Anybody a retirement druggie?

[pb4uski]

I tried a little pot as a teenager.... didn't like it... didn't like cigarettes either. DW was a minor pothead when we first started dating but wasn't really into it and pretty much stopped doing it because she knew I wasn't keen on it. I guess I was a good influence on her.

 

[Scuba]

I figure I killed enough brain cells when I was younger. Not sure if it’s true, but I got concerned that regular MJ use could accelerate the onset of dementia or ALZ. Between that concern and the fact that MJ gives me a serious case of munchies and I already struggle to stay a healthy weight, I decided to avoid it.

Never was into other drugs. Tried cocaine a couple of times and hated it. Never tried anything else.

 

[Teacher Terry]

It’s not my thing but if I needed drugs for chronic pain it would be a good alternative.

 

[Philliefan33]

It’s not my thing but if I needed drugs for chronic pain it would be a good alternative.

My feelings also

 

[Sittinginthesun]

I gave up alcohol (in my opinion a far worse drug than pot) and now occasionally take a couple of 5 mg THC gel caps that just make me feel very relaxed and allow me to put down my phone and watch a movie and enjoy it without thinking about a million other things. I also sleep very very well after taking them. Sex is very good when both partners are on THC and women in particular have been shown to enjoy sex and get more satisfaction when on THC (google it). The gel caps are very discrete and where I live are manufactured in pharmaceutical grade facilities so I don't worry about the content. No hangover, no calories.

 

[Amethyst]

I have an old-hippie friend on FB who says cheap pot smells like skunk.

I used to smell pot at rock concerts, and thought it smelled OK. Kind of flowery and distinctive. Not yech, like cigarette smoke.

I'd like to grow one pot plant just for the fun of it, but it's still not legal in FL. I'd probably end up with a giant plant that I didn't know what to do with, anyway.

Must be a cheap guy. The good stuff smells like perfume!

I know. That ragweed smells like burning hay.

 

[Jerry1]

My path went in the other direction. I smoked weed most of my life. However as I got into my late 40’s, things changed. I started getting anxiety attacks and despite the common thought that pot relaxes, it stopped having that effect on me.

The funny thing is that now it’s legal in MI but I can’t partake. I did go into a store and bought some but the effects were the same. All those years of use and now that it’s legal, I can’t even take advantage of it. Oh well, it’s actually one of those things I always knew I shouldn’t have been doing. I have a beer once in a great while, but in retirement, I’m pretty much substance free and at 60, my health is better than it was in my 40’s.

 

[Surewhitey]

I drink a 6 pack of beer every few weeks. Does that count?

I smelled it every so often at concerts. That's as close as I came...

 

[donheff]

I tried just about everything in the late 60s, early 70s but largely stopped when I started working for the Federal Government at 25. Ironically, I was responsible for implementing a random drug testing program at my agency in the 80s. I never used anything illegal after that. My boss got targeted twice in a row and I never got selected.

A lot of my friends from back in the day have used marijuana daily for 50 years with no apparent problems. I tried MMJ after it became legal in DC but no longer like getting high. I do use a lower dose of edibles that doesn't get me high to help me sleep - it helps with Parkinson's stiffness.

I am curious about all of the research going on about psychedelics. Enough so that I would be curious about trying a large dose of psilocybin under guidance but I wouldn't try any thing like that on my own.

 

[street]

I had some really good friends in college that smoked pot. I never did and they never bothered me with smoking it either. I told them right from the start I didn't care to do it but I dont care if they use it.
In high school I honestly can say, I knew no one that did drugs or smoked pot. In rural life it took longer for those thing to come around. Anyway that is my thought.

 

[Amethyst]

I didn't, either, but think that had to do mostly with being in the nerdy set. Everybody in high school knew drugs were around, including the really hard stuff.

In college drugs were everywhere - girls were always being offered drugs. I knew they were bad for you, but kept my views to myself and feigned to think it was all very cool. Still, I did nothing more than experiment with pot a couple of times. I could see it had potential, but not with those people who were offering it. Their motives were suspect!

Then, like others, I entered a career where drug use was not allowed.

So basically I know a lot of book-stuff about drugs, but real-life experience? Nah.

In high school I honestly can say, I knew no one that did drugs or smoked pot. In rural life it took longer for those thing to come around. Anyway that is my thought.

 

[Markola]

I tried just about everything in the late 60s, early 70s but largely stopped when I started working for the Federal Government at 25. Ironically, I was responsible for implementing a random drug testing program at my agency in the 80s. I never used anything illegal after that. My boss got targeted twice in a row and I never got selected. [emoji4]

A lot of my friends from back in the day have used marijuana daily for 50 years with no apparent problems. I tried MMJ after it became legal in DC but no longer like getting high. I do use a lower dose of edibles that doesn't get me high to help me sleep - it helps with Parkinson's stiffness.

