Weed. Is it addictive? It is the question of the day on some of the NarAnon facebook pages. In my humble opinion, yes it is. This is not an assumption or simply an opinion. It is an actual observance of a lot of different people over the years. I have seen it in my own home with my own kids. Now I know there are many out there who are hitting their bong as they read this and laughing at my ridiculousness as they gasp and choke out that last hit. The funny thing is, if they have a bong.....you can bet trying to take that bong away from them for any period of time would likely result in a fight.
I was told by someone that they were not "addicted" but simply "dependent" on the weed. I hated to have to tell them that addiction and dependency were the exact same thing. They laughed in my face as they hit the bong again. The ridiculousness of it all made me sad. Denial is a powerful thing.
My stance on weed is this, I do believe in the studies that show that cannabis can cure cancer, seizures and help with pain. I also believe that smoking weed does less harm to your body than drinking alcohol. But....that is kind of like saying that taking Oxy is less harmful than shooting up heroin. In other words its like telling someone that poison is bad for you, but go ahead and pick the least bad poison. So yes, I believe that cannabis can have some positive and life saving properties, however sitting on your couch unmotivated, taking hit after hit off your bong is neither positive nor life saving. Long term usage can also have long term affects such as the breakdown of healthy cells in your body, damage to brain cells and short term memory loss. So why mess with anything that changes your brain chemistry or hurts your brain at all? Regulated cannabis with the hallucinogenic properties removed for the purpose of ridding someone of seizures or cancer is one thing. Recreational weed is completely different.
As a parent and even a friend, I have seen people who were highly motivated individuals turn into barely functioning and completely unmotivated couch potatoes. I have seen people who were healthy and active become overweight and completely inactive because weed took over their lives. Throw in the fact that it is illegal in many states and good luck finding a job or keeping a job. I have known several with really great jobs who happened to have a drug test popped on them and they were walked out that very day. So much for weed not affecting their lives.
Realistically, weed doesn't affect people like opiods, meth, heroin and alcohol, but it does impair the brain, slows the reflexes and can cause both a mental as well as a physical addiction. Also, coming off of weed does not carry the horrid side effects of coming off drugs like meth or alcohol, but there is a craving and it takes a bit of work to get completely clean. It also stays in your system longer than other drugs as it stores in your fat cells which you often have more of with long term weed use. Passing a drug test "legally" can be a little more challenging.
I have long heard that weed is a "gateway" drug. My previous understanding of "gateway" was that once you used weed and found yourself dependent on it, eventually it wouldn't be enough of a "high" for you and you would move on to more potent drugs. While I still believe that for some this is the case, my understanding of "gateway" since watching my son and several of his friends go down this path, is much different.
A good percentage of addicts do start out with weed and there are two kinds of weed users. The first kind are the kind who go to a party, hang with friends and on occasions will take a hit just to kick back and have fun. This type of weed smoker hardly ever buys it for themselves and eventually grows tired of both weed and the people who actively use it daily and either never uses it again or very rarely uses throughout the rest of their lives. These people usually have higher self-esteem are motivated and have been taught to face life head on.
The second kind is the kind who have always felt like a fish out of water. Perhaps they have been bullied or see themselves as less than others. By smoking weed, they feel they have elevated their social status and feel more accepted in social circles...... and big bonus, every time they use, they feel better about life. These are the ones who tend to get caught up in the using of weed as an escape. When using, the world is as they want it to be. When they aren't, they become overwhelmed, anxious and in a lot of cases unable to try and take life on unmedicated.
The gateway part of it has much more to do with the people on the fringe who are watching these would-be potheads. I am referring to dealers and those who see these beautiful, scared and insecure souls as money in their pocket. These unwitting kids are a type and there are many shady people who will get these kids hooked and use them as mules, runners and fall guys for drug deals and other illicit business dealings, keeping them in drugs and keeping them hooked with the belief that there is no way out. To me, this is the real danger and the true gateway of getting involved with weed. It is the culture of drugs, starting with weed and working it's way into full blown addiction with the likes of meth, heroin and pills. I have seen it with my own eyes and it is scary as hell. Don't tell me that weed is not a gateway drug!
So yes, in my opinion weed is a drug that if not addictive in itself, can be the pathway for many more deadly drugs and a life of addiction and pain. Of course not everyone who uses weed becomes addicted, just like not everyone who uses meth, heroin, cocaine or drinks becomes addicted. However, enough have that it is viewed as illegal in many states and because of its brain altering affects is viewed as one of the top 10 drugs that people go to rehab for.
My final thoughts....if you have used pot or any drug for that matter, and walked away with no desire to use again, count yourself lucky. That is your story, but just because it is your story doesn't mean that it is everyone's. For every five that walks away, there is at least one who gets caught up and falls into addiction....and for every 10 that fall into addiction, at least one does not make it out alive. So while this may not be your story, this is my story. I watched my son fall down the rabbit hole with just weed and before any of us knew it, he was shooting up meth and handing his life over to addiction. As a mom and grandma, I will never look at it as just weed again....and.....this is why I am no fan of weed.
