High Times & Changing Minds: Navigating Marijuana in Today's World

Join us for a candid conversation as we delve into the ever-evolving dynamics of marijuana use and mental health. 

From personal anecdotes to societal shifts, we explore the complexities surrounding cannabis in today's world. 

Discover how attitudes have changed, reflect on past perceptions, and gain insights into navigating this intriguing intersection of wellness and culture. 

Tune in for an engaging dialogue that promises both nostalgia and enlightenment, as we explore the highs and lows of marijuana's journey from taboo to mainstream

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Transcript

0:08

You are listening to Wicked Psychotherapists, a podcast where two psychotherapists show you that taking care of and learning about mental health doesn't have to be wicked hard. Hi, everyone. This is Tanya. Hi, this is Erin, and welcome to Wicked Psychotherapist.

Tanya: 0:36

Yes, welcome. Welcome to our show. So today a very interesting topic, a very relevant one that is discussing mental health and marijuana, Mary Jane, the devil's lettuce. Yes. Okay. I ran out of names. Yeah, I, yeah. Pot, weed, uh, weed, whatever you know it by. Yeah. But, yeah, so we thought we would talk about maybe some things just to consider, maybe some trends we're seeing in mental health. And the first thing that I really wanted to talk about was seeing an increase in discussion for intake sessions and just in sessions in general. I have seen personally a rise in that because I think of the possible de stigmatization so now it's, you know, it's more a part of the conversation during the intake. Have you seen something similar?

Erin: 1:29

Yeah, I have. Uh, I noticed within the past, I think it might be the past two or three years, I've really seen an uptake. Tick. Take. is that word? Uptick. It does sound like uptick though. Uptick. Yeah, uptick. Yeah, well, I've seen an increase. All right. It's a weird, English language is weird, isn't it? English is weird. But I've seen an uptick. I think because

Tanya: 1:54

we're talking about intakes, so we're saying it's uptick. Tick, but it does, like, I keep thinking uptake too.

Erin: 2:00

I don't know. Anyway, so in my intake, I've seen an increase of people saying that they smoke pot or they, for either recreational purposes or to help with their anxiety or depression. And where in the past, like, people might just put like, Oh, used to, or, you know, sometimes recreational. And then when I ask them, they will say it's like a daily usage or. Sometimes, multiple times a day, where maybe, when I say multiple, seven or more, sometimes it's just like, people are like, oh, I'll write before bed to help with anxiety, or if I know I'm doing this, go into the stressful thing, I, but I have really noticed an increase, I mean, especially here in Florida, it's not legal unless you have a medical card, but I've seen more and more people getting the medical card. And using it for not just medical purposes, for recreational, for helping anxiety, and just all around. How about you?

Tanya: 3:04

it's tough to tell if it's kind of an uptick at this point, or if it's that people, you know, because of it's the stigmatization, it is legal in Massachusetts now, you know, we have dispensaries and things like that, but it is hard to tell if maybe people just weren't talking about it because of its, you know, legal status before this, or if it has been an increase, but I do know that conversations around talking about its effects on mental health have led me to, to believe that some people are not fully aware that this is something that can affect your mental health. I think that's a big thing, you know, that I've definitely seen an increase in a need to address. And I'm not, you know, I'm not coming in here, we're not coming in here saying, you know, yay or nay to, to this, we're just bringing it as a thing to just be aware of just like, you know, how much, water you drink every day, how much, you know, alcohol you do and take, you know, just to kind of one of those factors and to just say that, you know, a lot of the conversations I do have with people, if I do see, say like daily use, I, you know, if there's maybe unexplained mood changes or an increase in anxiety or depression, things like that, I might kind of wander into the territory of, well, you know, how long have you been, you know, smoking or, you know, drinking similarly. Right. But we're talking about We're talking about the pot today. The pot. So, you know, uh, I was thinking of Flanders.

Erin: 4:29

It's hard not to think of Ned Flanders. Like you just picture Ned Flanders waving his finger. Telling you not to smoke or, like, I think, you know, like, so, yeah, the devil's lettuce, as you said earlier. The devil's lettuce. Yeah. Yeah. No,

Tanya: 4:44

and we certainly don't have that stance on it. We are just trying to point out that it is a factor, and that's something we've noticed, I think, that there is a gap in understanding its connection in mental health and, uh, possible usage, and just saying it could be a factor, right? You know?

