this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2024
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Found myself in a pretty terrible place mental health wise for a few years. Every day after work was 20-60mg edibles, a bowl or three, and vaping. I did this with some incredibly toxic people.

I'm back on track with my life now and only smoke occasionally. But now when I get high I just fucking panic. I'm talking one single joint and I'm in full blown stoned panic. It's not eating junk food and laughing at stupid movies any more. It's being terrified that everyone hates me and that I'm wasting my life and stressing about climate change the increasingly fascist government. I literally cannot relax when I'm high any more.

Is this a thing that happens? How do I go back to a happy high?

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

I’ve found that weed can exacerbate or at least expose your current mental state. Sounds like you need a reboot my friend. Put the weed away for a good while. Work on yourself and your health. Find a new hobby and when the time is right, give it another try.

I’ve had years where I had to quit because of reasons much like yours. It was no longer doing me any good and it was a sign I needed change. Weed should be a bonus in life, never a chore.

E:

Just stay away from combustion. Stop burning weed. It’s gross. This is 2024, we don’t have to set it on fire anymore and inhale all those carcinogens. Plus it tastes like shit after not combusting for a significant amount of time. My lungs and body have thanked me for this change. If you’re into flower, get a pax, dynvap or mighty.

E2: rewrite

A joint is a lot actually. I misread your comment. Add in the combustion, you’re getting half weed and half burning nasty smoke. Again I’d drop the combustion. Start using one of the devices I mentioned and do small doses instead of joints. If that doesn’t work for you, stop and take a break. Do a complete reset and come back with care.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Iirc Canada did a study and apparently you only get about 12% extraction through smoking. The rest is broken down and forms the carbon particulates that make up smoke. A good vape can maybe get you 80%+.

Anecdotally, when I dropped smoking in favour of vaping, my consumption halved, meanwhile I was getting more high than ever.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

As an ex cigarette smoker I will say that “burn” becomes part of the high. It took me a while to get over it and realize that part of the high was just damage being done to my body. Had the same issue converting friends as well. Constantly felt like “not getting good hits”. Takes time to get over that.

This is why I’m a huge fan of flower, but will only use a dynvap or some kind of mighty/pax.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Hah you just named my two go to vapes. Mighty for normal use, dynavap for when the zombie apocalypse breaks out and there isn't much electricity.

But I understand some people like the taste of smoking. Maybe I'm lucky that I tried a really nice vaporiser bong in Amsterdam 20 years ago, early on, so when the portable ones got near to that standard it was already kind of nostalgic.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I can't have a vape. I won't stop hitting it until it's gone. The smoke at least forces me to stop because it hurts.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Wow. Then maybe you should quit.

But let’s be clear here. There are cartridge vape pens and pods and there are devices that vape dry herb.

The dry herb ones will help portion since it’s a small process to prepare it.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Respect for taking the step to distance yourself from these people

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Thanks. I'm pretty lonely now but I'm working on finding people who are good for me.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

Being for yourself is better than being surrounded by assholes, imo. I love my cat, best fellow ever!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 months ago (1 children)

You might be going too hard. You had much more tolerance back in the day. When I was an occasional smoker (like once or twice a year) it only took one or two hits for me to get REALLY messed up.

Smoking a whole joint might not seem like much to an everyday smoker, but depending on how occasionally you smoke nowadays, it might be WAY too much.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I have definitely noticed my tolerance is lower. I used to not feel anything after one hit and now I'm buzzed after just one.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago

Then stop smoking at one hit and see if you have fun. If this messes you up, consider not smoking for a while, there are other safe relaxing substances like kava kava for example.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Holy shit, 20-60mg edibles? I'm pretty good at 5. Maybe you're going too hard.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Tolerances to edibles can be weird, they never seem to do much to me. I've felt higher smoking a bowl or two than I have eating 250mg of medical grade high-thc RSO out the tube like a fuckin' hamster.

Dabs though... <3

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Yeah that kind of volume would have me so deep I'd think I was going to die.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I definitely was but this was a while ago

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Sometimes I get speedy paranoid highs if I harvest a plant too early but letting the weed cure for a few months mellows it out. I don’t really think this is it in your case though.

To me it sounds like before you were so constantly stoned you didn’t really absorb reality. You were medicated out of your mind. Now you’re in a better place and sometimes that’s more difficult. There’s more emotion to deal with. You’re not just monotone stoned all the time.

