Tried cannabis again, anxiety came back...the next day.

[hazmatz]

Hi all,

I have been completely psychoactive drug free for the past two years after developing some crazy anxiety which lead to a bad benzo addiction but I completely cured myself and the panic attacks were over with and everything was good.

So I've been trying to psych myself up to start smoking weed again because I really missed it but I kept getting scared. So finally light night I said screw it and sparked up and had a great time despite being apprehensive at first. Felt like the first time and was totally fun, not a single anxious moment.

But today at work the familiar anxiety started creeping up on me after having been gone for many months and I did not like it. I was getting kinda dizzy and had this uncomfortable tickle over my body that I recognized all too well. It hasn't lead to a full blown panic yet but it's hitting me in waves and I don't like it. I'm laying in bed as I write this from my phone and I feel like im having a bad vertigo episode because of the anxiety.

I'm 99.99% certain it's simply my body's reaction to weed. But why? I don't necessarily feel the mental agony that came with my anxiety like it used to ...But these physical symptoms of being dizzy and the heart racing and psychosomatic chest pains and labored breathing. Even a little bit of a weird disassociated feeling like derealization...all happening the day after. What gives? It makes me very sad to know that I won't be able to enjoy weed again because of this even though I had such a great comeback experience with it.

Hopefully these symptoms fade by tomorrow...

 

[Mysterie]

i don't know why exactly you're getting the physical symptoms your getting, although i agree it would be because of the weed.

lots of people find that it doesn't agree with them after having a break from drugs for a while.

i think there is a positive side to this which is recognising that smoking weed can have a deleterious effect on a mind that is prone to anxiety.

i experience the same thing, and it just isn't worth me smoking any more, cons outweigh any pros. theres ways of feeling high through things like exercise and pranayama.

after a while u will miss it less, i can look back at good times i had with weed, but in a lot of ways it was a crutch i was using which was holding me back in life.

 

[Dolios]

I had very similar experiences. I think it's a mental habit that developed over previous using situations, so even though the circumstances that led to the original anxiety are not present the substance in the blood stream brings up a conditioned response that just runs it's course. Your subconscious was probably too distracted during the high but the next day when it began wearing off old mind patterns began to reassert themselves.

I've worked on this for myself quite a bit and I feel it can be overcome with some time and effort (if weed smoking is that important to you). The method is to basically just disregard the anxiety and label it accurately (i.e. paranoia). To do this of course one must have some awareness of what's really going on, so in effect to smoke less and maintain awareness.

On the 'plus' side weed actually becomes a tool by which one intentionally engages the 'shadow' and is able to work through it. In my case I suppressed my anxiety and tried to ignore it and I think it just continued to accumulate until it became undeniably overwhelming by facing it and disregarding it (not ignoring) one can work through it which should theoretically be beneficial even for sober life.

I kept on going back to weed because I find I have the most amazing realizations and inspiration. After working this way on and off for quite some time my anxiety and weed induced paranoia has greatly decreased and I can actually explore the states of consciousness that it brings.


My two cents on the situation is that all drugs were traditionally used ritualistically and ceremonially (even tobacco, alcohol and caffeine) and I think modern practice of not giving the experience due reverence is what causes most of the related problems. Consciousness is reality and to be able to manipulate is more significant and powerful that we like to imagine...

 

[cire113]

DUDE dont overanalyze this to death like i used to do;

WEED simply does not AGREE with your body anymore; if you have ever had anxiety smoking chances are you will always get anxiety;

Just let it go; true time the anxiety will come back and it will be worse and worse and worse

Fuck weed its not worth the horrible and crippling anxiety it can cause some people

 

[hazmatz]

Thanks for all the responses. It's been a couple of days and I feel back to normal now, which I find so strange. It's literally like I develop a anxious hangover if you will that lasts just a day or two afterwards...I really would like to continue smoking but another part of me says it's probably not worth it after having spent years changing my lifestyle to cure my anxiety. Sigh.

Thanks anyway