Erin: 4:59

And also, I think that people forget, too, that It can be a depressant. I know people think like, Oh, well, it's helping alleviate my anxiety. It's making me feel less depressed, but just like with alcohol, sometimes you don't see it, you know, like with alcohol, you might be like, Oh my gosh, I had so much fun. I had fun with friends. I was drunk and whatever happened. And two or three days later, you're like, wow, I'm super depressed. I don't know why. It's because alcohol is a depressant, much like, you know, when you're smoking or gummies or however you're taking marijuana, it also can be a depressant on your body. And a stimulant of the same kind. So it can be very confusing to you. Wonkier. Yeah. It's very confusing to your system sometimes.

Tanya: 5:46

Yeah, for sure. And it, I think that is something that people don't necessarily understand about themselves. I think since it has become destigmatized, legalized in some places, It may be something that the rhetoric around it may be that, you know, Hey, this is something that I can use if I'm anxious. This is something that's completely harmless. This is something I've seen so and so do in the same way that we say like, Oh, a glass of wine to unwind. But in a similar vein, if you're reliant on that, if your mood is influenced by that, if you continue to drink or you continue to, you know, kind of take more and more of that to rely on it. That could be an issue with your mental health, because you're then not utilizing coping skills, healthier ones that maybe could get you by, and then you're also bec you're becoming dependent on it, which, I again, I'm not saying there's no judgment in this conversation, it's just, it's something to consider. Right. It's something to think about.

Erin: 6:44

And this is not, this podcast is not brought to you by Nancy Reagan's dare or anything like that. This is not. It's certainly not. We're not saying that. We're not going to, you know, do scarcity or anything. But, We do want to talk about, like the, because we are therapists and we like to talk about how we see it's affected in our practice. What we see with clients also, we want to educate you a little bit about it. Right. Because, especially now, we're hearing, you know, like, oh, all the positives of it and, you know, from, you know, a lot of people and it's, and yeah, there could be. I mean, like it, there, there's, there are a lot of positives for like some people who suffer from different. medical ailments, but also if you do have anxiety or depression or other mental health issues, you also have to be aware, how is it going to interact with my medication I'm already prescribed if I'm taking medication? How does it interact if I drink? How does it interact, like, you know, if I'm not of legal age? You know, like, whatever that is, if it's 21, 18, or, you know, You know, because that also affects, you know, because our brains aren't fully developed people until we're 27 or so.

Tanya: 7:55

Yeah, which is completely different than what we thought from our generation, which was like, what, 21 or something? You know, we're like, oh, yeah, it's not until 21. I think even 18 at one point, then we're like, oh, yeah, okay, 21, 22. That was like 27, and now it's like,

Erin: 8:08

okay,

Tanya: 8:08

pretty much 30.

Erin: 8:09

Yeah, never. Yeah, it's just continuing. But, I mean, but, and that's a big thing, because if you're thinking, Like, you know, like about your brain, and if you're, if it's not fully developed till you're 27, you really want to protect it.

Tanya: 8:22

Right. Right. And because, you know, in, in certain instances, you're kind of more vulnerable to things going on if you are still developing, again, that's not to say, you know, that either one of us are squeaky clean or anything like that, you know, there's, again, there's, this is not a judgment. This is just something that I think gets overlooked a lot because, there has been, in order to de stigmatize. you know, marijuana. I think a lot of people have pointed out its benefits, which certainly there are, you know, there can be for some people this has, you know, so that they can for medical conditions, for anxiety, uh, for depression, for focus, you know, for various things And, you know, No doubt, but it's the same as, you know, you know, you also, if you're starting to, you know, kind of be a daily user, if that's something that helps you and you function well, and there's not any issues with that, and you're just coming to therapy because, you know, something happened, like, you know, a recent event happened, an acute, uh, event, like, you know, somebody passed away, or something traumatic happened, that might be a different conversation versus there's this, you know, kind of feeling of anxiety. I don't know where it's coming from, whereas that may kind of come more into play with, you know, what are some other substances, some other things at play, which can include other things like alcohol and, you know,

