SteppingItUp

Politics aside, in my opinion only, it's okay for people who don't have an addiction to alcohol to drink a little wine or beer now and then, but it's a very bad idea for addicts. For a non-addict, as long as it's not crossing the line into placing a person's life into unhealthy changes, I don't have a big empirical problem with either alcohol or marijuana. But if you're conscious of the fact that you have a problem when it comes to alcohol, you believe that you may have transferred your addiction into smoking marijuana, and you're worried about it enough to go searching for help and info, most likely it's because there is indeed a problem. Liver and lungs aside. My last thought is that at some level it might be theoretically possible for someone who needs a temporary crutch or bridge to distance themselves enough from their original problem (I did that from my former DOC by self-dosing methadone--not recommended even if I got clean that way; still, there are other substitution therapies that save many addicts who cannot be allowed to relapse), but it would likely take a small miracle, the right person, the right time, the right everything for that to happen, the person doing it would have to be completely aware of the risks involved, and, yes, there would be risks involved. If there's no professional, no one with experience and no programmatic, systematic change in thinking, breaking any addiction (or habit that matter) can be very hard to do. Sheesh, it's hard anyway.

I don't know if you're aware of this, but there is a 12 step program called Marijuana Anonymous. They put out some questions and literature that you might consider reading. Here are a few excerpts from sources put out by Marijuana Anonymous World Services that might help you to answer some things for yourself.

12 Questions

1. Has smoking pot stopped being fun?
2. Do you ever get high alone?
3. Is it hard for you to imagine a life without marijuana?
4. Do you find that your friends are determined by your marijuana use?
5. Do you smoke marijuana to avoid dealing with your problems?
6. Do you smoke pot to cope with your feelings?
7. Does your marijuana use let you live in a privately defined world?
8. Have you ever failed to keep promises you made about cutting down or controlling your dope smoking?
9. Has your use of marijuana caused problems with memory, concentration, or motivation?
10. When your stash is nearly empty, do you feel anxious or worried about how to get more?
11. Do you plan your life around your marijuana use?
12. Have friends or relatives ever complained that your pot smoking is damaging your relationship with them?


Q: Why do I need MA to quit using marijuana?

A: Maybe you don't. “Marijuana Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share our experience, strength, and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction.” If you haven't crossed over the line from using to abusing to addiction, you can probably quit using it any time you'd like. Marijuana Anonymous is for those of us who crossed over that line into addiction and for whom “just saying no” is no longer an option. We need more than just will power to refrain from using. We need the help of other addicts who understand our problem. If you are an addict we are here to help you.


Q: How can there be marijuana addicts if marijuana is not addicting?

A: “We who are marijuana addicts know the answer to this question. Marijuana controls our lives! We lose interest in all else; our dreams go up in smoke. Ours is a progressive illness often leading us to addictions to other drugs, including alcohol. Our lives, our thinking, and our desires center around marijuana—scoring it, dealing it, and finding ways to stay high” (Life With Hope, p. xi).

Based on our own experiences, we who seek recovery in MA generally consider ourselves to be marijuana addicts. Whether or not our addiction is psychological, physical, or both, matters little. When it comes to the use of marijuana, we have lost the power of choice. It is strictly up to the individual to decide whether he or she feels addicted to marijuana. MA has no opinion about marijuana itself one way or another. Marijuana Anonymous exists solely to provide a means of recovery to the suffering addict who seeks help.


I imagine that there are also people at AA and NA who have tried the "trick" you've talked about, who could also share their thoughts and experiences with you. Needless to say, I imagine that most people who have abused it and stopped might often be in a better place than someone who hasn't.