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Rising Above Marijuana Lethargy

complacent orange

Bluelighter
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Jan 4, 2010
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here, now
When I smoke weed regularly I tend to settle into a groove, a state of intoxication which leaves my mind and spirit as syrupy and sticky as my fingers. A vibrant and pleasurable energy circulates through me, but whereas the psychedelic energies present in tryptamines and phenathylamines accelerate the capacity of my mind, the effect of cannabis' slows my mental processes significantly. It was partly for this reason that I stopped smoking cannabis regularly. I found myself evolving toward a more lucid and awake state of being. The dreamy, hypnogogic influence of cannabis interfered with the acuity demanded by my newly developing reality.

This being said, there are therapeutic and spiritually enriching elements of cannabis use which I can't deny. In fact, I used to reason that the positive effects of ganj greatly outweighed these negative effects. At one point I found that through ritualistic use once or twice a week instead of on a constant basis I could use cannabis in a cleansing and rejuvenating way, as a mind shower. Eventually, though, even this rate of use interfered with my personal growth. For the last couple of months psychedelics have replaced cannabis as my weekly ritual and weed seemed a counterproductive deviation.

In the last week, however, I found myself tempted yet again by that beautiful and mysterious plant's lure, sparked by listening to a trialogue between Terence Mckenna, Ralph Abraham and Rupert Sheldrake on the topic of cannabis. I had often wondered how Mckenna, one of the most intellectually acute minds I have ever come across, seemed impervious to weed's somewhat narcotic effect despite smoking more than 10 times a day for more than 25 years.

All of this led up to this weekend, my first time smoking weed in months, and my current theory, which is that the intoxicating effects of cannabis can be overcome when coupled with another, more actively inclined energy. In Mckenna's case, I believe psylocibin and a driven, constantly theorizing intellect to be the accompanying energies. My own experience, this weekend, was triggered by an Ecstasy experience which emphasized the use of the magical energy, the source of which is willed action.

When I smoked weed today I was determined to test this theory. I experimented with different energies in an attempt to charge my high with a movement toward mental acceleration. The following is a list of energies which I now believe to be of use in overcoming the lethargy brought on by marijuana:
Pranayama (energy created through breathing)
sexual (tantric) energy (in which sexual energy is conserved in the body instead of being expelled through orgasm)
magical energy (through willed action or imagination)
intellectual energy (deep and unfaltering inquisition)

All of this is an attempt to integrate the usually elusive teachings of marijuana, to convert part of the dream into a form usable in awakening. When I smoked I become noticeable more gentle in thought and action. Though I move at a slower pace, what I experience is greatly deepened. Visually, for example, the colors of the natural world take on a great depth, the transition between colors and shades much more concentrated and intensified. My goal in combining these energies is to simultaneously experience this deepening and the acceleratory mental space which cannabis intoxication alone knocks back to a slower pace.
 
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simple solution -

willpower and a strong mind.
its all too easy to slip into the burnout rut, and get to a point where you drop some trash
in your room and instead of taking the 2 fucking seconds to pick it up and bin it,
you just go "ach, ill get it later", because you're too baked to be bothered to bend down and pick up trash.

force yourself to do things, you will notice 2 contradicting selfs.
one part of you will say "aww, i dont wanna, im high"
and the other, evolving side of you will say "no, dont be such a lazy stoner. ganja is a tool, respect it and yourself. put the trash in the bin, or no more endorphins" or whatever.

id love to sit here and explain shit to whomever is reading this thread, but i am insanely hungry at the moment.



great thread idea, Complacent_Orange.
 
Sega is right. In my opinion cannabis laziness is all about conditioning. I used to always get high and watch TV for hours. I used to be the LAZIEST stoner in the world.

One day I started asking myself "If I can't get the the motivation to do this high then I'm sure as fuck not going to do it sober." Now when I get high I do shit. I mow the yard. I do homework. I clean my room. I organize my papers. Etc. Now I associate cannabis with accomplishment and every hit gives me energy and direction.
 
exactamundo bromeo, a good trick also is use your stash as a reward.

every time you complete a chore you needed to do that day or whatever, get a lil high at the end of the day as a way of rewarding yourself.

plus, exercising, yard work, generally anything that would suck sober, is amazing high.
you can just switch off your mind, let your body do the work, and before you know it you're finished.


and people wonder why society looks upon us herb smokers as lazy :\
 
I forgot to mention that kava kava works excellently to relax you but not make you tired (in reasonable portions). Even if you smoke weed you'll smoke less after a strong cup of the fresh stuff. You must refuse to buy anything but fresh ground root because the pills\extract\tincture are lacking. I wish I could post my kava source but you can search other forums and find out who they recommend. Fresh kava is amazing. I keep a pitcher in my fridge at all times!
 
Drugs effect everyone differently. You don't sound like a typical smoker -- the more you smoke, the more you get used to having to deal with mundane tasks while high. Many of my friends prefer to work out while baked, and a lot of runners I know take a few quick hits from a vape before their morning run.
 
