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[–]SecretSnack 52 points53 points ago* 

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Having just quit after 4 years of twice-daily use and closet growing, one dank nug of advice:

The less frequently you smoke, the better it is when you DO smoke.

Becoming habituated is boring, numbing, and expensive. Also it doesn't mellow everyone out - the effects vary between people, between strains, between doses, between media (smoke, vapor, oil). Some long-term effects are feeling slow and forgetful, but those have resolved since I took this break.

Don't wanna become a pothead? Don't keep in within arm's reach. Get baked and hide it from yourself, if it comes to that.

[–]FrankVice 17 points18 points ago

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Same with masturbation.

[–]TheDentite 13 points14 points ago

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It's a little tricky to hide my dick. I could tuck it, but then I look like a girl and that makes me want to masturbate.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago

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feeling slow and forgetful

Same with masturbation.

Damn, I'm so slow I can not rub it fast enough, and sometimes I just forget to masturbate.

[–]aephoenix 1 point2 points ago

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Thanks for reminding me! I'll have to go find where I left it. Hopefully this is the reason I haven't been gettin' laid recently.

[–]russelly 244 points245 points ago

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I am a daily smoker and you were, but there is a huge difference between smoking .2 grams a day and smoking 3 grams a day. I think weed can be smoked daily and still stay within the confines of "moderation".

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 146 points147 points ago

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I agree. It's no different to someone who has a couple of glasses of wine or a few beers after work.

Have an upvote :)

[–]russelly 57 points58 points ago

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Okay just making sure you're not one of those people.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 58 points59 points ago

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To be honest, I'm envious of the balance you have struck. At this point in my life, I am either all on or all off when it comes to mj, and all attempts I have made to keep my smoking habits at a reasonable level have resulted in failure. If I have it in the house, I will pretty much smoke it until unconsciousness sets in. I'm not sure why exactly, I have no problem moderating myself when it comes to alcohol, for example.

[–]jerrygofixit 58 points59 points ago

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I'm an alcoholic and I'm the exact opposite. During my drinking days if there was alcohol in the house it would be in me before the night was over, providing I didn't pass out beforehand. I had a $20 bag of weed sitting in a box for months, I'd have maybe half a bowl - a bowl every few weeks. For a while I forgot about it entirely but after I polished off all the booze in my house I wasn't finished getting my buzz. A somewhat pointless comment really, I just find it interesting how different people are towards drug addiction. I can't see how anyone could get addicted to weed, and many people don't understand alcoholics.

[–]trippingchilly 33 points34 points ago

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To each his own, my friend.

What makes me understand it is the common thread of people in the middle. People just like me and you, who also have no idea what we're supposed to be doing on this fucking gorgeous planet full of psychotic apes.

I guess I understand it in terms of strength and support. It's not good for people to use [drugs/sex/people/work/entertainment/god/etc] as a crutch, but that's not the same as understanding that perfection is as elusive to our universe as a unicorn made of bacon and virgins.

We're profoundly accomplished animals with lots to be proud of, but there's something wrong with enforcing behavioral extremes on oneself without good cause (like I will never…).

This misconception of 'acceptable' behavior is what compels us to act in harmful ways to ourselves, and it can lead to people bursting their psychological seams after so much tension, like the keye effect when the experimenter's not wearing her goggles.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago

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People just like me and you, who also have no idea what we're supposed to be doing on this fucking gorgeous planet full of psychotic apes.

This misconception of 'acceptable' behavior is what compels us to act in harmful ways to ourselves, and it can lead to people bursting their psychological seams after so much tension, like the keye effect when the experimenter's not wearing her goggles.

I love you.

[–]trippingchilly 4 points5 points ago

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Oh, you…

[–]accelleron 3 points4 points ago

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The answer is simple but nuanced: habituation. I was exactly like you for years, then almost exactly like OP for another good 1.5 years, and now have "quit" - I don't smoke regularly, and will only infrequently indulge in a single bag with a large break in between, and I don't think that would be a stable situation if it weren't facilitated by having to take a 2-hour trip to get it and come back.

What made me go from able to have a bag for months and not giving it a second look to total pothead? I don't exactly know. Quitting cigarettes could have been a factor. A large vacation followed by loss of a job and lots of free time, little responsibility, and enough money in the bank to keep my worried self placated could have been another. Another was the slow transformation from "I don't really like all the effects and will only entertain it once in a while b/c it could be a little fun" to "this is rather enjoyable" and on to "it's my normal state" later. It was a gradual process, and a very subtle one - unnoticeable if you didn't know exactly what to look for and didn't have bells going off in your head (not others bitching about it, your own self being concerned) about how "this month was more than last month." I think the biggest thing was the gradual habituation to it, facilitated by the other factors.

[–]russelly 15 points16 points ago

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I've never actually spoken with someone who had a full blown addiction to marijuana. Your situation sounds just like an alcohol or heroin addiction. There is no moderation in your brain, and once the sweet purp hits your lips the next thing you know you're drooling on yourself.

I feel for you, brother, I do. I hope one day you can find the moderation in your heart to give your green brothers another visit.

[–]yurigoul 11 points12 points ago

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I have the same tendency to develop a marijuana addiction: in the times I smoked marijuana there is no moderation, none at all. I stopped because of anxiety attacks.

With alcohol however it is a totally different story. I can drink a glass of wine and then leave it, I can drink more heavily one night and then another night, and then not drink for a while.

I once talked to a former alcoholic. He said for him it was the opposite: he could smoke marijuana with moderation, but should stay away as far from alcohol as possible.

[–]urouqh 1 point2 points ago

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I thought I was the only one...

[–]russelly 2 points3 points ago

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I am sorry for your loss :(

[–]yurigoul 16 points17 points ago

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Well, I have some good memories. And since I am Dutch and living in Berlin I can just refuse every joint that is coming my way with the words: 'No, thank you, I'm Dutch, we do not smoke pot, that is just for the tourists'

[–]stephy_buttons 1 point2 points ago

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It sounds to me like you have a predisposition towards marijuana addiction specifically. This might sound like an obvious statement, but there might be something about your genetics or brain chemistry that makes weed such a problem for you.

[–]profduck 3 points4 points ago

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i wish i could upvote you 100 times for that. thank you, its what i always try to tell non-smokers

[–]AmanitaMuscaria 13 points14 points ago

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What I want to know is how you were smoking 20-30 cones a day and still managed to pay only $100-$150 a week? Thats must of been some bunk ass weed. I spend roughly $160 every two weeks and I'm smoking about 2-3 bowls a day. But seriously, 20- 30 cones? Of what must of been regs? No wonder you ended up in the hospital. What you need is some nice haze, and to smoke only a bowl... Everything is bad for you when you use it in excess, even banana's...

[–]Bubba-Booey 4 points5 points ago

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2 bowls a night at $160/2 weeks is still a HUGE amount of money.

I can get a half ounce of really great stuff for $100-110 (Canadian) and smoking a few bowls a night it lasts me over a month.

[–]CptMurphy 1 point2 points ago

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Nice. $200/2 weeks 10 bowls a day - high grade shit. NY

[–]djmattyd 2 points3 points ago

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Haha for real. Maybe he was doing it euro style and mixing tobacco in there. Still wouldn't quite make up the price difference, but it could explain the hospital visit.

[–]grantmclean 2 points3 points ago

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I was thinking maybe he'd just gotten really used to the strain he was smoking and was introduced to a new one. That's happened to me, where I've had to stop smoking after a bowl or two because I was getting anxious. Then I'll go through a quarter in a night or two because I'm constantly smoking.

[–]ins4n1ty 1 point2 points ago* 

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My friends and I discovered this quickly when smoking turned into a more habitual thing for us when we would hang out. When we first started, we would go in on cheap mids ounces and just roll blunt after blunt with it. Eventually though, we were able to start getting the high end "headies" and we all quickly became very aware of the change. Most of the adverse effects of the mids were gone, and these effects were actually pretty severe if you were dealing with them every day and building a dependence - i.e. eye strain, headache, difficulty concentrating, feeling tired very quickly, and just an all-around dirty high feeling. The headies really took the opposite effect for me, leaving me with a clean, clear high without the debilitating side effects - I could actually be productive now while on the drug. I think if you're trying to medicate with cheap pot, the amounts you'll have to smoke when your dependence starts to kick up are so high that it really does become damaging very quickly. If you're really trying to medicate with weed, low doses of high-end bud work the best and will actually provide a worthwhile experience.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

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for 3 years (up until a couple months ago) during the school year I'd hit .2 a night, then in the summertime I'd do around 3/4. I had a blast in the summers but moderation (and sometimes abstinence just to enjoy reality) is my preferred path.

[–]russelly 10 points11 points ago

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Definitely. There's a fine line between moderation and sedation, and that line blurs when you're high all the time. The problem with weed is you can go from moderation to over-use without even knowing it, because the obliviousness from being "too high" can be very stealthy. This is why paying close attention to your usage is important when it comes to being a moderate, but daily, smoker.

On that note, smoking on the hill at Barton Springs during the summer is one of the most pleasant experiences.

