I am stunned every time I go to the doctor and they say my lungs sound perfect (Xrays for other reasons confirm) -- after a half-century-plus of cannabis use.

My esophagus may occasionally beg to differ, but that's just life.

It's all those years of deep, deep breathing.

#8 | Posted by Danforth

My wife was in ICU years ago for hypoxia. They gave her a spirometer to practice deep breathing.

I was able to max that thing out at will.

14.

Excuse me?

Caffeine alters mood, perception, judgment, and thinking, in addition to keeping someone awake and being useful to accelerate other drugs, such as acetaminophen.

People don't take ingest caffeine for the taste.

AI:

Yes, caffeine actively alters [mood, perception, judgment, and thinking]. As a central nervous system stimulant, it primarily blocks the brain's adenosine receptors, causing a cascade that increases dopamine and adrenaline.

How Caffeine Alters Your Brain

Mood: It reliably boosts feelings of alertness, pleasure, motivation, and well-being. However, excess consumption can trigger nervousness, jitters, and heightened anxiety.

Perception: Caffeine enhances vigilance and short-term sensory processing, making you feel more receptive to your environment. It can lower your subjective perception of fatigue, but may increase your perceived task demand.

Judgment: While it improves simple reaction times and attention, caffeine's effects on complex judgment and higher-order executive function are inconsistent. Some studies even suggest high doses can negatively impact complex decision-making and lead to impulsivity.

Thinking: It sharpens focused attention, speeds up cognitive processing, and reduces mind-wandering. However, it does not necessarily improve deep creative thinking or complex problem-solving.

"After smoking pot daily for over 30 years, a VA doctor told me..."

OK, so the doctor was a daily user. You still considered his advice? Good for you.

(I predict Danforth's amusement at the grammar Nazidom.)