Has anyone tried overcoming alcohol with Weed?
Guest
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Oregon
Posts: 47
Has anyone tried overcoming alcohol with Weed?
Has anyone tried overcoming alcohol with Weed?
I can't smoke it because I am also addicted to cigarettes (clean 20 years and 2 months - yay!), but I could eat it. Yes it's legal where I live. I don't want to become a stoner, just to take the edge off at first.
Anyone have experience? Thanks from sunny and cold Oregon.
I can't smoke it because I am also addicted to cigarettes (clean 20 years and 2 months - yay!), but I could eat it. Yes it's legal where I live. I don't want to become a stoner, just to take the edge off at first.
Anyone have experience? Thanks from sunny and cold Oregon.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,386
first off disclaimer - I also moderate the marijuana forum here.
I went from weed to alcohol - but it was a really bad idea.
The same obsessions, the same lies, the same secrets, the shame - every bad soul destroying thing I did with alcohol I did with weed first.
I look back now and I see I was really the problem - not the substances I used.
My problem was a predilection to addiction - replacing one thing with another thing also with a high risk of addiction just gave me a slightly different flavoured crud sandwich.
The first step to getting free of addiction is to avoid addictive substances, not take more on.
Legal schmegal, Alcohol is legal too.
I know you feel bad and kinda ill today on day one but this is a REALLY bad idea IMO Benito.
.D
I went from weed to alcohol - but it was a really bad idea.
The same obsessions, the same lies, the same secrets, the shame - every bad soul destroying thing I did with alcohol I did with weed first.
I look back now and I see I was really the problem - not the substances I used.
My problem was a predilection to addiction - replacing one thing with another thing also with a high risk of addiction just gave me a slightly different flavoured crud sandwich.
The first step to getting free of addiction is to avoid addictive substances, not take more on.
Legal schmegal, Alcohol is legal too.
I know you feel bad and kinda ill today on day one but this is a REALLY bad idea IMO Benito.
.D
Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,164
I didn't move from alcohol to weed. I went in the opposite direction. I smoked a lot of pot for 2 years, averaging 3 times a day, maybe. I started panicking on it, and decide to quit. It wasn't a major undertaking. I just decided I could not do it anymore. But I distinctly remember thinking, "At least I can always depend on alcohol." It was very consoling at the time. I had no idea I would become an alcoholic.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,408
I never did pot but I was a heavy chain smoker for many years. During that time I never drank much. A few on the weekend kind of thing.
When I quit smoking I started drinking heavy two years later. Never would have thought I'd become addicted to alcohol. Never. I figured if I was going to be like that, it would have happened many years ago. Oh well. live and learn.
The lesson here seems to be: be careful trading one poison for another.
When I quit smoking I started drinking heavy two years later. Never would have thought I'd become addicted to alcohol. Never. I figured if I was going to be like that, it would have happened many years ago. Oh well. live and learn.
The lesson here seems to be: be careful trading one poison for another.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: Oregon
Posts: 47
Originally Posted by WaterOx 
I never did pot but I was a heavy chain smoker for many years. During that time I never drank much. A few on the weekend kind of thing.
When I quit smoking I started drinking heavy two years later. Never would have thought I'd become addicted to alcohol. Never. I figured if I was going to be like that, it would have happened many years ago. Oh well. live and learn.
The lesson here seems to be: be careful trading one poison for another.
When I quit smoking I started drinking heavy two years later. Never would have thought I'd become addicted to alcohol. Never. I figured if I was going to be like that, it would have happened many years ago. Oh well. live and learn.
The lesson here seems to be: be careful trading one poison for another.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Central America/Florida USA
Posts: 4,064
Some good advice here.
I tried doing the same thing. The result? I ended up pretty damn addicted to weed and ended up doing the same old song and dance I did with alcohol. You know the drill: angry if you don't have any, going out at odd hours to get some, and getting stoned at inappropriate times (I recall going over to my buddy's place to see his newborn baby and getting stoned beforehand. Nobody noticed but let's be honest: that's not cool at all).
In short, like others have said, the substance itself is only a fraction of the problem. In my case, the main issue was my own personal need to "escape reality". As you mentioned about "taking the edge off"....taking the edge off what, exactly? Reality?
I was so damn afraid to face the world 100% sober. Drugs and alcohol were first a crutch, then a safety net. But honestly in my experience life has been much more manageable without them. If you start smoking or eating MJ, it'll only delay that full recovery you are seeking - in my experience.
I tried doing the same thing. The result? I ended up pretty damn addicted to weed and ended up doing the same old song and dance I did with alcohol. You know the drill: angry if you don't have any, going out at odd hours to get some, and getting stoned at inappropriate times (I recall going over to my buddy's place to see his newborn baby and getting stoned beforehand. Nobody noticed but let's be honest: that's not cool at all).
In short, like others have said, the substance itself is only a fraction of the problem. In my case, the main issue was my own personal need to "escape reality". As you mentioned about "taking the edge off"....taking the edge off what, exactly? Reality?
