Concerns Surrounding Regular Marijuana Use?

[ronin47]

Sunshine, I understand and even concede that marijuana is not as physically harmful as other things. My point is, I don't care.

Really I could care less about the legal aspects of smoking marijuana, I'll leave it to the police to decide if that's a big deal. It's not about the substance, it's about why the person is using it. If a youth is smoking marijuana because they have glaucoma or chronic pain, that's one thing. If a youth is smoking marijuana in an alleyway somewhere with other kids because they are seeking acceptance, trying to be rebellious, or just looking for a thrill, that's quite another, and you'd better believe I'm going to take it seriously. If that person, adult or minor, says they can't feel calm or confident without being under the influence of a foreign substance like marijuana, something is wrong, and it needs to be fixed. Any case where a person feels the need to use an external substance to regulate emotion is cause for concern, I don't care what kind of substance it is. If it is a cigarrette or heroin (and by the way, about 40 times as many people die from health problems related to cigarretes than from opiods like heroin yearly, no doubt because people don't get as concerned about smokers because cigarettes are "not as bad"), the solution is still the same, contending with whatever underlying emotional issues compelled that person to start using drugs in the first place.

I've heard way too many recovering severe drug addicts speak about how it just started off with smoking a little weed. Yes, I know not all marijuana smokers go onto heavier drugs, but if I was a mother and found out my child was using marijuana, I would put a stop to it right away using any means necessary because I would not be willing to even take the chance that it would progress to more severe substance abuse. I would not roll the dice and wait to see what happened and risk my child's future and very life like that. Even if they, hypothetically, did just stop and marijuana, I would want whatever prompted them to try it to be contended with immediately rather than risk it causing any other problems.

I'm not just talking the talk here by the way. I don't even smoke cigarettes, let alone illicit drugs, I don't ever consume alcohol even though I'm of age, and I avoid caffine as much as possible. I'm consciouss of my emotional and mental health problems and because of that I don't want to take a chance with anything that has the potential to become habit forming. When I first met my current medication manager, I told him up front I was strongly adverse to taking any medications that could become addictive. When a physician who didn't know my history gave me some Adavane a few months ago because I had a panic attack, I threw them in the garbage once I got home.

 

[caliaviator]

To put this flat out, I don't see the benefit for smoking weed for me. Sure you smoke a blunt and you feel good for a bit but then it ends until you do it again. I'm not taking any medication, and I'm looking to cope with my PTSD without drugs. It's a fight that I want to do sober or without medicine but that is a personal choice. I understand that some really do need these things, though I see the potential for abuse since many of my family members use and abuse weed and I admit it has a very negative affect on me because of that. If you need it, then what can I say? You need it. Just get it legally, and make sure you actually do need it.

 

[Linda Lee Bogard - King]

You make a very good point ronin47, you had the knowledge of your history to toss the pills away, and to know your body - what it doesn't want.

 

[Philippa]

To put this flat out, I don't see the benefit for smoking weed for me. Sure you smoke a blunt and you feel good for a bit but then it ends until you do it again. I'm not taking any medication, and I'm looking to cope with my PTSD without drugs. It's a fight that I want to do sober or without medicine but that is a personal choice. I understand that some really do need these things, though I see the potential for abuse since many of my family members use and abuse weed and I admit it has a very negative affect on me because of that. If you need it, then what can I say? You need it. Just get it legally, and make sure you actually do need it.

I did this Ronin. You can do it too. It can be done without weed or any other drug...but it's hard and painful. As long as you are prepared for the reality and willing to feel all those things, you'll be fine.

 

[Srain]

Denial is a function of the mind which protects the person and I really believe that person will start to come out of denial when they are truly ready to, and not a moment before. If it is pushed on them it can be harmful, as their psyche always knows what is best for them regardless of what others think.

Having said that, I agree with anthony in that weed is very much a crutch and no true healing will take place until you can ween off it for good, and start allowing your feelings to surface. I sometimes smoke, but not that often, and I did do it a little to self-medicate at one stage, but after years of allowing myself to feel all the pain and everything else.

Basically, you don't need weed to "deal with" issues of anxiety, all you have to do is learn how to breath from your abdominal cavity again. Most people, especially women, do not breath deeply enough, which means that not enough oxygen is able to reach their brain, and greater oxygen intake will always help to soothe anxiety, and calm the person right down.

All you have to do is google abdominal breathing, or look for a book on the subject...maybe go to a yoga centre? Meditation is a good practise to get into as well...not sure if you are already into that?

It's up to you MissAntiSunshine.

