# Does marijuana help your social anxiety?



## Regret (Oct 29, 2011)

I'm curious if marijuana affects all those with social anxiety in a similar way. Most 'normal' people say pot relaxes them and makes things extra funny, but I react completely differently. 

I have a mild form of SA at least and when I smoke, I become very self-conscious, paranoid, and my attention span is reduce to .3 seconds. Someone will start talking to me and I'll go off in a deep thought of my own while staring at a wall. 

How does it affect you?


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## jaymusic1992 (Dec 14, 2011)

some times when im faded around people i dont know well or am uncomfortable around it makes me even more nervous and i start tripping out lol but if im faded around friends it really calms my mind


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## InOHIO (Dec 29, 2011)

I am glad I am not the only one, geez. Many people reccomend to smoke marijauna to help calm me down, but it has the complete opposite effect. I become paranoid.. just very nervous and scared.. I hate it. I have tried a handful of times to smoke just to get myself to calm down, as it seems to do the trick for most people, but it just does the complete opposite to me. I feel sick and it seems to last forever and I just want the high to end, sooo I just don't do it ever now.


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## panic bomb (Dec 23, 2011)

Yeah it makes me a hundred times more anxious around strangers. Was ok back when I was a teen and could smoke unlimited amounts of pot without getting stoned. Took a break for a while n now one hit off some dro makes me catatonic.


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## DMOIK (Nov 9, 2011)

It multiplies my anxiety by a minimum of 10 and is a horrible experience all 7 times I've tried it. 
One puff makes me more anxious than the time I took 3 hits of LSD and everything was morphing and I lost my train of thought every 10 seconds for 6 hours. That was fine, pot is NOT.


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## mxsledder (Dec 25, 2011)

It makes me much more sociable overall.but be careful it can be very emotionally addicting. For the long haul your better off just not doing it.


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## MiMiK (Aug 25, 2011)

its very different for me... i actually do get relaxed and can be more sociable.. but my paranoia sky rockets :sus


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## alex9498 (Aug 15, 2011)

I have a tendency to do stupid things when I'm high lol..like saying embarrassing things I normally would never say. 

Last time I smoked I was with a friend of mine that's a girl and all of a sudden she just seemed soo attractive to me..I thought it was a mutual feeling. I made a move on her...and it ruined our friendship.


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## introverted loner (Dec 28, 2011)

I'd tell you if I smoked marijuana. Mary Jane and I don't have a relationship.


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## Globe_Trekker (Jan 29, 2009)

yes it helps social anxiety...helps it get worse!


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## chipotleking (Dec 30, 2011)

I used to smoke 3-4 times a week for almost a year, until I started getting depressed for some reason, and the weed made me want to kill myself. It started making me trip out every other time I smoked. so 50% chance of tripping out crazily. So I got really paranoid and emo and as a guy, took out my earrings because I Thought I wasn't cool enough when I was high. Ever since, I've been mildly depressed/ Social anxiety-like. I think weed was fun for me because I used to laugh at everything and was more sociable, but over time, it affected my mind and confidence so much, that I tripped out.


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## YUMYUMYUMYUMYUM (Dec 30, 2011)

I smoked skunk almost every day from the age of 15 - 16
One night i smoked too much & had a extremely severe panic attack
Since that episode I have experienced social anxiety and infrequent panic attacks; I am certain that cannabis exposed the mental illness that I had a predisposition towards: social anxiety disorder
I have been unable to smoke cannabis ever since that first panic attack without experiencing extreme anxiety & panic


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## Boost (Dec 7, 2011)

i would recommend not to start.. I'm addicted :/ .. i smoke everyday and now i'm trying to stop but it's an ongoing battle... when i first started smoking i felt like most of the things people listed above with paranoia and ext.. but now it does calm me down. and i act normal when i smoke but it does make me supper lazy... it doesn't help me with my SA, if anything it keeps me home even more then if i didn't smoke..


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## panic bomb (Dec 23, 2011)

Weed does make video games much more fun! Actually it helped alot with my depression because it made my hobbies more interesting. Now that I don't smoke I can barely find fun in anything.


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## SaltySteve (Dec 30, 2011)

No.


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## SlipDaJab (Dec 27, 2011)

Whenever i smoked it i just got very relaxed and would rather just chill watching tv playing games than talk to anyone.


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## xeepers (Dec 26, 2011)

I noticed in small amounts (barley enough to get one "high") and infrequent use it helps, but large amounts used often makes it much worse. marijuana helped me with my depression as well as motor tics but came at the expense of making my SA worse. if you have an addictive personality i wouldn't recommend it, i used to smoke about 4 times a day for months on end, now im down to a few times a week but quitting entirely isn't easy.


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## Globe_Trekker (Jan 29, 2009)

Have you ever seen the film _Saving Grace?_

Some old lady on the street were my grandmother lives grew marijuana in her flowerpots. She was the middlewoman and sold it on to drug-dealers. Eventually she was caught.


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## successful (Mar 21, 2009)

If i smoke purp it does.
Pretty much if i smoke indicas & most kush's it reduced my anxiety.


After the peak, I just not give a **** & most of the anxiety goes away for the rest of the day.


