Mel Van Dusen interviews Andrea van de Loo about her experience with marijuana addiction, the steps she has learned to deal with it, and her own spiritual quest.
"You won't get headaches or fly into a rage or lay shivering in sweats on the floor because you don't have it." after 20 years of serious smokin YOU WILL!!!
Marijuana is definitely physically addictive. When I tried to stop, it was just like stopping tobacco. I didn't believe it at first, but after the 5th time trying to quit weed, I realized 'these are classic withdraw symptoms. Punishing insomnia, mind ripping anxiety, black suicidal depression, and not eating for 4 or 5 days. Totally exhausted too. Finally got tired of the hellish withdraw process and quit for good. It was absolute hell.
also this video is not complete bs.... this is a REAL experience from someone who LOVED the herb. you can tell she truly did just by the way she described being high... she couldn't stop because it was so "delightful". if you respect the herb enough you will find a way for it to be a PART of your life, not to BE your life. everything in moderation. RESPECT THE HERB
I started smoking when this video was released. I laughed at it as I was a senior in high school. 11 years later I have spent well over $150,000 on weed every day it’s harder for me to see a reason to get up and try. I hope to someday be were this lady is in her recovery.
Weed affects me differently than other people. Once I get high, I will do anything to stay high. When I come down I get depressed and really anxious. I can stop smoking for a few days once it becomes impossible for me to get high and can hardly take a hit without coughing. Once I know my tolerance is down enough to get high again, I can't make myself stay stopped. When I smoke weed I will steal from anyone for my next bag. I will ignore my problems and let them grow to an unmanageable level
marijuana is a double edged sword. it's useful & give great insights into life but then before you know you get mentally hooked ... at least some people like me do. fortunately it's easy to get out too by yourself. thats why i have been in & out of addiction for at least 5 times in last 20 yrs. i'm just coming out of addiction. i have started drinking alcohol (not addictive for me) to beat the pot craving. i still plan to consume it once & only once a week.
I think 12-step programs really can make a stoner feel like they're in the wrong place. Fact is that it isn't gonna fuck up your life, kill you or land you in jail.. I'm sorry but unless you are mentally unstable that isn't going to happen. That said regular weed smoking certainly has taken away my 'edge' and ability to manage my life as well as I would've without it. If you're a young person who hasn't reached their full potential I think there is certainly much to gain by putting it behind you. Check it out: I've done just about every drug in the book and never been compelled to make it habit the way I have with weed. It's such a useable drug with almost no side effects physically. I can speak from experience that I am psychologically addicted to the point where I find myself buying weed even if the day before I really didn't want to do it. Ultimately, I've enjoyed my 7 years of pot smoking but as they say: Once you get the message, hang up the phone. If this phrase doesn't make any sense to you and you are toking everyday, you just might be in denial.
something doesn't have to be physically addictive to be addictive. People develop addictions to gambling, sex, shopping, and yes, marijuana. Just because there are no physical side effects doesn't mean an addiction can't have a negative effect on your life.
I appreciate the advice. I've actually been clean for 9 months and have been going to AA and recently some MA. I don't know how much time you have but stick with the steps. They work.
LISTEN! I saw my doctor the other day about marijuana and the only reason why this woman became addicted to marijuana so heavily was Becuase of her psychiatric problems. My doctor told me the use of marijuana causes all sort of psychiatric problems for seniors and can open up your brain to become
there is a lot of hostility toward this. marijuana is not physically addictive, but anything can be psychologically addictive. she is NOT saying that weed is bad or that it is responsible for her problems. she's just describing addiction. for her, it was weed, but it could have been anything -- food, sleep, working out, whatever.
Mental addictions like this CAN be cured alone i think. The most important thing is when those "justifications about why it would be OK to smoke" pop into your mind, you must force yourself to think over them again and not fall for them.
I smoke weed regularly, and I can at least respect this woman. Everything she says is more or less true. I know I'm not addicted to marijuana, but she has a point to everything she is saying. Keep an open mind guys.
Really our focus needs to be on minimizing it's use on school age children. Marijuana can cause many problems including learning disabilities on young and still developing brains. We recently legalized Marijuana for recreational use here in Washington State but just like drinking, its illegal if you are under 21. I think that that's the way to go.
This woman has such charisma. I wish i knew her personally. To those who say marijuana isn't additive, well ask anyone who is trying to quit, they probably won't agree. It is certainly a drug,and if it fits into your life, fine. For me, i regret that I've ever touched it. Anyhow, great video!
@Alexus095 I did clarify, you just can't read. I said any pleasurable thing can be addictive (TWICE). I also specified that the only true mental addiction occurs with pleasurable activities, not substances. Any substance that you can get high off of, your brain produces it's own version of that substance. When you abuse that substance, your brain forgets how to produce it for some time (depending on which drug). I love how your entire argument is to misquote me and reduce all my sources to TV.
People who say Cannabis is not addictive are correct. The plant it self is not addictive. It's the person becoming habituated around the usage to self medicate or fill some "void" they are in other words are missing. This creates addiction. Addiction is the problem here, not marijuana. Being able to rid yourself of addiction is where the power lays. Anyone who disagrees with this point is not a long-time smoker, ie. Having marijuana to wake up, go to sleep, eat, and deal with day to day stress.
that is a fair assessment. agreed. this just points to responsible adult consumption being necessary. the same reasons why children/underaged teens shouldn't have alcohol, especially unsupervised.
i am surrounded by pot smokers and have seen that fundamental joy lacking within them. I have seen that fundamental joy often slip from my grasp as i deepened into my usage, thankfully i never lost sight of it because ive never truly become a chronic user because I am more observant of myself (as opposed to the outside world, which i am now beginning to see for what it is) so i have noticed those subtle changes earlier, that other people tend to overlook so i was inherently more cautious.