[–]ExtraGravy 2 points3 points ago

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Yes. Austin has many scenic outdoor smoking spots. Like the back porch area at Dog & Duck for example :-)

[–]thilehoffer 5 points6 points ago

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If you enjoy it then that is great. Like the OP, I started to get anxiety from it. However, I simply stopped using it. I will smoke a few hits after a drinking a couple beers. Or I'll have a hit or two when out hiking. But I'm not going to smoke an entire joint by myself or anything because I get incredibly nervous. I get the chills sometimes and can't stop shaking. I can't figure out why the OP keeps smoking if he is not enjoying it. That's what I don't get.

[–]russelly 5 points6 points ago

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Most people will enjoy a very modest tug off a joint, which is probably why the op smokes at all, because that first little puff puts him in the zone, but he can't stop at just a puff.

The reason that you get panicky after an entire joint is part of the reason I enjoy smoking every day. I quit for 3 weeks once, and then I smoked my normal amount, a bowl or two, and I didn't like it at all, because I was just way too high.

[–]thilehoffer 2 points3 points ago

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Funny, I don't even need a bowl. Because I do it about once per week, usually with a vaporizer, I only need half a bowl and I am good. I don't like to get to high. However, sometimes I can get drunk and smoke all night long and just keep feeling more and more high. But I just don't party like that anymore. I'm getting old. I'm almost 33 and going to be a dad in January.

[–]russelly 9 points10 points ago

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33 isn't a good excuse, but being a dad is. ;)

[–]chakl 2 points3 points ago

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20-30 cones sounds like an ounce of day of regs at the price he says. there is a difference between 3 grams and 30 grams.

[–]minimalmindman 1 point2 points ago

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agree fully. i see some novice smokers toking up upwards of 1-3 grams a day and i think, man, what a waste.

im a daily smoker, average consumption is about half a joint's worth through a one-hitter.

[–]mister-bizarro 1 point2 points ago

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amen brother. i think by a lot of peoples reasoning i would be considered an alcoholic because i drink everyday. in the long run i will admit it is pretty bad for my health but i always drink three or four decent sized pours of booze before bed every day while i surf or play x-box. it works out to a fifth every four or five days.

[–]newt0n 2 points3 points ago

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Doing to much of ANYTHING is bad for you , too much water can even kill u

[–]russelly 6 points7 points ago

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Let's go get fucked up on some water!!!

[–]pzycho 20 points21 points ago

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What was the deal you made with God? Did you keep it?

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 29 points30 points ago

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The deal I made was that in exchange for letting me live I would quit smoking and turn my life around.

I reneged on it almost immediately. As much as that trip to the ER fucked with me, I smoked again within a couple of days (and nearly wound up back in hospital). I was back to smoking on a daily basis within several months.

[–]Mulsanne 28 points29 points ago

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what landed you in the hospital

[–]helpingfriendlybook 8 points9 points ago

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Did you have a full-body electro-shock-feeling anxiety attack? I have had those.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 28 points29 points ago* 

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I'm going to head off to bed now, but I'll give you a quick outline of how it happened.

I had just smoked about 10 cones of fairly shitty weed and I went to lay down in bed next to my gf. She was asleep, but my mind was buzzing with all sorts of crazy thoughts as it often did when I was high.

All of a sudden I started to feel a numbness/tingling in my left arm. A notion flashed into my mind that I might be having a heart attack, though I didn't immediately entertain it as a serious possibility. I tried to prop myself up in bed, but suddenly felt very weak, as though I was about to faint. I have never actually fainted, or even come close to fainting prior to that, so the sensation was totally alien to me.

It was at this point that the terror really started to kick in. I could hear my heart beating faster and faster until it was as loud and fast as a snare drum. I held my hand over my chest and could literally feel my heart protruding out of my chest and pushing up my ribs by a couple of centimeters. I know this sounds ridiculous, but a doctor later informed me that this does occasionally happen when the heart is pumping very rapidly.

I then begun to feel pins and needles all over my body, which I guess is what you mean when you say a 'full body electro shock' feeling. I felt it most acutely in my face, which was absolutely frightening. At this point I was pretty much certain that I had damaged my heart in some terminal way, and my entire body was going numb because it was in the process of failing and no longer capable of carrying blood to my extremities.

I began to go through periods where I started feeling faint again, and had to rapidly twitch my body to stop myself from losing consciousness. I sat in bed for a good 20 minutes trying to ride it out, but to no avail.

I didn't want to wake my girlfriend because I knew she would start freaking out (which in turn would make me start freaking out even more), so I managed to pull myself out of bed and walk upstairs to my roommates room. I say 'walk', but by now I had lost the ability to control my muscles properly. I'm not sure what an appropriate verb is, but it was almost like I was having a low level seizure and my limbs weren't receving signals from my brain properly.

Anyway, I make it to my roommates room (who incidentally was a second year med student at the time), and she can obviously tell right away that there's something very wrong with me. I tell her what I think the problem is, and ask her to take my pulse. She puts her fingers on my wrist for 15 seconds and gets this intensely worried look in her eyes and asks me if I want her to call an ambulance. I tell her no, I'm going to try and wait it out.

At this point all of my symptoms are still worsening and the feeling of 'numbness' all over my body keeps intensifying. She checks my pulse again a few minutes later, and I splutter out a 'how's it going' (at this point, even my vocal cords are not responding properly and my speech is really slurred and disjointed) and she says in this foreboding tone 'it's even faster'.

So now I am really freaking out and past trying to wait it out so I wake up my other roommate and get him to drive me to the hospital where they run a bunch of tests but can't find anything wrong beside my abnormally fast heart rate. They diagnosed me with palpatations, and kept me hooked up to an ECG for about 12 hours. I was lying in a hospital bed pretty much the whole time, and it took a good 4-5 hours for my heart rate to drop below 150bpm, and another few hours for it to get back to baseline.

[–]helpingfriendlybook 36 points37 points ago

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Yep. Full-scale panic attack. It was severe enough that it manifested itself physically. Fun, right?

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points ago

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Absolute worst feeling ever.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Nothing can be worse. I think sometimes drugs can actually take you to hell and back.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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I've been to Hell at least once.

[–]notjhh 20 points21 points ago* 

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I had just smoked about 10 cones of fairly shitty weed

Is it possible your 'fairly shitty weed' was actually really shitty weed and was spiked or contaminated with something to make it seem less shitty?

A friend of mine went through a similar thing back in high school - tachycardia, palpitations, etc. I never smoked any of the weed she had, but several of her friends got sick from the same batch.

Edit: I do smoke, but not consistently, and I've never smoked that often. Last time I bought a quarter bag it lasted several months. I've never had a panic attack, either mentally or physically. I'm not saying it can't happen though!

[–]chokie_roberts 8 points9 points ago

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This was my thought as well. I've been a moderate-heavy user for +/- 13 years now and I've never experienced any kind of panic attack.

[–]helpingfriendlybook 7 points8 points ago

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happens to some people, not to others. Happened to me the 3rd or 4th time I ever smoked. And occasionally after. Never as bad as the first one, because every time it happened I got better at calming myself down and convincing myself it was psychosomatic.

[–]Shiggityx2 2 points3 points ago

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I have had a panic attack, not nearly as bad as the OP's but I had to lie down and breathe deeply for about 30 minutes. If I'm already feeling anxious (usually about school/grades), weed can bring it to the surface and I feel mentally disoriented/isolated. Rarely happens, but has nothing to do with the quality of what I'm smoking and is simply based on my own mental health at the time.

[–]zbenavides 1 point2 points ago

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Do you mean around 13 years, or do you mean you've been a moderate-heavy user for 13 years and plan to be one for the next 13? If the latter, how old are you?

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points ago* 

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that's called a panic attack.

happened to me once when I smoked weed. I called the ambulance, thought my lung was collapsing or something, but the woman calmed me, showed me my blood oxygen levels were fine, and gave me a breathing technique that works well.

[–]auraslip 3 points4 points ago

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Ah...theirs no such thing as an atheist on a psychotic fueled death trip.

[–]everythingsucks 2 points3 points ago

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I have to disagree. I once had a bad trip on mushrooms. It was really really bad. Went back and forth from extreme happiness to severe anxiety. At one point I was certain I was gonna die, and even entertained such nice thoughts as "If I just cut myself with a knife, I'll get out of the trip". That was how bad I wanted to get out of that trip. But not once did it occur to me to appeal to any deity whatsoever.

[–]VapidStatementsAhead 173 points174 points ago

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That's just, like, your opinion, man.

[–]JesusQuintana 48 points49 points ago

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Let me tell you something, pendejo.

[–]chokie_roberts 8 points9 points ago

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redditor for 15 hours

God dammit!

[–]JesusQuintana 16 points17 points ago

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You said it, man.

[–]Billy_Black 13 points14 points ago

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You said it, mang.

FTFY.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 24 points25 points ago

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Upvote for The Dude.

[–]skippy17 23 points24 points ago

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BIG SURPRISE

[–]FiredUp 42 points43 points ago

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no questions man, but I'm glad someone else pointed out that marijuana is definitely not harmless. this is coming from someone who has been a smoker for the past several years.

i think it is ok to use, but it is easy to abuse. From what I gather there is no physical dependence to it, but there sure can be a mental one. I just got in a habit of smoking, and like all things you do to much, it negatively effected other parts of my life.