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## SocialAnxietyMC (Sep 3, 2011)

Kush actually helped me out a lot. If you guys ever have a chance smoke some Strawberry Cough it was actually made especially for anxiety. I don't smoke no more because of work and just trying to beat my social anxiety drug free


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## luffy (Jun 2, 2011)

it will help cure your confusion about what you need to do but it won't help you actually do it. you need to smoke it alone with no distractions for it to work properly.


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## Opethfan7 (Oct 28, 2011)

Done it before, never really does anything to me at all. I can't get high and it just tastes smooth, I guess. Almost kinda like it has no point in me smoking it, lol.


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## VagueResemblance (Apr 17, 2010)

Some strains make it worse. Some relieve it. There's one that wiped out my social anxiety completely, but I don't know its name.


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## milkfox (Dec 14, 2011)

As long as you don't start doing it all the time it can help you, but most people don't smoke it in moderation so it gets a bad name.



> Some strains make it worse. Some relieve it. There's one that wiped out my social anxiety completely, but I don't know its name.


Was it an Indica strain? It's known to chill people out.


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## VagueResemblance (Apr 17, 2010)

milkfox said:


> As long as you don't start doing it all the time it can help you, but most people don't smoke it in moderation so it gets a bad name.


Quoted for truth. It is a drug, it is medication, it deserves care and respect.



> Was it an Indica strain? It's known to chill people out.


Probably an indica or indica-heavy hybrid. Though I have smoked pure indicas that didn't have that effect.


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## somemvp (Oct 17, 2011)

I'm a very heavy smoker. 

It doesn't really effect my anxiety levels. If I'm really anxious or nervous to do something in a specific situation, smoking will def calm me down and stop my brain from freaking myself out. It doesn't make me paranoid or any more anxious then I'd normally be when I'm out in public. I also am very conditioned with being high in public, since I do it all the time.

HOWEVER, you'll want to stay home, eat frozen pizza, and watch cartoons. So not sure it's effectiveness on treating SA lol.


People often use weed for GAD but SA is kind of a different ball park.


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## Globe_Trekker (Jan 29, 2009)

A new study from University of Alabama published in Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that smoking pot is good for the lungs, but still bad for the heart and immune system. 

- The study lasted from 1985-2006. 

- 5115 test subjects. 

- 1 joint a day for 7 years has no bad effects overall. 

- 16.7 americans aged 12 or over smoke pot at least once a month 
(study from 2009)


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## joshtillb (Dec 25, 2011)

i just got some purple kush and it makes me mellow but the next day i get real bad anxiety

this is the only time ive ever had a bad experience with marijuana, so im just going to stick with my regular strain c99


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## The Silent 1 (Aug 21, 2011)

The only time I can handle marijuana in my system is when I'm in a place I feel completely comfortable in and I'm either alone or with people I know well. If I have that, then it really relaxes me, but otherwise I become anxious and paranoid.


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## Kathykook (Aug 16, 2011)

SocialAnxietyMC said:


> Kush actually helped me out a lot. If you guys ever have a chance smoke some Strawberry Cough it was actually made especially for anxiety. I don't smoke no more because of work and just trying to beat my social anxiety drug free


 How would someone obtain this Strawberry Cough you speak of?


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## DirtyVest (Dec 6, 2011)

I don't understand how people can function on that stuff.
There are people at my workplace who toke daily, morning noon and night and seem to get on with their day just fine.
On the odd occasion where I have reluctantly had a little toke from a friends spliff, it completely Zombifies me, I get lost in my head, paranoid as hell and just want to curl up in a ball until it goes away! lol


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## acorns and insects (Nov 25, 2011)

It doesn't make me any more anxious than usual, or paranoid actually. But it completely zombifies me. I'm like physically incapable of focusing long enough to even hear and understand a simple phrase. And I really, really don't feel like talking when I'm on weed. I never understand how people can hold long discussions while high, or even go to work or school?? I can't function well on it. I just kind of want to sit in the dark with a blanket and munch out.

However, zombification aside, it really does just make me feel calm and goofy. Personally, I believe there is nothing wrong with smoking weed, as long as you're not dependent on it and doing it all the time. I think as long as you're not smoking it more than a couple times a week max, it's a-ok.


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

Chronic use, no. Once off in the right setting , some perspective might be gained. Caveat emptor!


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## Nathan Talli (Dec 13, 2010)

The last time I smoked, I was out drinking with friends in a foreign country on the beach. We were looking for a hostel at 3am when me and another guy just decided to belly flop on the sand. "We should sleep here, guys." -"Why?" "Because I'm already lying down." 

I've never been stoned without first being drunk, so I wouldn't know how just pot would help my SA.


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## KMK420 (Dec 31, 2011)

In my experience it helps a great deal but thats just me. I would recomend trying it if its you last option not because its bad for your mind (Its not) but because of the hot smoke aspect.


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## DirtyVest (Dec 6, 2011)

KMK420 said:


> In my experience it helps a great deal but thats just me. I would recomend trying it if its you last option not because its bad for your mind (Its not) but because of the hot smoke aspect.


I think it is irresponsible to go around telling people that cannabis is "not bad for your mind".
There is increasing evidence to suggest that long term and habitual use of cannabis can cause psychosis and schizophrenia in those who are genetically prone to the conditions.


