For the last 3 years I’ve struggled with sobriety from alcohol; I made it nearly 2 years and a year ago decided I could drink again. A month ago I broke my neck and decided I should quit drinking (not that drinking was the entire cause but don’t think I would have broken it sober; I’ll also add I’ll make a full recovery just in a halo brace for a couple months). Anyway I’ve always smoked weed because it doesn’t cause problems in my life like alcohol does and I really enjoy it and it helps with my depression and chronic back pain. Some AA groups I’ve been a part of in the past claim you can’t truly stay sober from drinking if you smoke weed I don’t think I agree but wanted other opinions and a discussion on the topic what do you other alcoholic, pot smokers think?
This is a really hot issue for me right now. I’m coming up on my 1 year sober anniversary and my husband (who’s an alcoholic) has been having a hard time giving up alcohol. He uses every excuse in the book. His most recent is pain so his dr just gave him a medical marijuana card and I’m livid. I feel like he’s trading one addiction for another. Sobriety to me means… not putting any mind altering substance in my body.
I think that’s called the marijuana maintenance program. It’s been tested by the best. It don’t work.
I guess it depends what you want to do. If you want to stop drinking but do some other mind altering drug than I personally feel your not clean or sober. But you have quit drinking. But you’ll probably have that drink sooner or later because the addict in you eventually says GIVE ME WHAT I WANT! And that’s going to be a drink. Now if we’re talking about mood stabilizing medication. That’s a whole different ballgame which should be considered under direct supervision of you doctor or better yet psychiatrist.
Just my thoughts.
Thank you, I appreciate hearing your husbands experience and that it could be switching one addiction for another. I haven’t met very many folks who have truly stayed sober from alcohol whole continuing to use weed. I mean I have met a few folks that have managed it for years but am just curious what others going through addiction and trying to maintain sobriety think. I’m considering giving up weed too and seeing if the not drinking lifestyle gets easier.
To my mind this is what we make it to be.
To be honest, now, 22 months sober I can say that my life is good and I don’t miss getting “off my head” at all.
I did think about using pot to help get sober, but guys on here said no, it’s still pleasing your addictive self. So I didn’t.
YMMV
For myself personally I have continued to smoke weed and just over a year I quit drinking. It was never my intention to quit smoking pot, just the alcohol. I know a couple of other people that have done the same thing just quit drinking and have been smoking pot for years.
I do have to say that I lost a close friend of mine because of me smoking pot. We were very close in our sobriety, she had a month more than myself and she didn’t like the fact that I still was able to smoke pot and not drink. She was never a pot smoker cause it didn’t like the way it made her feel so her excuse to her going back to drinking was because I was a pot smoker still. Which is complete BS, I never smoked around her even when we drank together, I know when people don’t like it and can choose to not smoke. But as for AA it’s my choice to tell the group if I still smoke or notz I believe so.e of them know and just hasn’t said anything but I choose to not say anything because some of the other members are also in NA and it might be a trigger so AA is strictly for AA.
Anyways good luck with everything and remember to spread a smile today.
Smoking weed isn’t sober. I have friends in AA that choose to continue to smoke, I don’t judge them. Everyone’s journey is different. I choose to work for quality sobriety over abstinence. For me in order to stay sober I have to stop trying to find ways to escape and face my problems. Going home after a stressful day of work and sparking one is no different to me than having a beer. For me sobriety means coming home at the end of the day and dealing with the stress positively by taking a run, meditating, talking it out with a friend. I don’t believe smoking is going to cause you to return to alcohol, however I do believe its standing in the way of all the benefits quality sobriety has to offer.
The question I asked myself was am I addicted to this substance?.. Do I wake up and think I need that now to function or can I put that substance down for a few days or a month and not feel any side effects or become mentally poorly by not having its daily intake.
I couldn’t get up in the morning and do my day without weed, I needed it to function but I had so much I didn’t know about myself and relied on the substances to cope with everything!
If alcohol is what was getting out of hand and fucking you up daily then work on that substance. We all have different approaches but what works for one may not work for another.
