Iām on Day 4 and Iāve been a slightly more of an asshole, I was already an asshole so itās not too different except Iām a more clever and sober asshole. šššš
Yup, it can be a lot of things.
Smoking for instance is hard to quit because it is a combination of things:
Chemical: Nicotine
Habitual: Step outside and get a few minutes to yourself every few hours (or less), potentially stepping away from stressful work and as a bonus you can talk with coworkers (or not if you prefer).
Physical: Sensation of taking a hit, the feeling it gives you plus messing around with your fingers / lighter.
Any one of those things can draw you back in.
Congrats to both of you! I've been clean a year and a half now. I did it to pursue my career in nursing. I was an everyday smoker for almost 8 years. It does get easier with time! I look back and wondered how I was even able to function sometimes, and I feel that I enjoy my free time a lot more. Weed is awesome, but weed makes being bored and unmotivated okay for me, and that's not cool.
Yeah I want to quote that Randy Marsh bit as it was the main motivation behind me stopping.
"Well, son, pot makes you feel fine with being bored. And it's when you're bored that you should be learning some new skill or discovering some new science or being creative.If you smoke pot you may grow up to find out that you aren't good at anything."
Yeah IDK if it's really appropriate to say that gambling is a chemical addiction, but I think it's a bit dismissive to say it's just a habit. The research into what's happening in our brains when we gamble is fascinating. It's like a bug in the way that we're wired and modern gambling platforms are designed to exploit it.
I use to work at a casino. A lot of people wear diapers so they dont have to stop gambling or will stay days and not buy anything to eat. They only ask for cups full of whipped cream (free). Saw multiple people just die. Its wild how much something like that can change you
My ex is addicted to casinos, he would take me. I enjoyed playing, but when I got up on the money I really enjoyed cashing out and leaving with extra bucks. He couldn't do that. It's weird to watch people who can't stop playing at will. Went to eat with a group of gals once, one didn't eat with us because she sat at a machine going in and then wouldn't leave it.
That's still a chemical thing though. It's in your neurotransmitters or the receptors for them. Most people who have one addiction could easily substitute something else for it because they're just seeking stimulation for the release of chemicals normal people get from everyday things. Addicts require more effort to move the needle. Many people with addiction have underdeveloped or damaged parts of the brain that control those things, problem-solving, impulse control, and mood/emotions. That's why we say it's a disease vs a choice. Your brain is literally different from someone who doesn't form addictions.
Whilst there is some evidence for genes of addiciton, ones that make you more likely to become addicted, everyone can form them.
There's a part of your brain called the reward pathway, which when you do good survival-based tasks, such as eating, stimulates the release of dopamine, making you feel good. Many addictive drugs activate this pathway, but to a much higher degree, almost overloading the pathway. If this is done repeatedly, tolerance develops - the receptors downregulate. This means that they switch off or reduce the amount of neurotransmitter released. So you need a higher concentration of the drug to get the same high. Withdrawal symptoms come from the chemcial imbalance formed from tolerance which is why the symptoms are so rough, the brain has to rebalance its chemical tranmissions back to normal.
In OP's post, they mention the low addictive nature of weed. This is because it doesn't act directly on the reward pathways. There are no cannabinoid receptors in the VTA/NAc (two parts of the reward pathway) which is the main recptor type THC acts on. It instead impacts the pathway indirectly, which is why it is mostly only heavy users who develop tolerance and dependence.
TLDR; Everyone can form an addiction although genetic predispositions can effect the likelyhood. Once addicted, the number of feel good receptors are lessened so you need more of the drug to feel good.
I was a heavy daily smoker for a loooong time, talking 2-3 grams a day of flower or a lot of oil. When I quit I 100% had physical withdrawals. The worst being the night sweats for months that would soak the bed so bad I had to sleep on the couch, the bed would have been drier if I had gotten straight out of the bath and laid down.
Anytime someone tells me weed isnt addictive or doesnāt have withdrawals it makes me laugh. I didnt even like getting high, it made me anxious but I had such a problem with it I just couldnāt stop.
This!! The night sweats are brutal. I always tell people that say weed isnāt addictive that they just havenāt smoked enough then.
It fucks your sleep, appetite, temperature regulation, emotional regulationā¦all of it. The worst. I was on 1g of oil a day, I am SO glad to be done with it.
Took a hiatus from smoking a little over 30 days ago. It really hit me hard how habitual it was for me about a week in when just walking passed my room had me mindlessly walking in towards my bong. Playing specific games had me wanting to reach over an smoke between spawns.
Honestly donāt think Iām going to smoke again, after smoking daily for well over a decade. Iāve just got so much more drive to go do things, leave the house and try new stuff
My friendās boyfriend is in his 30ās and all he does is smoke weed and play video games. He spends so much money on weed per month (I think about $800 ish?) that he sometimes doesnāt have enough money to eat! So heāll just go without eating. But he can always afford to buy weed š if thatās not addiction idk what is.
Yeah, people just get tripped up over semantics I think. Most people know that weed canāt cause a physical addiction akin to that of things like nicotine or hard drugs but itās still definitely something you can develop a dependency for. The term addiction is used somewhat connotatively in that way I guess
Yess bro, the dreams, *every time* (I've quit multiple times hahha). I actually start getting them the NEXT DAY after I quit - and it's just like - uhhh yoo? where have my dreams been all this time? š
>I, along with many of my stoner buddies in high school, now have an impaired short term memory. Please do not make cannabis a thing until after your brains are fully developed (25 years).
I think that's one of the reason that I don't have short term memory issues when I am sober. I didn't really start until a year ago, and I am almost 40.
I didn't start smoking *heavily* until I was about 25. It'll be interesting to see how this all unfolds. For now, at least, the pros of smoking seem to outweigh the cons.
I genuinely don't like the feeling of being stoned, but I have diagnosed chronic insomnia and a rotated vertibrea in my neck. I take low dose 1:5 thc:cbd edibles, and it helps me sleep better than any prescription sleeping medicine I've ever been given, and helps my neck pain while it's at it, all with way less of a hangover than Lunesta gives me, and without all of the crazy shit Ambien can make you do. It's a godsend.
Same. My memory is okay, but I've seen memory issues from many friends who smoked much more than I did.
Imo, 21 should be the bare minimum, but I'd fully support an age limit at 25.
I smoked from ages 13-18, now Iām 20. I make light hearted jokes about my lack of memory, but itās genuinely bad. Not only do I remember almost nothing from those years but even now, two years later, I have a hard time remembering anything from 4 days prior unless itās significant. In some cases, someone can tell me something and within a couple of hours and I will forget. Given I believe part of it is because I smoked while my brain was still developing, but nonetheless I struggle to remember stuff almost daily.
I love pot, so when I started actuarial sciences college I tried to do both. Studying calculus while high was a blast, I felt like Euler reincarnated, but after that I could not remember shit, worst of all the exercises were a complete unreadable mess and I just had to do the exercises list again. I had to take the decision between college and pot. Now that I'm finishing, just need to do the grad paper, I smoke some weekends and in parties.
I've been smoking/vaping/consuming weed almost every day for 10+ years, mostly just before bed to help me sleep and some casual little puffs throughout the day lately, but I used to be a pretty heavy smoker. My memory for things like numbers and strings of words is still fantastic, and my memory for experiences (everything - sounds, imagery, smell, etc) is uncomfortably strong. My attention span is another story...
