I don’t get how this is a thing for Americans. How are you not destroyed by anxiety and paranoia if you go get stoned before having dinner with all your relatives?
You don’t need people in your life you don’t feel safe around. I know that’s emotionally easy for the uninvolved to say (and quite frankly my family’s pretty great all things considered) but it’s also true.
Oh i feel incredibly safe around my family. They’re super supportive. I love them. But they give me anxiety due to other factors. Those things aren’t mutually exclusive ha.
I use cannabis daily for several years. You get used to being in public high and it becomes less scary and panic inducing.
When I visit my family I must be fried. I can go on several week long vacations without cannabis but the moment my family is near I must be fried for my own remaining sanity.
Three years ago I got high with my 18 year old nephew at Thanksgiving at my place. We were sitting on the porch, family in the next room. Didn’t think at the time I was sitting back to back basically with his grandma.
We came back in and she says oh was that some “good shit” or not?
By already being used to being stoned, most likely.
Also the paranoia and anxiety doesnt happen to everyone. Some people want the loss of control to a degree, and the spontaneity it can bring to social situations.
Probably depends on whether you need to hide it or not as well. Here its legal and noone cares if I go smoke on the porch and come back in.
Sort of true! If the benefits outweigh the negatives, cannabis can be more like medicine, but I will admit most dont look at it that way no matter if its beneficial or not.
I can speak to this (Canadian, we have Thanksgiving in October, i get high because parts of my family are hard right Conservatives): If I get stoned for dinner (after preparing dinner), I don’t feel like shit when people rag on the food or bring up trash political takes. Being high makes me calmer.
Also I don’t care if people know I’m high, so that helps.
If I do stay sober, I have to hear how minorities are ruining the country and be accused of poisoning people by not making a healthy meal… which makes me anxious.
Do you worry that the weed impairs your ability to produce effective counterarguments? Drag wouldn’t want to go into a situation like that without being on drag’s A game. Thanksgiving can be one of your few chances each year to argue with your relatives, so drag tries very hard to avoid wasting it.
Changing relatives minds can be far more difficult than changing strangers minds. I would not hold it against an activist who doesnt argue with family. Also thanksgiving is not the time for it really, its easier to deflect into silly jokes or tangents that have nothing to do with politics, and then say bye see you next year.
I’m not sure Thanksgiving counts as staying in touch, but family gatherings are meant to be inclusive, and Thanksgiving specifically is for setting aside differences (theoretically at least).
I suppose it depends what you mean by deradicalizing them? I’d say calling them names is a bad start but maybe you are more polite in person.
Thanksgiving specifically is for setting aside differences
Drag supposes that’s why it didn’t lead to lasting peace between the Americans and the invaders. Ignoring your differences doesn’t actually solve problems. Thanks for explaining the fundamental problem with Thanksgiving.
Drag thinks even if the holiday has a legacy of failure, it could still be transformed into something worthwhile if we all put in some work. Maybe one day Thanksgiving could be about discussing and resolving your differences.
I have no idea what thanksgiving meant hundreds of years ago. I’m aware that the natives and colonizers did not get along great back then but that has nothing to do with thanksgiving today.
Today, its generally about getting together and having a nice meal and giving thanks (being positive).
Also, the day being worthless for you, only affects you. It still has worth for everyone else who assign it worth. You haven’t stumbled upon some universal fact, its just an opinion.
You likely could find people who share your opinion and get together with them and all have some sort of Thanksgiving group debate if you’d like.
I don’t get how this is a thing for Americans. How are you not destroyed by anxiety and paranoia if you go get stoned before having dinner with all your relatives?
I imagine, sometimes, its the only way to cope with them. some people get paranoid, some do not. setting and grounding play important roles in this.
It also helps to not be the only one who is high.
I’m going to have a panic attack regardless around my relatives. Might as well get stoned first.
You don’t need people in your life you don’t feel safe around. I know that’s emotionally easy for the uninvolved to say (and quite frankly my family’s pretty great all things considered) but it’s also true.
