My very best friend of ten years doesn't 100% believe me about the overall lifestyle benefit of vaporizing medical marijuana.
Ever since my surgery a few years ago, I am a true believer of the various benefits of this plant, which is why I started this blog.
When soldiers can be treated with Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder, maybe we could think hmmm....if MY life is stressful almost every day, I've had some pretty rough times, could MJ help me?
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Jeremiah Civil and Christian Slater are veterans of the Iraq War. These men saw things that would make the average citizen cringe in horror, and they left the war with deep emotional scars. Both Jeremiah and Christian were diagnosed with PTSD shortly before returning home, thrown into the wild world of a society that doesn’t understand their condition.
“When I smoke, it makes my brain slow down enough to deal with all of the sh#t out in the world. It helps me reach a balancing point. I’ve been on every drug they have out there and none of them did what marijuana has done for me,” Christian told me over an enormous spliff. In the military, he worked as a nuclear biological chemical defense marine and a mortuary affairs specialist, and spent time in Mozambique and Latvia doing embassy security. During this time he was unfortunate enough to be inside a tank that was flipped over. He suffered serious spinal cord injuries, and after spending the better part of a year inside a hospital, he was eventually released. Upon his return, he was diagnosed with PTSD and given a slew of prescription drugs to help the symptoms and relieve his back pain, which he still suffers from today.
The only thing they found that was able to help alleviate their symptoms was weed.
“When I smoke pot it takes care of my depression and anxiety. It makes it so I can go out in public. If someone tailgates me, I’m more likely to not give a f##k, and it doesn’t make me zombie out,” Jeremiah explained, saying that if someone tailgates you in Iraq they might be on the verge of attacking you. Source: www.vice.com
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So, very recently, my BFF (30/waitress/female/one kid) was in the car when her boyfriend got a DUI for driving home from a super bowl party having drank a few beers. His car was impounded. He is now facing those charges.
Not very smart choices, but most of us have known someone in this predicament.
She finally decided to accept a little portable vaporizer and small bag of Mj to try, because she wants to stop drinking altogether.
After only a few days of using Mj, my friend was starting to feel the calmness, the relaxation, and letting the "paranoid" feeling wear off on it's own. She was starting to see how everything can feel more calm, but you're not "under the influence of a drug" and able to do everything like normal. She liked not having a sick feeling in the morning like after a night of drinking. She had used cannabis before with friends and she isn't against it at all; but as an every-day aid, I doubt she will continue.
They already drank since "quitting" a few weeks ago, when faced with an uncomfortable, overwhelming friend/family get-together. Now, I get taking your pipe and MJ out at a family function is probably not possible; but I wish it were. I think a lot of people would be way better off than drinking.
She said she and her boyfriend probably won't continue using Mj because they don't have a medical card and because he feels "paranoid" and can't look people in the eye.
: (
What I realized was, no matter how great Mj works for me, it took a long time to get to a place of feeling comfortable and even more myself after a puff. I remember feeling paranoid and that "everyone could tell." It's hard to get over.
But I promise, so long as you have eye drops in to fight the red-eye effect, no one can tell...
My own husband usually has to ask "did you puff?" He can't tell if I'm just in a good mood, or if I had a puff. And usually, to be honest, it's a good mood because I had a puff.
I'm sorry I'm just not strong enough to be "chipper pipper" 24/7. Sorry we live in the year 2014 and as a millennial, I'm overwhelmed with a lot in life. New day new problem. Weed just helps you see the brighter side of things through the scarier things....like changing a screaming kids' poopy diaper, or pressing "ignore" to one more bill collector call, or worrying about work and your mom's health, etc.
There's no need to even try other things like prescription drugs, alcohol or hard drugs when you use Mj, because it truly is just a higher quality of life. Coupled with watching Interventions, you learn that probably shooting heroin does feel great, but you can't get through this life doped up on heroin to feel better. You kinda have to accept the good with the bad, and I'm talking day in & day out. With that, comes a relief aid. Marijuana. A relaxer. Just like Jeremiah and Chris use, with PTSD from serving in Iraq.
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True Story...
One day my husband and I had an overwhelming family function to attend which first included an errand/store stop with everyone. This was before we had kids...
While in the back parking lot of the store in our car, we puffed from a little portable pipe. Put in our eye drops, sprayed febreze in the car, popped in a breath mint and in the store we went. We had just stepped inside and there was all of the family, standing there, his mom in front!
Now, my husband's mother is no feeble woman. If she had suspected her son of having been "high on Marijuana" there wasn't a person in the store she would have cared if they heard her yelling. It would have been pretty bad. And I gotta admit, it was scary walking in and facing them...but what could we do? We went on and faced them—looked his parents square in the eyes and said our hellos!
Nothing happened. No one could tell.
If they had, there's no way they would have carried on about the day (strict, military, way-Christian parent types) even buying our lunch later and being nice to us. No way!
So my point is, there we were, somewhat "Mj Pros" and we still felt that stigma of eyes watching us, waiting to be "caught" in the knowingness of onlookers. But the truth is, in my experience, people can't tell.
Anyhow,
I figured if I couldn't even convince a very good friend to completely go from alcohol to just using medical marijuana, there may not be much hope in helping any viewers out there to be convinced. So I've got to figure out a project this year to convince people to at least try Mj as a lifestyle aid, while pushing out the addictions that are actually harmful to ourselves and our well-being.
I want to bring the truth to people because this life is so hard. This life will break you down if you let it. I can't explain how Marijuana being vaporized (or, puffed) can help your mental state of mind every single day, but it can. It simply does.
Why is every season of Intervention ALWAYS about alcohol, pills, meth, crack, cocaine, heroin....?
Why are NONE of them about solely using Marijuana? In fourteen seasons...?
Because they would seriously never, ever consider someone "on Marijuana" a drug addict or unable to function and needing help.
Ask ourselves, why is that?
Because it's simply not harmful. So if it's not harmful, could it actually be beneficial?
I believe so.
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And God said, "Behold I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food." Genesis 1:29
"Bitter is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it." Proverbs 15:17
"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything." Genesis 9:3
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| God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth.…To you it will be for meat." … And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:29-31) The Bible predicts some herb's prohibition. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall … speak lies in hypocrisy … commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. (Paul: 1 Timothy 4:1-3) |
| The Bible speaks of a special plant. "I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more." (Ezekiel 34:29) A healing plant. On either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare 12 manner of fruits, and yielding her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (Revelations 22:1-2) A gift from God. |
| Cannabis was used 12 ways: clothing, paper, cord, sails, fishnet, oil, sealant, incense, food, and in ceremony, relaxation and medicine. For so the Lord said unto me, "I will take my rest and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs. For afore harvest, when the bud is perfect and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and take away and cut down the branches." (Isaiah 18:4-5) |
Alcohol is the only drug openly discussed in the Bible, so it must serve as our reference. Wine is drunk during religious occasions such as Passover &emdash; the Last Supper of Jesus and His disciples. It remains a sacrament in modern church services.
Jesus began his public life by miraculously turning water into wine at the Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-10) when the reception ran out. The Bible distinguishes between use and misuse. It says, Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. (Proverbs 31:6-7) but Woe unto them that … follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! (Isaiah 5:10) |
