there?

On topic, I believe no I am no way addicted at all. There is no need to smoke marijuana, only to have fun. If marijuana is affecting your life in a negative way, why use it?

[stonero]

e-mail if you would like the non smiley face copy. i dont even know why it did that haha.

[Killa Cam]

k33pitdips3t@yahoo.com

[Phatrick]

Originally Posted by KillerSmoke

Hey Elo and Phatrick, I actually have some family that lives in Gainsville. Partay next time I'm down there?

Sounds like a plan.