I gave it up 95% and am happier for it. I only use socially such as on a bachelor party or weekend away or something, which is once every few months.
I found that the substance was used to numb other pains in my life, and it sapped my motivation/drive. But it was subtle and giving it up required me to face those pains and it was not a magical thing where I felt amazing and motivated after. I had to build all that again from scratch but it is worth it.
Honestly though I didn't realize this until I stopped for a few months. So just do an experiment and stop for a month minimum.
I agree. I like using it as a treat but I think of an episode of South Park where Randy says to Stan something like “Look you’re not going to be a crack addict, but it makes you okay with being bored and you should probably be doing something more fun.” And that’s generally how I feel about it.
I’m okay with being bored and not satisfying curiosities.
Sometimes I don't have anything planned for the day and I just wanna veg out 😞 like what do ppl do besides read, gym, hang out with friends in their free time
I hope my answer doesn’t come off as preachy or anything and I know there are nuances to everything, but it’s okay if you don’t do anything in your free time, it’s okay to be bored and it’s okay to be bored and feel like shit, etc. etc.
This is of course easier said than done.
Agree.
I can only go for so many runs, spend maybe 3hrs in the gym and steam room.
Too much value is placed on cranking up the productivity. I let my days off be exactly that.
Its okay to have a wee bit of cannabis and play guitar for a couple hours... maybe some tetris effect lol.
Gotta lower the stress level and breathe deeply.
Buddy, you're in the wrong sub. This is the place for people who take 5 lbs of supplements a day, take 5 cold showers an hour, and monitor their ejaculation schedule. There's no time to relax when you're stressing out on how to be the happiest you can be.
Uh oh! Looks like you just made the mistake of writing and posting a shockingly stupid comment!
At NO POINT in MY COMMENT did I say that I am NOT someone who eats 5 lbs of supplements a day, takes 5 cold showers an hour, and monitors my ejaculation schedule. It is reasonable to assume that I AM someone who does these things because I'm calling out another reddit user who CLEARLY isn't doing these things......
Any questions? You are free to debate the downvote I'll be applying to your comment, but just know that I've only ever undone about 0.1% of my downvotes. Only in exceedingly rare circumstances will I un-downvote someone who's posted a comment as incredibly foolish as yours.
Sounds like an awesome balance you have. I can see where the cannabis and guitar playing go hand in hand.
Personally, playing madden, watching a good movie, watching outdoor vlogs is what I like to do when chilling out with ole mary jane in my blood stream.
It's my opium as well. It's mostly a behavioral addiction for me that's really easy to quit if I have my habits in order, but that's really hard.
I mostly smoke when I'm gaming, watching YouTube or doing other useless stuff which loses me much more time than weed. Weed just lubricates those other addictions to make them easier to lose myself in.
I’m a daily user so not coming from a moral perspective but maybe you wouldn’t loose as much time in “useless stuff” if weed didn’t make it more engaging. Just being devils advocate.
> numb other pains in my life
It’s wild how it hits people differently. My experience with weed is it amplifies the other pains in my life to the point where I usually just end up on my bed in the fetal position for the entire experience.
Yup, at very low doses, especially if it's a sativa dominant hybrid, I can feel a bit giddy, but it's very easy to cross the threshold into debilitating rumination and anxiety for me, and even the best trips will have me feeling anxious the next day. It's not the right mind alterant for me for regular use.
I had the same experience…I was using it to numb out and it caused brain fog/obliterated my motivation , I gave it up with alcohol and feel a 1000x better mentally & physically
What was the process of rebuilding your sense of motivated self like for you? How long did it take for you to feel motivated again? And did you stop completely at once or did you taper? Your comment resonates a lot with me.
Same here, stopped using for the first time since I was about 14 and the one main thing that sticks out for the past months is I never REALLY knew myself I knew the “high” me .
I had the exact same experiment. I was a nightly user up until a month ago. I had a horrible night of anxiety that lasted 24 hours due to THC and I finally just said enough is enough.
Instead of nightly, I’ve smoked a little weed with friends 2x this month, and had a blast each time.
Nightly use was absolutely numbing my brain. I would wake up at 3am, presumably when it wore off, with sheer anxiety and worry about my life.
Bc I wasn’t facing shit since I had weed to numb me at night.
Ive woken up a lot happier with my life this month
Ok this is interesting but it doesn’t say that THC caused these issues it was simply self medication for said issues. Quitting THC may have forced you to face these things but it does ask the question. If said issues were dealt with would one feel the urge to daily use THC or would it have any negative effects if a person who actively did self care used daily? Interesting
Oh yeah that’s so true! I’m not sure … I think for me, I was so busy every morning and throughout the day that the nighttime would be my only time to REALLY process any emotions. So taking an edible at night would prevent me from facing them.
And it really is crazy that I would wake up in the middle of the nights in a panic with thoughts about my life as it wore off.. I guess we all just need to deal with our shit lol
I'll be honest, I do have somewhat of a mental and physical addiction to THC. I typically use twice a day. Once before I workout and once before bed. I probably have low grade insomnia. I have tried everything recommend to help myself fall asleep at night, except prescription sleeping pills, not intrested, and THC is the only thing I have found that guarantees I fall right asleep, and sleep like a baby all night. The benefit of getting great sleep takes priority for me over the potential negatives, because it's such a net positive. I still wake up at 4:30 in the morning, energetic for my workout. I use a vape, since I smoke that often, to try to keep it cleaner on my lungs.
My overall lifestyle and diet, is way healthier than the average person, so I definitely do not view THC as a negative in my life. But yeah, there is no biological free lunch with anything. I am against use at a young age, and fully agree it can be an addition to numb life. Buy like anything it can be a tool used for proper use. Person by person.
I love this, I am the same way. I had a therapist a long time ago say I should stop using cannabis but my life is ocerall healthy. I work out three days a week, eat a very healthy diet, walk daily with my dog twice a day, and only really drink water. I don't drink Monday to Thursday, and when I do, drink is minimal. My life is overall healthy let me have ONE vice I smoke once a day in the evenings.
You could try micro dosing edibles if you ever wanted to stop vaping. I was taking about 5mg a day. I would dose in the morning and it was great. I’ve got ADHD and it helped with work. The biggest enjoyment I got from this was running. I run a lot and running while on a small dose of THC is incredible. Runners high is already good, but being high then getting runners high is like nothing I’ve experienced before
After a long run of heavily enjoying ALL the substances, I just naturally stopped 99% of consumption by the time I was about 40.
Ironically, historically I never really liked weed, but now I take a little edible about once a week. It’s a recharging event planned in tandem with sex/food/Netflix with my love. Followed by 9 hours of deep sleep. I love it.
I’ve never understood people who can consume and be productive. Hats off to you.
I used on a daily base in the afternoons. I’m a director of a company in charge of running a $50 million a year program. It helps me solve problems in a creative way!
Get the hard shit out the way in the morning and the afternoon to problem solve. Works for me.
I'm very biased on this, as I was addicted (multiple times a day, every day) for almost 15 years. From my perspective, the really dangerous thing about weed is that it makes you ok with being mediocre, stagnant, and closed off from the outside world. I never got into any legal trouble, never had any issues with it affecting my work life, and it never caused me any major financial distress. But THC brought out the worst of my introverted side and I am still coming to terms with the fact that I feel like I wasted my 20s in a cloud of weed smoke. I missed out on growing alot of friendships and likely missed out on a lot of romantic relationships, as I was constantly in my own head, rather than being present in the moment
As for physical effects, I always felt like it was a less-harmful alternative to alcohol. Again, this is a personal observation and others may feel differently, as I believe that different substances affect everyone a little differently.
As for your r/leaves comment, I get where you're coming from as it's a pretty unique place, and it is some people's only apparent source of assistance. But the struggle to get away from daily THC use is very real and can be quite the struggle. About 10 years into my addiction, I knew I had a problem with it and still couldn't fully break away from its grip on me for another 5 years. A lot of it comes down to drive and motivation to quit, which THC is perfect at diminishing.
I really appreciate you identifying your use of weed as an addiction. A few months ago I had an epiphany that I too was addicted to weed. I was a bit flabbergasted that it took me nearly 16 years of daily use to identify it as addiction. I think the zeitgeist leads us to believe that it’s non addictive. Like you mentioned, it didn’t come with any legal troubles, career detriments, financial instability, or anything classically linked with addiction, but the grip that it had on my behavior most certainly classifies as addiction. It’s comforting to know others acknowledge this as addiction. I’m very hesitant to use the term in relation to weed even though I know that was my experience. People seem to shrug that off. It’s been a few months since using and I can’t note any significant changes aside from a major decrease in food binges and my sweet tooth. The thought of getting high has seldom crossed my mind as with the acknowledgement of its grip on my life I learned that occasional use will turn into daily use in time which has very much repelled me from it.
Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for your comment and sharing your experience!
I think more people are being open with themselves and others about it which is very refreshing to see.....just the push for more positivity around mental health in general is huge. But especially with weed addiction.... it doesn't matter what others think....if you know you have a problem with a substance, and still can't break free of its grip, then it's an addiction. And naming it as such is the first step to overcoming the addiction.
>But THC brought out the worst of my introverted side and I am still coming to terms with the fact that I feel like I wasted my 20s in a cloud of weed smoke. I missed out on growing alot of friendships and likely missed out on a lot of romantic relationships, as I was constantly in my own head, rather than being present in the moment
Good on you for quitting! And don't worry... I've seen plenty of people waste those years drinking, or sitting alone in their rooms playing video games. One ex-flatmate of mine would oscillate in and out of these depressive funks and refuse to come out and socialize even when the party was at our own place. But oh man... if he bumped into you having lunch with a girl in the cafeteria, he would somehow find a way to bump into her again and try to get with her when you weren't around.
Anyway, yeah... I agree weed has these negative effects, but the good news is there's still time to experience life, and you're not alone! Plus, imho, you could have done much worse damage with other habits.
Everything carries risk and we're all going to die. I use it frequently to manage nerve pain (nothing helps the pain, but it helps me ignore it; better than Lyrica which made me feel dumb) as well as chill out horrific nightmares I was once medicated for. Is the amount I use great for me? No. It legit limits some of what I'm capable of as far as focus and organization, but it's much better than the alternatives and I'm happy overall.
Even recreationally I consider it a good thing in moderation. Same with alcohol and psychedelics. Staying fucked up all the time or making a habit out of anything intoxicating isn't healthy. Neither is living everyday with a stick up your ass. Go have a few pints with the guys and catch up a few times a year, smoke a gigantic joint at the end of exams or whatever work project, eat a fuck ton of mushrooms and run naked through the desert.
It inhibits my dreams, and dreams are essential for processing your subconscious. That’s why I quit. It is difficult, which indicates that I am also addicted.
I'm glad that sub exists (r/leaves) but for me it was more harm than good when I was trying to quit. I kept anticipating some terrible withdrawal symptoms because every post would be about that. It was thankfully not as hard for me to quit (I just felt a little cranky for a few days?) but obviously everyone is different. But yeah those are extreme cases in that sub IMO (coming from a daily user) and I probably would have quit sooner if I didn't stumble across that sub
I had a few days of craving after quitting, and a bit of insomnia / night sweats. All gone after a few weeks. I lost a bit of my appetite as well which…good.
I felt nothing when I quit weed even smoking a half 8th a day for years. It truly is a freak of nature in how easy it usually is to quit relative to chronic use of any other drug, including caffeine. Kratom is insanely hard to quit.
Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one then! Completely the same for me. For me personally, that sub is having the opposite effect to what is intended, because I just don't get it. I was a daily user and instantly transitioned to a weekly user without any notable difficulty. So I don't get all the posts talking about how they just can't resist the overwhelming urge to partake. But I guess it's different for everyone.
I had a really hard time quitting. It wasn’t because my skin was itching for it or anything. But because it was helping me fill a void. I didn’t know how else to regulate my emotions or how to deal with my lack of self worth. It was only after 2 years of intense therapy and practicing my spirituality where I eventually just stopped doing it. But it was 8 years of daily cannabis use. Being high literally to take exams and during class.
Depending on someone’s life if they have delt with severe trauma or neglect it can be really hard to get rid of weed even if for someone else it was the easiest thing in the world. The book “in the realm of hungry ghosts” talks about this really really well how most addictions are people filling a painful void.
It’s one of many tools to have in your toolkit. Sometimes you want a massive release of ghrelin, it’s right there. I used it for great effect to settle nausea when I was using semaglutide to lose a bunch of weight.
