16 votes

America’s invisible pot addicts

6 comments

  1. [2]
    boredop
    Link
    That used to be me. I spent years and years smoking ten times a day or more, burning through hundreds of dollars a month and letting weed take over big parts of my life. It wasn't easy to quit,...

    That used to be me. I spent years and years smoking ten times a day or more, burning through hundreds of dollars a month and letting weed take over big parts of my life. It wasn't easy to quit, but when the time came I knew I had to do it. And like I said in another thread a few weeks ago, it was a decision that made a big improvement in my life.

    I know plenty of people who can smoke once or twice a week and never form a real habit, and I have no problem with them continuing to puff away as they please. Despite the problems I had from being a stoner, I support legalization 100%. Any downsides from legal weed are nothing compared to the damage that prohibition has done.

    10 votes
    1. creepmyrtle
      Link Parent
      I feel like I got lucky when it came to giving up my pot habit. I was in the same boat as you (heavy smoker for years) and then something odd happened to me that I haven't seen happen to anyone...

      I feel like I got lucky when it came to giving up my pot habit. I was in the same boat as you (heavy smoker for years) and then something odd happened to me that I haven't seen happen to anyone else. Almost overnight it started giving me extreme anxiety and it's effects were no longer pleasurable. I quit cold turkey right away and that was that. I've used it several times in the years since and every time it has had the same negative effect on me and I've regretted using it. I ended up using alcohol as an alternative and that sent me down an even worse road.

      I'm almost two years sober from practically everything except caffeine and I've never felt physically or mentally better than I do now. There are a number of other lifestyle changes I've made that have contributed to that but I think ditching my vices has had the greatest impact on my current state of well being.

      4 votes
  2. spit-evil-olive-tips
    Link
    As someone in a state with legal recreational cannabis (WA) who smokes several times a week and is considering stopping or cutting back, this article really spoke to me. I'd be interested to know...

    As someone in a state with legal recreational cannabis (WA) who smokes several times a week and is considering stopping or cutting back, this article really spoke to me. I'd be interested to know if anyone here is in a similar boat.

    8 votes
  3. anti
    (edited )
    Link
    A few summers ago I smoked every day for more than half the day for months. It wasn't invisible, though, since it's literally impossible to be that high for that much of a day for months and have...

    A few summers ago I smoked every day for more than half the day for months. It wasn't invisible, though, since it's literally impossible to be that high for that much of a day for months and have no one notice. can't imagine that anyone could be functional for long like that, lmao.

    I was just really bored and had grown my own pot.

    5 votes
  4. Pilgrim
    Link
    I've quit smoking both weed and cigarettes. The latter is much, much more difficult to do than the former so this is hardly a reason to slow down on legalization.

    I've quit smoking both weed and cigarettes. The latter is much, much more difficult to do than the former so this is hardly a reason to slow down on legalization.

    3 votes
  5. teaearlgraycold
    Link
    I wonder if the rise in frequent use of marijuana products is matched with a decrease in use of alcohol. Other than that, the article makes a good point that we shouldn't pretend like something so...

    The share of adults with one has doubled since the early aughts, as the share of cannabis users who consume it daily or near-daily has jumped nearly 50 percent—all “in the context of increasingly permissive cannabis legislation, attitudes, and lower risk perception,” as the National Institutes of Health put it.

    I wonder if the rise in frequent use of marijuana products is matched with a decrease in use of alcohol.

    Other than that, the article makes a good point that we shouldn't pretend like something so intoxicating is completely harmless. And alongside legalization should come a support structure for those who end up abusing marijuana.

    2 votes