Marijuana "addiction"

[kRaZy tOkA IVXX]

Originally Posted by bobhalford

Funny you say that about the psychological addiction. That's what my mom says. She says I need to go to meetings for support. She doesn't believe I've quit. I keep asking her to give me a piss test.

I haven't found it to be addictive at all, in any way. This has to be true because I just quit on the drop of the dime. Now, everyone in the addiction business knows that a user cannot quit unless he really wants to. You don't get sent to rehab and expect to stay clean. You check yourself in because you want to quit.

I didn't even want to quit. I just did it to prove to my mom that I'm not a drug addict, because it pisses me off that she thinks of me this way. I also did it thinking that it might in some way, have some positive effect. Honestly, I haven't even been tempted to use. I'm just clean and intend to remain so for a year. If there was any psychological addiction, I never could have quit like that, for no other reason than to humor my mother and give this doctor the benefit of the doubt.

I enjoy telling my mom " I didn't quit for myself. There's nothing wrong with pot. I quit for you and you only. Now tell me what kind of drug addict stays clean for a year, when he never even wanted to abstain in the first place."

Pot is that much more awesome to me, now that I see it as not even psychologically addicting.

I think a lot of you guys are in the younger age category, which is why y'all seem to smoke a large amount. You don't need 15 bong hits. If you have high quality weed, all you need is one bong hit every 3 hours. The extra hits will do nothing but burn you out. I too used to smoke in excess when in college. Maybe I've learned over time the proper way to smoke.

I also have a habit of quitting for a couple weeks each year. I do this to clean my system out so that when I return, I can get higher. But I've been able to control my use so well that I get really high, every day. I don't need the breaks, but I do it just for the sake of being sober for a while. I do manage to get really baked when I go back, but the difference isn't that much.

I just don't get that much of a tolerance. This is why smoking high quality weed is so important. It may cost a lot of money (and it's an astronomical price here in NY if you don't know the right people). But even at these high prices, it's worth it. I've found that some experienced pot smokers still don't understand this. They would rather buy a cheaper bag of average quality stuff. I've never understood that. For me, the difference is so obvious and it's not even close. No way I would ever find myself smoking 15 bong hits a day.

Another secret to my success is something called the Steamroller. Joints are proven to be the best method. But for that high quality stuff where you only take one or two hits, it's all about the steamroller.

why would you come at us and say us kids. how the fuck are you "thru" college and still listening to your fucking mother to go to a shrink. Younger Category my dick. sorry we aren't quitting pot for a year because our parents say something. Possibly your in a lower category despite your age. i found what you said to be very offensive.

You come for advice and then you find your way out and then talk shit about other peoples way like you know anything special. 1 hit every 3 hours wouldnt even get a hair on my nutsack high for that long. unless its hash oil, kief, and some crazy nug on top. But has you said again why dont we get high quality bud. bitch you got 9 posts and are claiming people on the city dont get fire ass hydro green green then u need to take a step back and re-evaluate what this holy city is about lol.

[bobhalford]

Originally Posted by kRaZy tOkA IVXX

why would you come at us and say us kids. how the fuck are you "thru" college and still listening to your fucking mother to go to a shrink. Younger Category my dick. sorry we aren't quitting pot for a year because our parents say something. Possibly your in a lower category despite your age. i found what you said to be very offensive.

You come for advice and then you find your way out and then talk shit about other peoples way like you know anything special. 1 hit every 3 hours wouldnt even get a hair on my nutsack high for that long. unless its hash oil, kief, and some crazy nug on top. But has you said again why dont we get high quality bud. bitch you got 9 posts and are claiming people on the city dont get fire ass hydro green green then u need to take a step back and re-evaluate what this holy city is about lol.

wow, looks like myself and everyone else missed the antagonistic and patronizing undertones of my post...except for you.

[PhoenixPharmer]

Originally Posted by illinisbII

ive been cutting back big time lately. from 5 or 6 bong hits a day to maybe 1 every couple days.

its not that im addicted, its just that I really like smoking marijuana, so what

I've recently cut back majorly as well.

From a Quarter to a half ounce a week, Now I try to keep it around 4.5 grams a week.

[benderrodriguez]

Originally Posted by illinisbII

^^ word, i definately see what your saying

unforunately I think i just have a bad batch, where I just cant enjoy the highs like I used to. Id consider myself a seasoned toker as Ive been toking for 6 years or so, and I find the highs as of now just straight unenjoyable.

so its one of those things where I should be getting clean so I can pass drug tests, mixed with the fact that Im just not enjoying being high like I used to.

maybe if i had some florida fire id be down to smoke, the shit I have is just kind of old and dry, still that 1 bong gets me ripped up, its just 15 minutes into the high I regret smoking it almost because of the weird side effects, maybe im just getting too high

Ive been sittin on this batch for a couple months, Ive smoked plently, and ive never had these side effects until recently, I dont know what it is.

