Ok, I am looking for some advice on this. I have started smoking weed for the past 7-8 months. It started a maybe once a week, and now its almost everyday, or every other day. I generally use it to fall asleep because I have trouble sleeping, or if I am bored, or broke & can't go anywhere( which is my situation nowadays). But it has really helped me clear my mind & not worry & to get things done like my schoolwork. I am kind of a worrier and my mind can drift off to things or people who upset me when I am trying to concentrate on what I need to do. THAT seemed to be more of my problem, and it hindered me from getting things done, then my smoking hta tI do now. I kind of do it as a reward to myself when I finish what I have to do for the day. I also work a full time job & I don't let smoking get in the way of that.

My problem is that EVERYBODY around me is in serious ridicule of me for doing it. Its been causing problems with me & my boyfriend because he looks at me as some stoned chick. He constantly tells people that I'm just a weedhead & I never do anything around the house; I just sit in one spot all day & night and smoke. This is not true. I am pursuing my master's while working full time. HE also smokes cigarettes all day & drinks beer every night until he falls asleep. I just don't thnk it is fair. My friends also talk to me like they are giving a public service announcement. It's annoying.

I guess I just think I have found something that works for me and my own mind & personality.

Am I just being silly, or addicted ? I don't think so. I mean isn't something only bad for you if it hinders your progress in life? If it is not ( like drinking), why can't it just be accepted? It just hurts that people are treating me like a crackhead all of a sudden, as if they haven't known me & don't know what I am doing with my life right now.
I am also not at a job where drug tests are given, so I'm not putting myself at risk for that..

I would like some outside opinions if possible. Thanks!

EVERYBODY after you about it, might just be telling you something if you are willing to listen instead of wanting to defend your use of it.

Look at how you are using it... to stem boredom, to help you sleep, etc.. Has it become a crutch? Only you can answer that. Are there other, more healthy ways to deal with those situations? Certainly.

While it has been shown to have its legitimate use in some situations, there is enough evidence to show that it can also be harmful. Not to mention the small matter of it being illegal.

If it causes so much anxiety and concern for those you love, and it isn't a big deal to you, then why not just stop? If you can't, than perhaps it has become an addiction. If you won't, than perhaps you are putting greater importance on your desire for it than on your close relationships. Just something to consider.

Stop using it to go to sleep, and never smoke it to "cheer you up" after something depressing has happened. If you follow those guidelines it is VERY hard to get addicted to marijuana.

As fun as it is to have "high" dreams, it's one of the easiest ways to develop a dependency to marijuana. So stop using it to go to sleep, if you feel like you can't handle that, take a break from it for a few weeks.

Past that I think it's just relationship problems, and that will be up to you, do you really think smoking is part of "who you are" ? If so than you need to do some research, sit down and have a serious discussion with anyone close in your life that has been "judging you" explain that you only use it to relax, and explain the mildness of the drug. Where it goes from there is up to you and them. :)

I'm not sure if I would go so far as to say that it is an addiction but its like when you find something that is sure fire to work when you need it, you want to use it. For me, I'm trying to finish up my grad program, and I'm working a mediocre job because its less stress & I can check my work, or do work online. The job does not pay me a lot though, so at times I get frustrated & bored because I may want to go out to certain places but I can't. Before I started smoking this frustrated me a lot & I was getting depressed. When I was ready to start my work, my mind would wander about what I was missing out on, that I'm broke, etc.
Once I started smoking; early in the day, or before I went to sleep, I just didn't worry about it as much... and I liked it.
So that's why I like it & I hate that the people around me want to talk about me like I'm some strung out addict with nothing going for myself but smoking..
It makes me mad & I don't think it is fair...

I'm not calling you a strung out addict, believe me, I know a whole lot of people that smoke, and they are decent people (I used to smoke, every now and then I will, but it's like once a month).
But if you want MY advice, I would tell you to stay away from smoking when your sad, or smoking to go to bed, it's an easy way to start "needing" it.

I've seen many people that simply can't get to sleep at all without smoking first, and that's not good. :/ If you're making excuses for why you wouldn't want to give it up at night, to me that's a red flag. But what do I know, it's that old inescapable trap:

"Are you an addict"

"No"

"Well, your in denial"

:P

I think you know the answer - you need help to get off the stuff . Wake up and face reality of the real world . How nice it would be to be able to hide behind something - but my kids come first for me so I never would take it !

And I'm sure neither of your children will ever experiment with a drug so deadly and addictive as marijuana, ugh. ^ it's a lot easier to get addicted to gaming or coffee, or a whole lot of things, most of which are still perfectly legal.