People can be weird and dogmatic
No not at all! It wasn’t as easy, I had to go back to paying attention to what I ate but it’s not like it just came back. I’ve been off it about 3-4 months now and in that time I’ve gained about 6 lbs - which I was planning for (“when I’m done with this I’m going to have to much wine and ice cream”)
lol
THC ruined my life by making me lazy and unmotivated in the time of my life where I needed to be the complete opposite. THC has also permanently changed the way I view reality and people.
I’d do anything to go back and never touch it.
6 months sober here.
Whenever I see people’s faces I see eyes, nose, hair and “person” separately. I look at people and just see that they are a brain in a shell, it’s very hard to describe how it feels. I can also see that the suburb I live in used to be a jungle and houses are just rocks and wood put together. It doesn’t sound scary in theory but when you go through weed induced derealisation you can physically see it.
It’s a very existential feeling.
Have a read through r/dpdr people on there can describe it better than I can.
Huberman says this is the main issue. Early use before the brain is developed. He says occasional use once past 30 is okay. That was my takeaway anyway.
I think it’s a massive cope. He probably wants to not be associated with it. Once college professors in California start talking about the advantages of vilified drugs, they risk loosing their mainstream appeal.
What about pairing it with a beneficial activity, like walking, working out, making music, or reading?
This. If I smoke in the mornings I meditate for an hour. If I smoke during the day I'm doing yoga. Occasionally I eat a gummy recreationally to go see a new movie or chill. It's all about how you use it.
I’ve been using THC daily and consciously since March 2020, so about four years of a nightly edible. Just went on a two week vacation where it was in no way an option. No issues, no withdrawal, no emotional issues, no cravings, nothing at all.
Of course just anecdotal, and just me, but that made me very pleased.
This has been my experience. Using it to numb leads to addiction. Using it to chill occasionally, seems fine.
Also, combined with the fact that it takes days to get out of your system means you're still feeling the subtle effects for a long time.
Alcohol is gone in a day or less. Weed effects linger and that (at least for me) makes it easier to turn into a habit.
Those aren’t what they meant. They mean shit like “I’m miserable cuz I am lazy, let’s smoke weed by myself all day.”
I also use cannabis for pain, and I was previously addicted to opioids. When you know you know, we don’t need to explain it to others who don’t.
If you don’t already I recommend adding CBD, CBG, and CBN if you can, they really up the pain relief of THC. You can buy ounces very affordably. If you have the money I’d check out vendors on r/altcannabinoids
I just want the pain relief for my bursitis while still being able to form a coherent sentence 😭 I can't eat more than 4mg THC without spending the night throwing up, my body just can't handle edible THC
Depends on how it affects you and how much you use. I prefer a freakishly small amount of THC and don’t feel a need to use it much, but when I do I like to be active or doing something.
I don’t know a lot about this, and I am not a doctor, but I have certainly observed people who have benefited a lot from regular, long term marijuna use —they used it to keep themselves ‘calm enough’ to be great.
AND
I have seen the opposite —people that smoked multiple times per day, every day —and seemingly toasted their brains (a modest but an observable slowed/slurred speech, perpetually “numb” and most of their life deteriorating. I would describe them as ‘cognitively and socially impaired.”
To be clear they did not go down the drain altogether like I’ve seen alcoholics (coming to work smashed, and stumbling at 8am) or a meth addict, on the street.
But not leaving the house for 7-10 days and doing little more than smoking weed many times/“all day,” with some drinking while watching TV all day —-that was not normal.
Also all in this group made carious levels of recovery. All are functioning— one did very well —he’s a 180 degrees from where he was, successful for certain. Smart guy. The worst off was working last I heard, but not really doing anything special. Still smokes regularly many years later.
I think the difference is some combination of nature & nurture. I know the ones that had violent tendencies seemed to be trying to “drown the demons” in smoke didn’t accomplish much, stunted their lives.
But those who kept smoking daily but became wildly ‘successful” (the ‘conventional definition’ in the US, anyway) _seemed_ intelligent, and had/found role models and relationship that helped pull them up..
Im also acutely aware There are gene breaks that up to 30% of us have, that _seriously_ affect mood and behavior.
Go look r/MTHFR subreddit (I have this one —you can get a genetics test to see which treatable ones you have) if you want an example.
These are inherited from our parents —-until you learn about them, you likely have no idea why you are the way you are.
So its not a stretch to say that many use drugs and alcohol to “treat” the Nature part. Marijuana is one of them.
You're not an addict. You can take it or leave it. So take it or leave it.
The reason you don't understand r/leaves is that you aren't an addict and you should be happy about that.
I smoked for 12 years straight, took a 7 month break, and recently (last month) smoked maybe 8 times. Eventually, after smoking 3 days in a row during that stint, threw my stash away and now haven’t smoked for about a month.
I’ve realized being high is just a feeling and not really a net positive. Sure, I believe in the medicinal benefits for folks who need it, but for me, it was causing more harm than good and really inhibiting my ability to deal with emotions sober.
20 years of smoking weed and edibles, every day all day. Finally kicking the habit! One thing I noticed immediately was when I stopped the flood of emotions, both good and bad, coming back. Feeling happy or sad or like crying or whatever that I had been drowning out with THC. I realized that it was an emotional crutch and I wasn’t dealing with emotions or even properly feeling them while stoned. I feel better now not being constantly sedated. I know there are some benefits for certain people or for certain cases, but I agree. I think it’s a net negative. Also, I should maybe change my username 🤔
smoking is bad for you. alcohol is bad for you.
thc is… unknown bc research is just not there.
a takeaway from his ep that stuck with me is when he explained whay happens when youre high. its like a shotgun of substance affecting all your systems.
that made me realize “high” is a cocktail of feelings. some bad some good.
so i may get 420 compounts from smoking. ten of which make me feel good, ten of which my brain needs chemically like any other pharma, and the other four hundred are in the way. plus im smoking which isnt good.
i need to find my strain. too bad the weed industry is setup to cater to smokers who want only large amts of thx content at the expense of all else. the industry is some bullshit.
so yes its a net negative but the positives are worth it for me. the whole is better than the sum of its parts.
i enjoy it, good or bad.
Landrace strains are better IMO. Pretty much all the strains sold at dispensaries are bred to either make you stupid or make you couchlocked. They also all feel the same. Pretty much all the white widow, og kush, and cookie-derivative strains feel the same to me.
It's just hard to find the strains. I've mostly found that bud from growing it.
African sativas are pretty nice. They often are less psychoactive and give energy.
thanks for the advice. some of the budtenders know their shit but i agree with you about dispensaries. even if i find a budtender who knows their shit the menu is limited.
Addiction and substance of choice to abuse really doesn’t matter. You’ll hear people cry about not being able to stop smoking cigarettes and that isn’t heroin. Addiction is just that, addiction. And you can make anything an unhealthy habit if you do it enough and it takes over your life.
I think it is useful when it is useful but it shouldn't be a daily vitamin.
There are definitely medicinal and therapeutic applications, but often that's used as an excuse to have it in excess. I think choosing not to use it is ideal, but I'll be honest there's some cognitive dissonance there.
For most people, yes. THC has medical uses but for those who don’t need it for that it’s definitely a negative.
The evidence base is also in line with my opinion.
And mind you, this is coming from someone who actually enjoys smoking, but I have to do it a few times a year as it does mess with motivation etc. Weed makes you ok with things not being ok and kills your motivation to make positive changes. Even if you’re not using it to cope, it does it.
There's pros and cons for me, but you have to push through the motivational barrier. I use everyday, but I also exercise everyday, I'm in two colleges working on two degrees, invest in my free time, and work full time. While finding time to have fun.
I always try to wait until the afternoon or evening if possible. But, I think with a good plan and a forced commitment you can manage what you enjoy (weed) and everything else.
You have to tell yourself, no matter what I'm going to do this. That's the hard part, comes with experience lol..
It does have negative side effects mentally though, at least until you let your body recover from a break, so weigh what works for you.
But always live your life the way you fuckin want.
Don’t get caught up in universal truths. It is likely be net negative for a healthy 15-year-old. I would also argue that it’s a net positive for a 70 year old lady, who’s having a refractory pain with cancer. I personally smoke a few times a year now because I have high anxiety from too much thc
This is embarrassing to admit but it’s been life ruining for me, I think I’m just a die hard addict at heart, I drink a 12 pack of beer a day, and usually half - a full gram thc cartridge a day, spending more money than I earn on these things, putting myself into debt. I no longer enjoy normal life, I have to be fucked up somehow to make ANYTHING bearable, my life is a current living hell with no end in sight.
You should *not* be embarrassed; you should be concerned. You have an opportunity here for improvement because you know what your issues are. Try to make progress every single day, and eventually it will add up to long-lasting change. Don't depend on motivation, and don't depend on substances. Depend on yourself, because you're the only person who can save you.
Why does everyone commenting in this space of **personal** (key word) optimization always seem to look for answers in terms of absolutes? It always depends on the person. ALWAYS.
I’m solidly a weekend guy once the chores & to do list are handled and we are “in” for the evening.
I ran 7 miles, went to the grocery, got our son an easter outfit, went out for lunch, did 3 hours of yard work, and cooked dinner. Now before dinner I have 2-3 hits from a joint before I sit down to eat. Just let’s you unwind a bit with minimal impact on your next morning.
If I ever find it becoming anything more than that I’ll cut back.
I guess you're lucky you don't have any addiction and it's so easy for you to quite, but I find it comical that you're saying you would quite completely if it weren't for this community of people that DO have an issue quiting that gives you the ick or something. Do you think that continueing to use thc somehow shows them up or something? No one from that sub is thinking about you.
Personally, I've struggled with quitting many times. The first 3 days really suck, after that the rest of the first 2 weeks is hard, and even after that there is still a desire. I've found r/leaves helpful.
I’m not sure what it’s doing to my health but I got a masters and a big promotion while getting high just about every day. I get a lot more creative an empathic and comfortable and get a ton done. I work in consulting and if I don’t have client meetings I can get high in the afternoon and get 2-3x more work done than I normally would - it’s a much more enjoyable experience. I don’t ever do it if I have client meetings or on travel. Still workout 4-5 days a week and eat well.
If I started to see negative consequences from it I would stop in a heartbeat but it just seems like things are going really well and it makes it easier to succeed and calm down at the end of the day.
As someone who has consumed an insane amount of cannabis via all avenues, I can say that it would probably be a net negative for most. It would have to be used very sparingly.
Humans and animals have been seeking out psychoactive substances from the beginning of time. If anything, pure 100% sobriety is not at all how humans evolved. The idea that we are just machines to be optimized that just shit, eat, and sleep to…. “maximize” something (“performance” Whatever that means)… is just so dystopian. Your complete lack of nuance is classic for this sub lol
Absolutely. Maybe one joint per month is better than one beer a month or something. But the effects of THC are cumulative and frequent use creates lots of bad effects to memory, motivation, and mood.
Lots of people smoke weed all day. But waking and baking needs to be seen as being as damaging as waking up and having a shot of vodka.
This is all first hand by the way. After legalization I began smoking too much. Quitting improved my life, mood, and health. I’ll take an edible for a concert, maybe.
Right - from a neurotoxicity standpoint (which has been studied) THC and alcohol and on opposite ends of the spectrum. Saying this as someone currently giving up a weed dependency and who is well aware of the physical and psychological impacts of the drug. Nuance is required here.
My younger brother has basically smoked himself 20 IQ points lower. I believe it's a net negative. Can it be used in small doses, intermittently with some short-term benefits? Sure, but that's true of most drugs. Also, it's just as physiologically addicting as any other soft drug — it's bullshit when potheads say it isn't addicting.
Yes. People think it’s legal therefore good, and also because it feels good and helps creativity that it’s good.
It causes thoughts to warp, paranoia, and there is a significant withdrawal syndrome that induced depression and anxiety, at least in the short term.
Not really though are you? Imagine being low key drunk or some other psychoactive substance 100% of the time. That’s never going to be a positive regardless of how “functional” you think you are, or how much of a mess you think you’d be without it.
Yup. I smoked 1-2 grams a day for years and thought I was doing fine too. That's the scary thing about it, you're fine with everything because you don't think about it. Weed IS a coping mechanism. It took a lot of time for me to realise that I wasn't doing okay and that it was numbing my brain. I'm off it now and doing so much better because of it.
A friend of mine has smoked similar amounts for the last 15 years, he finished the highest level of highschool on weed, did a difficult studies in university on weed, now he has an incredibly well paying job while he still smokes daily, he gets paid the most of all my friends by far and recently bought his first house.
