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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Long-term, heavy drug use of almost any type tends to narrow people's horizons -- it makes them focus more on the present (where the immediate pleasure of the drug is), on short-term satisfaction of desires, and less on goals that offer deferred gratification like school, a career, or whatever. It lowers their capacity to endure temporary boredom and displeasure for the sake of long-term goals. This doesn't happen to all heavy users, of course, but I have seen quite a few people go down this road, with all kinds of different drugs, including weed.

Not just "drugs" persay, but alcohol as well.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Well, yes, you could argue that people who act in counterproductive ways after they start doing drugs already had major personality defects to start with. The trouble is, in my experience it all seems to go the other way -- normally decent and responsible people (who had little trouble in school or at work, for example) start doing some drug regularly and heavily, alcohol or pot or meth or whatever, and then it seems like all their thoughts and actions become more present-oriented, focused on short-term pleasure. It doesn't happen in every case, and often the effects aren't permanent, but like I said, I've seen this happen too many times to try to explain it away as, "Well, they must have just had a defective 'addictive personality' from the start!" I'm not trying to absolve people of responsibility, just describing a chain of events that I've witnessed a good number of times. IMO, it's a heck of lot sillier to contend that heavy drug use doesn't also typically change how people behave in their sober moments. To people who have known addicts, that idea clearly rings false.

see the problem i have in your statement is that these people started to do the drug regularly and heavily to begin with....thats the problem right there. has nothing to do with the drug they're doing. people allow themselves to become addicted and then blame their problems from such addiction on the drug and the "illness" it has created. its irresponsibility across the board and kind of a cop out...if those people you knew wouldn't have done the drug in excess, they probably wouldn't have had such hardcore side-effects in regards to personality changes/behavior changes, etc.
weak people generally become weaker when they start up with the heavy drug use. strong people usally don't get to that point to begin with.

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there comes a time when the operation of the machine is so odious that you cannot even tacitly participate. you've got to place your bodies on the gears, the wheels, all the mechanism. you've got to indicate to those who own it and those who run it, that unless you are free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.

just because pot doesn't have that many side effects, and isn't physically addictive, doesn't mean it won't affect you psychologically. you can be mentally addicted to anything. hell, i'm mentally addicted to being awesome...

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Originally posted by AMMORA see the problem i have in your statement is that these people started to do the drug regularly and heavily to begin with....thats the problem right there. has nothing to do with the drug they're doing. people allow themselves to become addicted and then blame their problems from such addiction on the drug and the "illness" it has created. its irresponsibility across the board and kind of a cop out...if those people you knew wouldn't have done the drug in excess, they probably wouldn't have had such hardcore side-effects in regards to personality changes/behavior changes, etc. weak people generally become weaker when they start up with the heavy drug use. strong people usally don't get to that point to begin with.

I agree - I think addiction is the key, and addiction is possible with substances other than marijuana and other drugs. Whether it be alcohol or an addiction to junk food, dependency fosters a lack of ambition.

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Originally posted by RapidFire a friend of mine went through withdrawal after he stopped smoking for about a week last summer

Definitely true. I smoked everyday for 3 years and when I made the conscious decision to stop smoking all the time, it was definitely hard. What really helps is not ever buying weed anymore. If I smoke, it's going to be with a friend who rolls a blunt and asks if I want to smoke it with him or something. Occasionally, I'll smoke for chill out purposes...

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Originally posted by Lebezniatnikov Not just "drugs" persay, but alcohol as well.

I just figured that any intelligent person would include alcohol in the "drug" category.

After prolonged use and the increased numbing of the senses towards a users drug of choice, I think people are more attracted to the physical act/processes of doing the drug and the masochist nature of it, more than the feeling the drug gives.

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Originally posted by LionsLair Does longterm weed use make one more relaxed or more schizo? Do people who smoke for long tenures find themselves more relaxed than they were before they started smoking regularly, or more fidgety and paranoid, less controlling of onself.

yes.

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Someone who is Bipolar or has ADHD would it benefit them to smoke weed?

tough to say! never been bipolar or adhd and i aint no doctor!

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Fortuna Favet Fortibus.

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Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Long-term, heavy drug use of almost any type tends to narrow people's horizons -- it makes them focus more on the present (where the immediate pleasure of the drug is), on short-term satisfaction of desires,

wow, so that's why I jerk off so much!