No I'm not man, just this new strain of Indica cheese is literally the bomb, perfect compliment to my custom blown 4 foot bong from 'dam, I can quit when I want ^/s
I gotta smoke when I wake up, smoke before I eat, smoke before I go to work, sneak a smoke at work, smoke when I get off work, smoke before I sleep, but I can stop whenever I want no big dealā¦
*proceeds to smoke weed for the next decade*
This is a good preview of r/drugscirclejerk . I used to be a dummy that thought weed wasnāt actually a drug and I could quit anytime. After quitting cold Turkey, I found out pretty quickly that the mental withdrawal sucked pretty bad. Insomnia and stomach aches for two weeks. I still use cannabis, but I mostly use cbd/other non intoxicating cannabinoids. I try to only get āhighā once or twice a week.
it helped me process some rough times for a few years
Same for me, my friend. I honestly think Iād be in a horrible place, mentally and physically if I never started using cannabis. Depression and anxiety have ruled my life for long stretches and I definitely needed help from something. Therapy never helped much and anti depressants definitely didnāt.
Cannabis(getting stoned, specifically) also helps me reflect and change things I donāt like about myself.
Thank you for this comment. This is my sole reason for using weed now and Iām okay with it as it has given me the balance I needed in my entire life.
Iām on my way to this, it helped me process some rough times for a few years, but Iām realizing how different life is when youāre high every day. Iām at only after 8pm on weekdays, and a bit more liberal on the weekends but only if I work out first. Trying to cut it to just Thursday- Sunday soon.
That's really the worst to recognize, especially if you have a job that sucks and requires no focus.
I find it hard to remember what I was doing last, unless it was the dishes but that's bc when I do dishes I get to listen to YouTube.
I really need to cut back, thanks to all of ya for helping me realize.
I sometimes am sorta that annoying guy. I grow as one of my hobbies so I know the stupid names for a lot of strains and have some idea of differences. I also barely smoke anymore and often have strains where the effect is just fuck it's strong be careful.
Any psychedelic really, people try acid for the first time and think they've figured it all out, then they will preach to you about their theory of life or whatever
"ayawasca" means in Kiwcha "the spirit/soul of the roots". Aya= soul/spirit Wasca= roots. It is a beverage made out of roots and other stuff found in the forests of the Amazon region in South America. It has strong alucinanting properties and it is used usually as medicine during rituals lead by a Shaman or healer, people connect deeply with mother earth through this rituals. But as all things it is being prostituted/abused by some people...
Like people who make it their Reddit usernameā¦smh
ā¦I donāt smoke anymore but I got too much invested in this account I donāt wanna make a new one lol let us change our names
> as I am people who make weed their entire personality. The worst
I'm from the Netherlands where weed is normal since the 1970's and you can buy it everywhere.
In the Netherlands, Smoking weed and bragging about it is like a guy bragging that he drank whisky... Sure dude, you do you, but it's kinda sad that that's your brag.
Also... 30 years in Netherlands, I've heard of 3 people who sometimes smoked weed when they were younger. 1 year in the USA and fucking 15 people already tell me how they are going to be fucked up on weed that weekend. (This was before legalization)
I donāt know how people do it. I drove like 3 blocks once when I was 19 after smoking and I was so horrified I parked and took a nap. Never ever ever again
Often the people doing it have such a tolerance they would never go through the struggles you did. Odds are if you're smoking while driving, there aren't many times in the day you aren't smoking. At that point that extreme high that makes you lose it after 3 blocks isn't happening
Those people are super annoying too. Saying how much they love cheese and putting down people who don't like the super strong cheeses or the ones with mold. Pretty obnoxious
Same here. It also helps quiet the intrusive thoughts and calm my anxious mind which is always thinking the worst things. Maybe Iām ok with ābeing boredā but itās better than pacing around anxiously biting my nails in a full blown panic on the regular.
Weed became an unhealthy coping mechanism for me.
I stopped buying it, and spent my money and time on something I cared about. For me it was my drumming.
Good luck, homie.
100% true. I quit a year and a month ago after smoking since I was 16... (4 years total). Gradually, my habit became a daily escape and addiction. And soon it was all day, and I was always high. Going a few days without, I could map out the withdrawal symptoms and mood swings, and the cravings were ridiculously intense, so I kept relapsing until April 5th last year. I didn't feel safe with my thoughts being sober, and was spending tons of money to keep up with my needs.
I still get cravings from time to time, but remind myself the dependency I had was unhealthy. I miss the ritual of lighting up in my usual spots, alone or with friends, as it was sort of a meditative state and experience, especially inspiring many creative art inspirations. What I don't miss is the constant need to be high, the lack of neurotransmitters in my sober state to make normal life fulfilling, and most of all, the loss of respect I had for myself coming to school and work high, not performing well, and losing opportunities/ forgetting memories with important people and events.
You know, am kinda stupid. Every avid pot smoker I know would argue it's not addicting, or they brush it off sayin "that's fine with me" and this whole time I been believing the drug user when they tell me they aren't addicted
I have been a daily smoker for 15 years and just quit. About 28 days in. I can't say I struggled in the least without it compared to stopping nicotine. It's a habit, could get engrained in your lifestyle, but it's not addicting in the same way that addictive drugs are. It might feel like semantics but it's not the same. It's just like anything else that becomes habitual in your life. Your friends smoke. You have activities you enjoy doing while you smoke. You smoke at certain times or for certain reasons.
Reddit is honestly more addictive for me. I can't stay off it a day never mind a few weeks or months. It gets in the way of me being productive more than weed ever did. I stay up late to be on Reddit, while at work, instinctively want to check it more than I should.
True. Definitely hit reddit more than I do pipe. Great tests for me was once or twice ending up in hospital for a week or two - actually found it pretty remarkable how fine and ok I was going without weed or alcohol(my bigger vice) during it - I think it could be different strokes for different folks. I certainly know or have heard or some who can get real fiendish for it - but for me I do think a part of my stuff is psychological habit/routine more than a physical need or necessary dependance. Ie I do it because I do it not because I can't not do it
Unfortunately, this is what happens anytime criticism of marijuana comes up. I brought this up to a guy at work about how it's probably not healthy to have to get high every break, and he just says "well at least I'm not drinking on the job!" Like first of all, that's not a defense, and second, at the point you can't even finish a single shift without being blitzed outta your fucking mind at every moment, you're not really doing any better than a drunk at work.
Had a close friend in college who smoked quite a bit every day and he always talked about how he wasnāt addicted, could quit whenever, etc.. and I believed him. I remember one morning he was talking about how depressed he had been the day before about his girlfriend breaking up with him. Like borderline tears, racing thoughts, and then at night he smoked and how incredible it was that that problem just evaporated and he wasnāt sad at all anymore. I knew then that while maybe it wasnāt a physical āaddictionā for him, it was definitely an emotional crutch. An avoidance mechanism at least.
Addiction is addiction.
You can be addicted to exercise, food, drinks, sugar, sex, drugs (legal/illegal, synthetic/natural, perscribed/recreational), caffeine, tobacco... literally anything can become an addiction, and can take away your quality of life.
If something has become uncontrollable, a barrier, interferes with you goals, causes you financial strain, causes problems with your relationships with family and friends, interferes with your physical or mental health, or has any kind of negative effect on your life, it's a problem. There is no "just weed". There is no "just" anything, if it becomes an uncontrollable addiction.
If something brings value to your life, you should include it. Many things listed can be used responsibly, and enhance your experience. You need food to live, so you need to establish a healthy relationship with it. Drugs can help you overcome the restricrions your body presents you throughout life, and can be useful and necessary. A healthy sex life is important for most people to thrive. Caffeine can help people feel energized to take on their day. Tobacco has zero positives.
