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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

Alcohol vs cannabis, whcih is most likely to cause mental health problems

Swimmingdancer said:
I haven't seen any real evidence of this, but I have seen many studies that found to the contrary, that although people with mental illness are more likely to use cannabis there is no evidence that the cannabis caused the mental illness, and even when it did seem that their symptoms appeared/worsened after using cannabis that it was a non-specific trigger (meaning they would have had that mental illness whether they used cannabis or not).
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word dude, i was told that by drug counselors at the psych hospital about my post above
 
I've spent some time in psych wards and there were far more people there due to alcohol than there were for marijuana. People with anxiety/depression issues stated they either started drinking way too much and then fell into depression or tried to self medicate with alcohol and they weren't getting any better. I have met one person with schizophrenia who stated that he smoked weed for a couple of years and was fine, but then he went on a meth binge and spent the next 4 years more or less psychotic (he said he was so-so before, not mental enough to be diagnosed but it definitely definitely triggered it in him after he started meth). To really get into remission he had to stop taking all drugs, including marijuana. So... I met lots of people with issues due to alcohol, only one person with clearly had an issue with marijuana. IMO, marijuana isn't innocent and it can make you worse if you're vulnerable but alcohol definitely causes more damage.
 
KitCat said:
I've spent some time in psych wards and there were far more people there due to alcohol than there were for marijuana. People with anxiety/depression issues stated they either started drinking way too much and then fell into depression or tried to self medicate with alcohol and they weren't getting any better. I have met one person with schizophrenia who stated that he smoked weed for a couple of years and was fine, but then he went on a meth binge and spent the next 4 years more or less psychotic (he said he was so-so before, not mental enough to be diagnosed but it definitely definitely triggered it in him after he started meth). To really get into remission he had to stop taking all drugs, including marijuana. So... I met lots of people with issues due to alcohol, only one person with clearly had an issue with marijuana. IMO, marijuana isn't innocent and it can make you worse if you're vulnerable but alcohol definitely causes more damage.
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Right I think that people don't give marijuana enough credit. It is a strong psychedelic and because of that it deserves more respect then people give it.

I am not saying that alcohol is good at all just that marijuana is far from being innocent.
 
it depends on the person regarding cannabis' effect on mental health, a fair few people will eperience increased paranoia when smoking strong cannabis repetitively, can it trigger schizophrenia, the evidence i've read suggests so, as for alcohol, far more destructive than cannabis from a physical standpoint no doubt, and i agree with whats written hgher up about the cognitive impairment etc . caused by alcohol, the effects of bige drinking have also been put under a microscope by "health advisors" in the govt in the UK, theres plenty of info on how destructive that is... on the whole alcohol is far worse and more detructive than cannabis, but dont forget the exeptions make the rule
 
thanks for all the replies :) I bought David Nutt's book 'drugs without the hit air' (former UK government drugs advisor) and he states that there is no safe dosage of alcohol, which really surprised me having heard that drinking very small quantity's is healthy, he puts these findings down to the fact many teetotallers don't drink because of health problems making light drinkers statistically live longer and people unfairly generalising findings about middle aged men and a glass of red wine. He also states that despite cannabis use increasing 20 fold in the last 20 years, schizophrenia is still on the decline in the UK and that his research suggests that 5000 men or 7000 women aged 20-25 would have to be stopped from ever using cannabis to prevent one episode of schizophrenia. That and the points raised in this thread seem to definitely point to the answer i was expecting lol. Definitely agree about smoking making it a lot worse, especially when mixed with tobacco, its no exaggeration to say that a large proportion of UK smokers don't know its possible for a joint without tobacco to burn properly 8o thats what public health campaigns should tell people if they want to reduce the harms caused by cannabis, smoke pure or better yet vape or eat
 
alcohol for sure. i always end up doing stupid shit or embarrassing myself and waking up the next day either not knowing what happened or remembering and seriously regretting what i did the night before. the hangover sucks, it causes nausea, and it is not fun to do alone. i only drink in social situations.

marijuana may cause some memory inhibition and decreasing sperm count, but it is so euphoric; although i smoke everyday, i can still get high every time because weed is special. i love smoking weed, it is an amazing drug. it synergizes with almost all drugs and makes them better which is so winning! when people say they smoke so much they cant get high is bullshit, the first smoke of the day i always get ripped! but htoroughout the day i do need to smoke more and more to get the same effect, but the next day it's like reset kind of. my body loves and reacts extremely well to marijauana, it feels so natural and peaceful....
 
Cannibus is pretty much harmless if you smoke here and there. But being a heavy daily stoner definitely has its downs, depression, anxiety , loss of reality. Cloudy mind, memory issues, the list goes on. I hate when people say nothing goes wrong with weed, it's a pretty amazing drug but it has issues as well so stop spreading false shit.
 
F1n1shed said:
Cannibus is pretty much harmless if you smoke here and there. But being a heavy daily stoner definitely has its downs, depression, anxiety , loss of reality. Cloudy mind, memory issues, the list goes on. I hate when people say nothing goes wrong with weed, it's a pretty amazing drug but it has issues as well so stop spreading false shit.
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If you eat very well and exercise hard and regularly, the effects that you mentioned will usually not present themselves. Marijuana alone does not cause hardly any of the side effects commonly known to be caused by its use, it's rather a combination of things. Sugar intake, sleep patterns, diet, exercise, daily routine... etc. Again, it just reveals you to yourself it will exacerbate what's already there...it's a psychedelic... cmon naow...
 
when i got my first job as a new graduate nurse, a 26 yr old man was admitted to the icu in end stage liver failure/cirrhosis. he was so full of fluid it was weeping from his skin which was splitting open, he was as big as the bed, his skin was a deep yellow/orange, and the ammonia death smell was beyond description. all night he screamed at "people and cops outside the window" despite the fact he was on the 6th floor. w/in 24 hrs he was dead.
26 yrs old after less than 10 years of binge drinking... i still remember his name.
i have never seen one patient w/ major medical issues -directly caused- by mj use alone.
OP, imo your friend is incredibly mistaken and could learn a lot by observing ppl dying in hospital from end stage alcoholic cirrhosis and by watching a couple autopsies and actually seeing the physical devastation alcohol does to the whole body, not only the liver.
-izzy
 
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