Doing something with your life

[emperorofusa]

...
You can't judge all stoners based on what you see in a few threads. Besides that, you've been peeping and participating in threads here for less than a month! Not really a fair representation of all stoners, sir.....

To his credit, if you were to take the standpoint of a casual observer who is studying a career in psychology, particularly fascinated with the subject of drug use and addiction, you would notice such parallels, yourself. A vast majority of poly drug users, actually, all share similar behaviors and in particular share defense mechanisms firmly rooted in drug use and addiction. Even marijuana users.

Also, much can be learned from researching archives of text in one month, and it is, in my experience, plenty of time for one to know enough to make such comments. Additionally, it is entirely possible that this person had been reading these forums for years before deciding to officially join, as is the case with myself.

Most people do not like to be grouped into a stereotype, even though such generalizations encompass them with a fair degree of accuracy. The initial reaction tends to be one of denial, of intellectualizing, and of reasoning in such a way that serves to convince the denier moreso than anyone else that he cannot be labeled and such an attribution is groundless.

I had to stop smoking marijuana because I was unable to accomplish anything worthwhile in my academic career when I became a habitual, daily user. In the beginning things were fine and I was still maintaining above a 3.5 GPA, but as time progressed and I continued to smoke, things got worse and my motivation became severely lacking. I have seen everything that the OP has claimed to be true in both my own case and in the case of my friends.

Perhaps you and some others here truly are deviant from the pothead pidgeonhole; I don't know any of you well enough to say for certain, but I know that I see the stereotype play out over and over, especially here on BL.

 

[SignifyZ]

I feel kinda alike to you in a way, I started smoking when I was 12 in the 7th grade and didnt heavily start smoking until freshman year, I just recently graduated on June 11? I think lol my memory fades me...anyways after I graduated I honestly felt I that I dont need to smoke anymore almost like I've grown up from it and I've now gone 5 days without smoking which is the longest I've ever gone without weed for 4 years. High school stressed me out soo fucking much and honestly I would have blown my brains out if I didnt smoke as much as I did. I grew up in the ghetto and I saw a assload of bad things that I dont really want to get into detail about..
anyways I'm rambling now but weed affected me the same way that it did for you and it helped me get into a great college, although I now feel that I dont need it anymore
although its always nice to smoke and chill for those special occassions

 

[BiG StroOnZ]

So are you telling me you do think it has to do with intelligence, and just that the majority of stoners are stupid people? Do you think the weed has anything to do with that, or do you think that weed attracts the 'low watt' people?

All I'm saying is, all the people you know who smoke Cannabis that are doing nothing with their lives. Would probably be in the same predicament whether they started to smoke or not. It has nothing to do with Cannabis attracting morons. It just means the people you know are morons, who also happen to smoke Cannabis.

I know plenty of active people who smoke Marijuana, some even on a daily basis. Including, plenty of people who are successful, and off the top of my head I can name a dozen who've made it mainstream. Seth Rogen is a perfect example. Dropped out of High School, never got his GED, but wrote many screen plays and scripts. Smoking Marijuana habitually his whole life since he was a teenager. Now he's a successful writer, producer and actor.

The problem is, there are many people who smoke Cannabis that realize they don't really need the materialistic lifestyle. Personally, I feel this is because the plant itself allows you to see things how they really are; from a third person perspective. Which in turn seems to allow people to be alright with smoking pot, and a simple lifestyle, rather than acquiring "stuff." The only reason why this is frowned upon, is because of the society we live in today; people's success is determined by the amount of money and "stuff" they have.

 

[slimvictor]

I have been addicted to weed for 20 years, though I have pretty good control over my addiction.
I mostly only smoke at night, after I have finished all responsibilities.
I sometimes take a month or two off, to clean out my system (though it isn't easy!).
I don't smoke now, since I live in Japan. It has been around one year.

During my pot-smoking days, I have managed to learn to speak two difficult foreign languages and get a PhD.

