Forums claiming horrible pot withdrawal / addiction

[cybergenesis]

Hey I have been reading various threads on various "marijuana addiction" forums.

 

I've been smoking pot for years, I am quite capable of consuming an entire ounce within a week.

 

When I run out, I get mild craving for pot, a bit of boredom, slight headache, slightly upset feeling stomach, reduced appetite, lower sleep quality. But its mild and thats it.

 

But many people claim many outrageous things about pot.

 

It pisses me off, because these people almost seem to be brainwashed into believing they are victims.

 

Many of them refer to the years they smoke pot, as not to years they smoked by choice, but years they were "addicted". They call themselves in "recovery". They use all the language lingo used from withdrawal from serious drugs like heroin.

 

I worry because I know if somebody that isn't knowledgeable about pot reads this stuff, they may believe pot addiction is like heroin addiction.

 

What gets me is people blame ANY AND EVERY problem they have ever experienced in life on pot.

 

Here are some of the things I have read people saying, and some commentary from myself:

 

Here is the adverse effects one person said pot had on him, this is how it had "ruined his life":

 

“becoming isolated, lost numerous friends, struggling to meet a girlfriend, making my studies really difficult, increased my depression, bad health, i looked like a druggie - all these reasons i just buit up and up until i just had to change”

 

Lets look at some of this… Struggling to meet a girlfriend?? Seriously?! I mean I just cannot see how marijuana is relevant to this social issue. I mean it sounds like this guy is trying to blame the fact he hasn’t had luck finding a girlfriend recently on weed. I just don’t buy it.

 

In the context of the rest of it, I can’t help but suspect that his “becoming isolated” and “losing numerous friends’ is a copout to blame weed also. I don’t buy the rest of what he says, as things I could reasonably see and being rationally blamable on marijuana.

 

He says weed make him “look like a druggie” and remember this he is listing a serious reason he decided to quit weed. I mean how does marijuana make you look like a druggie? I mean I just do not get this. What a load of rubbish.

 

 

This person also states he was addicted. As if all the times he chose to smoke marijuana was not his choice but the result of enslavement to marijuana. I just don’t buy this perspective as objective. I smoke a LOT of weed and I can’t see myself looking back and going “I was so addicted. It made me smoke it”. I choose to smoke weed cause I like it, it has many very positive effects for me.

 

How many people that are smoking weed now by choice are going to oneday consider that it was all addiction, that they were weed zombies? Its rubbish.

 

Another person says the reason they had to quit their "addiction" was because weed “made them feel like they were a complete loser for smoking it”. I mean WTF? I think this again is related to other issues besides weed. Why do you feel like a loser for smoking it because you think it is a loser thing to do to smoke weed? You smoke it but you have still been brainwashed into thinking you are doing a bad thing?

 

One person says that when he told a friend he was quitting he realized that all pot smokers are in denial, that they all know that marijuana is having serious bad effects on them but ALL marijuana users deny this to themselves and others. PISS OFF. It shows how psychological the whole situation surrounding “addiction” and “withdrawal” to marijuana is, this guy has created a psychological reality where he has convinced himself not only that marijuana is bad, but that it is so bad that all marijuana smokers are in secret denial to the horribly addictive drug. He has convinced himself marijuana is a horribly addictive drug, all users are addicts, he has attributed every problem in his life to it, and massively exaggerates the withdrawal.

 

BTW in regards to the post that claimed all pot users are in denial about their severe addiction and how pot is ruining their life, everyone else in the thread cheered and applauded the comments.

 

One person honestly suggested that marijuana withdrawal is so dangerous, that if you want to quit pot, you should immediately ring an emegency mental health line for advice and go straight into a public hospital and tell them you are "quitting marijuana". COME OFF IT.

 

I think even in heavy smokers that usually marijuana withdrawal is mild, maybe sometimes it moderate, but I seriously doubt it is ever "severe".

