Why I Traded My Wine for Weed

As the world we live in becomes more frantic and the reality and responsibilities of the longer work day and week continue to increase. It becomes more important to figure out a way to de-stress, to take a breath and to change the pace from the frenetic one to a slower more laid back one that is more conducive to relaxing, especially after work and on weekends. For some it is easier said than done, and that may explain the growing trend among professionals and women in particular to have a glass of wine at the end of the day to decompress.  Added to this is the fact that it has been said that a glass of wine is good for the heart (just look at the French). All of this may add to the growing popularity of trading wine for weed.

While wine continues to be the leading choice for recreation and relaxing, that is changing. One of the reasons could be the hangovers that follow the glass of wine. Inevitably, one glass of wine with or after dinner turns into a bottle of wine and you pay the full price in the morning, nausea, massive headaches and lethargy are just some of the after effects of a night of relaxation with your favorite bottle of pinot. This is just one of the reasons why I followed a growing trend, why I traded my wine for weed.

Cost is another factor that led me to put down my glass and trade it for cannabis.  Let’s face it, there are thousands of wines on the market, and they are definitely not all the same. A good bottle of wine can be pretty expensive. When you drink wine you are looking for not only the experience, but also the taste, which eliminates the cheaper varieties. The plain and simple truth is that a the cheapest weed can offer much more than the cheapest bottle of wine and in some cases rival even more expensive brands in terms of potency.

Weight gain is something that the average person is concerned about and considering that the largest percentage of wine drinkers are women, weight is always at the forefront of their thoughts with anything they consume. The average glass of wine can contain between 100 to 300 calories. That’s no laughing matter if you drink on average 2-3 glasses a night 5-7 days a week do the math, the calories can quickly add up and hit their vulnerable mid-sections.

Unfortunately the effects of wine are not limited to, their midsections, alcohol consumption leads to dehydration, dry skin, rosacea and other skin conditions and can worsen due to the histamines that are present in wine, it damages the liver and causes more reckless driving and more accidents than cannabis. On the other hand, the health benefits of marijuana are a mile long. It can reduce menstrual cramps, neuropathic pain, spark creativity in most forms of creative expressions, dance, art and music.

So why aren’t more people trading in their wine for weed? Wine is a socially accepted custom that can be enjoyed without restriction, or criticism in most places, or in public. Traditional methods of ingesting weed, such as pipes, joint, etc. are still frowned upon in conventional circles. There are many advances and now new and different ways to enjoy cannabis more discreetly. Vape pens are catching on and edibles such as weed cakes can be very potent.

There are many conceptions, misconception and cultural prejudices about marijuana usage, who uses it and why. The largest consumers of wine are older, wealthier men and women; this is the target group for most sellers. Their sales are likely to be dramatically affected as the persons most likely to use legal marijuana are wine drinkers. Many people in this demographic are seeking to enjoy a much more natural, holistic way of relaxing. As food becomes more modified and it’s hard to know what goes into anything these days, the simplicity of weed appeals to me. The fact that cannabis can be grown in my backyard is an added bonus. I can use it in teas, poultices, deserts, drinks or smoke or vaporize it according to the need or my desires.

That is not to say that trading wine for weed will be everyone’s cup of tea. There are those few, who do not receive any appreciable or significant effect from cannabis. There are also those whose initial reaction is off putting and they never try it again, for them it is uncomfortable and sometimes hallucinatory.  To each his own, a glass of wine with or after a meal is settling for some and for others a gram of weed is the much cheaper option that can settle the stomach and the nerves as well.  While wine will always have its place at the table and in homes there is no doubt that countless consumers are trading wine for weed.