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## missalyssa (Jun 18, 2011)

Yep... I'm high right now !!!!!
And I am acting silly and laughing and saying dumb things without thinking... I'm not anxious about things at all but maybe I'm kinda rediculous.
I'm gonna go skiing now lolzz


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## KMK420 (Dec 31, 2011)

DirtyVest said:


> I think it is irresponsible to go around telling people that cannabis is "not bad for your mind".
> There is increasing evidence to suggest that long term and habitual use of cannabis can cause psychosis and schizophrenia in those who are genetically prone to the conditions.


 Yeh sorry I should have put "In my opinion" I was trying to avoid the encouragement of cannabis use. There is alot of evidence that proves marijuana is perfectly safe, so much so that I dont know either way, all I know is that it works for me.


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## immortal80 (Feb 25, 2009)

the last time i got really really high, i ended up crashing a random party (literally, we knew no one there) with a friend and it was probably one of the most awkward i have ever felt high. super paranoid and even my friend thought i was acting weird i think.

i've had so many good times high with people in the past, but that last social outing sort of affected me a lot. since then, i've only been smoking alone. i think marijuana allows me to see things from a different perspective and make connections that i probably would never have made before. yes, it shows me things i don't want to see, but i think that i see it that way because it is something i know i have to deal with in order to resolve the negatives in my life.

i firmly believe it can be used to help people. it just needs to be respected and used with caution for cases like s.a.ers because it is such an introspective experience.


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## joshtillb (Dec 25, 2011)

missalyssa said:


> Yep... I'm high right now !!!!!
> And I am acting silly and laughing and saying dumb things without thinking... I'm not anxious about things at all but maybe I'm kinda rediculous.
> I'm gonna go skiing now lolzz


omg skiing high your nuts...i gotta try this


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## successful (Mar 21, 2009)

SocialAnxietyMC said:


> Kush actually helped me out a lot. If you guys ever have a chance smoke some Strawberry Cough it was actually made especially for anxiety. I don't smoke no more because of work and just trying to beat my social anxiety drug free


Yeah I heard strawberry cough & Skywalker OG Kush works really well for SA.
Well...im sure the OG kush just **** you up so much that you forget about being anxious lol.


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## Hamster (Sep 3, 2009)

i've made a similar forum asking the same thing. if you look online, you'll find that marijuana can relax people (and sometimes cause them to feel paranoid), but can become dependent to achieve a normal relaxed state if taken over time. i don't think it's the best medicine for those with social anxiety as it has the potential in some individuals to make it worse.


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## Minipurz (Aug 25, 2009)

KMK420 said:


> There is alot of evidence that proves marijuana is perfectly safe


No drug is perfectly safe :no

Cannabis is almost non toxic, but imo its not really that great for people who already got mental problems.

That said, I used it as a form of selfmedication / crutch, and can't really say it have helped me much, well, i felt like it helped in that moment, but longterm, naah.

+ I experienced a psychotic episode last year me and my family would like to have been without, and I cant stop blaming myself.

But yeah, for some things it works wonders, but its no "miracle cure" or "harmless"


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## Bunbury (Nov 4, 2011)

Hell no. I smoked a small amount once with a friend, he told me it would help me relax. I went from being very nervous to mortally afraid of people. I mean in a literal sense: I thought everybody would kill me if I did something wrong. And that people who didn't like me would hunt me down. I felt tense and vulnerable, like I might die at any moment. I just curled up in a corner shaking and sobbing for a couple of hours till it wore off.

It's interesting reading the different answers. I wonder in what ways the different sorts and amounts and frequencies affect different mental makeups? What determines a good or bad reaction? Is mine a typical response for a first-timer? There's no way I'm doing it again to find out.


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## immortal80 (Feb 25, 2009)

Bunbury said:


> Hell no. I smoked a small amount once with a friend, he told me it would help me relax. I went from being very nervous to mortally afraid of people. I mean in a literal sense: I thought everybody would kill me if I did something wrong. And that people who didn't like me would hunt me down. I felt tense and vulnerable, like I might die at any moment. I just curled up in a corner shaking and sobbing for a couple of hours till it wore off.
> 
> It's interesting reading the different answers. I wonder in what ways the different sorts and amounts and frequencies affect different mental makeups? What determines a good or bad reaction? Is mine a typical response for a first-timer? There's no way I'm doing it again to find out.


i think that you might possibly have more paranoia issues or anxiety issues than some of the people posting on this thread. my take on the drug is that it kind of shoves in your face the issues that you are going through, and that's all that bad highs or trips are. it is just showing you what you don't want to see about yourself. i think some people are able to recognize this and it can actually help them cope or deal with issues in their lives with a better perspective... at least in my case anyways.

but definitely, sometimes i have worse highs than others. it depends a lot on where your head is at when you smoke.


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## KelseyAlena (Jan 15, 2012)

Never tried it..but have heard from many different people it makes your anxiety worse.


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## IdleHands (Jan 16, 2012)

Definitely helps my appetite


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## brittneyann (Jun 30, 2010)

I don't think it would help at all with SOCIAL anxiety.

But, I absolutely love weed. I love it so much, its ridiculous. But it does not in any way help my social anxiety. It doesn't even make things "fun" or "funny" anymore. Its simply just calming and relaxing, and makes things slightly interesting. When you're in a completely comfortable and familiar setting its fun the first couple of times. But after a while, that all stops and its just incredibly calming and puts you in a slightly better mood. The best thing in the world is relaxing at the end of the day with a bowl, a book, and maybe some nice music playing and a cup of tea. It helps take away anxiety, but definitely doesn't make it easier to talk to people or anything. Its just a way for me to relax when I'm home. I find it better than taking a potentially addictive drug. And I am in no way addicted to marijuana, I'm just passionate about it lol.

