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Cannabis for alcoholism..?

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rustyfox

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My old roommate was a horrible alcoholic. He drank a 5th of Canadian host every day. Lost contact with him for a few years but recently talked to him and he claims he quit drinking by substituting it with weed.. Any thoughts on this? Could it be a cure for alcoholism..?
 
I was a pretty decent alcoholic in college, drank about 200-375mL of vodka a night every night for 2 years. There were a few days in between there when i couldnt drink and that was because i was stoned. If i got high before I drank the act of drinking would seem vile. I would find myself trying to drink things i made but losing the point "this stuff tastes nasty, i am going to sleep fine because i am high... i should dump this drink" I continued to go in that pattern until I got out of college completely and off probation (probation for 2 years) I completely stopped being an alcoholic.

It felt like an abrupt stop for sure like 60-0 one day sneaking trash bags of vodka bottles out of my bedroom so my parents wouldnt see them once a month to no alcohol for months and then i figured it was over. Replaced fully with weed but that was 6 years ago and i consider myself a nondrinker. Sure i drink at parties like 2-3 drinks but i could never drink like i used to, i think i was just looking to silence my over active mind and hide my self loathing. But yeah it 100% worked for me but then again i could never drink after smoking and smoking after drinking made me sick so i put the 2 in completely different columns in my life.
 
well he's not an alcoholic now... just a stoner. IME a step for the better, or at least less destructive.


long term solution? probably not.
 
Both my mother as well as myself have been heavy drinkers in the past. My mother is a recovering alcoholic and hasn't touched alcohol in 22 years. She's been using cannabis as a substitute ever since she quit & it's worked very well for her, she's also been going to AA meetings every day for 20 years or so too though. I used to not be able to be in the same room as alcohol or I would drink it until it was gone. No matter the consequences. However after using quite a bit of psychedelics I seem to have lost the compulsion to drink. I also smoke cannabis every day like my mother however and if I have a day that I can't smoke but I can drink my compulsion to drink seems to be much, much higher. I feel like a lot of people just don't get along in life very easily when they're completely sober, and alcohol is a crutch for some of those people. I wouldn't call cannabis a cure for alcoholism, but it sure can be a healthier crutch than alcohol. As well as ease alcohol withdrawal/cravings.
 
rustyfox said:
My old roommate was a horrible alcoholic. He drank a 5th of Canadian host every day. Lost contact with him for a few years but recently talked to him and he claims he quit drinking by substituting it with weed.. Any thoughts on this? Could it be a cure for alcoholism..?
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not a 'cure' but definitely a less unhealthy substitution ;).
 
I've seen people do it with opiates. Never heard of anyone switching weed in for drinks, though.



I don't see why it wouldn't work. Once a person suffers through the physical aspect of a dependence (w/d & detox), they still have to train or trick their mind out of their old alcoholic ways. If they decided to instead smoke some weed whenever they craved a drink, eventually I would think that the mind would learn to associate those cravings with weed instead of alcohol.





So yeah, what Blank said.
 
Its works for some people but usually weed isn't a good substitute for alcohol because the buzz off weed tends to lose a lot of the euphoria after a couple of years of heavy use. The only people who can enjoy heavy weed use longer than that, are people who love weed for weed and not as simply something to get out of their head on. The people who simply want to be numb are going to prefer alcohol/opiates because weed doesn't allow you to just numb yourself continuously. It makes you think about life or at the very least, the buzz starts to wear off really quick. With alcohol, you drink for hours and hours and maintain your buzz.
 
burn out said:
Its works for some people but usually weed isn't a good substitute for alcohol because the buzz off weed tends to lose a lot of the euphoria after a couple of years of heavy use.
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that's very debatable. one should never overindulge in any case.

moderate use maintains magic ime.

alcohol gets quite shitty just after a few days of heavy drinking...

it's all relative on the nature of the user
 
It is relative to the user but I mean in general. I am sure my alcoholic friends would all still be smoking pot if it gave them the kind of buzz they get off alcohol. You wouldn't agree that the euphoria from alcohol isn't a lot harder hitting and longer lasting than that from cannabis after the honey moon period from both has passed?