I smoked for 15 years. Then I asked myself suddenly: What is it like not to smoke? It is really not so hard. The first 3 days are strange but after that it was great fun. After 2 weeks I was high without taking anything. I wish the youngsters out there not to get off it too late. Believe me when I say that time flies away. Peace to all of you.
I have not used for ten years Penelopebaden. The point is the difference between physical and psychological addiction, and there are some complex issues with psychological addiction. People just fail to listen to their own bodies, something our modern society teaches most people to ignore. I believe here in lies the basis for these absurd increases in "addictions".
You could argue that people can have an addiction to good things too like working out or eating healthy foods, what im saying is there is no evidence of any (negative effects) it can have on your life in fact it has several benefits. The fact that there is not a single recorded death of marijuana smoking alone should be enough to show that it never should have been made illegal in the first place while people die everyday because of cigarettes which remain legal.
I've been smoking weed for 30+ years weed is addictive and stopping is like giving up breathing air so stop while your ahead i' m going on 5 days and it has not be easy believe me it's not kool...
I've been smoking everday since I was 17. I'm 22 now and when I tried to quit I got very depressed, paranoid, I had diarrhea for a week, and completely lost my appetite for a while. I didn't believe that MJ was addictive until I LIVED through the withdrawals.
I smoke cigarettes and marijuana. I'm quitting both to join the military. My nicotine withdrawls feel physical while my weed withdrawls are psychological.
Yes, that is true. People often use the word "addiction" when they are referring to compulsions. Caffeine, nicotine, heroine are addictive - meaning that your body becomes dependent on it, while pot, sex, gambling, etc are compulsions -- in that they form very strong habits that are hard to break.
Everyone is different, for alot of people it's mentally addictive. You can not speak for everyone's personal life. Some people cannot stop smoking weed and are truly addicted.
Yes, it is psychoactive and thus it has spiritual effects.It tends to bend all human inputs, like hearing, and viewing things around you.Often used to inspire an artist etc.
I'm addicted to smoking weed. I smoke it pretty regularly several times a day. I use to smoke cigarettes and got breathless walking up the stairs in my house. since i quit the tobacco 5 years ago my pot smoking increased. I no longer get out of breath from walking. In fact I have become a long distance cyclist can power cycle 50K+ at a time after smoking weed all day. Ive been smoking weed for over 17 years and i can say from personal experience marijuana has very minimal health effects.
kudos to ur recovery man, people like u inspire me. im still trying to quit completely. i realized that it all or nothing. theres no real middle ground. i smoke like once a week or once every 2 weeks and sometimes i just end up binging 4 like 2 or 3 days, then i feel empty and terrible and ashamed then the brightness starts to seep into me again and i feel on top of th eworld, soo much so that I fool myself into celebrating or into thinking yea i have it under control until poof square one
although i wasn't a heavy smoker i'm a true believer that "you don't have to throw yourself in the fire to feel the intensity of the flames... you only need stand near it to get a sense of its heat, and peer at the charred skins of those escaping from it" (i've been saving that one lol). and i wish we all could find peace in sobriety orrrr MODERATION.
@Alexus095 I didn't say it was different from a simple pleasure. Marijuana is a drug. It can be harmful and can be addicting when abused. If you can moderate your usage, more power to you. Just because you haven't experience addiction doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I didn't say that many people didn't experience what you experienced. You seem to think if you smoked it and you didn't get addicted it's not addicting. Just like any drug, you have to abuse it before addiction can occur.
become susceptible to these problems especially if you've had these problems as a kid. He said iot causes problems like this when you get older. You don't have to worry about somewhat she went through unless you have psychiatric disorders
Its also irrational to say mental addiction is weaker and less harmful then physical. There are mental addictions that are so strong its nearly impossible to destroy them. Not weed of course, but think of sex, gamble addiction, or the addiction of serial killers to kill. And these can take a persons life apart just as good old heroin.
It is addictive everything that creates pleasure can become addictive and I’m very addicted to weed for a whole year I been working with doctors to be able to quit I’m sick from it very sick and I can’t seem to let go of it I think it becomes more addictive when you been through horrible things in life and then you find the thing that numbs you down
honestly i think both are you are partially right... you're debates are so polarized when rarely anything in this world is black and white... yin and yang... white and black AND white in black and black in white. For certain people marijuana can be a serious crutch to daily functioning, mood,motivation, and general enjoyment of life for others who already experience these deficits NATURALLY or are suffering from some serious medical condition eg cluster headaches,sclerosis it is a life enhancer
marijuana withdrawal sucks, you feel paranoid, your appetite is fucked, your blood sugar levels are screwed up and all you can do is allow your body to rewire itself. Look up the hypothalamus and understand that marijuana has a significant impact on it. The first week I had heart palpitations, no worse than the palpitations I was experiencing the final few weeks of my pot use. I was somehow 'blessed' in the sense my body started having a very negative reaction to weed and I started freaking out
@11Frodo11 Do I sacrifice anything to smoke pot? do I gain anything with pot? Do I sacrifice anything to watch tv? do I gain anything with tv? Do I sacrifice anything to sing? do I gain anything with singing? Do I sacrifice anything to dance? do I gain anything with dancing? Everyone's opinion is bound to be subjective. So why do we still think that our own decisions are beyond any doubt?
Thank you very much for this very honest and objective and non-moralistic testimony which has made me realize my dependency problems and made me join a 12 step program which is really like "coming home". G-d bless
@Xrazor4Games93 It is too. You just haven't looked it up. We have cannabinoid receptors and they function in the same ways opioid receptors do. They produce chemicals which regulate our systems. When you abuse either of the drugs, the respective receptors stop producing the chemicals because you are already ingesting them and your body is smart enough to know you don't need a double dose. Marijuana withdrawal includes: insomnia, night sweats, irritability and decrease appetite.
