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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards | negrogesic

Potential damage caused by a list of drugs I've dabbled with

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ButterSoup

Greenlighter
Joined
Jul 2, 2016
Messages
17
Any potential damage caused by a list of drugs I've dabbled with?

For as long as I can remember I have been a hypochondriac, and recently I have been having very intense episodes of anxiety regarding my health. I am a 15 year old male, and only recently have I began to mess with a few soft drugs and alcohol, the latter of which I have stopped using completely. The purpose of this post is to hopefully eradicate the irrational anxiety I have when it comes to the potential damage these drugs could have inflicted on my developing brain.

Alcohol: I started "drinking" this year, but in reality there were two occasions where I had a two beers and a few sips from vodka. I've never been fully drunk or intoxicated, as I remembered everything from that night and I didn't experience hangovers. I have since quit drinking alcohol because now I am aware of the horrible damage it can inflict on developing brains. Could these two occasions where I drank moderately have caused any damage?

Cannabis: Under similar circumstances, I started smoking this year. I consider myself a very light user of this drug, as I really only smoke once every two weeks on average. I am still very confused on what I can expect with continuing to use this drug during adolescence due to the amount of conflicting studies on teens and cannabis use.

Xanax: I used this drugs once a few weeks ago, when I orally administered .5mg. I felt very relaxed as I do suffer from anxiety, but I didn't feel any withdrawal symptoms afterwards along with any feelings of drowsiness the next day. I don't plan on taking this drug again anytime soon knowing they are very addictive and withdrawals can be worse than heroin. There isn't much out there on the internet concerning the effect that benzos have on developing brains, especially with very light usage and one time abusers (me). Can I expect any substantial amount of brain damage from that one time I took xanax?

I do love drugs and the fun times I've had with them, but I am afraid to continue using them if I know they will negatively affect my cognitive development permanently. All I want to know is that with my brief history of using xanax and alcohol, have I damaged my brain in any way even with the small amounts I took? And am I safe if I continue to smoke weed every 2 weeks or so? Your help is much appreciated
 
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You are going to be fine man. Just don't mix the booze and the Xanax. You are getting yourself worked up for nothing and don't surf the Internet looking for symptoms any questions you have it is always best to get advice from amedical professional the Internet will make you totally freak out as it cannot pinpoint any medical diagnosis. Using Xanax once will have no impact on your health and won't make yo addicted. This is your chance, take my advice drop the pills and the booze.

Im sure you will be fine if you smoke onece every couple of weeks. Whatever you do do not try to self medicate yourself if you are having feelings of anxiety go and speak to a medical professional but do not take Xanax to self medicate your anxiety. Try to stay away from benzodiazepines as much as you can unless recommended by Dr.

You will be fine. Good luck.
 
first off relax
and no given the small amount you took...it wont have any negative impact, not just you but for anyone
but if you keep it up things will turn sour and real quick
benzos are not a joke and not to be played with unless youre ready for some real deal consequences

although this is a harm reduction site but although i dont condone drug use cannabis and booze would be the least of your worries

from personal EXP and from some much more older and wise never fuck with benzos

talk to a doc and parents if youre having issues
help is out there, dont ever feel like you have no way out
 
Yeah I will definitely not touch pills again after hearing so many horror stories from addicts. Anyway, thanks for the reassurance, and yeah the access to the internet didn't help with my anxiety at all. Cheers guys
 
Sorry for the double post, but I forgot to mention that I smoked weed just after I took that .5 half bar of xanax for the first time. I didn't experience any serious symptoms. I felt the regular effects of cannabis save the anxiety and paranoia that comes with it due to the sedating effects of xanax. Does this combination in any way change the verdict that I couldn't possibly have suffered brain damage from that one experience? I don't know if cannabis and xanax is a safe combination. Regardless, I will never touch benzos again.
 