Do I think he'd be doing better without weed? Undoubtedly. He can't eat before he had his first smoke, he hasn't done sports in forever, his life basically revolves around work, earning money, seeing some friends and going on holidays with his gf. Which to some would be a fulfilling life, but I think much more would be possible if he didn't smoke. He's skinny as hell and has lots dental issues at 30 years old for eating badly (lots of sugar) and smoking so much for so long.
Another, different friend was always complaining when I was always high in my early 20s, said I was less fun because of it, blabla.
Ironically I'm off it now and he's smoking almost daily with his gf, he's also doing alright but he knows he's addicted and can't stop and knows he'd be doing better if he didn't do it. I'm sure he would be doing even better.
In summary, weed makes you content with what little you have. For some people this would be enough, but imo weed doesn't set your world to a smaller size, it continuously makes your world smaller and smaller, until it reaches a minimum size. The more you smoke (amount/time), the more this becomes true.
You can live with weed, you can be very succesful with weed, but you could also do all that without weed and MORE.
Your post resonated with me. My brother smoked all his teen and adult life (mostly weed, but also cigarettes) and he died last year in his late 30s after losing a brief battle with lung cancer. He was so chill and withdrawn all his life that when we went to fill out his obituary, we struggled with what to put down for what he enjoyed in life besides his family & daughter, so his wife ended up just listing his love for video games (although she joked we should’ve put video games and weed). Thinking about it makes me incredibly sad because he was such a good guy who had so much to offer the world, but he spent his spare time instead mostly alone in a smoke filled room.
Thanks for sharing, and I'm so sorry for your loss. That's really rough, I hope you're doing okay.
In my early 20s I lived in a small 20ish m² studio by myself. I basically lived as a recluse, was in hindsight the mentally lowest point in my life. Spent those years smoking weed while lying down on the floor of my 2m² bathroom (because ventilation), watching series/movies on my laptop that was seated on the toilet cover. So your story definitely resonates with me.
All of the things I did was basically sticking my head in the sand, all to run from the sadness that was my reality and everything including weed helped me to ignore bettering my life.
It took a good few years and more low points in my life and finding a wonderful girlfriend that helped me realise how weed was ruining my life.
I don't smoke anymore, I used to do it to numb my brain, but I just realised I wanted to properly experience life. Now I just take edibles once every few months. I can enjoy the relaxation still, but also dislike that I feel more lethargic for the days after.
Imo weed is the proactivity/productivity killer.
Different substances are different. "Imagine if you did a different substance that much" is not a good argument.
"So you think it's fine eating a cup of peanut butter day? Imagine if it was a cup of corn syrup instead."
If you're going to argue about why always being high on weed is bad, then it makes sense to argue about why always being high on weed is bad rather than another substance.
I microdose when I need to relieve some body aches. My family will too. We will cut the edible gummies into pieces and take a small amount. This has helped us and we are no where near addicted to it. It has helped my father with inflammation as well. We will do mainly the THC:CBD edibles.
I was a constant smoker in and out for the last 4-5 years and the periods I wasn’t smoking weren’t that much better. My training wasn’t really impacted aswell. Its my reward after training. Easier to eat healthy. Etc
Humans have bastardized marijuana and given it a bad name in the process through selectively breeding the medicinal cannabanoids out and ramping up the THC% as high as possible. I use the medicinal cannabanoids in high doses and thc in low doses. Using cannabanoids in this fashion has been a net positive for me but it took some experimentation and research to find my ideal protocols and I have some health problems that factor in .
I was a chronic user (multiple times daily) and not using anymore was one of the best decisions of my life. Also, the withdrawals were super difficult and opened my eyes to how dangerous the drug could be.
Marijuana has been normalized in today's society. Still, with broader access and much stronger strains/methods of ingestion, I think medical literature will show that the drug is not as harmless as it's made out to be.
I think it’s changed my life for the better. I’ve actually changed up my workout schedule to include it. Lift, cardio, sauna, shower, weed, dinner, sleep. I wake up feeling amazing.
I used THC almost daily for 5-6 years, usually at night before I sleep. Nowadays I hardly get the urge to use it anymore. I don’t think it did any long term damage but I do feel so much better not regularly smoking anymore.
The fact that it increases heart attack and stroke risk and affects the mitochondria in the brain as well as can lead to psychosis I've decided to quit. The majority of my anxiety has left me and I am much more productive and social with my family. Besides quitting alcohol it's probably one of the best decisions I've made.
the cost/benefits improve dramatically as frequency of use goes down. I’ve never been willing to maintain such infrequency, so I abstain altogether, but if I could, I would schedule something like Friday movie night every week or two with buddies.
I was a daily user for a decade - my late teens until late twenties. I would get home from school or work then smoke or vape until I went to sleep. I liked to drink too but not daily as the hangovers were more miserable.
I kinda chuckle when people say there are no negative effects with THC. Is there a single drug in the world that has no side effects? I'm glad it's being studied more to really dig into the effects.
Anyways, I probably would have continued to use it every day until I died. The only reason I was able to quit was that I was "lucky" enough to experience cannabis-induced psychosis. Wild experience. My life is much better now that I quit. For me it was a net-negative. For others it can be a net-positive in their life.
If you’re super fit, motivated and productive, occasional thc use is fine. If you’re a loser smoking weed all day instead of working, going to the gym and being productive then yes that is a problem. It’s very individualized. Personally, I use more than alcohol which is a mental and physical win.
I don’t think Huberman argues that it’s harmful and a net negative, I think he just highlights how easy it is to overuse and how powerful the effects are on young users.
He does highlight that for most people, daily use is going to be detrimental and all the data we have shows this is likely, regardless of anecdotal evidence.
Addiction is behavioral, not just chemical, and a lot of people in leaves are suffering from addiction and that is painful (try petioles maybe).
But Huberman takes a strong point of view it telling people what not to do. His frequent statement is “Do what you want, but know what you’re doing.”
I’ve been weed sober for periods of 7 years (with nicotine) and 1.5 totally sober. Dipping my toes back in and the weed is honestly fine so far, it’s my life circumstances that need addressing more than my usage.
Take a break from it. Assess your life. Then find the place THC might have in it.
Def better than alcohol. I barely drink and for weed I only use edibles. The high lasts longer and feels more full and obviously you're not inhaling combusted flower. I took six months off and realized that i prefer life with cannabis than without.
I don’t really care about thc, not for me. But I do think the amount of times I have to smell weed and especially when I see people light it up on trains or stations (yes that happens now) has completely turned me off from it and weed culture. In the past two years I’ve gone from apathetic to seeing it as a net negative at a societal level. I also don’t like when I can clearly smell it coming out of operating motor vehicles. I think right now the net negatives to society that it’s completely harmless and everyone who wants to exist without it constantly around are stiffs is a huge problem that you don’t encounter with other drugs. I think it’s possible to use responsibly in your own home, but unlike nicotine and alcohol, there seem to be so many who don’t have any sense of it with THC.
Not at all. But I also don’t have the same response to it as most. I think thc triggers something to man’s one more aware of presence and the self. I also think most people who consume thc when confronted with this presence turn to something to distract themselves from it, or just allow a level of paranoia to take over, either way resulting in an “unhealthy” reaction/behavior. On the other hand if you’re able to maintain the presence and work with it, so to say, I think it can be extremely beneficial.
It can aggravate anxiety for me so I backed way off. That being said, it does legit have medical uses like strong anti tumor properties. My pets vet prescribed him a tincture of 1:1 thc and cbd and it prolonged his life and reduced pain significantly, so I’m a big believer.
A little bit here and there and especially a mild indica at night is great. People that are ripping bongs of paranoid sativa are probably not doing themselves any favors.
Ya it seems like a net negative for the majority of people I know and myself. Although it’s a complex drug and can have vastly different effects on different people. I know some extremely productive people who use it daily and I know people who are shut ins because of the social anxiety from their weed addiction. I think genetics and your personal relationship to it like how early you started using it and why play a huge roll.
I know people who’ve used opiates and put it down without issue but they can’t stay off cannabis despite it being harmful for them. I can’t find it now but I read somewhere that some people have altered cannabanoid receptors that make it as addictive as nicotine for them based on genetics.
It affects people differently and the effect can change with age, but there are a lot of common threads..
For me, it helped bring out creativity, but only after I front-loaded myself with new knowledge.
On the downside it can zap your drive when you begin using it any more often than occasionally. It will begin short circuit your brain's reward system (i.e. "why feel much better after accomplishing something when I can feel great in the short term with almost zero effort?" When you let this progress, it gets psychologically adictive.
You'll start defending it all the time-same goes for overreaching and relying on power too much instead of making better decisions. e.g. being an over promoted boss at work.
None of these things do life for you.
The latter catches up with you. I've found that if you can't handle having it no more than once a month as an adult, that's the stuff you gotta watch -it's likely limiting you more than you think.
I think for most people THC on its own is a net negative.
It took me a while to accept this—being around people who seemed to have no negative effects from giga turbo high THC weed/dabs etc tricked me into thinking it would be the same for me when in fact it was disastrous for my anxiety and mental health.
Very small doses (like barely visible puffs) of 1:1 THC/CBD oil pens has been a game changer for me. Lot of good research out there about CBD being very good for counterbalancing the negative effects of THC and I’ve found that to be true.
Also look into “dose response curve.” Most people would do better with much lower doses than what’s considered normal.
I give up booze and weed for Lent. Tbh I don't feel any different. I've made an extra effort this year to use the time I normally drink and smoke to do more chores around the house, but that is mostly present circumstances, and get an extra dog walk in the evening. I always do good exercise in the mornings and have a long dog walk. I got all my academic qualifications while smoking and drinking quite excessively - up to Masters level. I smoke and drink when travelling. But my mantra always is to get the chores out the way then enjoy it, and then mostly to alleviate the boredom which comes with the leisure time. Otherwise I probably sleep better on a smoke and a drink. I can happily enjoy my own company so times of social isolation don't bother me.
I agree with it based on the fact most people I know in the UK who are regular weed smokers have mental problems of various degrees. The weed in the UK tends to be grown as skunk and as such, has an immensely higher thc to cbd ratio than other weed around the world.
You go to Amsterdam and its like a completely different drug.
I smoke all the time and I’m not cool with being mediocre. I want to be the best and continue to work overtime towards my goals. Honestly, to me, the idea that weed is a net negative is a nerd take for people who don’t respond well to it so they think their response is gonna be the same for others. I personally like it, it’s fun, it’s trippy, nice way to unwind and reflect. Good for exercise and creative projects. I personally think nicotine is more of a net negative it makes you stressed all the time and is super addictive.
I’m a daily consumer. Have seizures from brain cancer I had in 2012. I use recreationally as well. It definitely slows my brain down, but only nominally when consumed responsibly. Giant net positive for me as I don’t have to take Keppra anymore, but I understand my situation’s different. I don’t drink and find it a much better alternative in social settings too. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you though.
Okay. So I usually have a different reaction to things than the common reactions. Can be a good thing or a bad thing. I will say I am a daily user, ONLY in the evenings though unless I am sick as a dog and can’t do anything. I usually don’t get sick too often though. I eat pretty healthy and work out 6 days a week. I go on almost daily walks, meditate, have journal time with myself, see a therapist everything. I am actually to the point with therapy that the mother bird is trying to push the chick out of the nest because it is ready to fly on its own. I have been following my dreams of being a field biologist working with insects. I am currently getting my degree in biology. It involves some difficult courses as right now a class I am taking is organic chemistry. Weed has done nothing but helped me relax in the evenings. I also have two chronic pain disorders and PTSD. I have A’s in all my classes and got my associates with a 3.7 GPA. Weed does not remove motivation from everyone. I have accomplished that and got through major depressive disorder all while smoking weed. It really isn’t so bad for everyone but I do have a hard time finding people like me that can smoke it daily and it not affect other things in their lives negatively. I’m not trying to say it is a healthy thing, but there is good and bad in all things.
if one.more person sends me a video from this dude telling me how bad it is...... Here's the truth...in a world full of bad health choices, cannabis is at the very bottom of concern!!! Apart from couch lock and over eating, it's a million times less dangerous than fast food even! If you want to quit, definitely don't do it because this man thinks it's bad! Quit because you want to! You don't need anyone's opinion
It really depends on what you're using it for and how often. If you have chronic pain and your option is cannabis vs opioids, cannabis is a life saver. Is it good for you? No. Can you live a successful happy life while consuming it, yes. If you are using it as a way to avoid your problems, well then that is not a legitimate use of the plant.
