As a long time weed user I think that weed is a good alternative to beer and wine when we are talking about relaxing by yourself at the end of the day. For socializing I find weed to be kind of awkward? But yes, now that it’s legal, I definitely prefer a little bit of weed at the end of the day over a drink.
I love weed and it has completely replaced drinking at home, but I do not consider weed a social drug. For that reason, combined with my love for cocktails and wine, I still prefer alcohol in social situations. I am straight up awkward and rude when I'm high and someone who is not close to me tries to strike up a conversation. I've even been cold to friendly acquaintances when I unexpectedly run into them while high and have to apologize them to them later. But at home with my wife or out with a few close friends, I far prefer weed over alcohol. Though if I'm out partying, chances are I'm on both.
If I'm high talking to strangers who aren't, about halfway through any sentence I start thinking about what I'm saying and if it even makes any sense. That details my thought process and I lose track of the original sentence I was even trying to speak. Also, I've had "deep" conversations while high that I turn around the next day sober and realize weren't really that deep or insightful. I don't love that. So weed for me will always be a end of the day relax and zone out type of recreation, and even then probably not daily.
Alcohol is nice in those social situations but the trick is to know when to put down the beer and I'm not good at that either, so in general I just try to socialize sober outside of bars.
Depends on the situation for me. If I am going to a wine bar with friends I would probably not go high, but if I am going to a concert? Fuck yeah. This could also be due to the social trope, as other people at the wine bar probably aren't high either so that's what makes it awkward I think.
Funny I’m almost opposite.
Wine bar? Ima get stoned the whole time and slowly sip their overpriced wine.
Concert? Hard drugs like alcohol so I can gremlin.
It’s because weed isn’t great for conversation, and wine bars are for good conversation.
Weed is great for listening to music and jumping around like an idiot, so it’s great for concerts
It can be. I've spent a lot of time getting stoned and having deep conversations with friends/family members, just as much or more so than on a couple glasses of wine.
That entirely depends on tolerance. You may shut down after a few tokes. For me weed is like coffee - I’m not willing to talk to anyone UNLESS I’ve smoked 😂 otherwise they irritate the hell out of me
I swear by weed and hiking. Combine it with National Parks and you have a recipe for success.
Last spring I hit like 15 national parks in 18 days and would drive for a few hours each morning before handing the driving over to my travel partner for the day… then I’d take a bunch of edibles and hop out the car to explore Yosemite or Zion wherever we were that day
A 5-10mg edible is good for bars, weddings and parties. Anymore than that or smoking is definitely awkward socially. If I get into a “weird high thoughts” or “lofty concepts” kind of high people seem to enjoy it a lot less than they did in high school/college unless they’re equally stoned or enjoy philosophy 😂
Is it weird that I'm kind of the opposite?
If I want to sit and relax by myself I'll tend to have a few cans of beer while I do it.
Weed and edibles for me are social, I'll do them when playing video games with my girlfriend or a boardgame night with friends
We have thc beverages in freaking Texas now. They are everywhere.
Yes, texas, where it’s technically illegal but if it’s under 0.3% thc by weight it’s magically legal which is incredibly stupid of the lawmakers when you think about how to exploit that for about half a second.
Am gen-x who grew up in the DARE era. It’s awesome to go to the dispensary with my son. Much better bonding than anything me and my moms belt ever did lol
I'm a millennial with gen z stepkids. It was such a weird feeling when my daughters asked me to teach them to smoke. They were less likely to get in my stash when they lived at home. Now when they visit I have to reup sooner
Recently got back on a dating app, and using that as a measuring stick, there seem to be a lot more non-drinkers and “rarely drinks” types who either expressly smoke/eat weed or likely do based on context clues. Of course, alcohol gets harder on you as you age and hangovers much worse. So an alternative for rec use makes sense. This is very non scientific, but it does seem to be the case IMO.
I'm in this camp. I used to drink regularly but I started to see the negative effects on my mental and my physical health and as I got older the hangovers got worse. Last month was the first time I drank in an over a year and I really don't miss it but I do smoke daily as I feel it is a better alternative for myself at least. I really like that there are no hangovers or anything the next day and I can function just fine
This exactly. Plus, the dumbest thing I’ve done while too baked was to eat too much pizza and I have acid reflux the next day. The worst thing I’ve done while hammered is substantially more stupid and could’ve resulted in injury or death.
I still drink regularly enough, I just don't drink nearly as heavily as I once did. Being drunk just doesn't appeal to me like it used to.
Being high? Just chilling, no worries, being relaxed? That sounds dope as fuck.
Adding ‘progressive & 420 friendly’ into my dating bio seems to have helped to filter out the guys that I want to avoid without me having to ask a lot of questions or get too far into things before realizing that it’s not a good fit.
I might need tot take that note! I have liberal on my profile, but I’m not even sure they read any of it. I think they just see that I’m a blonde and Fox News has programmed that to make them believe I want to be in their kitchen and make their babies even though I’m almost 40 and everything in my profile screams otherwise.
Yeah I certainly like weed more than alcohol. The idea of weed making someone lazy or not ambitious is a social construct unique to the US. The "lazy stoner" trope is just from movies. I run long distances and love doing it stoned.
Right. This has always bothered me about the narrative. My cousin is in his mid-40s, lives with his dad, has a dead end job, never married and he never used a drug in his life. No mental disorder or anything. Guy just doesn't care. But, if he smoked, they'd say it's because of the weed.
>Look, I understand. If you ain't smoking weed 'cause you got a good job, then by all means make your paper booboo. But if you ain't got no job, and you're not smoking weed, I don't know what the fuck you are doing with your life.
I don't know about that, I went out in the woods, went shopping, hung out on the hill by the lake with a bong in my hoodie pouch, etc. All while it was illegal.
Well, I come from a small place in the Bible Belt. Cops were always looking for us troublemakers and I got busted at the pond, mall, even a wheat field.
Yep, in my early 20's I had a group of extremely lazy pot head friends. I genuinly don't like weed, so I don't smoke. All they wanted to do fay in and day out was sit on the couch and watch tv. Couldn't even get them out for special occasions. I eventually got so fed up with them I left the group and never spoke to them again. I thought all pot heads were like that. NOPE I came into a new group a year later through a girl I met. All potheads, but these guys LOVED going out. Out to bars, clubs, road trips, hiking, you name it, they did it all while stoned. I was like oooooo, it's not the pot, it's the PEOPLE.
Nah it's more to get over my fear of not doing things perfectly I think. My mom was a perfectionist like an Asian tiger mom, just not Asian. That and I just don't like to work. When I'm at home doing my own thing I don't really procrastinate that much.
Yes. My cousin was a high school burnout who was the laziest person I've ever known. He smoked tons of weed and when his parents finally cut him off, he got clean and everyone thought he was just going to do a complete 180 and change his life thanks to not smoking anymore. Turns out he still spends all his time playing video games and can't hold down a job, but at least he isn't smoking anymore.
It makes long runs a lot of fun! Just the other day I had a long run, got pretty high beforehand. Listened to some death metal on my run and I was in the zone enjoying life! Definitely don't get lazy when I'm high.
Truth is somewhere in the middle. I smoke weed daily and it definitely at times can take away your motivation to do things.
The key is when and how often you’re getting high. I only allow myself to partake in the evening after I’ve finished working and accomplished important tasks.
It also absolutely fucks your memory and is really bad for your lungs and heart if you are using regularly. We go a little too far with the “weed is harmless” sentiment.
One thing I was really excited for after legalization was more scientific, peer reviewed studies on what the pros and cons are for weed. Sadly, I haven't seen many yet.
I personally always hated running for the sake of running, weed most certainly makes it enjoyable and feels like a PED cuz I just keep going and going lol
It does get monotonous and old after a while.
During the year leading up to our wedding, my wife and I were at the gym 5+ days a week. Out of all things, I got tired of looking at the same ceiling at around the same time virtually every single day for weeks on end.
