A large percentage of "I need this drug/drink to function" people eventually face some measure of change in their lives that force them to start learning how to manage themselves without outside chemicals or medication.

It may be you, it may not be. The point is, don't get set-in on "policy" because you may want to change your life and need to understand that the discomfort of change is only temporary and the brain rewires itself to new conditions.

It does get old after a while.

edit: I am fully prepared for the reflexive defensiveness that this topic produces. Please look up psychological addiction even if you feel offended by the very notion. Especially if you feel offended by the notion. Ask me how to get out if you're starting to feel that trapped feeling and wondering if things ever get better.

I feel this way too. And have a similar history of other types of drugs used. Not that I chose to stop doing them tho but really lost access (plug stopped plugging).

My partner is concerned about the smoke in my lungs, which is a fair point. So I do mostly edibles, only weed these days. I still have a couple pre-rolls on hand in case a friend stops over or I don't wanna wait 2 hours for the gummies to hit.

I can stop long enough to pass a drug test, I have a stable job, I own a house, have a partner of 8 years now (wow) so I wouldn't consider myself a "failure" or a "junkie" or anything like that.

Being high is just better imo. I feel better, I smile more, I worry less. The only downside is if i go spaceman and my partner wants to have a serious talk she's just SoL for a few hours but all in all I don't think I'll ever stop and tbh I don't really want to.

Can't really touch weed anymore, it's the only drug I lose control of every time and then it interferes with my life. I also don't know anyone in my circle who likes their daily habit of smoking, except for those where it really helps medicinally.

If you get high to cope, your situation might change, and then you might stop getting high. If you get high because you're stubborn, well, that sucks.

I was high for 20 years almost 24/7. I made some life changes and these days I get high maybe around 10 times a year. And those times that I do, its special and not just ordinary. Life is so much better when my brain can operate at a higher capacity. Not that I couldn't cope while high - I was fine, but definitely not optimal, especially with short term memory. I guess if my job was not that demanding of mental clarity it would be a different situation.

I feel much better after reading this thread

I've been using cannabis for years and I love it. I am generally careful when it comes to developing dependencies. I check myself every once in a while and I don't self medicate or pretend I'm taking it for pain or sleep or whatever. I take it because I like being high and I'm not ashamed of it.

I am worried about long-term effects. Alzheimer's and Parkinson's really freak me out and it would suck if there turned out to be a link there. But there's a good chance something else will kill me before I get there and I'm not sure I want to give up something I so thoroughly enjoy just to live a little longer.

I tried taking a hiatus in January. I read about mental clarity coming back and feeling more rested. I felt none of those things. I also didn't feel any intense cravings or withdrawal symptoms. Just boredom and dissatisfaction with life in general and I don't have a lot of hope of that changing with or without weed.

Ngl I still smoke weed most days but since dabbling with shrooms all the other stuff doesn't appeal to me anymore. Shrooms have also changed my perspective on what drugs truly are. You probably don't really need them. But it's not the end of the world if you keep taking them. You're sacrificing time, money, physical health and the ability to overcome boredom creatively for the option of controlling your feelings to a degree. If that's a fair trade to you then by all means. Just be sure it's not only the drugs speaking.

Well, my close friends and I felt similar when we were young. Now we're middle aged and realised we had a mix of undiagnosed neurodiversity, and are now are now on doctor-prescribed cannabis and/or stimulants.

I know that if my adhd meds were stopped, I'd have to go back to self-medicating with booze, weed and street drugs. But having access to reliable clean stimulants that help me do the stuff I want to do, have hobbies and keep a steady job and long-term relationships, has been life transforming. I've had a jar of weed in my drawer for over a year, because I've gone from smoking weed everyday to once every few months. And it's not because I think weed is bad, or not fun, but just because my life is so much more rich and satisfying and busy (in a good way) that I don't need to get baked to make it manageable.

Edit: didn't mean for that sound preachy. There's no problem with not being 'sober' of it works for you. But if there's some underlying issue that the intoxicants help you deal with, I just wanted to share that it can be amazing if you can sort the issue out rather than mask it. But there's always space for a delicious cocktail, some fragrant bud or taking some mushrooms at a rave in the deep forest.

If you count coffee, tea and energy drinks as a drug, then there are a lot of people like this.

I used to think I'd be addicted to nicotine forever and I've not smoked for over a year now, after 20 years on the stuff. Maybe you will change who knows?

I've smoked weed every day for years and couldn't imagine life without it

I like drugs and I'd enjoy them more if they don't wreck havoc on your health. I had fun and all but I was at the point where I'm like it's time to stop and just stopped. I still drink beers socially though. Might get back on them when I'm 60-70+ just because.

Few things are so normal and natural as a human consuming substances that change their conscious perception and mind.

Caffeine, often forgotten is by far the most consumed drug in the world being used by roughly 85% of people globally. “First coffee, then work” is a testimonial to how benign this fact is.

But what if you don't like caffeine, what if you simply prefer the effects of something else? It’s your body, no one should be able to tell an adult what they can do with their own body and mind.

Just be conscious about it.

Know what you are taking.

Understand why you take it.

Study, learn what it actually does and how different doses/methods affect you.

Find how it does not affect you, what it can’t fix.

Look for help when you need it and don't feel shameful for asking such. You are human after all.

I too used to think certain things in my life would never change - until they did.

It’s an interesting realization when you’ve been telling yourself for decades that you need something, only to quit it and discover that not only did you not need it, but you’re actually better off without.

honestly no one should have to rawdog life in this day and age As long as you aren't hurting anyone, rock on, friend

How hard are we talking? Like you need some thc in your system to deal with life? Popping percs? Functioning crackhead? There are levels

personally i have periods of fluctuation. there are some months where i smoke weed every day, others of complete sobriety where im 'addicted' to yoga and cycling every day, and inbetween where i just use substances socially with friends or at gatherings like raves.

That could be.

Also, are you relatively young? I think younger people tend to make more sweeping statements like this.

Enjoy :-)

I used to think like this... still do.