Pot and paranoia

I am 30 and have been smoking herb daily since I was 15. I did stop completely for a period of time from late 2006 to early 2009, and when I went back to it, it was like I had never even stopped and was again smoking at all hours of the day (and night) just like before.

Smoking for the first time after that three year hiatus was somewhat magical and rejuvenating for me, and it gave me deeper insight into things that had been on my mind those three and a half years I went without smoking. It was overall a very positive, almost spiritual time for me in terms of re-connecting to my inner core.

Lately it just seems that every time I get more than just buzzed I become extremely paranoid and have negative thoughts about myself and what others might be thinking/saying about me. This lasts only for about the first 20-30 minutes or so, then I am fine after that. However, I notice that over the course of my 15 years of smoking, I have become more withdrawn/introverted, socially anxious to the point of sometimes feeling borderline inept, and just paranoid overall, even when I am NOT smoking.

I really love pot and don't think I could ever give it up completely, though I am now beginning to wonder if its overuse hasn't had some negative impact on my life, which I know it has.

 

I thought we already had this conversation???

Oh well...

Do you know what strains you have been smoking?

Each has a different effect, and each can affect different people differently. Beyond that, how the bud is grown, harvested and cured, will also change how it effects you.

 

im the same pressed rat, 25 smoked from about 14 through 24 off for a few years in there, but been pot free for over a year now and the paranoia is still there to some extent. i remain reclusive avoiding most social contact/ events. i know it has affected me too but the effects dont seem to leave which makes me wonder why i gave up lol

 

You guys need to each buy yourselves a suit of new clothes, and clean up your appearances somewhat. That way, when you step out, you'll have people going "Oh yeahh,,",,instead of "excuse me,," (in that annoyed tone which means "You're in my wayyy,,". Sometimes, when we think people are looking at us for the wrong reason, we need to give them the right reason, instead of asking them to quit looking.

Then, go out, mingle, have fun meeting new people,,

Appearances matter. Clean up.

 

The above statement was totally spontaneous, and void of salacious content.

 

In other words,,

A few years back, there was this school of psychology (for all I know, it might still be in vogue,,), which taught that if you change a person's behaviors, you can change the person. In other words, they made some amount of progress by assuming that in working on the right behaviors, the correct inward models were being assimilated.

So,,I'm suggesting that perhaps if you ACT as if you aren't paranoid, then your inner man will tend to adopt this behavior and integrate it into your new reality.

Look that up in your Funk & Wagnall's. (A commonly used saying on the 60's television show "Laugh-In".)

 

When your feeling the paranoid, stoned or not, just tell yourself it's your mind fuckin with you. Realize when its happening, Identify it, and denounce it and declare your power over it.

 

When I was much younger than you - ah the summer of '67 I embraced the natural and untainted produce of aromatic flavour relief and expansion of the mind. Creativity flowed and the concept of looking outside the box became second nature.
However,
The constant 'ache' within my head (though more often lying within the background = ever present) and the paranoia is a bind.
That was 'some time ago' and I guess that's the consequences of my actions, still, would I change that experience? - I think not

 

Take periodic breaks... I'm currently on one that is of undetermined length. I'm clueless as to how one can train oneself to control the use in order to prevent the paranoia. My use over the past several years was mostly limited to just before bedtime to help me relax and get to sleep (insomnia- BAD) with overtly recreational use limited to weekends and social occasional setting. I've been an introvert for as long as I can remember and smoking magnifies that. I look at that as a problem- MY problem regardless of marijuana use... and the rather light smoking habits seemed to keep that in check for the most part.

I cannot think of any permanent effect that my years of pot use has had on me. I had given it up for several years starting in 2002- which put an end to a decades long habit of smoking at all hours- which resulted in a great deal of tolerance to pot. Extremely heavy use would magnify my tendency to be lazy, screw with my ability to focus and interfere with my short term memory. I've noticed that these things diminish when I stop. One thing I've noted is that I remember my dreams much more- I wonder if this is because I'm dreaming more or does THC interfere with that aspect of memory.

My current break is an indefinite one... but probably not a permanent one. Perhaps you might consider a lengthy break to clear your system out then revisit the manner in which you use this wonderful plant. It's good that as a user you seem to keep an open mind to the possibility that some of its effects may be adverse. There are so many positives about cannabis that it still boggles the rational mind that it is still illegal until one considers that drug laws are enforced for reasons other than public health and safety.

 

i never get paranoid from weed...pressed rat? do you smoke doobies or another way ...i have a friend that i convinced to throw away his bong..his paranoia has decreased and i think its cause he switched to joints and cut out all bowls

 

I stopped smoking Cannabis after having consistently bad experiences like that. I attribute a good part of it to the strain available in my area. I used to live in a rural area and there wasn't too much variety. A long time ago, I partook in a batch that didn't give me any anxiety, fidgetiness, etc, but for a year or so prior to stopping Cannabis smoking, all strains led to anxiety, suspiciousness, and hyperactivity (not in a good way- just antsy).

I also have Bipolar Schizoaffective Disorder and the strains with more THC over the more sedating Cannabinoids would obviously provoke paranoia in me. But it seems, like I said, that in my old locality, the growers must have switched to all THC-heavy breeding. But I certainly have had Cannabis that was relaxing, introspective, enlightening, and all around pleasant. But that hasn't been for awhile. So I just don't even seek it out anymore.

