8 ms·

Counter point: I am 37 years old. I quit marijuana three or four months ago, but before that I was vaping marijuana nearly every day for four years. During that

Counter point: I am 37 years old. I quit marijuana three or four months ago, but before that I was vaping marijuana nearly every day for four years. During that time I’ve achieved more success in my career than any other time. I think it was good for me to quit. I feel more alert and more productive now. More level and less tired. Maybe I would have been more successful without it, so perhaps you are right. But then, life shouldn’t be just about success. And then, I still got where I am today, with the best career I’ve ever had. So it doesn’t feel like it held me back at all. Crucially, I used relatively small amounts of pure sativa. I wasn’t stuck on the couch while I used it. Still, this to me suggests self control is more important than abstinence.

wooque 4y ago
I would guess there are people who do cocaine every day without trouble. That doesn't mean everyone should do drugs. Most people can't handle it.
- spywaregorilla 4y ago
  Most people can handle it. But that still doesn't mean everyone should do drugs.
  - coding123 4y ago
    You're saying that if everyone in the world started to take cocaine daily, a high percentage of people, say 80-90% can handle it.
    - jazzyjackson 4y ago
      the poison is in the dose
    - spywaregorilla 4y ago
      What does handling it mean if you're taking cocaine daily? Taking drugs daily is already likely beyond the point of dependence. Regardless of will power, you will almost certainly develop some level of chemical addiction and tolerance trying to use cocaine, recreational-y, daily. I would say the question is invalid. I meant most people can do cocaine once, or at an infrequent irregular frequency without getting addicted to it and becoming dependent. FWIW most means > 50%
      - the_gipsy 4y ago
        This is debatable. If there is a critical mass of people doing cocaine regularly, then more people will get addicted with that availability.
    - samatman 4y ago
      Higher than that I would guess. Bolivians seem to handle it at a rate of "all of them". Of course they're using quids, if they were injectors of pure cocaine the situation would be less rosy. But you didn't specify the route and concentration. This isn't a gotcha, it's a habit of daily use by millions, all of whom are basically fine.
    - diffeomorphism 4y ago
      Wrong way around. If everyone in the world consumes something and side effects are very rare and usually mild, then you have to argue what the problem is. For cocaine and most "hard drugs" probably neither is true. For coffee it seems both are true. For alcohol 1 is true and 2 is tricky.
- aparticulate 4y ago
  cocaine is not weed though most people cannot do cocaine every day without trouble. Coffee? every day is fine different drugs have different danger
  - com2kid 4y ago
    > Coffee? every day is fine /r/nootropics, common thread is as follows: OP: "Help, I have bad anxiety every day, what should I take for it?" re: "Do you drink coffee?" OP: "Yes, about 4 cups a day." re: "Stop drinking coffee and come back in a week and tell us how you are doing." 1 week later. OP: "My anxiety is gone!!" Caffeine has negative side effects. For some people those side effects are really bad. Also caffeine messes up sleep cycles. After seeing sleep study results, I won't touch the stuff after 10am or so, if even that late. Alcohol is even worse in this regard, it will just ruin your sleep cycles at night. Edit: Let me emphasis this for anyone reading: YOU WILL NOT GET DEEP SLEEP IF YOU HAVE A NIGHTCAP. Yes, you will get drowsy, drink enough and you will pass out. The restorative quality of the sleep you get that night will NOT be good. I've seen first hand the sleep study results from this. The effect is so obvious that even the questionable sleep quality results that wrist based wearables give you can easily and consistently show this effect.
    - dfxm12 4y ago
      Does caffeine have negative side effects, or does caffeine, taken in excess, including in late hours of the day, have negative side effects? It's an important distinction to make in this discussion, which largely boils down to "off label use", whether we're talking about drinking simply too much coffee or people with developing brains getting too much thc.
      - mtnGoat 4y ago
        this is rhetorical right?
      - com2kid 4y ago
        > Does caffeine have negative side effects, Caffeine has negative side effects. It is an addictive psychoactive drug. Its effects are mild, but, to repeat, it is an addictive psychoactive drug. Even moderate use can cause sever anxiety in some people. L-theanine is a great counter to this. Green tea naturally has L-theanine in it and that is likely why people who drink green tea do not report anxiety (at least in significant numbers) while coffee drinkers do. FWIW Matcha has even more L-theanine that green tea.
- mtnGoat 4y ago
  You dont have to guess, i can assure you these people exist. I know a few. In fact some of the biggest names in tech and other industries are definately using drugs, its very possible to be a high achiever and be on drugs. in fact, it seems to be, that we really don't even call it addiction until it ruins your live, otherwise its just called "recreational". strange to me.
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  Well I certainly wouldn’t take the position that everyone should do drugs! I guess I’m just pushing back against the idea that marijuana use automatically means your life will be worse. I think this depends on your personality, use habits, and level of self control.
Shindi 4y ago
I also used to smoke frequently and fully stopped. I think my grandparent makes an interesting point about how habit forming it is because it's so safe which is a good and bad. Wish I had known how habit forming it is before I started. And to your point, yes life is not just about success, it's about so much more like friends and family. That's why I hate weed. It turned my friends who were creative, thoughtful and caring, into people who just wanted to smoke and do nothing when they had time off.
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  It’s funny because I’m extremely creative whether I’m smoking or not. Late last year I designed a four axis 3D printed robot arm full of custom 3D printed planetary gearboxes and brushless motors. I was stoned the whole time I was designing it. Early this year I met a bunch of skateboarders and we had a great time smoking a bit and skating in empty parking lots. I had successful creativity and good friendships while vaping. But again I used pure sativa that didn’t make me want to sit on the couch. And it was hard to find! Most weed sold in California stores is a hybrid with some of that couch lock feeling. I think some stoners just don’t realize they can get something that doesn’t knock them on their ass. I’m not saying people should smoke or vape. But I do want to say that with care and self control it can be a habit that doesn’t cause serious problems. Though ultimately I feel much better having quit.
lacker 4y ago
I quit marijuana three or four months ago, but before that I was vaping marijuana nearly every day for four years. During that time I’ve achieved more success in my career than any other time. I think it was good for me to quit. I feel more alert and more productive now. More level and less tired. Maybe the next four years are going to be the most successful four years of your career. Good luck!
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  Oh they probably will be! My open source career is blowing up. Still while it wasn’t said outright, what I read in to my parent comment was that using marijuana will make you a failure or unsuccessful. Obviously I am reading a lot of what my dad used to say in to that comment, which never made such a claim. But I wanted to provide my perspective nonetheless. Also, thanks!
DiggyJohnson 4y ago
Counter point taken. Follow-on question: have you had similar success in your relationships and personal life in the last 4 years? I was a great student stoned, and a decent heads-down coworker. I became a detached boyfriend and family member and even more detached friend. I made my world smaller, so I could "focus" on work. My time on creative/non-passive hobbies fell to zero. I didn't lose friends but I didn't keep up with them. I genuinely hope your experience has not been so asymmetrical.
- TaylorAlexander 4y ago
  I wouldn’t describe my relationship style as detached at all. I was attentive and used some of my time in therapy to work on issues that came up with my partner and try to resolve them. It didn’t work out but I think that’s due to a bad fit. And she smoked a lot of weed (more than I did) so we were aligned there. My creative passions exploded. Personal design projects (3D printing, circuit board design, robotics, programming) all were off the charts high, as I reduced the number of hours I worked at my regular job to under 30 hours a week. It was the most productive hobby time of my life. I think it makes a huge difference that I smoked relatively small amounts of pure sativa, and nothing else. Biggest issue I think was how it affected my sleep. I would stay up late getting stoned and designing robots, going to sleep around 4 or 5am. I’d wake up at 12 or 1. Made it hard to visit my Dad for lunch since he lives a ways away. Now without weed I go to bed at midnight and wake up at 8. I like that! Much easier to make plans with my Dad and my new partner (who is GREAT).