I hated when people knew I was high, hated it. I felt like they looked down on me. Whether this is true or not I don't know, but it lowered my self-esteem.

Getting high can be awesome. I love watching family guy while high, the cut-a-ways are hilarious. But often I think being high is at the stake of something else I can be doing with my time, something where I can improve myself of have an enriching experience.

I am a college student now, and I am too shy. Weed doesn't help my shyness at all.

Looking back this is a random collection of thoughts, but it was good to vent.

[–][deleted] 91 points92 points ago

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Marijuana makes me content to do absolutely nothing. I smoke it everyday, so I don't do much at all. There's nothing more that I want than to actually live a life, and I'm the only one stopping me. I'm entirely unmotivated. It'd be a petty excuse to blame my problems on my use of marijuana, but one thing that's for certain is that is certainly isn't helping me.

[–]otherwiseyep 29 points30 points ago

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Marijuana makes me content to do absolutely nothing.

Not only that, but for me, it leaves the world feeling kind of flavorless, thin and gray once the high wears off. Not precisely withdrawal, but definitely a sort of empty irritability, like I need a little bit of weed to turn the lights back on, so to speak.

When I used to smoke weed heavily, it was like a cycle where getting high was the way I made the world interesting. It was the accomplishment and reward rolled into one. Being dry, on the other hand, was de-motivating and mildly depressing. Which produced a net result where the objective most days was usually to get high, and once high, the enjoyment of the high itself passed the time.

It wasn't as depraved, destructive, or desperate as a typical "addiction" story, it was more like a whole bunch of time just disappeared, not necessarily unpleasantly. I grew older, but I didn't grow up, and entropy had been doing its work on my relationships, living situation, finances, lifestyle habits, etc.

I realized I was in danger of turning into one of those middle-aged guys who lives in his Mom's basement and drives the same car from high school and hangs around behind the convenience store, complaining about the government once his friends had all bought houses and started families and retirement funds and so on...

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 40 points41 points ago

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Yeah I hear you, and I am in no way blaming mj for what happened to me - it was my own stupid decisions.

Having said that, the fact that weed does seem to demotivate some people (I know there are productive smokers out there, but I sure wasn't one of them) does often lead to a sort of vicious circle where you want to get your life in order but can't find the strength to break out of your shitty routine.

[–]plaid_hatter 20 points21 points ago

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So true, I have been wanting to do some software development on my off time but could never get my ass in gear because I would just enter into "brainstorming" sessions with my pipe. I tried to solve the problem by going cold turkey, but it turns out that I am great at procrastination even when sober. So.... I tried a new tactic, I bought a bunch of weed, gave it to my wife, made a list of tasks to do and told my wife that she can give me weed only when I've completed a task. It has got me working hard now and I'm accomplishing more then I ever have before.

[–]Shiggityx2 14 points15 points ago

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ha that is cute. I picture your wife handing you a nugget with your palms open after your chores are done.

[–]Skibum04 4 points5 points ago

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I picture him begging like a kitten

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

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Been in that cycle since I started 6 years ago. It's been a love/hate relationship.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 14 points15 points ago

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I definitely have a love/hate relationship with weed too. It's awesome, and not just because it chills you out. I love it for the way it makes music sound and for the way it allows you to approach life from an entirely different perspective.

But it really was destroying me, and I'm not talking about the anxiety or depression or anything like that. It's the being content with doing absolutely nothing bit that scares me more than anything else.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

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It's the being content with doing absolutely nothing bit that scares me more than anything else.

Aye. A slow decay.. it's no way to live. It's not living at all, really.

So have you quit now? And if so, how?

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 20 points21 points ago

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I haven't smoked for about 3 months now, which is pretty much the longest period of abstinence I've had since I started back when I was 17. I'm hesitant to say that I've quit, because I don't like the associations that come with it. I want to get to a place where I can share a joint with some good friends a couple of times a month and be satisfied to leave it at that.

How did I do it? I don't know how exactly, because I tried so many times before and failed. I started seeing a therapist, and that definitely helped. I don't know about you, but I think a big part of my smoking was self medication/escapism.

My biggest saviour has probably been regular exercise. The endorphin high you get after an hour of cardio or intensive weight lifting is nearly as good as pulling a couple of cones of top quality weed.

[–]dizzle67 13 points14 points ago

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i was in a similar boat and finally kicked the habit when i had to stay clean for work. looking back on it though, mj helped me far more than it hurt me though. sure it made me want to be lazy sometimes, but it also really helped me see the world and my own issues in a far different light over the 6 or so years i smoked (about 1oz/week by myself). it was my choice to stay high nearly 24/7 and i'm just glad my vice happened to be mj and not alchohol, meth, coke, etc. when i decided to stop smoking it was as simple as that. no withdrawl symptoms, no side effects that lasted longer than a couple of weeks. it was my choice to continue to smoke and i just quit cold turkey. the thought of that scared me for the longest time ("how could i possibly live my life sober"). once i finally did though, hell, no big deal at all. that hurdle was 95% mental, change was the scary part. i do want to get high again on a regular basis, but if i do ever get that opportunity again i can assure you i now fully understand the difference between smoking a "j" on the weekends and smoking all day every day like i used to. i love mj and always will whether i can ever smoke again or not. if you choose to abuse something you will get abused by it. if you use a friendly substance like mj recreationally and responsibly you will reap the benefits it can provide.

[–]SecretSnack 1 point2 points ago

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One time talking with some reformed drug addicts in a "Christian forum" I met this guy who blamed every part of his shitty life on marijuana. Kept talking about how hydro (he called it "dro") ruined his life.

Cannabis can't ruin your life; it can only help you do it. I'm glad you're not blaming the plant itself, because those who do have utterly missed the point.

[–]johnhutch 7 points8 points ago

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Start a project. Something that excites you. And let your stash run out.

[–][deleted] ago

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[deleted]

[–]johnhutch 12 points13 points ago

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The key is just to start. Stand up. I mean, literally. Stand up right now. Stop sitting down and stand up. Then go do something. Pick something up and starting doing it. Forget about whatever longterm life goals or aspirations you have. Just think about what you'd like to have accomplished an hour from now and set about doing that.

Analysis paralysis is killer. The only way to best it is just to start doing something, even if it's wrong. Once you've got momentum, it's easier to change direction, so long as you're still in the process of moving.

[–]bluferfinger 1 point2 points ago

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Commenting on this so that I can come back to it when I have a little more motivation.

[–][deleted] 21 points22 points ago* 

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Funny, I find weed makes me more outgoing and willing to do things. Nothing is more fun than a weed-adventure!

For example, might not be really excited about bike riding, but getting stoned and bike riding sounds great.

[–]emelpy 7 points8 points ago

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ha ha, sound's like you are an enhancement smoker.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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HAHAHA yeah sorta

[–][deleted] 13 points14 points ago

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Yeah, if there's one thing I've learned is that we all handle it differently. When I started out, and for a while after that, it had the same sort of effect for me. Now, it's just part of my daily routine. I think the best way to enjoy marijuana is to treat it like a fine wine to uncork every now and then and really enjoy and appreciate. I went the opposite way, though, and treated it sort of like cigarettes - something I had a craving for but which didn't do anything more for me other than satisfy that craving. Didn't help that I had built up quite a strong tolerance for it, too.

[–]FrankVice 1 point2 points ago

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I quit smoking cigarettes and my marijuana intake doubled. I've gotten back to about what it was before, but that short period after quitting cigs was rough.

[–]zora 1 point2 points ago

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I like to get superbaked on the golfcourse and there are moments when I am totally fucking lost. I don't know where I was and I don't know where I am going. I can't find the ball and I am just wandering. Good times.....

[–]iticu 2 points3 points ago

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After years of doing nothing and hiding from life, marijuana was one of the changes that led me to reclaim my social life/abilities and get out of my "rut". I'm considerably better off now, seeing as though I used to be too demotivated to even finish games.

Focus on your habits instead of your drugs.

[–]hollowgram 4 points5 points ago

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That is some brutally awesome honesty.

[–]deeznuttz 12 points13 points ago

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The years between 17-23 are a difficult time in life - it was for my brothers and I at least. I can't imagine smoking weed would of been beneficial in those times. Quite the opposite I would think. My little brother, now 20, and a big stoner, has become a complete shut in and is completely paranoid that his family is out to destroy his future... pretty ridiculous when all we do is try to help him.

[–][deleted] 9 points10 points ago

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I'm almost 24, and I am going to agree with this man. I really hope 24 changes. Apparently, its when the frontal lobe for men is fully developed and I believe there is a positive correlation between that.

17-23 have been the most trying, and most depressing times of my life. I'm not chronically depressed, but when my friends and I were twenty or so we asked ourselves why don't people make movies about this age group. Its probably when you are the most clueless, and everyone expects so much from you.

[–]gameshot911 10 points11 points ago

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Just popping in to say I totally agree with you that weed is not completely harmless.

For awhile when I first started smoking, it was awesome! Movies, TV, music, food, everything was awesome.

