First, I think the hardest thing for me is trying to figure out how I should refer to cannabis. I think I’ve determined I prefer calling it marijuana. However, if I get lazy I may just put weed or pot. No matter what you call it, the social norm seems to be to consider it taboo. Even those that regularly partake in the activity tend to keep it under wraps. You’d be shocked how many people regularly use marijuana for various reasons. Even more shocking is the variety of people who use it, from your waitress and boss  to that nurse or doctor. Even when I was concerned about my usage of weed with my anesthesiologist because I had to go under, they assured me there would be no problem and it was probably better than what they were giving me, with an insinuation they’d known from personal experience. When you start to openly talk about using marijuana, I feel you discover a secret side of people that everyone is afraid to reveal.

That idea is just ridicules. It’s not a drug addiction. People are no more addicted to marijuana than other people who are addicted to coffee or soda or other things that we can access everyday in society. We never consider caffeine a drug, and rarely will we even acknowledge it’s an addiction because addictions are bad and only drug users get addicted. I couldn’t possibly be addicted to caffeine, it’s only in everything I drink. I’ve never gotten a headache because I decided to stop using weed or get jittery till I can have my next drink or puff. The only difference with marijuana and all those other things, that are socially acceptable to have, is it can help with some major health problems. Also it helps with a multitude of problems which limits the amount of other drugs you may need. My favorite part, because I may not live an all natural lifestyle but I definitely tend to be mindful and conscience of it but marijuana is grown and is natural. Very few things are left in this society that are made from one ingredient. I wanted to learn more about this hot topic and create any easy resource for first time users. I wanted to make the experience less taboo and scary, so that people could really understand the science behind that green plant and feel more comfortable using it for what ails them.

In school I was taught when researching a topic to always use books and credible sources. I figured I’d use books because those after all,were the only credible sources. I made a plan to go to my local public library. My children loved the library and so did I. I felt like it would be a productive and easy day to get research material. I hit the library one Saturday afternoon, cause I’m old school like that and occasionally I enjoy just flipping through a book. I couldn’t wait to learn about the technical side of pot. I needed to understand the different strains and what they did. To me it was fascinating when I asked the bud experts at the dispensaries about pot, they’d talk about the strains and the ratios and what it would do to me. There was just so much to know! I am more of a visual person and I sometimes need to see the information to fully understand it. I figured not only could I research the subject to understand the strains better, but actually learn more about what that simple plant could do and the less side effects it had. I wanted to learn everything I could about this amazing plant.

I had been telling the people that have been supporting me and trying to make my dreams a reality, about my plan and what I wanted to research. They suggested that I do my research on the internet. Again my 9th grade teacher’s voice came into my head,” reliable sources are from books.” So I sat down at the computer at the library and started my searches for books. I was not old school enough to miss having to use that giant card box to find books. This is when I discovered all the things marijuana could be called, so I searched pot, weed, cannabis, and marijuana. The results were less than stellar. I had my dewey decimal (source: Google) numbers and a section to look through so I made my way to the non fiction books sure I’d find that one or two books that would answer all my questions.

When I arrived in the section that the searches had referenced, I was greeted with substance abuse, drug rehab and the dangers of drugs. I couldn’t believe it, as a society have we really not gone that far to eliminate this taboo? How could there be a natural substance that could take care of so much and be considered the same as other drugs that just made you feel good for a limited time and caused so much harm. Where you are always looking for your next fix. I never felt that way with pot. I could take it or leave it. I even considered not renewing my card. I didn’t spend the day waiting till I could have my next dose, I wasn’t addicted. My decisions to have pot were usually based on how I was feeling, was I in pain, was I feeling nauseated today, was I having problems with stress and anxiety that made it hard for me to interact with others or was I going to have a particularly difficult time falling asleep. Those were what drove my desire to have a gummy, not because I had to but because it was a better alternative than all the medications I would need to resolve my variety of ailments. So as I stand In this section that’s telling me drugs are bad, I can’t help but wonder, where is the book that explains the science behind it and lets me make that decision for myself.

My easy research project to help learn about the strains of pot and ways to use it may end up being me having to research on the internet which I was looking for a break from. Also do I have to write the non bias book about marijuana before I can continue with my other project idea. It truly blows my mind that something that has been around for decades and has been so prevelant in the news and on our political decisions almost every year has so little information on the topic. Even books about the “drug”‘are short or they are just references within other addiction books. This is definitely not right. I’ve never been one to make political stands and I tend to shy away from controversial topics. I’ve always had my own opinions on the various matters and I know what I would do but I would never push my views on others. I do not have any intention of trying to convince everyone to use marijuana. However, with everything in life, it does have definite benefits that have been overlooked for far too long. I will make it so that does not happen. No one should have to suffer in pain or with nausea or the other issues that marijuana can help treat. Why would you choose a medicine cabinet full of various manufactured pills when you can have a simple brownie or cookie infused with cannabis that can solve the problems of half that medicine cabinet in the bathroom. The decision is easy to me. However, I will never force my decision on others, I just want them to be educated. Not by the media bias, which is either for or against, but genuinely understand, to make an educated choice, if they want to use the drug. My stance is definitely everyone over 18 should be allowed use marijuana, anyone under 18 can be given it by an adult if medically necessary. Also that choice should not be as expensive as it is, but that is definitely a topic for later. Now after a depressing trip to the library, I will be researching on the internet. I do have renewed hope that going to the college may get me better sources. Wish me luck in finding my sources and hopefully they are all not bias.  I hope some will focus on the technical specifications of the plant instead of the effects of some strains. There has to be unbiased information out there!

