ItsJustMe89

I am curious why a recovering alcoholic has to abstain from smoking marijuana. If marijuana has been a problem for that person in the past, then I understand staying away from it as well. But for me, I don't smoke like a pot head even when I am actively drinking. Even in active alcohol addiction, I could make a bag of pot stretch longer then anyone I know because I don't smoke every day, I never smoke during the day, and I don't smoke with friends. I only like to smoke a few hits right before bed to help me relax and fall asleep. but I don't do that every night. It is an occasional thing and I don't even have to try to moderate because I naturally use a very tiny amount only on occasion without having to try to moderate. I can go very long stretches of time without smoking at all and its not like I have to work hard at it like I do when I try to quit drinking. it is just not an issue for me.

I understand that I have a problem with alcohol. I accept that the best thing to do is completely abstain from alcohol. But why do I have to give up marijuana also when that is not an issue for me?

Dee74

For me the answer would be an unequivocal yes.

I destroyed my life on pot as much as I did later on alcohol.

pot and alcohol not only fed the same demon - escape from reality - they also both hit the same parts of the brain...so when I was stoned I wanted to drink as well, and vice versa.

Pot and alcohol both lowered my inhibitions and led me to some pretty dumb choices.

If you've given up alcohol you've already got one hand free of the shackles - why wouldn't you want the other hand freee as well?

D

Lorax1981

I had to quit both cuz I abused both. They do act on similar receptors so the brain may not be able to fully recover even with only occasional pot use. I'm no expert, just have experience:-) If you can do it occasionally and it doesn't increase slowly with not having the drink and you get something out of it then it's your call. But I will always recommend full sober. It wasn't until I quit both that I got the full effect. Maybe give full sober a good 6 months to a year and see how it feels?

Soberwolf

I had friends who life was destroyed from cannabis so yes

RDBplus3

Is the 'Addiction' running the asylum? Whatever the high is from, the part of us that justifies feeding that demon - escape from reality - keeps itself hidden, just like the 'Wizard' in the Wizard of Oz ...

Why not take a set period of time, say 6 months, completely FREE from ALL substances that feed that 'escape from reality' ... just to prove to yourself there is no 'Addiction' ... but can you actually do it ... or will the Wizard keep pulling the strings, and that demon keep convincing you that YOU are really running the asylum???

RDBplus3 ... now Happy, Joyous and FREE ... from pot also ... which in itself is a MIRACLE ... for me

Eddiebuckle

I was an infrequent user of pot as well. When I honestly considered how and I why I smoked, it was for the same reasons that I drank: to escape and to make me feel better. The choice is yours, of course, but the expression "nothing changes if nothing changes" comes to mind. If you manage to not drink, odds are that pot will morph into the substance you use to fill the void. Sobriety is hard: a large part of the work is learning to deal with those things that cause us to want to drink and use. Pot is an all to convenient way to avoid that work - which most likely will ultimately lead to relapse.

Take a serious look at the list of reasons you put in your original post. It sounds to me that you rely on pot. If it really is a "I can take it or leave it" thing, try abstaining for six months. If that is unacceptable or too difficult, I think you should really reconsider how "minimal" your chemical/psychological reliance on pot is.

Nonsensical

What if we re-phrased your question?

Can I keep smoking pot even though it might be putting my recovery from alcoholism at risk?

BringingBackB

Agree wholeheartedly with this. We are getting into a bit of a minefield here, but in my view using pot is just a booze substitute for you, and a number, the learned behaviours in your brain, which I believe we need to train and alter to rid ourselves of destructive addictive behaviours, will not change if you are still reliant on another substance.

Of course, Iam sure there are exceptions to this rule, but as Dee et al have said, I have also seen people get as messed up on weed as any other drug.

Best of luck

IOAA2

Hi.
" I only like to smoke a few hits right before bed to help me relax and fall asleep."

From my experience it would be safer to examine the reasons you’re not relaxed and work on that as to fool around something that is not safe for an alcoholic.

BE WELL

doggonecarl

I quit doing drugs in 1986, but kept drinking because alcohol wasn't the problem. Yet, here I am. Finally sober. Because alcohol was a problem, was a drug.

You wonder if a recovering alcoholic can still get high. Well first off, you recently relapsed, so your smoking isn't helping you stay sober, is it.

And it probably won't.

As for it not being an issue for you, this is what you wrote when you relapsed:

Ask yourself why you are clinging so tightly to continuing this habit.

