For well over a decade I smoked weed most days, and most of the day on those days. I had come to believe some lies about getting high, things like smoking weed made me smarter, more creative, or more energetic.
You would think that as smoking weed opened the door for me to do other drugs and slowly deteriorated my life I would have realized that it wasn’t working. I often wanted to quit, but I couldn’t seem to do so.
I would quit drinking insane amounts of vodka and taking innumerable amounts of pills, only to try a marijuana maintenance program. This idea that smoking weed only would somehow help me get my life back on track always lead me back to the pills and drinking.
It wasn’t until complete abstinence from all substances that I began to recover and live in a truly satisfying life.
Having worked with countless people in recovery during my almost decade of recovery I have been asked many times by people in early recovery, “what do you think about me smoking weed only?”
I always answer the same way.
Having tried it myself, having lived almost a decade clean and sober, and having interacted with endless people trying to get clean and sober (or living clean and sober) NOT ONCE have I seen someone with real addiction issues successfully smoke marijuana only.
I have watched time and time again as people have tried the marijuana maintenance program and it took them back to the hell of deeper addiction. Whether it took a matter of days, weeks, or months I have yet to see someone only smoke weed and it not lead them back to their drug of choice.
I have also watched this futile attempt not only lead people back to their drug of choice, but lead too many people to a sad and early death.
Anyone with addiction issues is using the substances to numb a much deeper pain, and what is needed is a relationship with God and true and healthy recovery.
Here are 3 reasons why I believe you cannot be clean and sober and smoke Marijuana
1- It’s a drug.
The debate is a lively one these days, but having smoked for years and years I can say that marijuana is absolutely a mind-altering substance that leads to greater issues and harder drugs. The levels of THC (the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana) are as much as 5 to 6 times higher than the marijuana of just 20+ yrs ago.
For years I have intentionally asked people in recovery from deadly addiction issues if marijuana was the drug that opened the door to the much more deadly and harder drugs. Well over 90% of those people answer “yes”. It was first smoking weed, and entering through that door, that took them into other rooms filled with more destructive options.
2- Spiritual Sickness
The issue for the addict and the alcoholic is an internal one. Substance abuse is an attempt to numb and escape the deep ridden internal pain. The emotional heartache of life, the rejection, the discouragement, abuse endured, or the guilt of abuse they gave, etc.
The issues of the heart need surgery, not band aids. The heart needs a connection to healthy people and to a loving God that wants to bring healing. But when marijuana maintenance becomes the avenue for attempted healing is simply masks the spiritual sickness.
Eventually the marijuana, even with its potency these days, isn’t strong enough. The mental fog fuels bad thinking and that bad thinking believes the lies that just one time using that harder drug is ok, or life just isn’t worth it anyways and they knowingly step right back into full-blown addiction.
3- Where’s the real you?
A person fueled by mind-altering substances can’t step into their true identity and real satisfaction. I believed for years that the drugs were helping me find myself, all the while I became even more lost as to what life really was.
Real peace is life-giving, not a counterfeit reality of lethargy and confusion. The real joy is energetic and filled with clarity, not a roller coaster of lows and short-lived highs. Recovery from ALL drugs and alcohol has truly brought me everything that the lies of addiction kept promising me.
The real you comes out through a healthy heart, healthy relationships, connection to God, and a pursuit of your life’s purpose. It’s beautiful, it’s worth it, and if I can do it anyone can.
Here is a link to a fascinating article about the ties between marijuana use, mental illness, and violence.
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Erik is a certified Life Coach and Recovery Coach. He has been coaching people into recovery and more of their life purpose for years.
