Thread: stop smoking and start dreaming

Also depends on the weed. If you're smoking a Sativa dominant you're probably more likely to be more aware, whereas if it's Indica dominant you'll probably just fall into a deep sleep. If done before bed that is.

It would be interesting to see a study, or even personal study, with using different strains.

ChaybaChayba - That makes sense, but if you smoke different types, even just from different plants, your tolerance goes back to normal; or rather it is negated. Apparently anyway.

Originally Posted by i am sam

I have been an everyday smoker (talking about pot but same with cigarettes except longer) for about a year and half now. Unfortunately right before I started smoking I encountered my first lucid dream and have been obsessed ever since. I have had more trouble trying to dream to even consider trying to become lucid. In that year and a half i might have had half a dozen dreams that I could remember. I just recently stopped smoking and I have more dreams than I could have ever thought possible. Some of the coolest dreams I could ever imagine from being thrown into the magic world Harry Potter style, to flying higher and faster than any jet. Just last night had a dream about a zombie virus infecting the world just like the movies, from not knowing about the virus and putting 2 and 2 together ending in a car chase trying to escape from the present setting, guns included. Dreaming is better than any drug could possibly make you feel. Now I am on my way to a nice dream journal and become lucid as soon as possible.

Anybody else have the same experiences?

You are absolutely right on with that. It is very true. I have been through the cycle a bunch of times, and I know how much better my dreaming and lucid ability are when I don't have bong and pipe resin clogging up my brain.

I have had very few lucids during a pot phase, and the few I had I could not make last more than about three seconds.

Bottem line

Everyone is different. If its the placebo effect or not, we all should try finding what works for us.

If you want to smoke pot and lucid dream, Go for it, but find what works for you, thats all i gotta say.

No ones the same, pot effects everyone different as well as many other medications and drugs.

I think everyone should live on a balanced diet and take no drugs. Even however i dont consider pot too much of a drug, but it can be harmful when taken in excess.

We all have to make our own choices in life .

Whatever works for you

Well said.
I guess if you're having trouble with dreaming and smoke pot. Try stopping.
If you smoke and you have no trouble. Don't stop.

Originally Posted by TheMoon

Bottem line

Everyone is different. If its the placebo effect or not, we all should try finding what works for us.

If you want to smoke pot and lucid dream, Go for it, but find what works for you, thats all i gotta say.

No ones the same, pot effects everyone different as well as many other medications and drugs.

I think everyone should live on a balanced diet and take no drugs. Even however i dont consider pot too much of a drug, but it can be harmful when taken in excess.

We all have to make our own choices in life .

Whatever works for you

I think that is the best way to sum everything up, everyone is different including my friend who has never had dreams until trying to prove my pot/dream theory wrong who has had dreams every night since while getting high before bed. For me I can't seem to have dreams and smoke even during the day; I am glad though to have so many different opinions to take from all of this and it makes sense that everyone is different and really beyond the fact that everyone is different I think (and this is my personal opinion so as not to offend anyone on where they stand) that what the mind believes makes its own reality.

P.S. Thanks to Universal Mind for backing my opinion

Also for anyone that's heard of, or is interested in, Idoser I am thinking about starting a new thread on it. Its pretty intriguing and has quite a lot on sleep/dream aids even astral projection and OBE's.

Don't start a new thread. I think there's already been about 20 of them since I've been here.

Originally Posted by i am sam

Dreaming is better than any drug could possibly make you feel.

I disagree, but hey, more power to you.

Also guys, smoking weed and then stopping produces a rebound of REM. So when you're all saying, 'oh I had wonderful dreams for 2 weeks after I quit', do you wonder why you didn't say 'ever since I quit (however many years ago)' ? It's because your REM rebound stops and you just start getting normal dreams again.
That is, according to studies on some people. I'm not sure whether that same chemical that the weed inhibits, is responsible for dreaming directly though. Further, I don't know if inhibiting that chemical inhibits dreams.

Marijuana does effect short-term memory, so it does effect recall.
But the short term effect is usually only experienced by new or inexperienced users. It also happens in high doses.
Once you're able to act somewhat normal (socially acceptable, lets say) under the influence of cannabis, you're probably not going to have problems with recall

Sources:
- Erowid
- personal experience
- I'm writting my culminating research paper on marijuana and academics



By the way for the person who mentioned dreams being better than any drug, you're basically doing the same things as drugs. Taking drugs is a way of altering your state of consciousness (its human nature, did you ever spin on the spot as a kid to feel dizzy? Have you ever watched horror movies to have a good scare?)

When you're in a dream, your state of mind is altered, which is why I believe its pretty much a drug. But hell, anything can be your drug. Guitar, sports, music, paintballing, etc.

Originally Posted by ChaybaChayba

That is why you need moderation, to make the weed-trip stronger so you can actually learn something from it.

