Like, what's is all for man?

Entertainment and Pop Culture
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Okay so, it’s legal now, right? So, I had one little hit the other night, which, compared to what was available 40 years ago, is like 10 hits. Anyway. I’m busy these days with meetings, organizing, trying to save the world in my own little way. Motivation is critical. It was amazing how easily, in this altered state, my mind turned to giving up. You know I like thinking about “why” and “what’s it all for”, but I usually can answer that. Not an ultimate answer, but something to keep me going. Instead, my thoughts turned to the absurdity of even trying.

A good night’s sleep and a cup of coffee, and I was back in the game, but, sheesh, I can see why I failed so many college classes.

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Yeah, I’ll stick to having a glass or two of wine every now and again. I’m just fine with that and as long as I don’t drink too much, I don’t feel weird, in pain, or sick. I’m quite happy with a glass of wine, even if they say it is bad for the brain. They are finding out that MaryJane isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either- that it can cause, if one does too much every day a psychosis and even lung cancer. There are people who do a lot every day and if they work it’s after work they do a lot.

3

Watching people my age who have smoked throughout their life, I hate to admit it, but my mother was right. They are stoned even when are not imbibing. The memory problems, the distortions, are permanent.

I’m not suggesting making anything illegal again, I’m saying don’t be idiot. I wouldn’t get high every day anymore than I’d eat a box of cookies every day.

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At this point in my life I love my edibles! Wine gives me a headache.

My lungs are happy not dealing with the smoke. Besides, edibles provide a much longer bliss. My evenings are wonderful.

Peer pressure in high school (in a rock band) got me into pot - not that it took much pressure.

Pot was slandered as the “gateway” drug that naturally led to stronger drugs. For me - and I’m sure for many others - pot was critical in keeping other drugs out of my life. My friends were not pushers (God damn the pusher man) and since I smoked pot, nobody feared me as a narc.

During my very busy professional life I had no time for drugs as I was responsible for many engineering projects and I was still flying. But now! :sunglasses:

In recent years, psychedelics have been studied as aids against addiction, depression, and PTSD. My wife and I went to a retreat in Jamaica to legally imbibe psilocybin mushrooms. Set and setting are important to ensuring a healthy experience. We found the introspection brought on by the shrooms to be very beneficial. I’m not recommending anything here - just sharing.

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My younger son, when he’s not locked up for drugs, does. He uses marijuana every day and sometimes it seems he’s talking to invisible people, like he’s in a psychosis. Even his brother has noticed this in him when we were ta Panera once. My younger son apparently got high before we met up at Panera. Made me want to ask him if seeing his brother and me is that bad. There is such a thing as a psychosis related to marijuana abuse.

I have PTSD and I wouldn’t do that either. The answer would be a big NO if anyone asked. I don’t like anything that makes my body feel different. I freak out anytime my body feels weird.

You know, I find it interesting you say pot isn’t a gateway drug then you talk about doing Shrooms and then there’s my younger son, who isn’t on the revolving door plan for pot, but for meth and other substances. Pot was one of the first drugs he did. Then there’s his father, my ex, who did/does pot and moved to cocaine. You say one thing then go on to talk about doing other drugs. Interesting. Not trying to start anything. Just saying I find it all very interesting.

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I see your point and I’m sorry you have people close to you who have serious issues with drugs. Certainly, alcohol has also destroyed many, many lives.

But I really don’t say one thing and then contradict myself. I smoked pot in high school ('68 - '71). No other drugs, except for alcohol which gets an unfair escape from being labeled a drug. It’s fifty years later, after pot became somewhat legal that I made the adult decision to see how THC and psilocybin affected my lifelong struggle with severe depression. A great deal of research went into this decision. I have shared everything with my primary care physician and she does not object to my approach. For me, the result is a very happy, calm, and secure retirement filled with lots of reading and a fantastic wife of 32 years.

The closest I have come to any addiction issue was after crashing my bike during a half Ironman in Austin, TX. My collarbone was sticking out from my shoulder, five broken ribs, punctured lung, and broken right thumb. I could feel the draw of pain killer addiction and I quit those drugs as fast as possible. I completed a full Ironman 9 months after my accident.

I apologize for the length of this post. I am just so happy to have gotten myself to this position in my life. It wasn’t easy.

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“In a study that included genetic data from more than 1 million people, scientists started to unravel the genetics of cannabis use disorder.”

“started” seems the operative term. I was actually surprised at how little it did say, as in how little progress has been made. Especially considering how long it’s been studied.

On a more subtle note, here again we have an example of limiting Abrahamic Mindset, why discuss “gateway drugs” it’s all about the person ingesting those drugs and their state of mind and constitution and circumstances.