Tooshabby

My experience is that chronic use of pot smoking leads to extreme lethargy and lack of motivation. I also found that smoking made me want to drink and smoke cigarettes, especially if smoking marijuana had made me anxious. It affects my lungs and breathing badly too, like everyone else's - too many negatives for me - costs money. I've said it's not allowed in the house because I find it too tempting. Just like alcohol. Thanks for the post - interesting question :-)

ScottFromWI

If it is not an issue for you why not just quit? Most addicts (alcoholics included) tend to have addictive tendencies across the board. Many have tried to keep smoking while abstaining from alcohol but usually the smoking replaces the alcohol.

For someone who has "no issue" with it you have certainly spent a lot of time trying to justify it...ask yourself why that is.

FreeOwl

I found that continuing to smoke pot in my first attempt at sobriety opened the same cycles of thinking and behavior that alcohol was a part of.

I made it three months but then started smoking pot. Not much... But within three months is decided to start drinking again.

After a year and a half long binge, I got back to sobriety, this time without pot, alcohol or any drug apart from coffee.

This time around - everything is different. Everything is better. Sobriety continues to deepen and life continues to grow.

More than a year and a half of sober life and I'm grateful and happy.

Yeah.... Pot had to go too, for me.

ItsJustMe89

Thank you for all your replies. I have to be honest and say that I am still on my relapse. I relapsed on May 7th when I was on sober day 87. Since then, I have "attempted" to get back into recovery by picking up a white chip on 3 different occasions. But it didn't last for more then 3 days. I wasn't very serious or committed to getting back on track so I view everything since May 7th as the same relapse that has just continued.

I guess by posting this thread, I am just feeling sorry for myself that I am not like everyone else. That for me, any mood altering substance is dangerous. I think I know that but sometimes denial clouds me from accepting it.

I just see everyone else who can drink normally. I know by now that I cannot. But then there are so many people who smoke pot. It seems like most people do. And when Im in a bad mood, I let it bother me that because I am an alcoholic, I cant handle marijuana either. It seems so unfair. Somehow I am going to have to come to acceptance about these facts about myself.

ScottFromWI

Our addiction tries to tell us a lot of things to keep us using. That it's "unfair" that we cannot drink ( or smoke ). It tells us that "everyone drinks" or so it seems. It tells us that we "need" to drink to deal with our stress/lives. It tells us that we will eventuallly be able to regain control of our use and be "normal" again.

Unfortunately it's all BS. Addicts cannot ever regain "normal" use. And while it may not be "fair", it's not something we can change. It is what it is. I think your last sentence really sums it up...that's the challenge we all faced at some point. Accepting that we are addicts and that we cannot pick up the first drink.

The good news is that there are lots and lots of healthy ways to deal with life and anyone can achieve sobriety if they really want to. You mention pickup up chips....do you have a sponsor or have you worked the steps? Perhaps getting a little more involved with AA might help, or any other recovery method for that matter.

thomas11

Full disclosure, I am not a pot smoker and never have been so I cannot speak from experience. I guess I just have a question, why do you need mind altering substances in your body? For example, I know why I drank, it was to get drunk and escape. It made me feel good. Period.

PennyLane76

Jeff, I am confused here by your post. Alcohol is a mind altering substance, same as pot. Same, same, chasing the high. Period

Scram

I seriously hope this post doesn't cause issues on the board. And honestly, I would probably defer to those on here with extended, successful sobriety.

With that said, I know two former serious alcoholics who now smoke weed. Neither has touched alcohol in 5+ years. Both seem relatively happy and successful, although you never know what's going on behind the scenes. One is a daily smoker, the other on occasion. So... it's not completely unheard of to continue/start smoking pot after giving up alcohol. That doesn't mean it's a good idea for most people.

SixStringZen

If it's "no big deal" when you do it, then why is it such a big deal not to do it?

Nonsensical

I had a big case of the "that's unfairs" for a long time. What I know now that I didn't know then is that I was a slave; and that thinking - it seems so unfair- is the thinking of a slave.

I used to think giving up alcohol was a terribly high price to pay. I resisted it for a very long time. I couldn't bear the cost. Now I can't believe I was willing to sell my freedom so cheaply. I agreed to be shackled in exchange for a dang bottle of liquor.

Never again. I won Life's Lottery, and the meager cost of the ticket was sober living. A fantastic bargain.

You can do this.