Am I ready to smoke again?

[hazmatz]

I was a heavy smoker for about 6 months up until about a month ago when my anxiety and panic attacks were at its peak. Getting high became a struggle because I had to fight panic attacks that were constantly creeping up on me. So I dropped all drugs and began exercising and eating right. My anxiety has lessened greatly and I no longer have panic attacks. I plan on waiting another month (so 2 month t-break) before trying to smoke again. Do you think my mind will be fully reset by then? I know heavy marijuana use can cause anxiety which is why I quit and that seemed to be my problem. So I guess my question is, will one small bowl bring back all that anxiety and panic that I've been avoiding for months and completely restart my recovery? Or does it not work like that? Are there any studies on this kind of subject?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

[velmwend]

I dunno. I got to a point where I couldn't smoke at all without compromising my mental health. Do you feel like you're at a cross roads with cannabis? There are a lot of people, in my experience, who simply got to certain point and had to give up, due to anxiety, paranoia and depression. I know this might be controversial but this is where the States are going seriously wrong. Therre are *serious* future health consequences that I feel the whole world is gonna have to deal with...

 

[hazmatz]

I totally agree. Cannabis can be detrimental to mental health but many people don't talk about it. I never had anxiety problems before I became a heavy smoker, but then again, I used a multitude of other drugs as well, but marijuana was the most prevalent for me. I would hate to never be able to smoke again because I really do enjoy many aspects of it, for example, the way it makes music sound awesome and the way it stimulates creative thinking. but could smoking once a month or so really be that bad for you? I think if you only occasionally smoke for your whole life, you most likely wont have any problems.

I read a study by Degenhardt et. al. conducted in 2013 that claims heavy marijuana use definitely increases anxiety even in people without genetic predisposition.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.12046/pdf

 

[spongeworthy]

Getting high became a struggle because I had to fight panic attacks that were constantly creeping up on me.

Well, you did say "any input would be greatly appreciated...." and you may soon come to regret that.

I couldn't release my focus on the word "struggle". Just a really dumb, impertinent question: Why would you struggle to do something that causes you such anxiety yet is not a requirement for existence, such as for example renewing your auto insurance or filling out your federal tax returns?

So I dropped all drugs and began exercising and eating right. My anxiety has lessened greatly and I no longer have panic attacks.

This is good. I'm going out on a limb here but I think the exercise and eating right probably reduced your anxiety level more than your weed abstinence. Possible?

I plan on waiting another month (so 2 month t-break) before trying to smoke again. Do you think my mind will be fully reset by then? I know heavy marijuana use can cause anxiety which is why I quit and that seemed to be my problem.

What is your current anxiety level irrespective of the amount of time since you last use of weed or until your next use of weed? That is the salient fact... if your anxiety level is high when you resume use of weed, you will probably experience anxiety attacks.

So I guess my question is, will one small bowl bring back all that anxiety and panic that I've been avoiding for months and completely restart my recovery? Or does it not work like that? Are there any studies on this kind of subject? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

One small bowl is irrelevant. What is your anxiety level? If your anxiety level is high when you do that one small bowl, you will experience high levels of anxiety.

If your anxiety level is low or zero when you do that one small bowl, you will experience low or zero levels of anxiety.

The anxiety is your contribution to the weed experience.

The weed is but a conduit. Don't blame the weed for your anxiety.

 

[hazmatz]

Nah, I don't regret asking for your input. Although I do believe you could've contributed without being such an asshole. You must've had a rough day.

I'm not blaming the weed. I clearly had underlying anxiety before I started smoking. What I'm asking was if, after a tolerance break, I could resume smoking despite the heavy usage creating some problems for me. I'm asking if anyone has had experience in a situation like this.

 

[PotatoMan]

Smoke the weed and find out?
Remember weed is a kinda hallucinogen. So set and setting is key. It's so easy to become filled with paranoia in the wrong place.
Exercise n proper diet is key. I used to suffer from major anxiety before I started to live better. Now I feel like I'm constantly on Xanax. No kidding, it's fucking great cuz now I enjoy smoking weed even more.

 

[3 to the 3]

I have found that as I have gotten older that I just can't smoke as much commercial hydro/poor quality outdoor weed without feeling shitty. High quality (helps if you smoke known strains that are known to be low on the anxiety levels) weed and hash I can smoke a lot of without the anxiety... Especially in a social setting.

Re: set and setting, don't smoke in a place (both mental and physical) that makes you think too much about responsibilities and or stress.

You may need to cut your previous intake by a lot if you want to keep smoking without getting overwhelmed.

Stick to smoking smaller amounts, preferably vape or joints - not bongs or pipes. Stay away from caffeine, and drugs that act chiefly on dopamine (stims). Drink plenty of water and if you feel nervous or anxious drink high quality chamomile tea - it really works.

Keep up the exercise and general health. No doubt your smoking mojo will return, but balance is the key.

 

[Jibult]

Do you think my mind will be fully reset by then? I know heavy marijuana use can cause anxiety which is why I quit and that seemed to be my problem.

Anxiety doesn't really work like that, especially drug-induced anxiety. At this point, it seems like the high itself is a trigger for your anxiety. That's something you'll have to learn to work through... I mean, yes, anxiety can and does go away on it's own, there's just no real time-table to it, you know? Everybody's different, from daily stressors to biochemistry to personality and in nearly every way in between.

So I guess my question is, will one small bowl bring back all that anxiety and panic that I've been avoiding for months and completely restart my recovery? Or does it not work like that?

That could happen, and my opinion is that it's likely to happen for you if just the thought of smoking again makes you think it might happen. Basically? The more you think about it, the more anxious you're going to become. It's a bitch of a cycle, man, best thing to do is not worry about it in the first place. That's kind of a retarded thing to tell somebody with anxiety, though, so..... Next question, lol.

Are there any studies on this kind of subject?

I would bet my li-- I'd bet money on there being studies relating to drug-induced anxiety. Personally? I've never really looked the subject up. There's plenty of scholarly search engines you could check out on the subject (even Google Scholar).



Also? I second spongeworthy's entire post. Regardless of how you felt about his wording, the entire thing was on-point and full of questions definitely worth thinking over.

 

[Doldrugs]

I also agree with spongeworthy, great post.

Weed definitely triggered my anxiety, but it didn't produce it out of nowhere. Weed actually helped me, I think, by getting me to face and accept my anxiety. Now it has the complete opposite effect on me. Your frame of mind will definitely determine whether weed makes you anxious or alleviates your anxiety. I'd give it another try and keep a positive attitude, if you've addressed your issues adequately you'll have a good time. If it still makes you anxious I'd take it as a sign to keep working through your problems. Induced anxiety can be really helpful, though. You can experiment with tackling your feelings head on in a safe environment instead of waiting for panic to hit you out of the blue when you're unprepared.