what do you put in your body?
Posted by lotus42 on Apr 14, 2007 · Member since Mar 2007 · 3081 posts
I have an interesting query. I am very careful about what I put in my body, definitely more so than most people I know, but I don't really go "crazy" with it. I have a friend who is a lot more conscious than I am about her consumption, yet she smokes pot. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
I think m ost of us need a vice of some sort. For me it is tanning beds. I can't help it. I don't smoke anything, rarely drink alcohol, do yoga and eat very healthy. This is my one place I get to feel like a rebel. I know it lame but it's my thing.
I do have some thoughts on this, definitely!
Like diet, I take a live-and-let-live attitude with friends who use; but, also like diet, I acknowledge and share the deadly effects of indulgence.
I have family who eat the SAD and suffer heart or other health problems. I let them eat as they choose, but they know that I think it is killing them, and that I have the data to support my opinion.
In the same way, I sat by my sister's bed in the hospital while she died from a condition caused by pot smoking. She was only 46. The doctors told us that marijuana was to blame for her death.
I have watched others consumed by pot-addiction who lost all interest in the valuable things in life - and just wanted to party. It is an addiction as damaging as any other.
I have heard many people argue that marijuana is an herb and therefore "natural" and "healthy" - if all herbs are healthy, then tobacco and hemlock are also "natural" and "healthy."
I am especially disturbed to hear teenagers make this argument, because I feel that the adults who sell to them feed them this line of reasoning with a profit motive in mind. And, meanwhile, I watch their lives fall apart while their grades plummet and they lose interest in the things that make life meaningful and worthwhile, and just want to smoke.
I am not a radical on this subject - I am not entirely opposed to legalizing the stuff, and I do acknowledge its proper medical uses - but recreational use does kill people, and it also kills their productivity and their joy in life.
I have an interesting query. I am very careful about what I put in my body, definitely more so than most people I know, but I don't really go "crazy" with it. I have a friend who is a lot more conscious than I am about her consumption, yet she smokes pot. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
If something makes you (her) happy, and causes nobody any harm, pain, or suffering.....do it! If somebody wants to eat a burger.....it's a cow that suffers....if they want to take a hit off a bong...I can't think of anyone that suffers. There's much worse things a person can do in this world then get high....such as start a war, cause the death and suffering of too many to count..The world would have been better off if "Dubya" would have still been getting high, doing blow, and drinking himself into a stupor every night. At least in my eyes, I think every living thing on this planet would have been better off.
I wanted to add I am in no way advocating the use of drugs....I've seen too many people mess up their lives with them.....I just don't consider "pot" to be a hard drug....and BTW....I don't "toke" myself any longer.....it's been a long long time since I cut that out of my life....I just got sick and tired of feeling "sick and tired".... ;)
I know from experience that pot can have a VERY negative influence on others. Though I don't use it I have had several friends that did, some of whom are dead because either they got high and passed out at the wheel or it let to worse things that eventually killed them. I also have a friend whose family has been torn apart because of his drug use. Please don't think that pot doesn't hurt anyone except the person using it because I can promise that the friends and family of those that I know have experienced lots and lots of pain and suffering because of simply smoking pot!
I believe that my younger (by seven years) brother has basically squandered much of his life due to excessive pot smoking. He's 43 but looks about 65. He claims to have given it up a couple of years ago but I'm not around him enough to be able to support or deny that claim. I believe that it's not a good thing. Bob Marley, of course, was a chronic pot smoker, and it probably was what caused his brain cancer. I tried it in my early twenties and didn't like it. I didn't "take to" smoking either. I like being able to breathe.
TinTexas, you’re probably right. As someone studying to be a drug/alcohol counselor, I can tell you that pot- just pot, not ‘pot as a gateway’ can be very, very harmful to your brain, your health, and your life quality in general. It’s not ‘all natural’ and it supports the drug trade and all the oppression, death and marginalized lives it causes.
