Pot destroyed my personality? (MUST READ)

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Hey.I'm fairly new to the boards, although some people know me a little bit. Shout out to anyone who recognizes me . I have a huge problem, and I need feedback from anyone who even THINKS they know anything about this. It's THAT serious, it affected my social life 110%.The start of my story would be around January 5, 2002. I was one of the most popular kids in my school. Every time I opened my mouth, laughter rang in the classroom. All the girls wanted me, all the guys wanted to BE me, and everything was good.I was insanely creative, too. Of course, I used my creativity in a humorous way. I just liked the thought of being funny all day, every day. It's really exhiliarating, I would come home and be smiling the whole time because I had such a great day.Skip ahead to November 22, 2003. My brother comes into my room, and asks me if I would like to hit his "joint". Me, being the open-minded person that I am, go ahead and hit it a couple of times. The next few minutes could only be described as WOW. I felt so...different. Light, carefree, and laughing for absolutely no reason.My brother was just smiling at me (he's a year younger than me, and at the time I was 17 almost 18) and he tells me to put on my favorite song in the world. So I put on:The Calling - Wherever You Will GoThe All-American Rejects - Time Stands StillThe music sounded MAGICAL. Think about your favorite song, and remember the FIRST time you heard it. Under the influence, the song sounds BETTER. Even if you normally don't like rock (or rap, or w/e) under the influence EVERYTHING sounds good.I was loving it, because it seemed to last FOREVER. Time is greatly distorted while on pot, and if you're having fun you could literally pass hours without noticing. But if you're listening to music, it seems to crawl because the song takes forever to finish. Nowadays I would listen to those songs (even ON pot) and they wouldn't seem to last a minute. But I'm skipping ahead of myself.So I started to do pot on a very regular basis. The way we smoke it (usually) is with a DutchMaster blunt. It lasts really long like that, and 4 people could get high as hell. It would go around maybe 6-7 times. On a side note, the most people I've ever smoked with was 10, and on a single blunt, everyone got high. It went around about 3.5 times.At first, as I said, it was fun. Everything was funny, I was still fairly popular and everything I said would erupt into 10 minutes worth of giggles (over a single joke!) Smoking pot makes EVERYTHING funny. My cousin was teling me that his mom came into the room and slapped him while he was on Purple Haze, because he didn't finish his homework. He said that he started laughing for about 20 minutes, and he didn't know why.Just like lighting up that first cigarette gives you that light-headed feeling, smoking the first blunt is very, very confusing. You have no idea what's going on, and all you can notice is that you feel weird. However, I got used to feeling "weird" and just acknowledged it as normal.At first, it was around 1 blunt a day. If we were lucky, we would get 2. Nowadays, however, we smoke upwards of 4-5 blunts on a given day. I don't go to school (anymore) and I work from home making a lot of moola, so I can support my "addiction" and myself. So I usually buy a quarter-pound, and let that last me half-a-month to a month.Nowadays, it's not even fun to smoke. I only smoke because if I don't, then I can't sleep. We all just get really quiet and pass the blunt(s), and that's it. Here's my most devastating problem, however:I went to a college the other day, visiting a friend. Since I graduated high school, I hadn't made a lot of social contact besides my brother and some of his friends every day, and we barely talk. The problem is that I went from a social magnet to a zero. I barely say anything anymore, just stare at people looking stupid.When people talk to me, I have to try VERY VERY hard to pay attention to them. And when I do, I can barely think of anything more intelligent to say then "Yeah" "Huh?" or "Oh." That might be a little exaggerated, but it's not far off. I'm also a LOT less creative, and I might as well have never been humorous.My brain feels clouded even right now, I can barely think...It's as if though all of the creativity/humour brain cells died. I still kick ass at Math, Science, etc.--all the school subjects. But my personality is completely different, and I hate myself right now...My question--if I stop smoking weed, will I get my personality back? It's a hard question to answer, but if anyone has had this symptom of consistent smoking, let me know if you went back to normal after quitting.Thanks for listening to my long story .

did u write anythinimportant in the last part , cuz i didnt read it . well kinda 80% chance ull be the old u if u stop . "because if I don't, then I can't sleep" if u got some days with no work dont smoke and just do something ( sports / tv ) till u sleep

Okay, I read your post. If weed isn't fun anymore and you feel you need it, its time to stop. Seriously man, your smoking WAY to much. 4-5 blunts a day? How much does each blunt contain? an eighth? When weed becomes something you need to get by day to day, you need to stop. I've never had a quitting problem, so I can't help you much there. In fact, I just sat down weed for a few weeks. I just smoked my last bowl last night and went no more for two weeks. Its the simple for me. Try cutting down. Take away a blunt a day. (IF quitting is hard for you) IF you can quit without any problems (Besides not being able to sleep and such) just set it down all together for awhile. The first couple of days will suck, but it only gets better after that. Then after awhile, your head will clear up and you will be back to normal. In the end, if you deciede to start smoking again here is a little advice: MODERATION IS THE KEY. Don't smoke a blunt a day, smoke a blunt over the course of the week. OR only do it on Fri/Sat night. Anyways, try quitting for awhile. It will suck at first but you will get back to normal. Good luck man!

