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Addicted to Weed

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SPECK
Posts: 616 - Karma: 47
ok so i know everyone says its not an addictive drug but i dont exactly agree with them. Currently i feel addicted to weed. Ive been smoking for about 5 years and this recent year ive probably smoked every day atleast once (S.W.E.D). this last month ive been trying to ween myself off weed and try to slow down but ive been noticing that its hard as fuck and most mornings i wake up feeling sad and not able to face the day. Now dont get me wrong, i have good friends and a hot girlfriend, im not some anti social kid who has a miserable life but i feel like weed has become part of my life. I still want to smoke, just less because its very bad for your lifestyle/lungs and i dont smoke cigarettes like some dumbass trying to fit in.

so what do i do? i feel stuck because i need to move forward

and feel free to share your thoughts and advice on marijuana and such. any help is good help so +k

inb4 weed isnt addicting
Jun 7 2011 3:06PM
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ski.the.yeast
Posts: 1007 - Karma: 33

if you start thinking about all the money you spend on it,, you wont wanna smoke. Thats what i tell myself everytime i wanna and it works fine

Jun 7 2011 3:57PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
that's not how it works. your body naturally builds up a tolerance to substances the more you do them
Jun 7 2011 3:58PM
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BootySpunk.
Posts: 8148 - Karma: 84
Yah I don't think that is how it is supposed to work. I mean I can smoke a J to myself and than not be high an hour later.

Weed had 2 negative things about it:
1. It runs out.
2. You build up a tolerance to it.
Jun 7 2011 4:00PM
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FUUUCK
Posts: 18426 - Karma: 4,888
threads
Jun 7 2011 4:00PM
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AWALLRUS.
Posts: 5762 - Karma: 223
yeah i know its not supposed to, but it does. maybe i just take bigger tokes than i used to.
Jun 7 2011 4:01PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
that's probably what it is. you can take bigger rips, inhale it all the way into your lungs more, and hold it longer.
Jun 7 2011 4:02PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
4-5 hours? that doesn't make any sense.
Jun 7 2011 4:02PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,748
I think it takes some courage to make this thread, and I think the replies have been shitty.

I hear where you're at, and as a guy who has battled enormous addiction issues for over a decade, I empathize with the feeling that you're not capable to face day to day living without the thing that you've come to rely on. It's scary stuff, man. All of the comments batting this aside because it's just weed, are clueless.

You can become addicted to weed, albeit just not physiologically dependent. However, just because you're not dope sick, that doesn't mean you're not going to have some real struggles. Ask any addict: the mental, emotional, "spiritual" stuff that comes with battling an addiction is so much worse than any physical stuff—not to mention they go on so much longer and in some case indefinitely.

It's hard to give advice about something like this; we're all so very different and we have different goals in halting addictions (total sobriety/abstinence vs. moderation), so I won't do too much. But, the only suggestion I really have is to be honest with yourself. Take a look at your life, at your smoking, the why's the when's, and try and figure out what it is about getting high that compels you to start your day that way. Does it calm you? Does it relax you? If so, maybe you have anxiety issues and you need to address those first, and then the weed won't be an issue. Does it make you confident or social? Maybe you need to work on relationships or your self-esteem. Maybe it's simply the ritual. For many people, the ritual, and less the effects are what's addictive—particularly with a drug with such a culture like weed. Lame as it sounds, maybe smoke that fake shit a while and see if that satisfies your cravings before phasing it out all together.

The last thing I'll say: pretty much every addict who starts to consider themselves as such or begin to evaluate their use go through the same steps. Namely, they decide that if they could only moderate their use, as opposed to stopping all together, things would improve. Even when they're successful with this (which truthfully is incredibly rare), problems remain. It's cliche but it's true: If you want to know if you're an addict do this: Stop everything you're taking. If things get better for you, you're not an addict. If things get worse (at first), you are.
Jun 7 2011 4:05PM
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Scott0_robot0
Posts: 3291 - Karma: 212
laced, duh.
Jun 7 2011 4:07PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13083 - Karma: 18,725
I can understand how weed is addictive. You always feel like a "need" to toke up. Its either to enhance the day. You must remember that weed is a mood enhancer. I was up to an once a week.

