Why not heal and have a good time?

What was my first encounter with cannabis like? -they asked me. But the thing is: smoking in Latin America is not the same as smoking in Europe. 

My first cannabis experience was more than a decade after my first joint. 

I may know the where, but not the when.

My first joint was so irrelevant in my life, that I don't remember in which of many gatherings with friends, I started smoking. I didn't feel the effect; it's not something worth the effort to remember. Still, little by little I began to get a taste for it the more I smoked - it was a time in my youth when friends and alcohol were always my weekend - carefree days of hedonistic enjoyment. 

It was living in Europe, which made me know what a good joint was, what marijuana was supposed to be. Cannabis was always there: at a party, outing or gathering. In my case: since I was studying singing, I mostly resorted to edibles so I wouldn't smoke. 

Resin and vaporizer with friends.

I still remember the day I discovered cannabis: it was a day when I was suffering from severe back pain and an upset stomach. I didn't know it at the time, but I had an inflamed colon and my body was asking me not to drink alcohol. It was a day I didn't want to leave the house, but I wanted to see my friends - the kind of friendships you want to keep and nurture.

I went to see them even though I wasn't feeling well. A vaporizer, resin and in good company? And besides, I hadn't had any alcohol! (unprecedented). 

The physical pain subsided and I also began to feel the anxiety of the situation melting away with each puff. I felt a relief and a lot of relief and it was one of the best highs of my life. Now that was real cannabis! I realized that that was the first time I used real cannabis.

That day I understood what it felt like to enjoy cannabis.

Medicinal and recreational 

I feel fortunate that something that started out as recreational ended up being medicinal. It's not something you hear every day. 

From over-gratification with food, to being too dependent on alcohol, to having a good time, these are habits that have always negatively impacted my health. Since I started smoking more often, I began to notice that I cared less and less about drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages.

I prefer a bottle of water to a bottle of beer. I'd rather have a chocolate milk drink than a rum. So the indulgences were plummeting in the face of discarding, to keep me on budget. I'm beginning to believe that I'd rather have a chocolate after a dinner at home, than a Ben & Jerry's after a KFC or Burger King.

At no point do I pretend to say that Cannabis helped me heal and want to be a better person. Much of my mental improvement I owe to my therapy sessions with the psychologist and the work I had to do to recognize my own worth (story for another post).

It may not officially be medicine, but marijuana was a good companion when I made the decision to start healing. 

I want to say that it has been for me a recreational use, which has helped me on my path.

by: Diego Mogrovejo