But no longer. It drives my minds towards existentialist thoughts. I can't get motivated to do any work done, and get really depressed at the thought of having to work the next 40 years of my life. The existentialist thoughts are the worst...why do I exist, what is self-awareness, again and again and again. Not that I don't have answers that I am satisfied with to those questions, but my mind is driven to those same thought circuits over and over. And whereas sober I can just turn on the TV and forget about it, weed makes that much more difficult.

I had some fantastic times with weed. But, as you said, it definitely has consequences.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

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I have those thoughts sober, especially when driving. :(

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago* 

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I think that desire to ask "why" is embedded in our souls.

I have these same thoughts. It makes me feel within myself that there really is some kind of buddha or divine spirit inside me, like a worm in a cocoon struggling to be free.

In fact, I started thinking like this when I was in high school long before weed came along. They made me depressed and I started feeling like everything was pointless, the whole way through college was like force feeding myself in spite of my inner soul's constant bitter screaming for something.. I know not what.

I mean, I've thought myself to be crazy and possibly delusional, but I feel like maybe it is the 'call of God' to search hungrily for the truth of things. Then again, if you can numb the longing, maybe watching sitcoms and football every night is the sum of your life.

[–]apmihal 17 points18 points ago

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One of the first times I smoked alone I had a huge panic attack, and in my mind, I was positive I was going to die. It was the scariest experience of my entire life. I eventually called 911, but it fucked with me so much. I was a wreck for several months after that, and now after a few years I still have anxiety about it.

I think the biggest issues our respective situation raises is not solely about marijuana, but about mental health. If our society in general were more conscious of mental health, it would make these kind of situations easier on people. But instead too many people associate mental health topics with "crazy people" and they think mental health is only relevant if you are mentally ill.

[–][deleted] 4 points5 points ago

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I made a post about this phenomena elsewhere in this thread: it's nice to see someone else documenting the same thing. Do you think you could more specifically describe the process of that bad experience (the various sensations, the progression of symptoms) before you read my post? In the interest of science, I would like to know what you have to say.

[–]apmihal 6 points7 points ago

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Well first off I smoked a fat joint of KB. I was really inexperienced with smoking, and I was home alone. I first felt super heavy. I went to sit down and I felt like I was flying backwards. Then I remembered I had a bunch of shit to do like feed my dog and let her out so she wouldn't bother me, make sure all the doors are locked etc. As I was doing all of this things I started to feel bad. I don't really remember how it started because there seems to be a gap in my memory from when I started doing chores to when I realized I was feeling horrible.

What I remember is that my heart was beating fast and that my limbs were getting all tingly. This freaked me out and my heart began to beat faster. Faster than I thought was even humanly possible. At this point I was really getting scared. I noticed that if I sat still, the tingling would start spreading from the tips of my toes and fingers, up my limbs, and then into my chest. For some reason I thought that if the tingling reached my heart I would die. So I started pacing all around my house for what could have been an hour or two. I went outside into the freezing cold, but I was afraid that I would die out there because I couldn't feel the cold at all.

I was so afraid. There were so many thoughts just racing through my head about how fucked I was. If I wasn't dead, I was still fucked with my parents, and possibly the law. And even if I still got away with it I was so scared at what this situation might do to me. One thought I had was that possibly the weed was laced with something much worse and I was going to die because of that. Since sitting down made the tingling worse, and I was getting exhausted from moving around, I got even more frightened that I was going to die. For a while I even accepted the fact that I was going to die right there in my living room. Eventually I decided that I HAD to call 911. Fuck the consequences. So I did, and they arrived, and I started to feel better immediately, but I still had to deal with the shame of having a fire truck, a whole team of EMTs, and some cops called to my house all because I smoked a bit of weed. Not to mention the fact that parents had yet to find out.

The positive thing about this incident is that it did make me realize that I had been struggling with anxiety and depression for a long time, and that allowed me to get help, which is great because this event really did put a bigger dent in my mental health.

I still don't smoke now, mostly because every time I do I get afraid I will have another panic attack, and I have yet to overcome that fear. There's also a possibility that me and weed just don't fit together (something I had noticed a little bit before this incident) and that it's not just the fear of having another panic attack that keeps me from enjoying it.

[–]BiterAtmonk 5 points6 points ago

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I had a panic attack on weed once, too.

I made some weed brownies and decided to eat two just before a very, very easy biology final. It was in a huge lecture hall, so I wasn't too worried. I was a goddamn idiot. Why was this a terrible idea? Well, because I'd never tried going out in public while high, and because with eaten weed, you never know when you're going to really start feeling it (or exactly how strong it will be).

Anyway, I got to the final, sat down, and I started to feel it coming on. The worst part was that I didn't really feel high, I just felt paranoid that everyone else KNEW I was high. I was sitting right next to a good friend, thinking about how I was obviously stoned, and I just started to lose it.

My breathing came faster and faster, and it felt like my heart was beating about a million times per minute. I started doing breathing exercises and rocking back and forth, and my friend asked me if I was ok. I muttered something and realized that I was going to have to stand up, in the middle of a final, and walk / run out of a huge lecture hall. Because I was having a weed panic attack.

This made me even more nervous - EVERYONE WOULD BE STARING AT ME IF I DID THIS. Holy shit, I started to hyperventilate.

Now, this is going to sound really, really fucking cheesy. As I was sitting there, I looked down at the book I'd brought with me to read after finishing the final. "Living Buddha, Living Christ," a book that someone in my philosophy club had lent me. I opened it up, started reading, tried to focus on the words, on ANYTHING other than feeling high.

And you know what? It worked. Just being able to completely focus on something else (in this case, an interesting idea about an overlap between Buddhism and Christianity) helped me ditch the panic. I got my final, finished it, then immediately reopened the book while I waited for the final to end.

So, the lesson I learned: always have a method of escape. For me, escape was in the form of a book. I could open the book, not focus on my body, and slowly escape the panic attack.

[–]jeba 2 points3 points ago* 

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That sounds familiar. The first time I smoked decent pot, I had a somewhat similar experience. I haven't typed this up or even described it in full to anyone before, so I apologized if it doesn't come out very clearly.

I'd only had a few tokes from a joint I was smoking with some friends outside of my house. I felt the high coming on, stronger than I expected (I hadn't realized how shitty what I'd smoked a few times before was). As you said, I felt my heart starting to beat faster, and faster, and faster, and it began to hurt a lot. This terrified me, as I "knew" that pot couldn't cause effects like this, right? By this point I'd stopped paying attention to anything other than what I was feeling (which probably caused my high mind to amplify it) and my friends noticed that I was acting odd. They asked what was up and I, now with my hand on my chest, unhelpfully just replied "my heart". I'm a little foggy on exactly what happened right after this, but I was becoming increasingly convinced that I was having a heart attack and was going to die. I stumbled back into my house, my brother in tow, running straight into our parents*.

While my brother (also probably higher than he'd been before) tried to explain what was going on to them, I just went to the couch, lay down and closed my eyes (another thing that was in hindsight a poor choice). Some time around this I told my brother to call 911 (apparently he and my dad had a fight about this, but they ended up being called). After I closed my eyes, I started to hallucinate (something I was at the time unaware that pot could cause).

Though my memories of this aren't very good, I remember trying and failing to remember who I was, or what anything else was. After considerable effort, I remember "seeing" what I later described as a "crayon-drawing" cross-section of our house with myself in it, which looked like something a five-year-old might have drawn. I saw similar imagery of other things from my life I was trying to remember. I was convinced that my brain was shutting down, and that was the reason why I was seeing/conceptualizing things in an increasingly abstract way. I remember one of the most terrifying things I "saw" was myself (which I thought was my "soul"), suspended in a black void being "torn apart by vicious winds", to use the description I gave after.

My misinterpretations of different effects probably caused and amplified the panic attack, which in turn amplified the effects I feeling, in some sort of fucked-up feedback cycle. This was without a doubt the most terrifying experience I've had in my life**.

By the time the ambulance had arrived I'd begun to sober up. Realizing that things were improving and that I was apparently not going to die obviously calmed me the fuck down, though I was still too high too communicate very well. I remember the paramedics coming in and placing me on a stretcher, and taking me into an ambulance. I was apparently sober enough to try briefing to avoid their questions about what I was doing by pretending I couldn't understand, though I gave that up pretty quickly. After one of them asked if it might have been laced with something, I agreed that that was probably it (I was obviously wrong).

I threw up shortly after getting the hospital, and just lay on a bed twitching for I-have-no-idea-how-long until I felt well enough to leave. My parents were here for most of this, make the whole experience incredibly humiliating on top of everything else.

After the incident I swore I'd never smoke again, and that ended up lasting a few weeks. I gradually increased my dosage over a few months until I could smoke without excessively intense effects that brought back some of the terror I'd felt that night.

This was all about a year and a half ago. These days, I smoke often, ranging from several times a day to a few times a week. It's been months since my tolerance has been low enough that I could get high enough for an intense experience like this, which I'm actually somewhat disappointed by because I think that, with the right experience and mental preparedness, it doesn't need to be bad.

* Who didn't like us smoking, but since the last time we smoked away from home we almost got busted by some cops, they decided they'd prefer we do it in a safer place.