Erin: 9:37

prescriptions. As therapists, that's when we would ask too, what else, what do you do on a daily basis? Or you know, if you're using any substance and we would ask this for anything, if you're taking anxiety medication, if you're drinking, if you're, you know, whatever you're using. So we do ask how often and you know, right now we're just talking about marijuana or you know, so that, right,

Tanya: 10:01

right. So we're kind of focusing in on, you know, the fact that I think that what shocks me When I do talk to clients that are, and I work with adults, so these are not, these are all over the age of 21 actually, that, you know, when I'm talking to them, if I start to kind of question, you know, maybe it could be marijuana that's changing your mood and they have a hard time seeing that because maybe they've been in the habit of doing this or they've seen You know, the smoking as something that's the only thing that's right, but there's other things going on. There's long, longer term effects that maybe they're not aware of, and that's always been something I think that's something I would like to look into. stress more with people is knowing that, hey, it's not just the effects of when you're high. It's also, there's other stuff. It stays in your system, you know, and there's other effects of that and being educated on that and understanding that because that's really what, it's the same with alcohol, right? You know, it's really, you know, knowing how you can interact with it, how it affects your behavior, how it affects your mood. And being, you know, I think kind of self educated in that and being aware, self aware of that and being educated in it is really important, you know. And so I think when that's been really surprising to me, how little is understood because of this time that we're in, you know, these, I think maybe young adults maybe kind of learned about this as less stigmatized than maybe our generation did. And then, of course, you know, on and on before that, and so maybe there's not really any of the, yeah, sure, this is something, you know, can be positive, but there's not an awareness of, you know, maybe too much could not be positive, maybe depending on the things that you know, you ate, other things like you said that you've taken, that it could also cause some interactions, and so being aware of those things is really necessary, and we're saying that because. I think sometimes people come in and they have experienced what I commonly see is an anxiety rebound. And they originally started smoking to deal with kind of everyday generalized anxiety. Right. But then something has built up in their system or maybe their system is responding differently for whatever reason. You know, there's something that's now creating anxiety from that. And that's a, that's something I see often. Do you see that a lot? Yeah,

Erin: 12:21

I do. And then also with that, You know, they're piling on something to, that they feel is helping their anxiety, but it could possibly be creating more anxiety because they're not learning coping mechanisms and they're not also, they're also not dealing with whatever the initial cause of what is, you know, what is causing the anxiety. They're not working on that. Instead, it's like, okay, well, let me just take this substance to filter out the feeling of anxiety, but it's still going to be there,

Tanya: 12:50

right? Okay. Right. It's kind of the essentially numbing the emotions and not being able to manage it. And I think there are some instances where sometimes there isn't something you can do at that point. And maybe you just feel like I need to be able to continue through, you know, for the next few days and then maybe try to work on this. However, it usually doesn't happen that way. I think we tend to as humans, we kind of develop behavioral patterns and we go towards things that start to feel good. And I don't mean like, You don't necessarily like an addiction, but something that's working for you, we would tend to stay with rather than say, nope, wait, I got to stop and change direction because that's just a human pattern. That's just who we are. So that's where it can become a backslide effect where you start to put it in the back of your mind. And you might start thinking, Oh, this is just something like taking my multivitamin. This is just what I do, you know what I mean? Instead of evaluating what is it really doing to me?

Erin: 13:41

Well, much like when you said that it makes me think of like much like when people used to smoke cigarettes and you see, you know, I know people still do smoke cigarettes, but you don't see it as often. I mean, I grew up in a household where I felt like I needed to, I felt like it was like one of those cartoon things where I had to push the cloud of smoke away

