Raider

I must be a "normie" weed smoker. Smoked daily for five years. I stopped. Never thought about again. That was 35 years ago. Now I smoke it from time to time. In Alaska now and won't have any for a month. I don't crave or think about it. Wish I was this way with the drink..... Anyhow, this is not an endorsement to go get high. Simply an illustration it is not an addictive substance to everyone who smokes it, anymore than everyone who drinks is not an alcoholic.

gaffo

I smoked pot every day for 20+ years and quit four months ago. According to my friends I am a crazy weird cat for being able to just quit pot (alcohol and cigs too). Most of my smoking it turns out was just mindless. I only really miss a couple of tokes, like after a nice dinner when the kids are in bed or, to be honest, first thing in the morning but I don't miss wanting to put the kids to bed just to get baked, or ruining a whole day just for a good buzz in the morning. Compared to quitting drinking pot was easy. I just follow the simple rule--don't do it, otherwise you aren't quitting! I don't think it ruined my life but I certainly wasted some time. It's not in my nature to say that anything "ruined my life".

OxyMaddened

Your experience with weed sounds a bit like mine, except I never smoked it every day or all day, every day, for the last 35 years or so. Rather I would go in spurts, smoke off & on for 1-2 weeks, get bored with it, and stop for awhile. I would stop for Soccer season, or like now, I stopped for both job hunting, and because I really am not that interested in it anymore...unless I could get oil from the new strain from the Stanley Brothers of CO., who have bred out the THC and upped the beneficial CBD; I'd like to try that for my chronic pain. And, unlike the stereotype, rather than take away my motivation, it WOULD motivate me to do tasks that were otherwise difficult drudgery, like heavy yardwork. Except for the recent past after my reconstructive surgery, I could take or leave all other drugs I tried, except Oxy.

I think Anchorhold is being rather overly melodramatic to a fault here--maybe just my opinion, but trying to claim that weed is "just as lethal as any other substance out there" is just plain ridiculous. When is the last (or first, for that matter) time anyone here has heard of someone dying in their sleep from an "OD" on weed, like the prevalence of that type of occurence with opiates, or having their heart stop like from Cocaine, etc?

The fact is, any mind altering substance can be misused or abused, and there will always be a minority of people who try something and cannot handle it. That doesn't make it necessarily wrong for EVERYONE.

The prohibition of marijuana has caused far more problems and ruined more lives in the ill-conceived and wrong headed carrying out of the drug war than any abuse of it by the folks who couldn't just walk away from it. The railing about legalization by the zealots of this world keep claiming it will "make it easier for kids to get" is laughable, because it's probably the easiest thing for them to get NOW. The problem is that what they get on the black market isn't tested for impurities, mold or other harmful substances, like what is being done now in Washington and Colorado. In addition, the illegality has brought about the spectre of the "fake" weed, which really IS poison--the Spice, K2, or whatever other names that stuff is called, which IS lethal, HAS killed, and causes great bodily harm.

Keeping weed illegal will continue to cause far more problems than is necessary. The impetus for keeping it illegal is fostered by three main groups:
The Prison-Industrial Complex (including law enforcement, looking for budget padding); the Pharmaceutical Industry; and zealotry by people who have had personal issues with inability to use it in a benign manner and therefore claim a self-righteous, moral "high ground" to keep it from all.

Ashamedof

I hate weed. It gives me horrid panic attacks and my pain levels are increased, I'm paranoid and rather uncomfortable. Everyone absolutely reacts differently. My husband smokes all day, everyday and he is "normal" meaning, he never looks or acts high. He is so used to it, I guess? If I smoke? I'm a mess! I get involved in reading something and then end up forgetting it anyway or my mind races so bad I can't catch the thoughts fast enough to control them and end up needing a klonopin. I love me some opiates though, that's ruined apart of my life I'll never get back. Some people hate opiates..not sure how, but they do.

DG0409

Funny, I thought quitting weed after smoking it every day for 10+ years counted as experience in quitting weed. My apologies since apparently that doesn't count.

Dee74

Whenever there's a marijuana thread I can lay money on people posting to say it's not a problem for them - and that's the very real problem we pot addicts face.

It's 'natural', it's 'harmless', are we serious - it's not a real addiction, not like opiates or whatever, it's not destructive and couldn't possibly be lethal....tell that to my friends with COPD or other lung diseases, or my friends who messed their minds and took their own lives.

I expect those kind of devaluing comments on Facebook or somewhere where I expect people to be ignorant of addiction, but to find them here....its always disappointing.

D

FT

Sorry DG, I did not mean to exclude you in the folks I thanked for answers. Of course your experience counts. ALL experience counts, particularly as addiction is a highly subjective experience. And so is quitting.