Please, do explain

Conquer, are you goin to post that paper here when you're done?
I know a lot of members would appreciate it.

Originally Posted by reapsltd666

I disagree, but hey, more power to you.

Dreaming is free and always with you. What you experience is you and you alone.

Drugs... well, they are interesting. But you're still reliant on something external. Something other than yourself, something that you may not always have access to.

That in itself is enough for me to respect and cherish my dreaming experiences over than my drug induced experiences. The drug experiences were fascinating and amazing no doubt, but they wern't something i earned, they were bought or picked... and most importantly something external.

I doubt you can pick what kind of drug trip you can have. Well, further than the substances general course of action.

Also, to dream, as already said, you must have certain chemicals in your brain. You wouldn't get these chemicals without the food that you eat. Ergo, dreaming is technically produced from an outside substance.

Originally Posted by tommo

Conquer, are you goin to post that paper here when you're done?
I know a lot of members would appreciate it.

Sure, I guess it will have to go in Extended discussions. Paper is due & will be finished in like a week.

Originally Posted by spaceexplorer

Dreaming is free and always with you. What you experience is you and you alone.

Drugs... well, they are interesting. But you're still reliant on something external. Something other than yourself, something that you may not always have access to.

That in itself is enough for me to respect and cherish my dreaming experiences over than my drug induced experiences. The drug experiences were fascinating and amazing no doubt, but they wern't something i earned, they were bought or picked... and most importantly something external.

Well, your body relies on external things - oxygen, protein, vitamins, etc. Not saying that relying on drugs is a good thing, but don't look so negatively at external things. External things are what causes you to develop the way you do, and the way you (very likely) new about lucid dreaming was through reading about it or hearing about it from an external source.

Funny how religion says things like "God created everything. Except marijuana.. That was the devil..." lmao

Regardless of what you believe, marijuana is a chemical and actually changes your chemical composition, there is no dodging this conclusion, you are pumping your body with chemicals. Your body is a utopia, in perfect balance/composition from birth and on, drugs are foreign. I've been a heavy smoker for many years, done extensive testing/research/and have seen many cases beyond my own. Personally I will never go back.

I love how people are so quick to jump on the claim that marijuana doesn't effect their dreams/recall/lucid dreams, yet most of them have never even had the discipline to attempt to quit smoking for a few months and compare, they always bring up "Well xx amount of years ago I was not smoking and this and this happened"..etc, nothings ever current. If you're serious, quit smoking for a few months and then come on here and make recommendations. The problem is most of you can't/won't do this because like I said the discipline, and somewhere, minor or major, it's become a part of you(literally, it changes your chemical composition). Been there, done that, and not looking back.

If the dream aspect isn't enough to turn you off eventually, the health aspect is another issue. Tar/resin is a byproduct of the plant period, as well as foreign gasses, even the composition of the inhalation of vapo's is foreign and has its negatives over your pure, untouched, "god-given" system...and when you fully understand the power of thought, you will see how it does indeed slow down specific intricate processes, laser beam or flashlight, it's up to you.

If you are serious about it, and you dont have the will to quit, just knock it down to smoking Friday and Saturday(aka the weekends), the 5 days of sobriety in between will help keep a more balanced system in multifaceted ways.

But don't just take my word for it(you who have outlined in your mind a one-way, all knowing, limited path won't anyways), get it out of your system, quit/cut back, and do the tests yourself without bias.

If you are(and being completely honest with yourself) content/fully satisfied with every aspect of the way you are living, then by all means continue doing what you do. It comes down to you and you only making a choice.

Originally Posted by Conquer

Well, your body relies on external things - oxygen, protein, vitamins, etc. Not saying that relying on drugs is a good thing, but don't look so negatively at external things.

Yes true, but there is also a difference between externals that are just that, externals, and externals that are essential for our most complete and harmonious development, we must not let ourselves mistake the two, as they are two entirely different ball games.

Anyone who says weed doesn't affect their functioning and memory must have been somewhat retarded BEFORE they started smoking. I was a heavy, heavy pot smoker for years (we're talking sticky-as-shit so cal chron, the BEST in the world), and it took months after quitting for me to notice an improvement in my severely impaired memory and thought-processing. No joke, I used to introduce myself to people 3 and 4 and 5 times, with no recollection of having met them before. There are entire years in my life where I cannot corroborate participation in most situations/conversations (i.e. "hey, remember when we did this and this?" "No, when was that?" repeat ad nauseum).

Originally Posted by tommo

That makes sense, but if you smoke different types, even just from different plants, your tolerance goes back to normal; or rather it is negated. Apparently anyway.

Not true, not true, NOT TRUE. The only way a different strain will make your tolerance go down - never back to "normal" which would require abstinence - is if it has less THC than what you had before, and the difference would need to be significant for you to notice a change. Basically, a chronic smoker who switches to mec for a while then goes back to chronic will notice a change. And any pothead can attest that it goes right back up almost immediately.

