windysan

I know that in "legal" states you have to have a note from a doctor, right? That ain't self medicating. Weed, meh, I could care less about the stuff.

vicodaniel

We can have the pot argument forever, smoking cigarettes is self medicating too and proven to be devastatingly harmful.Taking supplements herbs and the like is self medicating. Man has been self medicating since he first discovered which plants or substances had which effect. Some people use a little pot or alcohol without abusing, them some can't.I was able to do so for 30 years then I ran into opiates and became addicted.As Eroica said not everybody who is or was addicted, is bitter angry and resentful.Just as there is diversity in society that should be tolerated, I believe the diversity we have on SR should be tolerated and celebrated.There is no typical addict, we all have our DOC's and our demons. Nobody is going to argue about what the 12 step program has done to help so many people. I am so happy for those like Em who are working it and having success.Tripstar has already self medicated himself to quit drinking, is this the ideal game plan? Probably not, but perhaps a good stepping stone.If someone can smoke a little weed to help improve their life then I'm all for it.There are many using it for chronic pain and other ailments. The key is are we using or abusing? Is the impact on our lives negative, positive or neutral.12 steppers we will ,love you congratulate and support your victories. Alternative methods ? Hey, where we are is a lot better than where we were.

getr345

It's funny how I think about pot now that I'm done with it. I can see it all so clearly, and how for me, it really was an addiction, stronger in it's pull even more so than some other drugs which one might associate with being more addictive, like cocaine. My mind is so much more clear now and the argument that used to go on in my head (and in some of my posts) defending pot is no longer there. If YOU wanna do it, OK good for you, hope you enjoy it as I once did many moons ago. If you think it might not be something you want to keep on doing, let me know and I'll share my story and try to help. Otherwise, the only thing that really matters to me is that thankfully, I got honest with myself about it.

Stagebear

And if that was all there was to it, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion on a sober recovery board, eh?
I'm out...it's just going to get locked anyway.

vicodaniel

I thought there was also a little more to my post than the one line you quoted,Stgbr. If some one has to abstain from all substances to get where they need to be, I'm all for that too! You are right though ,probably best to give this subject a break !

change4penny

Bottom line....unlike advil, cigarettes, and suboxone prescribed by a doctor...I'm not going to get arrested for driving under the influence with these things, or having them in my purse or on my person.
I'm not going to lose a job when they random test me either.
The above cases all have negative results to your life and your families lives. So in no way is smoking weed in line with recovery! :wtf2

Penny

vicodaniel

Change,you are right about the law and drug testing. and there is no denying that for some people it is not good. I am not recommending it, just not condemning it either.For now I won't say another word about it unless someone specifically asks.

Trippstar

emmer : Quitting booze ( if it's causing problems) is great but the problem in dealing with -life on life's terms- with pot, is that nothing gets dealt with.

You are right nothing gets dealt with was too lazy and stoned to goto a meeting and too tidy up the house. Im getting it in ship shape condition. At least when you stop weed I dont have too goto a mental hospital to get detoxed like with alcohol.

windysan

I don't smoke the stuff. Never did much for me anyways. Eventually it'll be legalized in most states. More states are loosening up every day. Silly War on Drugs demonized the weed when it does have medicinal uses. Goofy Nancy Raygun. LOL

Stagebear

Please let's not forget (as I did) that this is Trippstar's thread.

Good show, Tripp! Congratulations.

marvelgirl

@GetR345: I don't advocate pot because I'm addicted, and can't see that it's affecting me badly because I'm in a haze. I don't even smoke that much. I've had the same nugget of hash for 3 months! When I was a teenager, I was a pothead, like a smoking 6x a day pothead. I know how weed can negatively affect you. I've been there. Done that. But at the same time, I've seen all the good things it can do. I'm trying to get off heroin, and it's helped me immensely.

And @Change4Penny: DO NOT pull out the legal card on this one. The reason the majority of you are on this board are for legalized drugs, so please don't even try that one.

We can go around and around on this issue, but like I've said three times now is that it helps some and hurts others! It's not inherently bad, and it's not inherently good! Get over it!