Weed only alters your personality if you want it to... I have always been a smart intelligent person I decided to smoke weed for no specific reason. Actually, hehe I even got to goto jamaica and smoke at bob marleys house... that was kinda fun. Anyways though I don't smoke anymore and I was fairly intraverted before I smoked, but while I am still intraverted I feel I can talk more easily to people. Weed does make you feel carefree about situations, but whatever you decided to take from it is 100% your will... Weed will not alter you without you wanting it to alter you.You thinking your so changed and shit is all just subconcious non-sense. You really want to be the way you are, because if you didn't you wouldn't be that way.

"Weed will not alter you without you wanting it to alter you"

That is so terribly wrong.

Amanda your so terribly wrong - have you ever smoked? If not you don't even have the right to debunk my statement. It is 100% factual and I dare you to find any scientific evidence that says otherwise.

http://www.colby.edu/health.serv/drugs/marijuana.htmlMarijuana Affects More Than You May Know As marijuana has become more commonly used, the latent health effects are often misinterpreted and even ignored. Yet, studies have indicated that Marijuana affects both mind & body. For instance: The Brain: Marijuana distorts activities controlled by the brain, such as coordination, reaction time, short-term memory, the ability to follow moving objects, and the ability to learn and make wise decisions. The Lungs: Like cigarettes, marijuana contains tar and carbon monoxide, which is believed by scientists to lead to breathing difficulties and increase the chance for lung cancer, lung infections and pneumonia. The Heart: Marijuana causes a temporary increase in heart rate. This can have serious consequences for those who already incur heart conditions, high blood pressure, or other circulatory problems. The Immune System: Marijuana may weaken the ability to fight disease. For Men: Regular usage of marijuana causes a decrease in sperm number and movement. For Women: Marijuana has been linked to irregular menstrual cycles and has been known to lower the levels of sex hormones. For Adolescents: Marijuana hinders a teenager’s path of physical, mental, emotional, and sexual development. For Everyone: Marijuana may cause emotional effects like psychological problems, poor social skills, personality problems, or disorientation. http://www.roosevelt.edu/counseling/newsletter-feb03.htmhttp://www.doitnow.org/pages/125.htmlhttp://www.sayno.com/marijuan.htmlhttp://www.potada.info/marijuana.htmlhttp://www.compasscounseling.com/new_page_3.htmhttp://www.answerbag.com/c_view.php/976

You still didn't show me any scientific information that says marijuana SPECIFICALLY affects your brain in ways you cannot control that will harm you socially and such. If the affects from the drug are because of the way you act while your on it that doesn't count - what about alcoholics? They may lose friends b/c drunk ppl are f'ing annoying. When they are sober however they are no different than what they were like the day b4 when they were sober. I speak of permanent side effects that you cannont control. None which have been proven yet to come about marijuana usage. I never said it wasn't harmful AT ALL. It does do lung dmg obviously. If you want I can come up with 8 - 9 pointless webpages that I also didn't read and have nothing to do with a statement you made concerning the pro's of marijuana usage... but like your pointless post what good would that do?

In reply to: You still didn't show me any scientific information that says marijuana SPECIFICALLY affects your brain in ways you cannot control that will harm you socially and suchHuh? Did you actually read the articles posted in the links? All of them concerned the long-term effects of marijuana on the brain, including the long-term effects of marijuana on a user's personality. There are also plenty of other similar studies. See, e.g., Poulton RG, Brooke M, Stanton WR, Silva PA. Prevalence and correlates of cannabis use and dependence in young New Zealanders. New Zealand Medical Journal 1997 110, 68-70 (prevalence use DSM IIIR defined cannabis dependence assessed at age 18 and 21 increased from 6.6% for 18 to 9.6% at 21. unemployment or violent behavior more frequent with cannabis use at age 21); Fletcher JM, Page JB, Francis DJ, Copeland MA, Naus MJ, Davis CM, et al. Cognitive correlates of long-term cannabis use in Costa Rican Men. Arch Gen Psych 1996;53:1051-1057 (older users have use 34 yrs and younger users average 8 yrs. Older users showed more disruption of short term memory, working memory, and attention skills); Elwan O, Hassan AAH, Naseer MA, Elwan F, Deif R, Serafy OE, Banhawy EE, Fatatry ME. Brain aging in a sample of normal Egyptians cognition, education, addiction, and smoking. Journal of Neurological Sciences 1997;148:79-86 (A decline in attention was determined in cannabis addicts consistent with pathological aging. 37 addicts mostly hashish smokers); Bell R, Wechsler H, Johnston LD. Correlates of college student marijuana use:results of a US national survey. Addiction 1997;92:571-581. (Marijuana use highest among students who participate in high risk behaviors such as binge drinking, cigarettes, multiple sex partners, parties of importance, etc.)See marijuana articles for links to abstracts and studies on above. Wake up, my friend!