I wrote most of my dissertation stoned.
I did not go to classes high.
I did not study the languages while stoned. I worked very hard, studying many hours a day, and only got high after all my studying was finished.
I did not study for my classes while stoned (except for fun, after all the required studying was finished).

I think that marijuana can be a very useful tool, but it has to be managed, just as any tool does.
A hammer is very very useful, but not when you need a screwdriver, and not when you need to sit down and take a break.

If you listen to your body, and don't overdo it, I believe that you can accomplish a lot while enjoying getting high regularly.
Taking regular breaks is essential, I believe, for your mental and physical health. My ideal, when I am addicted, is to take off 2 months a year, and one or two days a week. It is never easy.

If you keep control over the herb, and only use it when it is appropriate, I think that it will not interfere with your life.

However, I have seen very few people who are able to do this.
Most give up their lives to be stoned.

Getting a good GPA is meaningless, to me. Who really gives a shit?
Passing your classes and keeping a job is the bare minimum, to me.

The real questions, to me, are these:
- Are you intellectually curious? Are you mentally alert, and alive? Do you research subjects you are interested in just because you want to? Are you constantly expanding your expertise in multiple fields, because it is fun to learn? Do you have hobbies that you pursue passionately? Without passion, I cannot understand why people live.
- Do you create? Whatever your field, or hobby, being a consumer is easy, but being a creator is the real challenge. Pot can take this away, and make people lazy as hell.
- Are you open to all kinds of new experiences, even if they don't involve getting high? This is a sticky one, since many potheads prefer life high. They can not, therefore, go to countries where the penalties for possession are crazy (like Japan), or do things without being high. Getting high is fun, but it is easy to forget that there are other ways to have fun.

Mixing pot and an intellectually and artistically vibrant life is very difficult.
I believe that I have done this fairly well, but I have seen many, many other people fail in this.

Finally, there is a psychological/spiritual issue. If you give up control over your will to the herb, you are a weak person. If you can find a way to use it while maintaining control over your will, you can be successful with the balance. But it is a very difficult balance to maintain, I think. I have lost control many times, but I have regained control each time (so far!).

 

[purple_cloud]

I'm also a productive stoner. I've been smoking for about 6 years, 5 of them daily. I just graduated with a BA, and am working on my MA in the fall. I enjoy smoking before tackling homework assignments at the library. It helps relax me and keep me from getting too stressed out, and makes the boring and mundane things in life, like any of the shitty jobs I end up having because school takes up so much time, that much more bearable.

Also, my friends and I like to do things/have good conversation while stoned --- those people who always wanna watch tv or sports aren't really my thing.

I would like to smoke less pot than I do, and I've tried recently --- don't know if I'll do it forever, or grow out of it. However, if my career allows, I'd much rather take a bong hit or two at night to unwind instead of having a drink. I think I use pot the way a lot of people use alcohol --- I don't drink very often at all, simply because I don't enjoy the drunk feeling all too much. Alcohol makes me feel slow and dumb, but pot gives me a new perspective on things when I'm stuck.

 

[me0307]

im gonna put out my idea as blunt (hehe) as possible....

All stereotypical stoners, are just lazy people who have found a way to stay entertained.

 

[slimvictor]

However, if my career allows, I'd much rather take a bong hit or two at night to unwind instead of having a drink. I think I use pot the way a lot of people use alcohol --- I don't drink very often at all, simply because I don't enjoy the drunk feeling all too much. Alcohol makes me feel slow and dumb, but pot gives me a new perspective on things when I'm stuck.

I agree wholeheartedly.
A bong hit or two after work sounds lovely to me.
Alcohol seems deadening, weed seems to make me more alive.

 

[malakaix]

Depends what you mean by "something" really. I've probably wasted a few oppurtunites via smoking/drugs-in-general, but how could I have lost something I've never had? I feel I've gained a lot more in regards to what life may really be.

Could not agree more.

 

[Newbierock]

I'd like to see one person whos not done much with themselves come and here and openly post it. I Bet half the people claiming to be acing school with a mega high paying job are lying haha.