@NormanMatchem ..insane risks. I brought up prozac as an example because one of the common side effects is suicidal thoughts. Every person I've met with bipolar disorder, depression, dysthymia, etc. who was on some prescription either weened themselves off of those drugs, had a psychotic episode, or used marijuana as a substitute and are now much happier(I'm not being literal here, so please nobody on the interwebs quote this as fact). Cheers, and keep spreading the good word!
"addiction". It's a fairly simple stuff that you once heard and now parroting. What you refuse to understand (since it actually requires thinking and not just parroting) is that some substances (like tobacco or opiates) cause superintense craving and suffering (withdrawals) upon ceasation, while others like pot don't cause them at all, even if you use them every day. That's my experience and the experience of countless users. It means
It is hillarious how people confuse a "hobby" with "addiction". Smoking Marijuana is a "Hobby" but is FAR from a "addiction". It is in the same category as playing video games or collecting beanie babies...clearly those are not addictions..those are hobbies. Your not out robbing and stealing for Marijuana, your not going thru detox for Marijuana. People generally get bored and decide to go to rehab to make people feel sorry for them and for a time the rehab itself becomes their NEW hobby.
Dont lose yourselves in a war of words by getting caught up and lost in phrases and words that obviously mean different things to different people. Habit forming and addictive may just be the same thing.If it works for you,keep em rolling.
Sorry but had to split response below in two, read bottom first of course. I also just had to share one more telling quote from Hippocrates. His writings are quote interesting if one has the time. “It is far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has.” Hippocrates- born approx. 460b.c. died around 370b.c. Incredibly old for the time.
I believe this lady actually smoked but I used everyday for 2 years and stopped because I just wanted to make sure I was not addicted. Now I only use once every other week at most. I was actually promoted to management while I was smoking but now my job is too tough tobe smoking all the time but I had no problem stopping
For me it's just like drinking beer without the hangover in the morning. It all depends on knowing your body and knowing your limits. It might not be for everyone, but I like it, I wanna keep doing it, and I don't believe our government has any right to keep me from smoking it.
in those cases when it is used as a remedy for physical ailments, the good outweighs the bad, most people would agree. if it is discovered to reduce or alleviate psychosis in individuals then it would be good treatment psychologically and again the good would outweigh the bad. but for those PERFECTLY HEALTHY individuals who get caught up in the spiral of marijuana use for one reason or another it seems to me it is just deleterious for them on all levels in the long run.
Right? some people just don't understand. Besides the fact that a lot of the people including those backing bills trying to keep it out of legality status, are using it themselves The reason it is even viewed negatively. The only thing wrong with marijuana is that it is illegal, and it is only illegal initially because of it being a replacement for paper and was cutting into some -
I don't know what you mean by "your body overloads and rejects it" considering it's a non toxic substance. These symptoms could easily be the result of it being illegal in the first place. Of course users will be paranoid from using something they could go to jail for, and for years people have looked down on users so it's natural that they would feel isolated. So ya I will live in my dreamland and you can live in your sheltered world and continue to listen to whatever the government tells you
A well appreciated opinion. " Oh how wonderful! I now have a sense of belonging...Wanted to feel more courage" This sounds terrible, Dear, so sorry! "Afraid to express themselves...I would feel fearless and just speak my mind" GOL-LEE, people speaking their mind is the last thing this world needs "When something wasn't right...I would take a toke and that would give me some semblance of it being right again." Hey pass that stuff over here. Things seem less right after I smoke.
There is a difference between addiction and compulsion. People often use them changeably, but they are different. Marijuana can be compulsive and habit-forming -- like gambling and porn and video games -- but it's not physiologically addictive like caffeine or heroine, where one's body becomes dependent on the chemicals it produces.
I think you're talking more about the difference between physical addiction vs psychological addiction. Marijuana, gambling, porn can all be psychologically addictive.
Hey man I read your posts and I really agree with you, tbh I was mean to him because I am angry at myself for having the beliefs he had for 8 years and wasting my life in the process in a pot clouded daze, I just quit a few months ago and I resent myself for what the time and life I wasted so I was projecting and taking it out on him, but your opinion is awesome and I really appreciate what you say, cheers.
It is these people who are trivializing addiction, assigning the symptoms and thus the term itself to any of a number of activities that may be pleasurable that they cannot control. I believe that these are just indicative of a increasingly wide range of psychosis. I just believe that there are other reasons beside the benign suddenly becoming malignant.
@RickBizzy Our lives couldn't be more identical. I am going through the same process. My eyes nearly watered when you mentioned your son. The guilt i feel when i see my son and i'm stoned is unbearable. The patheticness of dodging him once an hour to sneak in 5 or 6 quick bongs, lying to him and saying "dad needs to do some work" ...the guilt list is endless. Hopefully this time I've quit for good too. Thank you for your comment friend, its inspiring
I AGREE my Boyfriend is heavily addictive. I don't know what to do. He goes CRAZY, cutting himself and crying all day saying he wants to die. He smokes all day everyday stays up all night smoking and doesn't have a Job and is needed it everyday and It's so bad I dont know what to do for him. He does not look for a Job and he doesn't try to cut down. I dont know what to do for him but I'm a mess b/c of it. I dont know what to do for him.:**(
marijuana isn't addictive, YOU make it addictive. You don't get the shakes or puke or show any signs of withdraw. Me i smoke it whenever i get it, i don't have a need to actually go out and look for it extensively or hock things to get the money to support it. Marijuana effects everyone differently. Me i can work, drive, play sports, and work out when i smoke. i tend to do so to put me in a tranquil state so i can extend my time on jogging. it just puts your mind at ease and nerves to rest.
