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Lets Discuss: What is the reason I and others can no longer smoke weed due to anxiety / paranoia?

C

CantTrustEM

Greenlighter
Joined
Oct 11, 2019
Messages
31
Ok so I've tried to figure this out for a long time. For a long time, weed was my happy place. It was my sanctuary, I smoked it every day for years. It took the anxiety away, it made me happy to be who I was and it made my life better.

Fast forward, I got a big court case from selling weed, got pulled over and they found 4 pounds in my trunk..

needless to say the anxiety of going to prison at 19 I became addicted to percs and then heroin.

I had to quit drugs cause of probation, and now when I smoke weed a majority of the time it causes paranoia, anxiety, and it's rarely positive.

I know a lot of other people who have similar experiences and can't smoke weed anymore.

So I'm trying to figure out why or if there is a way to go back to the way things used to be.

Causes:
1. Trauma ? Stress?
2. Other Drug Use / Opiate Addiction / K2 Synthetic marijuana? I think this gave me brain damage to be honest and anxiety.
3. Self consciousness and anxiety?

I wonder if there is a way to have fun smoking weed again. Tonight I smoked a few hits with a girl I didn't know whose a stoner and had a great time, it was nice.
 
I noticed this phenomenon among a lot of "hard drug" users (i.e. ceasing the practice of smoking weed, at least without taking some sedatives like Xanax, because it puts them in a bad headspace), actually. My theory was it's a kind of "guilty conscience" effect, at least for some people...after smoking some good chronic and getting ripped, you can take deep dives into your own head, and sometimes the introspection ain't so pretty lol...especially if there have been recent stressful events in your life, like having to deal with the court system or addiction, etc.

I think a lot of people can relate to that, getting high and mulling over stuff in your past or decisions you've made and just getting paranoid about every aspect of your life, lol. I know I definitely can.

The other major source of anxiety in my youth re: weed was always getting busted, but with legalization that's all a thing of the past thankfully
 
I don't know the cause, but I've observed it amongst my friends as time has gone by.

My only suggestion is take it one step at a time. Baby steps ;)
 
Happened to me too but no guilt or anything like that. Enjoyed it immensely when I was 16-19 years old then took a long break while kids were young. Ever since that extended break (almost 20 years now) it's a horrible anxiety ridden experience, nothing like it used to be. I've tried to start up again several times over the last 20 years and I've hated it each time.

The only thing I've found to help is to start slow - very slow - and slowly build a tolerance over numerous days/weeks. Then I can somewhat enjoy a small amount but I still have to be very careful not to use too much too quickly. And it's still nowhere near as enjoyable as I remember it...
 
What exactly are you anxious about when you have a bad experience with cannabis? Is it like a panic attack?
 
This also happened to me. I was pretty much a daily smoker from age 15-19 but after I started doing IV speed at 19 weed suddenly made me horribly anxious and panicky.

I still remember the first time it happened - i thought I would die. Every few years I try and smoke again but am always revolted by it.
 
CantTrustEM said:
Ok so I've tried to figure this out for a long time. For a long time, weed was my happy place. It was my sanctuary, I smoked it every day for years. It took the anxiety away, it made me happy to be who I was and it made my life better.

Fast forward, I got a big court case from selling weed, got pulled over and they found 4 pounds in my trunk..

needless to say the anxiety of going to prison at 19 I became addicted to percs and then heroin.

I had to quit drugs cause of probation, and now when I smoke weed a majority of the time it causes paranoia, anxiety, and it's rarely positive.

I know a lot of other people who have similar experiences and can't smoke weed anymore.

So I'm trying to figure out why or if there is a way to go back to the way things used to be.

Causes:
1. Trauma ? Stress?
2. Other Drug Use / Opiate Addiction / K2 Synthetic marijuana? I think this gave me brain damage to be honest and anxiety.
3. Self consciousness and anxiety?

I wonder if there is a way to have fun smoking weed again. Tonight I smoked a few hits with a girl I didn't know whose a stoner and had a great time, it was nice.
Click to expand...

