The Green Monster/Everything in Moderation...Even Moderation.

I smoke weed. If you’re a friend of mine you’re probably saying, “Yeah, I know.” If you’re a family member, you might be a bit surprised and or even concerned. Hang on just a second though because it gets worse. I’ve smoked weed nearly every day for the last seven years, maybe more. I’m not really sure to be honest…because of all the weed. I tried it for the first time when I was in high school, but it wasn’t until college that I began smoking it on the reg.

I’m one of those folks who doesn’t consider weed a hard drug. Not even close as far as I’m concerned. It’s my belief that alcohol is a far more destructive drug then weed is. I’ve seen my best friends get so drunk that they’ve gone to blows with one another over NOTHING. I’ve never seen anyone get so stoned that they fight their friend, or anyone else for that matter. They just go to Taco Bell together. Nobody ever ate someone else’s face when they were high on grass. They just ate a cupcake. I believe it should be legal. I don’t know many people who don’t smoke pot. It’s everywhere, and I dig it.

I’m very particular about how I smoke. I only smoke if I have nothing important to do for the rest of the day. I never ever smoke before an audition, a rehearsal, a show, a meeting, when I write, or when I go to work. 70% of the time my first hit of the day is when I return home after my shift. After I get in my jammies and I’m in front of my TV, puff-puff-puff. Sometimes, when I have a day off, I’ll smoke and then head out into the world. On the actual day of my birthday this year, my buddy Brian and I woke up, got stoned, went to The Olive Garden, smoked, saw Harold and Kumar Save Christmas, smoked, came home, ordered Chinese food, and watched TV until we couldn’t laugh anymore. Sometimes, I have a day like that.

Why am I writing about this? Well, like most folks who get high, once I’m stoned I eat. I EAT A LOT. That may be why I fell in love with pot years ago. “Hey there big guy! You like pizza? You like General Tso’s Chicken? They taste good? Well then give em a try after puff of this!” Weed makes food taste better. It’s a fact. That being the case, why wouldn’t a carb lover like myself be getting high?

My daily smoke was all fine and good, until now. Until I decided that I need to make a serious change in the way I live my life. I cannot separate food from weed. The combination of the two has sadly become a great escape for me at the end of my day. Someone told me once that equal parts cocaine, heroin, and speed make up the drug ecstasy. Well, equal parts pot, TV, and delivery make up my own personal version of ecstasy. A high, a distraction, an escape…an addiction maybe. The combination of the three have become a way for me to forget about all the problems in my day to day, large or small.

                 What I’m wondering now that it’s time to stop trying to simply forget about my problems and instead actually start to deal with them, does the weed need to go? Weed didn’t make me unhealthy. Neither did pizza or ice cream. What made me unhealthy was me smoking weed and then eating pizza and ice cream ALL THE TIME. Can I make major changes in my diet and exercise routine and still smoke now and then? I don’t know. I’m not sure how to handle this yet. I’m open for suggestions, kids.

Speaking of suggestions, I would very much like to hear people’s thoughts on the following idea. Once a friend of mine said the following to me; “Everything in moderation…even moderation.” I love that idea. Sure, it’s probably because I’m a person who loves excess. More whiskey, another joint, let’s have two lobster rolls today. My overindulgence aside though, it kinda makes sense, right? I don’t want to go through the rest of my life without a burger, or piece of foie gras, or a scoop of ice cream, or a puff a weed. I love all those things. They’re…they’re fucking awesome to be quite honest. They’ve just become for me, an all the time thing, instead of a now and then thing, which is what they should be. What I’m getting at, what I’m wondering is, can you be on the road to greatness and still indulge now and again? If you do indulge, how should you do it?

So dear reader friends I ask you today for your help and guidance, as I’m sure I often will on our road ahead together. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the following two questions. Comment below or on fbook.

Do you think an unfit stoner person can make serious strides toward being healthy, and still smoke pot?

Do you think that with all of the major changes that will come regarding diet and exercise, I should leave one day a week to eat what I want, drink what I want and maybe have a smoke?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts gang, and I hope you have a great weekend.