It´s not quite the same because marijuana doens´t affect the jackpot center of the brain like heroin and all these other addicting drugs. I remember seing this in some documentary, cant remember for sure what that guy explained.
It’s immaculate conception only the creator can do that and so spiritual being as I am having this human being experience creativity in moderation opens up awareness to the cocreator that we all are awaken your own IAMNESS. Only in moderation I agree you go to far can cost you like all things blessings to all in your journey saluting the divinity and all
i believe you answered your own question. if psychosis is an escape from reality and normal functioning and thinking, it kinda makes perfect sense doesn't it?? W/ regards to severe anxiety I know ppl who have quit because smoking worsens the anxiety they feel just going thru day-day life.
yeah and unhappy people tend to get more addicted, to fill the void and/or to sort of punish themselves. I think someone with a stable and happy life won't even get interested in smoking all day everyday.
@CK3890 It´s not scientifically proven that marijuana is physiologically addictive like heroin, it´s two Extremely different drugs and marijuana does not cause any kind of withdrawl symptoms like heroin, tobacco, alchohol(addiction). it can be mentally addictive just like candy and fast food, which means you love it!
@ Thanks- No, I was depressed too. I worked out a lot high but just seem to eat more, negating the benefits. Im feeling alot better. Still have some lows though. Great drumming man.
there are more people who got psygotic from mariuhana whitout using acid this is just a elderly lady who has become self critical and onest over her expiriance you should respect that
great video. i think i have an open mind. i do think pot is good stuff & has lots of mental & body benefits ... no doubt. but it is also an emotional addictive substance. i have been in & out of addiction several time. she's explaining it very well. i still would believe in legalizing it. we will be wiser understand & using it properly.
@Spritepajamabottoms well put.... it's called " arrested development" if you're ever on an alcoholic "unit" hospital setting... very often the "old" drunks act like they're 15 ! anything that keeps you in the "fog" makes it hard to "grow" .
@Xrazor4Games93 I realize that. I've accounted for that. It's because most people don't smoke the amount of marijuana needed to be abusing it. I don't know the weight you have to smoke and how often, but I know that you need to smoke a lot more weed a lot more often to get addicted than you do heroin or other drugs. Again, I'm not saying that weed is as addicting as heroin, I'm saying the scientific theory on why heroin and other drugs are addicting is the same theory applied to weed.
This sounds like my brain. Its just that its impossible for me to curse this plant as no matter how much i use it or have to spend i never feel like its an enemy, it always saves me from wanting to die, and i have a hard time hating that. Anger usually is the biggest motivator for me and i cant get angry about this. Im angry at being trapped as a human in a retarted universe and marijuana is a warm blanket i can wrap up in and just be alright for a few moments in the day
basically I would toke and my heart would go to 140+ bpm pounding and I would feel like I was seconds away from a heart attack, this created a negative reinforcement loop that actually made me phobic of toking again. So I essentially had no psychological craving and just had to deal with the ABSOLUTE SHIT feeling I would have 2/3 of the day. I had crazy dreams, a resting heart rate of 96 at times (marijuana made me paranoid about my heart, I wore a HR monitor all the time) no appitite and
So what that it's addicting? So is coffee, internet, and many things. What is so bad about isolating? I work all day with the public. What is bad about sitting alone at home or going for a run or bike ride alone.
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because I wasnt a heavy smoker i never really experienced those serious withdrawal symptoms but I would just feel like a zombie the next day if I smoked heavy. i would get through the day feeling absolutely nothing; that and the cognitive deficits and small memory lapses just pissed me off. when i was smoking potent shit i would imagine my heart beating out of my chest; not fast but strongly like a war drum. really i was just hyper aware of my body but it terrified me... on multiple occasions
@diamondsays Thats just the way it goes. Change is nothing anyone should blame you for ! In any way it always makes sense for the one who changes. Otherwise he would not change. Change is a way to solve a conflict between the one you are and the one you want to be. Drugs can trigger such a conflict, but they are not the root of it. A lot of people underestimate the power of the unconscious. Its easier to blame a substance than accepting the self-estrangement anyone is forced to in daily life.
@shovelthumbs78 I don't like to say this, but you can't blame weed for anything that went wrong in your life. You have your own responsibility and as long as you don't accept this you will always find an excuse for your own faults. An addiciton is no picnic, but as long as it is not physically, its just a question of making yourself aware of your priorities. Not the use or abandonment of any substances, but the reflection of your own life makes you capable of making your own decisions.
I believe everyone that smokes weed should listen to this lady. She said everything, all true!
"You won't get headaches or fly into a rage or lay shivering in sweats on the floor because you don't have it."
after 20 years of serious smokin YOU WILL!!!
Marijuana is definitely physically addictive. When I tried to stop, it was just like stopping tobacco. I didn't believe it at first, but after the 5th time trying to quit weed, I realized 'these are classic withdraw symptoms. Punishing insomnia, mind ripping anxiety, black suicidal depression, and not eating for 4 or 5 days. Totally exhausted too. Finally got tired of the hellish withdraw process and quit for good. It was absolute hell.
I found a cure for my marijuana addiction & it is this video. Thanks!!
she described weed addiction to the core.
59 yr old man who went through all the things you spoke about. Thanks for your help.
feel bad after doing it and it affects me negatively and i have similar signs of addiction (not all). going thru this really humbles a person...
Of course people who smoke weed are going to say it's not addictive. It is a drug.
Just like people who get headaches if they don't drink coffee. It's not a drug... It's coffee.
also this video is not complete bs.... this is a REAL experience from someone who LOVED the herb. you can tell she truly did just by the way she described being high... she couldn't stop because it was so "delightful". if you respect the herb enough you will find a way for it to be a PART of your life, not to BE your life. everything in moderation. RESPECT THE HERB
best quote and so true..."whether they know it or not, they are looking for something out of the ordinary".