** Though I suppose I should disclaim that I really haven't had that many terrifying experiences.

[–]UniversalVariable 3 points4 points ago

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At least you learned something about yourself in the process. Most people who have a bad trip don't use it as a learning experience and just blame the drug. It takes courage to size yourself up and realize what the actual problems are, psychedelics can surface things that you didn't even realize about yourself.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Thank you for sharing your story. I think it's definitely consistent with the pattern that I've seen.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points ago

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I've had a few major panic attacks over the last 10 years.

Some of the points I remember:

*tingling sensation around the top of my head, sort of like wearing a hat made out of static

*a physical burning sensation on my chest, not in it, more like above it.

*extreme fear, like nothing I'd ever felt

Some of these sensations lasted for a long time after I was sober and not touching any drugs.

I have started to smoke a little bit lately, though I am very very conservative about it. I've learned how to do what I call mental warfare. I envision fucked up thoughts as being psychically telegraphed into my brain from some malevolent force, and I have to fight against it by affirming that I do not believe the things it is telling me.

Usually the thoughts fall along the lines of

*there really is no god and your life is utterly pointless

*you are going to die a horrible death

*the world is going to go to shit and you are going to have to live like an animal

[–]apmihal 1 point2 points ago

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Some of these sensations lasted for a long time after I was sober and not touching any drugs.

Same here. I know about the mental warfare thing, but it seems like you were able to attack it better than I was. The thoughts I had were these really dark, abstract things that were along the lines of what you mentioned, but the worst part about it wasn't that I was just thinking them, I was feeling them. I felt this intrinsically awful things in me for a really long time, and every once and a while I still get these flashes of them.

I think the dark feelings came from the fact that I had experienced something so intensely scary and painful. Perhaps it's a form of PTSD? It seems silly to get PTSD from smoking pot, but I can't deny that my experience was truly awful, and that it has had lingering effects on me. I'll have to explore that.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago* 

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Well, to me, it got to the point where I felt backed into a corner. It was either lash out or succumb to a life of crippling fear and anxiety forever.

I know what you mean about "feeling" these thoughts. My fights against them have been quite fierce and physical. If anybody had seen me yelling and screaming and swinging my fists in the air and jumping around, they'd have called somebody to come lock me up.

Actually, you just reminded me of what I did way back when I first started having these attacks. There was one point where I felt like my mind was completely disintegrating from fear and depression after suffering three or four straight months of severe anxiety. I remember asking if there was a God, then for him to please fill my soul with "his" light and restore my mind. (I mean, it can't hurt, right?)

Not long after that, I remember those same sort of "feelings" coming over me, but this time there was another "voice of reason" inside my head countering all this stuff for me. Every time some fucked up thought came in, it was like this whole new set of logic came to me out of nowhere and crushed it with this amazing reason.

The dark thoughts went away for a long time, but when it came back, instead of cowering, I got really angry and confronted it in the all-encompassing manner described above, and that new "logic" I described felt like it was more integrated into "me." I felt like I owned it more, rather than feeling like it was just as foreign as the negative feelings.

I know a lot of people would say all this sounds like a bunch of psychotic delusion, but then again I don't know many people who have felt as though they've been been brought back from dangling over the edge of a very dark and terrifying precipice. I mean, I'm no saint or anything, but I definitely feel like our bodies and minds are conduits for some kind of higher life energy, both positive and negative, that is all around us yet somehow flies below our "radar."

[–]eazy87 1 point2 points ago

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I went through the same thing, and I thought I wouldn't want to smoke another joint in my life.. It was like Christmas, then New Year's Eve comes, a friend ask me to bring some pot and... well I'm still smoking now and never experienced panic attacks since then.

I think you get anxiety attacks like that one with a combination of bad-ass-strong weed, empty stomach and a moody day or just shitty hash cutted with tyre and horse crap

[–]baddna7 8 points9 points ago

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this has to be one of the best and open threads ive ever read on reddit.

[–]ifiwasntintherapgame 7 points8 points ago* 

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I probably smoked an average of 20-30 cones every day and spent between $100 and $150 on weed a week.

...do you define 'cone' as a joint? or a bowl? either way, 20-30 of them per week for only $100-$150 seems.... like a great fucking deal?

How much are you smoking in one 'cone'? (I'm going to assume this is a joint, or something close in terms of the amount of weed usually used) a gram? 2 grams? either way, that's between 20 and 60 grams per week, for $100-$150? What prices were you getting???

I'm not trying to call you out on your math or anything, but... yeah, I'm asking you to check your math.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 5 points6 points ago

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It's a bowl. We call em cones in Australia :)

I can't really tell you how much weed was in each cone, nowhere near a gram though, that's for sure. I would say maybe 0.05 to 0.10 grams per cone.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I knew you were an Aussie! All my internet buddies call them cones: I was told it's for the shape of the space inside the bowl.

[–]Rhenor 8 points9 points ago

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Was marijuana the first illegal drug you tried? Did you ever try other drugs for an extended period?

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 8 points9 points ago

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Yes, marijuana was the first illegal drug I tried. I've done just about everything else out there with the exception of heroin and most other opiates, but weed was the only drug that I really 'stuck' with.

[–]thatguitarist 1 point2 points ago

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You and... pretty much everyone else. Everything in moderation :)

[–]furixx 34 points35 points ago

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i would say anything you don't do in moderation can affect you negatively. responsible use of cannabis is not harmful.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 33 points34 points ago

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No argument from me.

[–]Rapericot 9 points10 points ago

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I'll probably get downvoted to shit, but my own experience will not let me agree with you. This might not be true for many other people (or anyone for that matter), but I had a very horrible time when I smoked cannabis for the first time, and I feel like it really damaged my life.

I did not smoke extraordinary amounts, yet I started to panic and had an extremely traumatic experience. Even remembering it is very difficult and scary for me now (this happened 7 years ago). I suffered from derealization because of that experience, followed by an anxiety and panic disorder.

Looking at the bright side, though -- it made me change my lifestyle and become more social and productive, and it scared me away from drugs forever.

[–]stereomind 3 points4 points ago

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Came here to say the same thing. You can OD on anything, even water.

[–]BestofBothWorlds 6 points7 points ago

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I don't think that's how that works.

[–]yammerant 6 points7 points ago

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Drinking too much water can deplete your body's salt levels leading to hyponatremia. So, yes and no.

[–]chokie_roberts 2 points3 points ago

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[–]georgekeele 1 point2 points ago

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Yeah, you can't OD on weed. I forget the actual figure, but I'm talking lBs of weed in a matter of minutes. You would die of asphyxiation before 'skunk OD'.

[–]Ol_Dirty_Bastard 1 point2 points ago

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You can OD on anything

Depends what you mean by overdose, if you mean you can fatally overdose on anything then that's not true.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago

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I've been smoking for about a year, maybe more. I had my first panic attack the other night.

Some background: I am a totally mentally sound guy. I have no mental problems that I know of, and no health conditions.

Here's the situation: I'm in a relatively small room smoking with a dude and his girlfriend. The girl is pretty quiet the whole time, playing with a laptop. She remarks on the huge hit I take. She does this twice. The guy and I take turns taking hits. He's the talkative type. I'm enjoying the conversation until it descends into typical stereotypical stoner bullshit.

He starts talking about salvia. He won't stop talking. I try to cut in, but he interrupts me. I try changing the subject and he somehow relates a completely unrelated subject to salvia. I'm starting to feel trapped. The feeling becomes more intense. He's still talking and I'm wondering what I can do. I'm watching wide-eyed as he talks incessantly.

While this is happening, I might have been imagining it. I don't know. He looks like he's getting bigger as his voice raises in excitement. I feel harassed. I can't stop him from talking. My girlfriend texts me.

She says she's too tired to come over and she's going straight home from work. I tell her I'll meet her at home. As I'm leaving, the girl asks me if I'm OK to drive. I say yes but I think "no way."

I'm walking down the stairs saying "I am not ok to drive. I am not ok to drive." I get into my car and as I'm slowly turning around in the street I imagine they're watching me from the window.

I'm driving pretty slowly and I think of my girlfriend. She's in my head saying "Crapspackle, you're driving too slowly." and I start to get nervous. Anxiety starts to take hold. I roll through a traffic light.

I pass one more traffic light before I start thinking I have to pull over. I notice as I'm pulling over that my right blinker has been on the whole time. I'm sitting in my car now, panicking. If a cop pulls up behind me what am I going to say? What if someone asks if I need help.

I start plotting out my story. I'm looking for something in my glove box. No, I'm playing with my phone. Wait, I'm looking for something I dropped on the floor. I call my girlfriend. No answer.

She calls back, and she sweet talks me and the anxiety seems to be slipping away. She says she'll be right there.

I'm waiting now and that pit in my stomach is nearly gone. By the time she gets there I feel almost fine. The entire time, I'm skeptical at what's happening. Am I really being "that guy?" I feel embarrassed and weak.

She opens the door and wraps me in a warm embrace. I've never been so eager to feel her holding me, and at that moment everything is all right. The white-hot panic that left me shaking has cooled and things are starting to make sense again.

Single scariest experience of my life.