Stagebear

See my post above yours.

Mastermind1987

Your not sober if your smoking pot, it is an addictive drug. It also leads people back to their DOC. It is inherently bad, no good comes from addicts smoking pot.

Vintersemestre

^ Sheer puritanical ignorance in it's most delicious form. ANYTHING that keeps someone away from putting a dirty ass needle up their arm is commendable in my book.

ian_g

He isn't ignorant at all...I can't tell you how many people I know who thought that one joint would be alright and a few months later they were shooting dope. I do not see how smoking pot is keeping an individual away from putting a needle in their arm. Now if one isn't an addict and can smoke pot without having it take over their life...my hat is off to them. God knows how many of us have tried it with disastrous results. If you are an addict, chances are you will be unable to "maintain" and just smoke pot without a blowup.

But to advocate hey don't worry about smoking pot is nonsense...If you can live with someone following your advice to not worry about it and then that person ends up right back in the misery they were once in well that's fine. I sure know I can't and for me to not lay out the truth well...that wouldn't be right on my part. Just don't spew around nonsense that may ultimately lead to someone's demise.

And no you aren't sober if you are smoking pot, in my opinion.

What it comes down to is this...if you really thought it was alright, you wouldn't have brought it up on the board. Clearly something in your head is telling you that "hey maybe what I'm doing isn't "kosher".

Vintersemestre

I was referring to marvelgirl specifically and in her case, she claims that it is aiding in keeping her away from heroin. It's very true that we're all different, personally I despise the effects of marijuana (though I do enjoy the odour of it in it's pre-burned form); but if smoking it is genuinely keeping someone away from heroin the only thing I can say to them is more power to you. It's better than stabbing your veins several times a day and even better than being on methadone. For every person you know that went from smoking a joint to shooting heroin I'm sure there are hundreds who never get passed the marijuana stage. Saying someone isn't "clean" because their methods are different than your own is demeaning, immature and self-aggrandizing; not to mention not in the least bit constructive.

ian_g

They are not clean...I don't care how one puts it. From my experience, someone who can honestly smoke and use moderately is not an addict. It is not immature nor demeaning...it's the truth. How one can still say someone is clean who smokes pot is beyond me. When do you draw the line? Should we say that a IV coke user is clean since he doesn't shoot coke but smoke heroin? Denial/delusion is very deep indeed. I'm not blaming anyone for such opinions as I know for the longest time I couldn't differentiate the true from the false. You have no idea what you are talking about quite frankly and base your experience off of hypotheticals i.e. "I'm sure there are hundreds who never get passed the marijuana stage". Not very concrete I might add.

If one can stay away from heroin by smoking pot my hat is off to them but this method is death to an addict of the hopeless variety. Absolute death...like I said if you can live with spread a message off this type God bless you. I want to lay my head down peacefully at night knowing I didn't spread harmful advice. While the intent may not be to be harmful, reality is that it truly is. Some people just don't know...that they don't know.

It is very constructive as I'm not telling the person what they want to hear i.e. BS! I'm speaking the truth...I'm sorry that you don't see this as a life and death matter but frankly it is. I know that I was of the hopeless variety and I thought I could take and leave certain things for quite some time. This inevitably lead me down a path I wouldn't wish upon anyone. If you'd experience the stuff many of us have, you wouldn't advocate pot use. Trust me.

ian_g

I truly believe that any plan designed to shield the addict from temptation is bound for failure.

Vintersemestre

Admittedly I don't know where any of this comes from or goes to because I'm not an addict, but I see no foul in harm reduction whatsoever; and I'm not spreading a dangerous new-age philosophy, bro. Harm reduction is medicine's de facto current approach to addiction. This is why we have needle exchange, methadone, etc... Also I'm not saying they are clean, cannabis is a drug just like any other, I'm saying that pointing it out and focusing on the negative when someone had made a concerted effort and is (so far) succeeding is pointless and vicious.

navysteve

Glad I have recovered! I get to live life on a spiritual basis as opposed to fighting the urge. There is a way that has worked for many.