Hello!
I want to say something about marijuana because I am seeing more and more people using THC every day—whether they smoke it, vape it or take gummies—and believing that because it is natural, legal in many places and socially accepted, it must be harmless.
It isn’t.
I also understand why people use it. People are hurting. They use THC for physical pain, anxiety, stress, trauma, sleep or simply because they want their brain to quiet down for a while. I have tremendous compassion for that.
But feeling better in the moment is not the same thing as becoming healthier.
THC changes how your brain functions while you are using it. It can affect memory, attention, learning, reaction time and decision making. With frequent use, tolerance can develop, and what began as something used occasionally can become something you feel you need every day.
And gummies aren’t somehow exempt because there is no smoke. The delivery method is different, but THC is still THC. Edibles can actually be particularly easy to overconsume because their effects are delayed and can last much longer.
But I think we also need to talk about something beyond the physical effects.
If you are genuinely trying to change your life, you need access to your feelings, judgment, motivation and perception. Continually using a drug to numb anxiety, sadness, stress, pain or uncomfortable emotions can interfere with the very work required to understand and change those things.
If you need a mind-altering substance every day to sleep, relax, cope, escape your thoughts or simply feel okay, that deserves attention. I don’t say that with judgment. It tells me there may be something underneath it that needs help.
And there are other options.
Pain can be evaluated and treated rather than continually muted.
Sleep problems deserve a search for their underlying cause.
Anxiety and trauma can be addressed.
Exercise, meditation, breath work, social connection, physical rehabilitation, acupressure and functional nutrition can all become pieces of a much larger strategy depending on what a person is dealing with.
The goal isn’t to prove that someone can live without ever taking a medication. The goal is to stop automatically reaching for intoxication as the primary way of managing life.
I want people to be able to feel joy without needing a substance to create it. To sleep without having to get high first. To manage a difficult day without escaping it. To experience their emotions, work through them and trust their own brain again.
Living drug free has become strangely underrated.
There is something incredibly valuable about being fully present in your own life.
Please reach out if you’d like to talk about this. I’m here. There are things we can do about it all.
