does everybody start smoking young?

[whatamI]

I was perviously a heavy smoker, the more i had the better i felt. i started at the end of middle school and working for my dad made $100every other week spent it all on bud and had some good times with friends. stopped a year ago because anxiety/paranoia, I've seen some studies and they look legit made me wonder if all the anxiety and paranoia i have now which i didn't before starting the drug are permanent. i have found drugs like xanax and klonopin make me feel more sane and shy away from those crazy thoughts but has anybody had similar symptoms after using weed being young or old

when dealing with the drug i was always criticized for being too cautious. just when i quit my best bro got caught twice in a month and i feel like i should have been with him because id make sure we never get caught like the past we always smoked in a group and ill take credit for none of my friends getting busted back then now my friend has a record

 

[Snake_Eyes]

I didn't try it until I was 35 even though I had it offered to me for free on multiple occasions. Back then I was anti drug and barely even drank, oh how have times changed. Within a week I was doing it daily and 6 years later I'm still doing it daily with a few other past and current addictions.

 

[Thomas Davie]

I only started smoking when I was 24, perhaps 1-3 times a month. On and off sporadically until I became a medical smoker @ 49. Going medical and then legally made the difference in consumption rates, but then it's directly replacing 3 pharmaceuticals, so it's a win.

Tom

 

[whatamI]

in states where cannabis is legal does that take a load of worry away when you get high?

 

[tampababe]

I started smoking when I was 13. I'm almost 21 now, and I do have anxiety/panic disorder as well but I think I've struggled with these mental illnesses throughout my adolescence and adulthood. I was prescribed Xanax and now am on Klonopin. Without my medication, it's hard for me to chill out while high. I start to get panicky and uncomfortable, but as long as I take my medication I'm able to get stoned normally and feel amazing, whatever constitutes as normal.

For me to avoid the paranoia that weed brings, I just remind myself that I consumed a mild, mind-altering substance and these effects are normal, nobody has died from weed, and just enjoy the ride. That usually brings me down a couple notches. It sounds simple, but it's a way better thinking path than screaming at yourself in your mind, "CHILL OUT!!"

I have lived in Florida my whole life, and I forget that weed is even illegal here haha. I just blaze at my friends' houses or my own place/backyard, so there's no reason for cops to ever be near me. It definitely helps to be in a police-free area because it is sketchy. For me, that means no blazing in public places (e.g., nature walks, even though it's a good time) and definitely no smoking and driving. That makes me more paranoid than anything.

I hope I was insightful in some way, it sounds like we have similar issues. You're definitely not alone!

 

[whatamI]

im kind of shocked weed is becoming legal when the real hero to a lot of shit that happens everyday is the drug xanax like it would be good for not caring about all the little shit that doesn't matter everybody gets hyped or angry about like think of some people who could use a chill pill... yeah everybody i know

 

[TheAppleCore]

im kind of shocked weed is becoming legal when the real hero to a lot of shit that happens everyday is the drug xanax

I'd rethink that stance. Benzodiazepines significantly inhibit cognitive performance, and run the risk of addiction with severe, dangerous withdrawals.

 

[bobby1978]

I didn't start smoking frequently until I was 37. Before that I'd probably only smoke a couple dozen times in my entire life.

 

[DixiChik]

It was upon my 55th year...

I'm not good at this "smoking" of anything. I'm now trying to vape dry herb.

Notice: Grasshopper seeking Kung-Fu Master of MMJ...Karate Kid searching for Yamaguchi...

FFS...old fart needs hieroglyphics to understand what I need for non-sedating pain relief (possible?) and/or mood lift, energy, contentment (probable?) I don't want appetite increase, either. Food literally hurts.

 

[burn out]

im kind of shocked weed is becoming legal when the real hero to a lot of shit that happens everyday is the drug xanax like it would be good for not caring about all the little shit that doesn't matter everybody gets hyped or angry about like think of some people who could use a chill pill... yeah everybody i know

lol @ xanax being a hero man xanax is a terrible drug it only works at first then causes a devastating dependence that can take years to recover from. but xanax is already legal with a prescription, bud is a more complex legal issue because you cant go to a doctor, get a prescription for it and then fill it at a pharmacy and have it covered by insurance even where its legal.

 

[Macstrider]

im kind of shocked weed is becoming legal when the real hero to a lot of shit that happens everyday is the drug xanax like it would be good for not caring about all the little shit that doesn't matter everybody gets hyped or angry about like think of some people who could use a chill pill... yeah everybody i know

I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on benzodiazepines after facing withdrawals from them.