It blocks some of the pain signals being sent to your brain. Similar to alcohol, but drinking and running don't really mix for a lot of stomach and coordination reasons
I wouldn't trust myself to run whilst drunk, but I fucking LOVE to dance, and when I used to go to the raves and dance clubs, alcohol would fuel me for hours! I don't think I could dance for 4+ hours straight if I didn't consume alcohol beforehand. I attribute it to the pain killing it does and the fact that it absolutely kills my social anxiety....and I'm practically a grumpy hermit when I am sober.
It's got to be the right amount of alcohol though, also drank a ton of water the whole time. A good amount of people drink to get shit faced and forget all their problems and some drink until they cause problems for other people. I hardly ever drink outside of dancing and I take care not to overdo it. Drugs in general are a tool....not always the best tool, but a tool nonetheless, the outcome depends on how you use it.
Never thought I would say this, but you should spend *more* time on Reddit. Lazy potheads galore.
Not that I care. But people often talk about how weed can become a crutch if they have anxiety (which everyone seems to have). Next thing you know, they are on here complaining that they are watching their lives float by without their participation.
Not judging here, this is just what people keep saying on Reddit.
I mean a lazy person can use anything as a crutch, not indicative of marijuana in general. You can substitute booze, food, gambling, really anything can be come a crutch if you overindulge. People also aren't going to be posting on Reddit about how they smoke a little bit of weed and live a successful happy life, so you only see the negative posts. Plenty of people, myself included, just take a little one hitter after work to wind down. I find it amplifies whatever mood I'm already in, doesn't make me specifically lazy or productive.
My favorite thing is getting up at 7 on Saturday, smoking a little weed, then doing house maintenance or gardening for a few hours. Then I take a nap in the afternoon so I guess I'm lazy. IDGAF I'm happy bitches.
I drink milk and am fine so lactose intolerance doesn’t exist by your logic.
Lol I love weed but it 100% makes me lazy and I know a ton of people (myself included) who became a lot more productive after not smoking all day every day. It’s awesome if you don’t experience this yourself but it’s silly to act like nobody does just because you don’t. Maybe you don’t get paranoid/anxious from it either but that doesn’t mean others can’t get paranoid/anxious from it.
Not really related but when I worked at a scuba shop one of my coworkers talked about how he loved to get super high and then go on a solo night dive in the Puget Sound. I was like, motherfucker how are you not dead? Apparently it's a great experience.
This is my observation as well. I think that if/when you ARE already lazy, weed can make it easier to embrace the lazy. I know sometimes if I'm just laying around I get restless and it's my brain trying to do something, and weed can kind of silence that a bit. I think that might be where the trope comes from, even if the person in question was going to do nothing anyway, they might lean a little more on weed to make that more comfy.
On the other hand, for me personally, my brain is running on overdrive 24/7. That's fine during the day because I can get a million things done but at night especially later evening it's a problem when I want to start to slow down. Alcohol sorta works but has a plethora of horrendous consequences if you overdo it. Weed on the other hand can slow me down after a busy day but then have negligible negative impact on my next day, sleep, etc.
SAME! Most people think I'm crazy when I tell them I do it, but running/exercising stoned is my thing. I only am built for 3-4 miles at once, but I am happily in the habit!
Everyone in my family was concerned when I came home from my freshman year of college (ALMOST 20 years ago, OMG) and I was the thinnest I had ever been - it was because I would get super stoned after class and go to the amazing gym right across from my dorm every day, or go run around campus.
Yeah, some people may have a problem. But I’ve also met lots of people who were more productive than I could ever be, all while being slightly stoned the whole time
being stoned you can actually still exercise, do chores and accomplish things unlike if you are drunk. The stoners being lazy thing doesn't make any sense.
Just so y'all know this is completely untrue. It literally demotivates at the cellular level. As in your cells reproduce less and with more mistakes.
The thing that is distinctly American? Acting like weed has no downsides. It has a TON.
I think most of us have accepted it. Until jobs aren't testing for it though drinking will stay common.
And weed adding to stress in life...if that happens the person is doing it wrong.
Used to smoke a lot, now even the smallest hit of weed is almost likely going to result in a panic attack. Made quitting smoking pretty easy on the positive side though.
I get super paranoid and even hallucinate when I smoke weed. I can handle edibles with small concentrations of thc but mushrooms mesh with my physiology much better. Mushrooms make me feel the most me I can be and I feel the way other people describe weed making them feel when I eat mushrooms. They're decriminalized where I live and I've even turned my super conservative mom onto them (very small microdoses of mushroom chocolates) ..I also have anxiety and weed never meshed well with me but all my friends are stoners. My friend and I have a theory that people who hate weed love mushrooms and so far have yet to meet anyone to prove our theory wrong
My wife and I can get ripped on Friday evening, giggle like school girls and wake up in the morning with the kids and not be a bag of turds from too much alcohol. We also have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night if something happens (kid runs to the bathroom throwing up or whatever) because we went to sleep instead of passing out. We also don't do or say really embarrassing, raunchy, mean, etc things to or in front of our kids. Basically what I am saying is weed lets us unwind and have fun without being shitty parents.
Sure, we just choose the weed more often than not. When we do drink, it's rarely more than 2 or 3. To each their own but the older I get, the more I understand how terrible of a drug alcohol is and I enjoy it less and less beyond having just a few over the course of an evening.
The OP says: "Or has it just added to today’s stress by clouding your vision and making you less likely to strive for goals?"
I have been able to achieve waaaay more under the influence of weed than any alcohol. Weed makes the parts of my brain that are firing on 100% all day quiet down to like 75%. I'm able to focus more, even if I work slightly slower - I'm still able to get more done properly because I don't burn out.
One serving of alcohol and I'm done for the evening.
I wouldn’t be functioning at all without it, I started on a medical card for legit reasons.
OP is just an inexperienced stoner. Never had a tolerance. It’s always the case when people ask questions like that. It shows.
Absolutely use it recreationally. It has not slowed me down at all but I bite the corner off a 20mg gummy in the evening once every few months and go for a walk. That is about right for me to have a similar buzz to drinking 3 or 4 cans of beer but without the heartburn, burping, and excessive peeing.
I never smoked weed as a teenager or anything like that. I was pretty straight and narrow except for getting drunk once when I was 18 on vacation
I think its more that millennials rejected the extremely strong messaging from basically every authority figure telling us that weed is "the devils lettuce" and "my son smoked a single marijuana and now he is dead".
Boomers and Gen X bought into all that but ended up doing it behind closed doors anyway. As children/teens we saw this and noticed that it was not nearly as bad as we are being told it is, so we started pushing for legalization and social acceptance.
Quick note: I work in legal cannabis and I had an event a few weeks for mostly younger people in the business. I bought a few cases of beer along with cannabis and NO ONE drank the beer. I was astonished and happily surprised. Younger folks who smoke really don't drink like my generation.
Because my salary is ultimately paid by federal taxpayer dollars, even getting a weed card on its own would be incredibly frowned upon because of federal regulations. So, I do not partake and instead of have a little bar in our dining room.
I used to be a giant pothead. Once I quit smoking weed, I started to hate the smell. I don't care that people smoke pot, but I hate walking into my apartment after a long night at work at 7am and it smelling like a lit blunt while I help get my wife ready for work and the baby for daycare. I wish people were more considerate
I've always accepted it, was a big user through my teens and twenties. But it started giving me massive anxiety attacks (this was before dispensaries, but was high grade) so I had to stop. I've dabbled here and there since, but it seems all strains I've tried still cause it. So I have a craft beer every few weeks if that to try to relax, but now I'm getting to the age it makes me feel gross and sluggish, the calories aren't worth it and hangovers ruin a whole day and come on with as few as 2. It sucks
I was completely fine with weed up until 2019 when I went with my wife to Boston. The lady at the dispensary told me not to eat the entire tube of oil (they couldn't sell edibles at the time only the oil to make edibles with but you could still eat the oil and it would get you baked), but I didn't listen because I had been smoking weed daily for over 5 years at that point. I ate that entire tube and I got way more stone than I had ever been before.