As for me, you can probably guess, I work a shitty job for shitty pay and I smoke shitty weed every shitty day.

 

[Jibult]

I'd like to see one person whos not done much with themselves come and here and openly post it. I Bet half the people claiming to be acing school with a mega high paying job are lying haha.

As for me, you can probably guess, I work a shitty job for shitty pay and I smoke shitty weed every shitty day.

My life's been shit since the beginning of '07. Not gonna get into details about what all went down, it's just been a steady decline since then.

Things are just starting to look up, though... I re-enrolled at ACMD and I'll be moving back to Cumberland 8/22. I'm pretty stoked... not just because I'm going back to college, but because I finally have something to look forward to.

As for employment, I lost my job in the beginning of December last year and have been unemployed since. I've been living off the money that I saved up during the 3 years I had a job, but that's disappearing faster and faster every day. Totaling my car that I had just finished paying off at the beginning of the summer definitely didn't help things, and that fucking Subaru was the main way I made the extra "under-the-table" cash that I did. At least you've been able to smoke bud, Newbie. I'm on probation and piss tests until July 1st, 2011.


Like I said, though, things are looking up for me.

 

[double ewe]

i know a lot of potheads who haven't done shit with their lives, but they weren't exactly Bill Gates beforehand, either.

most of my friends are very smart people who got into pot late in high school. and most of them did go through a period where they fucked up and under-achieved. but at a certain point, they learned how to either live without pot or incorporate it more functionally into their lives.

i feel pretty good about what i've been able to accomplish. after a few years of fucking up in college, i finished with a double major, a lot of independent research, and experience from several jobs and internships in my field. got the job i wanted out of school. i've since changed direction (from psych research to insurance/financial modeling), but since setting new goals i've been successful in reaching those as well. i'm also pursuing distance running again after a 6-yr hiatus (due to injuries, not drugs), and am VERY happy with what i've been able to accomplish in that arena.

 

[blowtreez]

im sorry if i repeat somethings but i didnt have time to read the entire thing but a pot is is simply a stereotype just anything else against lets say blacks or mexicans (no offense intended just an example) you only think that because you notice these kids not doing anything with there life, if you saw someone working a succesfull job you wouldnt think about them smoking weed...

to be honestly i havent been doing much with my life lately, but its summer break off from school, im having fun, and enjoying my free time while i have it so idc if i get fucked up everyday and dont have a job, doesnt mean ill do this for the rest of my life but its what im doing currently to enjoy summer and my time away from stuff i need to pay attention and work towards

 

[shith3ad]

I have done fuck all with my life apart from getting wasted at every opportunity. Ive smoked weed daily for about 6 years now and i havnt lifted a finger as far as work and stuff goes, im just not interested.

Im a music producer so thats how i fill my time, i dont get paid for it or anything but its a hell of a lot of fun and thats all i want out of life really.

AMEN TO THAT.....ditto

 

[HighonLife]

Im an everyday stoner multiple times a day of course. i have smoked everyday for six years btw
i am an anthropology major at a University in the metroplex the last four semesters/2 years i have gotten a 3.0, 3.75, 4.0 and 3.25 respectivly. this was after startin freshman year with a 1.7 the first semester and then a 3.00 to finish freshman year.

^ as you can see after first semester i have been on a pretty steady incline up all the while smokin weed but this past year where i went from a 4.0 to a 3.25 illustrates that i was succesful just bein a stoner but becomin fond of opiates has started to take its toll

i also work part time while im a fulltime student even though it is summertime n im not taking anyclasses im still parttime which is kinda ok n kinda sucks cuz i need the money.

overall i wouldnt say i am terribly succesful but i am confident that if i continue as i am i willbe/canbe successful regarless of whether i smoke or not.

and yes alot of my friends parents smoke weed n i grew up in a pretty affluent area so these parents are lawyers, doctors, busisness men, stay at home moms n shit so yea i know a good deal of succesful stoners although i only know one succesful stoner who is an everyday stoner n thats the lawyer guy, go figure
oh yea n most of the stay at home moms are all day stoners too but i dont know how successful that is, i mean dont get me wrong moms do lots of good shit n provide lots of stuff but most stay at home moms were just lucky to mary someone rich enough that they can afford to stay at home n smoke pot and do crafts, photography n scrapbooking all day.

