Moderation is key: Enjoying marijuana without overdoing it
By Joseph Gonzalez
Marijuana can be something anyone can enjoy, though it certainly isn’t for everyone. Just like anything else you put in your body, you must learn to savor cannabis moderately. Those who are fond of it can use it for a variety of reasons. Personally, though, this substance brought me closer together with many of the friends I have today.
Whenever there was an acquaintance I thought I had nothing in common with, smoking ended up being the one thing we could indulge in together. And this was all that was needed for us to be able to open up to each other.
It was a simple, yet effective way to make new friends.
Moderation is key
As with anything enjoyable, moderation is key. Too much of a good thing can actually be a bad thing. And with marijuana, I learned that the hard way.
Back in May 2015, fresh off my sophomore year of college, I was pulled over with a decent amount of the substance in my car. This resulted in not just a traffic ticket for failing to signal 100 feet before a stoplight, but a ticket for possession as well. Until that point, I thought I was invincible. I thought nothing bad would happen to me should I engage in marijuana use as much as I pleased.
Before that night, I was constantly surrounded by marijuana. This only compounded the belief in my invincibility. My close group of friends at college consistently offered to use it with me. I found it nearly impossible to say no—even if I had a test the next day, or homework due at midnight. Nothing would get in the way of participating. Though my grades ended up being fine, my ability to decline the opportunity was anything but fine.
The end result was a couple of angry parents, and a summer where going to work and coming right back home was my daily routine.
The ironic thing was the cop saw me before I even turned out onto the street. He correctly assumed that a couple of young adults exiting a convenience store at 11:30 on a Friday night were doing so to, “do the deed,” so to say.
He never would’ve batted an eye had we not gone into that store to get those wraps. But of course, I was the one that said yes to it that night.
The point is that it’s okay (maybe even smart) to say no sometimes.
What happened to me that night was something of a freak occurrence, but that doesn’t make it any less probable for it to happen to anyone else. If you think you’re safe from trouble, or just plain invincible, just remember it only takes one mistake for your “hobby” to cost you. That one time you said no could mean the avoidance of trouble.
Fear of missing out and marijuana use
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is certainly a thing nowadays—Statista claims that about seven out of ten millennials have a perpetual fear of missing out on experiences. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume that using marijuana would fall under this FOMO umbrella, hence why many people my age use it.
In my situation, and at that time, I considered myself to have FOMO. This ended up being my downfall. Something like cannabis will always be available, especially with the recent law changes regarding recreational use. Since it’s so readily available, FOMO isn’t really a reason to do it at every opportunity any longer.
Savor cannabis moderately: Assessing the risk of marijuana use
There is potential for marijuana to affect you more deeply than you think. There have been studies showing it does have the potential to be addictive. Though, like all claims regarding cannabis, this hasn’t been 100% proven yet, it isn’t hard to tell that some people simply depend on it more than others.
The bottom line is that if there’s even a doubt in the back of your head that you shouldn’t do it, then you probably shouldn’t do it. The tickets could’ve easily been avoided had I said no to my friends on that night.
If you find yourself surrounded by marijuana, like I was, you should surround yourself with other things—get your homework done, find more hours at your job. Find ways to avoid it if you feel like it’s trapping you.
Moderation is crucial, particularly with marijuana use. It ended up costing me, so don’t let it happen to you as well.