The last few days, I’ve been writing about a good friend who I visited last weekend.  She’s such a lovely, kind person.  Lots of fun, too.  Lately, though, she’s not her usual self.

She’s been on a very strict diet.  Yes, 27 pounds are gone, but so is her joy and playfulness.  She’s tired a lot; she’s not so talkative as usual.  Things just are different.

“How’s your spiritual life, in the ‘diet days,'” I asked.  “OK, I guess, same-old, same-old, I go to my Buddhist meditation once a week, and sit, and contemplate,” she reports.  It’s something she’s done for about five years.  “What does it give you?” I wondered.

“I get a sense of peace, and feel more focused.”  I do see that in her. She does seem very peaceful, that’s true.  If it were me on that diet, I’d not be very peaceful, I’d be climbing the walls.

“I smoke a lot of pot, every day.  That makes me pretty spiritual and peaceful, too!”  She confided.  While a little pot once in awhile isn’t such a problem, smoking a lot, particularly every day, is problematic, I think.  Daily marijuana use has a lot of negative side-effects: lethargy, diminished ambition and motivation, the “munchies.”  It’s not so good for the lungs, either.  That worries me.

It’s an addiction, like overeating, or drinking regularly.  Something that needs to be fed on a regular basis.  I saw that the pot is taking away a lot of her energy, enthusiasm, and connection with others.  We talked about it, and she agrees.  “I’m kind of married to my pot,” she confided.  I think that’s probably true.

So – what to do?  Go to a 12-Step program and meet some other people and put spiritual beliefs into action.  See a therapist.  Talk with her spiritual counselor.  Deal with the presenting problem first.