You you want to get off weed, or take a break: travel. Take the plane, obligate yourself to leave weed behind. The first day is good, but insomnia will suck.
Jun 7 2011 4:10PM
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derpina
Posts: 2186 - Karma: 55
This is unfortunately not true. I did the largest research paper I've ever done in my life on addiction this past semester. There are many different types of addiction. A drug addiction is one of them, but you can very easily become addicted to a drug even if it's not the actual chemical causing the addiction. It's the same way people get addicted to alcohol, porn, food, etc. You don't get addicted to the actual drug, you get addicted to the way it makes you feel. (That's the best way to describe it without going into mass detail like I had to with my paper.)

You would be surprised at the amount of people that go to rehab for weed... my boyfriend did.

You shouldn't feel sad, dude. No one should wake up everyday feeling sad. Get yourself some help and take control of your life.
Jun 7 2011 4:12PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,089
That's what he's saying, its not a chemical addiction, its mental, its a habit. To quit smoking weed, you don't need to go to rehab, just fucking stop, you'll have a hard time for a couple days sleeping and probably being anxious or irritable, but after a week, you'll be over it, unlike chemical addictions which can last way longer and be way worse.
Jun 7 2011 4:15PM
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BootySpunk.
Posts: 8148 - Karma: 84
Not being able to sleep too well is the #1 set back of not toking.
Jun 7 2011 4:16PM
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Yinzer
Posts: 1011 - Karma: 73
yes its called psychological addition. and no you dont just stop. its like every other addiction, you need to work to break it and you need to work to keep it that way. the only difference is you body does not develope a chemical dependence
Jun 7 2011 4:17PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,748
Ali....if you did a thorough paper you would know that alcohol is INCREDIBLY addictive in every sense of the word—namely, physically. An alcoholic who abruptly stops drinking can be prone to seizures, delusions, hallucinations, and can even die.
Jun 7 2011 4:17PM
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Deluge
Posts: 4401 - Karma: 805
gateway is opennnnnnnnnnnnn
Jun 7 2011 4:25PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,748
Heath, I agree that in the vast majority of cases people don't need a 12 step rehab program to stop smoking weed. But, there are people who are truly addicted to weed who are incapable of "just stopping". Addiction in general is one of those issues where, unless you yourself have wrestled with it, it's incredibly hard to wrap your head around the nuances of it. To most people it sounds silly or like a moral/will-power issue, and it's just not always that simple. Many choice to view addictions, and other compulsive behaviors, as psychological disorders that demand treatment. It's like dealing with an OCD person....why won't they just stop jingling the doorknob?
Jun 7 2011 4:25PM
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buchanan.
Posts: 1911 - Karma: 156
yup. i smoke casually most days, casually as in not getting brain dead high. and this year it started getting to a point where it was a huge bitch to fall asleep without weed (rolling around for like 2 hours in bed). once i came to the realization that it was directly because of smoking weed like every night before bed, i took a break. not even that long, and i was fine. its all in your head. and in the mornings, just go for a run or a bike ride. doesnt have to be a long, but i can almost guarantee that you will feel better after.
Jun 7 2011 4:31PM
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Davy.Crockett
Posts: 5373 - Karma: 324
actually this. if you wanted to you could quit cold turkey. just because you would feel bad for a while doesn't mean your addicted and experiencing with withdrawal foo
Jun 7 2011 4:35PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
no. i don't know what sources you used for your paper, but they were clearly not very good ones.


Where did you get the idea that alcohol addiction isn't a physiological addiction? Recovering alcoholics often experience several symptoms of withdrawal that are based on an actual chemical dependence on alcohol in the brain, not just "liking the feeling" (by the way, some scientists speculate that some symptoms of a hangover are actual symptoms of withdrawal from acute ethanol addiction). Essentially, it's out of their control.