Tanya: 13:58

because there

Erin: 13:58

was so much, I was the kid that probably smelled like cigarettes in first grade. But you often hear, like when people are trying to quit smoking, you know, or you heard when people quit smoking, like, well, what am I going to do when I talk on the phone? What am I going to do when I drive? You know, how, you know, who, how, what am I going to do drinking my, I'm just thinking of my mom. Like, what am I going to do if I'm drinking my coffee? Coffee and cigarettes. Yeah. So, so what, it's like, well, you would, how would you replace that behavior? So that, that's also, it's, so now we know, okay, so that behavior and that pattern's still there. So yes, you're still going to talk on the phone. You're still going to drive. You're still going to drink coffee, but you're going to replace it with something or you busy your hands. with something else, you know, or you, because I remember my mom tried quitting smoking a few, couple times. I'm like, you know, like, okay, well, let me knit or, you know, clasp my hands, do a crossword puzzle, you know, not while you're driving, but maybe I'm thinking of coffee, but like, I think it's pretty difficult, but same with, you know, like if you're trying Consumption of pot. Maybe, what would you do? You might, you know, well, what is causing my anxiety? What do, what am I avoiding? What are some of my coping mechanisms? What is realistic to do right now? So I'm feeling a little anxious. Okay, I want to smoke, but I want to just save it. I'm trying to just save it for like maybe at night. So what can I do instead? Okay, so is it realistic that I can go for a walk? I can, you know. Is it early in the morning? Maybe I'll start my day with a meditation. Maybe I'll start keeping track of what I'm eating. Maybe I'm really consuming a lot of caffeine. You know, like we were laughing. Yeah, my dad drinks like, like 10 cups a day. That's a lot. I would be in a corner having a panic attack because that would be just so much caffeine. But some people will tolerate caffeine differently. And so it's really so It's really good to kind of, if you're able to, track you know, what your day looks like when you do normally smoke and then what could it look like if you didn't smoke that much. We're not saying not to smoke, but if it's excessive and you are avoiding, you know, feelings. Yeah.

Tanya: 16:16

This is something we might address, like, depending on, you know, if it was a client, you know, we might come in and say like, Hey, what does that look like? Or like, Hey, what are some of the feelings that like, if I told you, you could not. smoke or you couldn't take an edible. Yeah. What are some of the feelings that you are fearful of or some of the things that you feel like you would have to kind of say, Oh, this is when I know I need to take my edible, what comes up and kind of placing yourself in there. Because for some people it could be behavioral, it could just be a routine, but then, you know, that they just kind of settled into. And for some people, I think maybe, you know, they just may not have dealt with how the emotions settle. with them and they maybe they don't know why and that is that's probably why they're coming to therapy, right? That's what we're digging for. That's what we're looking for. And that's a good thing to come for, you know Or to say I don't have coping skills. Like I never learned what coping skills were. Maybe they grew up in a house where this was normal, right?

Erin: 17:08

Yeah, like and things where you just use some sort of substance what whatever it is You know, and to cope, you know, it could be coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, exercise, you know, some people just use something, but they don't really want to try to go in. They've never were taught to feel or to feel that discomfort or to figure out what it is. And we're not saying everyone should have panic attacks or big anxiety without help, you know, but sometimes you have to figure out what the discomfort is and where it's coming from and what You know, some of the, what, where are the behaviors, maybe, because there might be something that's leading up to that behavior, or that feeling, or.

Tanya: 17:48

Right, right. Yeah, absolutely. I think that's a good point, you know, that you really might not know, you might not know the origin point. I mean, it might be something buried on top of another thing on top of another thing. And pot is just something that is in that chain of it. And so you may have to on, on, you know, dig and dig. But again, this is all stuff we work out in therapy. This is therapy is working through this. It's like digging through like the bones. Burial grounds of your mind, you know, you're kind of saying, okay, what's in there? And yeah, you know, and that's what we're saying is just, there's an awareness that, you know, somewhere in there, marijuana could be some sort of factor as to, you know, if you say you use it a lot or say when you use it, you have a Different feeling than normal, whatever it may be, it's just something that we would talk about, you know, it's just something that we would say, Hey, is this maybe not helping out just like we would, if you know, you see that you're drinking seven, you know, cocktails a night, that's probably an issue, you know, or something. And yeah,

Erin: 18:45

I was gonna say, or if you tell us your tolerance has gone up. But you're still feeling the same or worse, then that might be something that we're like, okay, well, how often are you, why did you start? Is it still fun? Like if you started recreationally, or did you start for, to help with your anxiety? Is it still helping your anxiety? If the answer is no to both, then we also might be like, okay, let's go do a deep dive and try to figure out. What, you know, what else can work or what else can we help you with?

