How has quitting weed affected your music making, creativity, productivity, focus, and overall health?

The Lounge General Discussion
#1

I live in California, so I can literally walk 10 minutes to a dispensary - they’re open during lockdown! However, I’ve decided to lay off the stuff for a while as a quarantine challenge and experiment. I want to see how the rest of this year goes without it. I specifically want to see how it affects my music productivity and whether I achieve more of my music and other goals without it. I use it generally to unwind in the evenings, but I often feel less motivated to do anything after except chill. That’s why I wait till around 8pm to do it.

Despite not smoking much (1/8th ounce or 3.5 grams lasts me a month) I don’t like feeling so groggy and foggy headed the next morning. It’s very hard to get myself to exercise in the mornings as a result. I’m also concerned about not remembering many details of movies / shows I’ve watched while high. I’ve been trying all sorts of experiments and learning new skills during this lockdown (now in its 11th week for us in California) but I feel this would be a good opportunity to take my life to a potentially higher level (excuse the pun).

I’d like opinions from others on their weed usage and whether they find it beneficial as well as those who’ve quit al together or quit for long periods and how things changed or didn’t for them .

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#2

Yeah, on the same page with you.

It‘s a dilemma and I guess I should quit for 1-2 years (and wow here we go - I‘d never say „forever“ - maybe that‘s a sign and I should say at least 5 years) to get some stuff going.

The thing is: I tricked my brain or rather conditioned it to only have fun making music when in that state of mind. Which is a really bad thing imho. It is limiting af for me and I have to really convince me to make music when not high.

I‘d say: Ditch it for the rest of the year and I bet you will find lots of benefits!

Smoking/vaping for 18 years now // started making music 2 years ago

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#3

long time weed smoker here ! i live in Washington WA and its been legal here for a while but i have clutched onto weed for music productivity for a long time and tho it helps alot with sound design and exploration I noticed it just put me in jam mode all the time and i would jam the same pattern for a long time and just mess with FX but i stopped smoking it for a bit now and am working on finishing tracks rather than starting 100 new ones when im stoned. but one thing ive noticed with exercise is when i skateboard all day i am super pumped up to write music after im done at the skate park, exercise seems to help the brain get motivated if your a long time weed smoker ! and now that i dont smoke and just take a weed gummie every so often i find myself remembering things more !

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#4

been sober from booze and the chronic for 5 months now. lots of money and mental stability saved. finally getting out of my stoned procrastination routine and finishing tunes, starting new ones, and just over all taking care of business.

head feels great, clear and concise.

used to self medicate for anxiety and depression and tbh both of those have drastically dropped since I’ve stopped goofing around. not to say that those feelings are gone but they’re much more easily managed on bad days.

stay up, homie. :^ )

edit: been smoking and drinking since i was 18, im turning 30 in a few months

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#5

ILL BE TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS EVERYDAY,
TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS EVERY way!

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#6

I think it’s good to spend long periods of time away, as well as indulge heavily at times.
I smoke during the day and get a LOT done, technical things, sometimes dangerous things.
When I spend long times without it, I’m just as productive, but in a different way.
I do have more energy without, but I don’t always want to stay up till 2-4 am wake up at 10 and do it week after week.
I start to adopt a sober point of view. There’s parts about that perspective I enjoy, yet there’s things I don’t like about it that too. I tend to slide into mediocrity and feel out of touch with some core of my being.
Like I said, I like both, and all in between.
I like to get stone and craft songs, I like to mix with sober ears.

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#7

I agree with you, I do stretches of either/ or and have no issues with either one.
Although my tolerance levels get too high when I smoke too long a stretch of time. But yeah I sleep ok either way, play music either way. It’s just different for me, not more or less.

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#8

I’d say if you think it is causing you trouble, then it probably is, just like if you think you enjoy it, then you do!
An altered state is not reality,
Reality may be too unyielding
So may become the altered state

I love pot, but under its effects, we do not perceive reality. It helps us take another look at reality, so we may come back and see it more clearly.
I think it is good to spend time sober and high!
I think it is important also, to find a strain that you like.
I used to not believe the hype surrounding the subtle differences in wine and marijuana, but I learned that humans are capable of dividing and categorizing and differentiating down to the molecular level.
I always tell the budtender that I want a strain to play music, keep focused, and not feel anxious.
When I find a strain that works, I get it again.

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#9

I am fascinated by your realization with skating!
usually I make music, then go on a run to listen to what i just made
but maybe i’ll switch it up this weekend!

edit: during all of this im stoned

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#10

same here – it‘s a paradoxon. If I am sober for weeks I am much more active (chores like cleaning are much more prioritized etc.) but I really miss my brain „expanding“. I feel so much more alive with all those super nice ideas popping up … I love both so much but finding the balance is really tough for me personally.

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#11

i recommend maybe some recreational rollerblades and Jet Set Radio Future OST !

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#12

Please elaborate…

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#13

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#14
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#15

HAA YES!

I’ll be honest I’ve never played jsrf, but I’ve listened through the soundtrack multiple times. Some friends and my partner were really into that game.

I’m a seattlite btw

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#16

I used to be this way too, but over the past year, about half the time after I smoke I don’t even feel like making music or messing with my gear. It ends up feeling overwhelming for me so I decide to watch a YouTube music tutorial or something and that seems to require too much focus at that moment. So half the time I just end up watching random YouTube videos, Netflix or browsing my phone. But the time I do get into music, I sometimes become productive – but not enough that I think it’s beneficial anymore in that regard. So I don’t rely on it for music as much as I used to which is a good thing, but do it in the evenings to unwind. But I’m going to try to unwind in different ways the rest of this year and see how it goes.

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#17

Yoo I used to live in Seattle! I’m back up north tho we should put together a elektron user show or just some hardware shows soon I know there’s some guys on here from the Everett area ! Well when everything opens back up again lol I’m still going to wear my mask when they do tho! Lol

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#18

oh my brain is permanently expanded from years of other things running through my system :joy: no shortage there

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#19

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ITS BIG BRAIN TIME!

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#20

I haven’t stopped smoking weed since high school, however I barely smoke the stuff nowadays. My tolerance is extremely low. I’ve always had a low tolerance in general so I’ll pack a tiny one hitter in my pipe in the evening to unwind. I’d say I smoke a gram of weed a month (imma cheap date)

As for the music, I can be productive while high, but it depends on what I’m doing. I can get creative with sound design and patterns which is fun, but when it comes to mixing, arrangement, mastering, I need to do those things sober. I just work much faster that way and don’t get caught in this endless loop of volume / freq adjustments. Since I make loops and live record while doing pattern changes, mute, un-mute, CTR-AL, filter sweeps, etc… I work much better on my toes sober.

Furthermore, I have so much adult responsibility during the day, if I smoke in the evening once everybody has gone to bed, I sometimes can’t even muster the energy of going into the studio. I get stuck on YouTube, Netflix, Elektronauts, or playing some videogame.

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