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the tipping point... cannabis

caffeine_voices

caffeine_voices

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I've probably been smoking about 12 years now. More so daily than not, with a few month long breaks between...

I enjoy smoking, I think it has many medical and recreational benefits that outweigh the cons. However, one thing that has always been on my mind is that there would be a "tipping point" when I would decide to stop, like when I believed the risks or benefits of not-smoking would finally outweigh the pros.

I've thought about that for years and the reasons that I had come up with are your typical reasons. Connections/friends lost or moved on, having an S/O or getting married, getting a decent job, having children, no longer enjoying it, etc.

However, most of the reasons have already passed and they didn't stir this tipping point in my mind like I thought they would. Or rather, I have no desire to quit although the reasons are there. Is it addiction? I don't know. I've never believed I could really be addicted to anything that I truly still enjoy. I've smoked tobacco for 8-10 years, but quit no problem about a year ago.

The last 2 or 3 years I've talked about quitting green, always saying "this would be my last bag," or maybe I would "hold onto it for a while and just pull it out for special occasions," etc. The problem is if I get a bag I smoke through it either trying to get rid of it as quickly as possible or because I will make excuses using the pros over the cons, or just because "I enjoy it, it helps me sleep, it cures boredom..."

Not sure what I'm asking, just wondering if anyone has had these thoughts or anything similar.
 
It is not that it is addictive. I got arrested for having a couple grams of weed, and quit while the case was pending and then for the 6 months I was on probation.

Started smoking again until I was close to finishing college. A month and a half before graduation, I quit so I could pass a possible drug test for work reasons. Been sober since halloween. No biggie at all in doing it.

Long story short, weed is no big deal. It is pretty fun to do, and since it is the only "vice" I have (other then booze on the weekends/special occasions) I dont see the big deal. I dont smoke if I am hanging with my GF or something like that though. So it is not an everyday thing for me.


You cant be addicted to weed. It is just that you have no reason to stop. Do you have kids yet? If not, I imagine once you do, your weed use will substantially decline.

I dont think its a big deal though. Dont do other drugs, but smoke weed when you can and it effects no one else. No biggie bro.

Best of luck to you
 
reply to roger
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I think all the people who have a hard time without weed would disagree with that whole post, so maybe your opinion only applies to you and your limited experience with smoking weed daily.

How can you say weed isnt addictive? Everything and anything can be addictive, it takes the behavior coupled with the susceptible mind to create an addiction. Pretty ignorant to imply weed habits are no biggie at all to stop.

Do you think maybe perhaps you're majorly simplifying the potential of weed habituation and the negative feelings it can and does create in addicts? Or are all the people who report these feelings just all pussies? lol. Think about it.

Before anyone wants to claim it, just because there are much more intense addictions out there dosn't mean a less intention addiction isnt an addiction. Habit, extremely solid pattern of behavior, whatever or however the fuck you want to call an addiction, same shit.

I dont really beleive in any tipping points so to speak, like its not like say you're an intense smoker, using easily over an ounce per week every week for a decade, do you really think (baring sources shutting down) any changes are going to just magically be some tipping point and just remove the ingrained habit, just like that? Of course though weed habits are much more flexible to lifestyle changes then alot of other addictions though.

But yeah, alot of the time having kids dosn't magically change an addiction, may provide inspiration and motivation, but for the most the WEED=GOOD notion in your mind is still very very strong after so many years of these neural pathways being strengthened.. fuck im stoned
 
yes, one can become mentally dependent -or- addicted to weed.

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Edit:
no, this isnt the case exactly, what i said, our bodies have varying or drastic responses to cannabis, because of our endocannibinoid-system. some people may benefit from cannabis greatly as a psychiatric medication - for their system is lacking natural cannabinoids.
simply giving your body what is needed to respond as-per-usual, and allowing a rapid succession there will be a response, of w/d.

now, some people might have elevated levels of cannabinoids inertly, and so for them ingesting the chemicals only exasperates their reaction, and maybe lead to trivial or serious chronic underlying mental conditions.
 
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Addiction is really about consequences- with weed those tend to be light, usually the only consequences are wasted time, maybe forgetfulness, maybe legal problems but even those are pretty light usually for regular possession.

If the pot isn't affecting your life in any serious ways then what is the problem? I know it is illegal but laws don't always make sense- there was a time when it was illegal for black people to drink out of certain drinking fountains.
 
Weed is addictive. I had an addiction to it but I wasn't really that bad. I know a lot of people who are addicted to it as well. Some of them even had to resort to selling it to keep their habit going. When I was heavy on it, I felt more of a want than need for it if that makes sense. When I stopped for a while I did have cravings for it and got into strange, kind of pissed off mood because I didn't have it and it fucked my appetite heaps as well. I could hardly eat when I was sober but could demolish anything when I was high! But that all passed with time. I don't think it was anything compared to withdrawals from harder drugs. I know if I kept going the way I was that I would've just made it harder for myself to stop in the long run so I'm glad I stopped when I did.

