Brilliant_Frenzy said:
Questions:
1. Is it possible to be negatively conditioned concerning pot? Since I've had that first negative experience, I seem to go into that same mindset: things are going to be bad; the entire high scares me, especially the time distortions.
2. If negative conditioning exists, is it possible to recondition yourself to have positive experiences again? I mean, I would like to smoke pot again if it was a positive experience. I'm not sure if this would be effective, or how I could go about this. Does anyone have any suggestions?
3. Would my former coke problem affect my present pot experiences? I'm pretty sure pot and coke affect different neurotransmitters, but could the after effects of my coke use cause problems with pot?
4. Finally, I've never had bad trips on other psychedelics (acid, shrooms, ketamine); it's just been pot. Whenever I smoke pot, it's like a mini-acid trip. Whereas most people relax, it seems to make me (now) uptight and very anxious.
Purpose:
The purpose of this post was to get any suggestions as to how I might have a positive pot experience again, and to explain why I may have negative experiences now.
1. Yes. In general once you've had a panic attack or just anxious feelings, it is much easier to get them again. Commonly you set youself up by worrying about if you are gonna feel paranoid, hence making yourself paranoid
2. Yes. It may be difficult but you can 'recondition' yourself. Try taking smaller hits, and only smoking when you feel totally comfortable. Don't smoke in large groups with people you don't know or places that don't make you feel good. Having something to do once you get stoned will help keep your mind from having a chance to wander to freaky thoughts.
3. Maybe. I've never done cocaine but still get paranoid.
4. Marijuana is a psychedelic. It isnt as powerful as acid or mushrooms but it can cause you to have a "trip".
As Antigod said, the type of pot you are smoking makes a big difference. Depending on the person, you may perfer a sativa (energetic) or indica (couchlock) type high. Personally a strong Indica dominant bud makes me more paranoid than sativa. Sativa buds make me feel focused and energized, while indica buds make me feel braindead and unfocused, which makes me anxious.
These days a lot of pot floating around the US is canadian commerical bud which i find often causes me paranoia. It is hard to control what kind of pot you are smoking when you are just an occasional smoker; even I have a hard time getting other stuff and i smoke all the time! Ask your dealer or shop around.
Anxiety is a nasty bitch.. it sneaks up on you and then you feel trapped. You start thinking these automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) and things spiral out of control. The adrenaline starts pumping, making you even more jumpy and anxious. Remember that nothing bad has happened to you every other time you've felt that way, and this time is likely no different. When that uncomforable feeling comes over you, don't try to run from it, confront it. ask yourself why you feel this way. if there is no reason, tell youself this. Tell youself these feelings are going away as quickly as they came. Squish those ANTs hehe.
One thing that i've found really helps is to breath in for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 and then breath out for 8. It really calms you down and clears your mind of negative thoughts. A lot of the time i only need to do one set of 4-7-8 and i'm a cool cucumber.
This is probably the most common question on BL about marijuana. do a search for "marijuana anxiety" or "marijuana paranoia" and you'll find lots of advice.
i recommend against using benzos just because they'll just make you more anxious later
bottom line: only smoke when you feel totally comfortable. Don't focus on the negative but don't try to 'run' from it either. If you get hit with the fear, don't worry, it'll pass.