Joined: Jan 01, 2008 Posts: 37 Location: Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 9:06 am Post subject:
i used to smoke weed 24/7 for about 4 yrs. Soon as i woke up for work id be smoking then after work, all night..
I started doing it just occasionaly when i was like 17 with friends every few weeks then more and more often until I relised it helped with a few things like anxiety and made me abit more outgoing for a little while.. Its funny at the time i used to tell myself the weed makes me normal. After about a yr or 2 reality kicked in and i couldnt realy stop and i relised i had to smoke weed to feel normal, which obviously isnt very normal. Its also realy hard to quit, you get realy depressed, anxious, cant sleep at all, dizzy, etc etc for the first week or so.
The only way i could stop in the end is because for the first time in 4 yrs i wasnt able to get any for a while.
Obviously what im talking about, an addiction is differant to what you guys are talking about, but i started out the same way :} i got no will power though
But ya if there is anyone out there who's started smoking everyday but 'definetly isnt addicted' test yourself and see if you can go without for a few nights.
Back to the issue at hand though.. I think if you need to smoke weed to go out and see friends or before a job interview or something your realy cheating yourself and will regret it later on as the weed isnt a cure at all just an escape. Evan if you spent the rest of your life smoking, the point where it stops helping with anxiety doesnt take very long to get to.
Joined: Nov 08, 2007 Posts: 83 Location: Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 11:26 am Post subject:
I've had no experience smoking weed, haven't really read up much on it so i'm not going to pretend i know what i'm talking about when it comes to this herb
But i still have a strong opinion against any type of mind altering drug/substance/herb including weed... because in the end just like jus pointed out in his story it's not directly dealing with the social issues. It probably is effective adjunctive therapy with psychotherapy and with less side effects than perscribed meds as you've pointed out BUT there are still side effects in using weed e.g. amotivational syndrome- apathy with prolonged use, strong link in the occurence of schizophrenia and use of weed , and it'll be abused by people with 'addictive' personalities.. You will probably see that the benefits outweigh these possible problems because they just aren't issues for yourself but i still side on the cautious view, and either is ok.
I just see that people using it mellow out to the point of impairing their potential mental abilities instead of working through issues.
After about a yr or 2 reality kicked in and i couldnt realy stop and i relised i had to smoke weed to feel normal, which obviously isnt very normal.
This is the same situation I am in with the drugs the doctor gives me to control my panic disorder. I feel like I can't deal with people before popping some klonopin and propanolol. Whats the difference between safely ingesting marijuana and popping pills? Marijuana is safer, because its not a foreign substance (our bodies actually produce small amounts of cannabinoids on their own), plain and simple.
Quote:
I think if you need to smoke weed to go out and see friends or before a job interview or something your realy cheating yourself and will regret it later on as the weed isnt a cure at all just an escape. Evan if you spent the rest of your life smoking, the point where it stops helping with anxiety doesnt take very long to get to.
This also confirms the similarity between the anti-anxiety drugs (particularly benzodiazepines) that exist and using marijuana for the same purpose.
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Its also realy hard to quit, you get realy depressed, anxious, cant sleep at all, dizzy, etc etc for the first week or so.
It's true that marijuana can be mentally addicting if used for extended periods of time, but at least there are no withdrawal symptoms involved. Unfortunately, that's not the case for long term benzo users, who's quitting actually can cause "the shakes", irregular heartbeats, cold flushes, sweats, and other possibly life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. The are no physical symptoms related to getting off of marijuana.
To reiterate the point of this thread, I just want to let you guys know about a possible natural cure for our problems. I'm not saying it's for everyone, because it's not. If it helps, though, I just feel its a safer alternative to these manmade drugs that doctors want put down our throats in an attempt to make us more like the general population.
Face it people, we've been using cannabis for thousands of years and we just happen to be alive during this time of ridiculous government propaganda that has brainwashed so many people about this therapeutical substance called marijuana.
BUT there are still side effects in using weed e.g. amotivational syndrome- apathy with prolonged use, strong link in the occurence of schizophrenia and use of weed , and it'll be abused by people with 'addictive' personalities.. You will probably see that the benefits outweigh these possible problems because they just aren't issues for yourself but i still side on the cautious view, and either is ok.
I just see that people using it mellow out to the point of impairing their potential mental abilities instead of working through issues.
I appreciate your acceptance of both sides of this issue, but I must make some corrections to your post, which I'll provide sources of reference for.