It doesn’t sound like you’re having irrational thoughts, the world we live in legitimately is anxiety inducing. Have you tried meditating or doing whatever it is that lets you be chill with the fucked state things are in? Get high and do something rather than just vegetating. You’re the only one who knows what will do the trick. If you’re feeling like you’re wasting your life… do something worthwhile. Sometimes that’s just something simple like going on a walk and appreciating the beauty around you. Maybe it’s working out a bit. Maybe it’s fixing up the landscape around your house, or starting a garden. You gotta do something though, by the sounds of it. Vegging out will likely exacerbate your condition.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I think you're right

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

I agree w the other posters. Might be a good time to step back from da bud & take some time to assess & address the root cause of those panic attacks. I’m moving on to the next chapter orb my life & find that I needed to do it sober in order to make any type of significant progress. While I miss drinking & drugs every damn day, it’s not really worth it right now. Once I complete that next phase & get to a better place, I’m definitely gonna partake again, but need to learn some restraint first.

Hope you get it sorted & good luck 🍀

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Weed amplifies you're emotions. If you feel happy, you feel more happy. If you feel anxious about things, you feel even more anxious about them.

I think maybe because you've worked hard to get yourself better you're anxious that you might be getting worse by smoking again.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I definitely worry about falling back on getting high nonstop and not being able to get away from my past life

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Yeah, I reckon until you can address that concern getting high won't be enjoyable.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I stopped smoking for years and started again. I'd say that deep introspection is a very early symptom when you get high the first few times. I have a theory that this is why a lot of people don't like cannabis: They get an honest look at how they actually act and think, and lots don't like what they see.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

But now when I get high I just fucking panic. I'm talking one single joint and I'm in full blown stoned panic

It sounds like you're possibly smoking high THC low/none CBD products. Probably at the doses you were used to smoking, but now you don't have same tolerances.

The very simplest thing I think could solve that issue is CBD.

Idk if it really has really any effects on it's own, but it definitely attenuates THC high. The high then feels more like a "classical" high, still effective, but dulls away those negative panicky feelings.

https://youtu.be/9MEGGV2WGYo

That's a video from like 15-20 years ago, but perfectly demonstrates my point. It's a BBC reporter doing a story on "Skunk", which was used as the term for very strong cannabis. It was strengthening around that time to about 20% THC. Now best plants are going somewhere around 30%THC, some even claiming closer to 40% on some plants.

She gets intravenous cannabis, twice. On one day she gets THC. On the other, THC and CBD ("more like the 'natural' makeup of the cannabis plant"). I think you'll see which is which.

And probably recognise some of the feelings on the only THC part.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I get the same way if my tolerance is too low, anxiety, paranoia, etc

If I smoke daily for a week or two it goes away and I get my fun/functional highs back

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

That sounds really rough. I've been smoking, used to dab for a while, daily for like 15+ years and I haven't felt that paranoid feeling since high school. I do struggle with munchies but my eyes never get red anymore so that's a plus. I think you probably need some therapy (but I think everyone does). It could be related to anxiety - I definitely have issues with some of that. You also can't force things. You're emotions are trying to tell you something and you have to try and listen. In my experience, emotions are very tough to sort out when I'm high - still working on that

It's worth keeping in mind most people online will usually not have similar experiences to a daily smoker/user. I've noticed most people in trees subs have tried weed once or twice, and have typically not smoked daily/regularly. That means their tolerance is typically never impacted. You can still totally take their advice but I've always felt it doesn't apply as much to me or any daily stoner/heavy user I've ever known

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I had the same problem and ascribed it to the introduction of potent strains of 'skunk' weed at the time but I think cannabis in general was becoming toxic to my mental health. I've gone through this process with many substances and eventually realised I have an attention deficit which is treatable with stimulants. Lisdexamfetamine and caffeine are the only substances that are sustainable in the long term. Meditation helps too. I feel happy.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Didn't see this mentioned, look into type 2 bud which means the ratio of thca:cbda is roughly 1:1 or at the very least the cbd is much higher than type 1.

There are research studies that confirm that cbd dramatically reduces the side effects of thc, anxiety being a big one. The psychoactive effects will be dulled down but the side effects will be majorly mitigated.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Consider doing some magnesium supplementation. Look up the different forms it comes in and see what one sounds good for you.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

A lot of stains give me anxiety so pick ones that are not known for that or you know don’t. Also have some CBD caps or a strain that has CBD in it. I have to hunt for Harley Quinn in my area when my anxiety gets out of control. (A gift of being ND) A puff off my one hitter or vape gets me back to normal and not stoned as I have shit to do. Just some thoughts my friend

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I stick to hash now. Much cruisier.

I thank Ricky from TPB. "You know what happens when you smoke weed (not hash)" (you freak the fuck out)