Tanya: 19:17

Yeah, I, you know, this is really strange, but like lately I've been really thinking like visualizing when I go through intakes, when I see, you know, the written ones before I actually meet the client, I will look and I'll see those things, those answers as kind of like possible. Maybe like a sister is like tools or something when I'm asking about what's going on here, what are we looking at? And I said like, okay, that's one thing in there. Right. You know, also amongst many other things that are asked in it, but we're just trying to point to the fact that could possibly be something that's in the chain there that is maybe just needs to be considered more, or we need some more education on it or really like, you know, another kind of awareness of it, of how it is affecting you whether that be positively or negatively at various points, right? So i think that's kind of what we really wanted to get out there is just that it's because, i really have just seen people that And this is a total generalization. This is not everyone, of course, but I have seen definitely an increase in people not believing that this has anything to do with their mood or their behavior. And it's really, you know, kind of, it needs to be known because it's not nothing. It's a chemical. You know, I know that we are not saying it is the devil's lettuce anymore, but you know, it's, it is something that. you know, it's, it can affect your mood and your behaviors and your thoughts very much. So just like anything else, just like alcohol, just like, you know, and you need to know your tolerance. You need to know how it affects you to, I think, be healthy and to kind of continue to take that, you know, however, in whatever amounts, you know, if it's daily, if it's every once in a while, just like you would, you know, kind of have to know like, Oh, what's your, you know, what's your speed with drinking kind of thing, you know, like,

Erin: 21:00

and some people too. You also want to look at your history and we're not saying, I know everyone's like oh well, there's a lot of talk of if you smoke it leads you down a road to everything else. We're not saying that. The gateway drug. Yeah. But I am going to say though you want to look at also your family history. Like what is your family history? And that goes for any medication your doctors prescribe or anything you're on. Like you look at your medical history.

Tanya: 21:26

what your doctor is doing. Yeah. Right. I don't know. You want to see like if there's substance

Erin: 21:30

abuse, if there's addiction, if there's how other people in your family have tolerated anything. So that's also stuff you want to look at and hopefully have an open conversation with your doctor too. If you do.

Tanya: 21:43

Yeah. Because it really, I mean. It is something really important that, you know, we just don't know how individually, how every drug in the world interacts with different systems. And that's the reality of it. Everybody's system is very different. And you have to, you are responsible for that. It's not that, Oh, this is legal. So it's fine for everyone. You know, I think that in some young people and maybe I've even seen it in some adults, you know, that they kind of have that thinking and it's like, well, you wouldn't go and smoke and then go, you know, drive around and, you know, kind of. You know, be like, Oh, hey, I'm going to go, I don't know, drive, you know, and drink, you know, a 40 or whatever, you know, kind of do that, right? Like it's the same. So you really just have to be aware of how much does this impair me? What can I do? What am I, what's the purpose of this? And, you know, if some people, like, I've had a, some people feel like if I analyze, this is not something that really is relaxing to me anymore. Oh, okay. That's a big thing. Yeah. Right? That's a gateway. That's a, not a gateway. That's a bridge to something. Yeah. Right? You know, that's like kind of saying, Oh, well maybe there is something you don't want to look at. Maybe they're and not having anything to do with marijuana itself, but that may be saying. I don't want to be present for these things right now. Maybe I am unhappy and I don't want to be present for work. I don't want to be present around my family because I'm really unhappy. You know, that's a definite thing we can address. And

Erin: 23:05

then if they are telling you, I'm not really liking the way I feel, or it's not really giving me the same effect. But they keep doing it, so then it's become like a habit, a ritual that maybe they're going to be happy that you addressed it, so then it could be like, wow, maybe this is something that I might want to have reduced in my life, or maybe eliminated, or thought about differently, or I'm glad we're talking about it.

Tanya: 23:29

Yeah, I mean that's really what we if anything that's what we just want you to take from that conversation is because of course there's a little bit of defensiveness in sometimes and people if we do approach this because it is so newly kind of, I think, you know, You know, legalized and de stigmatized that some people may kind of be like, oh, are they trying to say I'm an addict or am I trying to say this? We're not. We're just trying to see where does this fit in the puzzle piece? Where is it, you know, kind of in the chain that might be affecting you? And that's something that really should be for your, you know, for your providers in general, right? You know, it's kind of a general rule of thumb to talk about, to have that discussion. Yeah.