But that brings me to the "answers" I am looking for. Unlike opiates, after which there is a relatively clear trajectory of withdrawal symptoms, weed does not seem to have that. I have studied weed in the medical journals and to be sure, THC is stored at least partially in the fat stores, if not entirely. The body is full of fat, but it varies by weight, except maybe for in the brain. However, even the brain is largely fat - myelin the highest lipid content (78-81% of the dry weight), white matter next highest (49-66%) and gray matter lowest fat percentage (36-40%).

So, while opiate withdrawal certainly is subjective to the extent the symptoms are bad or worse, with weed the medical researchers are hard pressed to explain what happens and when.

Personally, I think weed should not be illegal -- at least then it would not be sold along with other street drugs, although I'm sure that would still happen somewhat. In my view it is similar to alcohol in terms of whether it should be legal -- some people can handle alcohol, some can't.

I used to grow my own weed in the 60's and 70's, and it was quite weak. More fun to look at than to smoke. I quit weed after a lot of daily smoking between ages 16 and 20, and I never had a problem quitting. But that was the "OLD" weed.

I had the opportunity to sample the "NEW" weed in the 90's, and I was horrified to stay high for more than 24 hours off a few tokes. I liked the high, but I wanted it to wear off!

I understand the weed these days is NOT YOUR MOTHER'S WEED! Some of the people I hear talking about how easy weed was to quit were not talking about the newer hybrid weed. Maybe some are. I don't know.

All I know is that weed "allowed" my family member to remain frozen in time for ten years -- no personal growth, no professional growth, no motivation, isolation from old friends, losing love relationships, and even getting arrested and facing real prison time.

Wow. I am happy to report that my family member is making progress, but it is slow. He is very motivated to move on with his life and has a lot of remorse over the wasted years (pardon the pun).

wackybunny

I agree Dee. It seems like the one drug/addiction on here that often opens a debate - about legalization, whether it is addictive, whether it is beneficial etc. I'd like to move past that in the support threads because I don't see how it helps people needing to quit. Doesn't matter how other people can smoke it and be fine/normies, I couldn't. That's the case for all drugs but no other drug seems to attract people to defend it when people are trying to give it up. A weed quitter has to be particularly thick skinned if they don't want to feel like their struggle is undermined.

cleaninalabama

I think that the reason people often debate on this issue is that it is so pertinent from a policy perspective right now. I do not want to undermine anyone's recovery effort or struggle, those are very real things. However, to classify marijuana as a schedule I drug with no medicinal purpose is unrealistic. We don't have this debate with pain pills because those are legal with a prescription and more and more states have legalized marijuana in a medicinal capacity. This fact alone warrants debate. If someone has an alcohol problem or problem with illicit drugs, does this mean that they cannot use marijuana if it is prescribed to them by a doctor? I don't know the answer, but it is questions like this that give rise to such discussions.

No one is saying that benzos and opiates should be banned outright and since they are legal with a prescription, there is no need for such a debate as far as those drugs goes. With more and more states allowing marijuana use in some capacity, be it medicinal or recreational, people have different views on this and want to discuss it. For better or worse, many people view marijuana as a "lesser" drug and see it as more acceptable that other "hard" drugs. I have not smoked marijuana in years and have no plan to do so. However, I come down on the side of legalization. I do not view it as on par with other drugs and personally think it is just as acceptable as alcohol. Am I right? I have no idea but it is a topic ripe for discussion. Regardless, I do not doubt that it can and does cause certain individuals serious problems but I do not think that warrants the blanket criminalization of it.

Dee74

I'd like to request that legalisation discussions be taken elsewhere.

start another thread if you must, or write your congressman, hire a blimp, whatever....

It's got nothing to do with the original post...and I second WackyBunny in that I don't see how it helps people wanting or needing to quit.

Dee
Moderator
SR

Dee74

FT pot seemed to be more of a mental addiction for me - thats not to say I didn't go crazy when I wanted it and didn't have it...normal folks don't spend mornings picking pot niblets out of the carpet to find enough for a cone...and thats not to say I didn't have the sweats anxiety irritability and anxiousness when I quit.

I do believe it warped my brain and the way it worked and processed as well - I started at 15.

There's a very basic article here...
Cannabis and mental health

but you may be interested in the citations more.

If you have access to medical periodicals you might find some answers there?

D

Raider

This can't be a debated with you as you have always made clear your feelings about weed and it's addictive qualities as they pertain to you.

To say weed smokers' problem is that they don't realize they have a problem is simply not true for everyone. You state that these kinds of devaluing comments are indicative of ignorance about addiction. I find that a bit offensive. I am not ignorant about addiction. I can take or leave weed. I don't crave it if I don't have it. I don't lose my mind when I smoke it. I enjoy a smoke occasionally in the evening after all the work is done. That said, I am not stupid enough not to realize the probable damage to my lungs, the risk of COPD, lung cancer, etc. I would never say it was a healthy habit, surely exacerbated by my cig smoking.

Ok that's all I got.