My thoughts are that you need to model right behavior in your life as much as possible, and share your reasons why you do and do not do X thing. You have more power than you think!
TinTexas, you’re probably right. As someone studying to be a drug/alcohol counselor, I can tell you that pot- just pot, not ‘pot as a gateway’ can be very, very harmful to your brain, your health, and your life quality in general. It’s not ‘all natural’ and it supports the drug trade and all the oppression, death and marginalized lives it causes.
My thoughts are that you need to model right behavior in your life as much as possible, and share your reasons why you do and do not do X thing. You have more power than you think!
I agree that pot is a "gateway" drug. As I mentioned above I know many people personally that have messed up their lives with drugs. Most (if not all ) started with smoking pot. I know people that have died (O.D.'d, as well as a childhood friend that grew up 3 homes away from me that was "murdered" in a drug deal gone bad when he was 25), ended up "shooting up" and getting AIDS, and some that ended up in prison. Most of these are people I grew up with in upper-middle class suburbia with and went to HS with. Some of them I met later in life were successful musicians that blew it because of drugs (this is not to limit the number of stock brokers, bankers, and others that I have come across with bad drug habits). I also know some that have used it (pot) for years and are successful, fully contributing members of society. I guess it affects some more then others. Alcohol is just as bad, if not worse. I have probably seen more people mess up their lives with alcohol. A "drug" that is sold everywhere and is easily and readily available to anyone that wants it at any time. I guess the point I am trying to make is that pot, like alcohol can be addictive. And just like alcohol, some can handle it and suffer no great damage to themselves or to others. There are many people I know that can consume alcohol with no seemingly bad effects (not talking about driving...that's another topic...so lets asume in the safety of their own home), there are others that have wasted their lives because of alcohol. It has lead them to broken families, financial ruin, and poverty in some cases. I personally know people who were once famous, and had what one might believe to be a fairy tail life and that now have nothing....all due to alcohol and drugs. Overall, it's a choice. Some will be able to handle the choice they make, and some should have never took the first "toke" or first "sip"....how is one to know what their reaction will be in the long run?
Some will be able to handle the choice they make, and some should have never took the first "toke" or first "sip"....how is one to know what their reaction will be in the long run?
Ironically, this is just about the exact thing my grandmother, a Prohibitionist who belonged to the WCTU, would have said. In fact, that was the number one argument I heard growing up - "if you never take the first drink, you'll never become an alcoholic" (BTW, I do drink in moderation) Weird, huh?
Truth is Truth - even when it comes from disparate sources.
Ten most dangerous drugs;
http://www.drbenkim.com/ten-most-dangerous-drugs.html
Ten most dangerous drugs;
http://www.drbenkim.com/ten-most-dangerous-drugs.html
hmmm, Id like to see some evidence that any "illegal drug" does more damage to people and familes than tobaccoo and alcohol
as far as the initial question
well, I might differ from others here in that. I like to drink and I occasionally take drugs from time to time. I dont use animal products for ethical reasons instead of health. While I care about my health and watch mainly what I put into my body, I also have a nihilistic view sometimes as well. Sure, I could eat alot better, excercise more, but obviously I dont want to enough to do it at the moment
i know a few people who smoke too much pot and its ruined thier lives in ways they probably dont see. But I know alot more people who ruin their lives with alcohol and ciggarettes, methamphetamine is a hidous thing to watch ruin your friends as well
I think Daves correct when he said "certain people just handle certain things differently", and I beleive its all mainly chemical reactions/genetics. Some of us are lucky, some arnt
I believe that my younger (by seven years) brother has basically squandered much of his life due to excessive pot smoking. He's 43 but looks about 65. He claims to have given it up a couple of years ago but I'm not around him enough to be able to support or deny that claim. I believe that it's not a good thing. Bob Marley, of course, was a chronic pot smoker, and it probably was what caused his brain cancer. I tried it in my early twenties and didn't like it. I didn't "take to" smoking either. I like being able to breathe.
