is weed addictive?!?!?

Yeah.

 

He's just a moron, don't worry.

 

How am I a moron, exactly? You can do a lot of things while high, but how much of it is really productive? Also, it depends on how high you are.

Just to let you know, I'm high right now, actually, so it isn't like I'm again weed.

 

I agree completely that weed is all about suppressing underlying issues etc., but that is precisely what addiction is. I have done a lot of reading and thinking on addiction, and addiction is all distraction and suppression of unwanted thoughts and feelings. It is essentially a fear response, in most cases. It's not simply that the person enjoys getting drunk that much, it is that getting drunk provides a very easy way out of certain feelings, thoughts, etc.

 

Yup, exactly.

But I just don't like how people are hinting that cannabis is a life destroyer, that it'll eventually make you mentally addicted. If you have issues, and you're the type to hide your issues behind something else, then you may turn to weed.

There are so many different people that are attracted to cannabis, and this may piss some people off, but I'll list it anyway:

- People that like to slack off.
- Those that have issues that they would like to ignore.
- People that are mentally ill in some way, and look to cannabis for relief. (This isn't necessarily bad, may actually be a good thing for them).
- Those that just simply enjoy the effects of cannabis.
- Some enjoy cannabis because it relieves their stress, and because of this, makes it easier or even possible, for them to function. (My best friend and I are like this).
- It's the philosopher candy - Thinkers. (Carl Sagan, Nietzsche, and I'm willing to bet that Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and other well knowns, toked up from time to time.

 

Not physically, just mentally. Peace

 

A little thing called moderation and self control is helpful.

You DON'T get addicted to pot. It IS all in your head.

"......because pot makes you unable to be productive while you're high; This is why being addicted to pot can do your life so much harm. Because when you're high, you can't do anything other than being high.....

WHAT kind of pot you smokin'??? Damn! Maybe YOU think YOU are addicted to pot and you can't do anything due to being high, but the realities are quite different. If you can't accomplish anything except to be high, you have OTHER motivational issues. All pot does is tend to make things MORE. So if you feel lazy and tired and you get high, you MIGHT feel lazier and go to sleep. If you feel energetic and are involved in a project, it tends to get you more involved. If I'm running low on energy after working all day (stoned) I just smoke some more and I'm right back in there - second wind. That's because I am a high energy person who likes to get things done. If I were an employer, I would hire as many pot smokers as possible, because I find they are the ones who will actually get things done. This has proven itself true over and over again in my life. I'll repeat because I'm so positive about it, if you are having troubles while being high on pot, it is NOT the pot, it is something in YOU that's causing the trouble, and because everyone is different, pot would have slightly different effects depending on how you are to begin with. SOME folks just have no will power and ALLOW themselves to get lazy and stupid while high, but they would be the ones who would tend to be that way anyhow, and they ALLOW it, as opposed to not being able to help it.

 

I don't think you're a moron. Yeah, I agree it depends on how high you are. I think there are times and places for all different kinds of highs. But everyone is different, some people can handle loads without wearing down. Some people are just stupid and abuse it. And what I mean by abuse is not smoking loads, but smoking more than you yourself can handle at inappropriate times, like when you need to do something important. Some people can handle it though.

In answer to your question:

I often clean my room while high, do laundry, go grocery shopping, watch educational programs on TV, pretty much the same things I do when I'm not high. I feel like I'm being productive but enjoying myself at the same time.

Although it may be hard to get off your ass when you're stoned if you just use a little willpower you can actually use it to help you concentrate. I even work out when I'm stoned. If I'm into it, I can actually focus on working out harder, and longer because I can attune my mind to just that one thing. For excercise I walk 2 miles down my street. I can do this whether I'm high or not, but honestly it's more fun when I'm high and with my sister. We walk and talk and laugh and point out the beauty of nature and are probably burning more calories anyway because we're high.

I have a friend who has been running her own business for years while being high practically 24/7. She has 3 kids who love her and vice versa, and always makes sure their needs are taken care of. Man, I'm so jealous when I go to her house because I don't think anyone take as good care of their kids, both emotionally and physically. She talks to them like they're people, and they respect her for it.

I'm just saying, some people know how to use it correctly, and anyone who doesn't lacks common sense.

 

"CHOOSE" is the key word. It's simply an excuse for being lazy.

Do you understand the difference between addiction and preference? Or addiction and attachment? Do you actually KNOW anyone who is really ADDICTED to something that IS addictive, like morphine, meth, or alcohol? As in know them well enough to know what they go thru? Do you understand the difference between being a strong willed person and being weak willed? Do you understand the difference between being a person with motivation and one who is lazy and doesn't care? Do you know any actually mentally ill people as opposed to "normal" people?

