Marijuana - How Has It Affected You?

[Conspirator]

I have been a regular user of the afore mentioned substance for almost 4 to 5 years now, not such a short time when you consider I'm not even 20 yet. At first, I found it helped me to deal with people, and problems, making them seem easier than before. At this time I was thoroughly enjoying it, although not smoking it all the time, just after college and with friends. I was always intelligent and productive at school, so it wasn't like the smoke made me lazy, in fact it was quite the opposite, it masked the little problems (such as the resentment of doing work) and let me concentrate on life's finer points (such as just getting it done) .

 

After a while, I started to feel that it helped me deal with issues so easily that I began to smoke much more, and sure enough before long I began to feel like I wouldn't be able to continue in the same way if it wasn't for the smoke.

 

Now, I'm smoking almost £10 a day (about 4 or 5 joints) and sometimes more. I'm feeling confused all the time, endlessly tired and I've got to the point where I struggle to have a conversation without getting frustrated and angry. I know that it's having a detrimental effect on my life, in that my work life is suffering, my relationships with both my parents and my friends are both deteriorating and my health/self respect have almost disappeared but everytime I try and stop, it makes me feel so worthless and "dead" that I always give in and pick up the Rizla again.

 

I'm not after sympathy, I've got myself in this mess, and it's up to me to get out of it, but I was just wondering, what are other forummers experiences of marijuana? Has it helped/hindered you? Did you smoke and have now given up? Or maybe you're in the same boat as me. Either way, I'd be interested to know what people think.

 

Thanks for listening, discuss...

[waxonwaxoff]

My experience of it is not first hand but of close friends. Time and time again though it is the same scenario. People say it has no side effects but i really do disagree. The effects were pretty much the same in all of them. They all seem to suffer paranoia because of this and all in very similar ways. People always say you never get someone being angry on weed. Well not while they are actually smoking it but whenever they are not under the effects of it i have found most of my friends to be pretty angry and bad tempered on it. There are benefits to it from a smokers perspective but from my experience it has led most of my friends into quite severe depression.

[Eddie_shef]

I think you've realised where you went wrong. Once you started doing it constantly, its taken over. It no onger becomes like a 'special treat' or a one off relaxation cure for any and all problems. And it makes sense, how can it? It can temporarily put them off, but not if your doing it all the time... its just going to become redundant and then, at the same time, because of the amount that your doing your going to start experiencing the bad effects.

 

To be honest though, i think your one up on a lot of people by realising that its gotten so bad. You now aren't a recreational smoker. The downside is that i think you've got to go cold turkey. You can't just cut down to the levels you were on before, because your body is now dependant on it.

Cut it out of your life completely and at the same time don't stop and look back, immediatly try and patch things up, don't use quitting weed as an excuse for making things up to people- you need to keep busy and chances are you will feel like cr@p and bored. So keep busy and do things that are going to drain you- but remember don't give in, you are in the mess you are in because of using it so to get out of it you need to do it without. (the last bit wasn't meant to sound so harsh- but basically be strong)

Let me know if there's anything more I can help explain.

[Dave650]

Simple answer: your going to have to go cold turkey mate, as much as you might enjoy having a smoke you know its having a detrimental effect on you so you've got quit if you want relationships to last etc and do well at work. And surely it must be nice to not have to worry whenever you see a police officer...unless your past the point of caring

[Dave650]

Oh and if all your mates smoke it to that'll make it harder try and stay away from contact with it if your dependant on it. I have a friend who smokes quite a lot of cannabis; he'll pick up an eighth (about £20s worth) almost daily and whenever we invite him out he says he's busy and a few times we've caught him just sitting at the bottom of his street smoking it to be honest we all just want our mate back...

[shabba]

one of my close mate smokes it on a regular and has been doing so for 3 years, i am sure he is addicted, when he is not on it, he is proper frustrated and gets very depressed. He says he only smokes it, because he gets bored easily and it takes his mind of stuff... The funny thing is, he is in a professional career and sometimes he sits there on his own smoking it!!!! I dont spend much time with him as he can annoy me.

 

Not trying to scare you, but i have read, if you start smoking ganja at a young age it can mess up your brain chemistry as you are still in development stages of life and this can have a long term affect on memory and anger problems.

 

Best advice i can give you is BE STRONG and get off the stuff quick time.

[Preacher Man]

if your going to quit smoking it, and you have to if you have become dependant on it, then some advice would be not to replace it with drinking. seen a few friends become bored after quitting because their mind is suddenly more active so they get pished a lot more.

[waxonwaxoff]

if your going to quit smoking it, and you have to if you have become dependant on it, then some advice would be not to replace it with drinking. seen a few friends become bored after quitting because their mind is suddenly more active so they get pished a lot more.

 

Totally agree with you there Preacher. There are some people though who take this a more positive way and go into extreme sports. You need to find a positve way to replace it. It will have played a big part in your daily routine but also in your head.

[Glennis]

My experience of it is not first hand but of close friends. Time and time again though it is the same scenario. People say it has no side effects but i really do disagree. The effects were pretty much the same in all of them. They all seem to suffer paranoia because of this and all in very similar ways. People always say you never get someone being angry on weed. Well not while they are actually smoking it but whenever they are not under the effects of it i have found most of my friends to be pretty angry and bad tempered on it. There are benefits to it from a smokers perspective but from my experience it has led most of my friends into quite severe depression.

 

This is my experience of it as well. In the 1970s me and my husband were part of a group who smoked regularly.

 

I was the Bill Clinton figure, just pretended to smoke it, because I didn't smoke cigarettes, and just didn't like the taste basically.

 

I think its probably a much stronger drug these days, but going back to that time, this group of people were quite patronising; in the sense they would look down on others - they were 'middle-class and educated people'.

 

But, that didn't stop them smoking pot in front of their children, which at the time didn't occur to me as being wrong, because I didn't have any children and didn't think about such things.

 

When I look back on that time with hindsight, it just seems what a waste of time it all was. While they were spending time smoking dope, we could have been out and about doing things and enjoying ourselves.

 

I used to think it was pretty boring, lying around smoking like that.

 

I cannot say anything to you about the side effects, but you are obviously worried about the direction your life is taking. If I were you I would start with the doctors and try and get some cognitive counselling to help you address the underlying issues.

 

Then it might be that you can gradually decrease your dependency.

I have always said to my children, that its time and money wasted which can be better spent, on building a career, hobbies and generally getting out and about enjoying yourself.

 

My so called 'friends' moved to Wales, in the early 80s when unemployment became a major problem. About four couple moved down there together and bought cottages to renovate. We didn't go, because I always had that thought about what do you do when you have finished renovating your dream cottage.

 

We came to Sheffield, not the dream life exactly, but its not been bad either.

[BasilRathbon]

People say smoking too much marijuana can cause memory loss but I don't think...er...um....sorry, what were we talking about?