wooque 4y ago

I would guess there are people who do cocaine every day without trouble. That doesn't mean everyone should do drugs. Most people can't handle it.

spywaregorilla 4y ago
Most people can handle it. But that still doesn't mean everyone should do drugs.
- coding123 4y ago
  You're saying that if everyone in the world started to take cocaine daily, a high percentage of people, say 80-90% can handle it.
  - jazzyjackson 4y ago
    the poison is in the dose
  - spywaregorilla 4y ago
    What does handling it mean if you're taking cocaine daily? Taking drugs daily is already likely beyond the point of dependence. Regardless of will power, you will almost certainly develop some level of chemical addiction and tolerance trying to use cocaine, recreational-y, daily. I would say the question is invalid. I meant most people can do cocaine once, or at an infrequent irregular frequency without getting addicted to it and becoming dependent. FWIW most means > 50%
    - the_gipsy 4y ago
      This is debatable. If there is a critical mass of people doing cocaine regularly, then more people will get addicted with that availability.
  - samatman 4y ago
    Higher than that I would guess. Bolivians seem to handle it at a rate of "all of them". Of course they're using quids, if they were injectors of pure cocaine the situation would be less rosy. But you didn't specify the route and concentration. This isn't a gotcha, it's a habit of daily use by millions, all of whom are basically fine.
  - diffeomorphism 4y ago
    Wrong way around. If everyone in the world consumes something and side effects are very rare and usually mild, then you have to argue what the problem is. For cocaine and most "hard drugs" probably neither is true. For coffee it seems both are true. For alcohol 1 is true and 2 is tricky.
aparticulate 4y ago
cocaine is not weed though most people cannot do cocaine every day without trouble. Coffee? every day is fine different drugs have different danger
- com2kid 4y ago
  > Coffee? every day is fine /r/nootropics, common thread is as follows: OP: "Help, I have bad anxiety every day, what should I take for it?" re: "Do you drink coffee?" OP: "Yes, about 4 cups a day." re: "Stop drinking coffee and come back in a week and tell us how you are doing." 1 week later. OP: "My anxiety is gone!!" Caffeine has negative side effects. For some people those side effects are really bad. Also caffeine messes up sleep cycles. After seeing sleep study results, I won't touch the stuff after 10am or so, if even that late. Alcohol is even worse in this regard, it will just ruin your sleep cycles at night. Edit: Let me emphasis this for anyone reading: YOU WILL NOT GET DEEP SLEEP IF YOU HAVE A NIGHTCAP. Yes, you will get drowsy, drink enough and you will pass out. The restorative quality of the sleep you get that night will NOT be good. I've seen first hand the sleep study results from this. The effect is so obvious that even the questionable sleep quality results that wrist based wearables give you can easily and consistently show this effect.
  - dfxm12 4y ago
    Does caffeine have negative side effects, or does caffeine, taken in excess, including in late hours of the day, have negative side effects? It's an important distinction to make in this discussion, which largely boils down to "off label use", whether we're talking about drinking simply too much coffee or people with developing brains getting too much thc.
    - mtnGoat 4y ago
      this is rhetorical right?
    - com2kid 4y ago
      > Does caffeine have negative side effects, Caffeine has negative side effects. It is an addictive psychoactive drug. Its effects are mild, but, to repeat, it is an addictive psychoactive drug. Even moderate use can cause sever anxiety in some people. L-theanine is a great counter to this. Green tea naturally has L-theanine in it and that is likely why people who drink green tea do not report anxiety (at least in significant numbers) while coffee drinkers do. FWIW Matcha has even more L-theanine that green tea.
mtnGoat 4y ago
You dont have to guess, i can assure you these people exist. I know a few. In fact some of the biggest names in tech and other industries are definately using drugs, its very possible to be a high achiever and be on drugs. in fact, it seems to be, that we really don't even call it addiction until it ruins your live, otherwise its just called "recreational". strange to me.
TaylorAlexander 4y ago
Well I certainly wouldn’t take the position that everyone should do drugs! I guess I’m just pushing back against the idea that marijuana use automatically means your life will be worse. I think this depends on your personality, use habits, and level of self control.