My point, which I thought was quite clear, is based upon these things.
Blaming pot for your problems is a very shallow excuse. No different than if I thought that all my problems would be solved by moving to a different house, or changing the color of my hair... I'm not going to blame my house or my hair for my problems.

People who ARE addicted to a substance, they ALLOWED themselves to do it to begin with, nobody twisted their arm. Then they ALLOWED themselves to continue until they WERE addicted and they no longer HAD the choice.
I live in an environment, and always have, where about 90% of people I associate with smoke pot. I have only run into ONE person, EVER, who thought they were addicted. And THAT person had been in and out of mental hospitals for years...

Is my point clear yet? Lots of people DO have trouble taking responsibility for themselves and what they do themselves, but maybe they should learn how rather than blame the nearest available thing or person for what happens to them.

 

It's clear to me.

I thought you spelled it out so well a small child would understand.

 

Thats not addiction, thats common sense. Welcome to a logical train of thought, its what happens to many a weed smoker. Its one of many positive effects.

There is no addiction, period. I started smoking tobacco solely to be addicted to something. Right now I've got a hankerin for a cigarette, but quitting marijuana to take a drug test is as easy as not eating at my fav gyro place.

Sure I want to smoke, but I also want a gyro right now. In fact, I want that gyro more than a joint... I NEED to eat something, I'm pretty dam hungry right now. I don't NEED to smoke weed, at all. If you view weed as addictive, you must also view your favorite food as addictive.

If you continue to smoke marijuana after you "tried" to quit, you simply have zero will power... your the same person who would have to get a gyro even if you were on a diet that said no gyros. Will power is not something you have to learn, its something you just do... everyone has infinite will power if they choose to use it.

I can't say quitting tobacco is going to be as easy...I don't look forward to withdrawel. Cold turkey will happen when I feel I'm addicted enough for it to be a problem for most people... this is all just to prove a point that I've technically already proved by quitting da ganja.

 

Addiction is a condition of the mind. Plenty of people have addictions that don't involve ingesting anything. Gambling addicts aren't smoking lottery tickets, Sex addicts aren't mainlining AstroGlide (good stuff BTW) and little old ladies who crave company aren't freebasing cats.

However, anyone who thinks pot/cannabis/veggies/weed holds ZERO addictive risk are fooling themselves. The evidence has been clear to me for years. Most of the people I know who use marijuana have been doing so for many years, they act like Ogres when they run out of weed or when the supply lines dry up, the Ogre goes away after the first or second toke. Others go into financial trouble trying to keep up with the price of pot (dealers, you're just too freakin greedy, pot isn't supposed to be expensive), lose jobs because they can't keep clean for a piss test they know about a month earlier (pot is the easiest drug to detect and for a LONG time) and become antisocial or even paranoid about having anyone near for fear of compromising their pot supply.

But another issue becomes a wedge in the saga of addiction. The term "Physical Addiction". If you look at it logically, no such thing exists. It's a convenient merging of terms from a time when all addiction was lumped into a single concept. The first term was "Physical Dependence" which is a common problem with all kinds of ingested ssubstances. But being physically dependent does NOT mean you're addicted to something. Your body can become physically dependent on laxatives, but it doesn't mean you're addicted to them. It means without them you can't go, a physical dependence. Narcotics are a double-edged sword because they can be both addictive AND cause physical dependence, same as tobacco. But becoming physically dependent on narcotics is no guarantee you will become addicted to them as well. Just ask any cancer patient or anyone who has had kidney stones. The second term is addiction and you already know my take on that.

My point is that the stigma assigned to addiction, which is likely to be such a common phenomenon in humans that we have literally more addicts than non-addicts in the world, is fraught with misconceptions, misrepresentations (like even trying crack will hook you for life), and lies (like heroin addicts can never be fully rehabilitated or that marijuana isn't a drug).

In America I am continually frustrated by the government telling me what I can and cannot ingest. I also don't like them regulating marriage or defining what is a family. Many of these regulations were born from irrational fear; marriage became regulated after the civil war to prevent interracial marriages and marijuana was made illegal as a convenient (the stuff was growing everywhere) excuse for throwing out Mexican migrant workers (they said marijuana makes Mexican men go crazy with lust for white women). So bringing out the truth appears to be the only way to make progress on this issue. And the truth is that marijuana is most certainly addictive. But that the majority of addicts in general mind their own business and keep their habit to themselves. Only the ones who lose control make the news or end up in rehab. Just because YOU aren't addicted to marijuana doesn't mean someone else isn't. And addiction doesn't necessarily indicate a weak will or disposition.

CF

PS: I admit it, pot makes me lust for women too!!!

 

I really hate arguing, especially on the internet, but this is something I feel strongly about, and I will not let something like this go unanswered.