I was so damn afraid to face the world 100% sober. Drugs and alcohol were first a crutch, then a safety net. But honestly in my experience life has been much more manageable without them. If you start smoking or eating MJ, it'll only delay that full recovery you are seeking - in my experience.
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 14,916
Many years ago in college I drank heavily, but so did everyone else. Then some guys in my dorm discovered marijuana, and pretty soon that become my drug of choice and my alcohol use really went down. But as I neared graduation I realized that I needed to quite smoking as it was illegal and I could have screwed up my future career.
No problem I thought, I will just go back to drinking. I had no problem giving up marijuana, but my drinking really increased. As Dee said, I just traded one addiction for another, I needed to work on me.
No problem I thought, I will just go back to drinking. I had no problem giving up marijuana, but my drinking really increased. As Dee said, I just traded one addiction for another, I needed to work on me.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,408
Plus IDK how anyone can manage weed on a daily basis. Forget being stoned, the smell is so strong. And people think they can cover it up but they can't. Even when they change their clothes, it gets into your closet and into your entire wardrobe.
Alcohol was hard enough to fuss over....I just can't imagine going to that length with weed, not even remotely.
Alcohol was hard enough to fuss over....I just can't imagine going to that length with weed, not even remotely.
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
Taking the edge off? Alcohol used to do that. There was a good feeling that came with the first few drinks, but then I began to over shoot that mark and all kinds of insanity followed.
After a few months dry I tried, at the suggestion of well meaning friends, a single toke to take the edge off. Within seconds a drink was down my neck and I stayed drunk for most of the following year. Attempting to chemically alter my mood led instantly back to my drug of no choice. JME.
But there is another side to this discussion. The edge. For me as an alcoholic, life without booze was as bad if not worse than life drinking. It was distinctly uncomfortable. The reason being I had an alcoholic mind that did not go away just because there was no booze. My way of interacting with the world was so unsatisfactory that I always reverted to the booze as the easier path.
When I got sober, this time for good, I realized that I needed that edge. It made me uncomfortable which motivated me to take the action needed to recover. It was a painful process but there was no way out, no way this problem could be fixed without pain.
It is easy to get something to take the edge off if you wish. Legal or illegal, medical or self prescribed. But the danger I saw for me, and that I have seen manifest among countless others, is that taking the edge off, killing the pain needed to progress recovery, can very possibly kill the recovery too.
All the above does not mention the danger of swapping one addiction for another, which many others have covered.
After a few months dry I tried, at the suggestion of well meaning friends, a single toke to take the edge off. Within seconds a drink was down my neck and I stayed drunk for most of the following year. Attempting to chemically alter my mood led instantly back to my drug of no choice. JME.
But there is another side to this discussion. The edge. For me as an alcoholic, life without booze was as bad if not worse than life drinking. It was distinctly uncomfortable. The reason being I had an alcoholic mind that did not go away just because there was no booze. My way of interacting with the world was so unsatisfactory that I always reverted to the booze as the easier path.
When I got sober, this time for good, I realized that I needed that edge. It made me uncomfortable which motivated me to take the action needed to recover. It was a painful process but there was no way out, no way this problem could be fixed without pain.
It is easy to get something to take the edge off if you wish. Legal or illegal, medical or self prescribed. But the danger I saw for me, and that I have seen manifest among countless others, is that taking the edge off, killing the pain needed to progress recovery, can very possibly kill the recovery too.
All the above does not mention the danger of swapping one addiction for another, which many others have covered.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 2,407
Good advice I got early in recovery “you are the problem”. No truer phrase said. The substance is merely a symptom of a dis-ease with being alive. Sort the dis-ease with a recovery program and voila no desire for any mind-mood altering substance. One is content and serene with themselves and their life and place in the universe.
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 8,674
Sure, people try it (and switching all kinds of other stuff). But if we are actually willing and smart, we listen to exactly what Dee and others have said.
In short, it's only a road to quickly justified escapism that leads to only bad things. Why would I do it? Only because I'm an addict- which makes it a triply bad idea.
In short, it's only a road to quickly justified escapism that leads to only bad things. Why would I do it? Only because I'm an addict- which makes it a triply bad idea.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,164
Weed is not a cure, because there is a physical component to alcoholism. Your body adapts itself to actually need alcohol. You would still need alcohol. In addition, you may develop a psychological need for weed. Now you would be addicted to two things.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Posts: 742
Some people sware by it but I dont think many are alcoholics and I don't think many stoners get or really need to get the concept of alcoholism. The underlying reasons drunks drink, the obsession and all. Almost like in the big book page 20 where it talks about how people think we can just stop drinking. I would add many stoners will say why can't he just smoke weed instead?
I hate to say it can be done because I think for many alcoholics weed is fool's gold. I've heard of it being done, I don't agree with it, it's not for me I can you tell you that much. If somebody is sober a long time and smokes pot, that's their business. They just may require a different path to recovery than me, or probably most. What I'm saying is you PROBABLY shouldn't. I think you may be leading yourself into an ambush from the obsession. I am not the be all end all substance abuse problem solver for everybody and it's not like I have my stuff 100% together.
