Hi people, posting this thread hoping to create an open discussion about smoking pot, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Personally, I've been a pot smoker while growing up over the past 7, 8 years. It's been a constant compulsion, it's become part of my identity and I seek comfort in getting faded. But the biggest determinant of my addiction is the habits that I form. e.g. If I get up and smoke, the same things gonna happen the next day... until all I'm doing is smoking lol

When I try to stop, I find that regardless of how determined I am, I'll always make an excuse and pick up the billy again. Then I'm back at it, usually all in... The smart thing to do would be to accept the hiccup and remain determined. It's very possible but drugs don't work that way, pot hijacks the reward system in our brains, meaning when I like something, I'm probably gonna do it again. So it seems like the only way to move forward is to be strong not smoke pot at all. Right?

But its not that simple. I've grown up with it and it forms an integral part of so many relationships in my life. This is kind of the identity paradox that I struggle with, that pot is an inescapable part of my life. The silver-lining of this paradox is that I feel as though I know who I am and I can be pragmatic about when I choose to smoke. e.g. I'll only smoke after I've finished work and done everything I had to. This perspective is where I find peace. That's until I get over-worked and I do something stupid.

I'd say that the biggest reason I smoke pot is because it detaches me from reality... it's an escape. This brings us to my final paradox, that ignorance is bliss... but it's still ignorance. I think it's easy to forget about the right thing when my mind is clouded. I can be a very impulsive and careless individual when I get too high and my brain doesn't function right. It's not fair to the people around me and it makes me feel like a shell of a man... Then I usually smoke because I'm feeling down.

This is my paradox. I chase the blissfulness in the ignorance of my addiction. I know I might be better off if I stop, but I don't believe it. I make excuses, and I justify them because that's how I choose to live.

I think no matter what, the most important thing is to stay positive.

I hope someone finds this insightful. Does anyone feel the same? Please share

:)

Hello Gab.

What an interesting post! Thank you for posting something which is probably a bit of a tricky topic, but is more widespread than what the amount of public discussion would indicate.

I am not addicted to pot and I make a pretty conscious effort not to smoke it simply because I don't think it does much for me, so it's just an unhealthy behaviour with no positive effects. And even if it did have positives, they wouldn't really outweigh the health issues with smoking.

But it seems like the challenge you are having is less to do with the health effects, as it is to do with your battle between reasons to quit and reasons to stay. Would it be correct to say you struggle with the endless justification?

Addictions are incredibly risky and I am sure there is plenty of research about this, but my own experiences with addictive behaviours is that they always make me feel worse about myself at the end. Whether because the behaviour is harmful, shame because I find myself constantly in denial or making excuses, or just feeling quite helpless. I found that I was actually quite aware of my own addictions and excuses, even when claiming ignorance, which made it all worse.

So I am not sure if you've posted this with the intention to help you stop smoking pot, but I do hope you find posting and reading responses helpful. It seems these kinds of things are quite personal to people and I certainly don't want to preach to you what I think is best, but addictions are broken by people every day - for some people it takes longer, and for some people it's quite easy. I don't know how much of that is 'effort' or 'desire' or whatever contributes to breaking addictions, but I suppose there's positives to take out of the very fact that people are successful.

Thanks again for posting :)

James

Hello Gab, and I agree with James, an interesting post.

The laws in Australia are as confusing as ever, some States have made it legal, while some others are relaxed, so if you smoke it in a legal State then drive across the border, you may be caught, silly conditions and I'm certainly not a weed smoker, however, it's another addiction.

In some jobs, people are drug tested, while not with others, and people use it for recreational purposes and others smoke it all day, but to stop any addiction it needs the person to understand the reasons why they should stop it, and these may change when in use or when they haven't used it, and both of these could be very different.

The doctor can prescribe you with a type of medication that's used for alcoholics to stop them from drinking and the same can happen for people using drugs of any type, so ask your doctor if that's the way you decide.

I often wonder what is the worst addiction, smokes, alcohol, drugs, smoking weed or eating too much chocolate for someone with diabetes, addicts can justify, while those that aren't addicted have another choice and the question remains, why can someone have a drink on weekend at 9 am and not at 6 pm for example.

There are reasons why people become addicts and the list is numerous, but if you are suffering from any type of mental illness, then that's why this could happen.

If you want to stop then that decision has to come to you by yourself but have a chat with your doctor, and please don't be afraid, I'm sure they have discussed this often with other patients.

Geoff.

Thanks for your reply James, it's so helpful to hear other people's opinions. You're right, I think I'm stuck in an ignorance paradox. My issue is that I struggle with reasons to quit and reasons to stay. And the hopelessness of it all is that I enjoy smoking (as a way of clearing my brain) and I justify it because I'm high functioning.

The helpless aspect is that I can't trust myself not to abuse it (i.e. smoke from dusk to dawn). So seemingly it's a discipline problem and maybe I'd feel alright if I was pragmatic about it (i.e. just smoke in the evenings).

But then life happens, I fall back into my old ways and the cycle repeats.

It's a bit of a headache to think about. I feel like this is my life and I should focus on being happy and accepting things as they are. But at the same time, I know that pot is disillusioning and plays with my emotions.

Thank you so much for discussing, its at least a good exercise to challenge my thoughts.

Gab :)

Hey Gab.

Thanks for your reply and sorry for the late response.

Being self-aware can be such a blessing and curse sometimes! I like to think that overall it's great because you can identify problems and challenge yourself, as you are, but we it can get us caught in such a muddle sometimes and make our situations feel so paradoxical. Not fun at all, and very headache inducing as you say.

What strikes me in your post, as you've probably noticed already, is that most of the problems you talk about in terms of trying to justify a behaviour, trusting yourself and life problems, have very little if nothing to do with pot at all. You could probably substitute pot with any behaviour that generates a positive emotion for you, and the issues would remain.

In talking to friends, we all have different coping mechanisms and behaviours that we just fall back on. Some are seen to be 'worse' than others - drugs, smoking, drinking, or even overeating chocolate like Geoff said. Then you also get hobbies that are also ways to escape like video games, books, binge TV. For some people, even exercise can be an escape.

So putting aside legality issues and public perception of pot, perhaps you're not acting too differently from other people and are actually struggling with similar life issues. Which is not to say that all of these are 'good' responses, but perhaps it makes our individual problems seem easier to overcome and discuss with others.

James

Wow, thank you so much. I think I've really been looking at this in a toxic way. You're right, my problems would still be the same. It is just a coping mechanism and maybe instead of thinking about it so intensely, I should try engage with other coping mechanisms a bit more and just relax and be accepting of who I am.

Thank you, it's really heart warming that people care <3

Hey Gab.

Thanks for replying. It sounds like a good idea to be more gentle with yourself and engaging with other healthier coping mechanisms.

Please feel free to keep us up to date. Changes like this can take a while, so we're always here to chat if you need any support.

Cheers

James