Pothead

My Life as a Marijuana Addict in the Age of Legal Weed

By: Neal Pollack

Narrated by: Tim Paige

Beginning innocently enough in his 20s, Neal Pollack discovers that pot makes everything - food, music, sex - better. Getting married, having a kid, and enjoying professional success didn't tamp down Pollack's addiction. As cannabis grew stronger and more widely available, Pollack's dependence was shadowed by the expansion and acceptance of the marijuana Big Business.

By 2014, Neal was a correspondent for a national marijuana newspaper, mostly because it meant free pot. Diving into the wild, wicked world of weed with both lungs, Pollack proceeds to smoke, vape, and eat his way to oblivion, leading to terrible public meltdowns and other embarrassing behavior. After his mother dies in 2017, he spirals out of control, finally hitting rock bottom during a reckless two-day gambling and drug-filled binge, culminating in a public crack-up at the World Series in Dodger Stadium. Three weeks later, he quit.

Sober after joining a 12-step program, Neal outed himself publicly as a marijuana addict in a 2018 New York Times op-ed piece, leading to his decision to document his addiction experience as a cautionary tale for the millions of recreational users in the hazy age of legalized marijuana.

©2020 Neal Pollack (P)2020 Tantor

Only redeeming quality was the narrator’s voice

Tedious memoir offering little more than superficial insight. The book’s first chapters are stilted, boring, detailed accounts of an addict’s movements. Even the latter chapters aren’t especially honest or compelling. Not much here to help me understand more than what I already knew: addicts are self-obsessed and self-absorbed; the parents (and everyone else) are always implicated; and even after they quit they still don’t fully grapple with how much they’ve hurt and disappointed the people who love them.
I couldn’t wait for the end of the story just so I didn’t have to hear the word “hork” again.

Thanks for sharing

I feel inhibited to write a real review, because in Marijuana Anonymous we mostly refrain from commenting when another member shares their story. This book is a lot like a much longer version of something you might hear at an MA speaker meeting - a member talking about their personal journey. Neal's story is pretty unusual in some specifics, but I also found a lot I could relate to. I was a little confused by the transition between his "bottom" and entering recovery - it seemed like there was no discussion of making the decision to try sobriety. Also I got a little confused because the story seemed to jump back and forth on the time line a little. Overall, it is great to see a prominent story about marijuana addiction and recovery because too many people (even some marijuana addicts) don't know that it is a real thing. Thanks for sharing Neal!

You are not going to like the author,but that is the point.

This is the life and times of a man with an addiction to cannabis, the so called harmless drug. It is true, Cannabis is a drug that you can use on a daily basis and get by in life, but you turn into a selfish P.O.S.. This is a message that is not expressed enough. Life with a stoner revolves around their next toke. The people around them will always have to take a back seat. Of course the stoner will not admit this. Ask friends and family and you will learn the truth of the affects of marijuana.

Relatable experiences

Having two passions; both loving weed and sobriety, this book provided a great experience and perspective of the thoughtful pothead.

What we need

This is the perspective we should be discussing more with the popularisation and legalisation of cannabis. I also heard the myth that weed is not addictive so sparking this conversation is really important and overall I found this relatable and inspiring