 

[PotatoMan]

i started at 15. have been pretty chronic since. 20 years of age now but i try to stay away from dependence.

majority start it young though, from what i've seen at least.

 

[assclass]

19.

I more than made up for my late start.

 

[Jibult]

I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on benzodiazepines after facing withdrawals from them.

...Don't do them to the point where your body becomes dependent on them. That's my personal opinion.




Benzodiazepines are a wonderful class of drug... The problem is that they do their job so effectively and with little-to-no immediate adverse effects, and that gives users just enough wiggle room to think they're not fucking their mind and body up when they're up to 7mg or 8mg a day. The problem is that it lowers inhibitions and encourages not giving a fuck, which is what it's meant to do, and once under the influence the inexperienced tend to lose control of their own habit.



Alprazolam withdrawals are fucking terrible. I've gone through them multiple times. Those WDs didn't teach me to fear the drug, only to respect it and learn my limits where benzo's are concerned.




Essentially, with sensible moderation you can drastically reduce the harm (real or perceived) associated with damn near any drug use. If the drug in question is prescription medication, don't go outside the boundaries of the typical prescription (IME, .5mg alprazolam taken as needed, not once every half hour for 4 months straight.) "As needed" is something a person needs to determine for themselves, though, as anxiety is most definitely not a "one-size-fits-all" kind of condition.

I've also noticed that those diagnosed with any kind of anxiety or panic disorder are much, much more likely to become addicted to their medication because, again in my eexperience, it's the only thing that makes them feel normal. They don't get high from benzo's, they feel right.... and the relief from anxious and paranoid thoughts is more enticing than the physical effects of the drug itself.




Again: know your limits and moderate yourself. If a person can't be assed to do at least that much for themselves, they probably shouldn't be fucking with psychoactives in the first place.

 

[Thomas Davie]

The best part of not starting until you're older is that if you like it. you can generally consume as much as you want and it's not a drag on the finances. Also, as I got older, the fear of prosecution diminished until poof - gone.

Tom

 

[Macstrider]

...Don't do them to the point where your body becomes dependent on them. That's my personal opinion.




Benzodiazepines are a wonderful class of drug... The problem is that they do their job so effectively and with little-to-no immediate adverse effects, and that gives users just enough wiggle room to think they're not fucking their mind and body up when they're up to 7mg or 8mg a day. The problem is that it lowers inhibitions and encourages not giving a fuck, which is what it's meant to do, and once under the influence the inexperienced tend to lose control of their own habit.



Alprazolam withdrawals are fucking terrible. I've gone through them multiple times. Those WDs didn't teach me to fear the drug, only to respect it and learn my limits where benzo's are concerned.




Essentially, with sensible moderation you can drastically reduce the harm (real or perceived) associated with damn near any drug use. If the drug in question is prescription medication, don't go outside the boundaries of the typical prescription (IME, .5mg alprazolam taken as needed, not once every half hour for 4 months straight.) "As needed" is something a person needs to determine for themselves, though, as anxiety is most definitely not a "one-size-fits-all" kind of condition.

I've also noticed that those diagnosed with any kind of anxiety or panic disorder are much, much more likely to become addicted to their medication because, again in my eexperience, it's the only thing that makes them feel normal. They don't get high from benzo's, they feel right.... and the relief from anxious and paranoid thoughts is more enticing than the physical effects of the drug itself.




Again: know your limits and moderate yourself. If a person can't be assed to do at least that much for themselves, they probably shouldn't be fucking with psychoactives in the first place.

I'm absolutely not trying to speak down to the positive attributes of benzos, I myself have been on a standing prescription of lorazepam since I was 16 due to severe panic attacks and I completely agree that they can be wonderful.

It just kind of rubs me in the wrong way to see such a cavalier attitude to something so potentially dangerous. Even with what I classified as "as needed" I wound up on a constant 10mg+/day habit of alprazolam blotters because as you described I just didn't care because the drug was making it nearly impossible for me to due so. The withdrawals from that were like no other and I now respect the entire spectrum of benzos as a result, it's incredibly rare for me to actually require the drug to keep myself from having panic attacks.

Having gone through the seizures, irritability, sweating, lack of sleep, nausea etc that the potential withdrawals can bring upon someone so easily I find myself trying to encourage people to not travel the same path as often as possible.