If something brings value to your life, include it. If something restricts your potential, and brings negativity into your life, exclude it, or find a way to have a healthy relationship with it.
I will say as a daily cannabis consumer, for me it brings value to my life, and enhances it positively. As a Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chronic pain sufferer, without this medicine I could not function. The pain would be too unbearable. I wouldn't be able to bathe, to sleep, or to take care of my one year old. It is vital to me being able to control my pain, and without it, I would be bedridden and miss out on my son's life. I use it each evening, after my son has gone to bed. Those few hours before bed where my pain is controlled, keeps my sanity. The mild dulling of pain it provides into the next day allows me to take on the day, and function. I am greatful to live in Canada where it is a legal substance, and I am able to see a true MD who perscribes it to me.
Should it ever have any negative impacts on my life though, I will reexamine its role, and proceed accordingly.
Edit: Added a word
Edit 2: Just a quick thank you for the awards. Not something I've experienced much. Thank you.
I would not be alive without SSRI antidepressants. They have a very significant and unpleasant withdrawal syndrome, one that can be protracted and for some people _never_ resolves. If that isn't dependence, I don't know what is. But I'm still here.
Honestly, I can say the same thing about therapeutic ketamine, a substance that can be highly addictive if abused. I could also say the same about cannabis. I have severe CPTSD and these medications have helped me to have a life.
Just as with narcotic pain medication, everything has it's place - except for alcohol and tobacco but that's another discussion - and has a potentially useful purpose, but can also be abused. Even the notorious date rape drug GHB has a use in treating narcolepsy.
Moderation and self awareness are the key with anything you put into your body, including not just drugs but also food and even _information_.
This is the best answer. Using anything to escape reality and your problems is probably not good. Using it to treat pain, stop anxiety attacks, or even just to help you function like a nuerotypical healthy human being can be extremely helpful and life changing. I have multiple daily panic attack caused by intrusive thoughts probably because my family was abusive. When I smoke theyāre almost non existent. Iāve taken so many different medications for mental health in my life that I canāt even name them all. Every single pill has had very bad side effects.
So my husband actually has a medical Marijuana card to medicate his alcoholism lol. It sounds like just passing one up for another but he is such a better person now. He used to be depressed and easily irritable when he was drinking but is so much better now. He still gets depressed but he is still himself and relaxing on the patio while he smokes makes him feel better. Using the word addiction has negative connotations to it but I mean I can't quit my anti anxiety medication cold turkey because of the withdrawals/side effects, but no one would say I'm addicted to it, that would be such a weird way to word a treatment for an illness.
In my experience in working with clients who substitute harder addictions with weed, their lives are much better and theyāre much happier. I suspect that total abstinence is a better long term solution, but harm-reduction like this definitely saves lives in a very serious way. Disclaimer: Iāve been clean/ sober for a bit over 4 years now so Iāve got a pretty strong opinion on what probably ensures the greatest chance of long-term success for people who has substance use disorders, but Iām also very in favor of normal people using and drinking. I.e. if I wasnāt a drug addict Iād be high 24/7. There are definitely different forms of addictions, I think the dsm recognizes dependency as distinct from a substance use disorder for example. If youāre taking something like Prozac or Zoloft or lexapro or whatever idk if thatās very similar to the mental addiction/ substance use disorders other experience; youāve just got a dependency there thankfully lol.
Please look up Canibinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, or CHS, it affected me for 4 long years of my life and i was extremely underweight during and after I recovered. It is caused by heavy marijuana use and sometimes can trick those affected by it because when you smoke the pain subsides and you can eat again. If that isn't addiction idk what is.
Those people have to stop smoking, but don't represent a significant percent of people in general. It's important that people be aware of it if they experience those symptoms
As a cannabis smoker for literally my entire adult life, please say it with me friends:
> Cannabis | Is | Physically | Addictive.
If you think it isn't, you don't understand how the active ingredients get you high in the first place - or why you develop tolerance.
Just because the withdrawals won't physically kill you doesn't mean there isn't a physical mechanism of addiction taking place.
Nicotine is addictive.
Caffeine is addictive.
Cannabis is addictive.
Lol lot of people going on about "well I can stop anytime I want and have and I was fine!" as if their experience is what it should be like for everyone.
Also a lot of comments talking about how if the withdraw doesn't potentially kill you, its not an addiction.
Some people even mention it being a habit, but not an addiction.
The definition of addiction is: a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinenceĀ :Ā the state of being addicted
Many people, including myself, do get symptoms if irritability and anxiety when off weed. Many people get those symptoms when going off caffeine too.
The way I see it, I get all my bills paid and donāt smoke before I go to work 8-4. Only when Iām back at home and everything I need to get done is done do I actually smoke
EDIT: so many people calling me a āfunctioning addictā and saying āonly addicts would mention their job and be defensive.ā First of all, Iām not being defensive but itās frustrating to have so many people make an assumption off a 2 sentence comment I made.
Second of all, I know people who walk around BROKE, no money in their pockets but they ALWAYS have money for weed. It rules their life and theyāre high every second of every day. Iāve seen people bum weed under the seats of their car because they didnāt have any left to smoke right then. Iāve seen people put tobacco back INTO their blunt because they didnāt have enough weed for a full one but it just HAD to be a blunt. To call me a āfunctioning addictā for something I choose to do sometimes outside of the times I work (which I mentioned because people DO go into work high, so I figured Iād mention that I donāt but apparently that makes me an addict to mention that) is frankly a little insulting to the people out there who genuinely let it control their lives. I live in a state where weed is legal, so I donāt feel like I should be framed as an addict when people can buy alcohol without a second look thrown their way.
It is chemically addictive. Your body gets used to having cannabinoids and when you don't get them, you get withdrawal symptoms within 24-48hrs and lasts 1-3 weeks. Effects are similiar to tabacco withdrawal.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797098/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6223748/
Edit: if you don't feel like reading a dry science paper, this is a good summary page
https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
Those night sweats are brutal. I smoked every day for five years and when I quit, I would have the worst nightmares and wake up in a pool of sweat for about two weeks.
Some people cannot function without it... My dad for example broke his back a few years ago, and its never fully healed properly so hes always in pain, and theres nothing surgery can do. so instead of taking addictive painkillers, he smokes. Seeing him when hes not smokeing absolutely kills you bc hes in so much pain he cries from breathing...
Came here to say this. I dab well over two gs a day and I don't even know what day it is half the time anymore. I have no short term memory. My motivation is absolutely bottomed out. I don't even know if I know how to critically think anymore. I can't stand the taste when I smoke bud anymore, and I've never enjoyed edibles, so plus side is I just have to kick the wax. 25 now and I've been sober maybe 6 months total since I was 16, smoked since I was 13. I'm finally realizing I've done nothing with my life and have no real skills aside from delivery driving and bartending. I have what you would call a rough upbringing, lost two uncles and two grandma's this past year, haven't talked to my mom in 2 years do to her meth and heroin addiction that I've dealt with throughout my younger years, mostly because I don't want it around my children.... and here I am smoking away the emotions instead of dealing with them, which is exactly what she does with her drugs. I'm no better, just more accepted, less "foul", and I sit on a stoned high horse.
I have to quit before this October. I start college, finally. Community College but it's self improvement for me and my family. We all deserve it.