Marijuana does not, in any way, cause cancer. Merely smoking marijuana has never caused any deaths whatsoever. Some of the most comprehensive studies ever done on marijuana have shown that not only does it not cause cancer, but in fact it actually inhibits cancerous cells from growing.
Of course, like any recreational activity with the possibility of misuse, marijuana can be also be misused, and in turn have negative effects on people's lives. However, marijuana is not inherently bad, and not everyone who smokes marijuana suffers any sort of negative consequences. It is merely the way in which it is used and misued that causes problems, just as with alcohol, gambling, shopping, caffeine, etc.
Some will be able to handle the choice they make, and some should have never took the first "toke" or first "sip"....how is one to know what their reaction will be in the long run?
Ironically, this is just about the exact thing my grandmother, a Prohibitionist who belonged to the WCTU, would have said. In fact, that was the number one argument I heard growing up - "if you never take the first drink, you'll never become an alcoholic" (BTW, I do drink in moderation) Weird, huh?
Truth is Truth - even when it comes from disparate sources.
Body chemistry is an odd thing. My grandfather was an alcoholic and I had 2 siblings who were also. One drank herself to death, and I have no idea what happened to the other since we've lost touch. And yet, I can take a drink or leave it alone. I can go for months without it and it doesn't bother me, and I can have a drink every day for a week (especially in the holiday season) and be fine with it. I think part of that is, living in Spain, I was taught to see wine and beer as food, not as something you drank for itself. The youngsters today however are heading massively for alcoholism as "litronas" (bottle bashes--as kegs aren't available here without a selling licence) have become the weekend activity of choice. How this country has changed in 25 yrs.
I agree, alcohol and tobacco are legal drugs but just as lethal in the long term as some of the illegal ones.
I'm not a vegan, but I do try to avoid certain animal products (besides meat); for example, butterfat. Also, I don't like eggs, but it's not something I'm averse to baking with, as I won't be able to taste the egg-iness. I try hard to avoid HFCS and overly processed foods...I've found that while they're addicting when you're used to them, after a while without packaged cookies or crackers, they're not even desirable anymore, and they actually taste kind of gross. I refuse to eat commercial peanut butter and I don't even consider loaves resembling wonderbread and the like as real bread. I'm kind of a snob when it comes to nut butters and bread, I guess.
As for chemicals, I don't have much desire to try any hard drug, but I do enjoy smoking pot once in a while, and while I don't particularly love alcohol, a beer (and a buzz) now and then is nice. Chemicals in the form of medication is another story-- I rarely even take advil, and I'm resisting the meds route even in treatment of anxiety. I don't like the idea of things changes brain chemstry, and anyway, I've never explored other means of treatment; I'd like to focus on talk therapy, dietary changes and different relaxation techniques for a chem-free change.
I've been struggling with this issue lately.
I'm vegan but I also smoke tobacco. For myself I think that this is a contradiction, but it is also hard to quit...the strange thing that gets to me is that cigarette filters aren’t bio-degradable...is it strange that I care more about that than my own health? :-\
Good luck to those who smoke and want to quit. It's a tough journey and I don't judge anyone for where they are in the journey...be they on the journey to veganism and still eat cheese or they smoke.
Marijuana is still illegal here in Florida and thus I think it's wrong to break the law regardless of how "harmless" I might personally find it. As an RN the Nurse Practice Act dictates that I don't smoke it, so I don't.
I would have a hard time with some who is conscious about what they put in their body, yet smokes, but to his her/his own, live and let live. Just don't whine you get heart failure, cancer, etc. or get thrown in jail. :) :-*
Tweety, that's kind of my feeling about professional singers who smoke--they are damaging their instrument! It just seems kind of crazy, to me.
