smoking weed

[beanie]

I see a difference between weed and alcohol, I can control myself when drinking but if I got stoned, i'd be stoned until it decides to wear off. But it affects people differently.

Well I don't drive anyway so having to drive to the hospital or something would be a problem anyway, but like I said above where children are concerned, I sober up suprisingly quick if ive been drinking.

I still don't think i'd trust myself having a joint if my child was asleep or not, I just wasn't that responsible when I used to smoke it, and i'd be paranoid and checking my child every 5 minutes...i'd find it more relaxing to be on a straight head rather than smoking a joint.

Alcohol is a drug that affects your nervous system. It takes approx one hour for one unit of alcohol to be synthesised from your body so whilst you may feel sober you are under the influence of it. I have one friend who doesn't appear to change after smoking a joint and he says he has a clear head but I wouldn't let him look after Seren. But like you say it affects people differently

 

[loulou1980]

iim lucky as when ive had the baby and drink again i can get drunk as i like(as long as im not breastfeeding)as dh dont drink at all and he can look after the kids whilst im in bed

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

Hi all, a very interesting and important topic!

I smoke cigerattes and weed, I'll get that straight right now. I havnt smoked weed since I suspected I may be pregnant 10 days ago, and dont intend to while pregnant, while feeding and certainly not around my baby. Im quitting the cigerattes too but im addicted to them (never have been to weed although some studies show it is addictive) but that is a gradual process - I hope to be completely nicotine free within 2 weeks. I enjoy cigerattes and weed, but when it becomes something that could damage an innocent little babe, its just wrong and soooo not worth the short lived gratification.

As for the original subject, I think ANYTHING that alters your perceptions of reality is stupid and dangerous when you are responsible for a child. I can kind of understand the need for a joint to combat stress, but there are safer and more controlled ways of doing this - unfortunately weed tends to sap your motivation and if your depressed anyway, the gumption to actually go and get help isnt always there.

Once our child (if I AM pregnant that is lol) is a bit older we may go back to having a smoke in the evenings to chill out, but we can go without and this would only ever be if we are sure it is safe.

I once approached a heavily pregnant woman in a pub, she was there with a toddler on her lap smoking and drinking, I couldnt sit and watch. She basically told me to f off and get a life, which shows that not everyone can be told lol, but it was a sight that made me sick to my stomach, not just because she was pregnant but becasue of the toddler also breathing in her smoke and watching mummy get drunk.

We need to set an example to our kids, and while the truth is some of them will grow up to smoke weed, if this is becasue thier mums did it around them then that is wrong as wrong can be.

Another point, I have a theory that while many parents who smoke do so away from thier children, they still smell of smoke which is a smell them kids then associate with thier parents, and may explain why children of smokers go on to become smokers themselves?

 

[Minime]

I work with drug and alcohol users and the "weed isnt a bad drug" is a massive misconception. It can trigger psychosis and completely changes somebody's personality. True not everybody gets affected like that but not all cocaine users lose their septum, not all heroin addicts die from overdoses. Yes some people only smoke weed and never try anything else but you ask any drug user which drug they tried first and the majority will name cannabis hence the link to it leading onto further drug use.

I find it quite sad and a tad distrubing that that woman feels she cannot cope with motherhood without it. As for being stoned around kids, thats as bad as being drunk. You're not completely in control. What if they kid needed to go to hospital, they'll get in the car and just drive putting other road users at risk.

Stick to your guns xena, seems like cannabis is already affecting their brain and judgement.

 

[Redshoes]

I thought I'd just add my view as this was an interesting thread to read. I smoked Cannabis while at Uni but since then it's never been something I could stomach.

Now being pregnant, I have quit smoking, but that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, DESPITE it being very important for my baby that I do. I just wanted to say that Cannabis to some people is an addiction, if psychologically, and some people aren't as strong and confident as others and do feel they NEED Cannabis, it's not a matter of whether it's good or bad.

I think a lot of Mum's who do smoke Cannabis to cope, really do think it helps, and maybe if they got some support they could kick the habit and feel in control without it, I'm sure most who do smoke it would prefer not to but circumstances aren't right for them to do that. which is such a shame.

 

[Strangeness]

I work with drug and alcohol users and the "weed isnt a bad drug" is a massive misconception. It can trigger psychosis and completely changes somebody's personality.

Agree 100% As I said my bil smokes it and he is paranoid and a totally different person. I don't think he even knows what day of the week it is or what he's talking about half the time. It has messed him up so badly and after seeing him I just can't agree with it at all anymore.

 

[Becks&Riley]

LOL
Damien was a weed smoker
and since i left him he's lost his job and got into coke and speed it just shows how u can get into more stuff through starting to smoke weed the fricking loser he is

 

[kimisgirl]

I know this topic was last posted to a while back but I've only just joined and when I read this I just felt the need to comment.

