Alcoholics Anonymous: A Menace to Marijuana

My story begins about three months ago when I had been smoking marijuana for about three months, and I thought that it might be able to help with my mother's pain issues. I used marijuana as a hobby mostly; something I did when I was bored. It made most boring and mundane things jump with excitement. It really was a separate consciousness, if you will, that I could jump to when all my responsibilites were completed.

I really started to love marijuana, and most of the culture surrounding it. I began researching it extensively. Not just the drug, but the cannabis hemp plant, its history, the botany of the plant; I really did want to learn everything about this plant. Through everything that I read, which includes every story from every side, I reasoned that marijuana is harmless, isn't addictive, and that it would probably benefit my mother as a pain medication.

So, I brought this idea to her and she, much to my surprised, told me that she had already thought about it dozens of times, but my father would have nothing to do with anything of the sort. My father is one of those reborn alcoholics and very overbearing, but more on that later. I convinced her that she shoudln't worry about him, and that she should just try it for her own benefit.

Finally she agreed to it, and I bought her a quarter of it to try. When I got home, though, my father decided he wanted to smoke some, too. I didn't particularly think it was a bad thing, but I did notice how much of a hypocrite he was being. They started smoking it, and that's when they made their first mistake. They hadn't smoked any since the 70's, and the smoked the entire quarter to themselves. Needless to say, they sort of freaked out. But what happened when they came down sort of sucked.

We were all sitting out in the living room, and I asked my mom whether or not it worked. She said that it only made it worse and made her feel weird. I was disappointed at that, but the next thing I heard was my dad asking, "So how long have you been smoking pot?" This question was probably the most damaging question of my life to date, because it was so unexpected that before thinking of a lie, I just answered that I had been smoking it for 3 months.

Well, things went off. I tried telling them about all the things I've read, but they were just so determined to rely on the stuff they've learned from AA. They claimed that because they were alcoholics, I have some sort of gene that makes me predetermined to become addicted to any drug. I told them about how marijuana wasn't physically addicted, but all they could really do was tell me that it would lead to me taking a drink, or snorting a line, or whatever. They seem to think that I have absolutely no control over my life simply because some "alcholic" gene that has nothing to do with other drugs, but simply alcohol. They kept telling me that I was an alcoholic, even though I've never taken a drink in my life. I soon realized that these insanely unreasonable statements were probably something that had learned from AA. Should've figured.

Well, not too much happened. They made me get tested, but I could fool the tests easily, so I continued to smoke. It wasn't hurting me, and in this specifc instance, I knew for a fact that my parents were wrong. There was no convincing them of that, but I knew from my own knowledge that I was right in this situation. They're mostly just so over-come with fear that I will take a drink, or start with other drugs, that they're convinced I will. With that sort of negative expectations floating around me, it might be probable, but not because marijuana. Still, they continued to think that I would become horribly addicted to it, and that once it didn't get me "high" anymore I would result to other things. They believe this simply because they saw it happen to people they know, and people in AA. What they don't understand is that the only people they know are drug addicts. Of course they're goign to fuck up with marijuana. They just coudln't except that someone, anyone, could actually have a mind of their own and make their own decisions about whether they wanted to do something else. My mother even tried convincing me that my judgement was poor when I was high, so if someone offered me anything else I would surely do it. Funny thing is, I had been offered several other drugs, on sever other occasions when I was high, and refused all the time. She didn't even believe me. These misconceptions and false ideas that they've gained through AA are so embedded in their heads that they're practically brainwashed.

Well, they found my stash, and a little pipe. The second I came home they drug tested me, without warning, and I failed. They're convinced that I'm "addicted" to marijuana. The most interesting thing about it is that they think every statement of reason is a statement of addiction.

I'll give you an example. I told them that it's not physically addictive, and it's like going on a diet if you want to quit. I told them that if I wanted to quit, and had a good reason to quit, then I would. The only thing they said was, "Spoken like a true alcoholic."

It's like this program, the book they have, it brainwashes them to recognize every statement of reason as some sort of denial. It's absolutely impossible to get through to them and use any sort of reasoning, beause they're so fucking brainwashed by that book. I showed them 5 difference sources disproving the claim that marijuana was addicted, and they actually denied the credibility of the scientific organizations that conducted the studies! They denounced everything "pro-marijaana" as "addicts trying to justify their actions".