The munchies are my least favorite side effect from using marijuana. The year before I had lost 30 pounds and was really enjoying how that made me feel. When I started taking marijuana all the problems that had made me lose the weight were no longer a problem. I wasn’t nauseated so the thought of eating appealed to me for the first time in a long time. I realized the more I ate the better I felt and how everything just felt better. The downside,  I was making horrible decisions on what food I ate and I gained all 30 of those pounds back. I was disappointed in myself but it doesn’t effect me as much as my weight has in the past. Instead it just makes me want to make a change and feel even better than before. I did it once and I can do it again. The first step is changing my diet and especially munchies choices to healthier ones. My main cravings were tastes and I have go to foods…

Salty = chips

Sweet= chocolate and candy

Frozen = ice cream

The first step is making easier healthy changes to something else that could provide what was missing. First with chips it was the salt and the multiple items I could essentially munch on. I have started to eat nuts instead. They were salty and I could eat them in multiples. It was a perfect substitute. The next easy one was the frozen. Instead of ice cream I made sure to buy frozen yogurt. Its half the calories and curved that cold craving for me. I also don’t get along well with dairy so it was a good idea to make the transition. It was actually odd that I was craving ice cream. I never really craved it often before because of the damage it would do to my stomach. There would be five different flavors of ice cream in our house at any one time. The reason because it really didn’t get eaten much. I rarely ate it and my husband didn’t eat sugar often but he usually preferred ice cream. So when the munchies hit and I was eating all the ice cream in the house, I couldn’t figure out why. I was being satisfied when I switched to frozen yogurt do it wasn’t really a craving for the ice cream. I started to get frozen chocolate bananas. I’d go through a box a night. I was craving things that were cold and soft. I started freezing bananas and covering them in chocolate. My husband joked if anyone ever said I was deficient on potassium that I needed to find a new doctor. I also started to freeze other fruits strawberries, grapes and anything else on sale at the fruit market. An awesome side effect, my kids love these treats. My youngest would look at me, put her hand to her forehead and say,” I’m hot. I need something cold.” The award for most dramatic actress goes to Kenzie! Of course she always wins a trip to the freezer to grab whatever frozen treat she  wants.

The sugary craving has been the hardest for me. I really love sweet things; chocolate, taffy, marshmallows, baked good, cherry slices, cinnamon bears and anything else I can find. How do you combat that? Especially when the more you eat the better you feel. I’m still working on this one. However, it needs to start with moderation. My main problems in my diet are over eating the bad and not eating enough of the good. The thought of eating 20 carrots seems like a huge undertaking but eating 20 M&M’s  seems like the smallest serving in the world. So I have started to eat more of the good stuff and really focus on super small portions of the bad. I just need to satisfy the craving. If you tell me no I’d get annoyed or upset and start to binge eat. So instead of that normal size brownie I’d have one bite. Then if I went back for another bite I’d still be eating less than I had been. However, as I continue to redirect and fill up on other things I tend to not look at those bad choices as much.
So let’s be honest and see how theses simple changes are going to make a difference in my diet. I’ll record my weight today and as I write future posts I can update you on any changes. Cause let’s be honest, no one wants to gain a ton of weight because the medicine they are taking to feel better makes them clean out their houses pantry. Unless you do, then by all means do the opposite of what I’m telling you. I’ll include the healthy and unhealthy version of each choice. Trust me I know a lot of yummy foods that are not even close to being healthy. We’ll see if I can satisfy that craving with a healthier version.
My real problem, my main addiction is mountain dew, it always has been. I’ve been drinking it for as long as I can remember. I actually don’t really remember what I used to drink that wasn’t soda. I hated milk and didn’t enjoy water. I love soda. I’ve switched through the varieties but I always go back to mountain dew. Every now and then I have stopped drinking it all together but that doesn’t last very long either. I always crave it and the energy it gives me. I never feel alive or awake till I have my soda in the morning. I hate coffee and tea isn’t much better. It isn’t even the caffeine I need I don’t think. It’s the cold feeling as it slides down my dry mouth especially when it’s ice cold and it always just instantly calms my stomach and my anxiety. I have no idea how to replace that or have something else duplicate that feeling. So the only option is to work on moderation. Can I limit my soda and get my munchies under control with my suggestions above? I have no idea you’ll have to check back in to see what the results are. At time of writing this I am at 247 lbs. I was down to 218 lbs before I started taking marijuana. I weighed more than that at the time of my marriage in 2004. It’s a constant struggle but the first step is always being honest with yourself.