I tried Very Hard to learn to smoke as when I came here 25 yrs ago it was a social norm among young folks. The first thing they did when you met was pass the pack, and to say, "No thanks I don't smoke" got you some funny looks. Fortunately I could only afford cheap black tobacco, so it never "took" with me. Plus my interest in amateur vocals as aforesaid. So I never cut an album, but my lungs are still all of a piece...as much as they can be in acountry that only started selling unleaded gas in the late 90's...
Marijuana does not, in any way, cause cancer. And to the doctors who said that your sister was killed my marijuana, Anna, I'd certainly like to know exactly how they claim this happened, because I can assure you that merely smoking marijuana has never caused any deaths whatsoever.
I am hurt by your comments. :-\
I am really sorry to have hurt you. I did not mean to do that at all, and I sincerely apologize.
Thank you, KT - I really appreciate it. :)
I was stunned when the doctors told us that was why she was dying.
I, too, had always heard that marijuana was natural, physically harmless, and minimally addictive. But, for my sister, it was very addictive. She told me a couple of years before she died that she was simply unable to quit.
This is what happened:
She suddenly and without warning developed a severe vascular disease 10 days before she died and her blood vessels just started rupturing - mainly in her brain. She went into a coma, and the blood vessels just kept breaking, her skin started turning red, and her brain kept swelling, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. She left 3 kids who watched her die, not to mention our mother, our sisters, and me.
The doctors in the ICU said they routinely saw severe health issues like this in heavy recreational users of marijuana - and I wondered why I had never heard that before. But, I remember older people telling me that tobacco was thought to be natural and harmless when they were young - but the doctors in the hospitals then were probably observing "wow, a lot of our lung cancer patients are smokers!" I think that is the type of conclusion that the doctors were drawing. Not based on studies or research, just based on their own observation of the health problems they had observed in the marijuana-dependent.
I'm a little wary of relying on "scientific proof" from studies - especially when it doesn't match what I have observed in life - because I know that scientific studies can be easily planned to produce results that please those conducting or funding them - we need look no further than all the anti-vegetarian "studies" out there funded by the meat industry.
And, then add the complicating factor that because marijuana is illegal and many people who do use it are afraid to say so because of possible legal and social reprecussions, people are not always willing to accurately share the details of their use with researchers. And then you have the kids who claim they use it when they don't because it sounds "cool" - I cannot imagine how even a skilled scientist could design a really good test or study. It would be illegal to administer to a control group who didn't know that was what they were getting (say, marijuana or some other herb). Reputable university scientists might easily be scared off by the social stigma of studying something so controversial, and peer reviewers of the studies would be very hard to find. After all, professional scientists have to worry about things like promotion, tenure, and funding.
Additionally, I know of very few long term users who are now senior citizens (unlike tobacco and alcohol) so that we can observe the effects of a lifetime of use. And, because of the cost and illegality, few people can afford to use marijuana at rate that they abuse alcohol and tobacco. I think a "heavy" marijuana user might smoke a few joints a day - compare that to a two, or three-pack a day tobacco smoker.
It could be that marijuana was just never meant to be smoked - it could be a lot less harmful when eaten (as in brownies). Who knows? I've heard that tobacco has some positive effects in the leaf form - practitioners of folk medicine used to use it for poultices.
I am not a scientist in the field - only someone whose sister died, and who heard the doctors attribute her death to marijuana and say that they saw this sort of thing a lot in their line of work. I don't have all the answers.
I don't think that marijuana has this effect on all who use it, but, to me, it is simply not worth the risk. I don't know of any positive effects of recreational use except the temporary relaxation/euphoria it brings. And, I am not aware of widespread recreational use before, say WWII - so it doesn't have the long track-record (good an bad) that alcohol does.
I do believe that God made every herb out there for some good reason - and I believe that marijuana has good uses - especially for the terminally ill. But, like everything else in the world (as you mentioned, even shopping) misuse can be destructive.
Sorry for rambling, but I hope that gives you a better idea where I'm coming from.
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