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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
1. An Overview of
The First Time
Because our Puritan-based society has traditionally been uneasy
Addiction and
At the same time, marijuana is an attractive activity for
Strategies of Smokers
There are some smokers who are convinced that "good
Stopping
Notes
14. Looking Ahead:
Smokers of this persuasion speak of marijuana being grown by
In the event of legalization, it is unlikely that names will
The Moment of Awareness
Appendix
On the other hand, I very often have magnificent creative
2. A Denver high school
I don't know if you're interested, but the reason I started
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Objectivity, or Double
Consciousness
One
of the least understood aspects of marijuana intoxication on the part of the
nonusing public is the process of "double consciousness," whereby the
smoker, despite being affected by the high, is nonetheless able to reflect upon
it with almost complete objectivity while it is taking place, and is able, if
the need arises, to "come down" from the high almost at will.
"Every time I get stoned," says an Oregon woman,
"I have the feeling that I'm watching myself" Her daughter describes
a similar feeling:
My
body's there, but my mind is up higher, watching me. Once I got high in school,
and we were playing volleyball. I was watching the ball going back and forth,
and I realized how stupid the whole thing must have looked. Here we were, a
bunch of teenagers lunging out to hit a ball over a net, for no real reason. It
looked so funny that I started laughing in the middle of the game.
Other smokers refer to this phenomenon as "detachment,"
or "disassociation." For a Chicago man, double
consciousness feels like being in a bubble, where he is part of what is going
on but also removed from it. Smokers who experience this phenomenon—and it is
very common—do not regard it as a detriment to their enjoyment of the high. On
the contrary; for most users it actually increases the pleasure. Lenny, a New England businessman,
explains that the sense of being grounded provides "something concrete to
stand on while the rest of me can drift off." He elaborates:
Because
marijuana is a stimulant, you're aware that you're stoned. You're aware that
you're not functioning or perceiving things entirely normally. But your
judgment remains more or less the same, so you can usually tell how stoned you
are. With a depressant, like alcohol, your judgment is affected, so you're not
always aware that you're not aware. That's a crucial difference: on marijuana,
you know that something has changed; on alcohol, you might not even realize it.
The sensation of double consciousness is so common a part of the
marijuana experience that many smokers are often not even aware of it. An
interesting exception is this Atlanta secretary, who feels it
to an unusual degree:
When
I'm very stoned, I find myself switching constantly between two or more frames
of mind. In both of them I am aware of being stoned, but they differ in their
effects.
One frame of mind, which I call A, allows me to really get into
being stoned. I have insights and revelations, I feel good, let my imagination
run free, and generally have a good time. In A, reality is secondary and I rely
on instinct to deal with real situations.
In B, the other frame of mind, I deal more directly with reality,
and am more aware of the world around me. I can get into a conversation or a
piece of music, or if I'm driving, I can concentrate on that.
The neat thing about all of this is the way I can switch from one
frame of mind to the other. It can happen, initially, as often as every few
seconds, and once I figure out what triggers the switch, I can do the switching
at will. For example, it might have something to do with whether my eyes
are open or shut. Sometimes just changing the direction of my gaze can cause
the jump from A to B or back again, or it could be something as simple as
changing positions in my chair.
And if I have started a nice fantasy in A, I can switch to B temporarily,
and then jump right back to A and pick it up right where I left off.
Related to double consciousness is the ability of most smokers to
"come down" or "turn off" the marijuana high when it
becomes inappropriate or interfering. Typically, this occurs when the user is
pleasantly stoned at home in the evening. The phone rings with an urgent
business matter, or bad news, or somebody the person doesn't care to speak with
while stoned. Most experienced smokers can handle this situation easily,
although this usually involves some kind of sacrifice or payment, a using up of
part of the energy of the high, in order to deal properly with the problem or
person at hand. Novice smokers routinely find themselves undergoing a kind of
on-the-spot training, in which they must suddenly cope with a minor emergency
when they are stoned. Usually, to their surprise, they function perfectly well,
and this in turn provides reassurance and confidence for the future. Often,
there is a sense of mastery and pride that the user feels after meeting such a
challenge, and a sense of control that contributes to the enjoyment.
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Иглоукалывание от курения
жизни
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анализ
извне
people
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