I wouldn't say this is true of social use of pot.
Of course, I'm not talking about day in and day out, morning to night consumption ... just a delight in taking a few drags on a spliff once or twice a week, or even less often.
Lots of happy, healthy, engaged people use like that and show no harm that I can see.
But this is just pot I'm talking about.
I agree with this.
Getting tipsy and uninhibitedd is fun, no matter how fulfilled you are.
Getting a little stone at a party and giggling and having the munchies (food does taste better) is something a very happy person would do.
Even the occasional use of hallucinogens and is something I could see very happy people doing.
And come on, I'd venture to say most perfectly happy people abuse caffeine.
We spend millions of dollars a year to have "experiences," whether it's a trip to Africa or jumping out of a plane to alter our reality. I put occasional drug use into the same category.
Mind you, I'm not talking about habitual use here. The definitions of habitual vs. occasional use are still up for discussion.
Okay, so, Rubi brings us back to weed, but stipulates that it is only a little and only once in a while. I do not doubt that there are a FEW people who can manage to keep their use contained to so little, but isn't that because they recognize it impacts their judgement and capabilities? What I've seen is that people have to work hard to keep their use low, otherwise they slip into abuse or at least use levels that interfere with their capacity to make thoughtful decisions.
Snooze makes interesting points about experiential journeys that may be long distance or wholly internal. Still, I guess the word that most piqued my interest here was "inhibited." Some of us find it even more gratifying to be uninhibited without depending on some artificial (or "natural" herb) substance to get that way. Once again she stipulates that this is the occasional usage, not the habitual thing.
Still, my question remains. How many people truly can maintain their usage to "responsible" levels? Of course there are a few, but are there not also the ones who clearly use too much? Are there not the ones who MIGHT be using too much? Don't those of you who use, wonder once in a while if you've stepped over some line or done something really stupid and life threatening that you know you wouldn't have done sober/straight/clean? Do you never question the wisdom of decisions you've made "under the influence" of some intoxicant? Is the need to experience variety so strong, and the list of available "clean" experiences so short that one must "use" to enjoy the richness of life's possibilities?
Perhaps my experiences have been too limited, but the people I know who are obvious users seem to be disconnected in some major ways from what is going on in the world around them. Perhaps that condition existed before they started using, but it seems like part of the disconnect can be blamed on the drugs.
Yes, caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol are legal, and some people maintain we are doing fine with people clearly addicted or at least overusing them. Maybe, but I think we've got a
lot of people struggling more than necessary, and these substances are probably more a part of the problem than they are a part of the solution. Talk about gateway drugs! We try to balance the things speeding us up with the things that slow us down... no wonder so many do graduate to stronger and stronger substances!
