pot

[Doctor Roger]

Dear Octo,

Your intelligence is only outdone by your passion. You seem to be a well rounded and informed person. Perhaps my mind is too biased and open.

Let me summarize by saying that we agree to disagree politely, and that I fully respect your opinions and your facts that you've so eloquently stated. You make a very convincing argument, although I don't fully agree, I'm floored by respect for your valid points.

Thanks for your opinions and for the respect you give to other points of view. One thing I do agree with you on is that I still look forward to meeting and discussing this over a drink or a Cola , but NOT a doobie !!


Thanks,

Dr. Roger

[Bash]

Originally posted by Octopulse
...might be better off sticking to brownies!

Just so happens a timely email from Wingo contained this link:

Pot Brownies

A good smile to add to this very interesting thread.

From someone who's never tried the stuff in any form,
Bash

[pippi617]

Bash is SUCH a Goodie-Two-Shoes.

[shoeman]

Huh?

What?

Somebody say "Shoes"?

[Jeanne Thelen]

Octo...

WHEW.... you are right .. what a thread... Wow!!!

I have always thought that Pot is "no big deal" and the lesser of all evils... considering all other options....Pot is(personally)something that I have NOT enjoyed the few times I have tried it ....BUT If I had the choice to be around someone who was consuming Alcohol or pot......
I would choose Pot anyday....people smoke for many different reasons... and I certainly would not condemn anyone who does ... or does not...and It is not my job to justify those reasons of personal choice....

Sobriety is a choice... and sometimes not an easy one.. but always a brave one....and one that will be made when the time is right for the individual...as far as the friends who do not want to hang with you because you have chosen sobriety... well then, they are not friends, and never were, if they are only willing to be around you if you are playing in their sandbox by their rules..that is pure selfishness on their side... and is pretty typical choice of one who chooses recovery over addiction.....You may have to examine their intentions regarding your friendship... you may find it is not what you thought it was ...or what it seems....and you have chosen the higher ground...that is huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All I can say is Just take it ONE DAY AT A TIME.....

[msmith1]

More power to you, for having the courage to quit, Octo.
I was married to a pot head for 23 years--let me tell you, from the other perspective...
He lied about it, he tried to hide it, brought it into MY house against my wishes (an illegal substance that could've gotten me into trouble for his possession of it)--he slapped me across the face when I confronted him about it, and he spent alot of money we didn't have on it. UGH!
Plus, guess who had to do the sleepless night thing for years on end, making hot tea and compresses for the b****** because of his relentless coughing when he spent night after night unable to breathe due to his asthma--which he SWORE the pot helped. Sorry, I find that hard to believe.
I also suspect that's one aspect of why we didn't have kids, because he toked so much--(partly due to you can't and don't want be intimate if your partner is passed out with a bag of chips in his lap and in his beard--and it surely must do something to a guy's "swimmers").
And then there's the general slovenliness about everything that comes with the lackadaisical attitudes due to the habit. He was a #1 slob.
That bong, he tried to hide it many places, but that water is RANK. How can you smoke your s*** through such nasty s***??? If nothing else, that can't be good for you...bacteria/tar residue. Geez, have the sense to clean!
I tried it once, early on in our marriage just to shut him up about how I really should try it--but all it did was make me super pissed off. He and his friends and family were staring and laughing at---a dinner spoon. A stupid spoon! I thought "What the f*** is that about? What a bunch of freakin' morons! How can I be hanging out with such a bunch of idiots?!" That was my first and last time--still makes me mad, it was so pointless!
It's a waste of time--IMO it's for people who have no other creativity or kinetic drive in them, than to waste time sitting around on their a*****goofing on dinnerware, and being lazy dirty slobs.
Well, that's been my own personal experience--sorry if I'm harsh, but it made me bitter, and these are just my opinions.
Kim

[Octopulse]

hey folks thanks for the encouragment

msmith1...

it has alot to do with balance, ive seen plenty of people who have smoked pot and lead very productive lives, your ex sounds like he had the same problem i had, a complete lack of balance, and having to lie to your partner, which ive done plenty, over pot, over the years, to my own partner, is a sure sign of trouble, hooray Kim that youre not dealing with that anymore

all...

on the other hand, i recall over the years, times when ive written and drawn things, pictures or stories, completely stoned out of my wits, that i simply could not have done as well if i was "unaltered" at the time, i remember sitting on my porch one time smoking joints, and I drew the most amazing water-color of a bird sitting on a milkweed

pot has good points, it truly can be a tool for enhanced creativity, look at the way the music, and the lyrics, and the image, of the Beatles changed when they experimented with pot, of course the Beatles experimented with LSD as well, and some of the Beatles best works were done while "altered", but again with many substances, pot-LSD-alcohol-etc... that can alter your state of mind, balance is always the key

ive had a few people in other forums who read this same exact post, people not quite as nice as the folks here, reply with basically "all people who do drugs are losers period", i disagree with that, it simple made me a loser, it took a while to happen, but i am not a good long-term acrobat, but luckily i married, and have been able to maintain supporting relationships with, some very fine nets

again, thanks all, for your kind, and honest, words here

[msmith1]

Hey Octo!
Yes, it is the folks you are exposed to, who make and color your personal perspective. I'm sure that there are folks out there who do reap mind-expansive visionary ideas, or warrant health benefits, from currently illegal substances...but most likely, that's very few and far between--quite the rarity (you made a valid point regarding The Beatles).
But for the vast majority of individuals, I'd liken it to "drunken sex"... perceiving that they are doing much better at the act than they actually are, at the time.
Kim

