John S. Sommer Counseling
  • Home
  • Qualifications
  • Location
  • Photos & Essays
    • Photos
    • Essays >
      • The Entertainment Director
      • Fathers and Daughters
      • Reframing: The Art of Looking Deeper
      • The Incredible Absorbing Man
      • The Little Old Man Stuck in My Head
      • The Lobster Tale
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Sound Bites

All persons and situations reflected in these writings are pretty much fictional, based on generalizations over the course of many years of counseling. Any actual events or settings have been changed, including names and other details, to protect client confidentiality.



An Unspoken Weed Issue

4/27/2018

0 Comments

 
Hey John,
It’s the week after April 20th, you know: four twenty. A bunch of cities had a pot celebration. But here we are in backasswards, Texas where marijuana is still illegal. Do you think we’ll ever catch up with the rest of the U.S.?
Weed Hound
 
Dear Hound Dog,
As the marijuana lobby is not a wealthy and influential lobby, they do not possess the financial ability to influence the Texas State Legislature. As a result, my guess is that we will be one of the last states to decriminalize marijuana. Although it is politically incorrect to discuss moderation rather than strictly abstaining, let’s break the rules for a minute.  Obviously, from a health and performance standpoint, abstaining from marijuana use is the best choice. But, for the current user, let’s talk about moderation. As an example, it is possible to consume alcohol in moderation. Most people don’t drink simply because the opportunity arises. However, plenty of pot smokers consume their drug for exactly this reason. Adding to this temptation is the fact that  marijuana is less detectable than alcohol is. I suggest the “mentally change the drug to alcohol” test. I know some kids who light up on their way to school. Let’s change the drug to two or three shots of vodka. Would that help make the next eight hours of school easier? If it’s not a good time to drink, it’s not a good time to smoke. Marijuana is certainly not a performance enhancing drug. Like it’s legal counterpart alcohol, it’s a “party drug”. And, very much like it’s counterpart, once you lose control of your formally moderate use, you will almost never get it back.
So WeedHound, if you can’t control this drug, you will end up getting lost with it, or have to give it up completely. And, even with all of this to consider, remember two final notes. We are not supposed to spend most of our lives chemically altered. And don’t forget, due to the illegal nature of this drug, a conviction, even for a misdemeanor can permanently screw up our lives.



Subscribe to John S. Sommer Counseling - Blog by Email


0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Behavioral
    Hey John Advice
    Other Stuff
    Parenting
    Relationships
    Semi Personal

    Picture

    About the Author

    I did NOT like writing stuff in school. However, now that it's voluntary, I like it. I'm still working on that attitude of mine.....

    Subscribe to John's Blog by email:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    Facebook

    Categories

    All
    Behavioral
    Hey John Advice
    Other Stuff
    Parenting
    Relationships
    Semi Personal


    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015


    All persons and situations reflected in these writings are pretty much fictional, based on generalizations over the course of many years of counseling. Any actual events or settings have been changed, including names and other details, to protect client confidentiality.

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.