More than just marijuana?

I suspect my son is using more than marijuana. But he has a strong family history of schizophrenia and shouldn't even touch the stuff. But I'm wondering if he is JUST using it, can it cause such terrible problems as he has, no ambition, has not filed his income taxes even though he is getting a refund, won't work, the last straw - has stolen from us, etc., etc.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
Actually, not to scare you, but I have a mood disorder and pot made it worse. Yes, I tried pot. It made me a paranoid mess. I think we will find out that, just like alcohol, pot can be ok for some recreational users (and bad for anyone who is high constantly) and it has already been proven to trigger things like schizophrenia, depersonalization-derealization, and maybe mood disorders (it sure did nothing good for mine).

I always get suspicious that if pot is being used daily that other drugs are too, although for a long time I thought my daughter was only using pot. That', even though she slept all day and could not think clearly and her college counselor called me to tell me he was worried she was using more than pot...maybe cocaine. THAT scared me. Soon after, we found out it was true, and her favorite was speed and she did it at night while we were sleeping. Then she would take downers to sleep and tell us she was just tired from school. At the end, we got very suspicious and finally found her having a speed party. She was shown the door shortly after which, in her case and situation, turned out to be a great thing for her...she quit everything.We felt very blessed as she had refused therapy and rehab and we thought she'd end up in prison or dead. And I'm serious. She just quit on her own.

I am not going to lead you on and say that usually happens. Her situation was unusual and she desperately did want to quit.

I am so sorry for that dang hurting mommy heart...I know how it feels.
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
I know when my difficult child was using pot she had no ambition at all, could care less if someone yelled fire, just laid in bed all day and watched tv. She didn't take care of her personal hygiene and was tired all the time. She stole from us constantly but I'm sure that was to buy pot and alcohol. There were also many times that she became violent when we tried to put restrictions on her, she was underage at this time.

I am not one who believes pot is not harmful. I saw what it did to my difficult child and I see what she is like now that she doesn't use it, a world of difference.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
There are people who thought and still think alcohol isn't harmful either. I know a lot of them and most who drink every night more than, say, just one glass of red wine at dinner have drinking problems and some don't even know it.If you can't have fun without getting buzzed...not a good thing. by the way, when I talk about "most" I am only discussing the folks I know. Maybe somewhere people can get buzzed or drunk every night and NOT have alcohol issues. But amongst my group of people I know, they get into serious situations even when just buzzed, such as hitting on a friend's husband, speaking inappropriately in front of a child, the beat goes on. Pot doesn't do that, but it has it's own problems.

Pot, in my guesstimate, will turn out to be just as bad as alcohol for the body of anyone who abuses it and, like alcohol, for the percentage who can't tolerate it at all without becoming mentally ill from it. It's a fact that pot causes depersonalization/derealization and though most of you never heard of either, it is one of the most horrific feelins on earth...like you are not a real person and the world is a dream. I can't explain it better than that, but it was, of every symptom I've ever had, the absolute worst one I ever felt. I was fortunate it went away. In many, it doesn't. Often pot is the trigger for this horror. I have also read that it can trigger latent, underlying schizophrenia. And wait until they find out what pot smoke does to the lungs...probably a lot like tobacco smoke.

I do think, if you are able to tolerate pot, and take it only recreationally it can be harmless, as long as it's not loaded with other drugs.

But for those who will be intolerant of it, it will not be harmless, just like alcohol isn't harmless to so many alcoholics.
 
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