The statement I have quoted is flat out ridiculous, and the sign of serious naivety. Don't you see that you could say that about anything? You don't get addicted to crack, it is all in your head. You aren't a mean, cold-hearted person, it's all in your head. You don't have desires to murder people, it's all in your head. Everything in LIFE is all in your head. Of COURSE it's all in your head. That's what addictions are. Where else would they be, in your foot, in your neck?

I think a huge part of this confusion is the whole physical addiction aspect of it. No one is arguing that pot is physically addictive, but the thing is, many of the most extreme addictions - sex and food for instance - are not physically addictive. Physical addictions can be horrible, I have no doubt, but the true nature of addiction is mental. It is that hardwiring of the brain that occurs after repeated experiences of a certain thing which wire this activity together with a feeling of pleasure. It is a dopamine response in the brain - weed = happy, masturbation = happy, food = happy, working out = happy, hanging out with my boyfriend = happy.

Pot CAN be a life destroyer, JUST like alcohol. Surely we can all agree that alcohol can be a life destroyer, right? The ONLY difference in the two is that in extreme cases, people have physical withdrawls from alcohol, there there is none with pot. I know JUST as many people who have fucked up due to pot as alcohol, maybe even more. Of course it isn't POT'S fault. earthmother, you talk about "blaming" pot, which I find to be a hilarious concept. No one is calling pot a "bad person." You guys seem to take personal offense as if the plant has feelings or something. Of course it has to do with the person smoking not the weed. But you must open your eyes to the fact that any intoxicant has the potential for serious abuse and serious addiction.

I am not arguing about this for the sake of being right or to prove anything. After all, why should I give a fuck? It's not my responsibility... but yet, it is. I see so many people on these forums who are flushing their lives down the toilet with drug abuse (not necessarily weed, but certainly there are cases of this), and I can't stand by while people talk about how completely harmless marijuana is.

Any intoxicant can be extremely addictive and, potentially, a "life destroyer." Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't understand addiction, intoxication, neuroses, etc. So, kids, please do not continue with your daily weed smoking habit which is preventing you from getting your shit done, preventing you from passing your classes, from maintaining your relationships, from appreciating all of the fruits of life just because someone tells you that it is not addictive, because if you do that, you are fooling yourself, and you're going to really upset in a few years when you look back and realize you pissed away years of your life smoking and staring at a television screen.

 

I don't want to argue either, but seriously, PEOPLE fuck up their lives, not pot. Anyone who claims pot ruined their life is using it as an excuse and a crutch.

Did you even read my posts? A lot of people smoke pot daily and still go on with their lives. If you're pissing your life away after smoking pot that's YOUR problem and also YOUR fault. Not everyone is like that. It's only stupid people who allow things to control them.

Who are you calling kids? You're only 22 yourself. Earthmother is older and wiser, and has the experience to back her statements up.

 

What a great argument - that people, not pot, fuck up their lives. So, I guess smoking crack, having sex with every stranger you meet, all of these types of things are harmless activities, it's only the people who don't know how to handle it?

I am calling a kid anyone who doesn't understand the potential for abuse which pot has, a potential for abuse which you continue to ignore. That's great that you can work out when you're high. I'm sure I could too if I felt like it, but it seems like a really stupid idea to me. I'd much rather enjoy being high, chill out with friends, listen to music, etc.

The fact is, any intoxicant can be a life destroyer. Of course it comes down to the person involved. Everything in life comes down to the person involved, and everything is "all in your head" as earthmother said. Those are ridiculous arguments against pot being potentially addictive and destructive.

Since you've questioned my experience, I have to question yours. How much pot have you smoked and how many stoners have you been around if you don't know people who have fucked up due to weed? You must not have much experience, because examples are everywhere.

I can win this argument with a single point - I personally know people who have fucked up due to weed and most likely would not have if they had not started smoking every day. They don't drink much, and they don't do other drugs, but they have pissed away years of time, thousands of dollars, not to mentioned sacrificed friendships and all kinds of other opportunities to satisfy their craving for marijauana. But, I guess they're just idiots, terrible people who have no willpower, no real drive to be productive, since in the end, everything comes back to the person and individual choice.

In the end, every person is responsible for his or her own actions, whether we are talking about drugs or anything else. But answer me this - can you possibly argue that any intoxicant does not have the potential to mess up someone's life? There is no argument against it. Intoxicants cloud the mind, impair judgment, make people less productive, and are addictive. Weed, coke, booze, inhalants - it doesn't matter. Anything that gets you fucked up has the potential for serious abuse and addiction, and pot is no exception.

Those of you who refuse to acknowledge the potential for weed to be addictive come across to those of us who actually know what's up exactly like those wives of abusive husbands you will see on Maury Povich or Rikki Lake. You will do anything to defend the honor of this thing you have invested so much of your time, energy, and love into. Inside your own little world of denial, your logic is perfect, but to everyone else, you appear as though you are blind and have a tremendous ability to lie to yourself to make everything seem all rosy, when in fact it isn't the case.