Erin: 24:08

Because it's not, because a lot of times when we were talking with clients, it's not. I'm just, I, it's just in my head, I just started thinking of like the old Cheech and Chong movies. Like, you know, like, up in smoke, head stuff, but it's not. I thought of the mustaches. Oh my god. Yeah. But yeah, but that's when you picture sometimes that or, oh gosh, I'm thinking some other movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, you know, like just like the cloud of smoke and the cars and stuff like that. But people, like a lot of times people were thinking like, they're like, okay, well, I'm not doing that. I'm not, I'm just, you know, having a gummy or I'm just doing this or I'm, you know, have, right. That's a good, I'm faking. That's a really

Tanya: 24:44

good point. It's like not quite the association of like being. Like up in smoke, right? And like the big fat joint and like, you know, kind of that type of thing. Like it may be just like, Oh, I'm just doing something to help my mood because sometimes it can be kind of talked about. I think nowadays and just that regard or like, Oh, this is just to help me relax, you know, and like, I definitely heard like I popped a gummy and I just kind of, you know, unwind, you know, was just unwinding, which is like, Okay, you know, I've heard, you know, I have a glass of wine and I unwind too. And that may or may not be a something, right, depending on what the issue is. And I actually, I kind of wanted to shift it. You actually just had me thinking about, because we're from, you know, a pretty similar generation and, you know, uh, So, I was just thinking, when you were growing up, what was your association with marijuana? Like, what was your kind of, like, fast times at Ridgemont High? Like, was it, like, Sean Penn smoking, like, up in smoke, like, kind of surfer dude? He was in that, right? Oh, my God, am I remembering that wrong? Yeah,

Erin: 25:41

Sean Penn. And then there was, like, I remember that one movie. It was, like, in, like, the 90s or something, but it was.Set for the 70s. It was, It was just like a bunch of teenagers and they're just smoking the whole time. days and confused of that. I remember going and seeing that quite a few times with friends from high school and that was kind of the I think that was the movie of our time. I mean, I don't even know when it was how 93, like early nineties. Yeah. So 93, I think. So I remember going to see that a couple of times in high school and stuff and just being like, even though it was supposed to be set in the seventies, it felt very, all right, this is, you know, like, because I don't know, it felt like It was, I don't know, I don't want to say it was socially acceptable, but it's high school. Like, some people view things differently. And so, but yeah, I do remember Cheech and Chong felt very insane. Like, that is so ridiculous, you know. Well, just funny. Yeah, just funny. But yeah, I remember Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Dazed and Confused felt a little more realistic.

Tanya: 26:42

Yeah, it kind of seemed like those types of movies I was trying to think of a particular Movie and I can't quite think of one but like Definitely, you know, just kind of how it was represented in movies and in shows and like series and things like that. It just seemed like the things that, you know, kids do to experiment and just kind of, I don't know. They were just, but it was also, you know, when I was in high school, it was kind of like the group of like, oh, the potheads, right? You know, like those are the, you always could tell they always reeked of smoke. They had the big, you know, kind of baggy jeans and, you know, they just kind of always were like, what? And maybe. And you wonder like a set of glasses or something. If you

Erin: 27:19

wonder, where were the teachers? Like, because like how did the teachers not know or do they not care? Because that was like my high school was an open, like we had an open campus, so we even had like a cigarette smoking section and that's how old I am. No, but like additive teachers not know like, okay, you smell like pot today, or your eyes are blood bloodshot. Or do they not care? Probably.