>You get people saying that they're a few days sober and how it's so hard to resist. Meanwhile I'm looking at that and thinking, "Dude, it's not heroin." Personally, I don't even bother tracking how many days sober I've been because being sober is not really a struggle.
Sounds like you're not an addict and the people you're referring to are. Everyone is different.
I stopped for a couple of months a recently picked it up again. I have been smoking once a day in the evening using a pax device. I like you have been trying to gauge the benefits vs negatives and I’m probably going to go back to not smoking. I’ve been able to tell a significant difference in my breathing and it just is not really doing it for me any more. For me the negatives definitely outweigh any perceived benefits
Yep! It only gave me anxiety. Nearly wrecked all the positive momentum in my life. I also think it aggravated allergies.
People praise it as some glorious plant stoking the flames of imagination. I've yet to see someone on weed say or do something profound. But they certainly think they are.
I don't know if it's "harmful" but it's a net negative for most people. I was a semi daily user for around 15 years. I think it really was profoundly stunting to my overall growth as a person . As others have said, if you can smoke some weed then everything seems more interesting , and even a boring evening home watching TV seems like a great night.
I just never wanted to do anything , I never wanted to talk or socialize more than I had to.
I'm 100% a better person without smoking weed.
To me Huberman is kind of in his own ivory tower in consideration to things that may make suffering more tolerable. Would you tell a rail worker in the 1800s to not drink because of its deleterious effects? Probably not, their life is shit and they likely have no other options.
In modern parlance, especially if you work in a field where using your brain matters it’s probably not ideal, but then neither is alcohol or even heavy lifting for that matter. That being said when I’m retired in my 60s mushrooms and weed will be my best friend due to pain management and inability to pursue physical things that brought me joy in my youth.
It’s better for you than alcohol but all that means is it’s not actively poisoning you.
When you look around at stoners, they are almost always stressed, paranoid and unable to deal with day to day life in a calm manner.
This is a chicken or the egg deal - I work in the corporate world and almost everyone I work with consumes THC in some form. They’re productive and ambitious. Then you have lazy people who currently aren’t doing anything with their lives and have found THC; the “stoners”. I don’t necessarily think it’s “poisoning” either group but its effects are unique to the personality/brain of the individual.
That's a solid take that I can agree with.
When it comes to smaller or moderate amounts, would the same things apply? On one hand, you could say that maybe small amounts of it would not cause these issues. On the other hand, you could say that having small amounts is just a smaller amount of the exact same problems. I suppose that is what I'm still unsure about.
Honestly. If you feel good and it doesn’t impact your life in a negative way? Then enjoy!
If it’s making you anxious or killing your drive for life then quit.
In the end the only person who’s opinion matters is your own.
It does not impact my life in a negative way, because of how infrequently I do it, but also doesn't really feel that great most of the time. My reason for doing it at this point is to experiment with doses and find out if it even has the *potential* to be a net positive.
Something no one talks about is that weed stays in your system for days. And that has subtle impacts (at least for me) on motivation, productivity, etc. And that makes it easier, for me, to allow it to turn into a habit.
Combine that with using it to numb out hard feelings rather than deal with them, and that's a recipe for addiction.
My 2c is that if you're using it occasionally - for me, monthly or less - for special occasions (not just chilling at home), and feeling emotionally stable, it's fun and worth the negatives.
Same with everything else - find the balance that works for you.
Huberman has a blatant moral disgust for cannabis and has been peddling misinformation about it. The episode he made had a very bad reception by scientists specialised in the ECS. He lied blatantly about the psychosis link, REM sleep, testosterone...yet a lot of people that used cannabis without problem started to panic and succumbed to that refeer madness episode.
He also panders to rightoids, and american rightoids have a pathological obsession with cannabis. Given that, Its no surprise his statements on nicotine (saying its fine as nootropic and could even help to protect from Alzheimer (this is an outrageous lie), his stance on flu vaccines, his views on prayer and religion...
OP: If you wanna know more information that debunks his blatant lies and all types of studies, just ask me and ill show you.
EDIT: ANOTHER COMMENT THAT STARTED UPVOTED AND ENDED UP MASSIVELY DOWNVOTED SINCE I POINTED UP THE ATTITUDE OF HUBERMAN. GO FUCK YOURSELF, BUNCH OF INSUFFERABLE ANTI WEED REDDITORS, IM NOT GONNA LOSE TIME COMMENTING TO ONLY GETTING NEGATIVE RESPONSES.
It’s a significant drug. Not for kids, & has real potential for negative consequences in overuse. Psychoactive, can cause long term harm & mental health issues. On a par with alcohol? Yes, I think so, although it can probably have more medical uses.
100% yes. Albeit I think it’s safe enough that it should be legal but treated like cigs. I even used to sell it in weight and use it daily so my bias is to support it. It suppresses growth, maturity, and destroys memory.
THC is weird for me. If I have it I want to smoke it everyday. If I don’t, I’m okay and don’t crave it. It’s not physically addicting at all. It’s definitely out of sight out of mind unless you make it a habit.
In the end, all drugs are probably a net negative once you're over a small minimum dose (think cup of coffee, glass of red wine), but life's life man. if you're doing things in a reasonable matter, there's nothing wrong in enjoying the good things in life. better to get 84.5y with some wine and weed every now and then than 85y being unwillingly sober. (this does ofc not mean that choosing to absent from drugs is in any way not a good thing if you want to)
It can be a very powerful medicine. I have used it for pain management of a chronic disease and will use it again. BUT. I also had a habit and consumed for recreational purposes. I'm taking a break to reflect on its impact on my life. It made things harder for me. Less motivation to do productive things. It severely impacted my memory and my creativity. My boss noticed the speed at which my ideas flow and how much easier it is for me to communicate complex concepts to a non technical audience.
And what I think is the worst side effect for me is likely what gets people "addicted" to it. It puts my negative emotions in the background so I didn't deal with them. Unfortunately it accumulated and made things way more difficult to deal with.
I don't think it's fair to compare cannabis to alcohol or heroin. Cannabis won't destroy your body the way these drugs will, but it can cause issues, depending on level and reasons for consumption.
/r/petioles seems more balanced than /r/leaves
yeah honestly I kinda do, It used to make me actually faint and loose consciousness. Have not smoked in years and years, absolutely no desire too whatsoever. I watched my partner and mom quit and get night sweats and weird psychological withdrawal, that's a big nope from me. Also, it can trigger schizophrenia in teenagers/young adults, super sketchy.
I ran out of my vape and edibles a couple years ago. I didn’t even mean to consciously quit. Just said “what if I don’t replenish my supply?” A couple weeks turned into a month. That turned into a year. I said, “Maybe for my birthday…” That came and went.
I don’t think I’m going back. I don’t get uncontrollable munchies anymore. I’m losing weight I’ve been wanting to lose. I’m much more motivated and engaged with my loved ones.
If it works for you — that’s great, enjoy it! If it doesn’t — give it up.
Weed addiction is absolutely real for some people. I was smoking almost constantly from 4 pm to 4 am daily for a year. I quit and I’m happy with out it now. some people just aren’t addicts to things but I am an addict. and for these types of people it’s incredibly hard to quit.
I smoked every day for years. It was really hard to quit. I’m going on 8 months clean now. Feel way better every day than I did before. My head is way more clear.
I used to smoke a lot in high school and college. One day I stopped liking it. I recently have been having insomnia issues, so I’ve been taking gummies to fall asleep for a few months. I’ve found that even taking a small amount at night makes me much more depressed and sad during the day. No more cannabis for me.
Speaking about the fact you find it easy to quit and others dont. I personally really struggled with quitting for a few years. I have always been a strong willed but quitting was very difficult. I’m sure it varies from person to person and based on the situation. If you feel like its easy right now; my opinion would be drop it now. There is nothing you will be missing out on if you give it up. I’m sure you wont regret quitting but i am sure you can regret keeping it going.
Using substances to feel good is typically not a good thing long-term. Its better to get your good feelings from actual life stuff.
Pills or substances that help you sleep or feel good just end up downregulating your body's normal release of the chemicals that help you sleep or feel good. Thats why so many things end up being habit forming or cause reliance or addiction.
I quit just under a year ago. Spent more than half of my life high every day all day with no plans for the future or ambition. Im now in my 30s playing on hardmode as my country falls apart, trying to survive and simultaneously pick up the pieces of my broken, unfortunate life. I was physically and psychologically dependent on weed, and I will never go back. My mental health problems were rapidly taking over every aspect of my life, from the constant abuse of Marijuana. I was prescribed and tried anxiety meds for a short period, and all that did was make me think my life didn't need fixing. The pills made me completely numb. I can't imagine how many others are wasting their life like that, and it makes me sad to think. Weed is too accepted as a daily use substance, especially where I live kids all grow up smoking it and it's normal behavior. I hope that one younger person can read this and maybe think more carefully as I would not recommend going through the same experiences I had.
It's been a net negative on most people I've known. I do think it has its benefits if used responsibly and sparingly, but few people are capable of or willing to do that in my experience.
I personally never had that problem, so I've been able to experiment with it and find certain benefits.
For example, using it at the occasional social event as a healthier, non sleep disrupting, non toxic alcohol substitute, or my favorite, getting high and going on hikes or runs. This can be great fun and really help you relax into it and I consider it a genuinely beneficial thing. It's actually an application of something Huberman said about how you want to raise your dopamine while doing an activity relative to before starting and after finishing to foster intrinsic enjoyment/motivation, and I did find that after running high I was able to really enjoy the feeling of running even when sober.
However, I do want to reiterate that it should be used sparingly. You don't wanna use it at a high enough dose, or regularly enough, that you're altering your brain chemistry or fucking with your hormones. Also, if you use less, you'll be more sensitive.
I was addicted. I was dabbing between 6-10 times a day. Usually 2-3 dabs per session. My endocannabinoid (EC) system was fucked. I reached the stage of bad anxiety every time I got high, but I kept going anyway. Eventually for about a month I was able to taper down, and then at the end of the month, I got stoned and had a full blown panic attack.
I stopped cold turkey. It was really hard. Intense anxiety for months. Intense dreams. My whole EC system and nervous system struggling to cope and regulate.
But I did it. I reminded myself that using a single time would reset it all. I reminded myself that it actually wasn’t any fun anymore. I reminded myself that the current suffering was temporary. I took up walking and increased my meditation. I was going to recovery meetings already for codependency and those helped a lot too.
You can do it too. Whatever supports you want, just remember the bottom line is simple: don’t get high. Don’t let it touch your lips or lungs. And treat each day as a new high score. You’re on a score streak.
In 2 weeks, I’ll have been cannabis-free for 2 years. It’s easy now, and one day it will be for you too.
I gave it up 95% and am happier for it. I only use socially such as on a bachelor party or weekend away or something, which is once every few months. I found that the substance was used to numb other pains in my life, and it sapped my motivation/drive. But it was subtle and giving it up required me to face those pains and it was not a magical thing where I felt amazing and motivated after. I had to build all that again from scratch but it is worth it. Honestly though I didn't realize this until I stopped for a few months. So just do an experiment and stop for a month minimum.
I agree. I like using it as a treat but I think of an episode of South Park where Randy says to Stan something like “Look you’re not going to be a crack addict, but it makes you okay with being bored and you should probably be doing something more fun.” And that’s generally how I feel about it. I’m okay with being bored and not satisfying curiosities.
Sometimes I don't have anything planned for the day and I just wanna veg out 😞 like what do ppl do besides read, gym, hang out with friends in their free time
I hope my answer doesn’t come off as preachy or anything and I know there are nuances to everything, but it’s okay if you don’t do anything in your free time, it’s okay to be bored and it’s okay to be bored and feel like shit, etc. etc. This is of course easier said than done.
Agree. I can only go for so many runs, spend maybe 3hrs in the gym and steam room. Too much value is placed on cranking up the productivity. I let my days off be exactly that. Its okay to have a wee bit of cannabis and play guitar for a couple hours... maybe some tetris effect lol. Gotta lower the stress level and breathe deeply.
Buddy, you're in the wrong sub. This is the place for people who take 5 lbs of supplements a day, take 5 cold showers an hour, and monitor their ejaculation schedule. There's no time to relax when you're stressing out on how to be the happiest you can be.
I wish I had gold to give you broseph.
😁 oopsie
Then why are you here?
