08-21-2016, 06:59 PM
(08-21-2016, 04:53 PM)Sickologist Wrote: Yes, nicotine by itself isn't very hard to overcome. That's what I've been leaning towards during this whole discussion. Smoking cigarettes however, is fickle. Social aspects like you said, have great impact. And there has to be an evil genius in the tobacco industry who has managed to tweak the formula in ways that make them absolutely addictive.
I started smoking as a form of rebellion. When you twist and turn it, stir it around a few times, we can come to the conclusion that it was rooted in insecurity. Today, I'm just an addict.
Regarding marijuana, I have never heard of a person able to achieve that state without smoking or ingesting it. I'm not saying it's impossible, but I find that highly unlikely.
There are so many misconceptions about weed it makes me relectant to talk about it. But, legalization is so important that the cause is greater than I.
Not everybody smokes weed to hide from something or use it to kill some imaginary pain. Allthough studies have shown that it can be particularly beneficial in treatment of PTSD. That's factual, you can look it up. I'll say most weed smokers are indeed running from something, or they try to fit in. They are also being criminalized which is being glorified by many potential weed smokers. It's also being glorified in pop culture which breeds a certain appeal among the kids these days. Somehow it makes you cool.
Then there are people like me. For thousands of years humans have been smoking weed. Native americans for example, had a symbotic relationship with the plant. They didn't smoke weed out of fear or insecurities. It was more a spiritual ritual to connect with a higher sensitivity. Again, I'm not saying this is the only way. But it's one way and it works.
Smoking weed has made me more reflected, enhanced my creativity in ways that wouldn't be possible otherwise and changed my attitude for the better.
The main issue that surrounds this harmless plant is all the controversy which makes people smoke it for the wrong reasons. It also makes people rally against it for the wrong reasons. Back in the day when weed was banned (can't remember if it was the 20's, 30's or 40's), the propaganda was retarded. They literally claimed if you smoked weed you could die and you would kill babies. Am I full of shit? Some of these ridiculous videos can be found on youtube. Obviously, this social brainwashing has major impact on public opinions regarding weed. Some swallow it without even using a small portion of their frontal lobe capacity, while some....well, they become hippies.
I'm just an observer laughing at this circus they call modern society.
But, back to your point in light of all of this. Yes, absolutely. For a specific type of people, i.e potheads, they have a penchant for addiction. They are useless whether they smoke weed or not, and that's just the reality. They cannot handle the sensory inflood, to them it becomes an overlaod. The reason for this is because they are not living an authentic life. To quote Bob Marley (ironic isn't it) "When smoking the herb, it reveals you to yourself". In other words, that can cause a shutdown which I have personally witnessed many a times. For that reason, I've become extremely selective about who I'll choose to smoke with. I have a problem with potheads and ignorant people in general, they're ruining it for everybody.
But for a self realized person, weed can be beneficial. I'm not saying one has to smoke weed. However, where do most art come from? DRUGS. YES. Great art, at least most of it where made under the influence.
This does not only include weed, but other HARMLESS psychoactive drugs. Let's try to compare Pink Floyd to........hm, let's see.....Christian rock maybe. Sorry, can't be done. I'm no Beatles fan, but a huge part of the population is. They were also stoned out of their minds. Who writes "On a yellow submarine" while sober?
It's the life they don't want you to life. Steve Jobs was tripping hard on LSD and founded Apple. The guy (can't remember his name) who discovered DNA strains also used massive quantities of LSD. Picasso was a drunk. The Romantics were smoking opium to acheive this dream like state that transferred to their writing styles. Einstein abused cocaine (bad, bad, bad), how crazy is that? Paulo Coelho went on a pilgrimage trip were he royally experimented with various psychedelic drugs. He wrote The Alchemist, one of the world leading bestsellers. It's hailed as this reallly profound book, personally I thought it was mediocre at best. But the dude must be proud. .....I could go on and on.
Acheivement often has a price. Life can force you to dig deep at times, certainly true for me. Psychedelics can serve as a "shortcut" in self discovery. To claim this is based in fear or insecurity is ludacris. Infact, one should have a decent level of respect for such compounds and treat them as such. There's a big difference between smoking weed because "all my friends are doing it and they're getting f*cked up so I might as well do the same" and saying "I need to look at this situation from a broader perspective because I'm missing something here".
I'm certain you have solid research to back up your statements. I didn't say you don't know what you're talking about. I can see what has been the basis of your studies, i.e the average person trying to end their tobacco/marijuana addiction. For reasons mentioned above, your reaserch is absolutely sound. However, I'm not exactly an average person that falls into the category of enlightened "involuntary" smokers or those who were conned into thinking marijuana is bad after shaming from family members/peers/social conventions and/or being arrested by the police/suffering financial liabilities/losing their job. Btw, potheads would lose their jobs anyway, their fears/faulty reasons for smoking it only adds to their already existing problems. YES, we can confirm this. Drugs, that means most drugs, attracts a certain type of people. I'm just saying, I'm not one of them. I belong to a different league.
But I appreciate your extensive answer. I'm in the process of eliminating tobacco (I will post in my thread when I've STOPPED, not PAUSED and I'll stand by it). Weed however, that stays by my side. I can handle it. I work a full time job, work out everyday and pretty much follow what interests me. Smoking weed has not caused any negative consequences for me at all. The only thing that worries me is trouble with the law. At least the natural man hunting on the prairie didn't have to worry about that, he could just smoke his peace-pipe out in the open and go about his business.
I'm pro Marijuana legalization. Marijuana helps save lives and reduce pain of terminally ill patients who can't take harsh drugs and are in lots of pain.
I know allot of guys who smoked all day every day and ended up having great careers and it never affected them. It effects everyone a bit differently but for me personally it makes me a worse person in social situations because I get anxiety.
Other then that it's not that harsh of a smoke it damages your lungs but not nearly as much as cigarettes.