Tanya: 27:44

I think they caught on. They just, they have so many kids, they're just like, as long as they're not dying, you know, like, I'm good. That's kind of their own stuff. That's their extracurricular, you know, they kind of couldn't really focus on that. Yeah. Unless like something was, you know, because kids are going to be kids, you know, like it's, I'm not saying that's the way it is now, but yeah, I think it's more kind of like people, I don't know. I really, okay. I'm not that in touch with youth all that much, but I think that it's. It's very much like the movies I see and the general sense that I get with like, you know, kind of just like how it's portrayed in like, you know, media and stuff like that is that it's kind of more just like, it's nothing, you know, I just, Oh yeah, I popped a gummy or like people are just smoking and it's just like, that's just how it is like smoking pot, you know, and not,

Erin: 28:27

but it also doesn't seem, you don't see people passing, you know, like in movies and stuff like that. That they're not sitting on a beach passing a joint or. Smoke in the bar or whatever. So it's a little, it's less communal.

Tanya: 28:39

I feel like it's a little different in like where they used to represent like people so pot as like. Uh, like they're so stupid and like kind of, you know, like they're really kind of dumb. They're slackers and things like that. And like nowadays, I think it's just kind of more part of like the, you know, your teacher could be popping a gun at night kind of thing. I'm not saying they are. I'm just saying that. Okay. Teachers don't get offended. No slander.

Erin: 29:01

Yeah. No, it is. It is more, especially now where it's legal in some states and some people have prescriptions It is feeling like it's more socially acceptable where it's not stigmatized as such a high head, but it's more, okay, well, well, they need it. It's medicinal, but it's also again, like we said earlier, it can still, you know, like depending on what you're using it for and how often you're using it, you know, it's still, it's not always just to, you know, It's not, it might not always be just alleviate, alleviate in your anxiety or whatever you're there for.

Tanya: 29:38

Yeah. educating yourself on the strains and things like that. And like where it's, you know, kind of coming from and you can, you know, at the dispensary, they usually do have someone who's knowledgeable and can explain that to you, you know, kind of thing. But I mean, you know, so I think that there definitely has been a shift in that, but there's, you know, in, in all shifts, there's just things, I was just gonna mention that just because, you know, it's only, it's

Erin: 30:00

only like 10 minutes at a, like a five hour thing. It's like you couldn't do anything more. You could, you know, you could do anything more and there are many ways I think that if I were to have told my therapist, yeah, I smoke or I do this, or I smoke seven times a day, I think it would have been definitely approached differently than it would be today.

Tanya: 30:23

Right, right. That was kind of more like you can't have an open conversation about that. I even remember when I first started doing therapy, like, you know, over at Decade ago, it was even back then, like even a decade back, it was, Oh, this is kind of on the edge, you know, kind of thing. And, uh, I don't know if like, this is something, if the kid's under a certain age, do I report kind of thing? Yeah. You know, kind of questioning. Yeah.

Erin: 30:45

Yeah. I remember I used to see teens when we first graduated, I was like, okay, I'm going, you know, and I was like, Oh, what do I do? You know, like I remember wondering, like. Am I supposed to say anything or just let them talk about it? It felt so narky, but I didn't say, you know, I was like I, then I talked to our professors or whoever, you know, it's like, It's weird. It's a weird area, but now it's like, okay, different. It's a different world. I don't see teens anymore. I learned my lesson. I did not learn my lesson, but I just decided I like adults. You can say it. I did. I learned my

Tanya: 31:17

lesson

Erin: 31:18

from that. Yeah, I decided. That's the nice thing too about being a baby therapist. When you first start, you get to realize who you want to see. And now it's. So,

Tanya: 31:28

yeah, so now, kind of what area interests you, where you want to go after that. Yeah, so now I see adults and

Erin: 31:33

it's, yeah, it's been like a decade or so and, you know, now, yeah, the shift of the marijuana topic has changed too and how we feel about it and stuff and it's, yeah, it's funny. It's a weird world, isn't it? It's weird. It is. I think about when I was younger going to like legalization rallies and stuff like that. It's just like a different world. I mean, I, you know, like, it's just, I don't know. It's just weird. It's weird. I feel like I'm like 90 or something like that now, but it is just really it's weird. It's like

Tanya: 32:02

we've lived through like a, like shifts and movements and that's something, you know, that's something that like. People actually in society don't understand like, you know, some young people have not seen yet. And that you remember that. Yeah, I do. I mean, I remember going

Erin: 32:15

to quite a few in Boston and stuff and just thinking that this was the coolest thing and just imagine this will never happen. What a world, you know, like just.