You can go back,but its never quite the same,not ime anyway.

I was like you and used to smoke copious amounts of hashish in my teens and early 20's. I loved the effects of being stoned and couldn't imagine my life any other way. Then I met a woman who didn't like it,so I gave it up and have to say felt so clear headed not being in that cannabis haze.

Fast forward 20 years. Due to traumatic circumstances I decided to try to take the edge off by using cannabis again and at first got severe anxiety and paranoia,it almost felt like a completely different drug from what I used in my youth. I persevered and smoked really small amounts,in a couple of weeks I started getting used to it again and received relaxing effects which I enjoyed. After a short period I increased the amount I smoked and then came severe paranoia to the point of hearing voices at night as I lay in bed. Needless to say I stopped and everything went back to normal.

I've tried a few times since,but the same happens. I don't like it anymore. How this never happened when I was younger I don't know. Strange.
 
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I can relate very much. I was addicted to stimulants and weed helped me relax. After I had to quit using stimulants, and after dealing with an investigation, I developed anxiety and couldnt smoke anymore. When I was doing stiumlants I had some bad experiences with weed, and even after quitting it just feels the same. My body cant really handle the high anymore, even tho im in a better physical condition than during my addiction, and it has weird mental effects aswell. I cant speak normally, I get panic attacks, I cant move, stuff like that. If I have benzos I have to take a lot of them just so I can smoke.
 
Jeez this must be so common, almost 70-80% of stoners I know from high school etc can’t stand it anymore. The common thread for me and them was we moved on to harder drugs after weed. I know for myself after I got a few years of doing opiates my anxiety would become unbearable when baked. Its strange because my day to day anxiety is much less/more manageable currently but I still don’t like smoking weed around anyone really besides my partner.
 
My ex was like that. He smoked daily for years, it helped with his anxiety then 1 day it made it worse. He was having stress from his sons mother and we were breaking up because I caught him talking to girls from a hook up site so it could have been stress and a guilty conscience.
Sorry it's doing that to you, not him lol
 
Yes ever since I have been dependent and “in love” with my oxy I can not enjoy weed. I agree with above poster , I think it has something to do with guilt and knowing what I’m doing with the oxy is wrong . The oxy makes me relax have a fuck the world I’m comfortable living in the moment attitude thru my day and life but when I smoke weed all my troubles / worries seem to creep into my mind and build up . Interesting to know this has happened to others .
 
Weed started giving me a lot more anxiety after dabbling with, and eventually regularly using somewhat, various opioids. Interestingly after ceasing use of most depressants other than alcohol here and there, and starting to use psychdelics more often, weed became much easier to enjoy in whatever random context. Whereas before weed seemed intensely psychdelic and I preferred to be at home alone.
 
Yep, same as everyone else is saying, smoked daily from 16 - 27 n couldn't understand how it made some people anxious because it was always the opposite for me n then I had a pretty stressful period, lost my job, missus left me, lost my flat n then stopped smoking because everytime I smoked I'd spend the next hour fighting a panic attack/ breathing manually n it actually got pretty scary a coupla times when I hyperventilated to the point I felt like I was gonna pass out even after I led down.

On the plus side it stopped me smoking it, was spending an absolute fortune!
 
I have the same issue. Used to smoke everyday a lot and for a very long time. I was also a poly-drug user/abuser. Took lots of MDMA regularly as well as LSD, cocaine, opiates, benzos, 2ci, ... During all this fun time, I smoked to chill, to potentiate other substances, to kill boredom, to laugh, ... till one of my normal 3 day non-sleeping, heavy drug fuelled hedonistic weekends turned into my harshest trip. That morning, we came back from the club where I took 4 or 5 pills and started drinking vodka and sniffing coke heavily. I kept on doing it after everybody passed out cold then I went to my room where I kept on drinking and doing coke but I started smoking joints like I usually did. I was listening to music and suddenly my breathing went crazy. I felt like my breaths didn't contain any oxygen then my heart rate went through the roof which was followed by very sharp chest pains. I started seeing the craziest colors and fractals flowing everywhere in my vision. I kept on fighting to slow my breathing down and to calm down but it got worse till I pretty much was ok with death. Once I accepted this, slowly, things started slowing down. I spent more than an hour like this and all this time I thought that it was a heart attack. After this weed was impossible to enjoy for me because of anxiety, panic and the chest pain that accompanied. Drugs were a part of me so I didn't know what to do; this is exactly when H became my drug of choice.
I smoked weed in much less amounts but I lost the best effects which I loved unfortunately.
 