For me its obvious why I cant smoke pot. Believe me, I've smoked a lot of pot. In my neighborhood back in the 80s many of us were trying pot at 9 years old. Weed was easier to get than alcohol. I smoked daily for a long time. One of my sayings that would absolutely blow stoner's minds, "I'm too high to drive, I need a few beers so that I can get my car home!" I'm one of those people that gets paranoid easily and the only cure for me for weed paranoia is a drink!
I'm an American and I think our law was manipulated by government and the media to make weed illegal in the first place. I support the right for people to smoke pot. I don't deny that some stoners lead productive lives. Who I am to try and determine whether someone's pot use is a problem in their life or harmless fun?
For me it was another problem. It absolutely crippled my motivation as a youngster. It took such a long time to get a career off the ground. I hate to think how rich I might be now if I wasn't smoking that garbage all the time. Especially the type of work I do now, I'd hate to throw that crap in the mix now!
Restless, irritable, discontent! That's what many of us face. I don't mean to cliche but that's what the steps are for. Or even some alternative method, which doesn't use the steps. Recovery to me is understanding WHY do I feel restless, irritable, discontent and HOW do I get it corrected. Steps 4 through 7 I feel is the real nuts and bolts of AA. If it were easy everybody would do it to perfection and nobody would be abusing alcohol anymore.
Working the steps is a longer term solution but a quick and almost daily fix for me is exercise. I get high off what God gave me. A good, hard workout gets the brain chemicals, blood, organs, muscles all working together. I think the body has evolved to require exercise. Covering a large distance of land in tropical climate is what man naturally does well compared to other animals. We also have the ability to adapt to the colder climates. Climb, throw, jump, muscles are part of a body directly wired to a brain and a soul. and some call weed mother nature!
I hate to say it can be done because I think for many alcoholics weed is fool's gold. I've heard of it being done, I don't agree with it, it's not for me I can you tell you that much. If somebody is sober a long time and smokes pot, that's their business. They just may require a different path to recovery than me, or probably most. What I'm saying is you PROBABLY shouldn't. I think you may be leading yourself into an ambush from the obsession. I am not the be all end all substance abuse problem solver for everybody and it's not like I have my stuff 100% together.
For me its obvious why I cant smoke pot. Believe me, I've smoked a lot of pot. In my neighborhood back in the 80s many of us were trying pot at 9 years old. Weed was easier to get than alcohol. I smoked daily for a long time. One of my sayings that would absolutely blow stoner's minds, "I'm too high to drive, I need a few beers so that I can get my car home!" I'm one of those people that gets paranoid easily and the only cure for me for weed paranoia is a drink!
I'm an American and I think our law was manipulated by government and the media to make weed illegal in the first place. I support the right for people to smoke pot. I don't deny that some stoners lead productive lives. Who I am to try and determine whether someone's pot use is a problem in their life or harmless fun?
For me it was another problem. It absolutely crippled my motivation as a youngster. It took such a long time to get a career off the ground. I hate to think how rich I might be now if I wasn't smoking that garbage all the time. Especially the type of work I do now, I'd hate to throw that crap in the mix now!
Restless, irritable, discontent! That's what many of us face. I don't mean to cliche but that's what the steps are for. Or even some alternative method, which doesn't use the steps. Recovery to me is understanding WHY do I feel restless, irritable, discontent and HOW do I get it corrected. Steps 4 through 7 I feel is the real nuts and bolts of AA. If it were easy everybody would do it to perfection and nobody would be abusing alcohol anymore.
Working the steps is a longer term solution but a quick and almost daily fix for me is exercise. I get high off what God gave me. A good, hard workout gets the brain chemicals, blood, organs, muscles all working together. I think the body has evolved to require exercise. Covering a large distance of land in tropical climate is what man naturally does well compared to other animals. We also have the ability to adapt to the colder climates. Climb, throw, jump, muscles are part of a body directly wired to a brain and a soul. and some call weed mother nature!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,909
just to take the edge off
I can see a lot of similarities to my recovery. The sharp edge is my friend. It is not there to harm me, if I pay attention and respect it. What messages are the edge sending me?
Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Posts: 2,654
Addiction is addiction, doesn’t matter what the subject matter is: alcohol, marijuana, heroin, cigarettes. fatty foods and non-ingested. gambling, social media etc. Stopping one addiction by replacing it with another, doesn’t sound like progress to me.
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Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
Posts: 535
Originally Posted by benitoD
Has anyone tried overcoming alcohol with Weed?
I can't smoke it because I am also addicted to cigarettes (clean 20 years and 2 months - yay!), but I could eat it. Yes it's legal where I live. I don't want to become a stoner, just to take the edge off at first.
Anyone have experience? Thanks from sunny and cold Oregon.
I can't smoke it because I am also addicted to cigarettes (clean 20 years and 2 months - yay!), but I could eat it. Yes it's legal where I live. I don't want to become a stoner, just to take the edge off at first.
Anyone have experience? Thanks from sunny and cold Oregon.
Find something healthy to regain control of your feelings. Empower yourself with a high value behavior.
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