Quiting Smoking

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by Dan
Yeah is great that no one can smoke on a planes anymore.

The air quality is terribly poor already... we don't need to choke eaven more!

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by blonddgirl777
NOT!

I got addicted to weed and still am (although I don't smoke it regularely anymore)...

The T.H.C. content in today's weed can be extremely high, especially when grown hydroponicaly. The mixes of chemicals are made so it will be addictive and provoque brain reactions such as; depression, schysophrenia, psychosis etc...

I had to quit because it was ruining my life (and my wallet). I got some professional help and now, when I see/read a report on that, on how teenagers are basically a lost case if they ever get addicted... I get the chills...

I will do everything in my power so that my son never gets to that point in his life!

I will always love to smoke weed but unfortunately, I have to fight those urges every single days I wake up...
Just like an ex cigarette smoker or an ex-alchoolic...

I'm pretty amazed to hear that, actually. I've never even had an urge for weed, not anything even remotely close to it. For me, weed was always a social thing, I'd never do it alone (not the same for cigarettes, the urge for cigarettes was nearly uncontrollable at my peak).

As it stands, I have smoked weed on and off (mostly off) since 1994ish. When it's gone, I've never missed it; I went through the years of '98 and '05 clean, and got back into it occasionally (and as a way to help me sleep at night when I have the night off from work and don't need to stay up).

Currently, I haven't had a hit since Thanksgiving and I could easily go for the rest of my life without it and never notice the difference...

I don't know, maybe it's just a person-to-person thing...similarly I've known 2 pack a day smokers for ten years plus who just up and decide to quit one day and never even feel the loss...myself, I couldn't imagine that ever being possible, yet...go figure....

Interesting.

[BALLYJUNKIE]

I AM SO GLAD I NEVER SMOKED ,I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS DISGUSTING .... I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL WALKING PAST ALL THE KIDS THAT SMOKED ,MAN DID IT SMELL BAD .... NOW AT 40 YEARS OLD MY LUNGS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE ......OH MY GOD AND KISSING A GIRL THAT SMOKES IS GROSS ,DIDNT ONCE ,NEVER AGAIN ,I DONT CARE IF SHE GARGLES WITH LISTERINE ..... WELL GOOD LUCK FOR EVERYONE TRYING TO STOP .

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by bueno bob
I'm pretty amazed to hear that, actually...

You are not the only one...

In the 70's pot WAS this natural, sort of "inofensive" thing to smoke and a lot of people had stayed with this beleif.
Now, many just smoke private crops that are organically grown without all the "add ups"... those strains are not the ones that the organized growers/resalers are interested in, to make money out of regular users...

People that get addicted tend to need more and more T.H. content in their bloods to get satisfied so they go for the high octane stuff...
Pay less/get more out of it...

The hormones in the female plants (the ones that bud) are not a good mix with the ones women naturally have in their bodies.
Also, the smoke has the same toxic effect on one's throat as cigarette or anythingelse that would get burned and inhale...
The resin tend to gather in the throat, the lungs and under the gums in the mouth, causing possible cancer.

I seriously think that pot can be more dangerous on (psychological and physical) health than cigarettes, if smoked regularely!

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by bueno bob
... I don't know, maybe it's just a person-to-person thing...

It sure is...

I really like to drink cocktails and wines with dinner...
I love to eat "Doritos" when there's nothing in the frig...
I enjoy my 15 cigarettes/year (or so), as a social thing...

But alchool, nicotine and food where never addictive for me...

The only urge I have to fight, is the the one of Marijuanna!

Yes... go figure!

[Dan]

Hi B.G,do they have Hemp Farms in Canada?

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by Dan
Hi B.G,do they have Hemp Farms in Canada?

Here, not that I know of?

Probably, in B.C...

I've seen 2 garment designers that make clothes out of hemp but I don't know where they source their fabric from...

[Dan]

Originally posted by blonddgirl777
Here, not that I know of?

Probably, in B.C...

I've seen 2 garment designers that make clothes out of hemp but I don't know where they source their fabric from...

We have Hemp Farms down here.

I think it's a good thing making hemp clothes,soap and drinks out of it.

There's not enough THC in it to smoke it.

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by Dan
We have Hemp Farms down here.

I think it's a good thing making hemp clothes,soap and drinks out of it.

There's not enough THC in it to smoke it.

Smoking hemp???
Hmmm... I wouldn't try that!
L.O.L.

We had a thread here, not long ago on Marijuana legalisation and I was amazed to read everything that could be made and manufactured out of hemp... ex.; fuel!

[franksters]

they do have hemp farm in canada, sasktchewan and also ontario I believe...

i think there might even be some in quebec, but i'm not sure.

[m_dixon1984]

Hemp Farms: Ontario has had them for years. I was a student in Guelph in the early nineties and the agriculture students there had a 10 hectare hemp plot. Hemp growth does require a special permit, however. It is controlled by the governernment and strict guidelines are placed on the cultivation. If any high THC plants end up in the field it wouldn't matter much anyway because plants of both sexes would exist together so the females would all get pollinated. Once pollinated the females won't produce the THC levels they do when isolated from the males. This is also the main reason why seventies pot wasn't nearly as potent as today's; our growing techniques today are far more sophisticated.