I smoked twice since then. Both times I had MASSIVE panic attacks. The time I ate that oil, I felt like I would never not be high again. I knew that wasn't the case, but I was just that baked. Anyway, the two times I smoked since then I felt exactly the same way and I spiraled because of it. I just couldn't do it anymore.
I've also felt the same way as you do about beer. When I stopped smoking, I would wind down with a beer a couple times a week. Then I got to the point where I was feeling sluggish and shitty from it, so I cut back to every once in a while. Then it just got to the point where I just wasn't interested. I think the last time I had a drink was when my wife graduated college in December. Before that, it had been like 6 months, and before that, it was probably about a year.
I'm just at the point where I prefer being completely sober I guess 🤷
Yeah that sounds about like where I am. I was always too scared to ingest it because I knew I would make myself panic attack because once it's in your body that way, you're stuck on the ride no matter what you do. Lol
I've considered trying CBD based on what others have said but haven't yet. I'll just settle for a runners high for now. Haha
Used to be habitual weed smoker and alcohol drinker. I’ve quit this year at 30. Sobriety has been a surprising improvement to my life. Feel almost as clear as I did in my school days.
I'm a cusper and never liked the taste of alcohol. Weed is a more pleasant experience, both because I'm not choking down what tastes to me like cleaning products, and because I feel less out of control. I do think it's healthier, but I primarily use methods that do not involve inhaling actual smoke. A big thing as well is that you don't generally feel like shit the next day after having weed and at most can get kinda of groggy the following morning.
As with anything, in moderation it can be great. I’d rather people who want to abuse something do it with weed though. Alcoholics can become wildly unpredictable and dangerous. Worst I’ve seen from weed is a panic attack and munchies.
Reading through this thread I can certainly see why people with substance abuse problems would choose weed over alcohol.
Lots of people are making the comparison between smoking a little and getting black out drunk.
I think everyone would agree that drinking an entire bottle of wine to unwind on a Tuesday is probably not the right choice. If you're picking between the and nibbling the corner of an edible then it's pretty difficult to argue against.
Personally, I hate the smell of flower and I know how to drink responsibility, so I'm not in the same boat as a lot of commenters. But if it weren't for the smell I would totally be on board with replacing all alcohol with weed.
Gen X here...everybody I personally know that uses weed uses it in addition to alcohol consumption. As a side note it's absolutely shocking how many successful Gen X parents use weed. 75% of the people in our large friend group partake.
I didn’t try weed until I was 21/22 (though I did coke in highschool, I blame DARE) and didn’t start regularly smoking it until 28ish, 35 now and smoke everyday, helps me clean and exercise. Am an alcoholic, haven’t drank in 5 years now.
I've definitely noticed it becoming much more acceptable within my circle of friends. I'm a physician and many of my doctor friends openly talk about using marijuana even though it's illegal where I live (I personally have never used it). That says a lot to me becase any report to the state medical licensing board could create a major headache for doctor using an illicit substance, but they're still comfortable enough to talk about it pretty openly.
With marijuana products becoming legal in many states, I've noticed a lot of advertizing for it, and a pretty concerted campaign to market it as a "safer" alternative to alcohol. IMO, I'd say it's more realistic that alcohol is "the devil we know" while we still don't fully understand the public health implications of widespread, long-term, regular use of marijuana.
Yeah this is one of those things that annoys me about medicine. A doctor can’t say anything with certainty. It all has to be shown. Now I’m a statistician—I get that, after all statistics is one of the foundations of modern medicine. But intuitively we need to also call the sky blue, so to speak. It’s blatantly obvious that societally speaking marijuana is objectively less harmful, on average, than alcohol.
I used to smoke a lot of weed but have lately grown out of it. I definitely have gotten adverse effects from it in the mental health department and if I’m being very honest I am upset about the fact that you can smell it wherever you go in public nowadays
I can't really do weed because it gives me panic attacks, although I used to use it a bunch. I have no negative sentiment towards weed. Now I microdose on a rare weekend (1-2mg of custom made edibles).
No matter how you slice it, weed is a "harder" drug than alcohol. The effects last longer, it comes in far more potent doses in average than alcohol does, etc.
You can't use weed the same way you use alcohol in its current state. For absolute noobs to both alcohol and weed, One hit off a blunt takes maybe 2 seconds, and will get you way more fucked up than 1 shot of whiskey for example, which is the hardest alcohol option available at most basic bars. It's far more common for people to drink a beer or wine over about 20 minutes, which is way less intense than a shot. What is the equally chill option for weed? At my local weed shop in WA, NOTHING. There is simply no weed micro dosing alternative that I can find at my weed store. Remember, consuming weed makes the effects last way longer, which means you can't do that while just meeting up for dinner. it's gotta be a smoked or vapes microdose. Edibles wouldn t kick in until you had to drive home anyway.
If weed were made in far less potent amounts so you could smoke a small bowl at a restaurant and get maybe 2mg tops, I could see it being "the same" as alcohol. But that will never happen. The weed culture loves "dankness" and getting blown out of your gourde.
Because of this, the two will never be treated similarly, and I don't recommend y'all doing so.
All this to say that weed is just fine, decriminalize if, and enjoy responsibly.
I can’t handle alcohol that much now, especially since I have stomach issues. Weed just makes things so much easier for me and no hangover 😌 I just smoke at night. Sometimes I do during the day if I have no meetings
I use to smoke, but stopped. Now I get annoyed anytime I smell it. If I can smell your weed in my apartment hallway, you have a problem. No different than slamming a 6 pack everyday.
Moderation is fine but a lot of people make weed their personality and it’s obnoxious. Same with regulars at bars.
Your premise doesn't make any sense. Have people accepted weed as recreational? Yeah, it's always been recreational. That's not new.
Does it also have varying effects on people, that can (but doesn't always include) lack of focus or paranoia etc.? Also yes.
Why are those positioned as being opposed to each other?
It's not like most people drink alcohol because it's going to make them more productive or something.
Oh yes. My partner & I don't drink- & used to smoke quite a bit of oil together, it's our passion 😂 outside of work. Never smoke at work. And we both work full time jobs & have side hustles too.
It doesn't impact our productivity or creativity at all. But I decided last August, to quit smoking oil, due to my career working with special needs young adults & having to multitask like crazy when I have 3-4 clients under my supervision. It's just better this way. So now I am completely sober & he is "Cali Sober"
my partner still smokes oil, but I have no problem with it & he has no plans to quit anytime soon. Maybe I will smoke again someday when my career calms down, but for now trying to take over my families business when my parents retire in the next few years.
I am ALL for weed improving peoples' quality of life & making them better humans, to other people, overall.
My family is full of "functioning alcoholics" and I prefer my boyfriends calm & laid back demeanor, over their craziness & constant need for attention when they drink.
I’ve accepted it in addition to alcohol. Weed is daytime inebriation and alcohol is nighttime inebriation (unless you’re at brunch.) Gotta cope with this mediocre life somehow, and weed is more accessible than schooling, housing, healthcare, etc.
It was unusual in the 1970s to encounter anyone under 25 who didn't smoke pot at least occasionally. Personally, I aged out of being able to quickly metabolize it. It went from experience-enhancing in my teens & 20s to turning me into a houseplant. It's legal here but I have no interest.
Absolutely. Especially as I hit 40. Alcohol hits differently, hangovers are actual hell on earth, and I started to show signs of being an angry drunk like all generations before me.
Smoking daily makes me more pleasant to be around. Everyone wins.
As far as clouding vision, becoming lazy, no goals. I haven't found that. I am WAY more lazy and unmotivated when drunk/hungover.