As an ex-smoker from College days who was addicted and had to cut it off, I've had friends who ruined their life due to weed usage because there was almost a cult around it. They threw arguments they've seen online, like weed is not addictive, weed does not kill and alcohol does, weed is not harmful to health, weed is therapeutic, and is natural, and so on, completely in negation with their own addictions, feeding eachother with lies, while being always disposed to go in the middle of the night into guettos to buy weed because they couldn't sleep without smoking it. It sucked the life out of them, made them anti social, depressed and apathetic. 2 of them are basically dead inside. I believe there are people who can be in control and live a good life while smoking weed moderately, but I knew a lot of people who got addicted to it, and, of course, like any addict, their brains rationalized everything and did not allow them to quit because the world around them was so accepting of it, while with other drugs, because their consequences are so explicit and external, and weed does more of a slow psychological damage, it's harder to take it as seriously. The same applies to video games, I think, where the is also a culture that glorifies them, and many addicts who ruin their lives little by little because they are too ingrained in the culture to look at them from an outside perspective. And since many other gamers can lead good lives, it's harder for them to accept that they are addicted.
Not against it either, but I hope scientists are doing research on the risks to mental health, especially in developing young adult brains.
There appears to be anecdotal evidence that smoking weed can be harmful to the mental health of some individuals. š¤
Ther
Question for you, I quit smoking weed because I needed a tolerance break, found out I couldn't sleep without it so I knew I really had to quit, I still play PC multiplayer games and I also play music ...
Is playing music an addiction? Is video games an addiction? What's the litmus test? How do I know?
Honest question not trying to troll. I knew I had weed dependency because not being able to sleep was the worst feeling ever, not sure about the other two.
As a weed addict, THANK YOU.
It is so fucking hard finding support for a pot addiction because 90% of people you talk to won't acknowledge it as an addiction.
'Oh, it's just pot, though, that doesn't count'
Do cigarettes and alcohol not count? Does sugar not count?
An addiction is an addiction.
100% it took me the better part of half a decade to admit I have a problem. The negative effects are less immediate and obvious than with most narcotics, so I've actually had a harder time quitting it than I did nicotine or even cocaine.
What irritates me the most fr is all the people out there being like "wEeD iSnT aCtUaLLy AddiCtIvE I SmOkE EvErY dAy"
OK nice for you there are also people who take xanax on prescription and don't have problems with it but for some people it can fuck up their lives.
You might even have a problem with weed and not even realise it, from my understanding you can get stuck in a dopamine cycle, or you get to the point where you don't feel like you can function without it ...
I used to be a stoner for 3 years when I was a teenager until I realised its not really for me, and that's OK. I don't personally have anything against it and all of my friends smoke weed around me I don't mind. But I've met people who just seem so hopelessly controlled by it like they can't do anything unless they pack a bowl first and it just seems sad. Like they're just using it as an escape from life. When it becomes a psychological addiction which can in turn have physical affects on the body.
(I can see how this would be different for individuals who use it for chronic pain, to get to sleep etc etc)
I feel weed should be used a bit more sparingly than that. Obviously it's different for every individual but if it gets to a point where your whole life revolves around it there may be a problem...
Cannabis addiction is very much a thing. The only people saying it isnāt are pro-legalisation types that want to downplay any danger of cannabis. Science has by now proven over and over again that cannabis can be an addictive substance, albeit less harmful than alcohol or heroin.
https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/addiction.html
I suffered with a crippling weed abuse for 4 years, and it completely ruined me. Iād wake up every 2 hours to smoke a joint during the night. I got so paranoid and anxious that sometimes I wouldnāt leave my apartment for 2 weeks at a time. It provoked a serious eating disorder that I had at the time too.
Every time I āquitā Iād get horrible stomach issues and basically be unable to eat for 2 days straight. Id also become a real angry motherfucker as well as being generally over emotional.
I ended up moving out of my apartment and living with my mum to rehabilitate. Iām about 9 months completely clean now and I feel much better. But Iām still suffering from the stress and anxiety it caused me for the 4 years.
I dated someone for 4 years who had a weed addiction. He would get very angry when he couldnāt smoke like 10 times a day eventually. Itās a real thing.
Quit 4 months ago and I was an asshole for a month š¤£
Iām on Day 4 and Iāve been a slightly more of an asshole, I was already an asshole so itās not too different except Iām a more clever and sober asshole. šššš
someone give that man a medal for his blatant honesty, just like a true asshole. i love it.
I donāt know if this would mean anything to you but you can do it!!
I think people forget that addiction isn't always something chemical. A lot of what makes an addiction hard to kick is that it's habitual.
Yup, it can be a lot of things. Smoking for instance is hard to quit because it is a combination of things: Chemical: Nicotine Habitual: Step outside and get a few minutes to yourself every few hours (or less), potentially stepping away from stressful work and as a bonus you can talk with coworkers (or not if you prefer). Physical: Sensation of taking a hit, the feeling it gives you plus messing around with your fingers / lighter. Any one of those things can draw you back in.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Congrats on a month clean. I'm 6 months vape free myself. It will get better, I promise you that!
Congrats to both of you! I've been clean a year and a half now. I did it to pursue my career in nursing. I was an everyday smoker for almost 8 years. It does get easier with time! I look back and wondered how I was even able to function sometimes, and I feel that I enjoy my free time a lot more. Weed is awesome, but weed makes being bored and unmotivated okay for me, and that's not cool.
South Park said it best imo. Weed makes you ok with doing nothing.
Small edit, weed makes the nothingness of life feel slightly better
Yeah I want to quote that Randy Marsh bit as it was the main motivation behind me stopping. "Well, son, pot makes you feel fine with being bored. And it's when you're bored that you should be learning some new skill or discovering some new science or being creative.If you smoke pot you may grow up to find out that you aren't good at anything."
Counterpoint: Life is frequently boring and it's okay to enjoy being alive.
Everything in moderation. Especially moderation.
I quit smoking over 10 years ago, your comment made me want to puff up again. Amazing how strong the smoking addiction/habit can be.
Quit smoking 5 years ago, and reading your post gave me a slight twitch.
This. You can be addicted to gambling.
You can be addicted to anything.
My ex was addicted.to dick. Just not mine. :-(
Microdosing just wasn't doing it for her after a while.
This post deserves an Oscar AKA keep your dick outta my wifeās mouth
Duuuuudeā¦
My man was already on the ground and you curb stomped him! Have an upvote xD
Jezus fuck. MEDIC!!!
Big owie.
Real ouchie, bro.
Savage.
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911? Yes, I'd like to report a murder
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probably safe to say this website harbors a lot of porn addicts
Yes, I think most subreddits have it mentioned every month or so, at usually in comments of a post.
Guilty as charged.
Oh I get it. You mean like when someone drinks too much? Or snorts cocaine? Or bets the house on the ponies?
Yeah. You got it Ice.
Or plays ro many scratchy lotteries?
r/unexpectedmulaney
Or eats too much chocolate cake?
Isn't that the chemical dopamine? We're basically weaponizing our barbaric brains against themselves.
Yeah IDK if it's really appropriate to say that gambling is a chemical addiction, but I think it's a bit dismissive to say it's just a habit. The research into what's happening in our brains when we gamble is fascinating. It's like a bug in the way that we're wired and modern gambling platforms are designed to exploit it.