Addiction: to this day there still hasn't been enough research into the addictive qualities of THC or the CBD the two main psycho-active chemicals associated with marijuana smoke (THC is the canabanoid that produces the euphoric head high, while CBD is more responsible for muscle relaxation). There can be no doubt that anyone with an addictive personality can become addicted and dependant on almost anything (an excellent reason to keep more susceptible children from starting early). Here's where my personal experiences come into play. When I smoked 5 grams or more a day quitting was tough. I would spend days missing my high. But was was it a physical addiciton??? I don't think so but I was certainly mentally addicted to the drug. Unlike tobacco, however, I didn't experience the physical withdrawal symptoms I've experienced when I quit smoking (3 or 4 times over the past 15 years). Symptoms like the shakes, head-aches, short temper, etc. The physical addiction to nicotine really only lasts 7-14 days, however. After that you're really only dealing with the mental addiction. Until proper research is done into this subject I'll continue to believe that my own experiences are quite normal and won't believe any unsubstantiated reports that marijuana is truly addictive. I don't doubt BGs experiences but I still haven't read anything conclusive concerning marijuana addiction.

My advice for quitting cigarette smoking: cold turkey with mental fortitude. My method is to also avoid any tense social situations in the frist few weeks as I'm always very on edge during that initial period without nicotine. Any stress in those first few weeks and I'm very likely to start up again.

As far as any addiction is concerned: elimination is really the key but moderation can also be successful. Cigarette smoking has turned into an unmoderated habit in the past 50-100 years, most likely thanks to it becoming a big business. When tobacco smoking was an occasional, evening, ritual nicotine addiction really wasn't an issue. People could smoke a few times a week in social situations and really have no adverse health effects and addiction didn't really occur. Some of the oldest living humans (mostly chinese) have practiced the evening pipe smoking ritual their whole lives. Thanks to the big tobacco companies consumers have been exposed to tobacco with unaturally high nicotine content with only one desired outcome: highly addicted consumers who buy and buy and buy and smoke and smoke and smoke (we have to share some of the blame for the 25-50, or more, daily cigarette consumption that developed. Come on people show some moderation in your habits!!)

Quit!! Be sure you want to and drop the habit immediately.

M

Oh, and smoke weed. Not every day but enjoy that smoke and it's fantastic effects once a week and you'll never really miss smoking cigarettes. Move to Canada, stay below the police radar, grow your own in a room in your house, and be sure your pot is clean and pesticide/herbicide free. Don't support organized crime.

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by m_dixon1984
...Unlike tobacco, however, I didn't experience the physical withdrawal symptoms I've experienced when I quit smoking (3 or 4 times over the past 15 years). Symptoms like the shakes, head-aches, short temper, etc. The physical addiction to nicotine really only lasts 7-14 days, however....

I have, experienced those physical withdrawal symptoms... for 2-3 days at the time, with Marijuanna...

I could spit resin from my lungs for over 2 weeks after quitting...
Also, it stays in your blood for at least 30 days!

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by m_dixon1984
... I still haven't read anything conclusive concerning marijuana addiction...

I have...

I've been to a center where they study those "new cases" here, in MTL... and although they are only starting to come up with facts, those facts are real...

Physical, psychological... I don't know but Marijuana CAN be bad for "some" people.

I envy the ones who can enjoy it recreationally, without a problem!

[m_dixon1984]

It's the physical addiction that is still in question, from everything I've read. If you have a link to substantiated, quantified, scientific studies to the physical addiction of THC, or other canabanoids, I'd appreciate a link. Addiction centers have a bias, unfortunately, as they have a monetary reason to see this drug deemed physically addictive. Sorry, BG, but it's my sceptical nature to see the ulterior motives of even those in the business of helping people. Psychological addiction is well established and marijuana can certainly be a huge problem for those with addictive personalities. I deal with those sorts of problems myself on a daily basis whether it's food, pot, cigarettes, alcohol,or coffee. My list of dependencies is long but is shrinking.

I certainly can't disagree that "some" people can have problems that end up being quite harmful for themselves and those around them. However, if a substance cannot be proven to be physically addictive and have quantified withdrawal effects I remain convinced that such a substance should not be controlled by any government, anywhere. In such a situation the addiction problem lies with the person, not the substance. No less an issue but it needs to addressed differently, in my opinion.

Too bad you can't enjoy a doobie without issues, BG, but there are millions who do and would like to see this drug deregulated.

M

[blonddgirl777]

Originally posted by m_dixon1984
... If you have a link to substantiated, quantified, scientific studies to the physical addiction of THC, or other canabanoids, I'd appreciate a link...

No, I don't have a link and I also question the true motives of the ones who claim Marijuana to be physicaly addictive...

My own family doctor still doesn't know much about it (mind you, he's 73) and many other professionals don't either.

But one thing for sure... physical or psychological... an addiction sucks (especially when you get affected by it)!