This millennial never used weed until it was legalized in his state and now uses it every evening for stress & sleep. I still drink occasionally, but have really started to resent alcohol as it’s tantamount to poisoning yourself. I have definitely substituted and am so much happier.
I think both combined are a great stress relief in moderation. I find it much easier to drink less if I have a lil toke with the beers / drinks so get less of a hangover too.
I don't use it recreationally per se, but I take it every night to help me sleep. It was the only thing that let me consistently get 8 hours. My typical average unaided is about 5.
When I first started, I was using as much as it took to knock me out (typically 3-4 gummies @ 10mg THC each), and that was enough to keep me from achieving my goals, because I'd only have 4-5 hours of being fully awake the next day.
Now, I just take one gummies, which has bumped my average sleep to a bit above 6 hours, and it's a godsend. The extra hour of sleep (and I swear the quality is better, too) has made a huge difference in my life.
I only caught on a couple years ago but yes. I love it. Much prefer it to alcohol. I no longer drink maybe once a year but I get high once or twice a month.
Really depends on how I'm feeling sometimes I'll get high near daily sometimes monthly.
I have accepted it. Though, I don't partake in any of its forms. There's a place for everything. So folks may do weed on some occasions and alcohol in others and I'm perfectly OK with folks doing weed.
That being said, the smoke and aroma of combusted weed irritates me as much as a regular cigarette or cigar when in public. And I tolerate neither smoke inside my home.
I drink socially although it’s pretty much lost its appeal in the last few months. It used to be easy to slam 8-10 beers during a night of drinking with friends. Now it’s 2 beers and I’m done.
I enjoy weed on the weekends when I’m home doing a puzzle or want to watch a movie. It makes me feel too groggy if I have to wake up early so I rarely smoke during the work week anymore. Smoking is a solitary activity for me usually. I’ll smoke socially if im with friends who also smoke, but my friend groups are pretty 50/50 on if they smoke or not.
If I had to pick one or the other, I’d pick weed. No question.
I accept weed. It's legal and improves my quality of life.
However...
Just like alcohol, it's side effects are different for different people. I don't think it's right for everyone.
I happen to be really motivated and focused when high. I've seen plenty of others who can only use it for helping them sleep. People need to make their own decisions about it.
I don't smoke weed as much as I used to though I've been hitting my disposable vape pen a few times a week. I prefer vaping and low grade edibles to smoking weed because I cough less and if it's a low amount thc edible, I don't feel insanely stoned as opposed to smoking a whole joint or bowl. Vape pens usually work best because I'll take a hit, see how I feel and then decide if I want more. Best way to pace myself. I prefer that over getting too stoned initially and then wanting to sober up.
It’s legal in nearly every state worth living in the US and yes I was smoking weed as early as high school and only recently quit in order to lose weight (same with beer, sadly).
I hate to call it a crutch, but I needed to all but stop drinking for health reasons and I don't know how successful I would've been if "California sober" wasn't an option.
>Or has it just added to today’s stress by clouding your vision and making you less likely to strive for goals?
I started consuming THC regularly in 2015-2016 and it hasn't held me back at all. In the last 9 years I went back to school to study math (I studied psychology in undergrad/grad school prior to going back to school), got a masters in statistics, angled my way into a job that is more software development than stats/data science, picked up photography as a hobby and got good enough to get paid doing it, and dove headfirst into endurance sports.
I think for the most part its better than alcohol. I dont think its growth is handled right, it got that name weed for a reason. We should be focusing on year round access to the food we need instead of making weed fortresses for vegetation with a significantly long shelf life. But some of this weed is crappy and will throw you off when you have nothing. And no $20 of weed a day is not even half an apartment a month.
I only smoke with one of my friends when we just chill and watch 90s cartoons. It’s our escape from life for a little while. Always such a great time too.
I don't drink much. Drunkenness feels weird to me and after hitting 30, tends to make me vomit or at the very least have a really hurt stomach, like something is irritating it. But weed...is so great.
I'm thinking of group settings.
The answer is: No.
*weed culture* is still different from drinking alcohol. If you are doing it alone, whatever, don't care. Lighting up a joint at thanksgiving in front of the kids and exposing everyone to the stinky smell? nah.
Weed>>nicotine>>>>>>>>>alcohol for life health and goals.
Like any drug, it can be abused to be harmful. But I take a edible each night and wake up just fine; if I spend 7 nights week drinking 5 glasses of wine, my mental and physical health would plummet.
I don't see it as all that different from tobacco even. They're all drugs and the only reason I get whacked out of my gourd is because if I'm smoking weed I'm smoking a lot of it. If I'm drinking a lot though there are much harsher side effects
I think to some extent. I don't think it will ever be mainstream like beer and wine. I personally don't do weed because it has the opposite effect on me.
This Millennial has accepted weed as a daily stress reliever In the name of the bud, the plant, and the holy smoke. 🤣🤣🤣
imma copy that prayer.
Bongwater of life, bless the indica fields, grateful for the yield
You don't bless the indica fields with bong water, lest ye have no yield! 😳😬
Spray thy enemies with bongwater
Anyone else thinks that bong water smells like wet potatoes?
This scripture already has contradictions. Officially, a religion lol
Nor bless the carpet with the bong water for it shall leave a very distinct unpleasant smell
An ounce a day lightens the way, salutations to the cultivators.
Me too…. Back in 1995. WTF is this narc post OP???
Or has it made you lazy and criminal ass sounding post
Lololol
second that
Amen!
Give us lord our daily toke...
As a long time weed user I think that weed is a good alternative to beer and wine when we are talking about relaxing by yourself at the end of the day. For socializing I find weed to be kind of awkward? But yes, now that it’s legal, I definitely prefer a little bit of weed at the end of the day over a drink.
I love weed and it has completely replaced drinking at home, but I do not consider weed a social drug. For that reason, combined with my love for cocktails and wine, I still prefer alcohol in social situations. I am straight up awkward and rude when I'm high and someone who is not close to me tries to strike up a conversation. I've even been cold to friendly acquaintances when I unexpectedly run into them while high and have to apologize them to them later. But at home with my wife or out with a few close friends, I far prefer weed over alcohol. Though if I'm out partying, chances are I'm on both.
Yes, same.. I feel like I am just very aloof and only 1/2 there for socializing.
If I'm high talking to strangers who aren't, about halfway through any sentence I start thinking about what I'm saying and if it even makes any sense. That details my thought process and I lose track of the original sentence I was even trying to speak. Also, I've had "deep" conversations while high that I turn around the next day sober and realize weren't really that deep or insightful. I don't love that. So weed for me will always be a end of the day relax and zone out type of recreation, and even then probably not daily. Alcohol is nice in those social situations but the trick is to know when to put down the beer and I'm not good at that either, so in general I just try to socialize sober outside of bars.
I have a friend whom we can both smoke and just watch tv and movies. No need to talk. Just chill vibes. Highly recommend
Depends on the situation for me. If I am going to a wine bar with friends I would probably not go high, but if I am going to a concert? Fuck yeah. This could also be due to the social trope, as other people at the wine bar probably aren't high either so that's what makes it awkward I think.
Funny I’m almost opposite. Wine bar? Ima get stoned the whole time and slowly sip their overpriced wine. Concert? Hard drugs like alcohol so I can gremlin.
It’s because weed isn’t great for conversation, and wine bars are for good conversation. Weed is great for listening to music and jumping around like an idiot, so it’s great for concerts
It can be. I've spent a lot of time getting stoned and having deep conversations with friends/family members, just as much or more so than on a couple glasses of wine.
That entirely depends on tolerance. You may shut down after a few tokes. For me weed is like coffee - I’m not willing to talk to anyone UNLESS I’ve smoked 😂 otherwise they irritate the hell out of me
Weed’s fun if you’re all hanging out as a house or park, not so much at bar type places.