I think its better being an occasional smoker anyway. I had to smoke so much to get where I wanted to be back when I was an everyday smoker. Burnt the biggest hole in my pocket.. and was just shit seeing all my friends get absolutely ripped off one cone and me having to have like 3 or 4 to even feel it.. Now I can have it and save it and get absolutely fucked off a couple of cones. So much better. ;)
 
Any psychoactive drug needs to be taken seriously, even caffeine. Sometimes you may not realize what effects it really is having on you. The cost of cannabis is very damaging too. Think of how much broccoli you could by for the price of an oz. of kind bud. People think that weed isn't serious drug business anymore have to compare weed prices to cabbage prices.

IMO, it isn't too damaging to the CNS and WD's are usually resolved in days. The habit-forming aspect is difficult to deal with as it can be a very enjoyable feeling to get high. Just don't quit weed and start another drug like alcohol or pills. If somebody has got to do a drug it should be weed.
 
I used to be a huge pothead...hitting the bong all day, every day. I was so lazy and unmotivated that I dropped out of college for a semester. There were other reasons for it but weed definitely played a role.

I ended up quitting completely after that and never even had a craving. I think at least 5 months passed before I smoked again, and I loathed it. I was completely paranoid and just wanted the feeling of being high to cease. I just didn't enjoy it the way I used to. This was after at least 6 years of use, including 2 years of daily use multiple times a day.

I'm not quite sure as to why that happened...maybe it was a phase? Maybe being older I couldn't enjoy it like I used to, I'll never know. Presently, I only smoke very rarely, sometimes going a year without. Perhaps if you tried quitting for a bit, you might not need or desire it as much as you currently do.
 
I've been smoking daily for almost 14 years now, some times more than others, and a few breaks here and there, but still a LOT.

I am at a stage where I actually have quitting on my mind. The con's are starting to slowly out-weigh the pro's in my life right now.

It may be trickier for me than normal, as I do not smoke cigarettes, they are disgusting, but I do smoke tobacco in joints, and I am addicted to it. I tried to give up the tobacco a while ago and bought myself a Volcano Vape, but I found no matter how stoned I got, I still craved a joint.

So for me quitting is really fucking tough. I still have no idea how I am going to manage it. And I say fuck you to all the people who claim it is not addicting, if not physically then certainly psychologically. I see it all around me.
 
i still think weed was is one of the most addictive drugs i have ever used, and i am someone who had a major addiction to alcohol and benzos that very nearly killed me. weed is physically addicting too. the withdrawal doesn't even approach benzo withdrawal but back in the day when i'd run out id still have some annoying symptoms for a week or two. that made me really not want to ever run out, which made it that much harder to quit.

basically i was a total addict to weed, thought about it constantly my entire life revolved around it to the point where i lost track of who i was without weed. it was like any other serious drug addiction for me, and it caused some health problems as well with years of heavy use. i really hate it when people say its not addictive. you might as well say cocaine is not addictive.
 
I used to smoke like that as well, everyday, all day. Now I only do it every once in a while when I hang out with friends, I never even buy it anymore, I can't believe the amount of money I have saved by not purchasing it anymore. I quit buying it because it got to the point where it just made me super lazy every day where I would just laze about watching movies and playing video games. My diet also became really crappy just munching all the time and sometimes skipping meals, luckily I have a fast metabolism so I never became fat, but I felt like crap cause I wasn't eating right. Now that I have quit I have lots of energy, I eat right, I work out and have gained 20 pds. of muscle and look ripped, my friends can't believe the changes in just a couple of months. Like I said I still smoke but now it's more of a social thing instead of by myself, and the high is so much better because I have no tolerance.

Maybe you don't need to give weed up entirely, you could try making it a social activity where you only smoke when with friends. Just try to establish a healthy relationship with cannabis instead of abusing it and you won't have to feel guilty about partaking in the herb.
 
do you really think (baring sources shutting down) any changes are going to just magically be some tipping point and just remove the ingrained habit, just like that?
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Not really so literally. Just sort of like that there would be a significant reason and I would stop. I'm realizing that was just a concept in my head and to truly pull it off isn't an easy task.

If the pot isn't affecting your life in any serious ways then what is the problem? I know it is illegal but laws don't always make sense-
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I guess the way it is affecting my life is that I have a really good job, recently married, probably starting a family soon and I'm realizing that the risk of something going wrong with all that just wouldn't be worth it. No the laws don't make sense, but they are laws and they are real risks. I don't get tested for my job. I don't drive and smoke, but I do drive a good distance to get it. I'm sure this is all just paranoia, but I kind of feel like I've been too lucky to this point (knock on wood).

I quit buying it because it got to the point where it just made me super lazy every day where I would just laze about watching movies and playing video games. My diet also became really crappy just munching all the time and sometimes skipping meals, luckily I have a fast metabolism so I never became fat, but I felt like crap cause I wasn't eating right.
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That is me, minus the metabolism... weed kills my metabolism although I'm sure some of it is the munchies.

I feel like there is so much more I could be doing instead of lazing around or I get stress out with work and weed is the only way I've ever really relaxed.

I haven't smoked in about 2 weeks now... that first week when I wrote this sucked. This week, I've felt so much better, but I've gone through this cycle soooo many times before that if and when I smoke again I know It will fuck everything up again.

Thanks for all the feedback, it's helped a lot.
 
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