[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago

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God, to have somebody to give me a sweet embrace. I've had to work through so much shit totally alone :(

[–]habisch 6 points7 points ago

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Hey just wanted to say I feel ya. It's frightening how similar my situation is (I'm 23 now been in since 17, for starters...). I can relate to the "vicious cycle" of lethargy and mild episodes of psychosis. I've thought a lot about it and I think I could write an excellent academic paper on it (if I were a student in the proper major) or it's times like this I wish I had a blog to express these ideas more casually. I was gonna make a blog for myself... but then I got high. I digress.

To contribute to the AMA, I guess my question is: how did you end up quitting? I don't want to make it sound like there's an addiction to marijuana (I don't believe that) - it's more of an addiction to the routine. I have a lot of ideas and projects in the works, but I am simply too lazy to get started on them right now. (Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying the hell out of myself right now - part of me wants to finish college with as much hoorah as possible, since I know that will abruptly end.) I am banking on the prospect that I will get a job in a town where I know absolutely nobody. Though I'm sure I could find weed pretty easily, I recognize that as a great opportunity to make the changes I've wanted. How did you manage? I can't imagine this period of time having any serious long-term effects on your life - how are things now?

[–]space_island 1 point2 points ago

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Completely agree with the routine thing. Sometimes I get a little high just from the routine of taking a bit of a nug, grinding it up, playing with it for a moment in the dish I put my ground up weed in, then packing the bong. Sometimes I can just sit there staring at the packed bowl and ride that anticipatory rush for as long as I can before I smoke and my whole day goes out the window.

[–]Manberg 4 points5 points ago

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I smoked everyday for about 2 years. It never really seemed to adversely affect me, other than some weight gain from late night fast food and such, and obviously a bit of impact on my the lungs. I smoked varying amounts, but my 3 buddies and I could polish off an eighth in one session.

Recently though, I moved to an apartment where it's literally impossible for me to smoke, so I'm down to about once a week, generally at a party. I do miss it, but not to the degree that I MUST have it. I just always found being high made the little things in life more enjoyable.

[–]duckbringer11 4 points5 points ago

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Does anyone else find it pointless to smoke too much? For me I usually hit a plateau where I can't get any higher... especially after the first rounds. When I try to hit it again later to get high again it barely works.

[–]wiggin6 2 points3 points ago

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I don't mean to diminish your story or advice, but this seems like the best thread to post this -

hash oil is potent, right? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_oil

So I met this girl who was the sweetest most innocent person I thought I knew. Although she worked in a glassblowing shop, I didn't think she smoked all that much cause she was on point. Never hazy, exact with her language and logic. Anyway, I offered to smoke her up and she agreed, but said that she only smoked honey oil. She gave me "half a hit" or else I would "cough my lungs out." I was thinking, bitch please, I smoke everyday. So I coughed my lungs out and got more fucked up than I've ever been. After she took two "full" hits she told me that she smokes about an ounce a day of this stuff - $150 - 15 hits - a day. I was getting high real fast, but I remember my jaw just dropping.

[–]zolaesque 1 point2 points ago

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First - great story.

But second - seriously, she spends $1050 a week on weed? ~$55K a year?

[–]grec530 1 point2 points ago

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$10 a hit is what you would get it for: if shes that into it, im sure she gets a better deal; buys in bulk

[–]wiggin6 1 point2 points ago* 

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She's very in with the dealing scene from what I could gather. But maybe I heard wrong - I was pretty stoned.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points ago

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The only issue I have with it is the laziness that comes with it. Certain people close to me smoke all day and don't do shit. They don't even clean up their bedroom, leave nasty empty bowls of food just laying around, don't shower, don't take care of themselves and only worry about getting high again.

I'm not against pot, but it will make you a lazy person if you allow it.

[–]LoughLife 3 points4 points ago

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I lived with as guy who was exactly like everything you mentioned, except he didn't smoke/drink/hangout with anyone. He'd wake up at 2pm play everquest 2 until 4 am and then sleep.

[–]rybl 3 points4 points ago

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Where did you come up with $100-$150 a week if all you did was smoke weed?

[–]thilehoffer 4 points5 points ago

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What I am interested in is why you continue to use so much weed?

I was in a similar situation as you were. I never thought I was going to die, but I started getting really anxious from weed. So I simply stopped using it so much. Now, I only use it after a few beers or when outside hiking. If it becomes less enjoyable, simply stop smoking it. Why do you feel the need to keep smoking?

BTW, a little side story. I once rolled a crazy big joint in high school and got a friend of mine high. He had an anxiety attack and wasn't right for years. He had to go to a psychologist and everything. Weed just didn't agree with him. I felt really bad about it.

[–]Beelkeel 3 points4 points ago* 

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"I've smoked so much pot I don't know if I like it or not" -Andre Nickatina

[–]j-mar 2 points3 points ago

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One time I had a really bad case of the spins to the point where I couldn't open my eyes. I could feel my heart beating through my chest and it would alternate from really slow to really fast. At one point I thought my heart stopped and that I came back to life.

I really have no idea if that was the case or not. It was very scary though. I then spent a few hours just laying in my bed trying to shake it off by sleeping. It was miserable.

[–]vancouverite 6 points7 points ago

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Why do potheads always seem to use the word copious?

[–]overtoke 6 points7 points ago

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because "dubious" as cool as the word sounds, simply has the wrong definition

[–]salpara 1 point2 points ago

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Because they want to sound like Sherlock Holmes.

[–][deleted] 6 points7 points ago

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100 bucks a week! My g/f and I vape everyday and it costs us 100 dollars a month.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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vaping is the way to do it. First time I tried it, I was amazed.

The tiniest little nug gets like 8 people blitzed and only looks just a wee bit brown on one side afterward.

[–]respectthatstuff 6 points7 points ago* 

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Man. I had to make an alt account so I can speak my mind here. Something similar has happened to me, and I want to share my story.

I have read every single comment up to this point in this thread as well as every single one from here. I will start and end with this this being said: Weed can be very powerful stuff; respect it.

I've been a heavy, to moderate, to daily smoker for around 6 years. I have had one similar episode in my life and kept that shit a secret. After reading these comments, and comments on similar posts, I am definetly not alone. I have never had any similar episode or experience before that one or after.

I was in college, on the couch while my girlfriend at the time (wife now) was sleeping in our bedroom. I was planning on playing some video games. I should have been studying. I can guarantee that this weed was home grown, and handed to me straight from the source. No chance what-so-ever of being laced. I took a couple rips and was feeling fine. Feeling normal, felling high. I was playing some online backgammon and started to not feel so well. I was like, "whoa, what the fuck is going on...?" Stood up to get some water and felt really clammy. Felt extremely light headed. I noticed my heart beating. Harder. From that point on things happened really fast. My mind was racing, as it always does while stoned, but this time it was full-forced-focused on how I was currently feeling. My body felt numb, tingly, and my heart was pounding. I went to the couch and, for lack of better words, started freaking out. I thought I was gonna die. Heart attack? Stroke? I was one second away from waking the woman up and driving me to the ER. I didn't wake her up because I was supposed to be studying at that time. And I was smoking more than I should have been lately, and her knowing, being mad, etc... kept me from opening that door. I waited it out. Felt like forever. But the feeling subsided. What the fuuuuuck just happened to me?? I gave it a couple days before I smoked again. It sounds stupid in hindsight, but I had to see if that was an isolated incident or something more. I am or never have been one iota of depressed or prone to any sort of mental disorders. I'm a happy dude. This freak out quite frankly, freaked me out. It's never happened to me since. I think I know why. I'll tell you why I think it's so.

I'm happy I thought I was going to die. I realize it was more than likely some sort of panic attack. And that shit shouldn't happen to me, right? From that point on, I learned my personal limit on weed. Similar to alcohol. Similar to any other powerful substance. If I had to sum up why I think that shit happened to me that night it would be this: Because I knew I shouldn't have been doing it. I should of been studying. I shouldn't of been hiding it. I shouldn't of been baking my mind through finals week. All negative things, that were zapped into the conscious fore-front of my mind, totally unexpected, and it floored me.

I realized my trigger. I realized what seriously fucked with my mind. I mean, serious. I know, it's hard to realize what I'm saying unless you been there, but that shit made me loose control of myself and my mind. It was terrible. I still smoke weed, often actually. I love it. But I respect it. I feel like I have to mention this before I close, not for self fulfillment, or some internet cock measuring contest, but for the validity of this comment. I am a normal, normal, redditor. I am married and young in my technical career, I have a nice house, and wonderful family and extended family. I'm happy about 98% of the time and I have a baby on the way. I'm living the dream.

If you made it this far, finish reading. This is the bread and butter of this post, and the focus, in my opinion, of the OP's submission. I really want to draw attention to this post and the stories listed here. I personally, am all for the legalization (and tax the shit out of it, bring in some money) and especially for the decriminalization of it. But, and this is the fucking bells and whistles people!!!!!!!!, symptoms like these need to be discussed openly when talking about weed. They really do. Weed is not bad in my opinion. It's the opposite. It's fucking great. It really is. It is placed here on Earth for a reason, and it is really enjoyable to be high. But we really need to stop being so black and white about weed and realize that it's not for everyone. It can have negative effects on people. The plant is powerful, and when you learn about weed and the effects of THC on your body, you must be aware of everything. Kids and users need to hear these stories. Knowledge is power, and this is a powerful plant. It can cause harm in the wrong hands (lazy teenagers, drop out adults, loser hippies, and many more) but it can be very powerful and enjoyable in the right hands.

