Marijuana - Things You Should Know
An Article By Terence T. Gorski
GORSKI-CENAPS Web Publications
www.tgorski.com
Published On: December 18,
2001 Updated On: December 18, 2001
© Terence T. Gorski, 2001 |
Review
These Books & Manuals On Relapse

Visit
GORSKI-CENAPS Books - www.relapse.org 1-800-767-8181
|
Training
& Consultation: www.tgorski.com,
www.cenaps.com, www.relapse.org
Gorski-CENAPS, 17900 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL 60430, 708-799-5000 |
Marijuana - Things You Should Know
Here's some information for those who mistaken believe
that it's safe to use marijuana: If your making a decision about
whether or not to use marijuana, consider the following:
There are serious threats posed by regular (more than
twice per month) and heavy use (more than two joints per episode of use) of
marijuana. Here are some of them.
1. Marijuana is a mind-altering (psychoactive) drug that
changes mood, emotion and impairs the ability to think clearly, logically,
and rationally.
2. The mood altering effects occur
because THC, the main psychoactive chemical component of marijuana, alters
brain chemistry.
3. Marijuana is addictive.
Research is showing that THC is addictive in lab animals. There have been
numerous documented reports of regular and heavy marijuana users
experiencing withdrawal symptoms when they try to stop using.
4. Getting high on marijuana makes
it more difficult to developing complicated thought processes, manage
strong feelings and emotions, develop social skills, and cope with
emerging sexual feelings.
5. The regular and heavy use of marijuana can cause
problems in learning, that include ...
 |
trouble with thinking and problem solving,
|
 |
difficulty remembering things,
|
 |
difficulties managing feelings and emotions (the
tendency to emotionally overreact or to become emotionally numb).
|
 |
difficulty paying attention and concentrating,
|
 |
loosing the desire to study or learn new
things.
|
6. Marijuana use can hurt athletic
performance because many regular and heavy users experience ...
 |
slowed reaction time,
|
 |
problems with hand to eye coordination,
|
 |
problems with balance and
|
 |
difficulty learning the physical skills associated
with most sports.
|
7. The regular and heavy use of
marijuana interferes with brain development in young kids and
adolescents.
8. The most common things
experienced by heavy and regular marijuana users are:
 |
feeling apathetic, bored, and spaced out;
|
 |
fascination with things other people consider to be
dumb, silly, or stupid;
|
 |
a strong desire to stop trying things, withdraw, and
drop out.
|
9. Marijuana users tend to avoid
and criticize anyone who doesn't like to smoke marijuana. They only
listen to and believe other people who smoke marijuana, drink, and use
other drugs.
10. Nobody starts smoking marijuana to become a drug
addict. They start out of curiosity and because they believe that
it's safe.
11. Although some people can use marijuana occasionally
without becoming addicted or having serious problems, the regular and
heavy use of marijuana almost always causes problems.
12. People who have problems because of
marijuana use almost always like getting high so much that they slowly
start using more often and more heavily. They like to be around
other people who drink and smoke marijuana so they develop friends who
like to high. It gets harder and harder stop getting
high.
13. Once problems start to develop
its difficult for most people to stop because:
 |
they have gotten in the habit of dealing with
problems and bad feelings by getting high;
|
 |
they have forgotten or never learned other ways of
coping and problem solving;
|
 |
they can't see that marijuana is causing problems
because they have learned how to deny, rationalize, and blame their
problems on other people and things.
|
14. Marijuana produces carcinogens
and other contaminates that are more harmful than those found in
cigarettes. As a result, the regular and heavy use of marijuana can
cause coughing and wheezing, persistent chest colds, and can make cause
asthma and make existing cases of asthma worse.
14. Marijuana is illegal. If you're caught
in possession of it or using you you could get a lot of legal hassles
including getting sent to court and jail.
15. Because marijuana is illegal, you
will probably get involved with some very nasty psychopathic type people
who buy and sell it for a living. Although about 70% of all
marijuana sales are made from one friend to another, at some point heavy
marijuana users end up dealing with criminals who end up stealing from or
hurting them or family members.
16. It's much easier to stop using
marijuana before you get into the habit of regular and heavy
use.
|
Terence T. Gorski is internationally
recognized for his contributions to Relapse
Prevention Therapy. The scope of his work, however, extends far beyond
this. A skilled cognitive behavioral therapist with extensive training in
experiential therapies, Gorski has broad-based experience and expertise in
the chemical dependency, behavioral health, and criminal justice fields.
To make his ideas and methods more
available, Gorski opened The CENAPS Corporation, a private training and
consultation firm of founded in 1982. CENAPS is committed to
providing the most advanced training and consultation in the chemical
dependency and behavioral health fields.
Gorski has also developed skills
training workshops and a series of low-cost
book, workbooks, pamphlets, audio and videotapes. He also works with a
team of trainers and
consultants who can assist individuals and programs to utilize his
ideas and methods.
Terry Gorski is available for personal
and program consultation, lecturing,
and clinical skills training workshops. He also routinely schedules
workshops, executive briefings, and personal growth experiences for
clinicians, program managers, and policymakers.
Mr. Gorski holds a B.A.
degree in psychology and sociology from Northeastern Illinois University
and an M.A. degree from Webster's College in St. Louis, Missouri.
He is a Senior Certified Addiction Counselor In Illinois. He
is a prolific author who has published numerous books, pamphlets and
articles. Mr. Gorski routinely makes himself available for
interviews, public presentations, and consultant. He has presented
lectures and conducted workshops in the U.S., Canada, and
Europe.
For
books, audio, and video tapes written and recommended by Terry Gorski
contact: Herald House - Independence Press, P.O. Box 390 Independence, MO
64055. Telephone: 816-521-3015 0r 1-800-767-8181. His
publication website is www.relapse.org.
|
Terry
Gorski and Other Members of the GORSKI-CENAPS Team Are Available To Train
& Consult On Areas Related To Addiction, Recovery, & Relapse
Prevention
Gorski - CENAPS, 17900 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL
60430, 708-799-5000 www.tgorski.com, www.cenaps.com,
www.relapse.org |
This article is
copyrighted by Terence To Gorski. Permission is given to reproduce
this article if the following conditions are met: (1) The authorship
of the article is properly referenced and the internet address is
given; (2) All references to the following three websites are
retained when the article is reproduced - www.tgorski.com,
www.cenaps.com, www.relapse.org,
www.relapse.net; (3) If the article
is published on a website a reciprocal link to the four websites listed
under point two is provided on the website publishing the article. |
|