I started smoking when this video was released. I laughed at it as I was a senior in high school. 11 years later I have spent well over $150,000 on weed every day it’s harder for me to see a reason to get up and try. I hope to someday be were this lady is in her recovery.
Weed affects me differently than other people. Once I get high, I will do anything to stay high. When I come down I get depressed and really anxious. I can stop smoking for a few days once it becomes impossible for me to get high and can hardly take a hit without coughing. Once I know my tolerance is down enough to get high again, I can't make myself stay stopped. When I smoke weed I will steal from anyone for my next bag. I will ignore my problems and let them grow to an unmanageable level
marijuana is a double edged sword. it's useful & give great insights into life but then before you know you get mentally hooked ... at least some people like me do. fortunately it's easy to get out too by yourself. thats why i have been in & out of addiction for at least 5 times in last 20 yrs. i'm just coming out of addiction. i have started drinking alcohol (not addictive for me) to beat the pot craving. i still plan to consume it once & only once a week.
I think 12-step programs really can make a stoner feel like they're in the wrong place. Fact is that it isn't gonna fuck up your life, kill you or land you in jail.. I'm sorry but unless you are mentally unstable that isn't going to happen.
That said regular weed smoking certainly has taken away my 'edge' and ability to manage my life as well as I would've without it. If you're a young person who hasn't reached their full potential I think there is certainly much to gain by putting it behind you.
Check it out: I've done just about every drug in the book and never been compelled to make it habit the way I have with weed. It's such a useable drug with almost no side effects physically. I can speak from experience that I am psychologically addicted to the point where I find myself buying weed even if the day before I really didn't want to do it.
Ultimately, I've enjoyed my 7 years of pot smoking but as they say: Once you get the message, hang up the phone. If this phrase doesn't make any sense to you and you are toking everyday, you just might be in denial.
Thank you so much for posting!! This encouragement is so valuable.
something doesn't have to be physically addictive to be addictive. People develop addictions to gambling, sex, shopping, and yes, marijuana. Just because there are no physical side effects doesn't mean an addiction can't have a negative effect on your life.
im addicted to working out,WTF DO I DO?!! PLEASE HELP!!!!
i love this video. it's helping me kick my own 420 addiction. thanks!!
marijuana is beneficial to body & mind but one can get addicted to it. i have been in & out of addiction several times. she's explaining it very well.
I appreciate the advice. I've actually been clean for 9 months and have been going to AA and recently some MA. I don't know how much time you have but stick with the steps. They work.
How r u feeling now? I'm 8 months sober and I'm still not feeling good😢
LISTEN! I saw my doctor the other day about marijuana and the only reason why this woman became addicted to marijuana so heavily was Becuase of her psychiatric problems. My doctor told me the use of marijuana causes all sort of psychiatric problems for seniors and can open up your brain to become
there is a lot of hostility toward this. marijuana is not physically addictive, but anything can be psychologically addictive. she is NOT saying that weed is bad or that it is responsible for her problems. she's just describing addiction. for her, it was weed, but it could have been anything -- food, sleep, working out, whatever.
Mental addictions like this CAN be cured alone i think. The most important thing is when those "justifications about why it would be OK to smoke" pop into your mind, you must force yourself to think over them again and not fall for them.
I smoke weed regularly, and I can at least respect this woman. Everything she says is more or less true. I know I'm not addicted to marijuana, but she has a point to everything she is saying. Keep an open mind guys.
Really our focus needs to be on minimizing it's use on school age children. Marijuana can cause many problems including learning disabilities on young and still developing brains. We recently legalized Marijuana for recreational use here in Washington State but just like drinking, its illegal if you are under 21. I think that that's the way to go.
This woman has such charisma. I wish i knew her personally. To those who say marijuana isn't additive, well ask anyone who is trying to quit, they probably won't agree. It is certainly a drug,and if it fits into your life, fine. For me, i regret that I've ever touched it. Anyhow, great video!
@Alexus095 I did clarify, you just can't read. I said any pleasurable thing can be addictive (TWICE). I also specified that the only true mental addiction occurs with pleasurable activities, not substances. Any substance that you can get high off of, your brain produces it's own version of that substance. When you abuse that substance, your brain forgets how to produce it for some time (depending on which drug).
I love how your entire argument is to misquote me and reduce all my sources to TV.
People who say Cannabis is not addictive are correct. The plant it self is not addictive. It's the person becoming habituated around the usage to self medicate or fill some "void" they are in other words are missing. This creates addiction. Addiction is the problem here, not marijuana. Being able to rid yourself of addiction is where the power lays. Anyone who disagrees with this point is not a long-time smoker, ie. Having marijuana to wake up, go to sleep, eat, and deal with day to day stress.
+Brandon Carlson ie ; guns dont kill , people do
+Brandon Carlson that means marijuana is addictive you fool
that is a fair assessment. agreed. this just points to responsible adult consumption being necessary. the same reasons why children/underaged teens shouldn't have alcohol, especially unsupervised.
i am surrounded by pot smokers and have seen that fundamental joy lacking within them. I have seen that fundamental joy often slip from my grasp as i deepened into my usage, thankfully i never lost sight of it because ive never truly become a chronic user because I am more observant of myself (as opposed to the outside world, which i am now beginning to see for what it is) so i have noticed those subtle changes earlier, that other people tend to overlook so i was inherently more cautious.
Bravo! Nice to spend time with you this morning. :)
It's less addictive than caffeine. Some people are addicted to junk food too. It doesn't mean fast food should be outlawed.