Try this, give it up for a week or two, if you can't do that, or make excuses why you can't, then I would say don't smoke anymore.

Any drug is deadly to me . I would rather they were addicted to coffee.

>>>>Once I started smoking; early in the day, or before I went to sleep, I just didn't worry about it as much... and I liked it.
So that's why I like it & I hate that the people around me want to talk about me like I'm some strung out addict with nothing going for myself but smoking..

You're using to mask what you are feeling because it's easier to be somewhat numb to it, and not be bothered by it, then it is to face it, accept it, and deal with it.

You could find other ways to beat the boredom, frustration, sleep difficulties... but of course the choice is yours.

It has now become an almost everyday crutch to get you through the day... the start of your day and the end of your day. Your boyfriend may want to look at his own habit of having beers until he goes to sleep.

Cut your friends and boyfriend some slack... if they didn't care about you, they wouldn't care about what you do.

Do the research yourself... either come up with the goods to support that this is a good choice to your friends or accept that you are relying on it to get you through most of your days. You said yourself it started once in awhile and now it is most days... that should tell you something right there.

As ultimate_user_name suggested... go off it for a couple of weeks and see how you do. Maybe suggest your boyfriend does the same with his beer. What you experience, how you interact with your friends and boyfriend, how you feel during that time, will tell you much.

Any drug is deadly to me . I would rather they were addicted to coffee.

Caffeine is a drug.

All drugs are not deadly. In fact, I would say most drugs, including legal and illegal ones, natural and synthetic, are not deadly unless taken in large amounts.

If they were deadly, most of them would not be considered drugs but toxins. The difference between a drug and a toxin is (1) dose that kills and (2) whether the effects are ever medically useful.

As for weed, I'm no expert, but I think if you are so bored by your job that you need to bring yourself down to the level of the job to get through it, you probably should either look for another job, or find a way to make it tolerable. Can you play music while you work? Can you try to do it in a certain way? Faster? Better? A lot of inventions have started with someone with a boring job looking for a more efficient way to do it.

I don't think your boyfriend is being very nice, but he may have a point.

The smoking is probably bad for your lungs in the way that smoking cigarettes would be. It will increase your risk of lung cancer. I would not want to see someone smoke so regularly, especially if it looked like it was becoming a permanent habit.

Well, that's your opinion, many people base their opinion on drugs nowadays on whether they are "traditional" just about every kid remembers their parents getting up and having coffee, even though it can exacerbate daily stress, stain teeth, give people jitters and shakes, and (with ingestion of caffeine pills) cause death.

The Toxic Effects Of Coffee (http://www.painstudy.com/PainDrugs/p28.htm)

Medical study by duke university, it is legitimate too. That's just about the effects of magnifying stress.

Healthy Nutrition - the Effects of Coffee (http://www.anti-aging-guide.com/41coffee.php#3)

Here's a whole list of negative effects of coffee, some of the studies are questionable though, since the test procedure is not thoroughly provided.

And I could go on to talk about the effects of marijuana, bottom line though, it's pretty harmless, if it were decriminalized, it would be almost totally harmless, because you wouldn't have to associate with criminals to get it.

If you had to buy your coffee beans every week from the same guy that sells crack, there would be some "gateway drug" side effects. And have 80 cups of coffee in a row, and dammit it might kill you. Or a bunch of caffeine pills may be easier.

To overdose on marijuana, you would have to ingest 50 pounds, considerably more depending on your weight.

Any drug is deadly to you? So I guess your one of those people that doesn't even take aspirin, huh? Because if you do, you're taking a pain killer, one that is TOXIC at certain levels. Ever take some cold medicine? Congratulations, you took an AMPHETAMINE.


But hey, ignorance is bliss.


P.S- this took me along time to type, so others posted... but I think you can tell who it's directed at.

Lol.. yes I see what you are saying. I guess I will try to chll for a while. But its true, I do feel it's a pot calling a kettle black with my boyfriend. He smokes cigarettes constantly & drinks either beer or wine every night right before he goes to sleep.

And my use is basically at nighttime during the week & sometimes earlier in the day on weekends. And yes I can get through the day without it, it just won't be as fun... ll

Just kidding... :)

lol..yes I see what you are saying. I guess I will try to chll for a while. But its true, I do feel its a pot calling a kettle black with my bf. He smokes cigarettes constantly & drinks either beer or wine every night right before he goes to sleep.

I totally agree. It IS the pot calling the kettle black. Plus I worry that he's trying to make you feel bad about yourself in a general way. I'm wondering if his motivation is to help or just to point out a weakness. Does he criticize you much?

