Cannabis

Hi, firstly I'm not here to judge, and I don't know the science, but I just want to tell you that when I was a teenager I thought cannabis was fantastic, it made everything I heard into the funniest thing ever!! By my twenties I was in a band and everyone was doing it (we were convinced it made us play better), it was the norm, and it was great, even though it had become a 'necessity' by now (a higher priority than I am wanting to admit out loud!) By my thirties there were still a few of us doing it and it was still good, but more of a 'habit', just an 'old reliable friend', but the kind that made you lazy, lethargic, dopey (now the back up energy of youth was diminishing) By my forties I was sat in my kitchen wondering what the fuck I had done with my life and in utter despair because my 'friend' hadn't turned up with this weeks supply of my 'best friend'. I quit shortly after and haven't touched it since.

And I'm not saying its like that for everyone and I loved Bill Hicks etc and all the jokes about how funny/great it all is (I would SO love to hear what Hicks would have had to say had he still been alive because I'm sure he would've turned on it long ago?!?!) and being in your forties probably feels like a lifetime away by now but honestly there's good reason why this following quote is so appropriate for cannabis (alcohol, whatever?)...

"The lie tastes sweet at the beginning, but bitter at the end. The truth tastes bitter at the beginning, but sweet at the end." ~Buddha

But honestly I'm just sharing my truth and I sincerely hope you find a way that serves you both now AND in the future.

Sorry if I don't reply bit I'm about to log off (is way past my bedtime)

P.S. also just have a look at this thread about half way in the chat about jeff tweedy might interest you

http://www.nofap.org/forum/showthread.php?2520-Bill-Hicks

And I love the quote in your signature, is certainly true. You don't get a rainbow without the rainfall and I used to think rainbows were FAR OUT when I was stoned. And I still love them, but now I just think they are beautiful...

All the best

 

Ok cheers, I think you will like those clips, all the best

P.S. I got damn insomnia!! I could do with a smoke...

 

Just one last comment. Your right what you say but worth mentioning that most people I know (knew) who smoked and/or drank etc didn't do it all day etc (I didn't) but what i found happened to me, and others, and this is common to all addiction, is that time spent NOT doing it felt like time WAITING to do it and to me that's at least half of your life wasted thinking about how your going to waste the other half!! I'm sure you know what I mean and I've found that the past six years completely drug/alcohol/nicotine free have been 'fuller' times for me where I have been able to practice being completely present etc without making that 'distinction' which usually leads to people not being able to relax without their favourite fix. Just thought that was worth a quick mention

 

I don't know if its destructive to you dopamine receptors, but I do know it kills productivity.Its also definitely not addictive. I smoked all through my teens and my early twenties, and by the time I turned 25, I wondered what I had done with my life. When I took stock, most of that time was spent high. It wasn't bad, just that all my friends whom I smoked with didnt seem to be making an impact in life, in the world.
More importantly, I relapsed and masturbated sometimes when I smoked, because it felt so much better.
Now I smoke probably once a year and only when offered...

 

I disagree. If there's anything you can possibly do that releases dopamine, routine participation in that activity will always present a potential for addiction.
Anything fun can be addictive, but exactly how addictive is up to your discretion, if you have any.

From a scientific standpoint, consistent firing of neurological synapses will actually alter the brain's wiring after a certain point. This is when an addiction begins, after it's literally carved its way into your life. Really, one could argue that it's not a drug or activity you're addicted to, but the chemical response that it triggers for you.

Clean

 

Hey man, I've also had a long time marijuana habit that recently broke into a full blown addiction over the past couple of years. I put that down at the same time as the porn and it's been a little over a month now since I've smoked. It's definitely much easier to stop chasing the dopamine fix of porn without continually feeding the dopamine fix from marijuana and the subsequent one that follows from having the munchies for hours. Check out this website if you'd like more information, it's from the University of Notre Dame's Student Affairs Dept. There is a lot of scientific research that has been done on Marijuana and all of their information is cited and has the references to the different studies if you're skeptical. Personally, I hear this argument all the time and even get into debates about it with my friends that still smoke often. Marijuana has always been my drug of choice, and I'd go as far as to say that I "love" weed. Speaking for my friends they'll say the exact same thing. The difference between them and I is that I'm not in denial of the harmful effects of the substance. A drug is a drug is a drug my man, and I can tell you 100% from experience over the past 10 years that habitually smoking weed is both physically and psychologically addicting, it absolutely does effect your dopamine receptors and your brains reward system just like every other drug, and unless you have cancer the negatives outweigh the positives by far. Just like any other drug it has the capability to change your brain structure, and that's a huge negative all by itself. I've stopped PMO for maybe 50 days before while still smoking weed and now I've stopped PMO for 30 days without smoking weed. I feel much better this time around and feel positive benefits a lot faster than I did before. Anyway, this is just my experience and everyone is different. My personal belief is that there are people that can smoke weed once a month and enjoy themselves and that's it til next month, never having any sort of harmful effect, and then there's people like me that can't. One joint is all it takes for me to fire up my old neural pathways and go right back to smoking weed 4 times a day everyday. It all depends really on how strong that habit was/is. For some it's a habit, for me it turned into an addiction. Check out this website though if you'd like some more insight into it. Good luck!

http://oade.nd.edu/educate-yourself.../marijuana-manual/myths-and-current-research/

 

I guess only when the body relied already on the substance and stopped creating our own dopamine. I'm not sure at all haha but pot is a great human experience I must say, it's like climbing mt Everest

 

When I first started doing weed, it was only occasional with some friends but that progressed over the following years to a reliance to the drug. Like you said Mark, I felt like "time spent NOT doing it felt like time WAITING to do it". I didn't have a particularly addictive personality but it eventually got a hold of me and it was very difficult to shake off.

 

Yeah so I started juts doing once a week. Then once every night. Then all day everyday (about a gram a day), then after a while an eighth a day. Then I was smoking constantly throughout the day (a quarter, 7 grams, a day). I spent $60 a day doing it. Mind you, I was smoking gravity bongs, bongs, and gas masks. Not blunts/pipes (which waste alot of weed). I was smoking everyday for a little over 3 years, with a handful of days off.

I quit about 30 days ago. Its not addicting. It sucks bc I love it so much but I'm chilling. I wanted to see what would happen with it out of my system. It's gonna take, I'm guessing, 15 or so more days with such heavy usuage.

You gotta recognize what your problem is, if there is one. Mine was I would stop hanging out with people/going to class and sit on my couch and watch or play things all day while blowing major kush. Just like anything, my problem is I can't do moderation. I go all out, with porn for example. Also, my porn addiction really stepped up with marijuana usuage (NOT a direct correlation, there was/is alot of moving parts to this).

Weed is virtually harmless. It just depends on how you do it. I had friends who could do their schoolwork/whatever was expected (social obligations) and then go out at night and smoke right before bed. For me, I smoked when I got up, to the point u went to sleep. Valued that (and porn) over anything else.

Also the money saving issue is another plus.