TDS do you stop maturing when you start abusing drugs

I say no

I was never going to go to college or get an education. I started using poppies and changed my mind about that. I made almost straight As for 3 years and I was high on poppies most of the time. I would take an extra large dose before each major exam because it somehow gave me energy and helped me focus. It also helped me want to learn as much as I could about as many things as possible. I deeply valued knowledge before that but I did not have the drive to seek it out, even though I really wanted to. I was just too depressed and felt completely hopeless and I believed I lacked the intelligence to accomplish anything meaningful. Poppies changed that or helped me to change that but they eventually stopped working. I may have learned more in those three mostly good years than in the previous 12 years of my life.
 
It's not actually (primarily) about the behaviours that drug abuse encourages, it's simply that if you start taking too many drugs before your brain is fully developed it'll rewire the circuits, in a way, and stop it from developing properly. mrflowers I think your counsellors have put it a bit too simply, it wouldn't be that you had the brain of a 7 year old (your brain doesn't just suddenly stop growing), just that it wouldn't have achieved the normal properties of that of a 23-year old (that's what I suppose they mean anyway...).
I would also guess that alcohol is particularly bad when it comes to all that.
Kinda like how if you take steroids while you're still growing it'll just stunt your growth completely.
 
I'm gonna give my short 2 cents answer on this thread. Because I could write a response that would be an essay.

In my opinion:

No.

That is all.
 
I feel that I stopped maturing when I started smoking pot. I have the emotional maturity of a 12 y.o.
 
i started using when i was 18..so when you use drugs. You tend to be more anti social. Do DXM by yourself at nights instead of hanging with friends..and it gets worse. Start doing heroin and you dont socialize at all your life just revolves around heroin. You dont talk to girls, you dont work, you just dont do the things that sober people are doing. LIke dealing with breakups,handling emotinal situations sober.Then when your suddenly sober its like WTF!!! how do i cope..how do i do life with narcotics. So yes, i think its true. I feel as if im still 18 and im 25 now.
 
I definitely find this true how ever some drugs will be worse. For instance i find Weed is the big one , that stuns emotional growth when used young. When you're a daily stoner, you don't really want to try new things and such you kind of just want to do you're routine. Also weed makes many people anti social, so imagine being anti social for so many years. How are you able to grow emotionally if you aren't making certain connections.
Anyways yea, i started smoking at like 15 and daily by the time i was 17. I am 22 now, i definitely do NOT feel like a 22 year old.


Could you clarify what you mean by antisocial? Do you mean you just don't socialize much or are you referring to the personality disorder? If you mean you don't socialize, the correct term is Asocial.
This is a description of someone with major antisocial behavior: They lack consideration for others and may cause damage to the society, whether intentionally or through negligence. Antisocial people have a reduced ability to feel empathy, compassion, and love. Some may not feel those things at all. Some antisocials enjoy hurting others and get enjoyment from the suffering of others.

I hope you meant Asocial
If you did mean antisocial, you really need some kind of help. If you are antisocial, I think you could possibly learn to feel those positive things and you would probably want to. Being unable to feel empathy, compassion, love, or concern for others would be a really empty life.


It sounds like you have some kind of emotional issue that needs to be addressed - I don't know what it is - depression, antisocial personality disorder, some kind of emotional trauma that needs to be dealt with so you can change, or some other problem that needs attention.

Are you still smoking weed all the time? That could make you feel apathetic and unmotivated and could possibly blunt your emotions. It could cause you to find interest in nothing and not really care. If you are still smoking weed all the time, you'll probably get a lot better if you stop. If that is the case, just stop smoking weed for a while - you'll probably feel better and find life more satisfying afterwards, though it would take some time. Maybe you could just cut way back on the weed and only smoke it on the weekend or something. If that is not the issue or if you are smoking weed all the time and stopping doesn't make you feel any better within a couple of months, there is definitely a psychological issue that needs to be addressed and figured out by an expert.

Something definitely needs to change so you can have a more fulfilling life. If there is an emotional or psychiatric issue that is undiagnosed or not being treated, you really need to get help so you can change your situation. If you can figure out why you feel like this and get professional help, you can change yourself for the better. You would probably benefit from therapy and you may need meds, depending on the condition. With appropriate help, I am sure you could change yourself for the better, if you try - it could be a long process, but with time, you can probably deal with the issue and make a positive change in your life.
 
i'm antisocial the only people i really love and care about are my dad and g pa i have other family and friends that i like but if they died today it'd be no problem for me i used to love my lil sister to death but she hates me now so i've given up on that relationship
 
^
I think you could still benefit from therapy. Some say antisocials can't be helped, but I have seen evidence in scientific journals and in self accounts that suggest otherwise

I had kind of stopped caring to a large extent for a long time (due to traumatic experiences) and was able to gain that back.
You may have these problems for a different reason, but I do believe you can improve, either somewhat or to a really great extent and I think you'd be happier for it.

If you are doing nothing to harm anyone and have no desire to do so but just can't feel love and compassion much, it could be more of a schizoid trait or potentially mildly autistic traits. I am not a psychologist and can't give you that kind of answer, even if I interviewed you one on one, but I have learned a great deal about psychology mostly on my own so I do have some idea of what I am talking about. If there is any kind of emotional trauma that you have been unable to deal with properly, that could likely be the problem and you could resolve a lot of your issues if you find a way to come to grips with anything that has traumatized you.