I also think A LOT of people with anxiety issues make the mistake of smoking waaayy too much their first time. Just a hit or two will do.


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## jay l (Jan 16, 2012)

it doesn't. at times, it makes me more paranoid but usually i smoke just to feel different than i usually feel.


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## anotherusername (Nov 5, 2011)

No. How can I explain... it indeed makes you more relaxed. But if it happens so that I'm smoking, I'm most probably with close friends right now (I don't see a point in doing it alone). And, well, as these people are my friends, I don't need any stimulus to talk with them, I'm already chill.

On top of that, I'm very susceptible to it, so most often, it's only interfering rather then helping in any way. I hate when it worsens my diction, I don't want to feel sleepy (it does make me so, every time and in practically any amount). Neither I like any other effects it gives (heartbeat, worsened coordination, etc).

So, I'm not doing any for about a year. Nothing pleasant or useful in this experience.


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## theJdogg (Sep 18, 2009)

I don't smoke it because I really enjoy being high. It's alright, but it's better than being drunk in my opinion. I smoke pot because of how I feel the next morning. Usually my anxieties build up throughout the week and semester. Everynight, i can't sleep until late, ,and every day i wake up anxious and miserable, stressing about things from the night before and that day 's obligations. Due to a horrible night's sleep, I have a harder time dealing the day's anxieties. It becomes an anxiety cycle. If I take a quick couple tokes a couple hours before bedtime, I wake up the next day feeling like my anxiety level is back at a reasonable level. I feel I can now be more present in my life. Of course, don't overdo it. I can't function on weed. Maybe video games andcartoons, but that's it. I've got a ton of serious things i need to do every morning, so no wake-n-bakes for me. And depending on how much I smoke, I sometimes feel a little spacey in the morning but better than if I drank a six pack.


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## Gigantopithecus (Jan 31, 2012)

Nah it just caused me more anxiety/paranoia, unless I was doing something I _really_ enjoyed like playing guitar or playing Xbox.

Been years since I've touched it, though, and I don't plan to again.


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## Talgonite (Sep 1, 2011)

I used to smoke weed 16 hours out of the day anytime I was able to afford it. I had an overnight job with no supervision so I was stoned the minute I woke up until I went to bed.

Sure it was great, at first. Then after a while it lost its "this is fun" appeal. It wasn't fun anymore. I just did it because I was bored.

Eventually it started making me really paranoid. Stressing out over stupid things I had no control over, avoiding my errands because I didn't want to talk to people, hiding in my apartment all day, etc. It took a while but I started to realize that every time I smoked that I liked it less and less.

I don't have anything against MJ or people who choose to smoke it but it's just not my cup of tea anymore. Every once in a while if I'm drunk first and someone has it on them I might take a puff or two, but this is a rare occasion.

It was good at first but I grew to dislike it...Where did we go wrong MJ?


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## PhilipJFry (Jan 24, 2012)

I was more relaxed after smoking marijuana, so it helped but I was also less focused. Plus, the feeling would stick with me for days or weeks. I got tired of it real quick and quit smoking.


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## Frozen In a StarryVoid (Feb 4, 2012)

sometimes... it really depends. it had the benefit of helping my body to relax, because the physical symptoms of my SA are very prominent and severe. but i don't think it's worth it really because it amplifies my anxious thoughts and attitudes. i do it occasionally, (and i used to use mj to self-medicate) but i haven't in about 5 months. because for me it makes my problems worse and i feel like i'm just hiding from reality or using it as a temporary escape. psychedelics on the other hand...


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## quietmusicman (Feb 3, 2012)

If i get a bad thought about something embarrassing about me it doesn't help smoking weed. it makes SA worse at the time. Once the high dies down my SA is calmer actually since my mind is less fog brained from the smoking. I started smoking because my friend said it will help me. I was 17 at the time. The first time i smoked i had the biggest panic attack in my life. it felt like everyone was out to get me. as time went on the high changed though.


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## Brokeninternets (Feb 5, 2012)

I've had many different reactions. I smoke regularly and I can say i sometimes feel weed _causes_ social anxiety in me. I try to overcome it but it's difficult to be around strangers when you are stoned. Raises self conciousness


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## Unexist (Jan 30, 2012)

Brokeninternets said:


> I've had many different reactions. I smoke regularly and I can say i sometimes feel weed _causes_ social anxiety in me. I try to overcome it but it's difficult to be around strangers when you are stoned. Raises self conciousness


I have felt like this when smoking weed in the past maybe 6 months. Although I only do it rarely at most maybe once a month, each time it has made me more and more paranoid and anxious, to he point now I almost suffer a very bad panic attack but I get such a strong feeling of derealisation I pass out, so weed is pretty much out of the question for me. I don't think there's a more uncomfortable experiece. I think other 'drugs' like MDMA, mescaline and LSD however are extremely beneficial ways to cope (in saying that I take these extremely rarely)

Also just a quick warning, not entirel related but, watch out when you smoke weed on other drugs or meds.. I have actually had seratonin syndrome from it, without a doubt the most frightening experience in my life, and I actually doubt I will ever experience anything more horrible..


