Pubdate: Fri, 31 Mar 2017
Source: Province, The (CN BC)
Copyright: 2017 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.theprovince.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/476
Author: Wayne Moriarty
Page: 6

POT IS A WAY TO HELP ADDICTS TAKE THE EDGE OFF

My father, who is 89 and lives with Alzheimer's disease, has always
been longer on charm than wisdom.

Despite the cruelty of his affliction, he remains the jolliest person
I know. He flirts with the nurses; he flirts with the residents. His
ability to recall names, faces and memories is profoundly impaired;
yet, when presented with the opportunity to enchant and delight, the
man just seems to effortlessly hit a switch and away he goes.

It really is something to behold; I will miss this the most about him
when he calls it a day.

As for wisdom, it is not something this boyish fellow has shared much
through his life. At least not with me.

That said, he's not devoid of advice. There has been some attempt at
guidance. Like, for example, "everything in moderation." That's his
favourite. Even in the grips of dementia, if I speak with him about a
problem I am having, regardless of the problem, his two cents will
always be something that resembles "everything in moderation."

So you know, I haven't lived much of my time heeding those
words.

I have written in this space before about my problems with alcohol.
It's been 10 years since my last drink. That's a good thing. I am
better at abstinence than moderation. In fact, on the matter of
moderation, I fail spectacularly - again and again and again.

I exercise too much. I stay up too late. I eat ice cream almost every
freaking night regardless of the consequences this can have on a man
of my constitution and vintage.

I suspect this is the case with most addicts and alcoholics. We tend
to give up one thing, only to pick something else.

The art, it seems, is making certain that the new vice is less
self-destructive than the old one.

This brings me to an interesting bit of work being done in a Los
Angeles addiction clinic where alcoholics and addicts are being
rehabbed with marijuana.

It's called "High Sobriety," and is a treatment option that ought to
be given thoughtful consideration as more and more jurisdictions
legalize pot.

Joe Schrank is a co-founder of the clinic. He is a recovering
alcoholic. In an interview with the New York Times recently, he argued
the obvious and simple point that marijuana will not kill patients as
opiates do. Moreover, he told the Times, pot gives addicts some sense
of emotional control.

There is no doubt in my mind that the ideal course of action for
anyone who struggles with alcohol and/or drugs is to stop using
alcohol and drugs. But clearly, that is not a model that works for
everyone.

Abstinence is hard.

For people who simply can't quit the bad addictions and start
exercising too much, a spectrum of treatments ought to be considered -
including, most certainly, taking the edge off with a little pot.

I say this even if the result is a marijuana addiction/habit, because,
well, as problems go, pot is far less grim and self-destructive than
both heroin and booze.

Tonight, I will read this column to my dad. I do this whenever I
reference him. I know already what his thought on the matter will be.
It will be a good thought, a wise thought.

"Everything in moderation," he will say.

When the day comes, I will miss that guidance I have so wilfully
ignored all these years. Almost as much as I will miss his charm.
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MAP posted-by: Matt