I've known people like that, they criticize others to mask their own insecurities :/

Yes.. lol he nitpicks a lot, I guess I'm used to it. It annoys the hell out of me, but he has good qualities as well so I guess it evens out. But that s a whole nother' thread.. lol

I think Ive even wrote a few on him alone. Feel free to comment on that one too!. lol

But Im actually up tonight & can't sleep, Ive been tired since 12pm today & it is now 12am & I can't seem to fall asleep. Ive been trying to lay down since 9pm. It's annoying,,

It feels very uncomfortable for a week or so :( just try not to think about it.

If you find you can't sleep, it can sometimes help to get up and do something... watch TV, read a book, do some schoolwork, try some meditation, whatever. I know it makes sense to lie there and try and will it to happen, but that often only makes it worse!
Some people also find some mild exercise a couple of hours before bed helps, the old standards of a warm bath and warm glass of milk helps others, putting on some white noise... ocean waves, soft music, deep breathing exercises, etc. may help. Take a bit of time to debrief your day and plan for the next before you go to bed so that hopefully it is not preoccupying your mind when you are trying to fall asleep.

Exercise thoroughly during the day, make your plans for the next day, a light dinner, a relaxing evening in which you don't worry about not sleeping. :) It's supposed to help. But when you are on the rebound from a drug that's been helping you sleep, sometimes you just have to weather the insomnia for a week or two.

Well... I kind of gave in last night:(

But I will try those ideas. I do find though that light exercise kind of gives me energy, rather than make me sleepy. But I will try some of the other ideas as well. Thank you.

Nononono :/ See, that's why you need to go without it for awhile. Smoking to go to sleep/to cheer you up can become very addicting.

I go running three-four times a week, and those nights I always fall asleep easily, getting good exercise and sweating just feels good, it helps your body function. :)

Is smoking really that bad???Hello Kia:

That's the wrong question. I don't know HOW bad something has to be for YOU, to be "THAT" bad. For some, ANY bad is more than they want. Others look bad in the face, and dare it to bite. I have NO idea what your risk levels are.

Plus, I don't even know HOW you define "bad". Is bad going to jail? I've been to jail over weed. I lived. What about losing your career? A felony conviction just might do that, you know. Is THAT bad? Do you have student loans? You'll lose them. THAT ain't good.

As you can see, there are a lot of bad things that can happen to you if you smoke pot.

No, you won't get addicted, because it's NON addictive. And, you won't die from it. Asking and I have had disagreements in the past about the lethality of marijuana. In fact, it has NEVER killed anybody. It doesn't increase your risk for cancer. In fact, our nurse expert here (who is by NO MEANS a pot head) thinks pot helps people from GETTING lung cancer. She has studies to back her up.

Nonetheless, inhaling smoke into your lungs CAN'T be good for you. It IS a drug. It should NOT be used by children.

That said, and if you're an adult who happens to be one of those who look bad in the face, pot is pretty cool. It's certainly BETTER than cigarettes or alcohol.

excon

I am happy to take back the comment about lung cancer. I admit that I assumed that based on the fact that inhalation of heavy amounts of particulates and the fact that burned proteins (found in plant and animal tissue) tend to be carcinogenic. But I see the UCLA study that didn't find that marijuana increased the risk of lung cancer.

Let me rephrase what I said. Breathing smoke and other particulate matter is never good for your lungs. If the smoke is hot, that is worse.

For example, this kind of thing.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080123104017.htm

If you smoke frequently, use a double-chambered water bong to reduce the hot gases and particulates. (I don't smoke myself.)

Either use a bong or bake it into something I say, pot smoke has A lot of tar in it. Going through water takes out like 95% of it though.

Use a vaporizer that is the cleanest way.

Hello Kia:


Nonetheless, inhaling smoke into your lungs CAN'T be good for you.

We agree on this point.

However, it's perfectly possible to die of lung diseases that are not cancer. A friend of mine died of emphysema, which is not cancer. It is a terrible way to go. Do I know if marijuana increases the risk of emphysema? No.

Anyway, I just searched the internet and was surprised not to find the kind of bong I had in mind. Basically you have two flasks in series and pull the smoke through the water of one 1-liter flask and then through the water of a second 1-liter erlenmeyer flask. The two flasks are joined by tubing, of course. These setups are effective, definitely better than a joint or dry bong.

Suffice it to say to the op, find a healthier way to deal with the issues at hand. Look to the cause(s) of your boredom, sleeplessness, and finances and work towards ways of making changes... even if it will be slow going... set a goal, make a plan, and focus on it. Only then will you have long term results. In the meantime, try the suggestions offered to carry you to that point.

Hope it all works out well for you... :)