[Harley326]

I had an appointment with my therapist today. We talked about moving forward and where I wanted my life to go from here. I told her that I wanted to find a full time job, but that I had to wait for the pot to get out of my system and as I was a daily smoker, that this would take a while. She asked how things went going from smoking daily to not smoking at all. I told her that I didn't have any physical issues when I stopped, but that I wished daily that I didn't have to quit in order to find a job and that since I had stopped smoking, I had begun drinking more often. When I smoked, I very, very rarely drank. I don't like the taste of alcohol and I don't like the way it makes my stomach burn when I drink it. Now, though, I find myself using it instead because it's legal and won't stop me from getting a new job. I don't like getting drunk with people. I didn't ever smoke with anyone, either, except my boyfriend from time to time. I don't like having to pretend that I'm getting effed up to have fun. I just want to be able to have a time where it's easier to lose focus of everything around me. She (my therapist) told me that this was a warning sign. I'm terrified. My mom was an addict for as long as I can remember and she died of an overdose a few years ago. Right now, the alcohol isn't a problem. I'm only drinking maybe once or twice a week and I'm not using any recreational drugs. I can control my intake and stop myself before I get sick. Do I have a reason to be scared? I don't think my therapist knows much about drugs/drinking because she was asking me about the time it took for a drug test to come up clean. I know getting drunk by yourself isn't something to be proud of, but I feel like I'm in control of the situation. It's not affecting any other parts of my life.

[Ripose]

I had problems with both drugs & alcohol and if I did not have both I would double up on the other. The first real break I got was from getting Librium in detox, it allowed me to live normally. I then took my time to get off the Librium and things were great for a long time.
But then because of back pain I took to smoking pot again which sure enough lead me to drinking again. At first just a little of each but it soon became out of control.

The lesson here was don't replace one substance abuse problem with another even if it seems harmless and under control. I would recommend asking your doctor for something to help you relax but just for a short term. You need time away from pot and alcohol both.

Take care!

[Altered Moment]

The fact that your mom was an addict makes the potential for you higher. My dad was an alcoholic and me and my brother both became alcoholics. The other two kids didn't. Of course if I had never drank or used then the genetics wouldn't have meant anything, I couldn't have become one.

While weed is the least addictive of all of them that doesn't mean you can't be addicted. I was a pot head for many years and for sure was addicted. I would try to quit drinking and would end up smoking three times as much pot. Then I would get so burnt out and my tolerance was so high I would start drinking again. The last five years I was snorting meth very heavily and I didn't care one bit about drinking or pot. It filled the bill. Of course that didn't end good. Back then they didn't drug test.

Yes I think you should be worried. The fact you don't like alcohol is in your favor but you can get used to it real fast. I personally don't believe in drug tests because it is none of their damn business what I do after work and pot can take 30 to 60 days to show up negative. I haven't had to worry about it because I have been clean and sober for many years. I know lots of guys who struggle with that issue though.

[anomaly_fleur]

I definitely think there is a reason to be worried. Replacing one substance for another is a warning sign. Using to escape reality (Although a lot of people do it) is usually considered a breeding ground for addiction and it's typically unhealthy in itself.

I believe that people can get addicted to weed. Anything pleasurable is subject to addiction (but obviously some aren't as addictive as others).

Family history is also a very relevant deciding factor.
Be careful.

[spondiferous]

Echoing the others, and coming from someone who had problems with both pot (and other drugs as well) and alcohol, there is definitely cause for concern. The first thing is that, regardless of how much you are using now, and how well you can control it, you still replaced the pot with it. That is the first sign. It can be hard to go without anything. But as long as you are medicating with something, you are playing with fire. (Not a judgement; just my own personal experience, and the experience of countless others.)
I see you are new here, and in your post you don't mention why you were a daily smoker. (Congratulations on quitting! That's a huge step!) But it's worth looking at. Is it to deal with other mental health issues? Life stressors? Just because? If you're concerned, you may want to begin to evaluate ways that you can alternately deal with these things that won't cause harm to your life, before you end up in a pattern that becomes impossible to break.
You definitely have my support, and the support of others.

[Harley326]

Originally Posted by spondiferous

Echoing the others, and coming from someone who had problems with both pot (and other drugs as well) and alcohol, there is definitely cause for concern. The first thing is that, regardless of how much you are using now, and how well you can control it, you still replaced the pot with it. That is the first sign. It can be hard to go without anything. But as long as you are medicating with something, you are playing with fire. (Not a judgement; just my own personal experience, and the experience of countless others.)
I see you are new here, and in your post you don't mention why you were a daily smoker. (Congratulations on quitting! That's a huge step!) But it's worth looking at. Is it to deal with other mental health issues? Life stressors? Just because? If you're concerned, you may want to begin to evaluate ways that you can alternately deal with these things that won't cause harm to your life, before you end up in a pattern that becomes impossible to break.
You definitely have my support, and the support of others.

I hear you and I know what you're saying is true, but I don't want to stop and, god, until you just said that, I didn't really understand my mother. Maybe I do a little now. I tried for so many years to get her to stop, to help her and show her that I did love her even if she couldn't believe it. I don't think the understanding helps with the guilt, but it is a revelation. Thank you for that.