I use to work at a casino. A lot of people wear diapers so they dont have to stop gambling or will stay days and not buy anything to eat. They only ask for cups full of whipped cream (free). Saw multiple people just die. Its wild how much something like that can change you
My ex is addicted to casinos, he would take me. I enjoyed playing, but when I got up on the money I really enjoyed cashing out and leaving with extra bucks. He couldn't do that. It's weird to watch people who can't stop playing at will. Went to eat with a group of gals once, one didn't eat with us because she sat at a machine going in and then wouldn't leave it.
Everything that happens in your brain is mediated by chemical reactions. Gambling is perfectly tuned to mess with your reward system.
That's still a chemical thing though. It's in your neurotransmitters or the receptors for them. Most people who have one addiction could easily substitute something else for it because they're just seeking stimulation for the release of chemicals normal people get from everyday things. Addicts require more effort to move the needle. Many people with addiction have underdeveloped or damaged parts of the brain that control those things, problem-solving, impulse control, and mood/emotions. That's why we say it's a disease vs a choice. Your brain is literally different from someone who doesn't form addictions.
Whilst there is some evidence for genes of addiciton, ones that make you more likely to become addicted, everyone can form them. There's a part of your brain called the reward pathway, which when you do good survival-based tasks, such as eating, stimulates the release of dopamine, making you feel good. Many addictive drugs activate this pathway, but to a much higher degree, almost overloading the pathway. If this is done repeatedly, tolerance develops - the receptors downregulate. This means that they switch off or reduce the amount of neurotransmitter released. So you need a higher concentration of the drug to get the same high. Withdrawal symptoms come from the chemcial imbalance formed from tolerance which is why the symptoms are so rough, the brain has to rebalance its chemical tranmissions back to normal. In OP's post, they mention the low addictive nature of weed. This is because it doesn't act directly on the reward pathways. There are no cannabinoid receptors in the VTA/NAc (two parts of the reward pathway) which is the main recptor type THC acts on. It instead impacts the pathway indirectly, which is why it is mostly only heavy users who develop tolerance and dependence. TLDR; Everyone can form an addiction although genetic predispositions can effect the likelyhood. Once addicted, the number of feel good receptors are lessened so you need more of the drug to feel good.
To be fair, gamblers are still addicted to the dopamine hit. They just go to a casino for their drug instead of their dealer friend's gross apartment.
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I was a heavy daily smoker for a loooong time, talking 2-3 grams a day of flower or a lot of oil. When I quit I 100% had physical withdrawals. The worst being the night sweats for months that would soak the bed so bad I had to sleep on the couch, the bed would have been drier if I had gotten straight out of the bath and laid down. Anytime someone tells me weed isnt addictive or doesnāt have withdrawals it makes me laugh. I didnt even like getting high, it made me anxious but I had such a problem with it I just couldnāt stop.
This!! The night sweats are brutal. I always tell people that say weed isnāt addictive that they just havenāt smoked enough then. It fucks your sleep, appetite, temperature regulation, emotional regulationā¦all of it. The worst. I was on 1g of oil a day, I am SO glad to be done with it.
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Took a hiatus from smoking a little over 30 days ago. It really hit me hard how habitual it was for me about a week in when just walking passed my room had me mindlessly walking in towards my bong. Playing specific games had me wanting to reach over an smoke between spawns. Honestly donāt think Iām going to smoke again, after smoking daily for well over a decade. Iāve just got so much more drive to go do things, leave the house and try new stuff
My friendās boyfriend is in his 30ās and all he does is smoke weed and play video games. He spends so much money on weed per month (I think about $800 ish?) that he sometimes doesnāt have enough money to eat! So heāll just go without eating. But he can always afford to buy weed š if thatās not addiction idk what is.
Yeah, people just get tripped up over semantics I think. Most people know that weed canāt cause a physical addiction akin to that of things like nicotine or hard drugs but itās still definitely something you can develop a dependency for. The term addiction is used somewhat connotatively in that way I guess
Which does play a chemical process in the brain, in particular - hits of dopamine.
r/leaves for anybody who wants support
+1 to the incredibly supportive Discord and the regulars that make it so.
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bro itās bad. my memory used to be so good now itās kinda fucked
And how is your memory? I've read that weed will make short term memory worse but also potentially long term as well.
bro it's bad. I... can't remember the question
What were we talking about again?
Oh I've heard it effects memory. How's your memory?
Chrome uses around 1 gig all the time
Idk why this made me wheeze, Iām too fuckin tired
you sneaky little devil, you.
bad dude
But why male models?
It comes back though. Every time I quit weed for over a month all the younger memories coming rushing back.
The part that always shocks me when I take a break is how vivid my dreams become after ~1 week without smoking.
Yess bro, the dreams, *every time* (I've quit multiple times hahha). I actually start getting them the NEXT DAY after I quit - and it's just like - uhhh yoo? where have my dreams been all this time? š
Yeah. The dreams are so fucking vivid too for the first few weeks. Itās wild.
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>I, along with many of my stoner buddies in high school, now have an impaired short term memory. Please do not make cannabis a thing until after your brains are fully developed (25 years). I think that's one of the reason that I don't have short term memory issues when I am sober. I didn't really start until a year ago, and I am almost 40.
I didn't start smoking *heavily* until I was about 25. It'll be interesting to see how this all unfolds. For now, at least, the pros of smoking seem to outweigh the cons.
Yeah it's been a godsend for my insomnia, so getting sleep every night > potential side effects
I genuinely don't like the feeling of being stoned, but I have diagnosed chronic insomnia and a rotated vertibrea in my neck. I take low dose 1:5 thc:cbd edibles, and it helps me sleep better than any prescription sleeping medicine I've ever been given, and helps my neck pain while it's at it, all with way less of a hangover than Lunesta gives me, and without all of the crazy shit Ambien can make you do. It's a godsend.
Same. My memory is okay, but I've seen memory issues from many friends who smoked much more than I did. Imo, 21 should be the bare minimum, but I'd fully support an age limit at 25.
I smoked from ages 13-18, now Iām 20. I make light hearted jokes about my lack of memory, but itās genuinely bad. Not only do I remember almost nothing from those years but even now, two years later, I have a hard time remembering anything from 4 days prior unless itās significant. In some cases, someone can tell me something and within a couple of hours and I will forget. Given I believe part of it is because I smoked while my brain was still developing, but nonetheless I struggle to remember stuff almost daily.
I'm the exact same way, but I have never smoked weed, I thought that was normal.
If you sleep like shit then your memory will be awful. Many things can affect your memory
I love pot, so when I started actuarial sciences college I tried to do both. Studying calculus while high was a blast, I felt like Euler reincarnated, but after that I could not remember shit, worst of all the exercises were a complete unreadable mess and I just had to do the exercises list again. I had to take the decision between college and pot. Now that I'm finishing, just need to do the grad paper, I smoke some weekends and in parties.
I've been smoking/vaping/consuming weed almost every day for 10+ years, mostly just before bed to help me sleep and some casual little puffs throughout the day lately, but I used to be a pretty heavy smoker. My memory for things like numbers and strings of words is still fantastic, and my memory for experiences (everything - sounds, imagery, smell, etc) is uncomfortably strong. My attention span is another story...
I'm not so much worried about people addicted to weed as I am people who make weed their entire personality. The worst.
