Cannabis, pool and life

kvinbrwr said:
Ken

Glad to hear you are taking charge of your life.

I quit pot a few years back after 40 years of pretty much constant use (a few spotty years of putting it down interspersed). Before I quit I would guess I had 5 years of pretty much being stoned all day, day in and day out, and when I put it completely down the only side effect I encountered was some things I used to think were very interesting now seemed just a little less bright and shiny.

So maybe its a matter of different strokes for different folks, but in my experience, pot is really not very addictive and carries very few side effects.

Good luck with your sobriety.

Thanks

kevin
Click to expand...

Kevin,

I agree somewhat, and disagree somewhat. I have smoked on and off since college. I've never been to the "stoned all day, day in and day out" level (well, except for *during* college ha ha).

I think the presence of side effects (both physical and psychological) vary greatly from one person to another. I can't see anyone arguing against the concept that the smoke is bad for your lungs, mouth, throat, etc. All the typical physical effects of smoking are there. I think 1 joint probably has more bad stuff in it than 1 cigarette (just look at that paper when your almost done!!). But I'm not trying to compare cigs to weed.

As for psychological side effects, I think it has a lot to do with how you use weed. Some might feel that "damn, the pressures of the day and my life are overwhelming...let me put those down for a few and enjoy a nice stoning." I think this is the type of thing that generally leads to difficulties in life. Most will not perceive these difficulties, as they are very subtle, take a long time to develop, and generally operate in the background. Some of the effects could include a lack of effort in many activities, a reduced drive to excel, a subtle avoidance of facing difficult situations, an inability to focus on tasks, obviously slight to severe short term memory issues, and an increased likelihood to do generally mindless things ("I know I came in here for something..."). Of course, if you have any psychological issues going on, weed is very likely to create the same kind of "internal avoidance". The mind seems to learn how to avoid those issues and kick them to the back corner while putting its feet up and relaxing, just like you! This works ok for many people for a while. Eventually, though, it catches up with you. The only way to keep ahead of the issues is to keep the veil on, never face them, maintain that buffer distance from the real reality. That will be good enough for many folks...they won't even recognize what is happening.

I find that with respect to pool, I play better in all ways when I have not smoked weed at all for a long period. My brain processes info FAR more quickly, and I mean the subtle stuff that is just below the surface. I have a general feeling of greater self confidence, a much greater determination to win and do well, and a lot less of a tendency to settle for "good enough" in my daily life. I find that I am more likely to really thrive off of pressure situations, and find myself enjoying the process of playing more.

Ken, grats on realizing what the effects are for you! Try focusing on the benefits you experience as a result...this can really help long term.

KMRUNOUT
 
The Saw said:
SWIM says if you don't quit invest in a good vaporizer and quit breathing all of that tar and crap you get burning it..... Water vapor is much better on the old lungs. No tar or carcinogens in water vapor, just the good stuff.
Click to expand...

Yeah...that would probably eliminate almost all of the negative physical effects. Definitely a good option if you really have to "smoke".

KMRUNOUT
 
KMRUNOUT said:
...Some of the effects could include a lack of effort in many activities, a reduced drive to excel, a subtle avoidance of facing difficult situations, an inability to focus on tasks, obviously slight to severe short term memory issues, and an increased likelihood to do generally mindless things ("I know I came in here for something...").

KMRUNOUT
Click to expand...


sO, azb=WEED?!:D
 
Withdrawal comes with the territory with stopping something like smoking marijuana. I could never play pool under the influence of something though. For pool, I need my total concentration on it and that's not there if I'm high or something. Congrats though with stopping your weed smoking.
 
the illusion

For me, the pot experience seems kinda funny; when I would get high, thoughts would come to mind that seemed very profound, like some kind of epiphany......however, after I came down off the high, either I couldn't remember the "profound" thoughts, or they just didn't seem so profound when I wasn't high; I would even write down some of these profound thoughts when I was high, so that I would remember them when I came down, but funny, when I read what I wrote when I came down, it didn't make much sense. I also used to think I shot better pool when stoned, but probably it was just another illusionary experience.
 
Pot is my anti-drug. It's a more than adequate substitute for the firewater that I've grown so fond of over the past few years...

Ask my wife (an avid non-partaker), whether she would rather see me smoke pot every day, or drink whiskey every day. She wouldn't even hesitate.

And really, I get all the self-justification that I need just by evaluating the way I feel the day after.

A pot hangover is like this:

"Man, I'm thirsty...Anyone wanna go to Burger King for breakfast? I'll drive."

Alcohol hangover is like this:

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, I think I'm going to throw up, and my head hurts, and I can't do anything constructive for at least a day."
 
kybill9 said:
I have never had a problem with Pot. As a matter of fact, I quit every night.
Click to expand...

I went to U of M on a sports ride, the Summer before we went, my Dad (also a Michigan alum) hosted a dinner for some other local boys to my area that were going to U of M on various sports scholarships. My dad asked one of the kids, referring to his information that the school was a major distribution center for pot (it was)"I hear there's a drug problem on campus"

the kids response?

"I wouldn't say so Sir, I've never had a problem getting them".

The table cracked up, including, to his credit, my father.

Thanks

Kevin
 
Last edited:
Nice. Other people who prefer smoking trees over getting drunk. I am in total agreement of that. No horrible hangover either when smoking quality grown stuff.
 
I live in Norcal, weed central, and know a million smokers and haven't heard about anyone freaking out after quitting. Some people get a little pissy for a week afterwards, other than that its no big deal for 99% of those who quit.

The only reason I can think of smokers getting anxiety is having to take piss tests within a month of partaking and fearing losing a job opportunity.

Like Spidey says, soon weed will be treated just like wine and all this paranoia about it is going to fade.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top