If you're reading this kids, don't be stupid and write off these real life experiences. Weed is powerful and you should treat it as such. Do not lose control of yourself. Trust me. Kick ass and take names in your life, and if you want, smoke a little and let that shit be a positive influence in your life. Not a negative.

[–]RDS 2 points3 points ago

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I've got a couple questions, all mostly relating to physical and mental health.

I didn't start smoking weed until after grade 12, but since the age of 18, (now 23) I've been slowly smoking more and more. For the past 2 years or so I've smoked between 2-10 bowls a day spaced out throughout the day (and now I smoke about a quarter in a week, but end up sharing at least a gram or 2 with others throughout sessions).

I have a really sensitive stomach so a small toke in the morning really helps me get on my way, eat some good food, etc. but I know it also makes me lazy as fuck. I'm rather functional while high, and as a graphic designer it tends to really help me get into the work flow and such.

I don't do much exercise anymore (played competitive soccer until I was 18) and the look of coated resin on my old bongs is really starting to get to me. I am a non-drinker, and only smoke weed.

I'm starting to wonder what psychological effects it has had on me (and have found that I am much more anti-social now, I don't enjoy talking to others nearly as much as I used to). I found my short term memory has gone to shit, and my ability to recall previously small details, or link thoughts and definately diminished. Is this a result of a shrunken hippocampus?

Brain scans showed the hippocampus and amygdala were smaller in men who were heavy marijuana users compared to nonusers, the researchers said. The men had smoked at least five marijuana cigarettes daily for on average 20 years.

The hippocampus regulates memory and emotion, while the amygdala plays a critical role in fear and aggression.

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN02271474

I know I wont be able to maintain this level of smoking for the rest of my life and in no way do I want to, ubt I also don't plan to cut weed out of my life, and I want to cut down my smoking down a lot over the next 2 years. In no way do I think I'm addicted, and I know I have the mental strength to cut back.

I want to know how bad my lungs are? Are their some good tests I can do to see how much resin is in there? I consider smoking weed out of a glass bong entirely different than smoking a cigarette, and I've heard many people see the negative effects from weed go away almost entirely after a month of not smoking.

I feel this drug prohibition we currently face really limits the amount of helpful, resourceful information and test results out there about drugs, and its frustrating. I know I smoke to much weed. But I really enjoy it.

Have you quit smoking now? Do you still smoke but smoke less? Have you noticed a significant change in your energy levels? Has your memory gotten better? What have you noticed?

[–]HavartiParty 2 points3 points ago

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Wow, this is like reading my life on Reddit. Weird.

[–]Carmines_Revenge 2 points3 points ago

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How much do you think you've spent on drugs in total?

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 5 points6 points ago

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A nauseating amount of money. I would say at least $15,000, possibly much more.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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Its sounds to me like you have an addictive personality and mj has little to do with it other than it being your choice of vice. Also, what exactly do you mean by "cones"? Joints? Bowls? I've smoked quite a bit longer than 7 years and have only heard "cone" used once in reference to a joint. At any rate, getting 140 to 210 joints OR bowls out of 100-150 bucks worth of weed is frankly hard to believe.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago

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I enjoy taking a puff here and there as it actually helps my train of thought and can get me out of "mental ruts", but as soon as I find it creates anxiety within me I will take a couple weeks off. For me weed is medicinal, psychologically speaking, but I only smoke a toke or two every few days.

[–]rick-victor 1 point2 points ago

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I'm sorry, what? I wasn't paying attention.

[–]ontologicalninja 1 point2 points ago

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Delayed reactions: do you have them? Are you aware of any difference in your reflexes between now and before you started smoking weed? Do other people notice or tell you this?

[–]Delta009 1 point2 points ago

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I'm surprised that nobody in this thread quoted this book yet.

This is one of the most interesting books I have read in the last year or so, and it definitely changed my opinion about marijuana (I used to be against decriminalization, because the governement was constantly telling me it was the Devil's weed).

Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? is, surprisingly enough, very objective in its comparison of alcohol and marijuana. I think that marijuana smokers and non-smokers alike will learn interesting facts by reading this book.

[–]peacefultoker420 1 point2 points ago

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hmmm....20-30 cones a day and only $150 of weed a week.....u must have mixed it with ALOT of tobacco. Are u sure you weren't just addicted to that?

[–]ChaoticRapture 1 point2 points ago

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Drugs can give varying effects to different people. It's good that you realize you needed to stop, unlike my buddy who had two blackouts on hallucinogens, one where he pissed himself in public, and he still wants more.

Oh, and did you smoke skunk? I read an article on BBC News a little while ago saying that it was statistically smoked more by people that developed mental illnesses.

[–]langfan 1 point2 points ago

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I probably smoked an average of 20-30 cones every day and spent between $100 and $150 on weed a week.

Unless a cone isn't what I think it is it sounds like you had really low quality weed.

[–]minimalmindman 1 point2 points ago

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srsly, what the fuck is a cone? im assuming you mean a conical shaped joint?

that's nearly unbelievable, 20-30 a day?

i don't know how any person's lungs could withstand that. i call bullshit.

[–]The-crow 1 point2 points ago

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What's with the downmods really? You can disagree with some of the guys views, but downmoding him for sharing his experience... i dont get it

[–]grec530 1 point2 points ago

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I've found that smoking can vary in many different ways, much like other drugs. If I have prior obligations, and I decide to put them off to smoke, I'm a lot more likely to "bug out" and end up not even enjoying the high, completely defeating the purpose of smoking in the first place. Also, taking a gravity bong hit and smoking a blunt are completely different forms of being "high". For me, I've been smoking for years, and at this point have become somewhat bored with it. I've really learned throughout my collegiate experience the beauty of sobriety in a world where it seems that the endless chase to intoxicate oneself can never fully be satisfied. I always felt like while I was getting high/drunk my competition was taking one more step ahead of me. Not to say I don't enjoy smoking occasionally, just don't get so caught up in the whole lifestyle.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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Everyone's different. I smoked an ounce a week for many, many years. Now I smoke on weekends, if at all. My brain is fine, my body is fine, I worked out while stoned, got a PhD, a gig lecturing in psycholinguistics and maintained stable, quality relationships all that time. Obviously your experience was different, but for a lot of us, pot IS harmless.

[–]cinsere 1 point2 points ago

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Feel free to post to /r/trees

We've smoked copious amounts of weed everyday for nearly two months while browsing Reddit.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago* 

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OP, I completely agree. There is a correlation (though, yes, there is no causation) between psychedelics and schizophrenia and other psychological disorders (a few cases that come to mine are Philip K. Dick and Syd Barrett). I have panic disorder as a result of a bad shroom trip. There are other people out there with similar experiences, man. Don't feel alone.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I am someone who use to some weed but found it becoming less and less enjoyable. The first time I laughed harder than I ever had. The next time, less. Until it got to the point where I immediately became paranoid after smoking. I know exactly the type of anxiety you are talking about. With me it becomes very strong.

I just stopped smoking weed. If I'm around friends who do, I simply take a puff and it's enough without getting me paranoid.

I've read that this happens to a small fraction of people when they smoke.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 4 points5 points ago

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This happened to me too - I find the longer you smoke weed, the more the negatives outweigh the positives. If I'm honest, I stopped finding mj 'enjoyable' a long time ago and just smoked to feel 'normal'.

[–]lazyegg 1 point2 points ago

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If I'm honest, I stopped finding mj 'enjoyable' a long time ago and just smoked to feel 'normal'.

You are not alone brother.

[–]TheBev 4 points5 points ago* 

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At U.C.T, students training to be doctors have to do blocks where they work in various departments of a hospital. One block is where the students go to the local psych hospital. The students I have met (Ok, only three) all told me that almost all drug induced psychosis was from marijuana. I have not researched the topic too extensively but this is empirical evidence by people in the medical field, which for me means quite alot.

So my question, would you agree with this? What have you seen as a practitioner?

EDIT: Just saw this on Reddit.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 18 points19 points ago

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I can't say what proportion of psychosis cases are due to marijuana directly, and I'm sure you have heard the 'correlation does not equal causation' maxim. It's very possible that people who are prone to psychosis have a tendency to self-medicate with weed and that they would have lost the plot regardless.

From my own anecdotal evidence though, I would tend to agree with what those people are telling you. Of the dozen or so people I smoked with over the years on a semi-regular basis, I can think of 4 people off the top of my head who were hospitalized at least once for a proper 'textbook' psychosis.

[–]TMM 4 points5 points ago

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Well, as long as we're using anecdotal evidence, I've been a daily smoker for years and also know a lot of regular smokers, and none of us have ever been hospitalized for psychosis because of it. Maybe it happens, but like you said correlation does not equal causation.

[–]Bubba-Booey 6 points7 points ago

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Google it and you'll see there is some evidence that people who are predisposed to schizophrenia and panic attacks can have it triggered by marijuana.