I smoked for 15 years. Then I asked myself suddenly: What is it like not to smoke? It is really not so hard. The first 3 days are strange but after that it was great fun. After 2 weeks I was high without taking anything. I wish the youngsters out there not to get off it too late. Believe me when I say that time flies away. Peace to all of you.
I have not used for ten years Penelopebaden. The point is the difference between physical and psychological addiction, and there are some complex issues with psychological addiction. People just fail to listen to their own bodies, something our modern society teaches most people to ignore. I believe here in lies the basis for these absurd increases in "addictions".
Totally accurate, nothing is more psychologically addictive than marijuana to the wrong person - and I have the scars to prove it.
You could argue that people can have an addiction to good things too like working out or eating healthy foods, what im saying is there is no evidence of any (negative effects) it can have on your life in fact it has several benefits. The fact that there is not a single recorded death of marijuana smoking alone should be enough to show that it never should have been made illegal in the first place while people die everyday because of cigarettes which remain legal.
Thank you Andrea. You are one of the few people willing to talk about MJ dependency. I appreciate your candor!
as a smoker myself let me say this : psychosis after one time is impossible...
I've been smoking weed for 30+ years weed is addictive and stopping is like giving up breathing air so stop while your ahead i' m going on 5 days and it has not be easy believe me it's not kool...
I've been smoking everday since I was 17. I'm 22 now and when I tried to quit I got very depressed, paranoid, I had diarrhea for a week, and completely lost my appetite for a while. I didn't believe that MJ was addictive until I LIVED through the withdrawals.
I smoke cigarettes and marijuana. I'm quitting both to join the military. My nicotine withdrawls feel physical while my weed withdrawls are psychological.
Yes, that is true. People often use the word "addiction" when they are referring to compulsions. Caffeine, nicotine, heroine are addictive - meaning that your body becomes dependent on it, while pot, sex, gambling, etc are compulsions -- in that they form very strong habits that are hard to break.
Thank you. I needed hear this
On day 1 not smoking. Been doing ma for few days.
Everyone is different, for alot of people it's mentally addictive. You can not speak for everyone's personal life. Some people cannot stop smoking weed and are truly addicted.
Yes, it is psychoactive and thus it has spiritual effects.It tends to bend all human inputs, like hearing, and viewing things around you.Often used to inspire an artist etc.
very honest & accurate description of the nature of marijuana addiction.
I'm addicted to smoking weed. I smoke it pretty regularly several times a day. I use to smoke cigarettes and got breathless walking up the stairs in my house. since i quit the tobacco 5 years ago my pot smoking increased. I no longer get out of breath from walking. In fact I have become a long distance cyclist can power cycle 50K+ at a time after smoking weed all day. Ive been smoking weed for over 17 years and i can say from personal experience marijuana has very minimal health effects.
No, it isn't a joke. And good on you for quitting. You are the paragon of a perfect human being. *Applause*
kudos to ur recovery man, people like u inspire me. im still trying to quit completely. i realized that it all or nothing. theres no real middle ground. i smoke like once a week or once every 2 weeks and sometimes i just end up binging 4 like 2 or 3 days, then i feel empty and terrible and ashamed then the brightness starts to seep into me again and i feel on top of th eworld, soo much so that I fool myself into celebrating or into thinking yea i have it under control until poof square one
although i wasn't a heavy smoker i'm a true believer that "you don't have to throw yourself in the fire to feel the intensity of the flames... you only need stand near it to get a sense of its heat, and peer at the charred skins of those escaping from it" (i've been saving that one lol). and i wish we all could find peace in sobriety orrrr MODERATION.
@Alexus095 I didn't say it was different from a simple pleasure. Marijuana is a drug. It can be harmful and can be addicting when abused. If you can moderate your usage, more power to you. Just because you haven't experience addiction doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. I didn't say that many people didn't experience what you experienced. You seem to think if you smoked it and you didn't get addicted it's not addicting. Just like any drug, you have to abuse it before addiction can occur.
become susceptible to these problems especially if you've had these problems as a kid. He said iot causes problems like this when you get older. You don't have to worry about somewhat she went through unless you have psychiatric disorders
Its also irrational to say mental addiction is weaker and less harmful then physical. There are mental addictions that are so strong its nearly impossible to destroy them. Not weed of course, but think of sex, gamble addiction, or the addiction of serial killers to kill. And these can take a persons life apart just as good old heroin.
for the ppl who say its not addictive how much do you smoke? I smoke and i disagree its not addictive. If you smoke everyday then its addictive.
It is addictive everything that creates pleasure can become addictive and I’m very addicted to weed for a whole year I been working with doctors to be able to quit I’m sick from it very sick and I can’t seem to let go of it
I think it becomes more addictive when you been through horrible things in life and then you find the thing that numbs you down
honestly i think both are you are partially right... you're debates are so polarized when rarely anything in this world is black and white... yin and yang... white and black AND white in black and black in white. For certain people marijuana can be a serious crutch to daily functioning, mood,motivation, and general enjoyment of life for others who already experience these deficits NATURALLY or are suffering from some serious medical condition eg cluster headaches,sclerosis it is a life enhancer
marijuana withdrawal sucks, you feel paranoid, your appetite is fucked, your blood sugar levels are screwed up and all you can do is allow your body to rewire itself. Look up the hypothalamus and understand that marijuana has a significant impact on it. The first week I had heart palpitations, no worse than the palpitations I was experiencing the final few weeks of my pot use. I was somehow 'blessed' in the sense my body started having a very negative reaction to weed and I started freaking out
@11Frodo11
Do I sacrifice anything to smoke pot? do I gain anything with pot?
Do I sacrifice anything to watch tv? do I gain anything with tv?
Do I sacrifice anything to sing? do I gain anything with singing?
Do I sacrifice anything to dance? do I gain anything with dancing?