Some people can drink 2 glasses of wine and be absolutely fine, not above the legal limit, drive home, go to bed , wake up in the morning and go on with life as usual.
Then another person can drink 2 glasses of the same wine on the same night, get into the car on the way home and kill themselves or some innocent person.

Amounts of alcohol affect different people in different ways. I would be willing to bet there are a lot more kids out there who are beaten regularly by drunken parents than those who have parents under the influence of drugs.

I know a lot of people who smoke weed on a daily basis, and yes I did partake every now and then but not since finding out I was PG. I smoked it in college then didn't touch it again until my little boy was 5 and then only if he was staying away for the night.
These people smoke in a room seperate to their children and never roll them in front of the children. I don't see them as irresponsible in any way, their children are all well looked after.

However It would be a totally different story if they were popping pills or taking cocaine, as that is not something they do regularly and so have no idea how it would effect them.

I personally will not be touching the stuff again for a very long time, nor will I have my baby around my friends when they are, but only because of passive smoking.

I would be very interested if the Government did a survey of every single person in this country over the age of 18 to find out who has smoked weed but never touched anything else, I think a lot of people would be very very surprised at the results.

 

[Londoner Claire]

So would I. Almost everybody I know smokes it and I only know of two that can't as it makes them paranoid.

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

I suppose its a bit likie saying every heroin addict drank milk as a baby, therefore drinking milk must lead on to a heroin addiction!

Yes most heroin addicts started with weed, but that doesnt mean its set in stone that one leads on to the other.

That survey would be interesting!

I totally agree with you about the tolerance being different for different people, but it is still a dangerous substance for some, and a danger to passive smokers. My tolerance has always been good (dont smoke it anymore though) whereas my OH's was very low and it completely changed him, it took us nearly splitting up for him to see sense and quit but thank god he did and ive got my man back

 

[minikins]

Really good thread and I agree with you Xena and I think we all do.

 

[sparky]

Interesting thread, especially as it has input from all sides. I've regularly smoked weed for 15 years and have noticed no real side effects, have a very good standard of education, a good job, nice home...all the 'aspired' trappings of modern life. Like others said some people are more suseptable to the effects than others!

I am TTC so am not smoking it at the moment, in case i get pregnant, i wouldnt want to subject an unborn child to it.

I dont think you should be anything other than completely straight than when caring for a baby, that goes for booze too, the effects of alchol actually diminish certain aspects of our behaviour and motor skills more than canibis does.

I suspect when i'm not TTC/Pregnant of breastfeeding i'll go back to the occassional toot, as it represents less of a health risk than booze, and after 15 years i'm not going to suddenly start taking crack!! But as with everything this will be done in moderation and away from the child, as so much behavior is learnt. In the same light i will also refrain from drinking to excess, swearing or using unkind behaviour in front of my children.

BUT as well as being a mother, i will continue to remain a person in my own right too, and continue to enjoy activities that i did before motherhood, this way i will be able to set an even more important example that of being a fully rounded, active, hardworking and social human being, something that every child should aspire too.

Just a few facts tho

Drugs are a menace in our society, but as far as ill, health, death, domestic violence, crime etc alchol is 1000 x more a menance, problem is that it is socially acceptable to drink (even to get drunk) so it will never be associated by the govenment or the media as a real problem in our society.

Deaths associated with alcohol, amount to almost ten times the deaths associated with recreational drugs each year.

Good discussion girls!

 

[Minxy]

Deaths associated with alcohol, amount to almost ten times the deaths associated with recreational drugs each year.

Don't you think that's because so many more people are alcohol users rather than recreational drug users? Tobacco kills even more people than alcohol, and it's the most common substance used to smoke cannibis with?

 

[sparky]

It would be interesting to know Minxy, sadly not enough money goes into the pot (pardon the pun) to research these things, i only know the countries that have researched cannibis useage have gone onto relax their laws (UK included)

Cigarettes are bad for you, granted, but the way that smoking related deaths are recorded is a little missleading too, its put down as smoking related even if the smoking has payed little or no part, i.e. some genetic illnesses etc. Studies show that being overweight can be just as harmful although there isnt the same amount of stigma associated with being fat as there is for being a smoker!

A friend of mine is high up in HMC&E, he said cannibis will NEVER be legalised and for one reason only, they cant control it for revenue purposes as its too easy to home produce, and as they cant gain revenue from it they're not interested in making it legal.

I'm for choice (in moderation), providing you maintain standards of parenthood i see no harm in taking a spliff or a few glasses of wine/beer/vodka provided you can take it and still act responsibly

 

[Minxy]

I'm not sure about the stigma associated to being fat actually. I think now the government have got the public smoking ban on it's way the focus will turn 100% onto weight as the next big 'issue' it needs to control.

To some extent I agree with you on the choice issue. Whilst OH and I are still tempted by the odd spliff at parties etc I wouldn't indulge when at home or caring for a child. One toke can make me light headed and alter how I feel yet I can safely have one glass of wine on an evening (and it IS just one when my baby's home) without feeling any effects. Seems to me dosage is a lot more difficult to measure in a home built spliff, and there's no 'unit' system as a guide. I know you've said you'll not drink or smoke with a baby around which I applaud.