I am curious about all of the research going on about psychedelics. Enough so that I would be curious about trying a large dose of psilocybin under guidance but I wouldn't try any thing like that on my own.

I agree, and think it’s exciting that people with anxiety, depression and generalized angst might have a new, legal toolkit to help them. The way DW and many others I know suffer, that would be medical tourism I would consider, should the U.S. stop research progress again and keep its head in the Puritan sand, as usual. See post #24.

I am grateful for the perspective-shifting, awareness-expanding experiences I had on LSD, mushrooms, ecstasy and weed while growing up. They helped me see how frequently worries are based on illusions and others’ hang ups, and gave me some space to learn to take many things and people’s judgments less seriously, though while also feeling deep connection with others on the same trip. Impossible to explain if you haven’t been there, but the real and lasting benefits of new perspectives gained from international travel are a rough analogy. I’m 55 now and see so many of my friends struggling with marriages, hollowness with kids off to college, parents, siblings and children deceived and exploited by whacko politicians and “news” corporations, causing family discord. Maybe we should start tripping again to experience some different realities. I’m also FIREd, which means I write long posts too often [emoji41].

 

[jollystomper]

I saw too much tragedy with drugs when I was young to be tempted. The first 11 years of my life I grew up in a neighborhood where the sight of "junkies" was common. Coming across an OD victim with a needle still in his arm when I was in grade school, men and woman staggering down the street, sometimes naked, high on you know what and oblivious to what was around them... you get the picture. A friend and I once tried a cigarette when we were 10, could not get past a couple of puffs without feeling disgusted, so smoking anything never appealed to me. Those impressions at that young age last a lifetime.

In high school and college I had plenty of friends who did drugs. I chose to be "above suspicion" in these matters, and would simply leave from wherever, or separate myself, whenever the drugs came out. When our college radio station gave out its senior mock awards, I received the "how did he work here and never get high?" honor .

One reason DW and I are married is due to a situation in college where I likely saved her from a sexual assault or worse when she was high and drunk (after which she never did drugs or get drunk again). We were dating at the time and she actually broke up with me because at the time she thought I was too "prudish" and stopping her from "having fun" - until several of her friends later pointed to her, when she had sobered up, what I saved her from. Some even told her "if you are serious about breaking up with him, I'd like to date him, any guy who protects a woman like that is worth going out with" .

I have run into too many of those friends in my later adult years where it was clear that drugs impacted their life in a negative manner. When a woman who in high school you thought would be a model is now offering to go to your hotel room and do anything you want, clearly for money to get high... it is a cold slap in the face.

So... no thanks .

 

[SumDay]

We did it a lot when we were dating, and stopped when the kids came. Made it a lot easier to yell at them when they got caught in high school.

Medical Marijuana is legal in our state now, and DH has a 'prescription'. He's kind enough to share with me. We enjoy a nice fire in the afternoons or evening out on the deck, along with the warm smell of colitas rising up through the air.

Personally, I prefer CBD. Doesn't take too much THC to make me wacky and I like to be in control of my faculties.

 

[george76]

I gave up alcohol (in my opinion a far worse drug than pot) and now occasionally take a couple of 5 mg THC gel caps that just make me feel very relaxed and allow me to put down my phone and watch a movie and enjoy it without thinking about a million other things. I also sleep very very well after taking them.

I am interested in trying THC gel caps. But I can't figure out where to start. Is there a certain brand you recommend? Thanks.

 

[pacergal]

High school in the 70's, never used anything
Occasional alcohol as an adult
MJ is legal here.
Have a THC cream I use for arthritis--works wonders, use almost daily
Have THC/CBD gummies I take for pain/sleep,--also works well, use a couple time a week
DH vapes THC for back pain--works well for him, uses a few times a week.

 

[Gumby]

I guess I was saved from "reefer madness" in college by attending #4 on the list of top ten stone cold sober schools in the US. https://www.deseret.com/faith/2020/...epeats-and-repeats-atop-princeton-review-list And I spent my 20s running nuclear reactors and tending to nuclear weapons, both of which required periodically peeing in a cup.

 

[Trailwalker]

I tried a few things when I was in my late teens and 20's. Even though cannabis is legal in a few states around me, I haven't been tempted to try marijuana again. If I want to go in the corner and take a nap, I can do that now that without any help.

 

[brett]

Marijuana has been legal where we live for quite some time. No issues.

We know several people who use it on prescription and are very thankful for it.

The good thing about legalization is that we are now seeing a great deal more reputable reviews into it's application for medical reasons.

Prior to that there were, and probably still are, vendors who are passing off olive oil as canabis oil in caps sold on line. Not to mention some outrageous claims about it's success in many situations.

 

[street]

I think back to those high school days and hiding the Copenhagen tin and keeping that secret was a illegal act. LOL

Beer party's was about the worst thing we did.

