Re: OT New Pot Study

Kathy -- one of my favorite lines from Women Who Run With The Wolves (I'm paraphrasing it here, and my memory is not all that good despite the lack of pot in my life, LOL):

"You can tell the issues in a woman's life by the shadows that they leave."

Spiritual awakenings are good. They help push back the shadows, my dear.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right.." -- Counting Crows

The article wasn't just the small quote I included in my post, Becki. This was a long-term neurological study. Also, the people weren't tested **while** they were high.

It was a study done for trying to show the benfits of the use of medicinal marijuana for cancer patients.

Unfortunately, since ATTBI changed over to COMCAST today, the article and the tiny URL I provided isn't available anymore.

I've smoked a lot of weed in my day & never got that stoned (nor did any of my friends). When I got bored with it I quit. No side effects, no depression, nothing negative. I equate giving up pot with giving up milkshakes. There were times when I would think, "I wouldn't mind having a joint", but then it passed just like if I thought "I wouldn't mind having a milkshake right now." My experience is just as anecdotal as the one you mentioned and neither one can be used to draw generalized conclusions.

I could not agree more. It seems many kids are traumatized at young ages in our society and then tossed out into a world that further traumatizes them when they try to find ways to escape their pain.

Laura

Sad to say, but those statistics dont amaze me. Thats why I advocate removing the conditions that lead to drug abuse rather than the drug themselves. I have no idea how to make that happen. Its frustrating. No child should ever have to live with sexual abuse.... but I dont know how to end the cycle, except for the ending the silence and shame that usually leads the child to abuse of drugs.....its a start anyway. Diana

I also recommend that you look for the audio tapes published by Sounds True (your library may have them) where Estes herself tells some of the stories from the book and elaborates on their implications.

I find that hearing people's voices adds a whole nother dimension to their material, and she is a wonderful storyteller.

Deirdre

The study was not on effects while high, but on long-term effects after quitting.

Linda -- I realized that later. After I had sent the post, of course.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right.." -- Counting Crows

Also, I feel real inclined here to post that there is a difference between people who use drugs, and having a "drug problem." There really is. There really is recreational drug use. That was not the case of those that I referenced.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right.." -- Counting Crows

I agree with the people who are saying that addicted, abusive drug use is a sign of other problems. I also might add, "Well, Duh!"

The problem is that those problems remain undealt with. For example, if you have an inferiority complex, but getting high makes you feel like part of the group, you have not learned to be comfortable in your own skin without the drug use. So you stop using the drug. There is no "brain damage" but there certainly is an arrested emotional development in this example.

And, yes there is recreational drug use FOR SOME PEOPLE, but for people who have addictive personalities, there is no such thing. So, even if those underlying problems are addressed, the addictive person will never be able to control the intake of the abused substance. There are studies that show addicts are low in the brains natural narcotics, and so their bodies crave these mind altering, body altering substances. This sounds right to me. I can't relate at all to people who can just take it or leave it, as in Louis's milkshake analogy .

I think it is ludicrious that alcohol is legal and pot is not. But , as I said, my first preference would be that we didn't have to use any of it.

KathyH

The basic reason is pot has no physically addictive substances. It has been called "psychologically" addictive for some few individuals. They are hooked on the buzz (which can be replaced with any other buzz) rather than the substance itself. Narcotics (opiates, the *caines mostly) have substances which the body forms a need for. Caffeine does that. That's why most people are not civil until they have had the first cup of coffee or tea or whatever. Prolonged caffeine withdrawal (over 36 hours) can cause headaches and nausea. Of course the symptoms of narcotic withdrawal are worse. According to some junkies I used to know, it resembles a real bad case of flu. Apparently, there is a certain type of brain chemistry that make alcohol addictive in some people and not in others. But I have never heard of any of the hallucinogens, (spelling?) which is the category that pot falls into, having physically addictive properties. Like anything (except lampworking and glass), it can become obsessive and take over a person's life (after all, what is life but lampworking and glass?).

-- There are no mistakes, only unexplored techniques