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itsafineday
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Location: "...in them thar hills."
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Mood: Feelin groovy
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I quit using cannabis to be a safer chemist.
Sorry if this belongs in detritus. I think it's legit here because as a society our use of cannabis is increasing, for better or worse. There is also
lots of tools and techs from chemistry being adopted for the cannabis industry.
I used it for most of my life (48 now) and damn near perpetually for the past 11 years.
I can say without pause that much of my use was from boredom (despair?).
Learning chemistry and trying to be safe and efficient has really brought to light just how much of an interference my cannabis habit was. I really
want to be good at chem for myself (and I don't want to end up killing my dogs being daft).
I have a difficult time thinking methodically and including all the minutiae required to run an experiment successfully. Cannabis made that much
worse . I would use stopping points to get high (I know BAD!) and end up making mistakes. Considering doing more interesting and dangerous things
made it clear I had to make choices that allowed for more focused and safer work.
Please don't misunderstand me as condeming cannabis use or users. I still think it has some great applications for some folks (but all they hype I
see as tragic). I REALLY miss using it before weight training and doing yogurt (yoga).
I chose complete abstinence because I have not been able to moderate my use in the past.
I am seeking to level up my Chem skills. Corrections welcome! All mentorship in madness appreciated.
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sodium_stearate
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Better Late than Never
Nice to hear your story. It's good to know
that others also observe for themselves how
this drug tends to cloud clear thinking.
Sure, it's great if you want to be high and stoned all
the time.
But if you want your brain to be in good working
order, that stuff really does get in the way.
For a heavy, chronic, long-term user, it will take
many weeks and perhaps a few months before 100%
clear thinking returns.
This of course assumes that the brain in question
is capable of clear thought when it is not drugged.
That is, I have learned, a very large and highly
speculative assumption.
Best of luck being straight. It's kind of boring at
times, but it makes up for that with snap judgment
and correct actions.
[Edited on 19-10-2019 by sodium_stearate]
"Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and it
looks like work" T.A. Edison
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itsafineday
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Thank you very much for the insighful and supportive comments. There is some debate about which came first cannabis use or psychosis but I think I'll
give myself the benefit of the doubt for 6 months. I've been through other forms of withdrawal and this seems to be the longest I've dealt with . I'm
still a crappy chemist (and lazy when it comes to non lab study) but getting better.
I am seeking to level up my Chem skills. Corrections welcome! All mentorship in madness appreciated.
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j_sum1
Administrator
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Cannabinoids are fat-soluble and as such lodge in the brain for en extended time. For heavy use it can take as long as nine months to be clear.
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Praxichys
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Take it from someone who has been a habitual drinker to say that the mental clarity that comes from extended periods of sobriety is revealing if you
think you might have a problem with substance abuse. Physical dependence is only half of addiction. If you're making sacrifices elsewhere in your life
so that you can continue to use something, it has gone from helpful to hurtful. This threshold is insidiously difficult to detect without outside
input--often the voice we trust the most, our own, carries the greatest bias.
I share the opinion that these things should remain available for recreational use. However, I can say from experience that the caution one must
exercise to partake socially goes well beyond acute toxicity. Those who pretend otherwise are stark examples of the black hole that is self
affirmation and its inseparable relationship with addiction.
It is exciting to hear of your progress. I wish you the best of luck!
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itsafineday
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Quote: Originally posted by j_sum1  | | Cannabinoids are fat-soluble and as such lodge in the brain for en extended time. For heavy use it can take as long as nine months to be clear.
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Holy Crap! I guess I'll give it a year before I start to see it as necessary. I'm still testing positive and sleeping badly. I'll try out things
like echinacea first, too.
I am seeking to level up my Chem skills. Corrections welcome! All mentorship in madness appreciated.
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itsafineday
Hazard to Self
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Location: "...in them thar hills."
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| Quote: Originally posted by Praxichys | I share the opinion that these things should remain available for recreational use. However, I can say from experience that the caution one must
exercise to partake socially goes well beyond acute toxicity. Those who pretend otherwise are stark examples of the black hole that is self
affirmation and its inseparable relationship with addiction.
It is exciting to hear of your progress. I wish you the best of luck! |
Very well said. Getting support here means a lot more than anywhere else (except my immediate family), THANKS!
I am seeking to level up my Chem skills. Corrections welcome! All mentorship in madness appreciated.
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Herr Haber
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Oh but you will sleep badly !
That's because the dreams are back.
Sometimes after not smoking for a few weeks I wonder if I shouldnt have tried writing for Hollywood as a career.
The spirit of adventure was upon me. Having nitric acid and copper, I had only to learn what the words 'act upon' meant. - Ira Remsen
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itsafineday
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So I am coming up on the 3 month mark so I felt like giving an update.
