Why does cannabis cause social anxiety/shyness?

[phactor]

Lacey pretty much covers it. Either smoke less or stop smoking. Give it a break if you want.

I smoke much less then I used too, only a few hits nowadays. I start worrying about school and shit I have to do when I smoke too much. I'll smoke a blunt when I've had a few beers though

 

[JohnnyComa]

I've had some experiences with anxiety on grass, but it's very infrequent so I can't pinpoint what the cause is. My guess is I have some sort of anxiety disorder but I don't care enough to go to a doctor.

When I get a tab of LSD it pretty much levels me out no matter what situation I'm in. I'm way more comfortable in my own skin and have never had a bad trip.

 

[coelophysis]

I used to think LSD was the cure to social anxiety blamed on weed. And it was for a little while, it made me be who I wanted to be while out. But that feeling didn't last forever. Now if I'm out on acid I'm usually running for the nearest bush to hide in.

 

[PriestTheyCalledHim]

After awhile you can usually build up a tolerance to the anxiety.

+1 Very true.

If you keep smoking more often and just learn to recognize the anxiety and when you're getting it and just tell yourself "Oh it's not a big deal this just happens sometimes when I get high, it will be over soon." you'll be fine.

 

[r4nd0mj0k3r]

I have an anxiety disorder, im pretty sure that when i smoke schwag, mainly schwag, it brings out my symptons of anxiety 100x worse and i start to want to be alone,but when ive smoked kinebud or white willow or any type of weed like that it makes me chill and i feel socializing

 

[mike_]

I believe William Burroughs was the one that stated weed does not change your mood, but amplifies it. If you are sad, smoking will only amplify it, if angry, it will just add to the feeling. I definately agree with his statement, but Burroughs definately put it better than I can here.

That's definitely not true for me. I like smoking when i feel shitty because it makes me feel better

 

[marissaaaaaa]

same. with me.
i think imma chill on the weed, and just drink more and do pills a little more.
but i like my liver.

whatever my lungs can use a break :]


and if you quit for like a month or so, when you smoke again you get retarded. so just do that r4rywe5rwfs whatever. and focus on getting some friends, who arent total burnouts. that sort of helps me.

 

[blase deviant]

Because it makes you think too much and increases self-awareness.

 

[pkt]

This is why smoking alone is always good.

Don't know what to tell you, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't...

it helps to be around people you feel really comfortable with though.

 

[pkt]

The weirdest part about this is that LSD, a stronger psychedelic, actually makes me SOCIALABLE, while weed, which is barely a hallucinogen, makes me paranoid and screws with my mind to no end.

Heck, if it weren't for the fact that you can't drive on it, I'd almost want to live my whole life on LSD.

Weed brings out much more anxiety than LSD & shrooms for me as well. There's just something about it that brings out any type of anxiety you may have.

 

[mcwally]

guys interesting topic, particularly to see the number of people with the same experiences me included.

Sometimes smokin pot I will be relaxed and get really into or focussed on something and not thinking about anything else (like self consciousness/anxiety), but other times it will make me anxious and negative thoughts seem to snowball. I guess it depends on the environment, initial mood perhaps strength/type of weed and how well I know the people around me.

Look weed makes you more inactive, lazy, less motivated and starts to affect your overall thinking and behaviour. The fact is that it is like putting a ball and chain upon yourself and going out of your comfort zone becomes harder and then one will either stop smoking pot because of that or their behaviour will change to becoming more isolated and avoiding situations that induce the unwanted anxiety and the cycle begins.

When avoidance behaviour sets in (like not going to a social or family function because you would rather get stoned by yourself or with stoner mates) there becomes a problem. Almost inevitably the result is depression and anxiety not neccessarily just after smoking but because of lifestyle/behavioural changes. This is not even taking into account the neurological effects THC has on the brain that are not completely understood yet.

Others may agree or disagree but my point is to include general behavioural changes and not just the effects just after having a smoke.

 

[It's a baby!]

Weird how people keep saying LSD makes them more sociable. It always makes me extremely shy and socially anxious, even with close friends. My thinking is always really out there and when people talk to me I just say something without thinking of it and then they get annoyed with me because I've just been saying "yeah; mm-hmm; totally" for hours, and when they call me out on it I feel like I have to focus on everything everybody's saying and *that's* when the anxiety comes in. Same cycle every damn time.

 

[mulberryman]

Well, in all honesty, in the last year I have smoked far less cannabis than I have in years, and I have become ever more introverted (hell I barely leave the house) than I have ever been in my life.

Really, its like anything else, some people it might make more shy or anxious, others it can cure these ailments, it all depends on the person, and even then it can change from one month or one year to the next with whatever's going on currently in their bodies and their brains.

 

[love_child]

wow..... haha, thats an interesting theory, narutokun.

chances are, r4ldjkldlkjsdf, you just overdid the herb a bit and it brought out this latent anxiety. Could be you always had it, could be your subconsious is trying to tell you something, could be stress, could be lack of exercise or other health issues. Could be lots of things.

best bet, lay off the smoke for a while.

lol at r4ldjkdjkdjkdjkdjdk

 

[eternaltoke]

Weed doesn't doesn't cause any anxiety... what the hell is in your weed! haha. Weed only brings out the best in me it bugs me when people say it makes you feel awkward socially. Apart from the fact that most other people aren't high like you and chances are you'll be talking to a sober person. In those situations I don't feel awkward, I just feel they aren't going to get me because they are in a different frame of mind. Of course I probably feel awkward talking to someone I don't know well but that's where it ends. This whole shyness thing is a really lame myth, just like paranoia. I mean cmon give me a break. Why do you smoke pot if it has such seemingly negative effects LMAO.