Final point - to say that weed isn't addictive is just as stupid as saying that sex, food, and alcohol are not addictive. There is absolutely no difference between addictions to any of these things. Sure, some people can do plenty of all of those things and keep their lives together just fine, but in the end, they are all very addictive. It is absolutely MORONIC to suggest otherwise, and with that, I am most likely done with this thread.

 

Is alcohol addicting? Or only once you become an alcoholic? Alcoholics get addicted because of emotional issues, they use alcohol as a crutch. But many people drink with no problems. It's all about self-control.

Pot can be abused, but it's a choice. Lazy people make pot their number one priority over all else, not addicts.

I'm a pothead and I've been doing just fine. I do it in moderation. No smoking before work, ever. Not even hours before. If I have to work, I don't smoke until I get home. I always make sure I have the opportunity for a full night's sleep after I get high.
I'm doing great at my job. I'm considered one of the most valuable employees. I give 150% to my job. I've never let anything, including pot, jeopardize that.
People get high for different reasons. Lazy people do it because they're lazy and don't want to get off their asses.
*I smoke pot because it's FUN. It feels good. I've done more harm to myself playing Guitar Hero than I have smoking pot. I've possibly permanently damaged my wrist from Guitar Hero and not one person has ever thought I should stop. Even my piano teacher never told me to stop, just to cut back. It's all about moderation.
I don't drive when I'm high. Same reason you shouldn't drive drunk. But do you see people screaming 'say no to beer!'? I drink a little myself, but I much prefer pot because it's SAFER, and it feels better. Nobody ever said that because people like alcohol and because it's legal that it's ok to be drunk all the time.
*I smoke pot for it's medical benefits. It's a pain killer. I'm immune to over the counter pain killer. I have a health condition that causes me very severe pain at times and I don't have access to prescriptions. Pot has been a life saver for me. It is the only thing, aside from Lortabs, that relieves the pain. I can't sleep through pain that severe, but pot puts me right to sleep.

I'm attached to pot, certainly not addicted. It's a very simple-minded belief that pot is addictive. I don't need pot to escape. I love my life. It has it's problems, but that's life. Everybody has problems. I prefer to deal with them rather then use pot to suppress them. Pardon me for enjoying a simple pleasure.

 

Wow, what an incredibly stupid thing to say. Maybe I shouldn't have sex because it's addictive! I might become a slut if I have sex! Or maybe even a prostitute! Gosh, maybe I might enjoy it! And food? Gosh, I should've stopped eating a long time ago. So that's how models stay thin.

EVERYTHING IN MODERATION was the point here. I have not fucked up my life with pot and I will not. Nothing is that important.

Marijuana has so many health benefits. I suppose you think it's better to put a chemical in your body. There's a reason you need a prescription to get certain kinds of medicine. It's because they can be dangerous. And what about chemotherapy? The very thing that kills cancer can kill YOU. Sometimes it does. And even if it doesn't it sure is a fucking shitty thing to go through. In the seventies stuides proved that marijuana halts the spread of cancer. And it helps relieve the after effects of chemo.
What an added bonus that it feels great to be high!
And btw, I don't fuck away my money on weed. I happen to be dirt poor, and if I can't afford it, I don't buy it. That would be irresponsible. The majority of the weed I've gotten since I began smoking have been gifts.

 

http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=276712

Oh, what do you know, someone pissing his life away for weed. But, weed is only good, right? Weed is this divine substance that can do nothing but improve our lives and is perfect and harmless in every way and can never be addictive or cause cancer or fuck up memory or...

 

I thought you were done with this thread? You are the naive one. Keep blaming all your problems on everybody but yourself.

I've smoked a lot of pot and given pot-smoking in general a lot of thought. I already mentioned that I know someone who smokes constantly and still manages to survive -- quite well actually. I know a lot of people who smoke and they are all JUST FINE.

I enjoy working out and hanging out with my sister. To me that is a good reason to get high. I also enjoy chilling out and listening to music. There's a time and place for everything. So here you are arguing to be lazy while smoking pot?

MODERATION! MODERATION! MODERATION! Don't you people listen?

If you are stupid enough to let a sweet plant like pot ruin your life, you are a DUMBASS, and abusing it.

I think it's a crime to abuse pot, a plant meant to induce feelings of well-being, and love. And yeah, there's nothing wrong with feeling good.

 

Don't insult all the good pot-smokers here, and all the wonderful people I know who smoke pot. We don't deserve it, just because some retards don't understand what pot is for.

Most people who abuse pot are young people who don't know any better, or who were never taught how to use their high properly. Or just plain stupid, ignorant, and already lazy people.

And for the record, neither me, my sister, my friends, or all the other good stoners on here, are stupid, ignorant, or terminally lazy.