You say you've managed to build a 'life' despite cannibis but I do feel you're in a minority and it's a huge threat if people want those aspirations. My OH was a daily user, drifting along in supervisory roles in various bars and restaurants. The month after he quit (cold turkey ) he was offered his first manager's position and never looked back. It's definitely not coincidence that going 'straight' allowed his bosses to spot the potential that was clouded in smoke before!

Good luck with your TTC

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

Just wanted to say I really like your attitude sparky, I think youve shown that weed can be used responsibly by people who know thier limits and can still function as normally as they would without it.

Id say, among the people I know who smoke it, that its a straight 50/50 between those who use it in the ways you describe (myself included) and those who just cant function and let it completely take them over.

But then, I suppose its the same with alcohol!

The only thing ive ever been addicted to is nicotine, even though I went through a period when I was much younger of taking every drug under the sun and drinking almost every night, I was able to easily leave that all behind whne it was the right time too - but fags ive never been able to shake lol

Ive read lots about "addictive personalities" and I think someone who is likely to develop a problem with weed is just as likely to develop a problem with drink or even sleeping pills, as ive seen all too often, and vice versa.

Im lucky in that I dont have an addictive personality, bUt others do and these are the people (like my OH) that are just better off without it.

 

[Robyn_]

this is a very interesting thread and i can see from both sides of the story,
i know ALOT of people who do drugs, one of which is now a h user.
weed can result in deeper addiction. but not always. some people can just stay happy from the feeling of being stoned and not need a higher kick.

but as someone said it does help stress for alot of people, so maybe thats why some do it i dont know.


i feel very stongly about drugs around children, my friends do smoke it but theres no way on this earth are they going to be smoking it around my baby when its born becasue its not fair him at all. i even go out of the room if they are smoking it now, and i havent even had him im scared that ill get traces

i know a parent who had a child smoked weed all the way through their pregancy, and now the little boy is 5 and he can skin up better than his mum. now thats bad, if people think that smoking weed away from their children is bad imagine what its like for that little boy and how his life is going to be, he knows more about weed than alot of people(he doesnt smoke it btw) at least other parents have the desency to smoke it outside or whatever, and i am not saying that i agree with it, but things could be alot worse.
i think that we are in a soiciety now where wherever we go theres goin to be traces of it, and people are always going to be doing it.

but theres no way id ever smoke weed around my child it is just plain wrong.
i know in myself i wouldnt feel safe looking after my little baby when i am stoned i would feel so irresponsible and quilty afterwards,

 

[glitzyglamgirl]

but theres no way id ever smoke weed around my child it is just plain wrong.
i know in myself i wouldnt feel safe looking after my little baby when i am stoned i would feel so irresponsible and quilty afterwards,

I feel exactly the same, I havnt smoked the stuff since we started trying - once we have a child I see nothing wrong in having a smoke if hes away for the night but Id never get stoned when in charge of a kid, the same as I wouldnt get drunk. Its not just the health risks, its not just the danger of not being in control if something happens, its not just the fear of influencing our child into drugs - its all that and more that I cant quite put my finger on - like you said its just plain wrong.

 

[whyslifesobig]

it's about wanting the best for your child surely.
I am eating healthy, not drinking, packed in smoking....if I am doing all this now while baby is in me then why would I want to do anything but the best for him/her when they are here.
Weed has been linked to fits in dogs when smoked around them. I have friends who smoke weed and when they visit if they smoke I open all the windows and lock the dogs out. Why would I let anyone smoke anything around my child let alone dope.

It boils down to this
I out grew cannabis and I grew up and I am going to be a mummy.
That means my priorities have changed and it is not about getting high now I seek my fun else where.
I stopped smoking drugs a while back after a spiking but I am not sure being stoned is what being a mother is all about.
I am more like me when not drunk, stoned or wrecked. I want every happy memory I have to be real not drug induced highs

 

[kimisgirl]

Funny thing ....

The first thing they told us when TTC ... eat healthy, stop drinking, smoking (inc weed), lose weight take vitamins etc etc .. told I had PCOS so bought a treadmill and became the fittest 'Fat' person I know, never lost a single pound !

did that for 4 years ...... not a BFP in sight

Got fed up and depressed when my Step dad died (ironically) of Lung cancer

Starting smoking, and drinking

DH lost his well paid job = could only afford to buy cheap processed crap food and ended up on prozac and

within 3 months we got a BFP !!

The facts still remain the same, drugs and alcohol effect every single individual in a different way. I can't really explain it but our first son was concieved in near exact same circumstances ie. extreme amounts of stress bad lifestyle with booze and drugs ... I must be a Health fanatics Nightmare and I can't wait to point these facts out to my consultant the minute he mentions my weight !!

I can't explain it all I can say is I would never put my child in a situation with me losing my ability to be a competent mother.