Enough booze already... pass me a doob!

In my last year-and-a-half of high school I took to smoking pot a few times a week. At the time I didn't associate it at all with having Crohn's Disease, and I'm still reluctant to do so entirely, but years later I wondered if there was a correlation between me smoking pot regularly and for the first time ever, not getting hospitalized yearly.

Piles of documentation and other personal accounts that I've encountered indicate marijuana as effective in managing Crohn's on many fronts (including pain-relief, anti-inflammation, anxiety-relief, and enhancing appetite). But really, that information is extraneous. I know what I know. I've experienced the overall health benefits myself and can say without hesitation that I like it very much.

It's a drug, and like all drugs, is potentially abused. So I'll qualify the above declaration that it's beneficial for my health by saying it's not like I wake up and get high or feel like I need to smoke a joint to have a good time. I've developed a mature and respectful relationship with the plant.

There is so much pressure to consume alcohol in our world, it drives me crazy. I often feel like people want a good reason why I'm not drinking... when I'm not with people I know well, there is usually some kind of questioning or presumptuous comment. Fuck off already! It gives me crazy diarrhea, sometimes makes me barf, makes me dehydrated, and the next day, I feel awful. Sure it can be fun to be a bit drunk, but for me, it's just not worth it.

Marijuana on the other hand, under the right conditions, makes me feel great. Depending on the situation I'm in, it has made me feel social, comtemplative, comfortable, exploratory, artistic, sexual, or... in the times I have gotten high in sketchy situations or with people I don't enjoy, or who I feel judge me... I have felt anxious, frightened, and closed-off. Essentially, smoking the plant has thrusted me "into the moment" and opened my mind to experiences and ideas that I would not have had in the same situation, not high. Overall, my experiences have been educational, creative, and theatrical.

It took me several years to realize I didn't need to keep puffing until I felt high. Doing that usually resulted in wacko (totally fun, yet somewhat manic) experiences. Now a couple puffs, and I'm feeling fantastic. Not every day, sometimes not even every week... but when I do it, I enjoy it thoroughly.

Feeling fantastic? Waking up the next day feeling just fine? Discovering it actually contributes to my overall healthfulness? Why wouldn't I indulge?