Marijuana

[MichaelJaymz]

Just Wonder If Anyone Could Give Me Any Information or Adice On Quiting Pot, I Myself Know Most Of It But My Girlfreind Wants Some To Know More, And For Sure, She's Having A Hard Time Any Suggestions.

  Thanks.

[10356]

Yep.. Pot is a mental thing.. oh you might feel restless a bit of anxiety a lil fatigue but this quickly passes to be replaced with the mental.. stay away from those who smoke stay strong a few days and you will feel better.. really it boils down to a decision to stop.. Hope this helps.. lesa

[wschoops]

Staying away from others who smoke is the best way to stop smoking.  If it's not there, you won't do it.  There are no special dependencies that marijuana forms in the body.  Addiction to marijuana is purely a mental (not a physical) thing, so there should be little to no repurcussions to stopping "cold turkey".  

[ScotJoanOfArk]

I agree with the above there are no physical dependencies on smoking marijuana only mental and it will only be a few days of feeling a little restless etc as 1036 said. But you must stay away from others who are smoking it. I wish you luck

[mtgoat911]

there is a story in the back of the na basic text called pot head
i am in a rush for time, just google na basic text online and search the chapters
pot is such an overlooked addiction but it can sure make my life unmanageable

[wschoops]

Anecdotal stories (i.e., those found in the appendices of Narcotics Anonymous documents) do not override scientific fact.  Marijuana is (chemically) not a narcotic, therefore it has no physically addictive properties.  Physiologically, you cannot become addicted to marijuana, but psychologically you may feel "addicted".  It's all in your mind and the addiction is your choice.  Make your choice and go with it!  Just be supportive of her, because sometimes psychological addictions can leave you feeling temporarily ucky, too.

[MichaelJaymz]

thanks it helps when someone else puts things in perspective, im bipolar (medicated) and my girlfriend has many similar symtoms and it seems to extend into her family on her fathers side my best guess is she is as well so the intencity of the restlessness and anxiety are very intence, i myself have gone through extencive theapy and psyc wards, every med in the book, 14 years experience dealing with the mental illness so i know how to cope and thus can provide support to my girlfriend, but her only becoming aware of her issues this year, never having theapy and not being medicated, plus drugs and the information,help and advice coming from me (male athority figure) (she's been trained, conditiond like growing up that her father is king of all so no matter how nice i am the help support, advice is taken as a personal attack,  and she gets defencive and defient.

any suggestions on how i could help her through this without her feeling like im an athourity figure, more like a freind, i'v tried just about every different aproach but she immedintly get defencive seems any conversation with a serious like context she reverts to how she was around her father regardless of how nice i am

if thats all to complacated no worries, any advice support info would be great
thanks

[mtgoat911]

the book that i suggested is highly recomended by heatlh care professionals, drug courts, and treatment centers, it mixes medical facts with personal experience, many addicts are like your girlfriend, we do better with our peers, we want you to leave out the medical terms and talk to us on a level we can relate too, many of us have had autoritive figures telling us what we need to do, it was a relief to find a program where people share their experience, strength and hope with us, and leave the dictatorship to others.

Now i do have to comments on this statement """"Marijuana is (chemically) not a narcotic, therefore it has no physically addictive properties.  """"
the information you see about marrijana being a non narcotic is more political than medical,

""Is Marijuana a Narcotic?

Legally speaking, Marijuana is NOT a narcotic.  Marijuana is essentially Cannabis and thus Cannabis
is not a narcotic either.  The definition of the word Narcotic can be a noun or an adjective.  There are
marijuana could be used in speech as being a narcotic, but the word in legal terms would not apply.  
In the federal controlled substances act Marijuana is listed as a non-narcotic.  Cocaine is also NOT a
narcotic.  However, opium and heroin are narcotics."""

so if your story is that you do not believe pot is a narcotic, then you also do not believe cocain is a narcotic


it is addicting, people do go through physical wd from taking this drug
at my job, i spent 1 hour a week talking to new patients about  marrijauna, i go through and read about the long term health risk, i get so many patients telling me that its not addicting and they can still smoke after they are released, the class is really a joke because, like i said before, marijuana addiction is overlooked

your girlfriend is fightign 2 diseases rigth now, the substance addiction and bi-polar symptoms
some doctors believe that patients can develope bi-polar symptoms after using marijuana, do you think your gfriend is self medicating, or do you believe the pot is causing symptoms?

[MichaelJaymz]

for me it brings the symtoms out and she is much like me so best guess its causing the symtoms

[RebelsHubby]

I must disagree, marijuana (which is the lay term for cannabis, to which there are several sub-classifications, including cannabis urbalis that contains very little tetra-hydro canabinol-THC, but is, essentially hemp) is not physically addictive and only mildly psycologically addictive.  Most, if not all of the "scientific" information used by professionals and courts is compiled by the government.  Remember, our govt. has never allowed outside, independent research to be taken as any kind of scientific fact.  No one has ever over-dosed from pot, and pot is not a "gateway" drug, regardless of the govt. info.  The only dangerous aspect of pot is inhaling the smoke and the way around that is to use a vaporizor.  
The best thing to do is to perform your own research of the information on the internet.  There you will find info from both sides.  Just remember, the govt. position is that it is an illegal substance so they would never admit to it having actual medical benefits, which, oh by the way, there are many.
What is the proof that pot causes bi-polar symptoms?  What "some doctors" say?  Where is the scientific proof?  
Marijuana in not a narcotic, legally or any other way.  Every other drug, illegal and legal, fit into some catagory(i.e. narcotic, upper, downer, etc...) while there has never been a substantiated catagory for cannabis.  And your faulty logic putting marijuana and cocaine in the same catagory is absolutely rediculous, and the same as saying red apples are a fruit and because beets are also red they must be a fruit too.
Show me how you can say that cannabis use is a disease?  