Until next time......
I was told by someone that they were not "addicted" but simply "dependent" on the weed. I hated to have to tell them that addiction and dependency were the exact same thing. They laughed in my face as they hit the bong again. The ridiculousness of it all made me sad. Denial is a powerful thing.
My stance on weed is this, I do believe in the studies that show that cannabis can cure cancer, seizures and help with pain. I also believe that smoking weed does less harm to your body than drinking alcohol. But....that is kind of like saying that taking Oxy is less harmful than shooting up heroin. In other words its like telling someone that poison is bad for you, but go ahead and pick the least bad poison. So yes, I believe that cannabis can have some positive and life saving properties, however sitting on your couch unmotivated, taking hit after hit off your bong is neither positive nor life saving. Long term usage can also have long term affects such as the breakdown of healthy cells in your body, damage to brain cells and short term memory loss. So why mess with anything that changes your brain chemistry or hurts your brain at all? Regulated cannabis with the hallucinogenic properties removed for the purpose of ridding someone of seizures or cancer is one thing. Recreational weed is completely different.
As a parent and even a friend, I have seen people who were highly motivated individuals turn into barely functioning and completely unmotivated couch potatoes. I have seen people who were healthy and active become overweight and completely inactive because weed took over their lives. Throw in the fact that it is illegal in many states and good luck finding a job or keeping a job. I have known several with really great jobs who happened to have a drug test popped on them and they were walked out that very day. So much for weed not affecting their lives.
Realistically, weed doesn't affect people like opiods, meth, heroin and alcohol, but it does impair the brain, slows the reflexes and can cause both a mental as well as a physical addiction. Also, coming off of weed does not carry the horrid side effects of coming off drugs like meth or alcohol, but there is a craving and it takes a bit of work to get completely clean. It also stays in your system longer than other drugs as it stores in your fat cells which you often have more of with long term weed use. Passing a drug test "legally" can be a little more challenging.
I have long heard that weed is a "gateway" drug. My previous understanding of "gateway" was that once you used weed and found yourself dependent on it, eventually it wouldn't be enough of a "high" for you and you would move on to more potent drugs. While I still believe that for some this is the case, my understanding of "gateway" since watching my son and several of his friends go down this path, is much different.
A good percentage of addicts do start out with weed and there are two kinds of weed users. The first kind are the kind who go to a party, hang with friends and on occasions will take a hit just to kick back and have fun. This type of weed smoker hardly ever buys it for themselves and eventually grows tired of both weed and the people who actively use it daily and either never uses it again or very rarely uses throughout the rest of their lives. These people usually have higher self-esteem are motivated and have been taught to face life head on.
The second kind is the kind who have always felt like a fish out of water. Perhaps they have been bullied or see themselves as less than others. By smoking weed, they feel they have elevated their social status and feel more accepted in social circles...... and big bonus, every time they use, they feel better about life. These are the ones who tend to get caught up in the using of weed as an escape. When using, the world is as they want it to be. When they aren't, they become overwhelmed, anxious and in a lot of cases unable to try and take life on unmedicated.
The gateway part of it has much more to do with the people on the fringe who are watching these would-be potheads. I am referring to dealers and those who see these beautiful, scared and insecure souls as money in their pocket. These unwitting kids are a type and there are many shady people who will get these kids hooked and use them as mules, runners and fall guys for drug deals and other illicit business dealings, keeping them in drugs and keeping them hooked with the belief that there is no way out. To me, this is the real danger and the true gateway of getting involved with weed. It is the culture of drugs, starting with weed and working it's way into full blown addiction with the likes of meth, heroin and pills. I have seen it with my own eyes and it is scary as hell. Don't tell me that weed is not a gateway drug!
So yes, in my opinion weed is a drug that if not addictive in itself, can be the pathway for many more deadly drugs and a life of addiction and pain. Of course not everyone who uses weed becomes addicted, just like not everyone who uses meth, heroin, cocaine or drinks becomes addicted. However, enough have that it is viewed as illegal in many states and because of its brain altering affects is viewed as one of the top 10 drugs that people go to rehab for.
My final thoughts....if you have used pot or any drug for that matter, and walked away with no desire to use again, count yourself lucky. That is your story, but just because it is your story doesn't mean that it is everyone's. For every five that walks away, there is at least one who gets caught up and falls into addiction....and for every 10 that fall into addiction, at least one does not make it out alive. So while this may not be your story, this is my story. I watched my son fall down the rabbit hole with just weed and before any of us knew it, he was shooting up meth and handing his life over to addiction. As a mom and grandma, I will never look at it as just weed again....and.....this is why I am no fan of weed.
Until next time......
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