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## Zuff (Jan 17, 2012)

I actually smoked for the first time last friday. Took too many hits and my friend who smokes a lot said the stuff was stronger than usual. It made me very anxious but not anxious of people but of the way I was feeling. It shot up my blood pressure and heart rate for more than 20 hours. I felt it all Friday night and until Saturday afternoon.

I had no problem talking to people though. Usually my throat gets real dry and I lose my train of thought when I get anxious. But on the weed I could keep talking. However I could not hold any food down. Even water made me nauseous.


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## wildcherry876 (Feb 6, 2012)

It used to help me with my SA, but now I feel like it might make it worse.


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## Paradoxic (Feb 5, 2012)

I used to smoke quite a bit my first semester at college, but yeah, I think it actually does help to a point where you are more calm or "relaxed," especially in social situations, yet I do sometimes have a completely different experience if I am not around people while high. I kind of just float off into my own little world where I am analyzing and trying to understand really deep **** like the meaning of life, how people think/act, how the world works, etc. if that makes any sense. 
I'd say alcohol has a similar effect, but it definitely is more of like you don't even care what others think of you and give off the appearance of being more confident and social.

I don't think either of these is productive at all in the long run and they will not do anything to actually give you any sort of real confidence. In fact, when you become dependent on weed or alcohol to help you feel "confident" or "relaxed," you begin to believe that the only way you can be confident/social is when you are high or drunk. This causes even more anxiety when you realize you are back to the old you.


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## QuietRed (Nov 13, 2011)

smoking a small amount is fine (like a few hits), but any more than that i usually get paranoid and quiet. also depends on the type of bud, some gives you more energy to talk and hang with people while some puts you to sleep. 
btw im a daily smoker with pretty bad SA


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## brittneyann (Jun 30, 2010)

It doesn't help with SA.
I just like the way it makes me feel. I have this fascination with weed for some reason. Something about the way it tastes and the way it smells, and how beautiful and natural it is, just makes me happy.
It used to make me really paranoid, but I think it became so casual to me that it just kinda went away.


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## StayingMotivated (Sep 5, 2011)

yeah it depends on what kind of cannabis I had. Did I eat it or smoke it? How did I smoke it?bong vs. vaporizer vs. joint/blunt. That always makes a difference. Mindset, environment and who your around also heavily influence your experience.

so for some people it may help and for others it may not. And for most people it will depend on the circumstances.


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## Maji (Mar 30, 2011)

Putting all physiological effects of weed aside, I have to say that smoking weed requires me to be more social because when I run out I have to call up dealers and go meet them to get it. That in itself has given me tons of opportunities to meet new people and then bond with them over a bowl. The only time weed makes me anxious is when I reek of it around people of authority.


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## B1ue (Feb 8, 2012)

Wow. It kind of relieves me to see that I'm not the only one who gets even worse anxiety when smoking weed. So many times I've been dragged along to the grocery store with my friends after we've smoked! >.< The anxiety itself makes me act stupid and awkward too. So yeah, i pretty much quit that ****, it's too troublesome for me.


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## Lupita (Nov 26, 2011)

Nope. Just makes me feel paranoid, and stupid.


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## loneguy (Feb 7, 2012)

Marijuana made my social anxiety 1000x worse, 
but it made me complacent in staying reclusive.

Basically I used to smoke incessantly to avoid the depression of staying inside all the time (due to social anxiety). Essentially it helped me comfortably avoid addressing any of the real issues in my life.


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## ADayInTheLife (Jul 22, 2011)

Marijuana never helped my social anxiety, in fact, I believe a lot of my current social anxiety has to do with the fact that I smoked tons of it during my adolescent years 15-17. This is a big nono as our brains are still developing during that time. I can look back and say I never really enjoyed it. It gave me paranoid thoughts, odd ideas, and for some reason I would still puff and puff away. It took me somewhere else that is for sure, and I cant even explain where that place is. If you're in your teenage years, have SA, smoke pot, and it makes you feel odd. Stop it now !


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## Ultima (Jul 12, 2011)

You guys are lucky, being handed marijuana.


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## KellyO (Sep 3, 2012)

I used to be very socially anxious, before I smoked marijuana. When I started smoking, it opened up a whole different world of consciousness within me. It suddenly did not matter what people thought of me, or how they saw me. I was free to be myself. I fell in love with marijuana. It allowed me to step outside of my overly self-conscious brain, and just be a person, like everyone else. I have always been intense and emotional, perhaps too much so, and the marijuana brought me down to the level of other people. It helped me step outside of my previously paranoid mind. That being said, it does not fix the problem of social anxiety (which I think of as social sensitivity now), but marijuana can make the anxiety less obtrusive. I think it also depends on the person using, and that person's expectations. Marijuana never made me dumb, goofy, or paranoid, and it never turned off my highly-functioning brain. It just made my brain less self-critical and more self-loving. But using a substance to correct an issue can cause a new issue in that you don't learn proper coping mechanisms. I had to quit due to an allergy I developed from over-use, and now I just drink more. MJ did help to greatly lessen my SAD, but at the cost of making me need other people less. Now I am more social than ever, without too much inordinate anxiety. So I think it helped me a lot with the anxiety, but after a while, it did not help my social life to be fuller. Like any other anxiolytic, it can help in the short term (if it does help... some people become paranoid, though this was never the case with me) but other mechanisms need to be learned to correct the problem long term. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help a lot. Changing how you think about people, changing how you think about yourself, and changing how you act around people helps more than MJ (but the MJ was an important step for me).


