Live data from Hacker News

Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

addictionjournal.org

151–160 of 568 posts

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#151
post #11
post #6

First alcohol, now this?! How else will we drown our sorrows and numb our pains?

Exercise and a healthy diet. I typed this in jest but instead of closing the tab I realize that yes, this is a good alternative, perhaps the best, if you can do it . Not everyone can, and typically it’s not their fault if they can’t.

These are not replacements - you cannot replace one with the other. You simply might find you don't enjoy being inebriated. With this advice, honestly, most folks that smoke would ask if you have ever smoked pot regularly and how long that lasted.

To tell you the truth, I'm more likely to exercise and eat healthily if I'm stoned.

Taking a walk while stoned is pretty wonderful, and more taxing exercise aren't as bothersome. I think this is why pot is popular among some bodybuilders: Get stoned, lift weights and enjoy life. (I worked with a competitive bodybuilder, and this routine was pretty popular with non-steroid users). Food tastes really good while stoned, too, and this includes healthy stuff.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#152

Since the article and the study are light on the details of "persistent" Here's the supporting data's in a bit more detail[0]. Overall this makes sense to me as an individually who personally enjoys it. The whole point of getting high is to be impaired (for me). So it's not really telling me anything new. Like drinking, I can't expect myself to be 100% functioning the next day so plan accordingly. The question is how…

Another view, is that, except for the extremely strong willed, getting used to a serene state of mind is addicting and kind of counter productive. Perhaps, addictive is not the right word. But it seems to me (purely from a human nature perspective) its similar to obesity (Eating food is not "addictive", but there is a definite element of "craving" and inability to overcome that craving). All in all, such substances a…

> unchecked use, might put a whole society in danger.

So you mean that if, for example, over 50% of the population was using a known mind-altering drug, society might go to shit?

Do prescription psychiatry medicines count?

You might want to take a look at what % of the western world has such a prescription. Between opiods, amphetamine, and anti-depressants, I think the US passed the 50% mark some time ago.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#153

Since the article and the study are light on the details of "persistent" Here's the supporting data's in a bit more detail[0]. Overall this makes sense to me as an individually who personally enjoys it. The whole point of getting high is to be impaired (for me). So it's not really telling me anything new. Like drinking, I can't expect myself to be 100% functioning the next day so plan accordingly. The question is how…

Another view, is that, except for the extremely strong willed, getting used to a serene state of mind is addicting and kind of counter productive. Perhaps, addictive is not the right word. But it seems to me (purely from a human nature perspective) its similar to obesity (Eating food is not "addictive", but there is a definite element of "craving" and inability to overcome that craving). All in all, such substances a…

Of course they are natural.

I have adhs and I see my weed more like glasses.

Ever thought about that not every brain model/mode is as balanced as the other?

If I can't sleep properly for years, I get depressed. And yes of course I tried everything.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> All in all, such substances are not natural... But they are natural, aren't they? No less natural than the watermelon we are all eating (it might be cultivated), and I don't see anyone wanting to criminalize eating watermelon. Weed, tobacco, alcohol, coca leaves, poppy, they are all natural. Also, even if it's natural, it has nothing to do with its dangerousness, so I don't follow your argument. With regards to leg…

They are not "natural" in the sense that humans don't consume ethyl alcohol to survive, in fact it is often quite damaging to biological systems. Apart from some microbes I'm not aware of any other organisms that use alcohol as their energy source. Alcohol/thc/caffeine/nicotine (you name it) do not fall in the "natural" diet of humans. Most psychoactive substances are metabolites which plants/fungi store in them to d…

>Alcohol/thc/caffeine/nicotine (you name it) do not fall in the "natural" diet of humans.

Well Sapiens likely consumed naturally fermented fruits even 200.000 years ago, after all we evolved to produce certain enzymes to digest ethanol.

Alcohol have shaped human cultures for thousand years, hardly unnatural.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/alcohol-...

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#156
post #122
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Appeal to nature might be a logical fallacy in arguments, but in practice is a useful heuristic anyway.

Given the amount of alternative “medicines” building on that heuristic, I fail to see where it is useful other than for scam artists. Sure, there are biological inventions we can copy and refine for possibly even better inventions - but those are useful not because they originated from nature but because evolution found a locally optimal solution to a problem.

Well, being able to identify potentially locally optimal solutions without having to go through an entire optimization process yourself is a pretty powerful heuristic in my book.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously. Am I supposed to just work and have a boring milquetoast existence hiking or whatever to make it to 80? When it really comes down to it, the most euphoric moments and best memories of my life have been messed up on weed and alcohol with people and music. Itd be depressing to move on and just reminisce about when times were better…

Your description of being messed up on weed actually sounds depressing. I’ll take a hike in some beautiful nature anyday over depressing night in smoking weed. You have no idea how positive an effect being outside in nature has on you.

These aren't substitutes, but more like you are trying to tell folks how much better chicken is and that you'd rather have chicken breast over an apple any day because it is so much more enjoyable.

It isn't like being outside is lost on folks smoking weed. Do you have any clue how much smoking takes place while camping, on nature walks, in rustic cabins, and so on? You just do it sober.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#159
The keyword here is _persistent_ as opposed to permanent. Significant bread consumption would lead to weight gain which would in turn also lead to a persistent but reversible impact on my overall health.

Keep it to a reasonable level, folks.

Re: Cannabis use produces persistent cognitive impairments: meta review

#160

I can confirm, I have known some people who smoked Cannabis basically the whole day long for several years. They lost certain cognitive abilities, e.g. they were not really able to do calculations in their head anymore. They also got severe problems with their biorhythm by the way.

I stopped cold turkey smoking weed daily after 25 years, i can tell you from personal experience this does not apply to everybody.

It also seems rather strange to take one property of their lives and use it to explain their in your eyes loss of abilities. Not doing something for a long time also has this effect, so perhaps they for many years didnt need to do calculations in their head, or use their high school french and so on.

If you said you knew a twin, and one of them smoked weed daily and they had identical lives, and one of them lost cognitive abilities and the other didnt, i would be more likely to give your reply any credit.

Post reply on HN