There may be no trauma - this is only a suggestion.
 
IMO I don't think there is a straight answer to this post. It depends on which drug you are abusing and to what extent it is being abused. Abusing drugs can be a very broad term. If you are referring to alcohol and weed, now I'm not saying these are soft drugs but you will need a ridiculous amount of intake on an ongoing basis to actually affect the rate of your 'maturing' process. What I'm trying to say here is: You don't STOP maturing, but you might need a longer period to 'mature' compared to non-abusive drug users.
 
nah i've done therapy for over 2/3 of my life i know everything that makes me tick yet i'm still currently seeing a therapist

It does still seem you want to do what is best (I could be wrong) and you don't intentionally cause harm to others.
If you have any depressed feelings, that could contribute to Schizoid and Antisocial traits. Even if it is just your natural personality, it does not make you a bad person - if you try to do the right things most of the time, you are still being a good person, even if you don't feel it and even if you base your choice on pure logic and no emotions. It likely shows that you are a stronger person if you usually do the right thing even though you get no satisfaction from it.
 
Could you clarify what you mean by antisocial? Do you mean you just don't socialize much or are you referring to the personality disorder? If you mean you don't socialize, the correct term is Asocial.
This is a description of someone with major antisocial behavior: They lack consideration for others and may cause damage to the society, whether intentionally or through negligence. Antisocial people have a reduced ability to feel empathy, compassion, and love. Some may not feel those things at all. Some antisocials enjoy hurting others and get enjoyment from the suffering of others.

I hope you meant Asocial
If you did mean antisocial, you really need some kind of help. If you are antisocial, I think you could possibly learn to feel those positive things and you would probably want to. Being unable to feel empathy, compassion, love, or concern for others would be a really empty life.


It sounds like you have some kind of emotional issue that needs to be addressed - I don't know what it is - depression, antisocial personality disorder, some kind of emotional trauma that needs to be dealt with so you can change, or some other problem that needs attention.

Are you still smoking weed all the time? That could make you feel apathetic and unmotivated and could possibly blunt your emotions. It could cause you to find interest in nothing and not really care. If you are still smoking weed all the time, you'll probably get a lot better if you stop. If that is the case, just stop smoking weed for a while - you'll probably feel better and find life more satisfying afterwards, though it would take some time. Maybe you could just cut way back on the weed and only smoke it on the weekend or something. If that is not the issue or if you are smoking weed all the time and stopping doesn't make you feel any better within a couple of months, there is definitely a psychological issue that needs to be addressed and figured out by an expert.

Something definitely needs to change so you can have a more fulfilling life. If there is an emotional or psychiatric issue that is undiagnosed or not being treated, you really need to get help so you can change your situation. If you can figure out why you feel like this and get professional help, you can change yourself for the better. You would probably benefit from therapy and you may need meds, depending on the condition. With appropriate help, I am sure you could change yourself for the better, if you try - it could be a long process, but with time, you can probably deal with the issue and make a positive change in your life.

No dude, i am not a socio path, i have feelings for others. And i am describing mostly how i used to be, these days i only smoke on week ends. When i was smoking every day after a while i found that smoking alone is funner than with friends because i don't have to deal with bull shit. I'd rather be home smoking weed and staying on the computer than be with them. I would also feel awkward when i was high and around them. I think awkwardness and weed go hand in hand, in the beginning i was super social on it. I could talk to anyone ,even cute girls .But after abusing it, it made me socially awkward.

It isn't only me either, i have read about a lot of people becoming socially awkward due to weed. When i am sober though i don't avoid conversations and like talking to people. I think i'm just a real nice person and my friends started bagging on me, and stepping over me which is why i secluded my self from them. And we would be high all the time , and i just wouldn't feel right lots of awkwardness.
Anyways i'm more open these days, but i just don't have any friends around me. I would like to do stuff, just not with ass holes.

But my comment was guided towards the question of OP, and i really do believe abuse of drugs causes a halt in maturing. Weed being the main one, it just makes you kind of immature and secluded not very open(everyone is not like that). When i am on benzos or opiates, i feel more confident open etc, weed is just like anti confidence for me which is why i smoke alone.
 
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I don't agree that drugs stop you from maturing. They do hinder the process and make it difficult when you choose to be sober, but after a while you'll find yourself maturing just like you should.

Weed in particular gets bad press for being the worst when it comes to mental maturity and I find that this is because people start younger with weed. I've never had a problem with social awkwardness on weed either unless I've overindulged, which is a huge problem with drug users these days. The idea that you should take drugs to get overly 'fucked up' is idiotic and wasteful. I know it's not a conscious decision once in the grip of addiction, but in the beginning, if you're aiming to get as high as possible, you're heading for a bad place.

Just my 0.02c
 
^ yea i suppose in the beginning it slows you down a bit, but once you get accustomed to the drug you start developing again.
All in all i firmly believe weed, when compared to others abused at a young age definitely affects maturity / emotional growth.
 
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