 

Many claims are made that it is absolutely proven that marijuana causes depression and anxiety in all who uses it, if they use it long enough etc...

 

Its all bullshit and it pisses me off. one other thing, is many people complain how bad marijuana has ruined their life, but then mention (just briefly as if its not really relevant) that they have been doing cocaine, drinking etc. I also wonder how many mix their marijuana with tobacco and our going through nicotine withdrawal.

 

I want to know how bad weed withdrawal gets, but no exaggeration.

 

Actually can we use this thread to find and post comments from addiction forums that are blatantly ridiculous as to the things they blame pot for? I'll post some more soon.

Edited April 8, 2010 by cybergenesis

[cybergenesis]

Here's one:

 

"The last time I smoked the cheeb was on New Years and it was the worst high I have ever experienced. I experienced many if not every symptom of a collapsed lung with sharp pains in my heart. Luckily I did not have one. This experience basically scared me straight into never smoking anything ever again. My withdrawal symptoms seemed to arise around the 5th day of soberness. It is currently day 20 and for the past couple weeks I have been experiencing pains in my heart and lungs, a racing heart w/o doing any physical activity, insomnia (5 hours of sleep at best waking up every hour), aches and soreness in my neck and legs, ocassional headaches, and pains in my ribcage. I am in college and mainly concered about my heart rate, blood pressure, and insomnia."

 

Okay obviously the guy had a panic attack which "scared him into quiting".. Bah I've had some shocking panic attacks on pot, its a disposition i have, however I rarely get them now, because I know how to avoid them and I love pot.

 

Basically this guy is a pot withdrawal hypochondriac in my opinion. Maybe people exaggerate in the forums for attention and to try and compete with the "severity" of each others withdrawal for sympathy.

 

Here is another example of a person characterizing marijuana having this significant destructive effect on their life, what they are doing is not taking responsibility for their life (on fairly trivial matters really) and saying marijuana is to blame.

 

“I felt unattractive and out of shape, but regularly chose getting high over going to the gym.”

 

Honestly, he’s blaming marijuana for this? He says he is out of shape. Well anyone knows that to get into going to the gym for someone who is out of shape is a major commitment and lifestyle change. No reasonable person would say that doesn’t take a bit of will power. Of course its easier to say sit at home and have fun and get stoned. Hell I would find myself temped to do the same. I am well known by my friends to be one of the laziest people around, and with weak will power. I'm supposed to be exercising but I don't much. Hell I don't blame this on the pot though, guess what? I take responsibility for myself.

 

I do not blame marijuana for me not getting off my butt and doing things. Certainly being excessively stoned is not conductive to doing certain highly involved tasks, but that is all about regulating your own usage.

 

Another thing this guy lists as a bad effect that marijuana HAD ON HIM. He states this as if weed did it: He states he often drove while heavily stoned. Come off it mate. The weed did not make you drive stoned, this was not part of an addiction, this was your behavior, your choice, your demonstration of being irresponsible.

 

The person described marijuana withdrawal symptoms as “horrible withdrawal symptoms”.

 

Here is the advice of one person if your quitting the weed:

 

"My best advice is the call a mental health line, tell them what you're doing and what you're experiencing. They can point you in the direction of Marijuana Annonymous, a probono councellor, or a doctor. It may not hurt to check yourself into a hospital and TELL THEM you've just quit marijuana and are experiencing some symptoms."

 

My final conclusion is that some people use marijuana as a scapegoat for the problems in their life- which they have anyway. Some people erroneously attribute negative problems to marijuana and are overly dramatic about the withdrawal. Some people have anxiety problems and become sort of pot "hypochondriacs" Some people are just suggestible to the opinions of others.. Perhaps various family members always have "frowned" upon their pot usage, and secretly in the back of their minds they have felt guilty about their usage, only one day to collapse into the pressure and accept all the bad assertions everyone has been making as fact.