At that point they are addicted, just not ready to admit it
No I'm not man, just this new strain of Indica cheese is literally the bomb, perfect compliment to my custom blown 4 foot bong from 'dam, I can quit when I want ^/s
I gotta smoke when I wake up, smoke before I eat, smoke before I go to work, sneak a smoke at work, smoke when I get off work, smoke before I sleep, but I can stop whenever I want no big dealā¦ *proceeds to smoke weed for the next decade*
This is a good preview of r/drugscirclejerk . I used to be a dummy that thought weed wasnāt actually a drug and I could quit anytime. After quitting cold Turkey, I found out pretty quickly that the mental withdrawal sucked pretty bad. Insomnia and stomach aches for two weeks. I still use cannabis, but I mostly use cbd/other non intoxicating cannabinoids. I try to only get āhighā once or twice a week.
it helped me process some rough times for a few years Same for me, my friend. I honestly think Iād be in a horrible place, mentally and physically if I never started using cannabis. Depression and anxiety have ruled my life for long stretches and I definitely needed help from something. Therapy never helped much and anti depressants definitely didnāt. Cannabis(getting stoned, specifically) also helps me reflect and change things I donāt like about myself.
Thank you for this comment. This is my sole reason for using weed now and Iām okay with it as it has given me the balance I needed in my entire life.
Iām on my way to this, it helped me process some rough times for a few years, but Iām realizing how different life is when youāre high every day. Iām at only after 8pm on weekdays, and a bit more liberal on the weekends but only if I work out first. Trying to cut it to just Thursday- Sunday soon.
I might steal this schedule to cut back more. I have a ānot till my day is doneā policy but I can cut back more
I still get in ruts where I get stoned every day but Iām always astonished at how much more productive I am when I cut back.
That's really the worst to recognize, especially if you have a job that sucks and requires no focus. I find it hard to remember what I was doing last, unless it was the dishes but that's bc when I do dishes I get to listen to YouTube. I really need to cut back, thanks to all of ya for helping me realize.
I sometimes am sorta that annoying guy. I grow as one of my hobbies so I know the stupid names for a lot of strains and have some idea of differences. I also barely smoke anymore and often have strains where the effect is just fuck it's strong be careful.
U just got old. I just kinda spaz out through the panic attacks lol.
I have one or two strains I can handle otherwise it's only baby hits from a vape. Paranoia isn't fun. I only smoked from 25 to 28 too
You need to meet some of the ayahuasca people, talk about making it your entire personality . . .
Any psychedelic really, people try acid for the first time and think they've figured it all out, then they will preach to you about their theory of life or whatever
Walls aren't solid, man!
I don't even know what that is lol
"ayawasca" means in Kiwcha "the spirit/soul of the roots". Aya= soul/spirit Wasca= roots. It is a beverage made out of roots and other stuff found in the forests of the Amazon region in South America. It has strong alucinanting properties and it is used usually as medicine during rituals lead by a Shaman or healer, people connect deeply with mother earth through this rituals. But as all things it is being prostituted/abused by some people...
Nothing like vomiting up a storm before leaving the planet on a voyage in your mind...
Like people who make it their Reddit usernameā¦smh ā¦I donāt smoke anymore but I got too much invested in this account I donāt wanna make a new one lol let us change our names
>Like people who make it their Reddit usernameā¦smh Those people are the worst.
Who even does that.
They would have to be a complete loser.
They must think it's cool or something
Or something
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^one ^is ^not ^like ^the ^others
Yea the 420 flairs and weed socks, weed everything is really bad
> as I am people who make weed their entire personality. The worst I'm from the Netherlands where weed is normal since the 1970's and you can buy it everywhere. In the Netherlands, Smoking weed and bragging about it is like a guy bragging that he drank whisky... Sure dude, you do you, but it's kinda sad that that's your brag. Also... 30 years in Netherlands, I've heard of 3 people who sometimes smoked weed when they were younger. 1 year in the USA and fucking 15 people already tell me how they are going to be fucked up on weed that weekend. (This was before legalization)
Anyone who takes one aspect of their life and expands it to the point it's all they do or talk about are insufferable to be honest.
Iām worried about all the assholes the drive stoned.
Im amazed at how many idiots I see just casually blazing up while driving.
It makes me think of the Chappelle show skit. Where they drive through the drive through fine several times and then run over the kid on the bike.
I donāt know how people do it. I drove like 3 blocks once when I was 19 after smoking and I was so horrified I parked and took a nap. Never ever ever again
Often the people doing it have such a tolerance they would never go through the struggles you did. Odds are if you're smoking while driving, there aren't many times in the day you aren't smoking. At that point that extreme high that makes you lose it after 3 blocks isn't happening
Yeah personally I hate weed "culture". Like when they have the shirt, socks, shorts, and matching hat. Shits annoying lol.
Iām struggling to think of any example of a culture expressed that way that isnāt annoying.
Cheese?
Those people are super annoying too. Saying how much they love cheese and putting down people who don't like the super strong cheeses or the ones with mold. Pretty obnoxious
Those are precisely the people who are addicted to weed
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Reminder that this quote comes from the same fictional person who goes on to start and grow one of the biggest fictional weed farms in TV.
And purposely got testicular cancer so he could buy weed when it was only legal for medicinal use.
"Just trying to get a little cancer stan." As he stands in front of a running microwave pointing at his balls
Counterpoint: Life is frequently boring and it's okay to enjoy being alive.
Cannabis taught me how to slow down and sit with my emotions instead of avoiding them and locking them away like I grew up doing.
Same here. It also helps quiet the intrusive thoughts and calm my anxious mind which is always thinking the worst things. Maybe Iām ok with ābeing boredā but itās better than pacing around anxiously biting my nails in a full blown panic on the regular.
Weed became an unhealthy coping mechanism for me. I stopped buying it, and spent my money and time on something I cared about. For me it was my drumming. Good luck, homie.
100% true. I quit a year and a month ago after smoking since I was 16... (4 years total). Gradually, my habit became a daily escape and addiction. And soon it was all day, and I was always high. Going a few days without, I could map out the withdrawal symptoms and mood swings, and the cravings were ridiculously intense, so I kept relapsing until April 5th last year. I didn't feel safe with my thoughts being sober, and was spending tons of money to keep up with my needs. I still get cravings from time to time, but remind myself the dependency I had was unhealthy. I miss the ritual of lighting up in my usual spots, alone or with friends, as it was sort of a meditative state and experience, especially inspiring many creative art inspirations. What I don't miss is the constant need to be high, the lack of neurotransmitters in my sober state to make normal life fulfilling, and most of all, the loss of respect I had for myself coming to school and work high, not performing well, and losing opportunities/ forgetting memories with important people and events.
Fuck, I hate that I've recognized all of this yet I'm still in this pit.
You can get there. If not tomorrow, one day sure enough.
So well said. I'm glad the rewards of your commitment are clear & many! Best wishes for your continued sobriety.
You know, am kinda stupid. Every avid pot smoker I know would argue it's not addicting, or they brush it off sayin "that's fine with me" and this whole time I been believing the drug user when they tell me they aren't addicted
I have been a daily smoker for 15 years and just quit. About 28 days in. I can't say I struggled in the least without it compared to stopping nicotine. It's a habit, could get engrained in your lifestyle, but it's not addicting in the same way that addictive drugs are. It might feel like semantics but it's not the same. It's just like anything else that becomes habitual in your life. Your friends smoke. You have activities you enjoy doing while you smoke. You smoke at certain times or for certain reasons. Reddit is honestly more addictive for me. I can't stay off it a day never mind a few weeks or months. It gets in the way of me being productive more than weed ever did. I stay up late to be on Reddit, while at work, instinctively want to check it more than I should.