But as far as I've read these types of things can be triggered by just about any drug and can 'activate' on their own pretty much just as often.

[–]Achalemoipas 2 points3 points ago

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http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/marihuana/how-comment/medpract/infoprof/effects-effets-eng.php#a8_5_3

Heavy use can lead to severe mental problems but only in susceptible people.

I'm one of these people. Too much weed and I suffer from constant anxiety (say over 2 grams a day), if I keep it up for too long, depression.

[–]disgustipated 2 points3 points ago

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Why do you choose to blame the weed for your depression and psychiatric problems? From 17-23 years of age, you're going through many physiological changes that are more likely the cause of the way you feel/felt.

What sent you to the ER? This is the first time I've heard of someone being hospitalized from smoking too much weed.

[–]refuch 1 point2 points ago

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I concur.

[–]jeba 2 points3 points ago* 

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I don't often mention this because I'm quite embarrassed about it, but the first time I smoked decent pot, I also ended up in the ER convinced I was dying, and I also describe it as the most terrifying experience of my life.

To me, it feels like you're placing more significance on this event than it deserves. Every couple of months there's on post on /r/mj or /r/trees from someone describing an experience like this. It's always met with sympathetic comments from many others who had the same experience.

I'm pretty sure all that it is is a sort-of feedback cycle between the effects of the drug (most often in inexperienced users) and a resulting panic attack. It's an unpleasant experience, but not generally a harmful one.

EDIT: If anybody is interested, I've written a more detailed explanation of what I experienced in another thread here.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 12 points13 points ago

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The fact that you're embarrassed about ending up in the ER is the main reason why I bothered to do this IAmA. People have this notion that weed is totally harmless, and that if you have a bad experience with it you are just a 'pussy'. It's just not true.

I didn't have low tolerance, I was an experienced smoker, and I was in a perfectly safe setting when I had that 'panic attack'. Like anyone who's a semi-heavy smoker, I've had plenty of occasions when I felt unpleasently anxioius, but this was something entirely different and really seemed to come out of nowhere.

I'm not against weed in any way, I just think people should treat it with more care and respect.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I have been going through this thread and posting to everyone who has had one of these experiences to document how it progressed, the symptoms, and how long it took... I would like to establish that a similar, if not identical experience has struck all of these people... I have been through it too. If we can isolate enough reports from different people, it's possible that we could convince someone to do a study where they get a big sample group of daily stoners, and every time they smoke, they have to do it in this one lounge, hooked up to brain scanners. That way, when it happens, they could isolate the mechanism of action and figure out when it's more likely to happen and caution people away from whatever causes it.

[–]jeba 2 points3 points ago* 

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I agree that most people don't fully appreciate the negative experiences that pot can cause, and I agree that it can cause harm in individuals predisposed to psychological issues. However, in those of us who aren't, it seems to me that experiences like this don't really serve as a counterexample to the "notion that weed is totally harmless", as there was no actual harm done.

EDIT: As an aside, I think most of the people posting on this are pricks. You've got my upvote for an interesting discussion.

EDIT: Perhaps I was generalizing too broadly from my own experience, I'm reconsidering my position on this.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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However, in those of us who aren't, it seems to me that experiences like this don't really serve as a counterexample to the "notion that weed is totally harmless"

That's because it hasn't happened to you. It's very rare, and out of the uncountable number of sessions I've had, it's only happened to me once. It wasn't early on in my 'career' either... so it's just something to be aware of. That way, if it does happen to you or you see it happening to anyone you know, you can tell them that it's a real phenomena, tell them what to expect from what they're going through, and let them know that it definitely has an end and that they aren't going to die. That would've been reassuring for me: I had to pick up my own vomit off a floor using trash bags while I was still undergoing the whole thing because the people I was with were mad at me for puking and thought I was under control of my situation when I wasn't.

[–]xanax_anaxa 6 points7 points ago

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Bah. Lightweight D.A.R.E baby. I've been smoking that much for 25 years and that's not even close to worth an AMA.

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

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You're like... cool, man.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 19 points20 points ago

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And hitting the benzo's as well, it would appear?

[–]slobby 1 point2 points ago

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Yeah you can't really do anything 20-30 times a day without it having a negative effect. Except for maybe breathing.

[–]onionblaster 6 points7 points ago

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i think if you were down to 20-30 times a day it probably would have a pretty negative effect.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I have a good friend in a situation very similar to yours. He's in his early 20's and smokes weed heavily. I've been friends with him for many years, but lately things have gotten pretty bad. I think he's pre-disposed to having psychological issues, but after a short period of experimentation with hallucinogens and then a gradual progression to just constant weed-smoking, he's become very anxious, erratic, depressed, and overall just impossible to communicate and hang out normally with. My friends and I are all at a breaking point where we're just kind of fed up with him (he lies, steals, and has mood swings at the drop of a hat due to his heavy use of marijuana all the time). He admits that he's a drug addict in that he can't take any sort of drug in moderation, but thinks that marijuana isn't harming him at all. He even claims that his shrink says its okay to smoke marijuana.

So my question to you is, how did you break with the habit and realize that it was actually doing you harm? What's the best way to deal with someone who's in that mindset?

[–]borque 1 point2 points ago

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Lightweight.

[–]dikcflicker 1 point2 points ago

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where i come from you'd be called a "part-timer". down voted for not handling it.

[–][deleted] -3 points-2 points ago

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This smells, rather, reeks of fibbing. $100-$150 a week, yet you smoke 20-30 "cones". That would be nearly an ounce of weed a day, since a "cone" is much larger than a "pinner". Southern CA prices, which are in line with the rest of the country or cheaper, would put that at $50 a day for cheap, bad weed, or up to $400 a day for medical quality herb. So I don't know how this person could smoke the way they say they do, and pay so little, unless someone was giving them "cones" for free. I personally puff herb almost every day. Not 20-30 joints, but maybe a few puffs in the morning and a few at night. In the past 7 years I have received 2 bachelor's degrees, a year and a half of work experience, and time to prep for entry to law school. All while smoking weed.

weed definitely fucked with my psyche on a very deep and insidious level.

maybe it just held up your own psyche to the mirror. i, however, do not need weed to see that you are a:

profoundly anxious, depressed, and just generally emotionally erratic

person.

*edit: formatting

[–][deleted] 7 points8 points ago

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Everywhere the prices are different. It depends on his location. Im not sure what the prices are in Australia. Here in BC a quarter is $60, where as in California (where I grew up) an eighth is $50. I always feel happiness knowing I am not paying those outrageous prices for maryjane anymore.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 26 points27 points ago

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I think we might be getting our lingo mixed up. I'm not sure what a pinner is, but in Australia a cone is a conical copper piece about the size of your thumbnail.

[–]Merriwanna 6 points7 points ago

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A cone is just that, A cone shaped joint. A pinner refers to a very thin joint.

[–][deleted] 30 points31 points ago

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inhaling copper fumes might be your main problem then.

[–]ICEBONG 25 points26 points ago

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Cones in Canada usually indicate a big fucking joint - 2 paper minimum for the full cone effect

[–]Erdos_0 2 points3 points ago

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Hahaha, that is what I thought as well. All I could think about was how hardcore the OP was, more than 3 cones in day sounds ridiculously intense.

[–]DCMurphy 8 points9 points ago

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Oh, so it's a little smaller than a bowl pack? In the states (at least in the NE) it's referred to as a "dugout" or a "chillum".

[–]johnnyonthepot 2 points3 points ago* 

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so a cone would be considered like a bowl pack here in the states I'm gussing? so probably about .2-.3gs on average? I'm just trying to get a better idea on how much of your day you were high haha.

EDIT: nevermind, saw you stated this later on. FWIW: I smoke about .5 throughout an entire day and feel that it suffices my desire to be stoned all day.

[–]DrSilverworm 2 points3 points ago

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By cone, he means bowl

[–]systemlord 1 point2 points ago

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How do you know your problems where caused by weed? Maybe you are predisposed to these psychological issues, and weed simply exacerbated your conditions.

[–]itsnotatumour[S] 10 points11 points ago

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I don't think my problems were caused by weed, but I do think weed exacerbated them immensely. As I mentioned in my intro, I believe I am somewhat predisposed to depression, anxiety and overall 'moodyness', but I'm pretty certain that all those years of chronic smoking eroded many of the mechanisms I had developed to cope with these predispositions.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

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I think it was more of a situation where after years of constantly being in a haze and not dealing with the issues (the very issues that probably caused you to toke up and an incredibly high rate) you mentioned. I think you are just unaccustomed to dealing with emotional pain I don't think it destroyed a part of your brain or anything like a "I smoked too much pot and now I can't feel love" scenario. I think that after a while you will adjust to your days being a little less mj'd.

[–]baddna7 1 point2 points ago

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ive never enjoyed weed more now that i take lexapro. i rediscovered it about a year ago. and like has been said in this thread, taken in moderation (which i never did as a young adult) its makes something as simple as a bike ride a little more fun.

[–]blacklab 0 points1 point ago

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So the moral of this story is that you used way too much for way too long? Pretty much anything in life will hurt if you without moderation. This has nothing to do with weed, it has to do with your out of control habits. You can kill yourself by drinking way too much water, too.