I mean I really wish I could enjoy it dont get me wrong, its pretty strange if you ask me, theyre almost like panic attacks.

Ive been really high plenty of times, never felt any of these side effects before.

dude. First let me say to you specifically that your not alone. I and others have felt the same effects after smoking. After realizing what it was for me, I found it extremely interesting to talk and find out what it is for other people that feel or have the same side effects as you. In my non professional opinion, I would say that It has nothing to do with your weed, but everything to do with your mindset and/or feelings about your true quality of life. Its sometimes a very personal or private issue. Not everyone experiences weed the same way. And I would suggest you take a little time off from smokeing and reevalutate every aspect of your life. Please dont get offended, sometimes some people do. But Most just need time to realize the path thats in front of them, and the path that theyve been on, and make a decision on which direction to go next.

No one has to take my advice or listen to my opinions but i put it out there for people that want or need it.

[benderrodriguez]

ps. I just want to say, great post bobhalford.

[Mr. Bunglesmith]

People tell me I'm addicted all the time, which is complete bullshit. I've quit before (for tolerance breaks and such), and I can do it again. The way I see it, when I have a good reason to quit, I will. But right now the only reason to quit is to prove to others I'm not an addict, and quite frankly, I couldn't give less of a fuck what others think. Who cares if they think I'm an addict, as long as I know I'm not?

[lacrosse420]

hey i just read all of that because my gf wants me to stop and ive smoked prob like once or twice a week for the past 9 weeks but i mean wutever i jus hope its not bad

[Black-Syth]

Addiction means many things to many people.

Can you believe that some people are addicted to putting coins into slot machines?

My addiction?

I smoke weed instead of taking medicines I've been prescribed. Add medicine, antipsychotics, sleep meds, schitz meds and depression meds.

I don't take a single pill and all I do is chief and I feel great.

Them pills fuck you up and a fucking plant can get on top of shit. Fuck me if that addiction is illegal. A lot of people have more success with pot that any other drug on the market. Some people like the pills. It all depends on the person I guess. Laws are strange in such a complex environment.

I digress. Weed can be addictive, sure. But no more than booze and the other shit that we're all exposed to, if not less. Peace.

[amsterdamage]

Originally Posted by lacrosse420

hey i just read all of that because my gf wants me to stop and ive smoked prob like once or twice a week for the past 9 weeks but i mean wutever i jus hope its not bad

you hope what's not bad, withdrawal?
That's too funny, you might miss it but your body isn't dependent on it, it's marijuana you've been smoking not heroin or tobacco.

Currently the drug prevention organizations are jumping on the "marijuana is addictive" bandwagon, it's simply a scare tactic to drum up more business. On top of this the courts are offering users reduced sentences if they undertake treatment for "their addiction", of course they're accepting this offer. This is resulting in a dramatic increase in "marijuana users seeking treatment for addiction", which is being used as further evidence by the drug prevention organizations that marijuana is addictive.

The reality is, "Marijuana isn't addictive because the active ingredient in it, THC, does not become a vital part of the user's body chemistry."

Here's some links on marijuana addiction:
Comparision http://www.drugsense.org/mcwilliams/...c/addictiv.htm
Not addictive http://www.utmedicalgroup.com/pages/...addiction.html
Research http://www.stats.org/stories/2007/do...y_feb09_07.htm


"Gambling, food, sex, are not addictive. To use the word addiction in connection with these activities is to pervert the meaning of the word addiction. These things can become obsessions, that is to say, thoughts that repeat and repeat in spite of the individual not desiring to have them. They can become compulsions, in which the individual must act upon those thoughts. They can become habitual. They may be used as a way of escaping from problems in the here and now. But none of these things are physiological."

[kRaZy tOkA IVXX]

Originally Posted by amsterdamage

you hope what's not bad, withdrawal?
That's too funny, you might miss it but your body isn't dependent on it, it's marijuana you've been smoking not heroin or tobacco.

Currently the drug prevention organizations are jumping on the "marijuana is addictive" bandwagon, it's simply a scare tactic to drum up more business. On top of this the courts are offering users reduced sentences if they undertake treatment for "their addiction", of course they're accepting this offer. This is resulting in a dramatic increase in "marijuana users seeking treatment for addiction", which is being used as further evidence by the drug prevention organizations that marijuana is addictive.

The reality is, "Marijuana isn't addictive because the active ingredient in it, THC, does not become a vital part of the user's body chemistry."