No that combo is fine your worried about nothing. Even occasional benzo use is fine, i know benzo addiction is bad but it seems you have to use for at least a month daily which most ppl dont even wanna do
 
Dtresearch17 said:
No that combo is fine your worried about nothing. Even occasional benzo use is fine, i know benzo addiction is bad but it seems you have to use for at least a month daily which most ppl dont even wanna do
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That's great to hear. I hear you about occasional benzo use being fine, but I feel like I would eventually become addicted to some degree because of the way it seems to effectively dispel my anxiety. Also, I don't want to become dependent on benzos whenever I want to smoke weed without feeling paranoid. In other words, I want to learn how to enjoy herb by itself without adding other substances into the mix. Thanks :D
 
ButterSoup said:
That's great to hear. I hear you about occasional benzo use being fine, but I feel like I would eventually become addicted to some degree because of the way it seems to effectively dispel my anxiety. Also, I don't want to become dependent on benzos whenever I want to smoke weed without feeling paranoid. In other words, I want to learn how to enjoy herb by itself without adding other substances into the mix. Thanks :D
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get some help before your life goes to shit
i'm living, shitting proof of that
benzos, weed, booze will help temporarily help...yes ill admit to that
but in the end....its not worth it
if what i knew what i know now...i wouldnt touch any of that shit
 
Which is exactly why I have decided to never take benzos or pills of any kind for that matter. I have also decided to quit drinking until my brain is fully developed. If I stick with weed in moderation (which I am already doing) I'll be fine, right?
 
theGirlWithBlueHair said:
Um no. Common misperception. Weed is more damaging to synaptogenesis and neurons and plasticity than benzos or pills.
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Are these effects permanent in the case of a light teen user? By light I mean smoking a joint no more than a few times a month. If what you said is true then I will definitely hold off until I'm older.
 
No, they are not. Your use is not going to cause any problems. I just meant that cannabinoid receptor activation is more "hard core" on the brain pharamcologically speaking than activation of the benzodiazepine modulatory site or mu opioid receptors and whatnot.

You are fine smoking a joint a few times a months and are not likely to cause any damage. Now if you start smoking it daily, wake and bake style, we are talking a different story here...
 
That's such a relief. Honestly, I can't see myself smoking weed daily, as my tolerance would skyrocket and I wouldn't be able to enjoy cannabis the same way I do now. I usually reserve it for weekends when I'm with my friends.
 
Weed's a gamble for sure, it's doubtful you know whats in it. Its obvious you are an anxious one in which case its best to stay sober. One bad trip can have lasting consequences that may never fully resolve.
 
BurritoJimmy said:
Weed's a gamble for sure, it's doubtful you know whats in it. Its obvious you are an anxious one in which case its best to stay sober. One bad trip can have lasting consequences that may never fully resolve.
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Haha you're right, I am quite anxious especially when it comes to my health. I would take your advice, but what other alternatives are there to turn to? Alcohol, which would give me permanent brain damage? Of course there is the option that I abstain from taking any drug at all until I am older, but that would be boring, wouldn't it?
 
All drugs alter genetic material in your brain and cause permanent brain damage in a sense.

And don't think pot isn't causing permanent brain damage.

And drinking alcohol a few times a month isn't going to cause damage like you are talking about, compared to damage you are already causing.
 
theGirlWithBlueHair said:
All drugs alter genetic material in your brain and cause permanent brain damage in a sense.

And don't think pot isn't causing permanent brain damage.

And drinking alcohol a few times a month isn't going to cause damage like you are talking about, compared to damage you are already causing.
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Sorry, I am having trouble following you. At first you said mild use of weed at my age won't cause permanent damage, but now you are saying it will?
 
No I am saying that alcohol is not likely to cause damage on the degree you are saying it does...and you were talking about pot like it was harmless at first...and I said "don't think pot isn't causing ANY damage"...all drugs cause SOME genetic/cellular damage every time you use them
 
theGirlWithBlueHair said:
No I am saying that alcohol is not likely to cause damage on the degree you are saying it does...and you were talking about pot like it was harmless at first...and I said "don't think pot isn't causing ANY damage"...all drugs cause SOME genetic/cellular damage every time you use them
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Ah I see. Perhaps I was speaking somewhat dramatically over the effects of alcohol on the developing brain. Thank you for clarifying. Although of course smoking cannabis does cause damage of genetic material to some degree, does mild use amount to any permanent cognitive deficits?
 
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