Now back to the topic on hand, I started smoking regularly mid teens and these days I find myself with a vape in hand more often than a joint.

 

[Jibult]

It just kind of rubs me in the wrong way to see such a cavalier attitude to something so potentially dangerous. Even with what I classified as "as needed" I wound up on a constant 10mg+/day habit of alprazolam blotters because as you described I just didn't care because the drug was making it nearly impossible for me to due so. The withdrawals from that were like no other and I now respect the entire spectrum of benzos as a result, it's incredibly rare for me to actually require the drug to keep myself from having panic attacks.

Which points to you lacking in the second essential part in the equation to responsible drug use: knowing your own personal limits/self. That first part, if you don't remember, is sensible moderation, which is done through knowing as much as possible about the substance you're consuming and actively using that knowledge to control your habit to a minimally adverse level.

Having gone through the seizures, irritability, sweating, lack of sleep, nausea etc that the potential withdrawals can bring upon someone so easily I find myself trying to encourage people to not travel the same path as often as possible.

Your concern is touching. People need to lead their own lives, though. The best we can do is teach and encourage, and hope that others make the right choices. That's not the only thing by any means, but it is best.

Harm reduction is ineffective when you have to wish withdrawals on a person for them to appreciate the power of a mind-altering drug. That's going to get shrugged off as an eloquently-put but very deliberate "fuck you, buddy." That's how I would take it, anyways, if someone even implied I should experience severe w/d's.

If you wanted to encourage him off your traveled path, you should've explained that in detail. What you went through, and why. Honest explanations work much better than versions of "Trust me, bro, I know these things."




[EDIT: Though I do agree with the disagreement about how.... cavalier, you said? How cavalier a young person could be about something so different than what this forum is designed to discuss. No drug should be idolized, ever. That's, like.... fuck, I'm actually at a loss of words.... That's just bad. The first bad domino in a long line of progressively worse and worse dominoes.]


On-topic: Started smoking when I was 13, got expelled/arrested in the same incident my freshman year, labeled a pothead and just went with it. Daily smoking since I could afford it.... maybe 15 or 16 or so, though back then I was a much more social smoker.

I still smoke with other people, I just always have a large stash on hand these days, compared to the days of four guys coming together off the schoolbus with 5 bucks each to go share a bag of weed. Back then I was kind of forced to smoke with other people more often than not. That situation's been totally reversed nowadays, though.

 

[iksaxophone]

I didn't try it until I was 35 even though I had it offered to me for free on multiple occasions. Back then I was anti drug and barely even drank, oh how have times changed. Within a week I was doing it daily and 6 years later I'm still doing it daily with a few other past and current addictions.

I was the same, I changed my mind at 19 though. Maybe two or three times a week now. I don't have any problems with anxiety, but I find if I use too heavily I feel a little roughed up the next day.

 

[emkee_reinvented]

I've seen some studies and they look legit made me wonder if all the anxiety and paranoia i have now which i didn't before starting the drug are permanent. i have found drugs like xanax and klonopin make me feel more sane and shy away from those crazy thoughts but has anybody had similar symptoms after using weed being young or old

You say it some studies. I have been smoking quantities of weed, and good hashish too. Semi legally, sad to hear that last part being on guard risking arrest like with what your brother happened. That's bad shit that will easily double the intensity of your anxious thoughts. But weed the green type will itself create, unlike most the exotic mj products, para. Especially the part from minute 10 (or so) to 59 it's really intense. Interacting with unexpected people or being in a weird spot is a real challenge. Not only is it hard you will also look and move wasted if not prepared (sunglasses/ sitdown/ shutup). If you don't believe take a pic of yourself when high to check if your devoid of the typical look of someone just after the take off.

You can surpass the anxious and para shit it happened with me, but maybe that's my genetics. but I certainly get what you mean at a certain point hydro weed became anxiogenic for me to. And it eventually went away. So take in consideration that these periods could be more influenced by the moment in life you are standing. Then the dope you are taking Mine certainly can now i think of it.



My age was 16 1/2, at that age a half year matters! When I first smoked and been doing so since. It's really my doc probably because it some how fits. Benzo's, temazepam and etizolam especially come to mind are nice but no way as appealing as plain weed. That probably saved me during the past rc age.

 

[noone1]

in states where cannabis is legal does that take a load of worry away when you get high?

No. It was never really heavily policed here so I never cared about the legality. It makes me paranoid and anxious for no reason.