Oh, and by the way: I've smoked pot, and I've had a number of friends and family members that have had serious marijuana problems. Yes, alcohol can also cause major problems, but that doesn't make pot any better. Good luck, Infinite. Many people in your situation quit, and they're able to pull their lives together

In reply to: I've had a number of friends and family members that have had serious marijuana problems. You wouldn't mind telling what those problems were would you? I'm not trying to start a fight or anything bro, just wondering.

Sure. My sister went from an A student to almost failing out of school. I'm sure it wasn't entirely the pot, but it didn't help that she was constantly obsessing about weed and getting high when she should have been studying. I had a friend with a similar story—from an A student to a near drop-out. One of my female friends became like InfiniteSeraph--isolated and socially awkward. All of my friends who smoked on a normal basis had major cash-flow problems. Some couldn't afford social activities, and some HAD to smoke every night (or they became grumpy and annoying). That tends to put a damper on your social life (and love life). When my sister quit, her grades went up--same with my buddy. The friend who became isolated still smokes every day, and is more isolated than ever--when you get older, most of your friends no longer want to hang out with you when you only have one thing on your mind. Anyway, she’s single, a drop-out, and her only friends are perpetually high. All those stories are anecdotal evidence. I’ve also had loved ones with major alcohol problems—it’s more or less the same story. Anyway, I’ve read enough of your posts to know that you won’t agree with me. But I can tell you one thing: No pothead or alcoholic has ever agreed with anyone about their problems—not until they either quit or become so pathetic that they can’t function in normal society. The fact that they try to justify their behavior, or play down the effects of marijuana or alcohol doesn’t mean that they don’t have a problem. It means that they have two problems: 1. a substance problem, 2. the inability to recognize that problem.

Those are sad stories. I see some of the pot heads I know do the same thing. Don't care about school, just want to smoke all the time. I do smoke weed, I also knows what it does to some peoples lives. I smoked almost everyday last summer. But, now that school has started I knocked it down. In the last week, I've smoked once. The stoners I know, 5+ times. I guess they don't understand one key thing: Control (Moderation is another.. but not important right now) I look at those guys and think what a bunch of dumbasses. It is rather sad. I have goals in life, but when you talk to them about after high school, they look at you with a blank face. These guys think I'm crazy because they have alot of weed right now and I turned down smoking this weekend. Its cool they got a bunch of weed that I could smoke for free but, I have things to do. I need to study, fix my car, wash our cars (My parents and mine), still in the process of changing my room around and I have to find a place to serve some community service (For school, not criminal) I've also noticed a huge differnce between them and I: I have no criminal record (I have one traffic ticket.. thats it). I think every single one of them has a stealing charge at some point in the last 5 years.I bet they stole to pay for more weed too I changed alot in the last month. I have goals after high school and I relize I have to do great in these last two years for me to get into these trade schools. I totally dropped cigarettes. Said no more and stopped. Sorry for going on.. I guess I'm just differn't. My only weakness is alcohol, so I stay away from that shit. I can't control myself with it. Ok.. Pres. debate is on.. C ya

Try reading the articles when you're not high. As steppenwolf said...I provided you with a lot of scientific facts with regards to personality in those articles.

It was a good choice to cut back for school. Honestly, I would cut it down to zero, but it's obviously your call, and once a week is definetely better than five times.

Yeah.. I might be going to zero pretty soon or only once in awhile. If I get with this one girl, it will probably be at zero.

Even if I cut it to zero, I still fully support legalization!!!

Lol... actually, I support legalization too.

Ok last time I didn't look at any of the articles, because I was too lazy. This time I looked at 3 of your articles. First of all we lack much information on how personalities are developed to make a statement like pot totally fucks them up. Not to meantion most ppl who undergo these "dramatic" personality changes are in their teenage years... years where their personality changes dramatically anyways. So regardless of what scientific information you pull up, while if you look at it closely enough is still mostly speculation in regards to psychological effects, there will be an equal ammount of speculation to rebut it. Also... I do not smoke pot and I do not support pot smokers unless they do it because of a disease they have.

Actually to add to that last post any bullshit studys you can reproduce I can shoot down with logical arguments. These studies where supposively there is an increase of certain behaviors and shit is bullshit unless a case study was done which in all of these studies is NOT EVIDENT. So without doing a case study on specifically whatever it is your trying to do it is quite impossible to make any concrete statement.