Marijuana attenuating emotional growth?

[laCster]

Do you believe you would be able to smoke weed and still be sober. In other words, do you think you could grow emotionally and psychologically while using marijuana?

I ask because I no longer want to use opiates and hardcore drugs, but I still have an urge to get high here and there. I think smoking weed would impart my ability to grow, but I want to smoke and get high. I love weed.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

I sort of miss using cannabis and other psychedelics too. But the purpose of recovery or getting sober is to learn to live without using herb, psychedelics, or other drugs. A lot of people wind up relapsing on their drug(s) of choice by thinking that since they can smoke pot that they can use other drugs they had an addiction with. Or smoking pot just becomes a substitute addiction for them and they just wind up becoming psychologically addicted to smoking or using herb. But as addicts our minds like to trick us into thinking we can use drugs like we used to recreationally before we became addicted to drugs.

If you smoke herb or use it in other ways then you're not sober.

 

[laCster]

I sort of miss using cannabis and other psychedelics too. But the purpose of recovery or getting sober is to learn to live without using herb, psychedelics, or other drugs. A lot of people wind up relapsing on their drug(s) of choice by thinking that since they can smoke pot that they can use other drugs they had an addiction with. Or smoking pot just becomes a substitute addiction for them and they just wind up becoming psychologically addicted to smoking or using herb. But as addicts our minds like to trick us into thinking we can use drugs like we used to recreationally before we became addicted to drugs.

If you smoke herb or use it in other ways then you're not sober.

I know that for me everyday use inhibits me growing as a person. I have been smoking weed 3-4 times a month for the past couple of months and feel more humble , yet confident than I have ever felt in my life.

But I wonder how much i would change if I was completely sober?

 

[herbavore]

I think there are lots of factors beyond how often you smoke that would affect your question. If you smoke at the end of the day to go relax and go to sleep I would see it differently than smoking every day during the day to cope with life. The first I wouldn't see affecting your emotional life because your social interactions and most of your emotional life is lived during the day and evening. The latter can definitely blunt your emotional development but again, I think it might depend on the particulars of why you feel the need to smoke it every day.

I think everyone benefits from periods of complete sobriety. It is entirely possible to return to our roots as small children when the world was enough just as it was. There are many reasons for wanting to alter consciousness and I don't think of it as unhealthy per se. The need to alter one's consciousness because of emotional pain is a very unhealthy (though completely understandable) need and that is what usually leads to abuse and addiction.

I think you you should try cutting everything out for a while--just see if you keep growing the positives you are feeling by cutting back.

 

[phactor]

I couldn't personally and I tried over and over again (sometimes with occasional success, and I am talking a few years). I have seen people pull it off though. Shit, I have seen quite a few people who used to be really heavy users of "hard drugs" just kinda give them up and just drink or smoke from time to time. I have seen others stop using "hard" drugs but really pick up on the alcohol and herb combo (I used to do it quite frequently, on and off opiates and transition to heavy weed smoking and drinking but I really lost control towards the end). Others, like myself just simply cannot use drugs without it interfering in some capacity. When I would smoke I would want to start using hard drugs.

I tried to trip a few times the last few years of my using, I had some good MDMA experiences but didn't like anything else and I felt like garbage the next day (and it was high quality MDMA too). I used to really crave opiates after using MDMA as well and after awhile would touch it if I didn't have them for the comedown (same thing with coke for awhile), but that might be because its kinda how I started to get heavy into opiates (I would use them to blunt molly comedowns on phish tour back in the day).

When I start smoking weed, I would need to do it every day to be able to sleep. But I was also drinking every day. My body really quickly adapts to substances for sleep.

Its great to hear you no longer want to use hard drugs. That is a big decision. Just keep working on it. Maybe try a few months without anything?

 

[Zerix]

This is something I tried myself as well, I can definitely relate... but so far, two times it has been a failure... Right now, for the third time I am finally sober and for my anxiety issues only rely on Kratom here and there, along with good diet, working out, etc.

I wonder everyday if I'm going to be able to just hit a blunt now, and continue on this good road staying the way I am because this time I'm actually serious about it, the first two times didn't matter to me really and I didn't truly feel like changing around I know that much. But like was said up there, weed BECOMES a factor in being able to sleep well or not, and kinda quickly... I can actually FEEL that head change that comes about when I'm sober wanting to get high and won't go away... it sucks!!

Drinking on the other hand, I know I will, though I'm abstaining for now, it has never caused me problems before unless I decided to drink while already high on other shit. A beer with my lunch or dinner was a favorite of mine and it never became more than one or two so I don't see how that can hurt me now, I'm not gonna fiend for other substances.

Anyone here actually only stick to drinking, and nothing else ??

 

[neversickanymore]

^Drinking weakens the frontal lobe or conscious mind (black out, poor judgment).. this weakens or eliminates our power over addiction.

Some really good questions brought on by this thread.

Some thoughts I have on this are

- I would at the minimum take at least a full year off from manipulating the brain.

- If an addict is still in the mindset that they are resisting doing something amazing due to undeniable negative consequences as far as their DOC(s) then the time has not yet come to consider this.

-IMO would the occasional use of grass prevent emotional development. No I don't think it would to any significant degree for a person who is emotionally mature and healthy. As addicts in early recovery we are generally so far behind the game in this sector that we have mad ground to make up. IMO adding a substance at this point could hamper or prevent healing and development and prolong PAWS symptoms.

-As with any addicting drug, if this was someones DOC I think attempting to return to DOC is almost certain misery.

-If a person finds themselves desiring to return to the use of any substance to gain relief from a situations they don't want to deal with, this should throw up a huge red flag. Drugs of abuse are for fun and useing them a "solution" or crutch will mean we likely start piling up a growing pile of undealt with problems and the emotions they are tagged with. We all know how that turns out.. not fucking good.

-If we are still struggling with addiction, then I think we need to stay sober until we figure it out.. we might know we are ready when we no longer want to get high.

- returning to anything like daily use will not have good effects on our lives or our recovery.

- Everyone is different and what works for me may not for others.

 

[Zerix]

...

I really like what you said. Definitely guilty of thinking about using when I feel emotionally uncomfortable... thanks for the huge reminder that I am most definitely not ready and should even be close to considering such bizarre actions hehe, and to straighten out my thoughts. I oughta save that post!