Everyone's opinion is bound to be subjective. So why do we still think that our own decisions are beyond any doubt?
Thank you very much for this very honest and objective and non-moralistic testimony which has made me realize my dependency problems and made me join a 12 step program which is really like "coming home". G-d bless
@Xrazor4Games93 It is too. You just haven't looked it up. We have cannabinoid receptors and they function in the same ways opioid receptors do. They produce chemicals which regulate our systems. When you abuse either of the drugs, the respective receptors stop producing the chemicals because you are already ingesting them and your body is smart enough to know you don't need a double dose.
Marijuana withdrawal includes: insomnia, night sweats, irritability and decrease appetite.
this video is awesome because its honest. not some bs public service announcement with Mr.T in it.
Thank you. I am 5 days without pot after years of using. I decided to quit because of gaining too much weight from munchies.
@NormanMatchem ..insane risks. I brought up prozac as an example because one of the common side effects is suicidal thoughts. Every person I've met with bipolar disorder, depression, dysthymia, etc. who was on some prescription either weened themselves off of those drugs, had a psychotic episode, or used marijuana as a substitute and are now much happier(I'm not being literal here, so please nobody on the interwebs quote this as fact).
Cheers, and keep spreading the good word!
"addiction". It's a fairly simple stuff that you once heard and now parroting. What you refuse to understand (since it actually requires thinking and not just parroting) is that some substances (like tobacco or opiates) cause superintense craving and suffering (withdrawals) upon ceasation, while others like pot don't cause them at all, even if you use them every day. That's my experience and the experience of countless users. It means
It is hillarious how people confuse a "hobby" with "addiction". Smoking Marijuana is a "Hobby" but is FAR from a "addiction". It is in the same category as playing video games or collecting beanie babies...clearly those are not addictions..those are hobbies. Your not out robbing and stealing for Marijuana, your not going thru detox for Marijuana. People generally get bored and decide to go to rehab to make people feel sorry for them and for a time the rehab itself becomes their NEW hobby.
Dont lose yourselves in a war of words by getting caught up and lost in phrases and words that obviously mean different things to different people. Habit forming and addictive may just be the same thing.If it works for you,keep em rolling.
Sorry but had to split response below in two, read bottom first of course. I also just had to share one more telling quote from Hippocrates. His writings are quote interesting if one has the time.
“It is far more important to know what person the disease has than what disease the person has.”
Hippocrates- born approx. 460b.c. died around 370b.c. Incredibly old for the time.
I believe this lady actually smoked but I used everyday for 2 years and stopped because I just wanted to make sure I was not addicted. Now I only use once every other week at most. I was actually promoted to management while I was smoking but now my job is too tough tobe smoking all the time but I had no problem stopping
coffee isn't a drug the cafienne in it is , but anything in life can be an addiction if you let it be.
For me it's just like drinking beer without the hangover in the morning. It all depends on knowing your body and knowing your limits. It might not be for everyone, but I like it, I wanna keep doing it, and I don't believe our government has any right to keep me from smoking it.
in those cases when it is used as a remedy for physical ailments, the good outweighs the bad, most people would agree. if it is discovered to reduce or alleviate psychosis in individuals then it would be good treatment psychologically and again the good would outweigh the bad. but for those PERFECTLY HEALTHY individuals who get caught up in the spiral of marijuana use for one reason or another it seems to me it is just deleterious for them on all levels in the long run.
Right? some people just don't understand. Besides the fact that a lot of the people including those backing bills trying to keep it out of legality status, are using it themselves The reason it is even viewed negatively. The only thing wrong with marijuana is that it is illegal, and it is only illegal initially because of it being a replacement for paper and was cutting into some -
I don't know what you mean by "your body overloads and rejects it" considering it's a non toxic substance. These symptoms could easily be the result of it being illegal in the first place. Of course users will be paranoid from using something they could go to jail for, and for years people have looked down on users so it's natural that they would feel isolated. So ya I will live in my dreamland and you can live in your sheltered world and continue to listen to whatever the government tells you
A well appreciated opinion.
" Oh how wonderful! I now have a sense of belonging...Wanted to feel more courage" This sounds terrible, Dear, so sorry!
"Afraid to express themselves...I would feel fearless and just speak my mind"
GOL-LEE, people speaking their mind is the last thing this world needs
"When something wasn't right...I would take a toke and that would give me some semblance of it being right again." Hey pass that stuff over here. Things seem less right after I smoke.
There is a difference between addiction and compulsion. People often use them changeably, but they are different. Marijuana can be compulsive and habit-forming -- like gambling and porn and video games -- but it's not physiologically addictive like caffeine or heroine, where one's body becomes dependent on the chemicals it produces.
I think you're talking more about the difference between physical addiction vs psychological addiction. Marijuana, gambling, porn can all be psychologically addictive.
Hey man I read your posts and I really agree with you, tbh I was mean to him because I am angry at myself for having the beliefs he had for 8 years and wasting my life in the process in a pot clouded daze, I just quit a few months ago and I resent myself for what the time and life I wasted so I was projecting and taking it out on him, but your opinion is awesome and I really appreciate what you say, cheers.
It is these people who are trivializing addiction, assigning the symptoms and thus the term itself to any of a number of activities that may be pleasurable that they cannot control. I believe that these are just indicative of a increasingly wide range of psychosis. I just believe that there are other reasons beside the benign suddenly becoming malignant.
@RickBizzy Our lives couldn't be more identical. I am going through the same process. My eyes nearly watered when you mentioned your son. The guilt i feel when i see my son and i'm stoned is unbearable. The patheticness of dodging him once an hour to sneak in 5 or 6 quick bongs, lying to him and saying "dad needs to do some work" ...the guilt list is endless. Hopefully this time I've quit for good too. Thank you for your comment friend, its inspiring
definitely, that kind of behavior has been a problem for a very long time. trying to find an escape or a filler for depression or anxiety.