Smoking Pot:
I rarely ever feel paranoid.
Never feel anxious.
Usually comfortable to talk to my friends (but more awkward with strangers because that's very normal for me). Ironically, I feel more confident speaking to most people in general because three months of smoking regularly has taken away some inhibitions. So overall I feel way better in social situations.
Never suffered any 'amotivation' or lethargy, (after the effects wear off).
Stop spreading these stupid, lame ass myths. They are complete bullshite or Im just smoking good shit.

 

[Prea]

Weed doesn't doesn't cause any anxiety... what the hell is in your weed! haha. Weed only brings out the best in me it bugs me when people say it makes you feel awkward socially. Apart from the fact that most other people aren't high like you and chances are you'll be talking to a sober person. In those situations I don't feel awkward, I just feel they aren't going to get me because they are in a different frame of mind. Of course I probably feel awkward talking to someone I don't know well but that's where it ends. This whole shyness thing is a really lame myth, just like paranoia. I mean cmon give me a break. Why do you smoke pot if it has such seemingly negative effects LMAO.

Smoking Pot:
I rarely ever feel paranoid.
Never feel anxious.
Usually comfortable to talk to my friends (but more awkward with strangers because that's very normal for me). Ironically, I feel more confident speaking to most people in general because three months of smoking regularly has taken away some inhibitions. So overall I feel way better in social situations.
Never suffered any 'amotivation' or lethargy, (after the effects wear off).
Stop spreading these stupid, lame ass myths. They are complete bullshite or Im just smoking good shit.

You're retarded. Paranoia is definitely an effect gotten by a lot of people who smoke. And I do experience some increased anxiety/shyness from bud. Just because you don't experience these things doesn't mean they aren't true.

And I seem to get these effects more smoking top grade stuff. Doesn't seem as bad with mids.

And just because bud sometimes has negative effects, doesn't mean it doesn't still have a lot of enjoyable aspects also.

However I do not experience any amotivational/lazy effects from bud, other than when I'm high....but that's because I'd rather be doing something enjoyable, rather than something such as schoolwork.

 

[@lterEgo]

I'm convinced it is the strain of weed. I too experienced similar panic, shyness, etc, after years of smoking. For awhile, I simply chalked it up as weed having lost its magic. However, after a few visits to amsterdam, where I picked my strains (and stuck with sativa), I realized it wasn't the magic but rather the types of weed in the states.

It depedns on the strain. Sativa definetely make me more anxious(paranoid) and the thing that makes me most anxious is social situations. Indica is different. Also i can pass as normal when im on an indica, while on a sativa it always seems people look at me like im crazy.

wow, it took 3 pages for this thread to get to what i too believe is the answer. for me it's all about the strain of weed (indica vs. sativa). i personally find sativas to be the ones that cause anxiety, paranoia, and discomfort.

i smoked weed as a youngster and then lost my taste for it after the effects started to get unpleasant. i went through a period of about 5 years where i hardly smoked weed at all because i thought i didn't like it anymore. fast forward to medical marijuana where you can pick and choose exactly what you're smoking instead of taking whatever the dealer has on hand and now it's a whole different game for me.

i've identified sativa as a type of weed that simply does not agree with me. when i smoke it i start to trip out mentally, i don't like the people i'm with (friends that i normally love), i get all nervous and self-conscious, and i don't really want to socialize at all. i've even had an extremely claustrophobic episode that i can only guess was a panic attack after ingesting a strong sativa edible. sativa is just bad news for me unless it's a small amount in a hybrid strain.

if i stick with indicas (or heavily indica leaning hybrids) then i get to experience marijuana as i know and love it. i feel relaxed, content, and well equipped to either chill with other people or alone. i can actually enjoy smoking again.

two thumbs up for knowing exactly what you're loading the bowl with and being able to shop for what works. medical marijuana is a gift from the gods.

 

[Zubi420]

this only happens when you already have an underlying social anxiety or self conscious issue. Otherwise many of my friends get no anxiety from weed. Many of them do and only those with little confidence issues can smoke large amounts all the time and not suffer anxiety. First fix the already existing problem and it won't happen. This can happen with any psychological issue like depression or schizophrenia and make it much worse.

 

[Echo_419]

so My buddy brodie calls me in the morning almost every day to smoke some schwag, but when i smoke it, it's like it brings out the shy me and social anxiety part of me or somethin i get silent and feel awkward around people.

Total opposite for me. I'm shy not high, but as soon as I smoke I can talk to anyone!

 

[justsayknow]

if i stick with indicas (or heavily indica leaning hybrids) then i get to experience marijuana as i know and love it. i feel relaxed, content, and well equipped to either chill with other people or alone. i can actually enjoy smoking again.

Im going to have to try this I think. Im going to amsterdam soon and will give the indicas a good look in. Only thing is the indicas Ive tried so far have absolutley knocked me on my arse