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## BlazeLE (May 14, 2012)

it helped me a ton. especially with my depression. when i have weed i just feel better and i only smoke at night most of the time unless im home alone or hanging out with friends and its there. but over all just smoking at night makes me feel better through out the day which makes me more social. ive been dry for over a month now and ive left the house like 4 times... but i like smoking and being outside around people. i love grocery stores when im stoned (so many colors lol. so much food!) and when i leave the house stoned i use eye drops so no one knows im high. im pretty mellow and have droopy eyelids. my first time smoking i asked my friend if i looked high and he said "you always look high." so i have virtually no paranoia. unless im driving with weed in the car but thats more because of the ridiculous weed laws here. anything over 20g is a felony... i cant even have an ounce without worrying about spending 5 years in prison with a $5000 fine...


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## Sophisticrat (Sep 4, 2012)

I smoke everyday. It helped me immensely. I used to be on Prozac, then Wellbutrin and I couldn't stand the side effects. Weed calms me down and helps me be productive. It keeps me from being moody all the time and it has generally made me a sweeter and kinder individual. I don't know what I'd do without it.


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## AngelClare (Jul 10, 2012)

Bunbury said:


> It's interesting reading the different answers. I wonder in what ways the different sorts and amounts and frequencies affect different mental makeups? What determines a good or bad reaction? Is mine a typical response for a first-timer? There's no way I'm doing it again to find out.


I find this interesting too. Why does the same substance have such different affects on members of the same species?

I suspect the first time someone smokes they are extra sensitive to THC. Firs time I smoked I felt like I was falling through holes in the floor into different dimensions. Now, it just relaxes me.

If I have a problem and I smoke it helps me see and understand things that I would not have otherwise realized.

If I"m going into a social situation it totally clears up my SA. The problem is that it makes me feel too free because I end up saying stupid and embarrassing things.


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## oBSama (Mar 1, 2009)

I m not using this website now because I don't suffer from SA anymore and the reason is that I smoke marijuana very regularly now. Simply when u keep using it longer paranoia and similar effects would start fading and the relaxing effects come on top which is the real effect that is sought from the plant and attracts the smoker more and more. The reason why it helped me rather eradicated my sa is simply that marijuana changes personality, if u use it for a year u r least likely to give a damn about ppl and what they think. But marijuana will make ur face unattractive and will not help confidence on the negative


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## jennah (Jul 5, 2011)

I started smoking a few months ago and it's helped me *a lot*. Hardly any anxiety anymore, and I'm a much more relaxed person in general now... I barely even worry what people think of me now, and pretty much nothing that people do bothers me anymore. Plus now I have stoner friends.

A couple of times when I was smoking I've gotten paranoid about what everyone else around me is thinking, but it's rare, and I can calm myself down when it happens. It's not for everyone though, some people get extremely paranoid and scared.


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## lilmerritt (Oct 16, 2012)

omg its actually great that its not just me! when ever i smoke it within the hour im panicking with extreme paranoia its awful! but i assume im dying if ive had to much caffeine!


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## DubnRun (Oct 29, 2011)

used to make my anxiety worse, now it chills me everytime like good old times


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## DubnRun (Oct 29, 2011)

oBSama said:


> I m not using this website now because I don't suffer from SA anymore and the reason is that I smoke marijuana very regularly now. Simply when u keep using it longer paranoia and similar effects would start fading and the relaxing effects come on top which is the real effect that is sought from the plant and attracts the smoker more and more. The reason why it helped me rather eradicated my sa is simply that marijuana changes personality, if u use it for a year u r least likely to give a damn about ppl and what they think. But marijuana will make ur face unattractive and will not help confidence on the negative


Lol weed makes your face unnatrractive. Thats simply not true..unless you mean red eyes during smoking..otherwise its good for the face, it helps reduce my eye pressure too


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## graceface (Oct 15, 2012)

Regret said:


> I'm curious if marijuana affects all those with social anxiety in a similar way. Most 'normal' people say pot relaxes them and makes things extra funny, but I react completely differently.
> 
> I have a mild form of SA at least and when I smoke, I become very self-conscious, paranoid, and my attention span is reduce to .3 seconds. Someone will start talking to me and I'll go off in a deep thought of my own while staring at a wall.
> 
> How does it affect you?


Hey! I'm the same way as far as reaction goes for marijuana effects. I tried it after I finally realized I had SA, because soo many people were like, "it chills you out" "makes dealing with people soo much easier" blah, blah, blah....not for me. I get ANGRY, sad, paranoid like you, just basically freak out. And yes, I have tried different kinds, pot + me=catastrophe. SOO, if it gives you those effects, I'd say don't do it, cause it will make your anxiety worse. But you probably have decided not to anyways lol


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## forex (Dec 29, 2010)

jennah said:


> I started smoking a few months ago and it's helped me *a lot*. Hardly any anxiety anymore, and I'm a much more relaxed person in general now... I barely even worry what people think of me now, and pretty much nothing that people do bothers me anymore. Plus now I have stoner friends.
> 
> A couple of times when I was smoking I've gotten paranoid about what everyone else around me is thinking, but it's rare, and I can calm myself down when it happens.* It's not for everyone though, some people get extremely paranoid and scared.*


i never used it but that is what i am afraid of :blank getting a bad reaction.