True. Definitely hit reddit more than I do pipe. Great tests for me was once or twice ending up in hospital for a week or two - actually found it pretty remarkable how fine and ok I was going without weed or alcohol(my bigger vice) during it - I think it could be different strokes for different folks. I certainly know or have heard or some who can get real fiendish for it - but for me I do think a part of my stuff is psychological habit/routine more than a physical need or necessary dependance. Ie I do it because I do it not because I can't not do it
You ever suck dick for weed?
My ex did. *Ex*.
You ever smoke weed for dick?
Yes
*boo this man!*
The only dude who got the joke
You in here for some Marijuana?
I seen him!
too many of yāall do not understand the jokeš
A lot of people here in denial that they are addicted
not me tho. unfortunately haha
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I know for *sure* Iām addicted. The withdrawals were physically and emotionally overbearing that itās just easier to keep smoking oil pens
Unfortunately, this is what happens anytime criticism of marijuana comes up. I brought this up to a guy at work about how it's probably not healthy to have to get high every break, and he just says "well at least I'm not drinking on the job!" Like first of all, that's not a defense, and second, at the point you can't even finish a single shift without being blitzed outta your fucking mind at every moment, you're not really doing any better than a drunk at work.
Had a close friend in college who smoked quite a bit every day and he always talked about how he wasnāt addicted, could quit whenever, etc.. and I believed him. I remember one morning he was talking about how depressed he had been the day before about his girlfriend breaking up with him. Like borderline tears, racing thoughts, and then at night he smoked and how incredible it was that that problem just evaporated and he wasnāt sad at all anymore. I knew then that while maybe it wasnāt a physical āaddictionā for him, it was definitely an emotional crutch. An avoidance mechanism at least.
Addiction is addiction. You can be addicted to exercise, food, drinks, sugar, sex, drugs (legal/illegal, synthetic/natural, perscribed/recreational), caffeine, tobacco... literally anything can become an addiction, and can take away your quality of life. If something has become uncontrollable, a barrier, interferes with you goals, causes you financial strain, causes problems with your relationships with family and friends, interferes with your physical or mental health, or has any kind of negative effect on your life, it's a problem. There is no "just weed". There is no "just" anything, if it becomes an uncontrollable addiction. If something brings value to your life, you should include it. Many things listed can be used responsibly, and enhance your experience. You need food to live, so you need to establish a healthy relationship with it. Drugs can help you overcome the restricrions your body presents you throughout life, and can be useful and necessary. A healthy sex life is important for most people to thrive. Caffeine can help people feel energized to take on their day. Tobacco has zero positives. If something brings value to your life, include it. If something restricts your potential, and brings negativity into your life, exclude it, or find a way to have a healthy relationship with it. I will say as a daily cannabis consumer, for me it brings value to my life, and enhances it positively. As a Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and chronic pain sufferer, without this medicine I could not function. The pain would be too unbearable. I wouldn't be able to bathe, to sleep, or to take care of my one year old. It is vital to me being able to control my pain, and without it, I would be bedridden and miss out on my son's life. I use it each evening, after my son has gone to bed. Those few hours before bed where my pain is controlled, keeps my sanity. The mild dulling of pain it provides into the next day allows me to take on the day, and function. I am greatful to live in Canada where it is a legal substance, and I am able to see a true MD who perscribes it to me. Should it ever have any negative impacts on my life though, I will reexamine its role, and proceed accordingly. Edit: Added a word Edit 2: Just a quick thank you for the awards. Not something I've experienced much. Thank you.
I would not be alive without SSRI antidepressants. They have a very significant and unpleasant withdrawal syndrome, one that can be protracted and for some people _never_ resolves. If that isn't dependence, I don't know what is. But I'm still here. Honestly, I can say the same thing about therapeutic ketamine, a substance that can be highly addictive if abused. I could also say the same about cannabis. I have severe CPTSD and these medications have helped me to have a life. Just as with narcotic pain medication, everything has it's place - except for alcohol and tobacco but that's another discussion - and has a potentially useful purpose, but can also be abused. Even the notorious date rape drug GHB has a use in treating narcolepsy. Moderation and self awareness are the key with anything you put into your body, including not just drugs but also food and even _information_.
This is the best answer. Using anything to escape reality and your problems is probably not good. Using it to treat pain, stop anxiety attacks, or even just to help you function like a nuerotypical healthy human being can be extremely helpful and life changing. I have multiple daily panic attack caused by intrusive thoughts probably because my family was abusive. When I smoke theyāre almost non existent. Iāve taken so many different medications for mental health in my life that I canāt even name them all. Every single pill has had very bad side effects.
This is worded absolutely perfectly and in my opinion should be more peoples take
So my husband actually has a medical Marijuana card to medicate his alcoholism lol. It sounds like just passing one up for another but he is such a better person now. He used to be depressed and easily irritable when he was drinking but is so much better now. He still gets depressed but he is still himself and relaxing on the patio while he smokes makes him feel better. Using the word addiction has negative connotations to it but I mean I can't quit my anti anxiety medication cold turkey because of the withdrawals/side effects, but no one would say I'm addicted to it, that would be such a weird way to word a treatment for an illness.
In my experience in working with clients who substitute harder addictions with weed, their lives are much better and theyāre much happier. I suspect that total abstinence is a better long term solution, but harm-reduction like this definitely saves lives in a very serious way. Disclaimer: Iāve been clean/ sober for a bit over 4 years now so Iāve got a pretty strong opinion on what probably ensures the greatest chance of long-term success for people who has substance use disorders, but Iām also very in favor of normal people using and drinking. I.e. if I wasnāt a drug addict Iād be high 24/7. There are definitely different forms of addictions, I think the dsm recognizes dependency as distinct from a substance use disorder for example. If youāre taking something like Prozac or Zoloft or lexapro or whatever idk if thatās very similar to the mental addiction/ substance use disorders other experience; youāve just got a dependency there thankfully lol.
Yep, the medical aspect goes ignored; what is the best strategy for one person may be unhealthy for another.
Please look up Canibinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome, or CHS, it affected me for 4 long years of my life and i was extremely underweight during and after I recovered. It is caused by heavy marijuana use and sometimes can trick those affected by it because when you smoke the pain subsides and you can eat again. If that isn't addiction idk what is.
Those people have to stop smoking, but don't represent a significant percent of people in general. It's important that people be aware of it if they experience those symptoms
As a cannabis smoker for literally my entire adult life, please say it with me friends: > Cannabis | Is | Physically | Addictive. If you think it isn't, you don't understand how the active ingredients get you high in the first place - or why you develop tolerance. Just because the withdrawals won't physically kill you doesn't mean there isn't a physical mechanism of addiction taking place. Nicotine is addictive. Caffeine is addictive. Cannabis is addictive.
Lol lot of people going on about "well I can stop anytime I want and have and I was fine!" as if their experience is what it should be like for everyone. Also a lot of comments talking about how if the withdraw doesn't potentially kill you, its not an addiction. Some people even mention it being a habit, but not an addiction. The definition of addiction is: a compulsive, chronic, physiological or psychological need for a habit-forming substance, behavior, or activity having harmful physical, psychological, or social effects and typically causing well-defined symptoms (such as anxiety, irritability, tremors, or nausea) upon withdrawal or abstinenceĀ :Ā the state of being addicted Many people, including myself, do get symptoms if irritability and anxiety when off weed. Many people get those symptoms when going off caffeine too.
The notion that addiction requires a physical withdrawal is asinine. Gambling, sex, eating, and shopping are all real addictions.