Addiction is a strong word, and although you can be "addicted" in a more emotional sense, people don't like to throw around the word like that. The more correct term for it is a habit (you often hear people say how habit-forming weed is, not how addictive it is). Because even though a person may be sad when they can't do it, their choice to do it or not is much more their own than it is for an alcoholic or a meth/heroin addict.
Jun 7 2011 4:38PM
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derpina
Posts: 2186 - Karma: 55
I KNOW THAT you cluck. That's EXACTLY what I said!!! Unlike cigs, alcohol doesn't have a "nicotine" like substance that just causes the addiction, that doesn't mean it's not incredibly addicting in other ways. Which I also said, with "That's the best way to describe it without going into detail."

There is also alcohol dependence and alcohol addiction.

I'm not even going to start. I'm done with this thread.
Jun 7 2011 4:42PM
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ski-or-die
Posts: 770 - Karma: 17
the white stuffs the right stuff!

in all seriousness drugs are habit forming
Jun 7 2011 4:42PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
nope, wrong again. haha your research paper must have been terrible.


you said in your post that you don't get addicted to the actual drug. that's completely wrong. in alcohol, the ethanol is actually addictive. you literally become addicted to the alcohol, not just the feeling. that's why withdrawal for alcoholics can be so severe, even fatal.
Jun 7 2011 4:48PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,748
I'm not going to be a jerk, because clearly you're embarrassed, but reread your post. You said that alcohol is addictive like porn and food are.....implying that there isn't an addiction to the chemical itself. In the case of alcohol, this is completely false. Alcohol itself, ethanol I think, is an addictive chemical that when ceased to be consumed by a dependent person will cause the individual to go into extremely painful physical withdrawal. Even in the above post, you're claiming that alcohol doesn't have an addictive chemical.....you're just wrong. Why are you being so incredibly defensive?
Jun 7 2011 4:48PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
I haven't read any of this thread other than the OP so forgive me if this has already been said. There is a BIG difference between psychological addiction and physical addiction. I don't doubt that you are psychologically addicted to smoking, but you are NOT physically addicted. You feel sad, but you aren't physically sick due to withdrawal. Mary J is NOT physically addicting. You can quit without any physical side effects. Basically, it's all in your head.
Jun 7 2011 6:26PM
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Stickity
Posts: 7750 - Karma: 769
if you can get addicted to playing with cards and spinning wheels you can get addicted to anything. figure out what's wrong with your life, be it the people you know and the relationships you have with them or just your surroundings in general. then fix it
Jun 7 2011 6:33PM
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-Mugatu
Posts: 2579 - Karma: 84
Mmm parmesan cheese!
Jun 7 2011 6:40PM
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saranac_tortex
Posts: 518 - Karma: 14
LOL
Jun 7 2011 6:45PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
ACTUALLY Ali is right. And you my friend are wrong. ethenol IS alcohol ya goob.

heres a source: http://www.chemcases.com/alcohol/index.htm


and as far as this whole "mental" addiction or "habit"

What causes happiness? A chemical

What is nicotine? A chemical

Someone said something about food, porn, etc. is not physiological. UMM HELLO! If it has to do with you, as a human, its physiological.

"During sexual process, the brain begins narrowing its focus as it releases a tidal wave of endorphins and other neurochemicals like dopamine, norepinephrine, oxytocin and serotonin. These “natural drugs” produce a tremendous rush or high. When these chemicals are released during healthy marital intimacy we refer to them as “the fabulous four” because of the myriad positive benefits they generate between husband and wife. When they are released during pornography use and other sexual addiction behaviors, we call them “the fearsome four” due to the severe addiction and many negative consequences they produce in the brain and nervous system."
Jun 7 2011 6:56PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
Exactly, there are no physical withdrawals from a psychological addiction, you won't die.