I didn't read the thread 'cause it was too long but I'll answer to the first post... I've never took drugs or smoked (which is basecly the same thing) so I don't have any experience with that... But I'm happy that you've quit. LD is defenitly better than any drug... I should tell everyone at school that I'm addicted to LD and it sounds like a drug and I'm honest (that I'm addicted to LDs since I had one) so it'll be the truth so it'll be funny to see the reaction! lol!

I won't do it, it's too mean!

Originally Posted by ChaybaChayba

Sure it's fun to smoke daily, I've been there, but it's the same thing as taking one sip of a beer each day compared to getting totally wasted each month. It's impossible to get totally hammered on weed each day.. you gotta wait atleast a month because of the down regulation of the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. That is why you need moderation, to make the weed-trip stronger so you can actually learn something from it.

You don't know what you're talking about. At all.

Yes I am. Try it out yourself, it's very true. And Human Traffic is one of the best movies I've seen in a while. Nice one brother!!!

Originally Posted by Ryann

Anyone who says weed doesn't affect their functioning and memory must have been somewhat retarded BEFORE they started smoking. I was a heavy, heavy pot smoker for years (we're talking sticky-as-shit so cal chron, the BEST in the world), and it took months after quitting for me to notice an improvement in my severely impaired memory and thought-processing. No joke, I used to introduce myself to people 3 and 4 and 5 times, with no recollection of having met them before. There are entire years in my life where I cannot corroborate participation in most situations/conversations (i.e. "hey, remember when we did this and this?" "No, when was that?" repeat ad nauseum).

If what is in bold is true then there's your problem. Nobody said you can smoke constantly; all day every day 10 bongs at a time and be unharmed.

Originally Posted by Ryann

Not true, not true, NOT TRUE. The only way a different strain will make your tolerance go down - never back to "normal" which would require abstinence - is if it has less THC than what you had before, and the difference would need to be significant for you to notice a change. Basically, a chronic smoker who switches to mec for a while then goes back to chronic will notice a change. And any pothead can attest that it goes right back up almost immediately.

Ummmm. Ok, this may make sense to your 'common sense'. But from what I've heard it's not true. Think about if you go from White Widow all day for a week, you start to lose the effects a bit. You go to BC bud. According this study I read (I don't have the luxury of exotic heads) you will get basically the same high you would get without smoking for the week before. But obviously diminished a bit since you're used the the effects of being high.

I'm not stating this as fact. But it would seem that different levels of all the different Cannabinoids negates the tolerance factor.

Originally Posted by Golden Son

Yes true, but there is also a difference between externals that are just that, externals, and externals that are essential for our most complete and harmonious development, we must not let ourselves mistake the two, as they are two entirely different ball games.

No there isn't. They are the same. In this case anyway. Most recreational drugs act on either serotonin or dopamine receptors. These chemicals in the drugs aren't actually serotonin or dopamine, they just happen to fit into those receptors. If we had a similar receptor for vegetable oil, or if vegetable oil fit into serotonin receptors, that could get us high too.

Now we have Cannabinoid receptors in our brain ok?
These are used to regulate mood, appetite, heart rate, digestion and pain. Probably a lot more too. All we are doing with Cannabis is basically, inserting those cannabinoids into their receptors. We already have them in our body in the first place, so you could argue we are in fact consuming a chemical which is essential for our most complete and harmonious development.

Originally Posted by Golden Son

Regardless of what you believe, marijuana is a chemical and actually changes your chemical composition, there is no dodging this conclusion, you are pumping your body with chemicals. Your body is a utopia, in perfect balance/composition from birth and on, drugs are foreign.

Refuted by my last statement of fact.

Originally Posted by Golden Son

I love how people are so quick to jump on the claim that marijuana doesn't effect their dreams/recall/lucid dreams,

I love how people are so quick to claim it does affect dreams.

Originally Posted by Golden Son

Regardless of what you believe, marijuana is a chemical and actually changes your chemical composition,.........

Nice job providing references that prove the chemical composition is actually changed. By the way, I've done lucid dreaming before I was an occasional marijuana user. Once you're used to it, it does not impair you enough to complain about. Well at least that's how it is in my case, (my average for lucid dreams has and still is at a steady 1 lucid every 15 days)
But, THC effects everyone differently. For the record, THC hasn't been proven to do anything negative permanently, unlike several legal drugs today like tobacco, alcohol, and tylenol.

Conquer, that's a good point too ("doesn't impair you enough to complain about"). Even if it does inhibit dreams a little bit. You can still get balance between being high and how many LD's you want to have.

Originally Posted by Golden Son

you will see how it does indeed slow down specific intricate processes, laser beam or flashlight, it's up to you.

There are ups to both. Laser beams certainly can't light up an area much, but they can go far. Flashlights don't go very far but they light up a big area.