Hi, I just read your story and it made me very happy to stumble upon your blog. Almost a full year ago, I ended an extremely abusive (verbal, emotional, physical) relationship. I was cheated on, made to feel awful about myself, and I no longer felt in control of my life. This relationship went on for 5 years.

I stopped eating right after our breakup, and my body disappeared. I am naturally very small, but I was about 20 lbs underweight and had only enough muscle to function. I was diagnosed with dysthymia and double depression. At times, days were unbearable and I would stay in bed. At other times, they were just slightly bearable, but my negative thoughts kept me down.

After months of mulling it over, I decided to run a half marathon in January. I started training (on and off) in August. As of right now, I’m running 5-6 miles, three times a week. I haven’t gotten back on a workout regimen, but that will be on the way.

Your story has inspired me and has shown me that I’m not the only one. Thanks for keeping this tumblr =)

While many liberal minded individuals support the legalization of pot, especially for medical purposes, you cannot ignore the harmful side effects. It will not destroy your life, cause instant death, or much of the propaganda, but ignoring all of the side effects it has are extremely unwise. Pot does weaken brain cells, and long term or heavy use can lead to minor damages. Most important however, is that just because the smoke from pot doesnt have the chemicals in it that cigarettes do that it is safe. Many natural things are not safe to ingest or inhale, however. Poison ivy and sulfur come to mind. The smoke from pot is supposed by many stoners to cure cancer. This has reached the level of urban legend. although some studies have end up in a reduced tumor rate for those who smoke marijuana, none of the results have yet reached a point of statistical significance, or been able to be readily replicated. The actual truth most probably lies in what the doctors and scientists say - smoking marijuana increases the risk of lung cancer. The risk increases as more weed is smoked. Pot smokers tend to exhibit less cancer towards the end of their lifetime as compared to cigarette smokers most likely because cigarettes smokers tend to smoke a higher quantity, more often, and for longer portions of their lives. The “high” can also decrease driving performance, most often in the stoners who feel overconfident in their abilities and take risks, smoke too much in a setting then drive, or get a high they don’t expect.

That being said, pot is always a personal choice. it is not instantly fatal, and there is a really good argument to be made that for cancer patients/people with chronic pain, pot can be a much better alternative to standard painkillers. Acknowledging the side effects and potential dangers of pot do not automatically dismiss it - all of modern medicine has side effects and dangers. But you do have to be aware of them. Despite pot’s side effects and dangers, it is not known to cause suicidal thoughts like many standard painkillers, and it is widely believed to be less harmful on the body for recreational use than alcohol for recreational use. 

With pot, as in all things, the arguments for and against must be both critically analyzed, and weighed equally in debates and personal considerations.