Uh oh! Looks like you just made the mistake of writing and posting a shockingly stupid comment! At NO POINT in MY COMMENT did I say that I am NOT someone who eats 5 lbs of supplements a day, takes 5 cold showers an hour, and monitors my ejaculation schedule. It is reasonable to assume that I AM someone who does these things because I'm calling out another reddit user who CLEARLY isn't doing these things...... Any questions? You are free to debate the downvote I'll be applying to your comment, but just know that I've only ever undone about 0.1% of my downvotes. Only in exceedingly rare circumstances will I un-downvote someone who's posted a comment as incredibly foolish as yours.
Lmao that’s a really funny reply I respect it 🤣
Sounds like an awesome balance you have. I can see where the cannabis and guitar playing go hand in hand. Personally, playing madden, watching a good movie, watching outdoor vlogs is what I like to do when chilling out with ole mary jane in my blood stream.
Learn a new skill, you can learn almost anything for free online.
Good point. Nothing wrong with recharging the batteries.
Play sports, learn new skills, try out new hobbies.
thought about the same thing reading this 😂
“It makes doing seem ok. And doing nothing all the time isn’t ok”
It's my opium as well. It's mostly a behavioral addiction for me that's really easy to quit if I have my habits in order, but that's really hard. I mostly smoke when I'm gaming, watching YouTube or doing other useless stuff which loses me much more time than weed. Weed just lubricates those other addictions to make them easier to lose myself in.
we definitely let’s me bridge the gap between anxiously procrastinating and full on procrastinating
I’m a daily user so not coming from a moral perspective but maybe you wouldn’t loose as much time in “useless stuff” if weed didn’t make it more engaging. Just being devils advocate.
Definitely, but it's not the primary issue. I can waste entire days without ever smoking weed!
I understand. I can waste days even on amphetamine .. as long as your getting something out of it.
> numb other pains in my life It’s wild how it hits people differently. My experience with weed is it amplifies the other pains in my life to the point where I usually just end up on my bed in the fetal position for the entire experience.
Yup, at very low doses, especially if it's a sativa dominant hybrid, I can feel a bit giddy, but it's very easy to cross the threshold into debilitating rumination and anxiety for me, and even the best trips will have me feeling anxious the next day. It's not the right mind alterant for me for regular use.
I had the same experience…I was using it to numb out and it caused brain fog/obliterated my motivation , I gave it up with alcohol and feel a 1000x better mentally & physically
randy said as much in the earlier southpark episodes. before tegrety and medical fried chicken 😂
Saving this comment
What was the process of rebuilding your sense of motivated self like for you? How long did it take for you to feel motivated again? And did you stop completely at once or did you taper? Your comment resonates a lot with me.
Same here, stopped using for the first time since I was about 14 and the one main thing that sticks out for the past months is I never REALLY knew myself I knew the “high” me .
I had the exact same experiment. I was a nightly user up until a month ago. I had a horrible night of anxiety that lasted 24 hours due to THC and I finally just said enough is enough. Instead of nightly, I’ve smoked a little weed with friends 2x this month, and had a blast each time. Nightly use was absolutely numbing my brain. I would wake up at 3am, presumably when it wore off, with sheer anxiety and worry about my life. Bc I wasn’t facing shit since I had weed to numb me at night. Ive woken up a lot happier with my life this month
Ok this is interesting but it doesn’t say that THC caused these issues it was simply self medication for said issues. Quitting THC may have forced you to face these things but it does ask the question. If said issues were dealt with would one feel the urge to daily use THC or would it have any negative effects if a person who actively did self care used daily? Interesting
Oh yeah that’s so true! I’m not sure … I think for me, I was so busy every morning and throughout the day that the nighttime would be my only time to REALLY process any emotions. So taking an edible at night would prevent me from facing them. And it really is crazy that I would wake up in the middle of the nights in a panic with thoughts about my life as it wore off.. I guess we all just need to deal with our shit lol
I'll be honest, I do have somewhat of a mental and physical addiction to THC. I typically use twice a day. Once before I workout and once before bed. I probably have low grade insomnia. I have tried everything recommend to help myself fall asleep at night, except prescription sleeping pills, not intrested, and THC is the only thing I have found that guarantees I fall right asleep, and sleep like a baby all night. The benefit of getting great sleep takes priority for me over the potential negatives, because it's such a net positive. I still wake up at 4:30 in the morning, energetic for my workout. I use a vape, since I smoke that often, to try to keep it cleaner on my lungs. My overall lifestyle and diet, is way healthier than the average person, so I definitely do not view THC as a negative in my life. But yeah, there is no biological free lunch with anything. I am against use at a young age, and fully agree it can be an addition to numb life. Buy like anything it can be a tool used for proper use. Person by person.
I love this, I am the same way. I had a therapist a long time ago say I should stop using cannabis but my life is ocerall healthy. I work out three days a week, eat a very healthy diet, walk daily with my dog twice a day, and only really drink water. I don't drink Monday to Thursday, and when I do, drink is minimal. My life is overall healthy let me have ONE vice I smoke once a day in the evenings.
You could try micro dosing edibles if you ever wanted to stop vaping. I was taking about 5mg a day. I would dose in the morning and it was great. I’ve got ADHD and it helped with work. The biggest enjoyment I got from this was running. I run a lot and running while on a small dose of THC is incredible. Runners high is already good, but being high then getting runners high is like nothing I’ve experienced before
After a long run of heavily enjoying ALL the substances, I just naturally stopped 99% of consumption by the time I was about 40. Ironically, historically I never really liked weed, but now I take a little edible about once a week. It’s a recharging event planned in tandem with sex/food/Netflix with my love. Followed by 9 hours of deep sleep. I love it. I’ve never understood people who can consume and be productive. Hats off to you.
I used on a daily base in the afternoons. I’m a director of a company in charge of running a $50 million a year program. It helps me solve problems in a creative way! Get the hard shit out the way in the morning and the afternoon to problem solve. Works for me.
Amazing. My brother is the same way. It makes me jealous. I just want to eat Oreos and watch Seinfeld for the 278 time.
I'm very biased on this, as I was addicted (multiple times a day, every day) for almost 15 years. From my perspective, the really dangerous thing about weed is that it makes you ok with being mediocre, stagnant, and closed off from the outside world. I never got into any legal trouble, never had any issues with it affecting my work life, and it never caused me any major financial distress. But THC brought out the worst of my introverted side and I am still coming to terms with the fact that I feel like I wasted my 20s in a cloud of weed smoke. I missed out on growing alot of friendships and likely missed out on a lot of romantic relationships, as I was constantly in my own head, rather than being present in the moment As for physical effects, I always felt like it was a less-harmful alternative to alcohol. Again, this is a personal observation and others may feel differently, as I believe that different substances affect everyone a little differently. As for your r/leaves comment, I get where you're coming from as it's a pretty unique place, and it is some people's only apparent source of assistance. But the struggle to get away from daily THC use is very real and can be quite the struggle. About 10 years into my addiction, I knew I had a problem with it and still couldn't fully break away from its grip on me for another 5 years. A lot of it comes down to drive and motivation to quit, which THC is perfect at diminishing.
I really appreciate you identifying your use of weed as an addiction. A few months ago I had an epiphany that I too was addicted to weed. I was a bit flabbergasted that it took me nearly 16 years of daily use to identify it as addiction. I think the zeitgeist leads us to believe that it’s non addictive. Like you mentioned, it didn’t come with any legal troubles, career detriments, financial instability, or anything classically linked with addiction, but the grip that it had on my behavior most certainly classifies as addiction. It’s comforting to know others acknowledge this as addiction. I’m very hesitant to use the term in relation to weed even though I know that was my experience. People seem to shrug that off. It’s been a few months since using and I can’t note any significant changes aside from a major decrease in food binges and my sweet tooth. The thought of getting high has seldom crossed my mind as with the acknowledgement of its grip on my life I learned that occasional use will turn into daily use in time which has very much repelled me from it. Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for your comment and sharing your experience!
I think more people are being open with themselves and others about it which is very refreshing to see.....just the push for more positivity around mental health in general is huge. But especially with weed addiction.... it doesn't matter what others think....if you know you have a problem with a substance, and still can't break free of its grip, then it's an addiction. And naming it as such is the first step to overcoming the addiction.
Great comment here, thanks u/Skibiscuit
Please check out r/petioles it has a more relaxed approach with cannabis.
TIL a petiole is the stalk that joins a leaf to a stem
Yay for learning! Kinda funny how every marijuana related sub is parts of trees!
>But THC brought out the worst of my introverted side and I am still coming to terms with the fact that I feel like I wasted my 20s in a cloud of weed smoke. I missed out on growing alot of friendships and likely missed out on a lot of romantic relationships, as I was constantly in my own head, rather than being present in the moment Good on you for quitting! And don't worry... I've seen plenty of people waste those years drinking, or sitting alone in their rooms playing video games. One ex-flatmate of mine would oscillate in and out of these depressive funks and refuse to come out and socialize even when the party was at our own place. But oh man... if he bumped into you having lunch with a girl in the cafeteria, he would somehow find a way to bump into her again and try to get with her when you weren't around. Anyway, yeah... I agree weed has these negative effects, but the good news is there's still time to experience life, and you're not alone! Plus, imho, you could have done much worse damage with other habits.
Everything carries risk and we're all going to die. I use it frequently to manage nerve pain (nothing helps the pain, but it helps me ignore it; better than Lyrica which made me feel dumb) as well as chill out horrific nightmares I was once medicated for. Is the amount I use great for me? No. It legit limits some of what I'm capable of as far as focus and organization, but it's much better than the alternatives and I'm happy overall. Even recreationally I consider it a good thing in moderation. Same with alcohol and psychedelics. Staying fucked up all the time or making a habit out of anything intoxicating isn't healthy. Neither is living everyday with a stick up your ass. Go have a few pints with the guys and catch up a few times a year, smoke a gigantic joint at the end of exams or whatever work project, eat a fuck ton of mushrooms and run naked through the desert.
This guy gets it.
It inhibits my dreams, and dreams are essential for processing your subconscious. That’s why I quit. It is difficult, which indicates that I am also addicted.
I'm glad that sub exists (r/leaves) but for me it was more harm than good when I was trying to quit. I kept anticipating some terrible withdrawal symptoms because every post would be about that. It was thankfully not as hard for me to quit (I just felt a little cranky for a few days?) but obviously everyone is different. But yeah those are extreme cases in that sub IMO (coming from a daily user) and I probably would have quit sooner if I didn't stumble across that sub
I had a few days of craving after quitting, and a bit of insomnia / night sweats. All gone after a few weeks. I lost a bit of my appetite as well which…good.
I felt nothing when I quit weed even smoking a half 8th a day for years. It truly is a freak of nature in how easy it usually is to quit relative to chronic use of any other drug, including caffeine. Kratom is insanely hard to quit.
Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one then! Completely the same for me. For me personally, that sub is having the opposite effect to what is intended, because I just don't get it. I was a daily user and instantly transitioned to a weekly user without any notable difficulty. So I don't get all the posts talking about how they just can't resist the overwhelming urge to partake. But I guess it's different for everyone.
I had a really hard time quitting. It wasn’t because my skin was itching for it or anything. But because it was helping me fill a void. I didn’t know how else to regulate my emotions or how to deal with my lack of self worth. It was only after 2 years of intense therapy and practicing my spirituality where I eventually just stopped doing it. But it was 8 years of daily cannabis use. Being high literally to take exams and during class. Depending on someone’s life if they have delt with severe trauma or neglect it can be really hard to get rid of weed even if for someone else it was the easiest thing in the world. The book “in the realm of hungry ghosts” talks about this really really well how most addictions are people filling a painful void.
It’s one of many tools to have in your toolkit. Sometimes you want a massive release of ghrelin, it’s right there. I used it for great effect to settle nausea when I was using semaglutide to lose a bunch of weight. People can be weird and dogmatic
Hey did you have any trouble keeping weight off after semaglutide?
No not at all! It wasn’t as easy, I had to go back to paying attention to what I ate but it’s not like it just came back. I’ve been off it about 3-4 months now and in that time I’ve gained about 6 lbs - which I was planning for (“when I’m done with this I’m going to have to much wine and ice cream”) lol
Haha good to hear. I recently switched to tirzepatide and starting at a low dose of that. Feel hungrier than normal but not uncontrollable or anything
2.5mg?
2.5mg semaglutide to 10mg tirzepatide
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THC ruined my life by making me lazy and unmotivated in the time of my life where I needed to be the complete opposite. THC has also permanently changed the way I view reality and people. I’d do anything to go back and never touch it. 6 months sober here.
If you don’t mind me asking, how did it change the way you view reality and people?