As far as quitting cannabis use, you need to eliminate it from your normal routine, do not hang with others that use it, get rid of any pipes, etc, and if she actually wants to quit, she will.  I have done just about every kind of drug there is, shy of using a needle or using meth and have been able to walk away from all but one, hydrocodone, which was documented here and has been 472 days away from narcotic use while still suffering from chronic pain.

MichaelJaymz, as I said before, do your own research on the net, there is a ton of info out there.  Just be sure to get both sides of the story, and remember, the Govt. is a sworn enemy of cannabis.  Anybody here can profess to know all there is to know about a certain subject, you must decide for yourself what is and is not true.  And I am not an expert but have done tons of research on the subject and only encourage you to do the same.  Good luck.

[MichaelJaymz]

k guys next question, her parents, family members, brothers and most her parents freinds (whom vist her parents home) all smoke pot,

   how would that work?

[theeagle]

That would not work out very well.......

[MichaelJaymz]

im sure they would respect her choice to quit but if she craved and gave in they wuldnt say no, the house would reek of it, butts everywhere, blood shot eyes, the simple fact of knowing they just had a puff and know ppl are stoned
plus the drug itself is everywhere, very open in the home about it all...

  msg back please and thanks again.

[MichaelJaymz]

anyones comments would be great
thanks

[wschoops]

the only way to quit is to stay away from it.  if it's there, chances are she'll smoke, but if it's not, then she won't.  i don't know if this is possible (from your earlier explanations), but she could let her family know about her desires and if they really care about her, they won't do it around her any more and will be willing to help her quit.

[mtgoat911]

lets not turn this thread into a topic on pot being a "real" drug, this guy is here to help a loved one, i am sure there are plenty of other forums people can visit to start a topic on government and marrijanna use
so back to the problem so we may find a solution, so michaels girlfriend seems to have exagerated her bi-polar symptoms by chronic use of pot
what can be done?
well, for starters you (michael) can start with some boundaries, tell her you will not be around her doing drugs
you can also help her get away from her family, i have some family memebers that still use, my first year clean, i stayed away from them
she can start going to 12step meetings, na for drug problem, ada or ea for the mental health stuff
she can also start seeing a shrink, and start the evaluation process, the main idea of recovery is to stop using and start working on yourself, why dont you ask her to come to the forum and start a thread, just to see where she is at with all of this

[theeagle]

I agree that it would be nice to know what she desires.....she is ultimately in charge of this decision. From my experience - its going to be hard to keep her family and their friends from using around her........pot is so semi legitimate that its gotten to be a joke. And that will be a huge trigger for her. If she does commit to quiting ...... I feel that you might actually want to get some of that marijuana flavored incense to burn when you know that she cant score. If you cant turn the triggers off - acclimate to them and render them ineffective. Initially I would highly recommend that you arrange a vacation of some sort. Anything. Just get out of the loop for 10=12 days and dont get back in when you come home. And when you get back - limit your visits timewise to her parents at first. Dont put her in temptation for hours on end. Thats a recipe for relapse. And do communicate with her parents that she wishes to take a break and that you need their help to help her with her efforts. Keep posting questions and asking opinions - you might find some good ideas here - - but good luck in your efforts ............

[starfish1963]

It's all mental, if she wants to quit she can....it's her choice to make and not to sound harsh but she doesn't seem ready if she has questions...IMHO for what it's worth...

[mtgoat911]

michael are you also smoking pot?

[MichaelJaymz]

no i myself have quit, and her parents in my opinion would be 50 50 with supporting her, i agree that some solid time away from people who use and her parents would help, she's more in the head space that it'll be forever that she has to be away. were seeing about alot of help on monday like a shrink and drug councleor, the drug councelor would be helpful for myself as well, me and her dont know for sure if she is bi polar but i am and were identical mood wise so its only my best guess, im no doctor though
  her parents are 43 and 50 and are very child like, defines rage agaist athourity, no one talks about problems, they dont face reality, then run from it, alot of the time she just wants to go their to escape, not from me or the relationship but from herself if you know what i mean she has learned ( In My Opinion Am No Doctor ) that you dont take medication not even an advil for a head ache its wrong, you dont talk about problems, suck it up, so where theres inner stress or anything alike inside her she runs to the only place she knows where no one faces anything, her parents

   she has a account on this forum jean313 some of you guys should msg her maybe get something started, she needs someone more than me. i very much agree with her coming on herself
   keep in touch

[MichaelJaymz]

we have been wanting to go to n a meetings for some time but she is worried about age difference and were kinda straped for transportation.

[theeagle]

I believe there are online NA meetings for your situation. No excuses.....try them out. You dont have to keep going back. I think mtgoat is a fine authority on these and she is always read to help someone. You couldnt have anyone better on your side.

And thats what I meant by limiting visiting time with parents for a period as she adjusts.....you must break the connections that have conditioned her to think that coping with life and reality equates to smoking some dope and ignoring everything. .  I still feel that a short break would be a good thing. Remove yourselves from the environment for a week or so and give her time to mentally reset her head......

[mtgoat911]

you mentioned age difference, i am not sure how old you guys are, but there is plenty of young people in na, i started aa when i was 16, na has information pamplets for youth, i also speak to an adolencent unit every other friday night, age is not a reason to aviod treatment