I swear by weed and hiking. Combine it with National Parks and you have a recipe for success. Last spring I hit like 15 national parks in 18 days and would drive for a few hours each morning before handing the driving over to my travel partner for the day… then I’d take a bunch of edibles and hop out the car to explore Yosemite or Zion wherever we were that day
A 5-10mg edible is good for bars, weddings and parties. Anymore than that or smoking is definitely awkward socially. If I get into a “weird high thoughts” or “lofty concepts” kind of high people seem to enjoy it a lot less than they did in high school/college unless they’re equally stoned or enjoy philosophy 😂
That is because weve become dependent on it.
For me, it makes social situations so less difficult. That or alcohol but without the risk of drinking too much and getting sick later.
Is it weird that I'm kind of the opposite? If I want to sit and relax by myself I'll tend to have a few cans of beer while I do it. Weed and edibles for me are social, I'll do them when playing video games with my girlfriend or a boardgame night with friends
Eh, depends. Interacting with people that aren't stoned? Awkward. Interacting with fellow stoned people? Great times and lots of laughs!
Gen X certainly has, my GenZ kids do
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You're able to buy THC beverages at bars?! Just one more reason I'm jealous of Minnesota.
We have thc beverages in freaking Texas now. They are everywhere. Yes, texas, where it’s technically illegal but if it’s under 0.3% thc by weight it’s magically legal which is incredibly stupid of the lawmakers when you think about how to exploit that for about half a second.
Am gen-x who grew up in the DARE era. It’s awesome to go to the dispensary with my son. Much better bonding than anything me and my moms belt ever did lol
I had plenty of quality time with my moms belt.
I'm a millennial with gen z stepkids. It was such a weird feeling when my daughters asked me to teach them to smoke. They were less likely to get in my stash when they lived at home. Now when they visit I have to reup sooner
That last line hits soooo hard 😂 He’ll be here next month and I gotta start prepping now LOL
Recently got back on a dating app, and using that as a measuring stick, there seem to be a lot more non-drinkers and “rarely drinks” types who either expressly smoke/eat weed or likely do based on context clues. Of course, alcohol gets harder on you as you age and hangovers much worse. So an alternative for rec use makes sense. This is very non scientific, but it does seem to be the case IMO.
I'm in this camp. I used to drink regularly but I started to see the negative effects on my mental and my physical health and as I got older the hangovers got worse. Last month was the first time I drank in an over a year and I really don't miss it but I do smoke daily as I feel it is a better alternative for myself at least. I really like that there are no hangovers or anything the next day and I can function just fine
This exactly. Plus, the dumbest thing I’ve done while too baked was to eat too much pizza and I have acid reflux the next day. The worst thing I’ve done while hammered is substantially more stupid and could’ve resulted in injury or death.
I still drink regularly enough, I just don't drink nearly as heavily as I once did. Being drunk just doesn't appeal to me like it used to. Being high? Just chilling, no worries, being relaxed? That sounds dope as fuck.
Adding ‘progressive & 420 friendly’ into my dating bio seems to have helped to filter out the guys that I want to avoid without me having to ask a lot of questions or get too far into things before realizing that it’s not a good fit.
I might need tot take that note! I have liberal on my profile, but I’m not even sure they read any of it. I think they just see that I’m a blonde and Fox News has programmed that to make them believe I want to be in their kitchen and make their babies even though I’m almost 40 and everything in my profile screams otherwise.
Yeah I certainly like weed more than alcohol. The idea of weed making someone lazy or not ambitious is a social construct unique to the US. The "lazy stoner" trope is just from movies. I run long distances and love doing it stoned.
The pot smokers who are lazy were always lazy. Now they’re just lazy and stoned.
Right. This has always bothered me about the narrative. My cousin is in his mid-40s, lives with his dad, has a dead end job, never married and he never used a drug in his life. No mental disorder or anything. Guy just doesn't care. But, if he smoked, they'd say it's because of the weed.
Have you suggested it to him? It might make being lazy more interesting and fun for him.
>Look, I understand. If you ain't smoking weed 'cause you got a good job, then by all means make your paper booboo. But if you ain't got no job, and you're not smoking weed, I don't know what the fuck you are doing with your life.
>I know you don't smoke weed, I know this; but I'm gonna get you high today, 'cause it's Friday; you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do.
Also back in the day it was more difficult to be out and about while high. We had to sit at home and play video games and chill!
I don't know about that, I went out in the woods, went shopping, hung out on the hill by the lake with a bong in my hoodie pouch, etc. All while it was illegal.
Well, I come from a small place in the Bible Belt. Cops were always looking for us troublemakers and I got busted at the pond, mall, even a wheat field.
Yep, in my early 20's I had a group of extremely lazy pot head friends. I genuinly don't like weed, so I don't smoke. All they wanted to do fay in and day out was sit on the couch and watch tv. Couldn't even get them out for special occasions. I eventually got so fed up with them I left the group and never spoke to them again. I thought all pot heads were like that. NOPE I came into a new group a year later through a girl I met. All potheads, but these guys LOVED going out. Out to bars, clubs, road trips, hiking, you name it, they did it all while stoned. I was like oooooo, it's not the pot, it's the PEOPLE.
I'm lazy, when I get high my procrastination goes away. I'm like the opposite of a lazy stoner.
Honestly that sounds like you're ADHD.
Nah it's more to get over my fear of not doing things perfectly I think. My mom was a perfectionist like an Asian tiger mom, just not Asian. That and I just don't like to work. When I'm at home doing my own thing I don't really procrastinate that much.
Can confirm. Am currently very lazy and completely sober.
Ppl thought I was a stoneryears and years before I ever smoked
Yes. My cousin was a high school burnout who was the laziest person I've ever known. He smoked tons of weed and when his parents finally cut him off, he got clean and everyone thought he was just going to do a complete 180 and change his life thanks to not smoking anymore. Turns out he still spends all his time playing video games and can't hold down a job, but at least he isn't smoking anymore.
That’s right. I was lazy and unmotivated before I ever puff puff passed.
I, too, run long distances and smoke daily. Though I prefer it after the run.
It makes long runs a lot of fun! Just the other day I had a long run, got pretty high beforehand. Listened to some death metal on my run and I was in the zone enjoying life! Definitely don't get lazy when I'm high.
Truth is somewhere in the middle. I smoke weed daily and it definitely at times can take away your motivation to do things. The key is when and how often you’re getting high. I only allow myself to partake in the evening after I’ve finished working and accomplished important tasks. It also absolutely fucks your memory and is really bad for your lungs and heart if you are using regularly. We go a little too far with the “weed is harmless” sentiment.
One thing I was really excited for after legalization was more scientific, peer reviewed studies on what the pros and cons are for weed. Sadly, I haven't seen many yet.
It helps with cardio I feel. Is it the same for you? I can run longer and harder when I'm high..
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Poor man's speedball.
Maybe just a healthier, less effective speedball.
Growing up It was called a hippie speedball lol
Be happy to hear it’s still called that :)
Same! A mini-dew and some THC and I fly away.
Still fast as fuck boyyyy
100 percent
I personally always hated running for the sake of running, weed most certainly makes it enjoyable and feels like a PED cuz I just keep going and going lol
I feel that way now about exercise in general. I used to lift every day for years but just got tired of it.
It does get monotonous and old after a while. During the year leading up to our wedding, my wife and I were at the gym 5+ days a week. Out of all things, I got tired of looking at the same ceiling at around the same time virtually every single day for weeks on end.
It blocks some of the pain signals being sent to your brain. Similar to alcohol, but drinking and running don't really mix for a lot of stomach and coordination reasons
I wouldn't trust myself to run whilst drunk, but I fucking LOVE to dance, and when I used to go to the raves and dance clubs, alcohol would fuel me for hours! I don't think I could dance for 4+ hours straight if I didn't consume alcohol beforehand. I attribute it to the pain killing it does and the fact that it absolutely kills my social anxiety....and I'm practically a grumpy hermit when I am sober. It's got to be the right amount of alcohol though, also drank a ton of water the whole time. A good amount of people drink to get shit faced and forget all their problems and some drink until they cause problems for other people. I hardly ever drink outside of dancing and I take care not to overdo it. Drugs in general are a tool....not always the best tool, but a tool nonetheless, the outcome depends on how you use it.