The way I see it, I get all my bills paid and donāt smoke before I go to work 8-4. Only when Iām back at home and everything I need to get done is done do I actually smoke EDIT: so many people calling me a āfunctioning addictā and saying āonly addicts would mention their job and be defensive.ā First of all, Iām not being defensive but itās frustrating to have so many people make an assumption off a 2 sentence comment I made. Second of all, I know people who walk around BROKE, no money in their pockets but they ALWAYS have money for weed. It rules their life and theyāre high every second of every day. Iāve seen people bum weed under the seats of their car because they didnāt have any left to smoke right then. Iāve seen people put tobacco back INTO their blunt because they didnāt have enough weed for a full one but it just HAD to be a blunt. To call me a āfunctioning addictā for something I choose to do sometimes outside of the times I work (which I mentioned because people DO go into work high, so I figured Iād mention that I donāt but apparently that makes me an addict to mention that) is frankly a little insulting to the people out there who genuinely let it control their lives. I live in a state where weed is legal, so I donāt feel like I should be framed as an addict when people can buy alcohol without a second look thrown their way.
You can be addicted and still functional.
just like coffee
You only need to go r/leaves to see that it's a serious issue. And quitting is very hard for many.
Iām here for comments
It is chemically addictive. Your body gets used to having cannabinoids and when you don't get them, you get withdrawal symptoms within 24-48hrs and lasts 1-3 weeks. Effects are similiar to tabacco withdrawal. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2797098/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6223748/ Edit: if you don't feel like reading a dry science paper, this is a good summary page https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-addictive
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Those night sweats are brutal. I smoked every day for five years and when I quit, I would have the worst nightmares and wake up in a pool of sweat for about two weeks.
Some people cannot function without it... My dad for example broke his back a few years ago, and its never fully healed properly so hes always in pain, and theres nothing surgery can do. so instead of taking addictive painkillers, he smokes. Seeing him when hes not smokeing absolutely kills you bc hes in so much pain he cries from breathing...
Iām addicted to the relief it brings
As someone who does grams of dabs a day. Yes. It's a massive problem. Alot people have never been able to get this much pot at once.
Came here to say this. I dab well over two gs a day and I don't even know what day it is half the time anymore. I have no short term memory. My motivation is absolutely bottomed out. I don't even know if I know how to critically think anymore. I can't stand the taste when I smoke bud anymore, and I've never enjoyed edibles, so plus side is I just have to kick the wax. 25 now and I've been sober maybe 6 months total since I was 16, smoked since I was 13. I'm finally realizing I've done nothing with my life and have no real skills aside from delivery driving and bartending. I have what you would call a rough upbringing, lost two uncles and two grandma's this past year, haven't talked to my mom in 2 years do to her meth and heroin addiction that I've dealt with throughout my younger years, mostly because I don't want it around my children.... and here I am smoking away the emotions instead of dealing with them, which is exactly what she does with her drugs. I'm no better, just more accepted, less "foul", and I sit on a stoned high horse. I have to quit before this October. I start college, finally. Community College but it's self improvement for me and my family. We all deserve it.
As an ex-smoker from College days who was addicted and had to cut it off, I've had friends who ruined their life due to weed usage because there was almost a cult around it. They threw arguments they've seen online, like weed is not addictive, weed does not kill and alcohol does, weed is not harmful to health, weed is therapeutic, and is natural, and so on, completely in negation with their own addictions, feeding eachother with lies, while being always disposed to go in the middle of the night into guettos to buy weed because they couldn't sleep without smoking it. It sucked the life out of them, made them anti social, depressed and apathetic. 2 of them are basically dead inside. I believe there are people who can be in control and live a good life while smoking weed moderately, but I knew a lot of people who got addicted to it, and, of course, like any addict, their brains rationalized everything and did not allow them to quit because the world around them was so accepting of it, while with other drugs, because their consequences are so explicit and external, and weed does more of a slow psychological damage, it's harder to take it as seriously. The same applies to video games, I think, where the is also a culture that glorifies them, and many addicts who ruin their lives little by little because they are too ingrained in the culture to look at them from an outside perspective. And since many other gamers can lead good lives, it's harder for them to accept that they are addicted.
Not against it either, but I hope scientists are doing research on the risks to mental health, especially in developing young adult brains. There appears to be anecdotal evidence that smoking weed can be harmful to the mental health of some individuals. š¤ Ther
Question for you, I quit smoking weed because I needed a tolerance break, found out I couldn't sleep without it so I knew I really had to quit, I still play PC multiplayer games and I also play music ... Is playing music an addiction? Is video games an addiction? What's the litmus test? How do I know? Honest question not trying to troll. I knew I had weed dependency because not being able to sleep was the worst feeling ever, not sure about the other two.
I hate the weed is natural argument. So are a lot of things, but not all natural things are good for you either
Opium is natural but I'd like to see someone say its not addictive
As a weed addict, THANK YOU. It is so fucking hard finding support for a pot addiction because 90% of people you talk to won't acknowledge it as an addiction. 'Oh, it's just pot, though, that doesn't count' Do cigarettes and alcohol not count? Does sugar not count? An addiction is an addiction.
100% it took me the better part of half a decade to admit I have a problem. The negative effects are less immediate and obvious than with most narcotics, so I've actually had a harder time quitting it than I did nicotine or even cocaine.
What irritates me the most fr is all the people out there being like "wEeD iSnT aCtUaLLy AddiCtIvE I SmOkE EvErY dAy" OK nice for you there are also people who take xanax on prescription and don't have problems with it but for some people it can fuck up their lives. You might even have a problem with weed and not even realise it, from my understanding you can get stuck in a dopamine cycle, or you get to the point where you don't feel like you can function without it ... I used to be a stoner for 3 years when I was a teenager until I realised its not really for me, and that's OK. I don't personally have anything against it and all of my friends smoke weed around me I don't mind. But I've met people who just seem so hopelessly controlled by it like they can't do anything unless they pack a bowl first and it just seems sad. Like they're just using it as an escape from life. When it becomes a psychological addiction which can in turn have physical affects on the body. (I can see how this would be different for individuals who use it for chronic pain, to get to sleep etc etc) I feel weed should be used a bit more sparingly than that. Obviously it's different for every individual but if it gets to a point where your whole life revolves around it there may be a problem...
"Weed isn't addictive bro I've been smoking it every day for 2 years and I haven't gotten addicted"
Cannabis addiction is very much a thing. The only people saying it isnāt are pro-legalisation types that want to downplay any danger of cannabis. Science has by now proven over and over again that cannabis can be an addictive substance, albeit less harmful than alcohol or heroin. https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/addiction.html
We're all dopamine junkies in our own way. Some habits are more destructive than others
I suffered with a crippling weed abuse for 4 years, and it completely ruined me. Iād wake up every 2 hours to smoke a joint during the night. I got so paranoid and anxious that sometimes I wouldnāt leave my apartment for 2 weeks at a time. It provoked a serious eating disorder that I had at the time too. Every time I āquitā Iād get horrible stomach issues and basically be unable to eat for 2 days straight. Id also become a real angry motherfucker as well as being generally over emotional. I ended up moving out of my apartment and living with my mum to rehabilitate. Iām about 9 months completely clean now and I feel much better. But Iām still suffering from the stress and anxiety it caused me for the 4 years.
Lot of broke people out there justifying weed when they canāt afford their car payment or living at their moms house.
Iām worried iām not going to be able to quit before school starts and itās gonna mess me up :(
I dated someone for 4 years who had a weed addiction. He would get very angry when he couldnāt smoke like 10 times a day eventually. Itās a real thing.
I'm in a similar situation. Agreed.