Treating hard drug addiction with cannabis

[Egdis]

Hello, my name is Egdis and I don't  hold any specific  way of doing anything as being the ultimate 'right' way, which means I experiment with everything as I go along but my ultimate goal is to self actualize. I am 41 years of age and I started drinking socially around the age of 20. In my late twenties I started using cocaine to self medicate and a couple of years later started free-basing. I had to leave the States and go back to my native Cuba as a result where for 3 years I was clean, making music and surrounded by friends and family. Moved to Europe in 2011 and the cocaine use resumed, the powder form, the rock I have been able to stay away from because of how difficult it was for me to stop and how I know all it would take is one hit to go right back to a place I must stay away from. It's been three months since my last binge. Not to bore you with the details, what I have found is that, doing what I really enjoy doing, which is writing songs, being creative and working in gardening but only if I feel like it, going to the gym, performing live shows, these among a few other things keep me happy and the fear of not doing what my family and society expect from me is what has kept me depressed and self-destructive. To deal with this anxiety I started smoking pot, and I never really liked it because it made me paranoid in the past each time I tried it, but it is working for me. my cravings for coke are completely gone and I am more certain each day as to what I want to do with my life and I am doing it. I wanted to share with you guys because maybe somebody could benefit from reading this, I sure have benefited from watching Leo's videos and I want to be a part of this community. Thank you for reading and I'm looking forward to adding something positive to our experience in this forum.

KR,

Egdis.

[Kelley White]

@Egdis 

On 2/7/2016 at 7:01 AM, Egdis said:

Hello, my name is Egdis and I don't  hold any specific  way of doing anything as being the ultimate 'right' way, which means I experiment with everything as I go along but my ultimate goal is to self actualize. I am 41 years of age and I started drinking socially around the age of 20. In my late twenties I started using cocaine to self medicate and a couple of years later started free-basing. I had to leave the States and go back to my native Cuba as a result where for 3 years I was clean, making music and surrounded by friends and family. Moved to Europe in 2011 and the cocaine use resumed, the powder form, the rock I have been able to stay away from because of how difficult it was for me to stop and how I know all it would take is one hit to go right back to a place I must stay away from. It's been three months since my last binge. Not to bore you with the details, what I have found is that, doing what I really enjoy doing, which is writing songs, being creative and working in gardening but only if I feel like it, going to the gym, performing live shows, these among a few other things keep me happy and the fear of not doing what my family and society expect from me is what has kept me depressed and self-destructive. To deal with this anxiety I started smoking pot, and I never really liked it because it made me paranoid in the past each time I tried it, but it is working for me. my cravings for coke are completely gone and I am more certain each day as to what I want to do with my life and I am doing it. I wanted to share with you guys because maybe somebody could benefit from reading this, I sure have benefited from watching Leo's videos and I want to be a part of this community. Thank you for reading and I'm looking forward to adding something positive to our experience in this forum.

KR,

Egdis.

Thank you for your question.  I am a disabled veteran and and I have PTSD and fybro.   I was on meds for years, they did not work.  I have a medical cannabis license and use it under a Doctors supervision. 

My awareness as a former opiate addict is that even though this is a healing plant it can be abused.  Thus I use dosing and I don't exceed a certain usage per month.   I treat it like medicine.  In turn the benefit is it opens my ability to feel.  It helps me focus and be creative, it alleviates much of the panic and anxiety.  Under normal circumstances in my life it alone with proper diet and mindfulness has proven successful.

I struggle sometimes with being okay with this.  Its unorthodox in approach for may.  For me, what worked mattered.  Not what others thought.   I want wellness and that is different for each person.

I had an ex with a cocaine issue.  Its a challenging addiction to deal with.  Your brain depletes your dopamine system making it challenging to ever achieve those same euphoric states without the drug.   You crash several days after, nasty depression in that valley there.

The paranoia?  My observation is that is a mindset.  If I am in a negative head space I am more likely to stray that way.  Being aware?  Don't do anything impulsive becomes my mantra.  (Sometimes I fail.  I try to own it right away when I see it.) Get a reality check.  Stay away from social media or subjective mediums until you correct your head space or take time outs. 

So if you are in a place where marijuana is legal and you can do this under the care of a doctor it might be a good option for you.   If it is good for you, go for it.  Do what works.  Its better than killing yourself with something that you already know doesn't work.   Maybe someday, we get to a place we don't need to go there.  That would be ideal.  But for now, I say accept what is and what works.

 

[Kelley White]

You might find these studies helpful in making an educated decision based upon science.   http://cannajournal.com/2014/01/16/cannabis-for-treating-post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/