Hi Folks,

I thought I would start a new thread.

I'm Jim and have been here a while. In fact my 1 year anniversary is less than two weeks away.

Something that has me concerned and I know there are other TSMers that have been using the herb to help (hinder) the process of getting sober.

I've never been a pot user. Before I started recently using it, I could count probably less than a 100 times that I've ever used it. For a musician thats zero. And when I did it was either when I was young and peer pressure or just to test the waters. Never liked it. Fast forward to 45 years of age. I've been taking 3-6 hits a night after I get home from a gig and after 6 or so units with a total of 6-10 a night. My thinking is that it (pot) is clearly NOT helping. I find myself falling asleep on the floor, the munchies (although that usually means radishes and fruit) but most importantly, my judgment gets so screwed up, I think I am drinking more as a result.

I think TSM has been working but I am fighting it. Psychologically, I know I am drinking more out of habit than anything. I have been posting about the boredom with drinking. I take those to be the glimmers that they speak of....

Anyone have an opinion? But with the one year coming upon me, I want something to happen and soon. Sick and tired of drinking. Not many hangovers, but feel as though the liver is screaming a little. My BEst, Jim

Jim, strange you should mention this this morning. As it happens, I was thinking about you when I was getting ready for work this morning and thought the pot may be hindering your process. I smoked a good bit of pot friday night and had a spike in numbers. For some reason pot makes me drink more. I am starting to think that the few times I smoke, the less TSM does its thing. It might also be something in the brain chemistry, I don't know, but I think it is entirely plausible that weed is blocking TSM. I'm beginning to realize that weed played a bigger role in my problems than I had previously thought. so I don't buy it, and only smoke sometimes on the rare occasion here and there that someone offers. I think it's hindered me in TSM a bit as well.

The good news is that pot is nowhere near as physically addictive as AL, it's pretty easy to quit actually. try it and see. I think it might make a bigger difference than you think. that's so funny that this morning I thought about that and wondered how to suggest this without coming off like a dick or an pseudo expert.

Nah Joe,

You're not that dude. Never judgmental and if you did suggest something I would take it as a fellow TSMer looking out. Thats very cool that you were thinking of me this AM. Wavelength stuff...I do believe.

I will stop. Sadly, I just spent $80 for some. But at the very least, stop doing it daily. Herb was never my drug of choice it was always booze so I will have no difficulty stopping it.

BTW Joe, I read one of your posts about going to the studio...are you a musician as well? Or a studio engineer? There's a few of us here on the board. Would like to talk shop at some point if you are. My BEst, Jim

yeah I'm a small time guitar player, engineer, producer. no grammies or anything like that, but I finally think I'm getting pretty decent at the production thing, which is what I love the most. PM me

I may drink more when stoned; the beer tastes so good But I am able to substitute weed for AL on occasion. There have actually been some studies done on weed as a tool to decrease drinking. http://www.mikuriya.com/s3_7.pdf

I don't think that pot inhibits the NAL or effects the endorphin pathways, but it sure makes things taste good. If weed is a trigger, then that could theoretically be extinguished like any other trigger.

I'm not trying to encourage weed use, just adding my 2 cents worth. Obviously, it's better to not use any drug, caffeine, tobacco, aspirin, etc. They all have side-effects of some sort.

I suppose you could carefully track AL use with and without weed use. See what works for you

Good luck guys I appreciate your comments over the last 11 months that I've been a member here; you guys are great

SD

Hey Spine and everyone else,....

I've had some spikes as of recent but will try my damndest to stay the course....I think if I should have success, it may encourage those that have lost faith after 6 months.

I can say this,...My usage certainly hasn't gotten worse in the last year plus...If alcoholism is a progressive disease, Naltrexone has stopped its progression. I find the thought of alcohol does not have its take on me it once did but nonetheless, I still drink too much and daily. I do feel that I need to get on teh straight and narrow soon. Its just been too long.

Ok Will do a real update soon,...My Best, jim

Hi Jim,

I've had my fair share of pot in the past. For my tuppence worth, I would be smoking it too - even more so now if not for asthma and I'm trying to quit the cigs too. Trouble is that pot is different for everyone so it's difficult to advice you on this. On the one hand you might be substituting one habit for another...on the other it might be offering you respite from drinking alcohol. I've recently been thinking about taking drugs to substitute but for me that is not the way forward. It's a toughie....

I do empathise Jim...

Cannabis hits the cannabinoid receptors, not the opioids, so I'm not sure how it could affect drinking except to lower inhibitions. So if you're at the point where you're still having to use a lot of willpower to keep from drinking vs. pharmacological extinction, I can see how it might increase your units. Hmmm - may have to do some research.

cannabis can reduce inhibitions so I reckon it will eventually ( and most likely rapidly) lead to you drinking heavily or to the point of obliteration.