Chapter 15 - The "Social" Marijuana User

Another insidious casual user is the "social-only" smoker. This leads to a breakdown of self-control, as shared by one marijuana addict:

"I was trying to quit after my wife expressed concern about my lack of motivation. I'd blamed work stress, but she said, 'I know you can handle that normally. It's like watching someone you love destroy themselves.' She was right, so I attempted to stop.

"I failed after 3 weeks when an argument with a friend triggered my excuse to smoke. I convinced myself it was justified anger, but realized years later it was the addiction manipulating me. I needed a dopamine hit, regardless of source.

The user loses self-respect by deceiving their partner to smoke. It probably resonates in some form for you too.

Problems arise when you justify smoking socially as controlled use. With friends smoking, it's hard to resist, and you feel more in control than smoking alone. But addiction doesn't care about location - novelty-seeking dopamine urges trick you into feeling safe smoking "just" socially. In reality, you're still feeding the monster.

You may think you're just being social to complement the activity. But marijuana fools your brain by releasing dopamine and opioids regardless of situation. Have a non-smoking activity planned next time. You'll enjoy socializing without marijuana interfering.

The social smoker often escalates when this lie wears thin, sneaking off to smoke "socially" more and more. At home, smoking marijuana replaces connecting with loved ones.

Take back control by seeing through the rationalizations. Marijuana casts an illusion of making social situations more comfortable when it often just breeds paranoia and withdrawal. You don't need substances to enjoy time with real people.