Alcoholics Anonymous is a menace to marijuana. It's more mind altering than any drug will ever be.

 

just one example of how THE MAN gets his point across.......if they say it, then it must be true, huh????......

 

Don't blame AA, dude. AA takes no moral or political stand on anything. It is against their traditions (which are something like bylaws). The only purpose of AA is to help alcoholics recover from alcoholism.

I'm sorry your parents are coming down hard on you. They may be overreacting, but it probably because they care about you, and they're scared.

AA saved my life ten years ago. I'm the real thing, and I have no doubt I would be dead today otherwise. But I am not brainwashed against marijauna. I used to smoke it every day. I agree that there is no evidence that it is physically addictive, but I think it can be psychologically. You might want to ask yourself just how important it has become to you.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting you're an addict. It's just something to think about. I'm personally (and speaking only for myself) pro-marijauna, and pro legalization. I can't smoke it myself, but I think anyone should be allowed to if they want to. It is a much less harmful drug than alcohol or nicotine physically. And I think the only time it impaired my judgement was If I had a bag of chips or a box of donuts close by.

Good luck with the folks.

 

I suppose AA's main purpose isn't to brain-wash people, but my parents hae put a lot of inventory into it, I suppose. They are scared of me trying something else, but it's just unreasonable, and actually down right insulting that they don't believe I'm competent enough to make my own decisions.

Marijuana is an important part of my life, but I would put it down in an instant if it put something more important to me in jeopardy. A good example of this would be how I'm stopping now simply because I don't feel that if I was doing it there would be much cause for suspicion from my mother, and I know she doesn't need that sort of stress in her already stressful life. My mother's more important to me than marijuana is, and that's why I'm not going to do it anymore.

To me it's really just a struggle. My parents don't see that I'm mature and competent, but I'm ready, willing, able and practically desperate to make my own decisions and choose my own path in life. It's not that I don't believe the path I chooses may or may not lead me to somewhere I don't want to go, I just don't want to be deprived of the experiences. Because to me, that's what life is about. To me, living life is practically pointless unless you make the best out of your experiences, learn from everything you encounter, and live happily. My parents just aren't allowing me to live the way I want to live.

But, I only have 3 more years. Guess I'll just have to put it up with it.


And I do agree, AA has saved many lives, including the lives of my parents. I don't know all of what it teaches, but I know that my parents are incredibly unreasonable about this situation, and that the ony real thing they cite is AA. But it seems more as if it's just my parent's fear of me fucking up my life that has gotten them so unreasonable, as fear often does. Some of the things they claim marijuana does to you that they claim to have learned from AA are completely asinine, though. "THC destorys the cannabinoid receptors in your brain leaving you with a chemical depenance to it." That's mostly the sort of thing I'm angry about.

 

I'm 46. I smoke pot on occassion. I can safely say I'm not addicted.


But, all throughout my 20's, I know I had a strong phsycological addiction that hampered my emotional and career development.

I would suggest, that you prove to yourself and your folks that you have a handle on it, by quiting for no less than six months. WITHOUT CHEATING.

Then I'd say you were ready to enjoy a good bowl again.

As I said I smoke on occassion. I get the benifit of stopping the world and seeing things in a different perspective, and a little mind vacation, by smoking once a week or every other week. And yes, on occassion, three or four times in one week- then sometimes not at all for months. There is a difference between a wine drinker and a wino, and there's a difference between a pot smoker and a pot head. I've been both. When I was a pot head, I believed that I could quit anytime (and I could) but the point is I didn't, not for a very long time, because it was very hard to do on an emotional level.

I do believe too much of a good thing can be bad.

In some peoples zeal to defend pot, they sometimes go too far in the other extreme- like a gay pride parade.

 

Well said freak went flyer

 

Well, I plan on quitting pot. For 3 years, actually. And to tell you the truth, it's not that much of a daunting prospect to me. I used it primarily to keep from getting bored. I can do other stuff, though.

And It's not so much trying to defend pot as it is me trying to figure out why on earth my parents are so unreasonable. I know what it is now, though. It's just our separate beliefs. Unfortunately, I have to live under theirs for the next 3 years. After that, I'm doing what I want and following my own.

 

cool.

By the way, I didn't mean to imply YOU were being over zelous.

 

I love ya, man. That was too funny.