Here's some links on marijuana addiction:
Comparision http://www.drugsense.org/mcwilliams/...c/addictiv.htm
Not addictive http://www.utmedicalgroup.com/pages/...addiction.html
Research http://www.stats.org/stories/2007/do...y_feb09_07.htm


"Gambling, food, sex, are not addictive. To use the word addiction in connection with these activities is to pervert the meaning of the word addiction. These things can become obsessions, that is to say, thoughts that repeat and repeat in spite of the individual not desiring to have them. They can become compulsions, in which the individual must act upon those thoughts. They can become habitual. They may be used as a way of escaping from problems in the here and now. But none of these things are physiological."

very well put id give you more rep but i just did rofl!

[kief thief]

Originally Posted by Black-Syth

Addiction means many things to many people.

Can you believe that some people are addicted to putting coins into slot machines?

My addiction?

I smoke weed instead of taking medicines I've been prescribed. Add medicine, antipsychotics, sleep meds, schitz meds and depression meds.

I don't take a single pill and all I do is chief and I feel great.

Them pills fuck you up and a fucking plant can get on top of shit. Fuck me if that addiction is illegal. A lot of people have more success with pot that any other drug on the market. Some people like the pills. It all depends on the person I guess. Laws are strange in such a complex environment.

I digress. Weed can be addictive, sure. But no more than booze and the other shit that we're all exposed to, if not less. Peace.

Good for you going outside our governments fucked up health care system. Just because you're given sound medical advise that these pills will help you doesn't mean its what will work best for you. However be sure you're not just telling you're self its working better than meds just cause you like to toke more than pop pills. Self medication is tricky. I wish doctors could prescibe weed for psychological illness.

[BKKG]

I just thought I'd throw my two cents in. Firstly, good for you OP, the fact that you can quit like this justifies your use (in my mind, at least, maybe not your mom's...)

And a couple of weeks ago we were talking about drugs in my macroeconomics class, and making a drug illegal doesn't cut down on the amount of use in society very much... it just jacks up the cost for a buyer, because the substance is that much more valuable to the seller since it's harder to get.

So the anti-pot crowd can run all the BS education classes they want, but making it illegal just hurts responsible users and doesn't cut down on the irresponsible ones at all.

[amsterdamage]

Originally Posted by BKKG

I just thought I'd throw my two cents in. Firstly, good for you OP, the fact that you can quit like this justifies your use (in my mind, at least, maybe not your mom's...)

And a couple of weeks ago we were talking about drugs in my macroeconomics class, and making a drug illegal doesn't cut down on the amount of use in society very much... it just jacks up the cost for a buyer, because the substance is that much more valuable to the seller since it's harder to get.

So the anti-pot crowd can run all the BS education classes they want, but making it illegal just hurts responsible users and doesn't cut down on the irresponsible ones at all.

That's interesting, man.
Since you're taking economics I guess you're familiar with Milton Friedman and this:
http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/

Making anything illegal doesn't reduce demand, it just moves the profit from the legal market to the hands of criminals. And it hurts more than just the consumers it hurts all of society.

The prohibition is directly responsible for the arrest of 800,000 people every year in this country, the spending of $10 billion every year in criminal justice expenses, the diverting of $113 billion every year into the hands of criminals, and for denying society $31 billion in annual tax revenues.
That's a hell of a lot of schools and free college education that taxpayers are throwing away.

[MattD]

Originally Posted by bobhalford

Hi everyone. I just wanted to see what y'all think about this. I've been smoking pot a pretty long time. At times, I thought I had a problem with it, and wound up quitting for some time. In the early years, I believe pot sort of got to me in a bad way. Nothing dramatic, but that I could function better smoking less.

Fast forward to the present, where I smoke a decent amount of kind bud. Somehow, over the years, I've managed to be able to function properly on pot. I'll take a few hits every few hours, and I've never felt guilty about it. I think my brain has managed to adjust to it in such a way that I can function. I'm able to control my use by smoking high quality pot and not smoking more than 2-3 hits at a time. I don't know the last time I felt lethargic or "out of it," better known as being "burnt." I definitely got "burnt" a few times in college, but that was many years ago. I can't remember the last time I felt burnt.

My mother thinks that pot is responsible for all the problems in my life. She attends ALANon for this.

A few months ago she sent me to a doctor/shrink for an evaluation of my mental state. I agreed to this just to humor her. She thinks I have manic/depressive tendencies and I don't relate to that at all. So just to settle it, I agreed to see this doctor.

Turns out that this doctor is some kind of expert on marijuana (surprise surprise).

He says pot impairs "reality testing." Also, pot impairs one's ability to "fully inhabit others' realities." Potheads have trouble editing their speech, so they often spew when conversing (sadly I've found this to be true). They have trouble organizing their thoughts.

He says that after a marijuana user quits smoking for 3 days, scans of the brain are identical to those of a schizophrenic person.