How interesting that when I was reading this I was thinking that I've been clean and sober and years, only taking meds for Severe Depression (misdiagnosis) but that I have been discussing with the tdoc how severe my Dissociation and Depersonalion since my trigger and stressors hit me so severely in a rather perfect storm several years ago. Since I couldn't use, I just checked out. Same difference, no? I had done it off and on when I got flashbacks here and there or a trauma hit me but usually I would move, just as I was taught growing up. But this left me unable to and was so debilitating that running inside out was the only answer.

Thanks for the post!

Rain

 

[Kintsugi]

I have always been viewed by my family as the healthy, ambitious, substance-free child, but the truth is that in other turbulent times before college and drugs and all the other distractions, I was addicted to dissociating. Under water. I would sit 9 ft. underwater and try to leave my body enough to ignore the need for air, hoping that I would pass out and die. I just think I've always found worse ways to cope than smoking, but now that I do drugs, it is more apparent to the outsider observer that I may have a problem, which is simply annoying in looking at the full landscape of my life.

 

[Gamereign555]

I smoked it for 12 or so years when I was younger. I tried it for my ptsd and it was such a shock to my system it made it worse, I felt the euphoria and everything but it didn't help my breathing at all. Since it was my first time in a long time that could have explained the 'shock' and I could have probably gotten used to it by using more over time. But the euphoria wasnt worth that for me, it does nothing for my ptsd symptoms. Of course I think combining it with benzos, if you truelly need them is not recommended particularly if you are early on with your ptsd. Just my small experience with it.

 

[Deleted member 5838]

It depends on whether you are using it to help you live a more active life, or whether you are using it simply to numb the feelings associated with not having much of one. I know more than once I've been in a bad spot where just a small amount of the stuff got me eating and sleeping again. There is real potential here for symptom relief but its legal status and social stigma make responsible use more difficult.

 

[Gamereign555]

Oh I completely agree with the potential for medicinal purpose.
For me however I believe it didn't work because of the hyper awareness of my symptoms, the paranoia which I did experience from it elevated my stress levels.
It made my symptoms worse, in my case it didn't work. Though I so wanted it to. Basically I wanted to see if it would help my psycogenic dyspnea.

 

[Kintsugi]

For me however I believe it didn't work because of the hyper awareness of my symptoms, the paranoia which I did experience from it elevated my stress levels.

I actually went through this experience for about a year. I didn't like smoking. I only started smoking regularly while working nearly 30 hours a week while taking a full school load, just so that I could sleep when I needed to to maintain my rigorous schedule of work school work school, and even then I didn't buy it. A close friend would smoke me down every night when he knew I had work starting at 6. I needed to fall asleep at 10 or 11 to have enough energy, but every other day when I wasn't working the next morning, I was staying up till 4am doing homework. Ugh. Without pot that would have been much harder, maintaining that alternating sleep cycle.

I didn't actually begin truly enjoying it instead of becoming paranoid or, following that, just sort of sleepy and weird after I had my first date with divine little Lucy. After that, everything changed. I started loving life, and somehow weed made me remember that blessed sensation. It was reminiscent in some way for me of Lucy. Lucy and I hardly ever see each other, but me and pot have learned to co-exist in peace and high-functioning happiness. I cannot lose the things that remind me to be happy to be alive and breathing.
"Celebrate this chance to be / Alive and breathing / The chance to be / Alive and breathing / To be here / in this body" -Maynard

 

[MurphyJB]

MissAntiSunshine.
The last paragraph above is written beautifully!
Just thought I'd let you know you have quite a way with words. :)

 

[redfox]

I find that weed is kind of a double edged sword for me sometimes... for the most part I am able to control it but sometimes I get way more high than I mean to and I start to get paranoid and my head goes bad places... I still smoke every day though when I have it. I have noticed though that I drink a LOT more when I don't have weed. And when I am faced with the prospect of a night by myself with no mind altering substances whatsoever I start to feel kind of panicked. I know this isn't healthy but it's how I am getting through right now. If only weed was cheaper and easier to get... I would love to be able to buy it at the gas station with my cigs... lol

But in the end weed is probably the least harmful drug I could be doing. I know the alcohol is much worse for my body and even the cigarettes are probably going to give me cancer. I stay away from hard drugs entirely now. I have seen what they do to people and I don't want that to happen to me. Sometimes it is tempting but luckily I don't even know where to get anything harder than shrooms in this town.... lol. When I was 17 a friend of mine ODed on heroin and died when we were squatting together, I was not in the room when it happened but I was in the house. I have not touched anything but weed and hallucinogens since then. Well and opium, but that's so rare around here there's no real danger.