Cannabis and Relaxation

"Scratch the surface of any dope smoker and they will tell you that they smoke to relax; scratch a little deeper and quite a few will tell you that they can’t relax without it. This can be a problem, because if you are using cannabis as your primary, or your only, means of relaxation, you have probably forgotten how to relax naturally. Of course, relaxation can mean different things; it’s relative. If I finish doing one thing that is particularly stressful, when I stop I relax; I might even smoke a joint.

If I believe my life as a whole to be stressful, then I might rationalize that smoking weed every day is simply the best way of coping, to the point where the best way becomes the only way, regardless of any negative side-effects or consequences.

But simply coping with life by spending large parts of it stoned is never going to be a totally relaxed solution. Many people find it much easier to let weed pacify them, rather than deal with the root of what makes their lives disappointing, painful or unsatisfying; in other words, the things cause stress in the first place."