 

Matt, there is a very definite reason behind why I don't smoke herb either, and it isn't because I don't like getting high... Even certain people who do smoke and far oftener than you complain of the very same thing. All drugs have their negatives, and it's a matter of deciding whether or not you can put up with it. If you can't, then a ta-ta, a Tatell. It will never go away, only become more manageable should things go in the right direction as you continue to age. It hasen't for moi, and so I put the stuff behind me.

 

Plus, my friend, we also discovered opioids haha! The worst side effect for them is tolerance buildup in essence. That is the root of all their problems.

 

Now marijuana makes one do things, not think, just do things with a grip out of your mind. One senses the passing of life in the freedom to effect other people in the democracy which is only plausible as the PEOPLE"S democracy.

 

this is true in my opinion.

I think it may also depend on what you are doing while smoking. My brother for instance has no problem burning down a joint or two and then working customer service or engaging in a debate competition. Although he says it can become more difficult at times depending on if the pot makes you feel "lazy" or not.

Where as I find doing such things more difficult, unless i warm up to the situation first or have been practicing it.

One big effect that we both have concluded is that pot gives us a feeling of not caring, apathy. Not because we really do not care, but simply because it gives me the feeling of contentment in this current moment.

 

I find it funny that people just ignore the strain issue and try to come up with other answers to why it does it...

Would you be surprised if you reached your hand into a jug full of pills and didn't know what to expect when you swallowed a handful?

That is what people are doing when they think of pot as one homogenous thing. When you go and buy it from a street dealer, you are literally just reaching into a pot and pulling out whatever is there.

Unless you know (as in, can tell by looking at it), the only way you can know for sure what you are using, is if you grow it yourself from a known source and then smoke some... See what it does... like it? Grow some more.... Don't like it, try a different strain...

You can't go by, "well the guy I buy from knows his pot and he says it's such and such... Did he grow it? Did he get the seeds from a company or source that you would trust? Did he harvest it early? Did he pump it full of chemicals? Did he cure it properly? Did he spray it with something?

You just don't know unless you grow your own and try it...

There are literally thousands of strains (when you consider crosses) that are out there, and each one has its own unique effect, and each effect will change slightly with each person who uses it.

 

Being less than fully educated on marijuana strains I confess that the strain isn't the first thing that crosses my mind when considering its effects.... and having said that, I've actually observed differences in effect on me- though I've always thought it was setting, my frame of mind, level of fatigue, and other variables that I bring to the table that influenced that.

Live and learn... to stop and think.

 

I'm just getting used to being back into smoking pot, after about a 30 year hiatus. I've found it helps me sleep. I've got RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome), which keeps me up at night, even if I'm dead tired. It's no fun when you're exhausted, and you can't keep from moving, because of some unexplainable inner torment that keeps you from relaxing.

Here, read about it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akathisia

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001810/

http://logarithmic.net/pfh/akathisia

The dispensaries around here have a multitude of strains, from both the indica and the sativa sides, and of course the hybrids, combining features of both.

Indicas seem to elicit a sleepier state, while sativas can at times heighten the "paranoia" effect. When I first began smoking again, I'd have these "moments", where I thought the earth was going to swallow me up any moment, or the bathtub would come falling through the ceiling as I sat on the living room couch, gelling. These types of thoughts became the more fearsome as I dwelt on them, until I just had to "shake it off" and ignore the thought.

These more recent thoughts reminded me of other times, when I was driving in my car, and thought that maybe the steering column was going to come loose as I traveled the freeway home after work, and impale me through the chest. Once, I drove home sitting off to the side of the steering wheel, until I could pull over and recover from this fleeting fear.

Now, I just ignore these kinds of thoughts, realizing that "it's just the weed, man."

It's more of an amusement to me than anything, and I'm retired, so I don't need to sleep as much as before, or keep regular hours, but I suppose to some, it could be life-threatening. I remember when I was a kid, around maybe 7 or 8 years old, when I was pretending, or imagining that I was being chased by a ghost, in broad daylight. As I ran for the front door, the thought became increasingly real to me, and I ended up tripping on the front walkway and landed on my head on a stone step. I was taken to the hospital and had my head stitched up over that one. The nurses said that I was a real "little soldier".

I could have died, due to a simple imaginary, non-existent pursuer, in my head.

Sometimes you just have to shake it off, and rack it up to "paranoia". It's one of those things that has to be "managed", if you're going to smoke weed, especially sativa.

I'm going to do some research right now, for scientific purposes, of course.

 

Not only 1000's of different strains but the major variable of any strain is how long you allow it to grow before harvesting. Buds have three stages where the trichomes go from clear to milky to amber. What I've heard is the clear is a speedy buzz, milky is a heady buzz and amber is a couch lock buzz. Not sure if that's a myth but i let my buds grow until the trichomes are amber and its really good smoke.

Right on!

 

There is another thread around here where I talked about time of harvest specifically.

If a person wants to know in terms of time of harvest... just before the trichomes get full, start picking a couple of buds every two days... cure them all the same and smoke them and see...