 

[Markola]

I saw too much tragedy with drugs when I was young to be tempted. The first 11 years of my life I grew up in a neighborhood where the sight of "junkies" was common. Coming across an OD victim with a needle still in his arm when I was in grade school, men and woman staggering down the street, sometimes naked, high on you know what and oblivious to what was around them... you get the picture. A friend and I once tried a cigarette when we were 10, could not get past a couple of puffs without feeling disgusted, so smoking anything never appealed to me. Those impressions at that young age last a lifetime.

In high school and college I had plenty of friends who did drugs. I chose to be "above suspicion" in these matters, and would simply leave from wherever, or separate myself, whenever the drugs came out. When our college radio station gave out its senior mock awards, I received the "how did he work here and never get high?" honor .

One reason DW and I are married is due to a situation in college where I likely saved her from a sexual assault or worse when she was high and drunk (after which she never did drugs or get drunk again). We were dating at the time and she actually broke up with me because at the time she thought I was too "prudish" and stopping her from "having fun" - until several of her friends later pointed to her, when she had sobered up, what I saved her from. Some even told her "if you are serious about breaking up with him, I'd like to date him, any guy who protects a woman like that is worth going out with" .

I have run into too many of those friends in my later adult years where it was clear that drugs impacted their life in a negative manner. When a woman who in high school you thought would be a model is now offering to go to your hotel room and do anything you want, clearly for money to get high... it is a cold slap in the face.

So... no thanks .

Awesome. Thanks for sharing your story.

 

[rodi]

I had a bit too much fun in college, but that all ended soon after.

I recently got a Medical MJ card, but at most I like an occasional puff on a CBD heavy strain when my shoulder acts up. Everything else these days is too strong. I don't want to take one puff and be stoned stupid.

This - except recreational use is legal, so no medical card. But, yeah, I had fun in college. Worked for defense contractors after that so security clearances, possibility of drug tests... wasn't worth the risks. Then I had kids (later in my career/life) and wanted to be aware/able to care for them. They were in high school when it became legal recreationally. I do about 1 puff a month. Super lightweight here.

 

[Bamaman]

My best friend has been a pot head since getting out of the Marines in 1972. And as a UPS manager, he knew every drug dealer in my mid size home town. In 16 years of retirement, he's still up to it--vaping.

Another great friend had a couple of DUI's in his 20's and didn't start back driving for 15 years. He's had 2 more DUI's with possession of marijuana at ages 68 and 70. I imagine his only driving is his cabin cruisers.

I had two more friends that never met their potential at work or in society because of recreational illegal drugs. Come to think of it, my stepson was in a fog for 20 years too.

There's really nothing worse than an old druggie. I guess old alcoholics are pretty sad, even if they're a functioning drunk.

 

[ER2B]

DW and I experimented with MJ in the 70s. Never became dependent on it. Now that we're both retired, we might try it again. Just came back from MA where we bought a joint (they call it prerolled now). We'll light it when we're in the mood. We were warned not to consume the whole joint in one session as the potency is much stronger than we were used to in the 70s.

 

[NW-Bound]

I saw too much tragedy with drugs when I was young to be tempted. The first 11 years of my life I grew up in a neighborhood where the sight of "junkies" was common. Coming across an OD victim with a needle still in his arm when I was in grade school, men and woman staggering down the street, sometimes naked, high on you know what and oblivious to what was around them... you get the picture. A friend and I once tried a cigarette when we were 10, could not get past a couple of puffs without feeling disgusted, so smoking anything never appealed to me. Those impressions at that young age last a lifetime.

In high school and college I had plenty of friends who did drugs. I chose to be "above suspicion" in these matters, and would simply leave from wherever, or separate myself, whenever the drugs came out. When our college radio station gave out its senior mock awards, I received the "how did he work here and never get high?" honor .

One reason DW and I are married is due to a situation in college where I likely saved her from a sexual assault or worse when she was high and drunk (after which she never did drugs or get drunk again). We were dating at the time and she actually broke up with me because at the time she thought I was too "prudish" and stopping her from "having fun" - until several of her friends later pointed to her, when she had sobered up, what I saved her from. Some even told her "if you are serious about breaking up with him, I'd like to date him, any guy who protects a woman like that is worth going out with" .

I have run into too many of those friends in my later adult years where it was clear that drugs impacted their life in a negative manner. When a woman who in high school you thought would be a model is now offering to go to your hotel room and do anything you want, clearly for money to get high... it is a cold slap in the face.

So... no thanks .

My mother had an addicted father, and an addicted brother. They both died long ago, when I was a kid and saw them occasionally. I had no desire to try any drug because of that.

Earlier posts talking about psilocybin remind me of the movie "Altered States". I would watch it again, if I run across it.