When I first tried weed, it was an amazing, incredibly euphoric ecstatic even and very psychedelic. Every bit, if not more euphoric than alcohol. After smoking for a couple of years, it was nowhere near as euphoric. Even if I take a long break, the first smoke after the break is usually pretty good for an hour or so and then already im coming down. Trying to keep the buzz going by smoking more just tends to make me feel lazy and burnt out.

Alcohol on the other hand, doesn't lose its magic nearly as easily but it is harsher to the body. I prefer cannabis but only because I love plants and herbs and I love the psychedelic introspective properties of cannabis. If I was going for numbness and euphoria and didn't mind the hangover, alcohol would beat cannabis hands down.
 
burn out said:
It is relative to the user but I mean in general. I am sure my alcoholic friends would all still be smoking pot if it gave them the kind of buzz they get off alcohol. You wouldn't agree that the euphoria from alcohol isn't a lot harder hitting and longer lasting than that from cannabis after the honey moon period from both has passed?

When I first tried weed, it was an amazing, incredibly euphoric ecstatic even and very psychedelic. Every bit, if not more euphoric than alcohol. After smoking for a couple of years, it was nowhere near as euphoric. Even if I take a long break, the first smoke after the break is usually pretty good for an hour or so and then already im coming down. Trying to keep the buzz going by smoking more just tends to make me feel lazy and burnt out.

Alcohol on the other hand, doesn't lose its magic nearly as easily but it is harsher to the body. I prefer cannabis but only because I love plants and herbs and I love the psychedelic introspective properties of cannabis. If I was going for numbness and euphoria and didn't mind the hangover, alcohol would beat cannabis hands down.
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for me, i get pretty euphoric from weed for an hour at most and i'm only at 5 years. even with concentrates and hash i wouldn't find myself euphoric for very long. re-dosing as you said just added to the stone and sluggish couch lock that comes after the euphoria.

with alcohol, i can maintain a decent euphoria and numbness for a long period of time by drinking slowly. i just find it makes me more depressed and sluggish if i get into a habit of doing it every day - same goes for weed.

so what i've come to enjoy mostly was getting a decent booze buzz going and then smoking a fatty rip from a bong. some say it makes them get the spins but once you get tolerant to that my friend, the euphoria is x10 with the numbing alcohol buzz.

but drinking and smoking every day will damage you long term so with everything moderation is key. being in the phase of life i'm in currently as a student i tend to leave my drug use to the weekend mainly.

i just can easily see myself getting into the habit of drinking every day to buzz out and then smoking to top it off and fully melt.

but IMO, weed can't hold the magic as easily unless you're smoking many different forms and taking t-breaks whereas you're able to achieve a very satisfying buzz from alcohol with heavy use.

my heavy use of booze is more noted during my vacation time but that just consists of drinking every day but in small amounts.

but i'd prefer to be a stoner than an alcoholic hands down.
 
I havent drank for 26 years and for the past few months have smoked marijuana daily for medical issues. It works for me.
 
There is quitting an addiction, and there is substituting one. Marijuana is still addictive especially if addiction is in your nature. It's all about what's going on in your head.
On another note I find weed to be on par with alcohol in terms of long term habitual damage. It'll slow you down just as much as the alcohol will. You might be able to function far better though. It's very hard for me to get too stoned, at least in appropriate situations.
 
MrPitt said:
There is quitting an addiction, and there is substituting one. Marijuana is still addictive especially if addiction is in your nature. It's all about what's going on in your head.
On another note I find weed to be on par with alcohol in terms of long term habitual damage. It'll slow you down just as much as the alcohol will. You might be able to function far better though. It's very hard for me to get too stoned, at least in appropriate situations.
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I fully agree with what you are saying but my counter point is this; its not so much that one is better then the other or that one causes less damage in the long run but the reasons for using and the out come it creates. Binge drinking can cause bad situations to arise just due to the act of drinking for example the hang over. If a chronic alcoholic switches to weed you can suspect they will have an easier time in the morning = getting to work rather then calling out / missing = being more productive = less societal loss. Obviously that is completely reliant on the individual but I would imagine on average weed creates less lingering effects on the individual and that does have an impact on society in a lot of ways, then there is the strain on health care that alcoholism creates. I am not saying weed is perfect but it is at least easier on the body to metabolize.