[Octopulse]

hmmm, after reading this whole post my mixed emotions on pot are now almost embarrasingly apparent

you wont get an arguement from me Kim on the "drunken sex" comparison, i wont go into details on why

the "drunken sex" remark brings back some other memories though, its 1985, im at the local bar called "the casbah", Billy Idol's Money Money is rocking the house, and at one part the whole house goes "hey hey now get laid get f***ed!!", I often wondered over the years.... was that horn-dog chant just a local thing?

anyway... I distinctly remember my often used bar-tactic of starting out with rum and coke, and after catching just enough of a buzz to get couragous, i would switch over to just coke, without telling any of my buddies of course because ya know that just wouldnt look cool, this was done in hopes of getting lucky, and, not being too wasted to be a real "he-man loverboy", unfortunately 99.9% of the time the only benefits from the tactic "he-man loverboy" ever got to enjoy, was a 50 cent savings per drink over the course of the night, and the reduced chances of a DWI

[pippi617]

I think the chant is National. Though it may vary a little from state to state. We got, "Say Hey, Say What - Get Laid, Get F*%#@ed". Such a charming thing to yell from the dance floor.

[Clive3]

Ive seen so many of my frineds go under because of this crap.... i just dont understand why... its just my opinion.... if they wish to use... that is their chocie... i cant force them to do anything that they do or dont want to do

[Doctor Roger]

(hopefully) Final points from me.....

1. It's unfair to say "all potheads are losers" I'm not a loser in my opinion
2. Pot is LEGAL in at least 19 forward thinking states
3. Alcohol is much worse than pot (hangovers, drunk driving, etc.)
4. Most who call pot users losers have close ties with people who use it
5. It didn't affect my "swimmers" as I have 2 beautiful, smart daughters
6. Those who criticize pot smokers have other skeletons in their closet
7. You may be surprised at many genious and other smart professional
people who use pot.
8. Some people can handle alcohol, or other vices, and some can't
9. It's a very good front to criticize something you don't know much about
10. It's a personal choice and not fair to diss it unless you can take the
dissing on what you use or think. It must be legal for some reason in
so many states and countries.

And Finally:

10. It's not for everyone, but then it doesn't try to be. Don't be a hater.

I would LOVE to hear the Good Doctor's take on this..... ALLICAT, your thoughts? This is a good thread filled with informed and not so informed opinions.

I do agree that a bong is disgusting, the resin, water, and tar is nasty. I suggest joints only. And, if pot made someone look like they were on an LSD trip, then it was spiked with something like angel dust (formaldahyde)
or something not organic. Plain regular THC laden pot doesn't make one hallucinate, rather, hungry, laughter, personable, social, or in some cases, quiet and subdued. I've never heard of pot causing anything close to violence, rather, it invokes non violence and tolerance for others. I could go on and on, but what good would it do?

In summation, these are just my opinions based on many years of first hand events. Although I don't agree with most of the other posts, I do RESPECT your opinions and your right to post them. We can agree to disagree in a friendly manner.

With All Due Respect,

Dr. Roger

[preciousstone75]

I have used marijuana myself. It did not affect me. No effect at all, so I quit. The friend of mine who used it was more than a user. She was stoned all the time, pregnant and stoned all the time, and had the audacity to question why her last child was stillborn. It was her fault. Besides smoking all the time, she was also an alcoholic. She was always so drunk and high that in the last few years before I stopped talking to her, I had to think really hard when it was the last time I saw her completely sober. I do not think all pot heads are losers; quite the contrary. I just saw some bad things happen w/Deanna and was more than hurt when she died. It was from her drug use and alcoholism that caused her to have a heart attack at 34.

Of course, I am not at all offended by what you said; I'm just clarifying what may have been cloudy. I have seen situations where people were not genuine and only wanted to be around a person when they were under the influence or letting them smoke for free. That's the part I was getting at; if you can be down for a person no matter what state they are in, you're good people. In fact, my cousin started off w/weed and escalated to rocks, so it can lead to other vices. Weed didn't get her high anymore so she graduated to the next level.

You too have made several valid points and I always value your opinion. This communication is good; all perspectives are pieces of the entire picture. I would rather have a buddha head for a friend than an alcoholic; my father is one (but has since stopped in the last 3 years)- it was horrible always seeing him sloshed and not remembering things.

twist one for me, Doc

[Doctor Roger]

Thanks Presh,

I have always enjoyed your spirited posts as well. Communication is good, especially as we all share at least one thing in common..........that we all agree upon.... The Fixx is the best (or one of the best for some) bands out there. As we watch them perform, we ALL feel "stoned", pot or no pot! For me, it truly transports us back to a younger day for an hour or two, capish?

And also, I like the posts and thoughts of msmith ! It's good to agree and disagree with such a nice person that I FINALLY got to meet recently! I think we should all meet someday, yes, ALL of those reading and belonging to this site. Wouldn't it be great to have a yearly shindig? It could be a weekend thing, like a convention. In advance, I nominate msmith for President of FixxFest '08.

So, I think we all have our own thoughts and ideas about pot, alcohol, drugs, and the like..... they are all bad and some realize how bad and others don't. Still, the love abounds and respect is the order of the day, at least here anyway.

(Hoping for more tour dates)
Respectfully Yours,

Dr. Roger

[msmith1]

It's really great that we can respectfully agree to disagree--listen, absorb, and learn from each other here. So many different people and views

Nice to meet you in Phoenix, too, Doctor--you're a genuine gentleman.

Kim
(Fixx-ture party '08 West Coast?...let's start a plan)