 

Marijuana saved me from alchoholism. I was drinkning all teh time till i met maryjane, who i researched lots before meeting, and when i did, fell in love.


although marijuana is phsychologically addictivem, its really only because of the question that is posed to potheads: why not? any pothead can quit, but why quit unless you have a reason? the problem si that potheads dont see the reason to quit, so they dont, even though they can if they did want to. alcvoholics want to quit but they cant, potheads dont want to quit even though they can. that difference is really important, but so amny ppl dont see that.

alco9holics dont have proper judgement anyway you cant blame them, their drug kills their brain, and they are led to beleive cannabis does too. poeple who dont smoke weed cant tell teh difference between it and alchohol.

anyway its ver ymuch jsut an 'excuse' that alcoholics claim to have genes to make them addictive. the fact is, alcoholics are addicts because alcohol IS addictive. fuckin pisses me off, but meh.

I barely drink anymore caus of marijuana, i smoke lots if i can though. hte only thing that kepes me from is my financial situation, and school. they are the things parents should do to keep thei kids in line. jsut monitor their spending and stuff, confiscate weed but dont throw it out. that sorta thing would work much better mewthinks.

but anwyay, parents arent always right, remember that. especially alcoholic parents! in fact theyre almsot always wrong... the idiots.

 

Unfortunately, I still have to abide by their rules until I'm 18, however wrong they may be.

Right now I'm just trying to tell my mom that she souldn't waste her money sending me to a counselor, beacuse there's not much he'll tell me about pot that I haven't already heard, and formed my own opinion and belief about.

I don't believe marijuana is bad, mainly because I see all the people whoes lives are enhanced by it. My parents disregard the people whoes lives have been enhanced by it, and just focus on those who were irresponsible with it and whoes lives were ruined. They don't seem to understand that in the latter case, it was still a direct effect of the person's own actions. There's really twotypes of people that I believe will have their lives negatively effected by marijuana: the ones who smoke because they have to escape some sort of reality, or they can't feel good without a high; those who begin any drugs, whether it be ciggs, pot, or alcohol simply to fit in, and then either do harder things to fit in.

In my parents case, they believe that because I have an alcoholic gene I'm predetermined to become addicted to any sort of mind-altering or mood-altering chemical. They believe that if this happened, and I became addicted to pot, that sooner or later the high wouldn't work and I would move on to other drugs. They think simply in the mentality of addicts(anything to get high), and they believe that this "alcoholic gene" will make me the same way. I've scoured the internet looking for claims like this, and I can't find any. Even if it were true, the chances that it might happen to me are very slim, as I've already been smoking for a long enough time to "become an alcoholic".

Now, this probably all seems really foolish to you. And that's why it just seems to me like AA is brain-washing my parents. I mean, to actually relate an "alcoholic gene", which I've also not even found any evidence of actually existing, will cause you to become addicted to any mind-altering or mood-altering chemical is just ridiculous sounding. Cold medicine has mind-altering and mood-altering chemicals in it, and my grandmother has intentionall intoxicated me with those before (long story), and am I craving for some sort of high? No, I'm not. I mean, I know some of these things can't be compared to a drug as powerful as marijuana, but I've already had some pretty long stretches without bud in my time. Sure, I wanted to get high, because that's what my intention and anticipation was, but if I had some sort of habit with marijuana that I wanted to shake, then I could do that; thats what I want to do.

I mean, I've been a pretty regular smoker for the past 4 months, and the prospect of no bud for 3 years is not daunting to me at all. It's simply what needs to be done, and what I want to do (for my mother). Does that sound like some sort of strong addiction to marijuana? Even if there is a possibility that there is, I will at least realize it, and I will stop. My parents just don't believe that that is possible for me to do, and it's actually a little insulting.

 

ive got some friends who decided to quit for half a year.


update us wiht your sucess tho, and tell us how easy it is after two months

well actually ims ure after w hile ud get used to it, and jsut miss it like n old friend.

 

Well, I just did about two hours worth of research into all of this, and it seems as if the only two people that share my mother's opinion are ones that won't allow their studies to be publically available unless you buy them as books.

All of the other articles and studies I've read, and there are plenty, said that just because there might be a gene linked to alcoholism, GABA, GABA32, CREB, or OPRIA, doesn't mean that you will become an alcoholic if you don't ever take a drink. Not one said anything about if you're predisposed to become addicted to any mind-altering or mood-altering chemicals because of them.