I submit the idea that yes it is switching but if there was a numerical rating system that took into account all of the benefits and negatives that come from using a substance weed would be lower then alcohol, even if its not by much it still means if you make a switch and dont change the pattern of use it will be at least a little better for everyone. Then you can work on cutting back the amount you smoke without having to worry about the DTs etc and it too is becoming socially acceptable.

Its hard to put into words exactly but I think if one could in a sense fully switch to marijuana, making all parts equal to their alcoholism, small doses when they would only have a few drinks and heavy doses when they would be black out drunk it would create a noticeable margin of difference in the quality of their life. Obviously in practice its not easy as there is no 1:1 switch but it at least says something about the argument, at least i think.
 
definitely cannabis has less of a physiological and social toll versus alcohol, history really dropped the ball by outlawing cannabis and leaving alcohol as the "socially acceptable" vice.
 
szuko000 said:
I submit the idea that yes it is switching but if there was a numerical rating system that took into account all of the benefits and negatives that come from using a substance weed would be lower then alcohol, even if its not by much it still means if you make a switch and dont change the pattern of use it will be at least a little better for everyone.
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I definitely agree. Regardless off the substance, dependence is dependence. But in the long run, marijuana is a much more functional addiction with less negatives and less permanent consequences Han alcohol.
 
Sure, cannabis is why I'm able to stay off opiates. It's really just a different addiction, but like others have said, a cannabis habit simply isn't nearly as harmful or destructive as a hard drug habit. For me it's actually extremely therapeutic both mentally and physically. "Have you tried weed?" is literally what I ask anyone who is struggling with addiction and wants to stop. I would without a doubt still be abusing opioids, benzos, alcohol, and tobacco if not for weed.
 
Cannabis is not escapist like alcohol, at least not to the same degree. So it is not an easy switch. Alcohol can numb and make someone forget. Cannabis may very well rub someone's nose in their own sh*t. I know I use it before bed to review my day and look at my good and bad deeds. Alcohol just use to make me pass out and forget the day. Two different drugs with different effects.

Saying that I have seen people quit drinking and move on to edibles. But they were giving up alcohol anyway. But a flat out switch from one to the other I can't see.
 
JackARoe said:
Saying that I have seen people quit drinking and move on to edibles. But they were giving up alcohol anyway. But a flat out switch from one to the other I can't see.
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MrPitt said:
There is quitting an addiction, and there is substituting one. Marijuana is still addictive especially if addiction is in your nature. It's all about what's going on in your head.
On another note I find weed to be on par with alcohol in terms of long term habitual damage. It'll slow you down just as much as the alcohol will. You might be able to function far better though. It's very hard for me to get too stoned, at least in appropriate situations.
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I agree with both of these posts. It's just a substitute drug, and substitute 'addiction' as people who are alcoholics/addicts can become addicted to other drugs, or other behaviours as well. Also, a lot of people who think they can substitute cannabis for alcohol or opiates, or other drugs do wind up relapsing on the drug that they are addicted to and have problems with. I've seen this happen to a lot of people I know.

Fortunately the solution to this is simple. Give up using all drugs including cannabis.
 
Yes, at the dispensary I used to work at we had the occasional person from AA come in saying they were able to treat their WD and transition away from alcohol with cannabis. Same with lots of people and their pharmaceuticals. I believe cannabis is actually the exit drug not the gateway drug.
 
Foreigner said:
Yes, at the dispensary I used to work at we had the occasional person from AA come in saying they were able to treat their WD and transition away from alcohol with cannabis. Same with lots of people and their pharmaceuticals. I believe cannabis is actually the exit drug not the gateway drug.
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It's extremely dangerous and foolish of people to use cannabis, hash, oil, wax, etc. for DIY withdrawal from alcohol and benzos instead of getting help from a medical professional.
 
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