Heroine addicts can die from quitting.
Jun 7 2011 6:59PM
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deleted5
Posts: 14507 - Karma: 13,507
you can get addicted to anything
Jun 7 2011 7:01PM
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saranac_tortex
Posts: 518 - Karma: 14
Haha how old are you man? yea sure ethanol is in the alcohol group chemically. When referring to beer or vodka ethanol is the chemical in it that causes physical addiction just like nicotine in tobacco, therefore ali is wrong
Jun 7 2011 7:06PM
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*Dos*Planker*
Posts: 2983 - Karma: 168
this is simply untrue, there is more carcinogens in weed (including tar) but the main difference between smoking weed and cigarets is the frequency to which each is used. To smoke enough to put you in major risk of lung cancer would certainly kill your bank account long before it killed you.
Jun 7 2011 7:06PM
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VT_scratch
Posts: 8786 - Karma: 6,250
buy less and slowly start cutting down. instead of twice a day go to once. and then instead of once a day go to every other day. I find if you've been smoking consistently for a while, an abrupt stop is not the way to go.
Jun 7 2011 7:10PM
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wellaye
Posts: 110 - Karma: 10
When i was 11 i was addicted to Runescape...
Jun 7 2011 7:20PM
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--ski--
Posts: 1670 - Karma: 817
Pot is more mentally addictive, unlike coke, heroin and shit is physically addictive.

Just cold turkey that shit up. Seriously, after like a week you'll be good as.
Jun 7 2011 7:24PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
i am aware that ethanol is alcohol bro. i never said they were different. i only used the word ethanol because that's the more scientific way of saying it. in fact, if you had read my post thoroughly, you would have seen that i said the brain is addicted to ethanol, and the sentence after i said something along the lines of "so the brain is actually addicted to the alcohol itself," clearly implying that i know ethanol is alcohol. take a little more time to read the post next time champ.


of course those things deal with chemicals. everything we think, see, hear, feel, taste, etc is because of chemicals. we all know that.

but there is a differentiation between what you can control and what you can't control. an "addiction" to food, porn, or weed is purely mental. that is, if you truly, completely want to stop, you can. and there won't be symptoms of withdrawal like seizures and such.

now of course if you are an alcoholic and you truly want to stop drinking, you can do that as well. but the crucial difference is that your brain has built up a strong addiction to the alcohol. so even if you stop drinking, you can experience terrible withdrawal that is entirely out of your control.

obviously everything deals with chemicals, but i really don't see how you can't see a difference between a true physiological addiction (unable to stop doing something without experiencing real withdrawal. not just sadness) and a habit based on something you enjoy doing (like sex, looking at porn, eating, smoking).

why do you think we like skiing? it releases chemicals that make us happy. why do some of us like smoking weed? the way it makes our brain function makes us happy. but there isn't a chemical dependency on either of those that will cause physical harm if we stop.
Jun 7 2011 7:28PM
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WillStart
Posts: 3955 - Karma: 3,192
i see now that you thought that when i said 'in alcohol, the ethanol is actually addictive.' but it shouldn't have been too hard to figure out, as B.A.P did, that by "alcohol," i simply meant alcoholic drinks. should have been pretty clear that i wasn't talking about pure alcohol
Jun 7 2011 7:31PM
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Barefootin_Fiend
Posts: 7618 - Karma: 4,727
No, heroin addicts won't die from withdrawal unless it is via suicide. granted, opiate withdrawal will make you feel like you are dying. however, it won't physically kill you.

the only drugs with lethal withdrawals are alcohol, benzodiazepines (xanax, valium, klonopin, etc), and barbituates. sudden cessation of these drugs can result in grand mal seizures that can be fatal.
Jun 7 2011 7:41PM
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Level4
Posts: 142 - Karma: 10
sometimes i watch black porn
Jun 7 2011 8:00PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
No offense, but the fact that you just lumped these three together discredits your opinion on the matter. Just because a paper is long doesn't make it any more valid.

The truth is that "addiction" is a somewhat vague term, which is why it isn't used in medical fields. It is a misleading term because it obscures two very different distinctions:

a) Willful Habituation is when you have become behaviorally prone to repeat certain behavior. Compulsion is derived from pleasurable stimuli. Willful habituation can grow from any sort of behavior, drug or non-drug related.

b) Dependence occurs when the repetition of behavior is driven by physiological dependence. If you stop the behavior, you experience negative physical symptoms known as withdrawal. Dependence can only occur with certain drug use.

Dependence often involves willful habituation, but not the other way around.


I hate to sound callous, but breaking habits is a necessary part of growing up. Since it is physiologically impossible for a person to become dependent on weed, your dilemma is a relatively minor one.