Edited April 8, 2010 by cybergenesis

[boosted brick]

ROFL, I smoked on average maybe a half ounce a week for around 2 years. Then when it was cheap enough, me and a mate were going thru 2 1/2 ounces a week. That lasted for around 5 or 6 months.. Then all of a sudden it went dry and we couldnt score for over two months. What symptoms did i experiance? Well i was bored as all hell, so i started drinking. But that was me been too lazy to go and do something. The lack of choof did NOTHING. I dont see how people convince themselves that it is addictive...

[Chato]

I'd stay off myspace, teenweekly or wherever it is your getting this info because it'll just drive you mad. Your final conclusion pretty well sums up the situation but good luck convincing them. That sort of drivel isn't tolerated here or on any self-respecting cannabis information website for good reason an is confined to "marijuana addiction" forums.

 

An apt quote, that is actually a members sig here as well, fits this situation nicely...

 

"Can't argue with an idiot because they'll beat you with experience everytime."

 

peace

c

[onefiftyfour]

People that refuse to accept the harmful side of MJ, are no better than people that refuse to accept the positive.

[Chato]

People that refuse to accept the harmful side of MJ, are no better than people that refuse to accept the positive.

 

Exactly

 

Which is why Cybergenesis' final conclusion was really spot on.

 

He used a very simple, basic, yet often forgotten clarifying term "Some people....".

 

peace

c

[cybergenesis]

... Edited, I want to do a better post later.. I am too tired to post properly at the moment. Edited April 9, 2010 by cybergenesis

[pommiedude]

Without a doubt you some individuals can develop a dependency on cannabis, if you deny that your are only fooling yourself. I am happy to admit I am dependant. That is a far cry from addicted. But a couple of days without weed makes for a very lacklustre, somewhat short tempered me .. I also find it hard to motivate myself (I know go figure- its when your stoned that your supposed to be not motivated).

 

If I have a smoke I am happy to work at 16 hour stretches (I work as a webby - from home) no smoke, lucky to squeeze in 5 actual productive hours and find myself on sites like this trying to gen up and find contacts.

[SleeplessStoner]

It's a damn shame when douchfags smoke pot.

 

A person prone to making bad decisions will still make bad decision while stoned. Only then, if those bad decisions conflict with the law and they get caught, suddenly marijuana users are "more likely to participate in criminal activity". Of course this is false but you can see how they're able to draw that conclusion, and every time they do, we take a step away from legalization.

 

If we're going to make this thing happen (I assume we all hold legalization as a common goal around here ) we need to somehow get through to the handful of people who combine their herb with other drugs, and who combine smoking with being an idiot, and make them understand that if they want to smoke, they might want to smoke a little less if they're going to go making a scene. If people get baked and go around acting like a smack head, people with a more basic understanding of cannabis will be led to believe pot and smack are similar, and that's exactly what happens.

 

If you know you tend to act out in certain situations while high, try avoiding activities that lead to negative behaviour. Or maybe try smoking a little less. If you're out there raising hell and the only drug you've taken is weed, chances are you've smoked far too much anyhow.

[theethiopian]

Very nice post Cyber and I could not agree with you more!

 

The whole concept of addiction is so open to misrepresentation and hyperbole. People are addicted to many things on many levels....then there's the distinction made between psychological and physical addiction.....there is still much debate on our understanding of it or anything to do with the brain for that matter.

 

Certainly the massive overstatement of harm when it comes to Cannabis use is breathtaking......and the logic employed mystifies me i.e. John is partial to a toke and has a shit life ergo must be the toke causing the shit life....I mean it's like the equation sort of leaves out a lot of other factors...also daring as this may sound cannot one determine ones own happiness?....I do and it includes rather a lot of toking.....harm minimization is the way forward...lets keep talking about the best most effective ways of getting high and growing the means to get high....sure there must be a downside to pot ...but there is a downside to most of the things that gives us pleasure! I respectfully ask for the right to manage my own pleasure without the interference of prohibition!