How legal cannabis changed my life AND helped me enjoy Vegas without the hangovers
Disclaimer: Everything shared below is 100% only my opinion and personal experience, it does not reflect my employer’s views or their positions. I believe in being honest and sharing my human experience with others, thank you for joining me on my personal blog :). This is also part of my effort to normalize cannabis, to help reverse the racism and oppression over the past 100+ years in the US.
The past year has been quite the journey in many positive ways. I’ve been able to better manage my mental health, build up my confidence, I’ve lost nearly 30 lbs in the past 8 months, and I found a new way to relax in a more healthy way: cannabis. And I’d argue that all of those are quite connected to one another.
Alcoholism runs in my family. In fact, it was alcoholism and depression that led to my father’s suicide when I was 12 years old. But, in my early twenties I discovered that I really liked the taste of beer (hefeweizens in particular) and became a bit of a craft beer snob. I also discovered that alcohol could be a lot of fun with my friends, as alcohol is quite intertwined into nearly every experience of your twenties.
Later in my twenties alcohol started to become more of an issue. Hangovers started to really suck and my alcohol tolerance was super high, which meant I had to spend nearly $100 in a night just to feel that social “lubricant” feeling that I needed to help calm my anxiety and depression while I was out with friends. I also gained a bunch of weight, due to my love of a good beer and chatting with buddies over an IPA at a bar or after work.
It wasn’t until last August that I discovered that legal cannabis was a better alternative. Due to past negative experiences with cannabis (anxiety attacks likely caused by very potent, heady sativa strains), I’d been scared of weed for years. It was through CBD strains that I discovered that cannabis has great healing abilities, enabling me to calm my anxiety and depression so that I can be more present. I later dabbled in Indica strains, cannabis that people typically smoke to help them fall asleep or become more laid back (typically on the couch :) ). And recently, I’ve found that the positivity and the energy that Sativa strains bring me help me become more productive, help me through social situations, and they help me be more positive while I’m enjoying something (movies, concerts, a night out, video games, etc).
Cannabis also helped me lose weight, as I was no longer spending nights drinking thousands of calories. Instead, I could smoke a couple of joints and drink water, all while feeling better and healthier than I would be if I was drinking.
To put it simply, it’s not just about getting stoned. Sure, I like getting stoned…particularly when I’m playing video games and trying to relax on a Saturday.
But, I genuinely use cannabis as medication for my anxiety and depression. It helps me be the best me, to leave behind some of my baggage, to love and live in the moment.
Not only does the plant give me these effects, the cannabis community has also helped me learn more about the power of love, of curiosity, the power of mother nature and biology, and much more. Much like the Hacker community, the cannabis community has lived underground for years and has thrived through a communal sharing of knowledge. These are great, honest people that just want to be a farmer that grows amazing medicine for their friends, family and customers.
That leads me to DEFCON 2018. Every year I go to Vegas for nearly an entire week, representing my company during the day at our booths or hotel suites, then spending all night doing the same while at one of our sponsored parties, where I’m mingling with VIPs, fellow industry peers and coworkers. Doing this while drinking is a hard task…it leads to many hangovers, sometimes leads to missed meetings or lunches, and generally can make you feel like crap by the end of the trip.
I had the opposite experience, due to my switch to cannabis consumption and my scaled down drinking. Sure, I had a beer or cocktail every couple of hours, but otherwise I was smoking every once in awhile. And I wasn’t smoking anything that would get me “Stoned”, I was going outside and smoking Blue Dream strain vape cartridges. Blue Dream is a strain that makes me feel a bit more relaxed and less anxious, it gives me confidence to talk to people (which can be hard for me in certain situations), and it helps me have a more positive and loving attitude. As a community person who already believes in love and being compassionate to others, Blue Dream was exactly what I needed when I was in a community of people that I love.
The results? I never missed any of my appointments or job duties, I never had a hangover and I felt great every single day. I ate well, I drank well, I didn’t gain weight from the trip (which I can’t say for past years :P ), and I’m feeling good this week after.
In summary, I encourage everyone to think about cannabis differently. Cannabis has been proven to be much safer than alcohol or tobacco. The only reason we as a society do not like “marijuana”, which is the plant’s Spanish name and used with racist connotations, in the US is because of institutionalized racism in our justice system.
And lastly…Las Vegas, can you please legalize indoor cannabis consumption? The fact that a dude could be double-fisting stogie cigars and smoking right in my face while drinking and gambling, but I can’t smoke a joint outside a Casino (or even inside a “smoking lounge”), is absolutely backasswords.
Thank you for your time. I hope this helps you explore cannabis and consider further legalization where you live. Cannabis is a powerful plant that has huge implications for medicine (ex: CBD has been shown to rebuild connections in the brain), it has huge implications for our economy and jobs, and we can finally stop oppressing people simply because they like to grow or consume a natural plant.
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