Even though opiates made me not enjoy weed they also got me to quit drinking as well, it wasn’t really a conscious thing I just stopped enjoying the drunk feeling and felt like drinking with the oxy wasted the oxy feeling . At least opiates don’t damage your body at all compared to to alcohol so that was a win win in my book.
 
Burnt Offerings said:
I noticed this phenomenon among a lot of "hard drug" users (i.e. ceasing the practice of smoking weed, at least without taking some sedatives like Xanax, because it puts them in a bad headspace), actually. My theory was it's a kind of "guilty conscience" effect, at least for some people...after smoking some good chronic and getting ripped, you can take deep dives into your own head, and sometimes the introspection ain't so pretty lol...especially if there have been recent stressful events in your life, like having to deal with the court system or addiction, etc.

I think a lot of people can relate to that, getting high and mulling over stuff in your past or decisions you've made and just getting paranoid about every aspect of your life, lol. I know I definitely can.

The other major source of anxiety in my youth re: weed was always getting busted, but with legalization that's all a thing of the past thankfully
Click to expand...

It's really funny you say that and completely spot on to be honest. The last few times I've smoked some good bud, I've found myself stuck reflecting on my inner self and things I have done wrong and honestly it definitely was a guilty conscience about the mistakes I've made.

It does cause you to look inwards and it kinda shows you who you really are sometimes.

It was crazy I was texting my girlfriend apologizing and saying how much I loved her and all this stuff. Weed really can make you go deep into your mind.

And spot on everyone, I think maybe opiates change the brain after abuse or other drugs.

For me when I smoke I just become antisocial, paranoid and worried about "being exposed" essentially. It's like I'm doing something wrong when I'm high when in reality I'm not and it feels like people can see through my bullshit.

It's pretty scary being too high and so scared, I've; started shaking before even and crying.
 
CantTrustEM said:
Ok so I've tried to figure this out for a long time. For a long time, weed was my happy place. It was my sanctuary, I smoked it every day for years. It took the anxiety away, it made me happy to be who I was and it made my life better.

Fast forward, I got a big court case from selling weed, got pulled over and they found 4 pounds in my trunk..

needless to say the anxiety of going to prison at 19 I became addicted to percs and then heroin.

I had to quit drugs cause of probation, and now when I smoke weed a majority of the time it causes paranoia, anxiety, and it's rarely positive.

I know a lot of other people who have similar experiences and can't smoke weed anymore.

So I'm trying to figure out why or if there is a way to go back to the way things used to be.

Causes:
1. Trauma ? Stress?
2. Other Drug Use / Opiate Addiction / K2 Synthetic marijuana? I think this gave me brain damage to be honest and anxiety.
3. Self consciousness and anxiety?

I wonder if there is a way to have fun smoking weed again. Tonight I smoked a few hits with a girl I didn't know whose a stoner and had a great time, it was nice.
Click to expand...
In my personal experience, once it's over, it's over. Following onto that, maybe have a look here:

News - Cannabis Use Disorder | Strong evidence for causal role of cannabis in schizophrenia ->

High potency cannabis increases the risk of serious mental illness, study by Michelle Roberts | BBC News online | 20 March 2019 Smoking potent 'skunk-like' cannabis increases your risk of serious mental illness, say researchers. They estimate around one in 10 new cases of psychosis may be...
www.bluelight.org www.bluelight.org
 
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