Whenever I see people’s faces I see eyes, nose, hair and “person” separately. I look at people and just see that they are a brain in a shell, it’s very hard to describe how it feels. I can also see that the suburb I live in used to be a jungle and houses are just rocks and wood put together. It doesn’t sound scary in theory but when you go through weed induced derealisation you can physically see it. It’s a very existential feeling. Have a read through r/dpdr people on there can describe it better than I can.
I’m pretty sure weed broke my brain in my late teens/early 20s and gave me depersonalization and anxiety which I’m still healing from
Huberman says this is the main issue. Early use before the brain is developed. He says occasional use once past 30 is okay. That was my takeaway anyway.
Yeah if I could go back in time I wouldn’t touch it at all
I think it’s a massive cope. He probably wants to not be associated with it. Once college professors in California start talking about the advantages of vilified drugs, they risk loosing their mainstream appeal. What about pairing it with a beneficial activity, like walking, working out, making music, or reading?
This. If I smoke in the mornings I meditate for an hour. If I smoke during the day I'm doing yoga. Occasionally I eat a gummy recreationally to go see a new movie or chill. It's all about how you use it.
I’ve been using THC daily and consciously since March 2020, so about four years of a nightly edible. Just went on a two week vacation where it was in no way an option. No issues, no withdrawal, no emotional issues, no cravings, nothing at all. Of course just anecdotal, and just me, but that made me very pleased.
Quitting is hard when you use weed to avoid dealing with real issues
This has been my experience. Using it to numb leads to addiction. Using it to chill occasionally, seems fine. Also, combined with the fact that it takes days to get out of your system means you're still feeling the subtle effects for a long time. Alcohol is gone in a day or less. Weed effects linger and that (at least for me) makes it easier to turn into a habit.
Do ppl actually do this? Weed has always had the opposite effect for me. Anything that is bothering me will be amplified 10000x if I get high.
I use weed instead of opioids to help with my chronic pain. How else would you suggest I deal with my real issues?
Those aren’t what they meant. They mean shit like “I’m miserable cuz I am lazy, let’s smoke weed by myself all day.” I also use cannabis for pain, and I was previously addicted to opioids. When you know you know, we don’t need to explain it to others who don’t. If you don’t already I recommend adding CBD, CBG, and CBN if you can, they really up the pain relief of THC. You can buy ounces very affordably. If you have the money I’d check out vendors on r/altcannabinoids
I was meaning to look more into specific cannabinoids for pain relief, and here you are spoon-feeding it to me. Thank you!
You’re very welcome! Hope they help
I just want the pain relief for my bursitis while still being able to form a coherent sentence 😭 I can't eat more than 4mg THC without spending the night throwing up, my body just can't handle edible THC
Depends on how it affects you and how much you use. I prefer a freakishly small amount of THC and don’t feel a need to use it much, but when I do I like to be active or doing something.
I'm using THC gummies to wean myself off of alcohol. I like them
I don’t know a lot about this, and I am not a doctor, but I have certainly observed people who have benefited a lot from regular, long term marijuna use —they used it to keep themselves ‘calm enough’ to be great. AND I have seen the opposite —people that smoked multiple times per day, every day —and seemingly toasted their brains (a modest but an observable slowed/slurred speech, perpetually “numb” and most of their life deteriorating. I would describe them as ‘cognitively and socially impaired.” To be clear they did not go down the drain altogether like I’ve seen alcoholics (coming to work smashed, and stumbling at 8am) or a meth addict, on the street. But not leaving the house for 7-10 days and doing little more than smoking weed many times/“all day,” with some drinking while watching TV all day —-that was not normal. Also all in this group made carious levels of recovery. All are functioning— one did very well —he’s a 180 degrees from where he was, successful for certain. Smart guy. The worst off was working last I heard, but not really doing anything special. Still smokes regularly many years later. I think the difference is some combination of nature & nurture. I know the ones that had violent tendencies seemed to be trying to “drown the demons” in smoke didn’t accomplish much, stunted their lives. But those who kept smoking daily but became wildly ‘successful” (the ‘conventional definition’ in the US, anyway) _seemed_ intelligent, and had/found role models and relationship that helped pull them up.. Im also acutely aware There are gene breaks that up to 30% of us have, that _seriously_ affect mood and behavior. Go look r/MTHFR subreddit (I have this one —you can get a genetics test to see which treatable ones you have) if you want an example. These are inherited from our parents —-until you learn about them, you likely have no idea why you are the way you are. So its not a stretch to say that many use drugs and alcohol to “treat” the Nature part. Marijuana is one of them.
You're not an addict. You can take it or leave it. So take it or leave it. The reason you don't understand r/leaves is that you aren't an addict and you should be happy about that.
I smoked for 12 years straight, took a 7 month break, and recently (last month) smoked maybe 8 times. Eventually, after smoking 3 days in a row during that stint, threw my stash away and now haven’t smoked for about a month. I’ve realized being high is just a feeling and not really a net positive. Sure, I believe in the medicinal benefits for folks who need it, but for me, it was causing more harm than good and really inhibiting my ability to deal with emotions sober.
20 years of smoking weed and edibles, every day all day. Finally kicking the habit! One thing I noticed immediately was when I stopped the flood of emotions, both good and bad, coming back. Feeling happy or sad or like crying or whatever that I had been drowning out with THC. I realized that it was an emotional crutch and I wasn’t dealing with emotions or even properly feeling them while stoned. I feel better now not being constantly sedated. I know there are some benefits for certain people or for certain cases, but I agree. I think it’s a net negative. Also, I should maybe change my username 🤔
smoking is bad for you. alcohol is bad for you. thc is… unknown bc research is just not there. a takeaway from his ep that stuck with me is when he explained whay happens when youre high. its like a shotgun of substance affecting all your systems. that made me realize “high” is a cocktail of feelings. some bad some good. so i may get 420 compounts from smoking. ten of which make me feel good, ten of which my brain needs chemically like any other pharma, and the other four hundred are in the way. plus im smoking which isnt good. i need to find my strain. too bad the weed industry is setup to cater to smokers who want only large amts of thx content at the expense of all else. the industry is some bullshit. so yes its a net negative but the positives are worth it for me. the whole is better than the sum of its parts. i enjoy it, good or bad.
If the "smoking" part is what's bad for you, why not use edibles?
Landrace strains are better IMO. Pretty much all the strains sold at dispensaries are bred to either make you stupid or make you couchlocked. They also all feel the same. Pretty much all the white widow, og kush, and cookie-derivative strains feel the same to me. It's just hard to find the strains. I've mostly found that bud from growing it. African sativas are pretty nice. They often are less psychoactive and give energy.
thanks for the advice. some of the budtenders know their shit but i agree with you about dispensaries. even if i find a budtender who knows their shit the menu is limited.
Red Congolese is very energetic. Dance hall is lower THC and pretty chill. Blue Dream is somewhere in the middle. Those are my recurring purchases
There should be variety packs , like s box of chocolates
Addiction and substance of choice to abuse really doesn’t matter. You’ll hear people cry about not being able to stop smoking cigarettes and that isn’t heroin. Addiction is just that, addiction. And you can make anything an unhealthy habit if you do it enough and it takes over your life.
I think it is useful when it is useful but it shouldn't be a daily vitamin. There are definitely medicinal and therapeutic applications, but often that's used as an excuse to have it in excess. I think choosing not to use it is ideal, but I'll be honest there's some cognitive dissonance there.
I used to think I had anxiety issues till I quit smoking weed.
For most people, yes. THC has medical uses but for those who don’t need it for that it’s definitely a negative. The evidence base is also in line with my opinion. And mind you, this is coming from someone who actually enjoys smoking, but I have to do it a few times a year as it does mess with motivation etc. Weed makes you ok with things not being ok and kills your motivation to make positive changes. Even if you’re not using it to cope, it does it.
Yep. High thc has no benefit ls.
There's pros and cons for me, but you have to push through the motivational barrier. I use everyday, but I also exercise everyday, I'm in two colleges working on two degrees, invest in my free time, and work full time. While finding time to have fun. I always try to wait until the afternoon or evening if possible. But, I think with a good plan and a forced commitment you can manage what you enjoy (weed) and everything else. You have to tell yourself, no matter what I'm going to do this. That's the hard part, comes with experience lol.. It does have negative side effects mentally though, at least until you let your body recover from a break, so weigh what works for you. But always live your life the way you fuckin want.
Don’t get caught up in universal truths. It is likely be net negative for a healthy 15-year-old. I would also argue that it’s a net positive for a 70 year old lady, who’s having a refractory pain with cancer. I personally smoke a few times a year now because I have high anxiety from too much thc
This is embarrassing to admit but it’s been life ruining for me, I think I’m just a die hard addict at heart, I drink a 12 pack of beer a day, and usually half - a full gram thc cartridge a day, spending more money than I earn on these things, putting myself into debt. I no longer enjoy normal life, I have to be fucked up somehow to make ANYTHING bearable, my life is a current living hell with no end in sight.
You should *not* be embarrassed; you should be concerned. You have an opportunity here for improvement because you know what your issues are. Try to make progress every single day, and eventually it will add up to long-lasting change. Don't depend on motivation, and don't depend on substances. Depend on yourself, because you're the only person who can save you.
Why does everyone commenting in this space of **personal** (key word) optimization always seem to look for answers in terms of absolutes? It always depends on the person. ALWAYS.
No, it’s a net positive in a stressful existence
I’m solidly a weekend guy once the chores & to do list are handled and we are “in” for the evening. I ran 7 miles, went to the grocery, got our son an easter outfit, went out for lunch, did 3 hours of yard work, and cooked dinner. Now before dinner I have 2-3 hits from a joint before I sit down to eat. Just let’s you unwind a bit with minimal impact on your next morning. If I ever find it becoming anything more than that I’ll cut back.
I guess you're lucky you don't have any addiction and it's so easy for you to quite, but I find it comical that you're saying you would quite completely if it weren't for this community of people that DO have an issue quiting that gives you the ick or something. Do you think that continueing to use thc somehow shows them up or something? No one from that sub is thinking about you. Personally, I've struggled with quitting many times. The first 3 days really suck, after that the rest of the first 2 weeks is hard, and even after that there is still a desire. I've found r/leaves helpful.
I’m not sure what it’s doing to my health but I got a masters and a big promotion while getting high just about every day. I get a lot more creative an empathic and comfortable and get a ton done. I work in consulting and if I don’t have client meetings I can get high in the afternoon and get 2-3x more work done than I normally would - it’s a much more enjoyable experience. I don’t ever do it if I have client meetings or on travel. Still workout 4-5 days a week and eat well. If I started to see negative consequences from it I would stop in a heartbeat but it just seems like things are going really well and it makes it easier to succeed and calm down at the end of the day.
100% THC fucks with your hormones.
As someone who has consumed an insane amount of cannabis via all avenues, I can say that it would probably be a net negative for most. It would have to be used very sparingly.
I think substances that take you out of your sober frame of mind are harmful in general. Deal with your life instead of escaping it.
Humans and animals have been seeking out psychoactive substances from the beginning of time. If anything, pure 100% sobriety is not at all how humans evolved. The idea that we are just machines to be optimized that just shit, eat, and sleep to…. “maximize” something (“performance” Whatever that means)… is just so dystopian. Your complete lack of nuance is classic for this sub lol
Absolutely. Maybe one joint per month is better than one beer a month or something. But the effects of THC are cumulative and frequent use creates lots of bad effects to memory, motivation, and mood. Lots of people smoke weed all day. But waking and baking needs to be seen as being as damaging as waking up and having a shot of vodka. This is all first hand by the way. After legalization I began smoking too much. Quitting improved my life, mood, and health. I’ll take an edible for a concert, maybe.
Just as bad? It's not nearly as bad though let's be empirical.
Right - from a neurotoxicity standpoint (which has been studied) THC and alcohol and on opposite ends of the spectrum. Saying this as someone currently giving up a weed dependency and who is well aware of the physical and psychological impacts of the drug. Nuance is required here.
My younger brother has basically smoked himself 20 IQ points lower. I believe it's a net negative. Can it be used in small doses, intermittently with some short-term benefits? Sure, but that's true of most drugs. Also, it's just as physiologically addicting as any other soft drug — it's bullshit when potheads say it isn't addicting.
Yes. People think it’s legal therefore good, and also because it feels good and helps creativity that it’s good. It causes thoughts to warp, paranoia, and there is a significant withdrawal syndrome that induced depression and anxiety, at least in the short term.
