The Truth About Pot: Ten Recovering Marijuana Users Share Their Personal Stories, Ph.D. [Paperback]

Joanne Baum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1998

Marijuana use has increased over the past four years and now accounts for over 81 percent of this nation's illicit drug use. It is widely considered not only to be harmless to its users but also to have the power to enhance concentration and creativity, to relieve pain and suffering, and to offer a much needed respite from the hectic pace of today's world.

It's no wonder that marijuana is surrounded by confusion and myth. Used widely during the past three decades, it has been both praised and condemned. With little or no research up to now either to corroborate or dispute the myths, many people, especially teenagers, are confused.

In The Truth about Pot, Joanne Baum reveals the damage marijuana can do in people's lives. "It is certainly clear from these people's stories ranging from nine months to almost fifteen years...that pot is not a harmless drug to be used with no consequences," writes Baum in the final chapter. "Marijuana users can lose years from their lives and experience long-lasting mental and emotional pain."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Joanne Baum Ph. D. is a Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and a Level Three Certified Alcoholism Counselor. She has a private practice in Evergreen, Colorado and is about to embark on a new career as a school social worker.She has worked in the field of substance abuse since 1981. Specialty areas: drug and alcohol problems, family issues, interventions, parenting, school problems, depression, life transitions, aging, and post traumatic stress disorder. Works for the courts as a Special Advocate, Parenting Coordinator, and Parenting Plan Evaluator.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Hazelden; 1 edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1562461249
• ISBN-13: 978-1562461249
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #373,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very helpful for anyone that thinks they may have an addiction to pot, January 19, 2009

By 

BrittanyAlexis82 "Britt" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Truth About Pot: Ten Recovering Marijuana Users Share Their Personal Stories, Ph.D. (Paperback)

I've read this book and personally have found it very helpful. I've been smoking pot everyday for almost a decade. I'd be a liar as well as a moron to try to suggest that I don't have an addiction or problem with it. People don't believe that you can become physically addicted to pot because you don't get the shakes or have physical with drawls. They may be right. I'm not physically addicted, it's all mental. I think or used to think everything was better when I was stoned. Sex, movies, food, everything. I used to think that it didn't effect my life and that I could stop at any time. Then I tried to stop. I would think about being stoned all the time. No matter what I was doing, I would think it would be better to be doing it stoned.
Addiction creeps up on you. Most people don't get addicted to pot just like most people don't get addicted to alcohol or sex or food. But some people do. To make a general statement that it's impossible to get addicted to pot is ignorant as well as idiotic. When you use drugs and it makes you happy, it sends dopamine to your brain and your body associates the drug with happiness and starts to depend on it whether it's alcohol, pot, vicoden, whatever.
There is no community or support for people that abuse pot. marijuana anonymous is a joke. It's basically AA in disguise and if your not into god good luck with that.
It was refreshing for me to read these peoples stories and relate exactly to what they were feeling and going through. I don't really relate to alcoholics and drug addicts. they tell these awful stories about hitting rock bottom and your like "I forgot my friends birthday or was going to do something and got lazy and didn't" and they just kind of roll your eyes at you like you don't really have an addiction because it's not as severe. Well- smoking pot is definitely screwing up my life. I used to be fun and social and go out all the time. Now I stay home most nights watching reruns or when I'm out I'm thinking about going home and smoking pot.
And for all the people that left negative comments about this book stop saying that's it's impossible to get addicted to pot. Your just making yourself sound stupid. It is not impossible. Educate yourself.

23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some of the previous reviews are to be disregarded., July 27, 2006

By 

Mark (NJ United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Truth About Pot: Ten Recovering Marijuana Users Share Their Personal Stories, Ph.D. (Paperback)

To make a blanket statement that Pot is not addictive, as some of the previous reviewers have...is discouraging to say the least. To those who do have a problem, it is down right irresponsible. I bought this book to try to find some help for my brother, who admits that he has a problem. It is harder and harder to watch him "toke his life away." Most of his money is spent on pot. He has become more and more listless and unwilling to join in on life. He has become more and more isolated because his buddies have long since grown up and stopped getting high. I was discouraged to see such a low rating for this book. But as I read the reviews, I found they were to be dismissed. They are not intelligent thought. They are written by people who feel the need to defend pot smoking. To me, some are in denial and are threatened by any assertion that pot might be addicted. Some of the other reviewers are just morons who haven't figured out that its time to grow up. Give this book a try if you think you have a problem, or know someone who does.

12 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars for those who really want to know it all, January 31, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Truth About Pot: Ten Recovering Marijuana Users Share Their Personal Stories, Ph.D. (Paperback)

This book interviewed 10 people who developed problems after smoking pot on a regular basis for a while. They all started off just having fun. Not everyone who smokes pot will become addicted but the statistics indicate that 20% of the people will. You ought to know about that and what can happen. Because pot's side effects are more indisdious and not as extreme as side effects from like cocaine or heroin, people often think the side effects are somethig else and actually smoke more pot to get away from the stuff the pot is causing. This is not Nazi like, it's just a more complete picture. Most pre-teens, teens and parents ought to read this and discuss what's real in this book. Each story is told in the person's own words.