Shindi 4y ago

I also used to smoke frequently and fully stopped. I think my grandparent makes an interesting point about how habit forming it is because it's so safe which is a good and bad. Wish I had known how habit forming it is before I started. And to your point, yes life is not just about success, it's about so much more like friends and family. That's why I hate weed. It turned my friends who were creative, thoughtful and caring, into people who just wanted to smoke and do nothing when they had time off.

TaylorAlexander 4y ago
It’s funny because I’m extremely creative whether I’m smoking or not. Late last year I designed a four axis 3D printed robot arm full of custom 3D printed planetary gearboxes and brushless motors. I was stoned the whole time I was designing it. Early this year I met a bunch of skateboarders and we had a great time smoking a bit and skating in empty parking lots. I had successful creativity and good friendships while vaping. But again I used pure sativa that didn’t make me want to sit on the couch. And it was hard to find! Most weed sold in California stores is a hybrid with some of that couch lock feeling. I think some stoners just don’t realize they can get something that doesn’t knock them on their ass. I’m not saying people should smoke or vape. But I do want to say that with care and self control it can be a habit that doesn’t cause serious problems. Though ultimately I feel much better having quit.

lacker 4y ago

I quit marijuana three or four months ago, but before that I was vaping marijuana nearly every day for four years. During that time I’ve achieved more success in my career than any other time. I think it was good for me to quit. I feel more alert and more productive now. More level and less tired. Maybe the next four years are going to be the most successful four years of your career. Good luck!

TaylorAlexander 4y ago
Oh they probably will be! My open source career is blowing up. Still while it wasn’t said outright, what I read in to my parent comment was that using marijuana will make you a failure or unsuccessful. Obviously I am reading a lot of what my dad used to say in to that comment, which never made such a claim. But I wanted to provide my perspective nonetheless. Also, thanks!

DiggyJohnson 4y ago

Counter point taken. Follow-on question: have you had similar success in your relationships and personal life in the last 4 years? I was a great student stoned, and a decent heads-down coworker. I became a detached boyfriend and family member and even more detached friend. I made my world smaller, so I could "focus" on work. My time on creative/non-passive hobbies fell to zero. I didn't lose friends but I didn't keep up with them. I genuinely hope your experience has not been so asymmetrical.

TaylorAlexander 4y ago
I wouldn’t describe my relationship style as detached at all. I was attentive and used some of my time in therapy to work on issues that came up with my partner and try to resolve them. It didn’t work out but I think that’s due to a bad fit. And she smoked a lot of weed (more than I did) so we were aligned there. My creative passions exploded. Personal design projects (3D printing, circuit board design, robotics, programming) all were off the charts high, as I reduced the number of hours I worked at my regular job to under 30 hours a week. It was the most productive hobby time of my life. I think it makes a huge difference that I smoked relatively small amounts of pure sativa, and nothing else. Biggest issue I think was how it affected my sleep. I would stay up late getting stoned and designing robots, going to sleep around 4 or 5am. I’d wake up at 12 or 1. Made it hard to visit my Dad for lunch since he lives a ways away. Now without weed I go to bed at midnight and wake up at 8. I like that! Much easier to make plans with my Dad and my new partner (who is GREAT).