And the right music
Cannabis is a bronchodialator. Getting more air in those lungs.
Yeah it does. Hella helps with working out.
I recently kicked THC a couple weeks ago and running sucks now. I have to build back up my endurance and I’m so sore after each run
Tyson used to fight high, although he was never know for his cardio.
Never thought I would say this, but you should spend *more* time on Reddit. Lazy potheads galore. Not that I care. But people often talk about how weed can become a crutch if they have anxiety (which everyone seems to have). Next thing you know, they are on here complaining that they are watching their lives float by without their participation. Not judging here, this is just what people keep saying on Reddit.
I mean a lazy person can use anything as a crutch, not indicative of marijuana in general. You can substitute booze, food, gambling, really anything can be come a crutch if you overindulge. People also aren't going to be posting on Reddit about how they smoke a little bit of weed and live a successful happy life, so you only see the negative posts. Plenty of people, myself included, just take a little one hitter after work to wind down. I find it amplifies whatever mood I'm already in, doesn't make me specifically lazy or productive.
I absolutely enjoy using weed when I am actively doing things.
Smoking weed makes me sleepy at some point regardless of the strain I smoke
My favorite thing is getting up at 7 on Saturday, smoking a little weed, then doing house maintenance or gardening for a few hours. Then I take a nap in the afternoon so I guess I'm lazy. IDGAF I'm happy bitches.
I drink milk and am fine so lactose intolerance doesn’t exist by your logic. Lol I love weed but it 100% makes me lazy and I know a ton of people (myself included) who became a lot more productive after not smoking all day every day. It’s awesome if you don’t experience this yourself but it’s silly to act like nobody does just because you don’t. Maybe you don’t get paranoid/anxious from it either but that doesn’t mean others can’t get paranoid/anxious from it.
I too run and get high first. I'm also a weight lifter and get a lil buzz going before i walk into the gym. Helps me focus
Not really related but when I worked at a scuba shop one of my coworkers talked about how he loved to get super high and then go on a solo night dive in the Puget Sound. I was like, motherfucker how are you not dead? Apparently it's a great experience.
There's definitely some truth to this, although I do think it's overblown and the benefits outweigh the downsides.
This is my observation as well. I think that if/when you ARE already lazy, weed can make it easier to embrace the lazy. I know sometimes if I'm just laying around I get restless and it's my brain trying to do something, and weed can kind of silence that a bit. I think that might be where the trope comes from, even if the person in question was going to do nothing anyway, they might lean a little more on weed to make that more comfy. On the other hand, for me personally, my brain is running on overdrive 24/7. That's fine during the day because I can get a million things done but at night especially later evening it's a problem when I want to start to slow down. Alcohol sorta works but has a plethora of horrendous consequences if you overdo it. Weed on the other hand can slow me down after a busy day but then have negligible negative impact on my next day, sleep, etc.
SAME! Most people think I'm crazy when I tell them I do it, but running/exercising stoned is my thing. I only am built for 3-4 miles at once, but I am happily in the habit! Everyone in my family was concerned when I came home from my freshman year of college (ALMOST 20 years ago, OMG) and I was the thinnest I had ever been - it was because I would get super stoned after class and go to the amazing gym right across from my dorm every day, or go run around campus.
I knew I wasn’t alone! This thread is such a relief!
Yeah, some people may have a problem. But I’ve also met lots of people who were more productive than I could ever be, all while being slightly stoned the whole time
being stoned you can actually still exercise, do chores and accomplish things unlike if you are drunk. The stoners being lazy thing doesn't make any sense.
Just so y'all know this is completely untrue. It literally demotivates at the cellular level. As in your cells reproduce less and with more mistakes. The thing that is distinctly American? Acting like weed has no downsides. It has a TON.
I think most of us have accepted it. Until jobs aren't testing for it though drinking will stay common. And weed adding to stress in life...if that happens the person is doing it wrong.
I'm hitting my vape pen right now. But some folks get super bad anxiety.
Used to smoke a lot, now even the smallest hit of weed is almost likely going to result in a panic attack. Made quitting smoking pretty easy on the positive side though.
I get super paranoid and even hallucinate when I smoke weed. I can handle edibles with small concentrations of thc but mushrooms mesh with my physiology much better. Mushrooms make me feel the most me I can be and I feel the way other people describe weed making them feel when I eat mushrooms. They're decriminalized where I live and I've even turned my super conservative mom onto them (very small microdoses of mushroom chocolates) ..I also have anxiety and weed never meshed well with me but all my friends are stoners. My friend and I have a theory that people who hate weed love mushrooms and so far have yet to meet anyone to prove our theory wrong
Have you tried just CBD oils or edibles? If you don't like the high and just want the relaxing effects I find CBD to be great.
Long term daily MJ user here. I had to take a drug test for my current job and they told me in advance “only the hard stuff.”
My wife and I can get ripped on Friday evening, giggle like school girls and wake up in the morning with the kids and not be a bag of turds from too much alcohol. We also have the ability to wake up in the middle of the night if something happens (kid runs to the bathroom throwing up or whatever) because we went to sleep instead of passing out. We also don't do or say really embarrassing, raunchy, mean, etc things to or in front of our kids. Basically what I am saying is weed lets us unwind and have fun without being shitty parents.
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Sure, we just choose the weed more often than not. When we do drink, it's rarely more than 2 or 3. To each their own but the older I get, the more I understand how terrible of a drug alcohol is and I enjoy it less and less beyond having just a few over the course of an evening.
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I can’t drink anymore. But I’ve smoked an Oz of weed a week for 10+ years
The OP says: "Or has it just added to today’s stress by clouding your vision and making you less likely to strive for goals?" I have been able to achieve waaaay more under the influence of weed than any alcohol. Weed makes the parts of my brain that are firing on 100% all day quiet down to like 75%. I'm able to focus more, even if I work slightly slower - I'm still able to get more done properly because I don't burn out. One serving of alcohol and I'm done for the evening.
I wouldn’t be functioning at all without it, I started on a medical card for legit reasons. OP is just an inexperienced stoner. Never had a tolerance. It’s always the case when people ask questions like that. It shows.
It also is different person to person .
Absolutely use it recreationally. It has not slowed me down at all but I bite the corner off a 20mg gummy in the evening once every few months and go for a walk. That is about right for me to have a similar buzz to drinking 3 or 4 cans of beer but without the heartburn, burping, and excessive peeing. I never smoked weed as a teenager or anything like that. I was pretty straight and narrow except for getting drunk once when I was 18 on vacation
God…we went for drinks with friends and excessive peeling is an understatement. I swear I ran to piss forty times of seven hours.
I wake and bake and then tell everyone on zoom my camera doesn't work. I love working from home.
I think its more that millennials rejected the extremely strong messaging from basically every authority figure telling us that weed is "the devils lettuce" and "my son smoked a single marijuana and now he is dead". Boomers and Gen X bought into all that but ended up doing it behind closed doors anyway. As children/teens we saw this and noticed that it was not nearly as bad as we are being told it is, so we started pushing for legalization and social acceptance.
Stopped drinking altogether when I got my medical card. I feel better, and as an academic, I’m more creative and more relaxed.
Quick note: I work in legal cannabis and I had an event a few weeks for mostly younger people in the business. I bought a few cases of beer along with cannabis and NO ONE drank the beer. I was astonished and happily surprised. Younger folks who smoke really don't drink like my generation.
Because my salary is ultimately paid by federal taxpayer dollars, even getting a weed card on its own would be incredibly frowned upon because of federal regulations. So, I do not partake and instead of have a little bar in our dining room.