I have maintained abstinence and have only felt minor temptation to use cannabis. My sleep is much better and the crazy dreams have subsided. I
still dream a lot but the Hollywood crazy dreams Herr Haber mentioned aren't waking me up any more. My state of mind is more peaceful and relaxed. My
relationship and mental focus are also much improved. I wouldn't have believed it but cannabis was causing me to instigate "debates" with my partner
that were a serious drag. That has stopped. My libido is returning but still less than before I quit. I also have more appetite and have gained
about 10 pounds. I first lost about 5 pounds . My memory is still very much lacking but I don't blank out like I did when using cannabis so
frequently. My general happiness is higher . I enjoy chemistry more and have a greater reward response as I progress in my projects. I feel safer
and I am proud to not be dependent.
Unfortunately, I feel like my rate of aging has increased . My knees and shoulders are feeling pain and my vision seems to have declined. I feel
surprisingly weak. This I wouldn't have believed prior to quitting. I thought it would be all improved health but I feel less healthy than when I
was using. I have less motivation to exercise and it is more difficult to make healthy eating choices. My lifts are all down a lot. I could do 4
sets of 8 pull ups but now I can't manage 2. When I first quit cannabis the good feelings from working out also stopped but they have returned so I
am really hoping that my strength will return. I've decided to give this until July 1st 2020 before entertaining any notions of returning to
cannabis. I very much want to not use cannabis and for my body to stabilize back at it's former level of health so I think that 9 months is a
reasonable amount of time to decide if that will happen.
Even at that point in the future, I may decide to continue abstinence. I will at least be continuing that position accepting the loss of some benefits
of using cannabis .
Thank you all for your positive comments and insights.
I am seeking to level up my Chem skills. Corrections welcome! All mentorship in madness appreciated.
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B(a)P
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Nice work, what an achievement!
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S.C. Wack
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Sounds like you would benefit from amphetamine er adderall.
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Amos
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The pleasant things we feel from occasional use simply cannot be felt all the time. I'm much happier to smoke once, maybe twice a week than I ever was
when I was high every morning and night. Moderation is good stuff.
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sodium_stearate
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A Clear Mind
I stopped using alcohol and cannabis over 30 years ago.
The reason I stopped using both of those
things very abruptly one day was so that I could
pay attention and learn new things.
Stopping the use of those drugs has been one of
the best decisions I've ever made in my life.
That decision has made many things possible that
have happened and have played out very well for me.
Had I kept up living in the mental haze which was my
life as a user of those drugs, none of the better things
ever could have happened.
(and I'd advise also against using uppers such as
suggested above. Most of the people I know who
are on that stuff have minds that run 24 x 7 at a rate
of several million miles per hour and they can't
relax and concentrate on one thing long enough to
accomplish anything meaningful. They are certainly
chatterboxes though, they can talk and talk and talk and...)
[Edited on 26-12-2019 by sodium_stearate]
"Opportunity is missed by most people
because it is dressed in overalls and it
looks like work" T.A. Edison
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itsafineday
Hazard to Self
Posts: 89
Registered: 5-1-2019
Location: "...in them thar hills."
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Mood: Feelin groovy
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I'm fairly certain that my brain will adapt given enough time. I was just reading other reports about muscle weakness resolving at around four
months. I used a lot for a long time. I am sure that without cannabis many circuits aren't as viable as before and I'll have to make new ones.
Taking something else to deal with withdrawal symptoms would undermine that process.
I also think that seeing a doctor for amphetamine is like asking a wolf to guard the hen house. I'd end up with lot's of justifications for staying
on it and probably a prescription for benzo's maybe even modafinil or some antidepressant. Doctors who prescribe drugs that produce euphoria end up
played by everyone and their sense of reality is skewed. Like pop stars surrounded by yes men. Doing the right thing becomes very difficult. I
wouldn't want to trust my health to someone in that position.
I am seeking to level up my Chem skills. Corrections welcome! All mentorship in madness appreciated.
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itsafineday
Hazard to Self
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Location: "...in them thar hills."
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Mood: Feelin groovy
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Thanks ! A year ago I was convinced I was a lifer. All these pats on the back are gonna go to my head
I am seeking to level up my Chem skills. Corrections welcome! All mentorship in madness appreciated.
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S.C. Wack
bibliomaster
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Registered: 7-5-2004
Location: Cornworld, Central USA
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I have spent a lifetime observing people use drugs as an excuse for their problems and behaviors, or their former use of drugs as permanent damage,
and people love love love to use someones drug use (other than accepted alcohol use) as an excuse to be shitty to them.
| Quote: Originally posted by sodium_stearate | Most of the people I know who
are on that stuff have minds that run 24 x 7 at a rate
of several million miles per hour and they can't
relax and concentrate on one thing long enough to
accomplish anything meaningful. |
| Quote: Originally posted by itsafineday | | Doctors who prescribe drugs that produce euphoria end up played by everyone and their sense of reality is skewed. Like pop stars surrounded by yes
men. |
A psychiatrist would disagree with this characterization, but of course they're just in the business of pushing drugs, right? Stimulants help many
people lead normal lives.