I still love you. I just don't agree with you.

Love Pam.

Dee74

I'll admit personally that's true but I sometimes have to put up with all manner of things I dont agree with here because they are within the rules .

This is not about me tho, it's about the forum and other posters in this thread and the ethos of this website.

I don't recall saying that.

You gotta live your life as you see fit, but as a moderator, I find it an odd position to try and defend on a recovery board Raider.

Back atcha

D

Raider

My point was not to defend my weed smoking, but to illustrate it is not all that different from alcohol. Some are normies, some are not.

gaffo

Since I quit smoking pot:

I have regained my short term memory. I can remember people's names.

I have better motivation, more consistently. I do things that need to be done right away.

I think my depression is somewhat better.

I don't have the weird heart palpitations or shortness of breath that I used to.

I am more present.

I have more money.

My tolerance for stoner BS has gone way down.

cleaninalabama

Dee-

I wasn't trying to steer the discussion towards a debate on the merits of marijuana, I was just trying to shed some light on why marijuana topics tend to gravitate towards such debate. I certainly am not condoning marijuana use for anyone or discounting the problems it can cause for some.

Sasha4

As part of my job, I have to visit a hospital that specialises in mental health. It is secure in some area's but there are always loads of people hanging around outside smoking. It can be quite scary and threatening at times. I just keep my head down and do what I need to do.

If anyone ever asked me, is weed dangerous, I would encourage them to go to this hospital and watch the people outside.

A lot of the patients have psychosis and mental health problems from drug use. Its really, really sad to see.
Some of them are grossly overweight from medication, they shuffle, they become aggressive, they look sedated.

Maybe I see the extreme patients.............but I wouldn't want to take any risk or chance that might mean I ended up like them.

Wishing you the best

FT

Okay, I see this thread going south as nobody seems to be able to stay on point about how the OP's life was ruined by pot, and no it isn't just him.

I was hoping to see more posts about "life after weed," how did recovery go, how long did it take to start feeling normal again (if ever); in other words, not whether weed should be legal or not, but HOW TO QUIT. And, what then?

My loved-one's symptoms since quitting weed have been extreme worry, fear of something bad happening, inability to see future happiness for himself, weight gain and GI distress, and extreme sadness to the point of sobbing for hours. In addition, extreme isolation due to the above. Yet he functions at work, so he has not become unable to care for himself.

This is all very distressing to him, as he thought the isolation surrounding weed would lift, and the apathy he felt while on weed would give way to more motivation. However, he has only been quit for three months, maybe a little longer, with one slip-up (which involved a few days of smoking, but he's quit again).

Dee, thank you for that link. It was useful. Yes, I have access to medical journals, but few of the studies deal with long term recovery, if any. I feel like we are a study in process. That's why I started reading here, to get real life weed recovery stories. Just like I did with opiate recovery.

I did find an article in Psychology today that described my loved-one's recovery symptoms EXACTLY, right down to the sobbing for hours, every day, and extreme depression. It just did not delve into how long it would last, just saying it could take "a long time" to get over that.

I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings about their posts, but please can we stick to weed recovery here and forget the legality stuff for just a minute?

Thanks everyone for their input. As usual, I imagine there are a lot of people reading who never post, who might really benefit from this discussion.

FatallyUncool

We're stoners! Give us a break!

The truth is that it is a different process for each of us. If you're interested, there are a lot of existing threads about members' recovery and the ups and downs.

Like others here, I didn't magically get better. I completely changed my lifestyle, and included NA, counseling, exercise, karate, volunteering and other activities in my recovery. I felt awful for about 9 months. (I started to feel good when I started dating a new girlfriend, so, yeah.) Getting clean brought a lot of my issues right to the surface, which was very unpleasant. I still get depressed, I'm still pretty self-absorbed, and I can still obsess and worry and try to control excessively. This is 2 1/2 years after quitting pot and 2 years completely clean.

Part of my recovery was reaching out here and other places for help. If your relative is interested, he can join SR and introduce himself.

Sasha4

[QUOTE=FT;4824382]Okay, I see this thread going south as nobody seems to be able to stay on point about how the OP's life was ruined by pot, and no it isn't just him.

I was hoping to see more posts about "life after weed," how did recovery go, how long did it take to start feeling normal again (if ever); in other words, not whether weed should be legal or not, but HOW TO QUIT. And, what then?

Excuse me?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How rude of you!
I am stunned.
Where did you get that attitude from?

The patients I see are all post weed. People have posted good and bad from their real life experiences.
Sorry I and others cannot sugar coat it for you.

You sound incredibly bossy.
I hope this is not how you treat your 'loved one'.

In terms of how to quit, why not show your loved one the section on recovery methods and you perhaps look over how involved you need to get. I am presuming the loved one is an adult?

I am incredibly offended that you seem to see fit to come here and dish out insults left, right and centre.