Apparently, since pot stays in your system for so long, it takes 6-9 months of abstinence to fully recover from it.

He also said all this stuff about withdrawal symptoms and said that I needed to go to rehab and meetings. I thought this part was hogwash. I quit for no other reason than curiosity and to prove to my mother that I'm not a drug addict. So no rehab and no meetings and I'm almost at 90 days. No withdrawal symptoms to speak of.

So far, I can say that being clean from pot has done absolutely nothing for me. But I've decided to give this guy the benefit of the doubt and commit to a year of sobriety, just to see what happens. The guy had a very nice office, so I figure he's got to be doing something right.

I posted this story on another board (not related to weed) and one fellow said, "Every douchey rehab doctor/counselor says that about herb. I've heard that same pitch verbatim. In one year you'll realize you wasted a year not smoking for absolutely nothing."

Another guys said, "I'm also an ex pot smoker. For me, the impetus to quit was a realization that I no longer found being high all that enjoyable. I can't say that using pot seriously screwed up my life, or that quitting made a big positive difference, but I do find I have a little more mental clarity without it, which I like. I think the 6 - 9 months thing is way off. I'd say after 6 - 9 days, you will have seen most of the change your going to see. I'm not sorry I did pot. I enjoyed it a lot when I was younger. I'm not sorry I quit either, but I'm not about to say that's the right decision for everybody. I think I just sort of outgrew it.

Unfortunately, the 12-steppers seem to have converted most of the psychological community to their religion. Now, I think AA and it's descendants have helped a lot of people, and their program does seem to be as effective as anything, but it really is a religion, or at least a dogma and most of them seem to believe that their way is the only way to kick an addiction, and that is certainly not the case. I certainly didn't need any rehab program to quit smoking pot. I just quit, and the withdrawal symptoms for pot, if any, are pretty mild. For me it was a few nights of insomnia, and a few more nights of more vivid than normal dreams, nothing I couldn't handle. In fact, the dreams were kind of cool."

I thought that after 90 days, I could say something to recommend quitting pot. But all I can say so far is that I saved a little $$. That's it. I went into this with an open mind, figuring this doctor with his fancy artwork and nice address/office could have a point. Maybe some of my problems in life could be attributed to pot smoking. But so far, I've seen zero evidence of this. I'm going to continue to give this guy the benefit of the doubt and remain clean from pot for a full year. 9 months to get it out of my system (lol) and 3 months of life in this new state. I can't believe this guy said I needed to go to rehab, what a waste of money, and I'd be the only pothead in there.

By contrast, I've had experiences with alcohol and cocaine which blew my mind. There was no doubt that these substances were god awful. I won't go into all the details, but I can say that those experiences proved to me how harmless a drug pot is. I've never felt guilty about pot.

All I can say is that it's a wonderful drug. In my experience, I've never considered it a "mood altering substance." I've never used it to "self-medicate." That is because if you are sad or depressed, pot will not make you feel happy. Cocaine will certainly lift your mood (temporarily) and so will alcohol. If anything, pot will enhance your depression.

There are so many times I've done something stupid, smoked pot, and realized what I'd done. Several times I've found myself apologizing to people for some insensitive remark made while sober. Pot is in a class of it's own. I think it is good for society, unlike every other non-psychedelic drug.

There is a reason why people don't take pot smoking seriously. That is because it's safe and does not damage a person's life. In the 70's barbiturates were popular. Nowadays, no one uses them anymore. Why? Because people would die from using them! So these drugs eventually stopped being used. If pot were so harmful, don't you think people would notice?

I should have asked the doctor "Is there some kind of side effect from pot that brain-washes the user into thinking that it's ok when in reality it is damaging his life?" Because that's really the only way it can be possible that pot is harmful.

I smoke every day and I will keep smoking till the day I die the only time I don't smoke is during tolerence breaks for a month every 8 months.

[waterlotus]

hey, i just wanted to say:

i am really sorry for all you have had to endure with your mom and the doctor. i think if i was in your shoes, i would feel really heavy about the issue. you seem like a person that is seeking your own truth, so know that there are many of us out "here", aka your soul is not alone, and you are on a brilliant path of self discovery, which may be more than your mom can comprehend at this time. keep showing her love, stand your ground....these actions will bless her life too.

safety and warmth on your journey~

p.s. to the boy with the girlyfriend that wants him to stop smoking: bro, get out while you can...otherwise you are looking at a long life of submission and depression. your girl needs to accept you for who you are...she has NO right to ask you to stop...where are you going to draw the line??? stand up for your truth, yo~ (otherwise, you may create a mother like the one listed above, out-of-touch-with-reality ((reality: you can only change yourself; suspended reality: you can change others)) and over baring/accusatory)