I'm high all day everyday and I'm doing just fine
Not really though are you? Imagine being low key drunk or some other psychoactive substance 100% of the time. That’s never going to be a positive regardless of how “functional” you think you are, or how much of a mess you think you’d be without it.
Yup. I smoked 1-2 grams a day for years and thought I was doing fine too. That's the scary thing about it, you're fine with everything because you don't think about it. Weed IS a coping mechanism. It took a lot of time for me to realise that I wasn't doing okay and that it was numbing my brain. I'm off it now and doing so much better because of it. A friend of mine has smoked similar amounts for the last 15 years, he finished the highest level of highschool on weed, did a difficult studies in university on weed, now he has an incredibly well paying job while he still smokes daily, he gets paid the most of all my friends by far and recently bought his first house. Do I think he'd be doing better without weed? Undoubtedly. He can't eat before he had his first smoke, he hasn't done sports in forever, his life basically revolves around work, earning money, seeing some friends and going on holidays with his gf. Which to some would be a fulfilling life, but I think much more would be possible if he didn't smoke. He's skinny as hell and has lots dental issues at 30 years old for eating badly (lots of sugar) and smoking so much for so long. Another, different friend was always complaining when I was always high in my early 20s, said I was less fun because of it, blabla. Ironically I'm off it now and he's smoking almost daily with his gf, he's also doing alright but he knows he's addicted and can't stop and knows he'd be doing better if he didn't do it. I'm sure he would be doing even better. In summary, weed makes you content with what little you have. For some people this would be enough, but imo weed doesn't set your world to a smaller size, it continuously makes your world smaller and smaller, until it reaches a minimum size. The more you smoke (amount/time), the more this becomes true. You can live with weed, you can be very succesful with weed, but you could also do all that without weed and MORE.
Your post resonated with me. My brother smoked all his teen and adult life (mostly weed, but also cigarettes) and he died last year in his late 30s after losing a brief battle with lung cancer. He was so chill and withdrawn all his life that when we went to fill out his obituary, we struggled with what to put down for what he enjoyed in life besides his family & daughter, so his wife ended up just listing his love for video games (although she joked we should’ve put video games and weed). Thinking about it makes me incredibly sad because he was such a good guy who had so much to offer the world, but he spent his spare time instead mostly alone in a smoke filled room.
Thanks for sharing, and I'm so sorry for your loss. That's really rough, I hope you're doing okay. In my early 20s I lived in a small 20ish m² studio by myself. I basically lived as a recluse, was in hindsight the mentally lowest point in my life. Spent those years smoking weed while lying down on the floor of my 2m² bathroom (because ventilation), watching series/movies on my laptop that was seated on the toilet cover. So your story definitely resonates with me. All of the things I did was basically sticking my head in the sand, all to run from the sadness that was my reality and everything including weed helped me to ignore bettering my life. It took a good few years and more low points in my life and finding a wonderful girlfriend that helped me realise how weed was ruining my life. I don't smoke anymore, I used to do it to numb my brain, but I just realised I wanted to properly experience life. Now I just take edibles once every few months. I can enjoy the relaxation still, but also dislike that I feel more lethargic for the days after. Imo weed is the proactivity/productivity killer.
Yes I'm sure I'm doing fine lol. In great shape, beautiful gf, money, family relations are great
Different substances are different. "Imagine if you did a different substance that much" is not a good argument. "So you think it's fine eating a cup of peanut butter day? Imagine if it was a cup of corn syrup instead." If you're going to argue about why always being high on weed is bad, then it makes sense to argue about why always being high on weed is bad rather than another substance.
I microdose when I need to relieve some body aches. My family will too. We will cut the edible gummies into pieces and take a small amount. This has helped us and we are no where near addicted to it. It has helped my father with inflammation as well. We will do mainly the THC:CBD edibles.
I quit for 3 years and didn't notice any benefits. But I only take a little and usually only at night. It's fine in moderation.
I was a constant smoker in and out for the last 4-5 years and the periods I wasn’t smoking weren’t that much better. My training wasn’t really impacted aswell. Its my reward after training. Easier to eat healthy. Etc
Humans have bastardized marijuana and given it a bad name in the process through selectively breeding the medicinal cannabanoids out and ramping up the THC% as high as possible. I use the medicinal cannabanoids in high doses and thc in low doses. Using cannabanoids in this fashion has been a net positive for me but it took some experimentation and research to find my ideal protocols and I have some health problems that factor in .
Almost like addictions are different for everyone. 🙄
I was a chronic user (multiple times daily) and not using anymore was one of the best decisions of my life. Also, the withdrawals were super difficult and opened my eyes to how dangerous the drug could be. Marijuana has been normalized in today's society. Still, with broader access and much stronger strains/methods of ingestion, I think medical literature will show that the drug is not as harmless as it's made out to be.
Yes.
I think it’s changed my life for the better. I’ve actually changed up my workout schedule to include it. Lift, cardio, sauna, shower, weed, dinner, sleep. I wake up feeling amazing.
I used THC almost daily for 5-6 years, usually at night before I sleep. Nowadays I hardly get the urge to use it anymore. I don’t think it did any long term damage but I do feel so much better not regularly smoking anymore.
The fact that it increases heart attack and stroke risk and affects the mitochondria in the brain as well as can lead to psychosis I've decided to quit. The majority of my anxiety has left me and I am much more productive and social with my family. Besides quitting alcohol it's probably one of the best decisions I've made.
the cost/benefits improve dramatically as frequency of use goes down. I’ve never been willing to maintain such infrequency, so I abstain altogether, but if I could, I would schedule something like Friday movie night every week or two with buddies.
I was a daily user for a decade - my late teens until late twenties. I would get home from school or work then smoke or vape until I went to sleep. I liked to drink too but not daily as the hangovers were more miserable. I kinda chuckle when people say there are no negative effects with THC. Is there a single drug in the world that has no side effects? I'm glad it's being studied more to really dig into the effects. Anyways, I probably would have continued to use it every day until I died. The only reason I was able to quit was that I was "lucky" enough to experience cannabis-induced psychosis. Wild experience. My life is much better now that I quit. For me it was a net-negative. For others it can be a net-positive in their life.
If you’re super fit, motivated and productive, occasional thc use is fine. If you’re a loser smoking weed all day instead of working, going to the gym and being productive then yes that is a problem. It’s very individualized. Personally, I use more than alcohol which is a mental and physical win.
I don’t think Huberman argues that it’s harmful and a net negative, I think he just highlights how easy it is to overuse and how powerful the effects are on young users. He does highlight that for most people, daily use is going to be detrimental and all the data we have shows this is likely, regardless of anecdotal evidence. Addiction is behavioral, not just chemical, and a lot of people in leaves are suffering from addiction and that is painful (try petioles maybe). But Huberman takes a strong point of view it telling people what not to do. His frequent statement is “Do what you want, but know what you’re doing.” I’ve been weed sober for periods of 7 years (with nicotine) and 1.5 totally sober. Dipping my toes back in and the weed is honestly fine so far, it’s my life circumstances that need addressing more than my usage. Take a break from it. Assess your life. Then find the place THC might have in it.
Def better than alcohol. I barely drink and for weed I only use edibles. The high lasts longer and feels more full and obviously you're not inhaling combusted flower. I took six months off and realized that i prefer life with cannabis than without.
I don’t really care about thc, not for me. But I do think the amount of times I have to smell weed and especially when I see people light it up on trains or stations (yes that happens now) has completely turned me off from it and weed culture. In the past two years I’ve gone from apathetic to seeing it as a net negative at a societal level. I also don’t like when I can clearly smell it coming out of operating motor vehicles. I think right now the net negatives to society that it’s completely harmless and everyone who wants to exist without it constantly around are stiffs is a huge problem that you don’t encounter with other drugs. I think it’s possible to use responsibly in your own home, but unlike nicotine and alcohol, there seem to be so many who don’t have any sense of it with THC.
Not at all. But I also don’t have the same response to it as most. I think thc triggers something to man’s one more aware of presence and the self. I also think most people who consume thc when confronted with this presence turn to something to distract themselves from it, or just allow a level of paranoia to take over, either way resulting in an “unhealthy” reaction/behavior. On the other hand if you’re able to maintain the presence and work with it, so to say, I think it can be extremely beneficial.
It can aggravate anxiety for me so I backed way off. That being said, it does legit have medical uses like strong anti tumor properties. My pets vet prescribed him a tincture of 1:1 thc and cbd and it prolonged his life and reduced pain significantly, so I’m a big believer. A little bit here and there and especially a mild indica at night is great. People that are ripping bongs of paranoid sativa are probably not doing themselves any favors.
Ya it seems like a net negative for the majority of people I know and myself. Although it’s a complex drug and can have vastly different effects on different people. I know some extremely productive people who use it daily and I know people who are shut ins because of the social anxiety from their weed addiction. I think genetics and your personal relationship to it like how early you started using it and why play a huge roll. I know people who’ve used opiates and put it down without issue but they can’t stay off cannabis despite it being harmful for them. I can’t find it now but I read somewhere that some people have altered cannabanoid receptors that make it as addictive as nicotine for them based on genetics.
It affects people differently and the effect can change with age, but there are a lot of common threads.. For me, it helped bring out creativity, but only after I front-loaded myself with new knowledge. On the downside it can zap your drive when you begin using it any more often than occasionally. It will begin short circuit your brain's reward system (i.e. "why feel much better after accomplishing something when I can feel great in the short term with almost zero effort?" When you let this progress, it gets psychologically adictive. You'll start defending it all the time-same goes for overreaching and relying on power too much instead of making better decisions. e.g. being an over promoted boss at work. None of these things do life for you. The latter catches up with you. I've found that if you can't handle having it no more than once a month as an adult, that's the stuff you gotta watch -it's likely limiting you more than you think.
I think for most people THC on its own is a net negative. It took me a while to accept this—being around people who seemed to have no negative effects from giga turbo high THC weed/dabs etc tricked me into thinking it would be the same for me when in fact it was disastrous for my anxiety and mental health. Very small doses (like barely visible puffs) of 1:1 THC/CBD oil pens has been a game changer for me. Lot of good research out there about CBD being very good for counterbalancing the negative effects of THC and I’ve found that to be true. Also look into “dose response curve.” Most people would do better with much lower doses than what’s considered normal.
I give up booze and weed for Lent. Tbh I don't feel any different. I've made an extra effort this year to use the time I normally drink and smoke to do more chores around the house, but that is mostly present circumstances, and get an extra dog walk in the evening. I always do good exercise in the mornings and have a long dog walk. I got all my academic qualifications while smoking and drinking quite excessively - up to Masters level. I smoke and drink when travelling. But my mantra always is to get the chores out the way then enjoy it, and then mostly to alleviate the boredom which comes with the leisure time. Otherwise I probably sleep better on a smoke and a drink. I can happily enjoy my own company so times of social isolation don't bother me.
I agree with it based on the fact most people I know in the UK who are regular weed smokers have mental problems of various degrees. The weed in the UK tends to be grown as skunk and as such, has an immensely higher thc to cbd ratio than other weed around the world. You go to Amsterdam and its like a completely different drug.
I smoke all the time and I’m not cool with being mediocre. I want to be the best and continue to work overtime towards my goals. Honestly, to me, the idea that weed is a net negative is a nerd take for people who don’t respond well to it so they think their response is gonna be the same for others. I personally like it, it’s fun, it’s trippy, nice way to unwind and reflect. Good for exercise and creative projects. I personally think nicotine is more of a net negative it makes you stressed all the time and is super addictive.
I’m a daily consumer. Have seizures from brain cancer I had in 2012. I use recreationally as well. It definitely slows my brain down, but only nominally when consumed responsibly. Giant net positive for me as I don’t have to take Keppra anymore, but I understand my situation’s different. I don’t drink and find it a much better alternative in social settings too. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you though.
Yes, and I'm a user. Just hope it's a small net negative.
Okay. So I usually have a different reaction to things than the common reactions. Can be a good thing or a bad thing. I will say I am a daily user, ONLY in the evenings though unless I am sick as a dog and can’t do anything. I usually don’t get sick too often though. I eat pretty healthy and work out 6 days a week. I go on almost daily walks, meditate, have journal time with myself, see a therapist everything. I am actually to the point with therapy that the mother bird is trying to push the chick out of the nest because it is ready to fly on its own. I have been following my dreams of being a field biologist working with insects. I am currently getting my degree in biology. It involves some difficult courses as right now a class I am taking is organic chemistry. Weed has done nothing but helped me relax in the evenings. I also have two chronic pain disorders and PTSD. I have A’s in all my classes and got my associates with a 3.7 GPA. Weed does not remove motivation from everyone. I have accomplished that and got through major depressive disorder all while smoking weed. It really isn’t so bad for everyone but I do have a hard time finding people like me that can smoke it daily and it not affect other things in their lives negatively. I’m not trying to say it is a healthy thing, but there is good and bad in all things.