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## WD3 (Oct 11, 2012)

The first couple of times I smoked I got really paranoid, then gave it another shot and now I love it.


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## jennah (Jul 5, 2011)

forex said:


> i never used it but that is what i am afraid of :blank getting a bad reaction.


Yeah, that's why you really can't know until you try it. If you decide to, just make sure you're with people you trust (or alone, but I'm not sure whether that would make any bad reactions you might have better or worse) and in a familiar place, and listening to music helps too.


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## lady lavender (Oct 24, 2012)

I've smoked a few times with my friend and it's basically the only time I'm happy at this point. I'm still a beginner, and I've never done it on my own, but it just makes everything so much clearer. However, I don't like overdoing it. The first time I smoked I got like completely zoinked and I hated it. I freaked out about the most stupid ****, and I really never want to go through that again. But my life would be so much easier if I was just always buzzed.


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## xxsnapshot (Dec 18, 2011)

i hate itt!!!
when i was like 16-17 years old i would smoke up with people all the time, especially people that i didnt feel comfortable with or meeting for the first time because that would help make me comfortable and ease my anixiety. now it's completely opposite, i cant blaze with anyone. i only blaze alone now. i hope im not like this forever.


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## KTguitarist (Oct 19, 2012)

I got high yesterday hoping to calm the f*** down... I nearly have panic attacks everyday . I did it but I still felt very anxious , but relaxed . The 2 emotions were there battling it out, I was feeling good , but then suddenly my anxiety would take over. It helped s little but I'm worried ill do something stupid


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## TobeyJuarez (May 16, 2012)

i dont know, never tried it.... but i imagine it might lower my anxiety and increase my paranoia


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## magenig287 (Oct 24, 2012)

It affects me differently depending on my mood. Some days it makes me less anxious and think about things less. Some days it makes things worse. I honestly believe that a persons chemistry dictates their experience... and that this possible can change if your hormones change as well...


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## Persephone The Dread (Aug 28, 2010)

I think marijuana has been known to contribute towards developing paranoid schizophrenia? and just in general isn't always that great for anxiety and calming you down.


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## tk123 (Jun 27, 2012)

I think the more important question is does my social anxiety help my marijuana. Sorry I am baked right now, carry on...


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## Coping (Nov 21, 2012)

*Vaporizing marijuana*

As a newbie to this forum I hope you don't mind a quick background relating to my social anxiety and then how weed fits into it. :um
I smoked a lot in high school but finally one day I had an anxiety attack while at school frozen with fear and outside myself watching myself assuming all others were to. I realized how something I had enjoyed before had began to make me extremely self conscious. My heightened self consciousness felt when high now became my daily experience when sober....I had associated my self worth with a drug induced experience. I'm not saying weed caused my social anxiety but it gave me socially traumatizing experiences. I struggled a long time with this and ended up on traditional anti-depressants which worked pretty well. Of course the medication never totally provided the relief I hoped for leaving me searching for a better understanding of the problem. I learned how to better cope over time but never felt totally free of my social fear.
After literally 30+ years of avoiding weed I decided to try weed again using very high quality weed (medicinal quality), but to no avail I just wanted to run and hide. Knowing I was allergic to lots of pollen from outdoor weeds I began to wonder if i was allergic to Marijuana in some fashion. My friend suggested using a vaporizer so as to avoid smoking the plant material and only inhaling the water vapor and the positive chemicals released. 
I was very apprehensive but found the high was quite different..from an anxiety perspective. Not inhaling burnt plant material removed almost all of my anxiety with the experience. The small remaining fear was my apprehension assuming the experience would be bad. The most notable difference was the lack of that impending doom feeling I would be discovered.
My rather long winded point is for me and possibly other social anxiety sufferers is that vaporizing marijuana avoids the unnecessary chemicals which are only released when weed is burnt. The process of heating weed to a temp short of burning releases only the THC and Cannabinoids (CBD). 
I am not proposing anyone do what I have done, but only to make a point that social anxiety sufferers are potentially reacting to chemicals trapped in the plant matter of weed. Vaporizing has the potential to reduce or eliminate the paranoia associated with smoking the plant material. It's also saves your lungs from all that nasty tar found in any burnt plant material. 
I honestly hope my experience might help others and if it does not work for you that's ok.


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## Coping (Nov 21, 2012)

*Response to Tanya1*

I do believe the idea that marijuana makes schizophrenic patients worse is a myth based on the common used by those patients. After reading more about the properties of marijuana and all of its positive effects on diseases a more recent thought is schizophrenics frequent use of weed to help control their symptoms has led people to associate schizophrenic paranoia with weed.

One of the most important systems in the body is the Endocabbinoid system. The body produces cabbinoids and to no surprise the cabbinoids in marijuana fit with receptors in the brain perfectly like a puzzle piece. Cabbinoids are the therapeutic disease fighting and even disease curing part of marijuana. THC has some therapeutic effects and is what gets you high.

The truth behind marijuana is clouded and many fear mongering stories still remain in our culture. Keep an open mind and look for the truth in all the enormous amount of genuine research being done with marijuana.