I AGREE my Boyfriend is heavily addictive. I don't know what to do. He goes CRAZY, cutting himself and crying all day saying he wants to die. He smokes all day everyday stays up all night smoking and doesn't have a Job and is needed it everyday and It's so bad I dont know what to do for him. He does not look for a Job and he doesn't try to cut down. I dont know what to do for him but I'm a mess b/c of it. I dont know what to do for him.:**(
marijuana isn't addictive, YOU make it addictive. You don't get the shakes or puke or show any signs of withdraw. Me i smoke it whenever i get it, i don't have a need to actually go out and look for it extensively or hock things to get the money to support it. Marijuana effects everyone differently. Me i can work, drive, play sports, and work out when i smoke. i tend to do so to put me in a tranquil state so i can extend my time on jogging. it just puts your mind at ease and nerves to rest.
It´s not quite the same because marijuana doens´t affect the jackpot center of the brain like heroin and all these other addicting drugs. I remember seing this in some documentary, cant remember for sure what that guy explained.
It’s immaculate conception only the creator can do that and so spiritual being as I am having this human being experience creativity in moderation opens up awareness to the cocreator that we all are awaken your own IAMNESS. Only in moderation I agree you go to far can cost you like all things blessings to all in your journey saluting the divinity and all
i believe you answered your own question. if psychosis is an escape from reality and normal functioning and thinking, it kinda makes perfect sense doesn't it?? W/ regards to severe anxiety I know ppl who have quit because smoking worsens the anxiety they feel just going thru day-day life.
You sound overly angry at someone, I'm assuming, you don't know. I find that really strange. Note, i said "overly".
yeah and unhappy people tend to get more addicted, to fill the void and/or to sort of punish themselves. I think someone with a stable and happy life won't even get interested in smoking all day everyday.
@CK3890 It´s not scientifically proven that marijuana is physiologically addictive like heroin, it´s two Extremely different drugs and marijuana does not cause any kind of withdrawl symptoms like heroin, tobacco, alchohol(addiction).
it can be mentally addictive just like candy and fast food, which means you love it!
@ Thanks- No, I was depressed too. I worked out a lot high but just seem to eat more, negating the benefits. Im feeling alot better. Still have some lows though. Great drumming man.
there are more people who got psygotic from mariuhana whitout using acid this is just a elderly lady who has become self critical and onest over her expiriance you should respect that
great video. i think i have an open mind. i do think pot is good stuff & has lots of mental & body benefits ... no doubt. but it is also an emotional addictive substance. i have been in & out of addiction several time. she's explaining it very well. i still would believe in legalizing it. we will be wiser understand & using it properly.
@hurtinkids - the problem with people who have an addiction is that they often have no clue they are addicted...
now that I can agree with. But you could have said that in a way that didn't trivialize psychological addictions.
Amazing video, thank you for the good work.
@Spritepajamabottoms well put.... it's called " arrested development" if you're ever on an alcoholic "unit" hospital setting... very often the "old" drunks act like they're 15 ! anything that keeps you in the "fog" makes it hard to "grow" .
@Xrazor4Games93 I realize that. I've accounted for that. It's because most people don't smoke the amount of marijuana needed to be abusing it. I don't know the weight you have to smoke and how often, but I know that you need to smoke a lot more weed a lot more often to get addicted than you do heroin or other drugs.
Again, I'm not saying that weed is as addicting as heroin, I'm saying the scientific theory on why heroin and other drugs are addicting is the same theory applied to weed.
This sounds like my brain. Its just that its impossible for me to curse this plant as no matter how much i use it or have to spend i never feel like its an enemy, it always saves me from wanting to die, and i have a hard time hating that. Anger usually is the biggest motivator for me and i cant get angry about this. Im angry at being trapped as a human in a retarted universe and marijuana is a warm blanket i can wrap up in and just be alright for a few moments in the day
basically I would toke and my heart would go to 140+ bpm pounding and I would feel like I was seconds away from a heart attack, this created a negative reinforcement loop that actually made me phobic of toking again. So I essentially had no psychological craving and just had to deal with the ABSOLUTE SHIT feeling I would have 2/3 of the day. I had crazy dreams, a resting heart rate of 96 at times (marijuana made me paranoid about my heart, I wore a HR monitor all the time) no appitite and
So what that it's addicting? So is coffee, internet, and many things. What is so bad about isolating? I work all day with the public. What is bad about sitting alone at home or going for a run or bike ride alone.
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because I wasnt a heavy smoker i never really experienced those serious withdrawal symptoms but I would just feel like a zombie the next day if I smoked heavy. i would get through the day feeling absolutely nothing; that and the cognitive deficits and small memory lapses just pissed me off. when i was smoking potent shit i would imagine my heart beating out of my chest; not fast but strongly like a war drum. really i was just hyper aware of my body but it terrified me... on multiple occasions
shes amazing. thank you Andrea. thank you Mel.
@diamondsays
Thats just the way it goes. Change is nothing anyone should blame you for ! In any way it always makes sense for the one who changes. Otherwise he would not change.
Change is a way to solve a conflict between the one you are and the one you want to be. Drugs can trigger such a conflict, but they are not the root of it.
A lot of people underestimate the power of the unconscious. Its easier to blame a substance than accepting the self-estrangement anyone is forced to in daily life.
@shovelthumbs78
I don't like to say this, but you can't blame weed for anything that went wrong in your life. You have your own responsibility and as long as you don't accept this you will always find an excuse for your own faults.
An addiciton is no picnic, but as long as it is not physically, its just a question of making yourself aware of your priorities. Not the use or abandonment of any substances, but the reflection of your own life makes you capable of making your own decisions.