Isn't it great that us potheads can get together and honestly discuss the negative effects of the weed?
Honestly, Bluelight has its share of dogmatic bickering, but for the most part I find these discussions decidedly sane. If you've frequented other drug forums like a.d.p, yahoo groups, and the like, it really gives you an appreciation for what we've got going here. That being said, I would like to add my two cents on the mj addiction issue.
Over many years of observing my many pot smoking friends, acquaintances, and family members, I have noticed a trend in opinions about addiction. Among those who smoke pot occasionally (once a day or less, on average), it seems to be "common knowledge" that marijuana is not addictive in any way, physically or mentally. They percieve extremely heavy use as more of a bad habit, like biting your nails. Those, like myself, who smoke pretty much whatever they can get their hands on, will readily admit that pot is addictive for some(though we don't seem to care all that much.) So what do we conclude from this? I would say that both views are equally correct, in fact, semantics aside, both are saying the same thing.
When, years ago, I quit a lifelong nail-biting habit, I got some extremely unpleasant physical symptoms. The tips of my fingers went numb, as the skin grew thicker over my deadened (read downgraded) nerve endings. My wrists ached from drumming my fingers incessantly. I couldn't stop grinding my teeth, playing with my tongue, and so forth, so I had a headache and my mouth was sore. This was all annoying as hell, to say the least. It was somewhat worse for me than withdrawing off pot, though not nearly as bad as cigarettes. Now, if biting my nails had been getting me all fucked up, I wouldn't have been able to quit, thank god this was not the case.
My point, which has already been made in this thread, I think, is that emphasizing physical withdrawal over mental or vise versa, or saying it's just a habit, is sidestepping the issue. Many habits are hard to break (not flossing, biting nails, not stopping completely for stop signs), some are impossible (the habits we can't even see, our cherished methods of thinking and justifications for these) Likewise, many addictions are hard to break (for me this is pot and oxymetazoline), some are impossible (coffee and cigarettes), some are easy (adderall, for me.)
If you're still saying, "That's all well and good, but you'll never convince me that pot and heroin addictions are somehow alike.", consider the following: There are canniboid receptors all over your body, in greater and lesser concentrations. In your body they are concentrated in the reproductive organs and immune system. These receptors are not just doing nothing, and when you stimulate them constantly, your body's gonna compensate. Thus, canniboid withdrawal could potentially cause direct physical symptoms. So don't be too quick to tell an ailing reefer-junky that his/her addiction is all in the head.
If you're still reading, I'll end by telling you my personal pot withdrawal symptoms. I've been smoking pot for 4 years. Most of that time is 3-4 month intervals where I smoke all day long nonstop (3-10 grams.)Occasionally this is punctuated by periods of no or little smoking for a few days. The number of week long breaks could be counted on one hand. You could say that I'm quite addicted. In fact, my friends and I are fond of calling good chronic "green crack." Depite this, my withdrawal symptoms are easily manageable:
1. Wanting to not be sober. I can't emphasize this enough. I just love to be high.
2. Wanting to smoke something. I compensate this with cigarettes.
3. Irritability, insomnia, loss of appetite, retention of stress, minor.
4. Heart burn, perhaps brought on by stress, rare.
5. Since early childhood, I have never been able to recall my dreams as anything more than an abstract felling when I awake. The only time I remember them is the couple of days after I've stopped smoking.
That's about it. Peace.