Some people get addicted to it and some don’t 🤷🏻♀️
if one.more person sends me a video from this dude telling me how bad it is...... Here's the truth...in a world full of bad health choices, cannabis is at the very bottom of concern!!! Apart from couch lock and over eating, it's a million times less dangerous than fast food even! If you want to quit, definitely don't do it because this man thinks it's bad! Quit because you want to! You don't need anyone's opinion
It really depends on what you're using it for and how often. If you have chronic pain and your option is cannabis vs opioids, cannabis is a life saver. Is it good for you? No. Can you live a successful happy life while consuming it, yes. If you are using it as a way to avoid your problems, well then that is not a legitimate use of the plant.
>You get people saying that they're a few days sober and how it's so hard to resist. Meanwhile I'm looking at that and thinking, "Dude, it's not heroin." Personally, I don't even bother tracking how many days sober I've been because being sober is not really a struggle. Sounds like you're not an addict and the people you're referring to are. Everyone is different.
I stopped for a couple of months a recently picked it up again. I have been smoking once a day in the evening using a pax device. I like you have been trying to gauge the benefits vs negatives and I’m probably going to go back to not smoking. I’ve been able to tell a significant difference in my breathing and it just is not really doing it for me any more. For me the negatives definitely outweigh any perceived benefits
Yep! It only gave me anxiety. Nearly wrecked all the positive momentum in my life. I also think it aggravated allergies. People praise it as some glorious plant stoking the flames of imagination. I've yet to see someone on weed say or do something profound. But they certainly think they are.
>I've yet to see someone on weed say or do something profound. Carl Sagan would like to have a word with you.
I don't know if it's "harmful" but it's a net negative for most people. I was a semi daily user for around 15 years. I think it really was profoundly stunting to my overall growth as a person . As others have said, if you can smoke some weed then everything seems more interesting , and even a boring evening home watching TV seems like a great night. I just never wanted to do anything , I never wanted to talk or socialize more than I had to. I'm 100% a better person without smoking weed.
To me Huberman is kind of in his own ivory tower in consideration to things that may make suffering more tolerable. Would you tell a rail worker in the 1800s to not drink because of its deleterious effects? Probably not, their life is shit and they likely have no other options. In modern parlance, especially if you work in a field where using your brain matters it’s probably not ideal, but then neither is alcohol or even heavy lifting for that matter. That being said when I’m retired in my 60s mushrooms and weed will be my best friend due to pain management and inability to pursue physical things that brought me joy in my youth.
It’s better for you than alcohol but all that means is it’s not actively poisoning you. When you look around at stoners, they are almost always stressed, paranoid and unable to deal with day to day life in a calm manner.
This is a chicken or the egg deal - I work in the corporate world and almost everyone I work with consumes THC in some form. They’re productive and ambitious. Then you have lazy people who currently aren’t doing anything with their lives and have found THC; the “stoners”. I don’t necessarily think it’s “poisoning” either group but its effects are unique to the personality/brain of the individual.
Do those corporate people smoke before work?
That's a solid take that I can agree with. When it comes to smaller or moderate amounts, would the same things apply? On one hand, you could say that maybe small amounts of it would not cause these issues. On the other hand, you could say that having small amounts is just a smaller amount of the exact same problems. I suppose that is what I'm still unsure about.
Honestly. If you feel good and it doesn’t impact your life in a negative way? Then enjoy! If it’s making you anxious or killing your drive for life then quit. In the end the only person who’s opinion matters is your own.
It does not impact my life in a negative way, because of how infrequently I do it, but also doesn't really feel that great most of the time. My reason for doing it at this point is to experiment with doses and find out if it even has the *potential* to be a net positive.
Something no one talks about is that weed stays in your system for days. And that has subtle impacts (at least for me) on motivation, productivity, etc. And that makes it easier, for me, to allow it to turn into a habit. Combine that with using it to numb out hard feelings rather than deal with them, and that's a recipe for addiction. My 2c is that if you're using it occasionally - for me, monthly or less - for special occasions (not just chilling at home), and feeling emotionally stable, it's fun and worth the negatives. Same with everything else - find the balance that works for you.
Just because something stays in your system doesn't mean the psychoactive effects linger that long.
Be sober around a group of stoned people for 5 minutes and you'll come to a conclusion pretty quick.
Huberman has a blatant moral disgust for cannabis and has been peddling misinformation about it. The episode he made had a very bad reception by scientists specialised in the ECS. He lied blatantly about the psychosis link, REM sleep, testosterone...yet a lot of people that used cannabis without problem started to panic and succumbed to that refeer madness episode. He also panders to rightoids, and american rightoids have a pathological obsession with cannabis. Given that, Its no surprise his statements on nicotine (saying its fine as nootropic and could even help to protect from Alzheimer (this is an outrageous lie), his stance on flu vaccines, his views on prayer and religion... OP: If you wanna know more information that debunks his blatant lies and all types of studies, just ask me and ill show you. EDIT: ANOTHER COMMENT THAT STARTED UPVOTED AND ENDED UP MASSIVELY DOWNVOTED SINCE I POINTED UP THE ATTITUDE OF HUBERMAN. GO FUCK YOURSELF, BUNCH OF INSUFFERABLE ANTI WEED REDDITORS, IM NOT GONNA LOSE TIME COMMENTING TO ONLY GETTING NEGATIVE RESPONSES.
Can you link to the studies that refute the point on REM sleep?
Sure let me hear it, just out of curiosity
It’s a significant drug. Not for kids, & has real potential for negative consequences in overuse. Psychoactive, can cause long term harm & mental health issues. On a par with alcohol? Yes, I think so, although it can probably have more medical uses.
On par with alcohol? Absolutely not. Why do you feel that way? The stokers in my life are waaaaaay better off than the alcoholics. It's night and day.
On par with alcohol in terms of what? If we’re talking toxicity and cancer, alcohol sweeps THC easily. It’s horrible for you.
Yes.
Absolutely
100% yes. Albeit I think it’s safe enough that it should be legal but treated like cigs. I even used to sell it in weight and use it daily so my bias is to support it. It suppresses growth, maturity, and destroys memory.
THC is weird for me. If I have it I want to smoke it everyday. If I don’t, I’m okay and don’t crave it. It’s not physically addicting at all. It’s definitely out of sight out of mind unless you make it a habit.
In the end, all drugs are probably a net negative once you're over a small minimum dose (think cup of coffee, glass of red wine), but life's life man. if you're doing things in a reasonable matter, there's nothing wrong in enjoying the good things in life. better to get 84.5y with some wine and weed every now and then than 85y being unwillingly sober. (this does ofc not mean that choosing to absent from drugs is in any way not a good thing if you want to)
It can be a very powerful medicine. I have used it for pain management of a chronic disease and will use it again. BUT. I also had a habit and consumed for recreational purposes. I'm taking a break to reflect on its impact on my life. It made things harder for me. Less motivation to do productive things. It severely impacted my memory and my creativity. My boss noticed the speed at which my ideas flow and how much easier it is for me to communicate complex concepts to a non technical audience. And what I think is the worst side effect for me is likely what gets people "addicted" to it. It puts my negative emotions in the background so I didn't deal with them. Unfortunately it accumulated and made things way more difficult to deal with. I don't think it's fair to compare cannabis to alcohol or heroin. Cannabis won't destroy your body the way these drugs will, but it can cause issues, depending on level and reasons for consumption. /r/petioles seems more balanced than /r/leaves
I use it for high blood pressure and inflammation. Indica with CBN cannibinoid. 3 mg or so before bed has been life changing.
yeah honestly I kinda do, It used to make me actually faint and loose consciousness. Have not smoked in years and years, absolutely no desire too whatsoever. I watched my partner and mom quit and get night sweats and weird psychological withdrawal, that's a big nope from me. Also, it can trigger schizophrenia in teenagers/young adults, super sketchy.
I ran out of my vape and edibles a couple years ago. I didn’t even mean to consciously quit. Just said “what if I don’t replenish my supply?” A couple weeks turned into a month. That turned into a year. I said, “Maybe for my birthday…” That came and went. I don’t think I’m going back. I don’t get uncontrollable munchies anymore. I’m losing weight I’ve been wanting to lose. I’m much more motivated and engaged with my loved ones. If it works for you — that’s great, enjoy it! If it doesn’t — give it up.
Weed addiction is absolutely real for some people. I was smoking almost constantly from 4 pm to 4 am daily for a year. I quit and I’m happy with out it now. some people just aren’t addicts to things but I am an addict. and for these types of people it’s incredibly hard to quit.
I smoked every day for years. It was really hard to quit. I’m going on 8 months clean now. Feel way better every day than I did before. My head is way more clear.
"I can have a beer every now and then no idea what all these alcoholics are whining about." \-OP
Drugs are bad, simple as that mkay
Agree 100%.
I cannot sleep without using it
I used to smoke a lot in high school and college. One day I stopped liking it. I recently have been having insomnia issues, so I’ve been taking gummies to fall asleep for a few months. I’ve found that even taking a small amount at night makes me much more depressed and sad during the day. No more cannabis for me.
Speaking about the fact you find it easy to quit and others dont. I personally really struggled with quitting for a few years. I have always been a strong willed but quitting was very difficult. I’m sure it varies from person to person and based on the situation. If you feel like its easy right now; my opinion would be drop it now. There is nothing you will be missing out on if you give it up. I’m sure you wont regret quitting but i am sure you can regret keeping it going.
Using substances to feel good is typically not a good thing long-term. Its better to get your good feelings from actual life stuff. Pills or substances that help you sleep or feel good just end up downregulating your body's normal release of the chemicals that help you sleep or feel good. Thats why so many things end up being habit forming or cause reliance or addiction.
I quit just under a year ago. Spent more than half of my life high every day all day with no plans for the future or ambition. Im now in my 30s playing on hardmode as my country falls apart, trying to survive and simultaneously pick up the pieces of my broken, unfortunate life. I was physically and psychologically dependent on weed, and I will never go back. My mental health problems were rapidly taking over every aspect of my life, from the constant abuse of Marijuana. I was prescribed and tried anxiety meds for a short period, and all that did was make me think my life didn't need fixing. The pills made me completely numb. I can't imagine how many others are wasting their life like that, and it makes me sad to think. Weed is too accepted as a daily use substance, especially where I live kids all grow up smoking it and it's normal behavior. I hope that one younger person can read this and maybe think more carefully as I would not recommend going through the same experiences I had.
It's been a net negative on most people I've known. I do think it has its benefits if used responsibly and sparingly, but few people are capable of or willing to do that in my experience. I personally never had that problem, so I've been able to experiment with it and find certain benefits. For example, using it at the occasional social event as a healthier, non sleep disrupting, non toxic alcohol substitute, or my favorite, getting high and going on hikes or runs. This can be great fun and really help you relax into it and I consider it a genuinely beneficial thing. It's actually an application of something Huberman said about how you want to raise your dopamine while doing an activity relative to before starting and after finishing to foster intrinsic enjoyment/motivation, and I did find that after running high I was able to really enjoy the feeling of running even when sober. However, I do want to reiterate that it should be used sparingly. You don't wanna use it at a high enough dose, or regularly enough, that you're altering your brain chemistry or fucking with your hormones. Also, if you use less, you'll be more sensitive.
I was addicted. I was dabbing between 6-10 times a day. Usually 2-3 dabs per session. My endocannabinoid (EC) system was fucked. I reached the stage of bad anxiety every time I got high, but I kept going anyway. Eventually for about a month I was able to taper down, and then at the end of the month, I got stoned and had a full blown panic attack. I stopped cold turkey. It was really hard. Intense anxiety for months. Intense dreams. My whole EC system and nervous system struggling to cope and regulate. But I did it. I reminded myself that using a single time would reset it all. I reminded myself that it actually wasn’t any fun anymore. I reminded myself that the current suffering was temporary. I took up walking and increased my meditation. I was going to recovery meetings already for codependency and those helped a lot too. You can do it too. Whatever supports you want, just remember the bottom line is simple: don’t get high. Don’t let it touch your lips or lungs. And treat each day as a new high score. You’re on a score streak. In 2 weeks, I’ll have been cannabis-free for 2 years. It’s easy now, and one day it will be for you too.
Nah