 

[Toni Bones]

How long you've smoked?
I star ted smoking when I was 13. I had community service for skipping school so the bus would take me to teh boys and girls club in the 'shadier' part of town and would walk to my friends house and get high.

How it has affected your life?

Marijuana has probably saved my life. Pot lets me do things such as eat with less pain, sleep and cope with ptsd and ocd.


Why you still smoke it/quit smoking?

I am an active KC NORML member. I have severe jaw problems. Marijuana improves the quality of my life.

www.kcnorml.org

 

[.Felix.]

I love to bake after I get all my work done or even sometimes when I go to my photography class. I am working towards my General Ed. in a Community college and plan to transfer in a couple of years. I Love School, but I love weed too. Luckily they arent the jealous type so I can do uhm both at the same time I work as an in home care provider, I take care of a paraplegic man. It is a very rewarding job, Knowing it is beacause of me that this man can go out and enjoy the day makes my highs later that night even more enjoyable!

 

[Full Effect]

I think I used to be much more lazy when I DID NOT GROW IT, back then I just had to get whatever strain it was and they were usually Indica dom. Now though as a grower I can pick my own strain, plenty of strains where the motivation is there and most Sativa's will give you a lot of energy, great daytime smokes with little burn out from them, I save the heavy Indica's for a bedtime/weekend smoke.

It's easy to use weed as a scapegoat but my attitude is always do what needs doing first then smoke up, really it's just a bit of self discipline that is required, it is not as if weed takes over you, or at least it shouldn't. Also just a basic thing like how much you smoke, I have always smoked daily but usually 1-1.5 grams of Top grade cured bud is enough for a pleasent little evening.

In general also I don't smoke in the morning or afternoon unless it is a weekend, simple rules about your toking or choice of strains keep you motivated and energetic enough.

 

[chainsawr]

see: afroman - because i got high song

 

[jamaica0535]

I realize this as well, but just how many of them are there? And how did they do those things? What did they do differently than the majority of pot smokers to make them successful pot smokers? Thats more what this thread is about.

They have initiative and direction.....

You can try at doing something productive with your life even if you do smoke weed....

In the end i think the main concern should be happiness, if you are happy with where you are in life and you can maintain where you are at, by all means do whatever you like.... Some people don't go through life thinking "i want to be rich", a lot of people are not rich but still very much happy with their lives....

Pursue a career that you will enjoy, one that can make you enough money to live the lifestyle you wish to live.

It just happens to be that the job i am aiming at pays in the ballpark of 6 figures, not complaining.... I want to be a pharmacist, i like drugs, i have a knack for knowing what they do to people and how they interact with each other.

If i end up not doing pharmacy for whatever reason, i will probably pursue a career in chemistry or pharmacology.

As far as what the successful stoners did to be where they are today? probably the same thing the majority of the successful population, not drop out of high school (may or may not get a GED) and then go into college. Your life will be so much easier on you if you can just get through some more school after high school.

Other things include, enough self discipline to not stay high all day every day.... Enough drive to finish what needs to be done....

 

[shith3ad]

How long you've smoked?
I star ted smoking when I was 13. I had community service for skipping school so the bus would take me to teh boys and girls club in the 'shadier' part of town and would walk to my friends house and get high.

How it has affected your life?

Marijuana has probably saved my life. Pot lets me do things such as eat with less pain, sleep and cope with ptsd and ocd.


Why you still smoke it/quit smoking?

I am an active KC NORML member. I have severe jaw problems. Marijuana improves the quality of my life.

www.kcnorml.org

jaw? whats up ? if you dont mind me asking....