Oh i feel incredibly safe around my family. They’re super supportive. I love them. But they give me anxiety due to other factors. Those things aren’t mutually exclusive ha.
Gotta love complicated family shit. Love them while you have them. I even miss my piece of shit dad sometimes.
I used to be paranoid and anxious…
But then I got high.
Ooohh ooohh
Was gonna head right out the door
But then I got high.
I use cannabis daily for several years. You get used to being in public high and it becomes less scary and panic inducing.
When I visit my family I must be fried. I can go on several week long vacations without cannabis but the moment my family is near I must be fried for my own remaining sanity.
For the most part, everyone knows what happens on “the walk” nowadays.
My cousins and i go on a walk because we dont want our younger sibling/cousins/nieces/newphews to see.
Three years ago I got high with my 18 year old nephew at Thanksgiving at my place. We were sitting on the porch, family in the next room. Didn’t think at the time I was sitting back to back basically with his grandma.
We came back in and she says oh was that some “good shit” or not?
By already being used to being stoned, most likely.
Also the paranoia and anxiety doesnt happen to everyone. Some people want the loss of control to a degree, and the spontaneity it can bring to social situations.
Probably depends on whether you need to hide it or not as well. Here its legal and noone cares if I go smoke on the porch and come back in.
The “I can’t deal with my relatives when sober” crowd are just addicts looking to justify their addiction.
The truth is they would get high anyways.
Sort of true! If the benefits outweigh the negatives, cannabis can be more like medicine, but I will admit most dont look at it that way no matter if its beneficial or not.
The whole ‘medicine’ argument is pointless. There’s plenty of medicine you can (and will) get addicted to if you take them.
Not really sure which point you are making.
The anxiety and paranoia of being around my family is astronomically worse if I’m not blitzed
Depends on the vibe. If them finding out is game over then yeah full anxiety.
If it’s one of those things that they can tell but look the other way… then it’s just good family time!
I can speak to this (Canadian, we have Thanksgiving in October, i get high because parts of my family are hard right Conservatives): If I get stoned for dinner (after preparing dinner), I don’t feel like shit when people rag on the food or bring up trash political takes. Being high makes me calmer.
Also I don’t care if people know I’m high, so that helps.
If I do stay sober, I have to hear how minorities are ruining the country and be accused of poisoning people by not making a healthy meal… which makes me anxious.
Do you worry that the weed impairs your ability to produce effective counterarguments? Drag wouldn’t want to go into a situation like that without being on drag’s A game. Thanksgiving can be one of your few chances each year to argue with your relatives, so drag tries very hard to avoid wasting it.
Changing relatives minds can be far more difficult than changing strangers minds. I would not hold it against an activist who doesnt argue with family. Also thanksgiving is not the time for it really, its easier to deflect into silly jokes or tangents that have nothing to do with politics, and then say bye see you next year.
What’s the point of staying in touch with fascist relatives if you’re not trying to deradicalise them? The relationship has no other value.
I’m not sure Thanksgiving counts as staying in touch, but family gatherings are meant to be inclusive, and Thanksgiving specifically is for setting aside differences (theoretically at least).
I suppose it depends what you mean by deradicalizing them? I’d say calling them names is a bad start but maybe you are more polite in person.
Drag supposes that’s why it didn’t lead to lasting peace between the Americans and the invaders. Ignoring your differences doesn’t actually solve problems. Thanks for explaining the fundamental problem with Thanksgiving.
Drag thinks even if the holiday has a legacy of failure, it could still be transformed into something worthwhile if we all put in some work. Maybe one day Thanksgiving could be about discussing and resolving your differences.
I have no idea what thanksgiving meant hundreds of years ago. I’m aware that the natives and colonizers did not get along great back then but that has nothing to do with thanksgiving today.
Today, its generally about getting together and having a nice meal and giving thanks (being positive).
Also, the day being worthless for you, only affects you. It still has worth for everyone else who assign it worth. You haven’t stumbled upon some universal fact, its just an opinion.
You likely could find people who share your opinion and get together with them and all have some sort of Thanksgiving group debate if you’d like.