Sorry I get off topic easily as I am also ADD. t


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## tmr789123 (Dec 6, 2012)

i dont know as i have anxiety also. when i am NOT smoking pot i am extremely nervous, i have hot/cold flashes, i am worried, i am depressed, but when I smoke that all goes away. it helps me very much to smoke marijuana and im goin to keep doing that if it means not taking the easy way out of life


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## 50piecesteve (Feb 28, 2012)

Marijuana makes me nervous as ****. I smoke occasionally, usually when i get off work and want to relax by myself and play video games. When i smoke i usually turn off all the lights. My girlfriend will come home and think im crazy. I can barely get out the words "hi, how was your day." Marijuana for me, gives me SA


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## djluminus89 (Apr 13, 2011)

just posted this in another thread

Hello all this is my story, I posted in another thread about when to tell people or if to tell at all you have anx. I figured it may make a nice intro to.

Here's my story:

I've always had anxiety problems I used to have panic attacks in high school and college starting shortly after I began smoking weed. Saw a psych when I got to college, talk therapy, conquered my panic attacks, psych even told me weed probably wasn't the CAUSE of my anxiety, just helped it express itself at times. (This was about 5 years ago). He offered me an SSRI and I tried it (Zoloft) for 2 days then quit because of things I'd heard about them. My roommate that year knew and maybe one or two very close friends but that was it, didn't wanna be judged I guess (DOH! a symptom of SAnD)

I've mentioned to it to some of my good friends and to some of the new friends I've made in the past few months. I was socially isolated for a lengthy period of time 2 summers ago (summer of 2011) recovering from a back injury, a herniated disc. For about 3-4 months after I did not have much social interaction at all while recovering. I hung out with a few friends but could be out for extended periods due to the pain. One of those few friends became a very good friend of mine and after a disagreement and argument and "almost" fight last April we ended our friendship, I felt bad about it but after attempting to reconcile differences my friend decided he;d no longer have nothing to do with me (and I'd told him I have SAnD)

Because of that I lost a good friend and a circle of many mutual friends and this past fall I had very few friends or social interactions. About 2months ago I mentioned to my doctor that I was more anxious then usual and had tried but quit SSRI treatment in the past and considered doing it again. I now take Celexa and Xanax every once and awhile and got a got a job at the school newspaper, made a lot of new friends on campus lately and am getting over the fight with my old "best" friend. I tell most of the people I meet that I hang out with (new friends) that I have anxiety issues or that it runs in my family, especially when smoking with some of them that do it, they mostly seem understanding.


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## Thiswildernessupinmyhead (Dec 5, 2012)

When I'm smoking up, im fine. When it's wearing off, im terrible.


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## Goopus (Apr 11, 2011)

Thiswildernessupinmyhead said:


> When I'm smoking up, im fine. When it's wearing off, im terrible.


:yes This sounds about right.


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## WhosDat (Apr 27, 2013)

Lol I had been a HUGE toker for years from about age 14-18 (everyday on skunk). I quit for about a year lost contact with a lot of my friends. One day thought I’d have a Smokey smoke at college. It made me crazy anxious! Little things made me extremely paranoid, people who were innocently recording something made me think they were recording me. I bugged out went to try and go home but as fate would have it a tree had gone down on the train tracks which TURNED UP my paranoia to crazy levels. I walked home bugging out thinking people were out to get me. The next couple days I was crazy anxious then I finally realised I was just bugging but the whole experience taught me smoking in an uncomfortable place is a recipe for disaster. I have never smoked again that was 5 years ago. It’s a shame cos I really liked smoking


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## michijo (Nov 12, 2011)

Most military veterans that I personally have talked to admit that marijuana helps with their PTSD.


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## PaxBritannica (Dec 10, 2012)

Most military veterans smoke weed before their PTSD


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## michijo (Nov 12, 2011)

PaxBritannica said:


> Most military veterans smoke weed before their PTSD


Its just odd, the other day I was walking around, and on two separate occasions I met military veterans, and both said that it helped the PTSD. One said that he had no prior history of use, but that after they legalized it as medical where I live, he got a prescription, and said that it cleared up his PTSD.


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## fm5827 (Mar 7, 2011)

I have only done it a few times with other people and it did considerably help my anxiety, not so sure if I did it on my own though.


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## KPanthera (Sep 12, 2012)

No, it increases my anxiety exponentially.


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## goawaymel (Apr 25, 2013)

My SA has increased since I stopped smoking weed; I went from smoking almost daily to not smoking at all due to work. On the other hand, the positive aspects of not smoking as much as I was outweighs the negative aspect of increased SA, at least for me.

It's like trading one devil for another.


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## boomhowier (Oct 25, 2013)

for me it helps alot, just being outside around people is extremely hard for me, aswell as having to interact with anyone. When i smoke on the other hand these things simply go away. smoking for me can be the difference between, going into a store and not knowing where what im looking for is and just wandering around anxiously looking for 20-30 minutes, or going in and not finding what im looking for and just walking up to someone who works there and asking them.

but this is just me, everyone's brains different so just smoking any marijuana wont work for most people. lucky today there is so much diversity in marijuana that with some research and a little trial and error you will probably find a strain that works for you, just like any other medication. but the side effect from not having the right strain is far better then the side effects from the wrong pills, hands down.


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## Giyena (Oct 24, 2013)

Wish I knew where to get some :clap although after 2 beers I start to become reaally sociable :b


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