So, yeah, this proves that my parents are completely unreasonable being this fearful based off two studies.

 

Am I the only one hung up on the fact that they smoked a fucking entire quarter in front of you then bitched you out for doing it and went to the extent of drug testing you? How fuqued up is that? goddamn wtf?

 

I don't know if I believe there's a gene or not.

There is a lot of alcoholism in my family. There's also a bunch of people in my family tree who are either missing or just "disappeared". And no, we're not in the mob. We are however, Irish, and I've met a lot of other Irish in AA.

One piece of evidence that supports the genetic theory is racial stratification. Now don't get me wrong - I understand that different "races" of people actually do not differ on a genetic level. Race is a completely social construct. But this evidence is cultural. There does seem to be a correlation between the rate of alcoholism in a culture and the length of time that alcohol has been present in the culture.

Quick - name an alcoholic Jew. I've been in AA for a long time and I can't even fill one hand. Name a Chinese alcoholic. Ok, so maybe you don't know many Chinese, but you get my point.

On the other side of the coin are Native Americans and African Americans. They have some of the highest rates of alcoholism, and it has been in their cultures (I realize that's a lot of different cultures I'm generalizing) for a very short time genetically speaking.

This is far from proof, to be sure. But it is compelling. It would seem to suggest that over many generations, alcoholics die out, which would also suggest an alcoholic gene.

Something to think about...

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I have to say race does have a lot to do with it. In Canada there are A LOT of native alcoholics because they unlike Europeans they did not grow a tolerance for it as we have over thousands of years. Therefore there is a genetic difference.

 

i think the priblem here is not that there is a gene that makes you an alchoholi, but more, tehre is a gene that is more active in some peple than otehres, that leads to substance addiction. the CREB gene mentioned earier is, from my memory, involved in creating proteins that lead to tolerance or addiction, i cant remember, and can probably be more active with some people than others. at any rate, everyone has these genes, jsut some races have them affect differently.

however, i know that chinese and asians ni general are, along with native americans and africans, more susceptable to getting drunk from smaller amounts of alcohol. i think though, that it is because of their culture that the do not become alcoholics, more than theri genes.

id beleive irish to be common in AA because of their culture more than anyhting. irish and scotish love thei drinkning, they actually have very high alcoholic resistance, but they love drinkning so much that they get addicted easily. the love of drink is inherant for irish and scots it seems, but i have not known any to be softcocks.

anyway, conclusively, wahtever the case is, this gene is only for substances like alcohol and opiates, and other heavily addictive drugs, not in any way marijuana. your parents are too ignorant, and dont know enough about neuroscience to understand that though so it would be sorta pointless to try and explain to them. there was an issue of scientific american a few months back with a big article on the science of addiction, i cant seem to find it in my collection though so i cant give you the month. look for it, if your interested.

 

I probably will. But, you mentioned opiates. That sort of sparked something in me because my mother has had a lot of trouble with opiate pain medications.

Any more information on how exactly it influences opiate addiction?

And where could I start to look for that article you were speaking of?

 

I'm half-Chinese... my tolerance to alcohol generally isn't that high, and like many Asians my face turns beet red when I drink (partly cuz of this I don't drink too regularly as it gets really visually obvious that I'm drunk - another reason why I prefer pot). While not as bad as the Native Americans we're definitely not that resistant to alcohol. On the other hand, I hear we Asians don't get hangovers, and so far, that's proven true for me.

On an odd note, at times when I've drunk well over the threshold that makes my face turn red, I reach a point where the redness just goes away in a flash and I'm rather lucid-minded. Maybe that's my Irish-German genes kicking in or something

 

They say weed is the gateway drug but i actually think its alcohol. Buying weed only introduces you to other drugs simply because its ilegal. If you go and buy a copied cd you will be offered copied dvds. Similarly if you go to buy ilegal weed you will be offered other ilegal drugs.
The difference between weed and alcohol is that alcohol causes ppl to become more carefree whereas weed makes ppl more careful. If i get stoned then i'll quite happily stay stoned and touch nothing else but when i get drunk i just want to get as messed up as i can. Ive also seen heroin addicts try to get weed so that they can get stoned and they wont be interested in gettin heroin but the ex heroin addicts i know dont drink because when theyr drunk they want heroin.