The straight edge sober living sounds great and so it appeals to religious thought, a higher plane of wisdom; it's a pipe dream nonetheless.
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Cou
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When I smoke marijuana, it makes me think humans are gross. never again
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Fery
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itsafineday congrat that you left abusing cannabis
abusers of cannabis have increased risk of developing schizophrenia, decreased fertility, smoking and inhaling carcinogens induces lung damage and
risk of cancer, ...
a lot of drugs cause much more severe withdrawal syndromes than cannabis (even alcohol - delirium)
there are some possibilities to treat cannabis withdrawal syndromes too (mood, sleeping, ...) but this cannot be solved online - you could ask an
addictologist/psychiatrist if you find your problems severe
there are some medical applications for CBD derivates (more research stage today than clinical use yet) but cannabis plants used for abusing contain
mostly THC and only very low of CBD
psychostimulants are used for treatment of children
with ADHD and surprisingly the children do not develop addiction either euphoria, the treatment is for improving their attention, no need to increase
doses (unlike addicted people who do need to increase doses) - whether continue in medication of adults is still discussed a lot
antidepressants normalize depressive mood of depressive people and may cause switch into mania sometimes (then the disorder is not classified as
depressive disorder anymore but it is bipolar disorder and the treatment also differs then as well as selection of antidepressants)
otherwise I do not know any treatment causing euphoria
S.C. Wack - yes almost everyone has some excuse for abusing (drug rationalization)
doctors should be free in making decisions about medicals selected for treatment and not influenced by own business / pharma companies
the better doctor the more of patients healthy and less of patients ill - primary prevention to avoid genesis of disease/disorder completely so no
need to treat it at all - but this is utopia today, maybe in the future...
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arkoma
Redneck Overlord
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OK whiny boys..........
I take drugs because I FUCKING LIKE THEM. No excuses, no drama fer christ sake.....where the hell is Dr. Phil when we need him?
*edit* ask around and I'm sure you can find an N.A. meeting somewhere
[Edited on 12-27-2019 by arkoma]
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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morganbw
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| Quote: Originally posted by arkoma | OK whiny boys..........
I take drugs because I FUCKING LIKE THEM. No excuses, no drama fer christ sake.....where the hell is Dr. Phil when we need him?
*edit* ask around and I'm sure you can find an N.A. meeting somewhere
[Edited on 12-27-2019 by arkoma] |
Respect sir.
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arkoma
Redneck Overlord
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I do fucking like them. In modern idiomatic English, the "f" word is way more of an emphasis than disrespect. I have an Arkansas Med Marijuana card,
and cannabis just works for me--as some of you know I've been through multiple surgeries ending in amputation of right leg. Haven't taken any
narcotic painkillers since two weeks after my last surgery in Aug 2018.
Was my two cents, and I can be old and grouchy and might have been a bit in my cups so please excuse my rudeness.
"We believe the knowledge and cultural heritage of mankind should be accessible to all people around the world, regardless of their wealth, social
status, nationality, citizenship, etc" z-lib
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S.C. Wack
bibliomaster
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There are two ways of interpreting my first sentence and unfortunately it is not clear which one I was choosing. The meaning was not the one you
chose. I'm saying that people blame drugs for problems they very well might have had without them.
Some problems such as my arrest record do require drugs. I should also add that straights not only don't like people who take drugs, they have strong
negative feelings towards those who don't take drugs but are perceived as being drug users.
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Cou
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Oh Science, you know who the MOST annoying type of marijuana user is?
Privileged first world white people who rave on about certain "strains" like "oh yeah i like this strain, it makes me feel really calm", and claim
they use weed to "help my anxiety"
EVERYONE has anxiety.
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RJ2
Harmless
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@cou hey, whatever it takes for them to justify it as "morally acceptable." That's how we get these kind of things legalized. We are in a time when
cannabis is moving from being seen as a "corrupt dangerous rebel" substance to an "everyday" one like alcohol or nicotine. There was a time when I had
to hide my gender identity completely, or fear cops kicking in my door at night. It's no longer that bad, but I am less than impressed by some other
elements of our society which are still holding us back. Hence my need for the PGT last year.
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DavidJR
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| Quote: Originally posted by Cou | Oh Science, you know who the MOST annoying type of marijuana user is?
Privileged first world white people who rave on about certain "strains" like "oh yeah i like this strain, it makes me feel really calm", and claim
they use weed to "help my anxiety"
EVERYONE has anxiety. |
Do not confuse the (normal) emotional state of anxiety with having an anxiety disorder. Yes, everyone has anxiety (the emotional state) at some point
in their life, but for the majority it does not take over their lives.
Unless you have lived with an anxiety disorder you probably don't understand just how disabling it is. I certainly didn't understand it before social
anxiety disorder took over my life.
(To be clear, I don't and have never used cannabis, and I've only heard of it causing anxiety, not fixing it... but maybe for some people it does help
anxiety)
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