I cut all the substances out and have abstained because ALL of these substances were impacting on my day and were derailing me inside and also my environment around me. I was having more blackouts, more bruises and wounds not knowing where they come from, forgetting more and felt like cotton wool was in my head, where as 5years ago these substances were helping me thrive in work life and making me feel calm on my evenings.
@Jennajen just stole the words out of my mouth. I would try doing it without it and going to see a doctor, then a psychiatrist. Be honest with them about your addiction issues and your mental health issues. But TRY recovery without weed for a bit. If you find yourself craving weed intensely, well there’s you answer, you are trying to stay in hiding from your problems by staying inebriated. I’d be willing to bet that if you have the right mindset about sobriety you will feel so much better not using any substance.
Self medicating mental health is a life or death thing. Please be careful with it. Get professional help, please.
I completely agree with the two comments above mine. I am recently sober and I was an avid smoker as well. For me, those addictions went hand in hand and in hind sight, I was using both to numb my feelings so I didn’t have to cope with literally anything. I was using the personal excuse that my anxiety would spike (I’m medically diagnosed with anxiety and depression disorders) and I’d fail sobriety for the millionth time, but, in my case, it was the opposite! Have I been crying more since eliminating both from my life? Sure! But after only a week of complete sobriety, I found myself picking up healthier habits instead of numbing ones. I personally have picked up golf again after not playing for over 10 years and I find myself spending more time with my dad again, who is almost 70, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world now.
So yeah, I agree with trying complete sobriety over trading one numbing agent for another. Its not easy by any means, but it’s SO WORTH IT! You’ll feel more proud of yourself and will see yourself taking interest in the world around you more.
If you smoke weed when you stop drinking you aint sober , if one of my guys came to me and said he was smoking but not drinking id kick his ass sober no mind altering subs, here in Scotland the doc would prescribe a drug med not weed . keep on trucking
Well, one can be addicted to weed for real, then be watchful: you don’t want to have two addictions instead of one
I’ve never been addicted to ketamine so I should be cool with doing that. I love when these threads pop up. I can always figure out how to do drugs and be sober all at once!
I was never a weed smoker, except way back 45 years ago in high school for a few years…not my thing, hate that high feeling. I am however an insomniac and suffered for 30 years to find a way to sleep more than 2 or 3 hours at a time. It has been quite debilitating at times. I have used every trick, tool, supplement, practice sleep hygiene, OTC med, etc. Last year at 2.5 years sober, I decided it was the year to figure it out and I went to my doctor and was eventually prescribed medical marijuana (note: I quit a 30+ year cigarette habit more than 10 years ago and baby my lungs now), so I take tinctures or a gel pill, I would not vape, never have never will. I use the medical marijuana at bedtime only and it helps but doesn’t alleviate my issues with sleep (my mom and oldest brother also have this same issue with sleep, I can only imagine we are poor melatonin producers or some such). I can actually fall back asleep if I wake up, a blessing. I don’t use it every night, but most nights for sure. I am still trying to find something that works better. FWIW my 84 year old Mom is also using MM with some success, tho she needs to be super careful when getting up at night as it makes her balance a bit iffy. I digress.
Am I sober? Yes, I am. Am I substituting, no, I am not. Am I abusing it, no, I am not.
Only you know if you have an honest and healthy relationship with weed. Listen to your heart and be real with yourself. If you feel off or weird or agitated when you don’t use it, listen to that. And if you are at a point in your life when you cannot be honest with yourself about it, then it is likely not a good thing for you at this time.
Breaking your neck sounds awful and scary. I am glad you are okay!!!
I’m recovering from heroin and benzo addiction and if I pick up another drug then I’m truly not clean I’m just swapping one mind altering substance for another.if i used weed now I gaurentee within 4weeks IL be buying smack from the local hippy’s ,A DRUG IS A DRUG IS A DRUG.this is my personal views
Erbs is ok
17.8 days in, I would not have made it with out it …this is your journey…I have my own journey…no one else can tell you me or anyone else how to take our personal jurneys…