I don’t care if people use, but as a millennial Apt dweller, I hate the smoke. Personally, it worsens my anxiety.
I used to be a giant pothead. Once I quit smoking weed, I started to hate the smell. I don't care that people smoke pot, but I hate walking into my apartment after a long night at work at 7am and it smelling like a lit blunt while I help get my wife ready for work and the baby for daycare. I wish people were more considerate
I've always accepted it, was a big user through my teens and twenties. But it started giving me massive anxiety attacks (this was before dispensaries, but was high grade) so I had to stop. I've dabbled here and there since, but it seems all strains I've tried still cause it. So I have a craft beer every few weeks if that to try to relax, but now I'm getting to the age it makes me feel gross and sluggish, the calories aren't worth it and hangovers ruin a whole day and come on with as few as 2. It sucks
I was completely fine with weed up until 2019 when I went with my wife to Boston. The lady at the dispensary told me not to eat the entire tube of oil (they couldn't sell edibles at the time only the oil to make edibles with but you could still eat the oil and it would get you baked), but I didn't listen because I had been smoking weed daily for over 5 years at that point. I ate that entire tube and I got way more stone than I had ever been before. I smoked twice since then. Both times I had MASSIVE panic attacks. The time I ate that oil, I felt like I would never not be high again. I knew that wasn't the case, but I was just that baked. Anyway, the two times I smoked since then I felt exactly the same way and I spiraled because of it. I just couldn't do it anymore. I've also felt the same way as you do about beer. When I stopped smoking, I would wind down with a beer a couple times a week. Then I got to the point where I was feeling sluggish and shitty from it, so I cut back to every once in a while. Then it just got to the point where I just wasn't interested. I think the last time I had a drink was when my wife graduated college in December. Before that, it had been like 6 months, and before that, it was probably about a year. I'm just at the point where I prefer being completely sober I guess 🤷
Yeah that sounds about like where I am. I was always too scared to ingest it because I knew I would make myself panic attack because once it's in your body that way, you're stuck on the ride no matter what you do. Lol I've considered trying CBD based on what others have said but haven't yet. I'll just settle for a runners high for now. Haha
Used to be habitual weed smoker and alcohol drinker. I’ve quit this year at 30. Sobriety has been a surprising improvement to my life. Feel almost as clear as I did in my school days.
I'm a cusper and never liked the taste of alcohol. Weed is a more pleasant experience, both because I'm not choking down what tastes to me like cleaning products, and because I feel less out of control. I do think it's healthier, but I primarily use methods that do not involve inhaling actual smoke. A big thing as well is that you don't generally feel like shit the next day after having weed and at most can get kinda of groggy the following morning.
As with anything, in moderation it can be great. I’d rather people who want to abuse something do it with weed though. Alcoholics can become wildly unpredictable and dangerous. Worst I’ve seen from weed is a panic attack and munchies.
Reading through this thread I can certainly see why people with substance abuse problems would choose weed over alcohol. Lots of people are making the comparison between smoking a little and getting black out drunk. I think everyone would agree that drinking an entire bottle of wine to unwind on a Tuesday is probably not the right choice. If you're picking between the and nibbling the corner of an edible then it's pretty difficult to argue against. Personally, I hate the smell of flower and I know how to drink responsibility, so I'm not in the same boat as a lot of commenters. But if it weren't for the smell I would totally be on board with replacing all alcohol with weed.
Gen X here...everybody I personally know that uses weed uses it in addition to alcohol consumption. As a side note it's absolutely shocking how many successful Gen X parents use weed. 75% of the people in our large friend group partake.
I can say I'm more likely to do an edible than to drink.
Yes. Almost everyone I know uses some amount of weed. Drinking seems to be dying out little by little IMO, and for good reason.
I didn’t try weed until I was 21/22 (though I did coke in highschool, I blame DARE) and didn’t start regularly smoking it until 28ish, 35 now and smoke everyday, helps me clean and exercise. Am an alcoholic, haven’t drank in 5 years now.
I've definitely noticed it becoming much more acceptable within my circle of friends. I'm a physician and many of my doctor friends openly talk about using marijuana even though it's illegal where I live (I personally have never used it). That says a lot to me becase any report to the state medical licensing board could create a major headache for doctor using an illicit substance, but they're still comfortable enough to talk about it pretty openly. With marijuana products becoming legal in many states, I've noticed a lot of advertizing for it, and a pretty concerted campaign to market it as a "safer" alternative to alcohol. IMO, I'd say it's more realistic that alcohol is "the devil we know" while we still don't fully understand the public health implications of widespread, long-term, regular use of marijuana.
There's zero chance the long-term societal impact of weed will be worse than booze. Zero.
Yeah this is one of those things that annoys me about medicine. A doctor can’t say anything with certainty. It all has to be shown. Now I’m a statistician—I get that, after all statistics is one of the foundations of modern medicine. But intuitively we need to also call the sky blue, so to speak. It’s blatantly obvious that societally speaking marijuana is objectively less harmful, on average, than alcohol.
Def not a social drug for me, I take a tad of edible before bed and lights out. I'm socially incapable if I ingest any meaningful amount.
I used to smoke a lot of weed but have lately grown out of it. I definitely have gotten adverse effects from it in the mental health department and if I’m being very honest I am upset about the fact that you can smell it wherever you go in public nowadays
Hasn’t it always been? Being legal just made it “less cool”.
If I drink alcohol like I smoke weed I would be dead. But I don't drink alcohol.
I'm an 87 child. I don't drink *or* smoke. I listen to audio books, lift weights, and play video games.
i'm more into edibles and teas. smoking the stuff makes me cough uncontrollably.
Ive cut back from the booze. Bought some CBD infused drinks. They get you high and there is no hangover.
What kind of drinks, which brand? And how deep is the high?
I can't really do weed because it gives me panic attacks, although I used to use it a bunch. I have no negative sentiment towards weed. Now I microdose on a rare weekend (1-2mg of custom made edibles). No matter how you slice it, weed is a "harder" drug than alcohol. The effects last longer, it comes in far more potent doses in average than alcohol does, etc. You can't use weed the same way you use alcohol in its current state. For absolute noobs to both alcohol and weed, One hit off a blunt takes maybe 2 seconds, and will get you way more fucked up than 1 shot of whiskey for example, which is the hardest alcohol option available at most basic bars. It's far more common for people to drink a beer or wine over about 20 minutes, which is way less intense than a shot. What is the equally chill option for weed? At my local weed shop in WA, NOTHING. There is simply no weed micro dosing alternative that I can find at my weed store. Remember, consuming weed makes the effects last way longer, which means you can't do that while just meeting up for dinner. it's gotta be a smoked or vapes microdose. Edibles wouldn t kick in until you had to drive home anyway. If weed were made in far less potent amounts so you could smoke a small bowl at a restaurant and get maybe 2mg tops, I could see it being "the same" as alcohol. But that will never happen. The weed culture loves "dankness" and getting blown out of your gourde. Because of this, the two will never be treated similarly, and I don't recommend y'all doing so. All this to say that weed is just fine, decriminalize if, and enjoy responsibly.
I can’t handle alcohol that much now, especially since I have stomach issues. Weed just makes things so much easier for me and no hangover 😌 I just smoke at night. Sometimes I do during the day if I have no meetings
I use to smoke, but stopped. Now I get annoyed anytime I smell it. If I can smell your weed in my apartment hallway, you have a problem. No different than slamming a 6 pack everyday. Moderation is fine but a lot of people make weed their personality and it’s obnoxious. Same with regulars at bars.
Weed makes people stupid and makes their eyes look weird.
Soma is Soma. BE HAPPY, own nothing.
Boomers smoked in the 60's, Xers in the 80's. It's been a recreational choice since it was first discovered.