I go for a walk. I have a wonderful time. It's nice. Lethargy was never much of a problem unless it's really high quality hash or I'm just marathon smoking (something I rarely do).

I prefer to go for walks and have adventures when high :)
 
i really wanna go for a walk in the park/woods by my house now!
but last night it snowed and now its all cold n wet outside :(

oh well, my bed/couch it is then!
 
Dude .
What I do when I'm lethargic after weed is take a few vitamin b12 supplements . They really help boost your energy levels .

I always take them if I want to go to the gym or something when I'm burnt out .

Infact I learnt this trick off another bluelight thread
 
Starting with sativa dominate strains would be my best bet. I avoid smoking in the mornings when I have work to get done just because it always seems to affect the rest of my day. Get quality Cannabis so that you don't need more than a hit or two because IME anymore is when the stone really takes over.

Keeping a good nutritional intake also has seemed to do wonders for myself when it comes to being aware and alert throug out the day.
 
This is a great thread!

When I smoke, I get the lethargy, but most of the time it doesn't prevent me from actually doing anything, like taking out the trash or cleaning or doing homework. In fact, the voice in my head telling me to do what needs to be done gets stronger! The problem for me is that smoking also totally throws off my balance and coordination. I love to go for walks high, but ask me to run, jump, or swing a hammer, and you'll see some spectacular fail commence. I can barely even walk in a straight line high.

Personally, I love doing physical work when I'm sober and then getting totally baked afterwords right as the endorphins are flowing. When I was a kid I was a lazy artist/thinker; I hated exercise and physical work on principle! There's something about smoking herb that takes me back to that kid-self. My brain, while dulled in certain aspects (social interaction mostly, and sometimes lengthy text can be hard to follow), is kicked into high gear when it comes to creativity and intellectual thought.

My best friend though, who's an extrovert with a capital E, doesn't get the loss of coordination or the social stumbling. Perfect example of how weed effects everyone a little differently.

IMO, the dulled brain and loss of coordination are the result of the same effect: when I'm high, it's like all the perceptual information I take in takes a loooooooong time to reach my brain, like its having to swim through pudding to get there. I can perceive it during this "delay", but not process it in a cognitive way. On the other hand, my internal thought patterns are accelerated and more penetrating (i.e., I get more profound insights into what I'm thinking about, like music or a movie or philosophy). My sexual energy is also stimulated, building up inside me (much like the tantric energy OP talked about, now that I think about it).

The way I see it, the lethargy is just the result of shifting energy within myself. To ramp up my internal energy, my physical energy is depleted. Maybe that's why I get the munchies so bad. Not a professional opinion, mind you, just my two cents.
 
this might seem ridiculous, but here is what i do:

I actually figure out what i need to do before i smoke. once i start the task and get a little invested in finishing said task, then i toke up. after that i become one with the task, maybe become the task, idk...

i always clean the fuck out of my apartment when i smoke during.

also, a short run will make you feel much more energetic because of the increased cerebral blood flow and adrenaline.
 
biking/vaccuming(or just general cleaning)/mundane chores,
basically everything that doesn't require a motor vehicle i'll do whilst stoned. :)
 
simple solution -

willpower and a strong mind.
its all too easy to slip into the burnout rut, and get to a point where you drop some trash
in your room and instead of taking the 2 fucking seconds to pick it up and bin it,
you just go "ach, ill get it later", because you're too baked to be bothered to bend down and pick up trash.

force yourself to do things, you will notice 2 contradicting selfs.
one part of you will say "aww, i dont wanna, im high"
and the other, evolving side of you will say "no, dont be such a lazy stoner. ganja is a tool, respect it and yourself. put the trash in the bin, or no more endorphins" or whatever.

id love to sit here and explain shit to whomever is reading this thread, but i am insanely hungry at the moment.



great thread idea, Complacent_Orange.

This is damn good advice- I started doing this awhile ago and eventually you really do avoid the lack of motivation and start to get stuff done.
 
also, a short run will make you feel much more energetic because of the increased cerebral blood flow and adrenaline.

Right so I didn't believe this at all, until I tried it just after smoking a few bowls. At first it's a bitch but when you stop its like a rush of being awake....good advice man!
 
yea i'd say weed doesnt make so lazy so much as it gives me an uncanny ability to say "fuck it. deal with it later" unless i smoke myself into submission.

making lists and setting goals of things that need to be accomplished that day really helps me stay focused and motivated. as long as i dont stop, sit on my ass and watch movies/tv im alright. but pretty much the second i sit down i dont want to get up.
 
yea i'd say weed doesnt make so lazy so much as it gives me an uncanny ability to say "fuck it. .


Agreed. When I get high and I have a presented task I have no problem completing it, it's just hard to get up off the couch and start it. I can easily just say fuck it when I get high.

When I first smoke I get a rush of energy. I want to get up and do something and I talk away the whole time. After a couple hours of toking up or after ripping a few bongs to the face, that energy slowly goes away. Eventually I end up burnt out not wanting to do very much. Even dank bud eventually puts me in that mood. The trick is to wait untill your baseline before smoking again, for me anyways.
 
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