Tanya: 32:25

Right. Yeah. I remember thinking that too, like, Oh my God, this is like, and when started to become closer and closer, I was like, I never knew this day would come in my lifetime. It's, it was just so bizarre. Yeah. It's almost surreal. And so it's, you know, kind of just to, to reflect on that, you know, just to give a perspective of a couple of oldies here, you know, that's how I feel.

Erin: 32:45

Yeah. I mean, like, yeah. So that also, yeah, it is. I mean, like, I, yeah, I understand. I mean, like, I understand how. Great. It is that you're, you are able to go to your doctor or you are able to, but it also, we want you to be safe and we want to make sure that you're given the right coping mechanism and everything too.

Tanya: 33:02

Right. Cause that essentially is therapy is, you know, trying to figure out these things and to be able to guide yourself towards something that, you know, isn't working towards something that, that could be better for you. And so that's the whole purpose of it. And so this is just one. One part of it that we thought, you know, maybe could be highlighted for today and could be discussed openly. Yeah, and we, you know, it's kind of fun to jump down that, yeah, that route and think about it from our perspective when we were younger because I'd forgotten some of those things.

Erin: 33:30

Yeah, and I always feel, now I feel like I need to watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I used to think Sean Penn was so cute in that movie. Me

Tanya: 33:37

too. Oh my gosh, I loved him. Yeah. Yeah. Him

Erin: 33:40

and. It's funny, and that must be why, like, him and Owen Wilson, I like their little broken noses. I don't know. Yeah,

Tanya: 33:46

uh, Owen Wilson was, had to grow on me, but like, I, yeah, oh yeah, I still We like bad actors. We do. It's a requirement for them. They're just so cute, you know? Yes. And yeah, so, uh, looks like we can kind of close this one out and, you know, we hope you enjoyed this talk. Please let us know if you have any comments or anything that you just want to fill in, anything that, You feel like maybe, uh, we didn't add enough in or to clarify something because we're always open to feedback and, you know,

Erin: 34:17

comments, whatever

Tanya: 34:18

you think. We're looking forward to it. If we offended you

Erin: 34:20

by the dare comments, we apologize.

Tanya: 34:25

I don't think anyone's offended by that. Except for Sheldon on Young Sheldon and Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. Yeah. He talks about Derek. Does he? Oh, he signed the pledge. He takes it very seriously. Anyways, and Young Sheldon, I am not,

Erin: 34:40

I have to watch Young Sheldon. I know it's like over, but I've never seen it. It's really

Tanya: 34:43

funny. It's actually the last season coming up like this week, like starts this week. And my husband and I got into it for some reason. I don't know why. I was like, I'm not going to like this show. And just like Big Bang Theory, I've, like, hooked on it, so. Yeah, my dad,

Erin: 34:56

my dad always talks, that's, like, my dad's favorite show right now. He's, he always says, like, how much he likes, I'm like, really?

Tanya: 35:02

It's funny. Because my dad, I don't think my dad watched

Erin: 35:04

Big Bang Theory, but he loves Young Sheldon.

Tanya: 35:07

Yeah, you can still really like it and, like, appreciate it. Kid actors are, I mean, all of them are amazing, but the kid actors are like, even from a young age, when they start, they're like six, the littlest ones, the twins or whatever, and they are amazing. Like, they're really good. I just can't like, I'm like, oh, wow. I remember when kid actors were like, would look at the camera and laugh and like sort of blur out their line because they just like, were kids and they can't really act. Like, don't fall in love. Like the full house

Erin: 35:33

people.

Tanya: 35:34

Yeah. Yeah. The full house twins. Yeah. But so leave us a review. It always helps. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram at Wicked Psychotherapists. On Facebook, we are the Wicked Psychotherapists. Subscribe,

Erin: 35:49

helps us out. Yeah. Tell your friends and friends. Yeah. And please, yeah, and if there are, we always ask, you know, if there's anything you want us to talk about in the future, let us know. We're always open. Yep. We are. We really like that feedback. And yeah, don't forget, stay wicked. And keep your mind well. So long folks. All right. Bye bye. Take care. Bye guys.

36:13

We Wish You a Merry Christmas I'm going to be doing a lot of this. So, uh, I'll see you guys later.