Sparknotes: stop offsetting the blame and grow a pair.
Jun 7 2011 8:05PM
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[~_~]
Posts: 20239 - Karma: 1,273
This is probably the most intelligent post in this thread.
Jun 7 2011 8:10PM
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gus555
Posts: 4170 - Karma: 34
you sound like a fucking loser.
Jun 7 2011 8:17PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
Alcohol is C2H5OH

C2H5OH is Ethanol or Ethyl Alcohol


Ethanol is Alcohol, they are one in the same. How old are you man?

And ya Ali was wrong in putting Alcohol in the same group as food and porn, my bad
Jun 7 2011 8:18PM
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
didnt read the thread, dont wanna read the thread. Im sure there have been some helpful posts, and some retarded posts.

I identify very much to what you are going through, OP, except i would become extremely anxious, and OCD, and neurotic when i would quit. Both times i have quit after smoking daily for years beforehand(currently 9 months clean) i had a very difficult time for the first week or so(insomnia, neurosis, super anxious) but then those symptoms really calmed down for me. I found that when the urge to smoke was the strongest, going for an intense workout really helped me.

Because it is not a physical addiction, there are no horrible month long withdrawl symptoms. So do what you gotta do to make it through the first week, and it becomes much easier to handle.
Jun 7 2011 8:33PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
I know the difference between the two. Food, porn, weed, don't cause you to physically ache, you won't have tremors blah blah.


"so even if you stop drinking, you can experience terrible withdrawal that is entirely out of your control."

Are you implying that sadness, anxiety, irritability, inability to sleep, etc IS within your control?

You can become happy or sad at will? Its all just on a scale of intensity.


Food Addiction withdrawals: "The withdrawal symptoms usually exhibit themselves in mood swings, irritability, anxiety, sleeplessness, anger and an intense craving for their food of choice"

Alcohol addiction withdrawals: "You can suffer from sweating, sleeping badly, having stomach pains, being anxious, feeling tense or restless. In worse cases, you may also start to tremble and get an epileptic attack or delirium tremens (seizure). "


The only difference is intensity, and it all starts with the brain. The difference between the chemicals is alcohol is a foreign chemical and endorphins, serotonin etc. are natural chemicals both of which your getting too much of and the result is withdrawals.
Jun 7 2011 8:41PM
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saranac_tortex
Posts: 518 - Karma: 14
alcohol as in an alcoholic beverage like beer has ethanol in it. It shouldn't be that hard to figure out what we're talking about.

What we're all trying to say is that the chemical that alcoholics are addicted to is ethanol. I don't know why its so hard for you to understand that
Jun 7 2011 8:45PM
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Skierguy1234
Posts: 1684 - Karma: 88
i just stopped like 2 weeks ago after smoking daily for about a year, and the first week or two suck but im just starting to get over wanting to blaze every night before i go to sleep, that was the hardest part for me because smoking really helped regulate my sleep patterns. I don't think you're addicted as people have said, just formed a habit, not saying its easy to break (like a fat kid that eats food every night, not addicted to food, but not easy to stop doing). fight the urge for a couple weeks and all should be good
Jun 7 2011 8:46PM
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Dosh
Posts: 1818 - Karma: 14
i used to smoke a lot of weed in high school and then when i figured out that it made me anxious and self-conscious i decided to cut way back and since then have pretty much stopped. i still occasionally smoke when i am drinking to end my night. anyway i came to the conclusion that i am an anxious enough person already and don't need weed to exacerbate the problem. it used to really calm me down back in the day. it's funny how that changed around. i've heard that this happens to a lot of people in their early 20s. i've also come to the conclusion that consecutive nights of excessive drinking make me feel depressed b/c i can't accomplish anything meaningful the next day and generally just feel unproductive. but the effects are different for everyone and you should evaluate it and i'm guessing you will figure it out. however it took me a few years to transition to what i feel like is a pretty good balance.
Jun 7 2011 8:51PM
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ImNotARacist
Posts: 5136 - Karma: -1,030
beer is beer, wine is wine, vodka is vodka. All of which have alcohol in them.

talking about alcohol and ethanol as if they are 2 different things is dumb, very dumb.
word things differently and you won't come off as dumb.
Jun 7 2011 8:56PM
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