It starts with is he/she seeking escape, or are they curious, seeking new perspectives.

Ironically given my high school location on the San Francisco peninsula, I rarely puffed at a parties, and ‘it didn’t do anything to me’, as they say.
But then came Yosemite NP and especially Wawona taking morning walks with my Park Ranger (interpretive) friend who was a pot head. Then I got it. (in fact, that epiphany moment of triangulating the crescent moon, with Earth and Sun, that so moved me happened on one of those walks.

I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what it is marijuana does? What switch gets flipped? Took me a long, put my finger on it, and though that’s been a long time ago, I think the observation holds true, at least for me.

It stops some internal clock and opens up the present moment. It also made for more honest introspection. As, ‘oh my gosh, did I really say that, or behave like that.’ Such awareness helped me grow up. The world wasn’t all about me.

Lausten, I was surprised at your description, I found it sad.
I also found it another example why I am so passionate about talking about Mind ~ Physical reality divide, and absorbing the fact of your body really and truly being a product of Earth’s evolution, kin to all other creatures on this planet.

You’ve filled your head with intellectual knowledge that never resolves anything, because we can always ask more questions.

Whereas getting a solid, bottom up evolutionary respecting grip on who one is, where we come from, why we are here. Understanding that our body creates our consciousness and sense of “me” and I am a direct kin to an amazing family tree.

The meaning of life? To add your strand to Earth’s pageant of evolution, to appreciate your one blessed moment to the best of your abilities while you have it.

Oh and I love CFI & you Lausten and the discussions we’ve had here. Practice, practice, practice. I say this because we were just interrupted by two Mormon “Elders” with peach fuzz and I was able to stop them in their tracks and deliver my best monologue yet, wish I’d have been recording. Left them speechless, which is quite an accomplishment.

Nice, concise, no insults, simply that our gods and stories come from within ourselves. “You’re just spinning your wheels until you get right with the reality of your body being a biologic product of this Earth, …” Had a chance to explain about our consciousness being a product of our own biological body communicating with itself

“… Your god is real, but it’s created from within your minds. It is not created by this actual material world out here (pointing at the trees and view around us), which includes the biology of your body (pointing at them). Until you figure that out, you’re just spinning your wheels. Good day, I don’t have anymore time.” Smooth and friendly, yet suffering no fools.

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Think microtubule! There is your switch.

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If you say so.

It is puzzling how you disregard everything between the experience of consciousness and microtubules, but who am I to argue.
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Think that the microtubule network creates an electric thought-field that contains the information we consciously experience. When that field is disturbed, the information may become scrambled , however when you stimulate the thought-field the network installs new synaptic connections and the conscious journey starts.

Anesthesia interrupts all data flow to the conscious part of the brain. The result is oblivion for the duration.

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Like I said, it’s puzzling how you disregard everything between the experience of consciousness and the microtubules.
But, who am I to argue.

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But on the experiential level what else is there? What other network is there that is pervasive throughout the evolution of Eukaryotes.
MT are responsible for making exact copies of the DNA during mitosis. this is not a trivial ability.
Without MT our bodies would die in minutes, along with our brain, the real Me.
When you are alive , it’s ; “I think, therefore I am”, until you’re dead.
When you are dead, it’s ; “You think not, therefore you are not”, forever more…

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And the body is just a spectator.

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Or this guy

Or one of the many other critiques of Penrose and Hameroff

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It serves the brain… That’s all it needs to do.

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That has been resolved. ORCH OR stands.

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Sometimes you truly shock me.
You get so wrapped in your enthusiasm that you say the darnedest things.

The body serves the brain?
Sure.
And the brain does what the pecker tells it to.

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There are 6 other criticisms i could link easily. But I’m not going to play that game. By what standard are you saying “stands”?

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A big argument against weed is the fact that it leads to questions like this.

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Thanks and I don’t disagree concerning alcohol either. I can’t drink more than one or two glasses of wine though and I don’t care for beer or hard alcohol.

I wouldn’t consider that a full fledge addiction. Maybe the potential for a possible addiction, but not a true addiction. Addiction often involves, with legal drugs, doctor hoping to get the drug one craves and with illegal drugs, a revolving door with either rehab and/or prison due to law violations, such as possession. Financial difficulties, issues with family and friends, and more. In the case of my son, he was homeless (so was his father) when he last picked up for possession, a violation of his parole, because he burnt his bridges. I truly believe, looking at my younger son and his father, that there is a genetic component too. Of course, I’m talking about a serious and potentially life threatening addiction, but for my son and his father, they did start with pot and moved on to other things. What I’m saying is, for some people pot isn’t enough and they do move onto stronger, more potent, even dangerous drugs.