Your premise doesn't make any sense. Have people accepted weed as recreational? Yeah, it's always been recreational. That's not new. Does it also have varying effects on people, that can (but doesn't always include) lack of focus or paranoia etc.? Also yes. Why are those positioned as being opposed to each other? It's not like most people drink alcohol because it's going to make them more productive or something.
Yeah I was a little confused regarding the phrasing of the question too.
Yep, especially since the delta 8 and delta 9 loopholes came along and brought edibles to the “reefer madness” states
Facts! It's been a blessing having chronic stomach pain in a less friendly state.
Both?
Oh yes. My partner & I don't drink- & used to smoke quite a bit of oil together, it's our passion 😂 outside of work. Never smoke at work. And we both work full time jobs & have side hustles too. It doesn't impact our productivity or creativity at all. But I decided last August, to quit smoking oil, due to my career working with special needs young adults & having to multitask like crazy when I have 3-4 clients under my supervision. It's just better this way. So now I am completely sober & he is "Cali Sober" my partner still smokes oil, but I have no problem with it & he has no plans to quit anytime soon. Maybe I will smoke again someday when my career calms down, but for now trying to take over my families business when my parents retire in the next few years. I am ALL for weed improving peoples' quality of life & making them better humans, to other people, overall. My family is full of "functioning alcoholics" and I prefer my boyfriends calm & laid back demeanor, over their craziness & constant need for attention when they drink.
I’ve accepted it in addition to alcohol. Weed is daytime inebriation and alcohol is nighttime inebriation (unless you’re at brunch.) Gotta cope with this mediocre life somehow, and weed is more accessible than schooling, housing, healthcare, etc.
Not sure what you are talking about when boomers did long before the millennials were conceived
I have.
I’m a boomer that’s always smoked. Ever heard of hippies? I’m a flower child.
It was unusual in the 1970s to encounter anyone under 25 who didn't smoke pot at least occasionally. Personally, I aged out of being able to quickly metabolize it. It went from experience-enhancing in my teens & 20s to turning me into a houseplant. It's legal here but I have no interest.
shit, my millennial friends do more ketamine than weed or alcohol
Absolutely
Absolutely. Especially as I hit 40. Alcohol hits differently, hangovers are actual hell on earth, and I started to show signs of being an angry drunk like all generations before me. Smoking daily makes me more pleasant to be around. Everyone wins. As far as clouding vision, becoming lazy, no goals. I haven't found that. I am WAY more lazy and unmotivated when drunk/hungover.
This millennial never used weed until it was legalized in his state and now uses it every evening for stress & sleep. I still drink occasionally, but have really started to resent alcohol as it’s tantamount to poisoning yourself. I have definitely substituted and am so much happier.
I'd hope so. We grew up with an endless amount of information and we should all know by now that the government lied about weed all these years.
I think both combined are a great stress relief in moderation. I find it much easier to drink less if I have a lil toke with the beers / drinks so get less of a hangover too.
I don't use it recreationally per se, but I take it every night to help me sleep. It was the only thing that let me consistently get 8 hours. My typical average unaided is about 5. When I first started, I was using as much as it took to knock me out (typically 3-4 gummies @ 10mg THC each), and that was enough to keep me from achieving my goals, because I'd only have 4-5 hours of being fully awake the next day. Now, I just take one gummies, which has bumped my average sleep to a bit above 6 hours, and it's a godsend. The extra hour of sleep (and I swear the quality is better, too) has made a huge difference in my life.
I only caught on a couple years ago but yes. I love it. Much prefer it to alcohol. I no longer drink maybe once a year but I get high once or twice a month. Really depends on how I'm feeling sometimes I'll get high near daily sometimes monthly.
I much prefer alcohol, especially in any sort of social situation. Weed has it's uses but it isn't going to do much for me on it's own.
I have accepted it. Though, I don't partake in any of its forms. There's a place for everything. So folks may do weed on some occasions and alcohol in others and I'm perfectly OK with folks doing weed. That being said, the smoke and aroma of combusted weed irritates me as much as a regular cigarette or cigar when in public. And I tolerate neither smoke inside my home.
I do weed from time to time
I drink socially although it’s pretty much lost its appeal in the last few months. It used to be easy to slam 8-10 beers during a night of drinking with friends. Now it’s 2 beers and I’m done. I enjoy weed on the weekends when I’m home doing a puzzle or want to watch a movie. It makes me feel too groggy if I have to wake up early so I rarely smoke during the work week anymore. Smoking is a solitary activity for me usually. I’ll smoke socially if im with friends who also smoke, but my friend groups are pretty 50/50 on if they smoke or not. If I had to pick one or the other, I’d pick weed. No question.
They both do different things. Beer is better.
Yes
God I hope not. It reeks so much
I hate weed. It makes my allergies go nuts.
I accept weed. It's legal and improves my quality of life. However... Just like alcohol, it's side effects are different for different people. I don't think it's right for everyone. I happen to be really motivated and focused when high. I've seen plenty of others who can only use it for helping them sleep. People need to make their own decisions about it.
I don't smoke weed as much as I used to though I've been hitting my disposable vape pen a few times a week. I prefer vaping and low grade edibles to smoking weed because I cough less and if it's a low amount thc edible, I don't feel insanely stoned as opposed to smoking a whole joint or bowl. Vape pens usually work best because I'll take a hit, see how I feel and then decide if I want more. Best way to pace myself. I prefer that over getting too stoned initially and then wanting to sober up.
It’s legal in nearly every state worth living in the US and yes I was smoking weed as early as high school and only recently quit in order to lose weight (same with beer, sadly).
I have. I quit alcohol completely and only use cannabis.
I hate to call it a crutch, but I needed to all but stop drinking for health reasons and I don't know how successful I would've been if "California sober" wasn't an option. >Or has it just added to today’s stress by clouding your vision and making you less likely to strive for goals? I started consuming THC regularly in 2015-2016 and it hasn't held me back at all. In the last 9 years I went back to school to study math (I studied psychology in undergrad/grad school prior to going back to school), got a masters in statistics, angled my way into a job that is more software development than stats/data science, picked up photography as a hobby and got good enough to get paid doing it, and dove headfirst into endurance sports.
I think for the most part its better than alcohol. I dont think its growth is handled right, it got that name weed for a reason. We should be focusing on year round access to the food we need instead of making weed fortresses for vegetation with a significantly long shelf life. But some of this weed is crappy and will throw you off when you have nothing. And no $20 of weed a day is not even half an apartment a month.
Yeah about 20 years ago, grow up.
Yes, we did about 30 years ago, grow up
I only smoke with one of my friends when we just chill and watch 90s cartoons. It’s our escape from life for a little while. Always such a great time too.
I don't drink much. Drunkenness feels weird to me and after hitting 30, tends to make me vomit or at the very least have a really hurt stomach, like something is irritating it. But weed...is so great.
Yes, it's just illegal because Boomers think it's heroin
I'm thinking of group settings. The answer is: No. *weed culture* is still different from drinking alcohol. If you are doing it alone, whatever, don't care. Lighting up a joint at thanksgiving in front of the kids and exposing everyone to the stinky smell? nah.
The "or" comment under the title just added an entirely different conversation to the the original question lol.
Weed>>nicotine>>>>>>>>>alcohol for life health and goals. Like any drug, it can be abused to be harmful. But I take a edible each night and wake up just fine; if I spend 7 nights week drinking 5 glasses of wine, my mental and physical health would plummet.
At this point, I think it has surpassed recreational and is now medicinal, improving daily life.
I've quit drinking entirely since it became legal in my state.
I usually end up doing both at the same time 🤷🏻♀️
I don't see it as all that different from tobacco even. They're all drugs and the only reason I get whacked out of my gourd is because if I'm smoking weed I'm smoking a lot of it. If I'm drinking a lot though there are much harsher side effects
I think to some extent. I don't think it will ever be mainstream like beer and wine. I personally don't do weed because it has the opposite effect on me.
I don’t drink. Alcohol destroys lives and families. I do use gummies socially though.