The side effects you've connected with marijuana use are really nothing but more of that propaganda that's being spread about to dissuade people from using the substance.
As for amotivational syndrome and apathy being linked to marijuana, I'd like you to take a look at a source which provides evidence that there isn't really a link at all between medicinal use of marijuana and this "syndrome":
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/amot1.htm
Specifically this paragraph in the article:
"It does not appear as though the amotivational syndrome is all that common among marijuana smokers. In one survey[2] a sample of almost 2000 college students was studied. There was no difference in grade point average and achievement between marijuana users and nonusers, but the users had more difficulty deciding on career goals, and a smaller number were seeking advanced professional degrees. On the other hand, other studies have shown lower school averages and higher dropout rates among users than nonusers. In any case these differences are not great. If there is such a thing as amotivational syndrome, its affects appear to be restricted to a few individuals, probably the small percentage who become heavy users."
Specifically this part:
"studies have found that THC can cause schizophrenia-like symptoms in some. Most experts do not believe this. It is more likely that marijuana can trigger the emergence of schizophrenia in persons who are already predisposed to developing schizophrenia. This probably includes anyone with a strong family history of schizophrenia. An April 2006 review of the research concluded that:
There is evidence for an association between cannabis and psychosis. It is clear that cannabinoids can cause acute transient psychotic symptoms or an acute psychosis. Also it is clear that cannabis can exacerbate psychosis in individuals with an established psychotic disorder. However, whether cannabis causes a persistent de novo psychosis independent of any other risk factors is not supported by the existing literature. More likely, cannabis is a component cause that interacts with other factors (e.g., genetic risk) to induce psychosis. (Malik & D'Souza, 2006)"
Therefore, if you have any family history of schizophrenia, then marijuana probably isn't for you.
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I just see that people using it mellow out to the point of impairing their potential mental abilities instead of working through issues.
Speaking from experience, benzodiazepines impair my mental abilities more than cannabis. Ingesting marijuana medicinally and responsibly, has not been proven to cause any decrease in mental abilities.
Please don't take my debating of your opinions as me having a condescending attitude toward anybody. I value all of your ideas, and by debating your thoughts on the subject, I'm simply trying to get the truth out about marijuana's potential benefits in relation to anxiety disorders. I know marijuana is not for everyone, but the drug's therapeutic properties have been overshadowed by its prohibition in most parts of the world.
If anybody disagrees with anything I say, please reply, as I feel this discussion is valuable to everyone. There are so many myths opposing medical marijuana floating about, that I feel everyone should become properly informed on this subject.
Please, if you have anything to say about this, join the discussion.
Joined: Jan 01, 2008 Posts: 37 Location: Australia
Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2008 4:31 pm Post subject:
I dont mean to be rude but try smoke for 4 yrs non stop and then tell me theres no physical related symptons You get ALL those symptons you mentioned, but yeah only for a week or so
bet you a gram you change your opinion in a few years :p
SilentType wrote:
It's true that marijuana can be mentally addicting if used for extended periods of time, but at least there are no withdrawal symptoms involved. Unfortunately, that's not the case for long term benzo users, who's quitting actually can cause "the shakes", irregular heartbeats, cold flushes, sweats, and other possibly life-threatening withdrawal symptoms. The are no physical symptoms related to getting off of marijuana.
I've been smoking marijuana, admittedly, not for medical purposes in the beginning, since I was 17. However I'm now 20, and I've never experienced any symptoms from quitting (usually, as in your case, due to inability to find it), other than mentally craving a smoke. The symptoms of quitting smoking marijuana and the physical withdrawal symptoms of giving up benzos are nothing alike, other than the simple craving for more. Quitting marijuana cold turkey, no matter how long you've been smoking does NOT cause muscle spasms, does NOT cause sweating or cold flushes, does NOT result in irregular heartbeats, and is certainly never life-threatening. You may not be able to sleep for a while after quitting smoking if you've been depending on it for that purpose, but that's a mental addiction, not a physical one.
To give you an example, have you ever been heard of anybody weening off of marijuana? No, u haven't, and that's because it's not a physically addictive drug. The most commonly prescribed anxiolytic medications (benzos), on the other hand, cause all of the above symptoms and more.
I am not calling you a liar, because you're just confusing mental addiction with physical addiction. It's an easy mistake to make.
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You get ALL those symptons you mentioned, but yeah only for a week or so
