# Is smoking pot an alternative method?



## aloss4words (Jul 17, 2007)

I am wondering if this helps social anxiety. I think in some situations it could. I smoked pot with someone that lives in the same building with me. I think that it helped me think of things to talk about and it made me feel a little less anxious. But I smoked it before going to class and it made me feel a little weird. I would feel very anxious all of a sudden and then I would quickly start to relax. But when I was relaxed, I felt the most relaxed I have been during a class. What made me anxious the most was the worry that I smelled like pot. I tried not to though, I changed out of the clothes I smoked in before going to class. But I am a little worried my professor noticed. He looked into my eyes for a few seconds and I thought I saw him look surprised. Doesn't pot somehow affect the way your eyes look?


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## kikachuck (Nov 10, 2003)

The problem with pot, is that while it works for anxiety, it doesn't really solve anything. It's phony relief from a bigger problem.


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## wxolue (Nov 26, 2008)

whether you realized it or not, your professor probably noticed you were high. Weed is basically a mood enhancer. If you feel sad, you feel REALLY sad. A little bit nervous? incredibly anxious. Nothing? totally mellow.


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## JCMiller23 (Feb 4, 2009)

yeah, pot makes you eyes red. I find your story kinda humorous 

weed has always worked for me as something to make me forget my SA. the problem was I liked it too much and became a pothead because I got high all the time. I used to use it before class but I realize it made me dull and I couldn't think as well.

I don't think theres anything wrong with using it to help you socially, just be careful.


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## aloss4words (Jul 17, 2007)

JCMiller23 said:


> yeah, pot makes you eyes red. I find your story kinda humorous
> 
> weed has always worked for me as something to make me forget my SA. the problem was I liked it too much and became a pothead because I got high all the time. I used to use it before class but I realize it made me dull and I couldn't think as well.
> 
> I don't think theres anything wrong with using it to help you socially, just be careful.


I know it was a crazy thing to do, but it was available to me and I felt like I needed something to get through the day. I am starting to use it a lot and it is pretty expensive. I hope my professor doesn't think too badly of me for it. But from what I have seen I think he will understand. I'm glad you thought it was humorous.


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## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

You definitely have to be careful. When you like cannabis way too much and it doesn't exactly motivate you to socialize. You are content with just ripping bong hits all day, unless the others like it as well, then you invite them to join in. 

Also you can develop depersonalization from frequent use.

Your professional probably seen a lot of stoned students.


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

I think a lot of people who smoke pot are actually pretty introverted. For me, it always helped me reflect on myself, but sometimes I would become very self-critical or critical of those around me. It never helped me with social anxiety or depression, at least not as any long-term solution.


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## ladygrey (Mar 27, 2009)

Every time I've smoked pot, and been around people I've never met before I was "normal" and made all these friends and had lengthy conversations with people I just met. So it's good if I have it and know I'm going to be in a social situation. But I agree, it does nothing in the long run.


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## mooseknuckles (Apr 8, 2009)

Pot antagonizes my SA. Last time I smoked it at a party I sat in the same chair all night not saying a word.


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## dronez (Dec 23, 2008)

during my first year of smoking weed, pot helped my social anxiety - after this it started making me EXTREMELY nervous whenever I smoked. never have I felt more anxious in my life


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Not for me.


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## lars (Mar 20, 2009)

.


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

whatever makes you happy


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## Post_Punk_Proclivity (Oct 12, 2008)

.


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## rumjungle (Feb 13, 2009)

I'm against the use of it, for the same reasons other people have mentioned, it'll only mask the problems temporarily and after long-term use may in fact worsen anxieties and depression. My cousin spent 6 months last year in a drug rehab, she's only 25 and she has aged badly. I know she smoked pot and was underweight, but she also smokes cigarettes and has probably done some hard drugs. Her face is gaunt and weathered, and she looks at people suspiciously. I worry that even if she's off the drugs now their effects are permanent. She was also a very shy person as a teenager, she may have had social anxiety too, the drugs seem to have made her more introverted.


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## 40watta (Oct 12, 2008)

pot makes my anxiety worse usually.


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## Anhaedra (Apr 10, 2009)

40watta said:


> pot makes my anxiety worse usually.


That is more of a person to person basis. It relaxes me, rather than worsening anxiety.

Sativa strains may increase anxiety, I am not sure. I only get Indicas around here, which is the lazy, couch-locked kind of high.


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## 40watta (Oct 12, 2008)

Anhaedra said:


> That is more of a person to person basis. It relaxes me, rather than worsening anxiety.
> 
> Sativa strains may increase anxiety, I am not sure. I only get Indicas around here, which is the lazy, couch-locked kind of high.


well it also has to do with how high you get. I wanted to try sativas cause its mostly a head high and you can actually get up and function. But most weed sold illegally are indica strains. You can get good sativas from dispensaries but i dont live in california anymore =(.


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## snowfly (Dec 14, 2008)

Marijuana is a social tool. The first time I had friendly social interaction in a while was because of it. (even if this sounds sad) people bond over it. In that respect, I think it can help more than hurt your SA. As far as feelings go, it made me more relaxed and open and felt like I could be more myself when I was around these people whereas I am usually distant and never fully there


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## Anhaedra (Apr 10, 2009)

snowfly said:


> Marijuana is a social tool. The first time I had friendly social interaction in a while was because of it. (even if this sounds sad) people bond over it. In that respect, I think it can help more than hurt your SA. As far as feelings go, it made me more relaxed and open and felt like I could be more myself when I was around these people whereas I am usually distant and never fully there


It's not a social tool for me, that's what alcohol is for. Marijuana knocks me out too much to even form sentences. Of course, I could just smoke less, but I don't enjoy it as much if I do.


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## acceptance (Apr 10, 2009)

Why would smoking pot be any worse than a "legal" over-the-counter anxiety medication the doctor prescribes (other than the obvious legal ramifications)? I'm sure there's a lot less negative side effects with pot as well. If it makes you feel less anxious, then have another puff.


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## wxolue (Nov 26, 2008)

u knw how the media made a huge deal about michael phelps smoking pot? The stuff he swims in (chlorine) is much much worse than pot. McDonalds is worse than pot. Alcohol, even in moderation, is worse than pot. You are more likely to die by a tree falling on your head than from pot. Just a bunch of facts about the stuff


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## aloss4words (Jul 17, 2007)

wxolue said:


> u knw how the media made a huge deal about michael phelps smoking pot? The stuff he swims in (chlorine) is much much worse than pot. McDonalds is worse than pot. Alcohol, even in moderation, is worse than pot. You are more likely to die by a tree falling on your head than from pot. Just a bunch of facts about the stuff


No one has ever died from pot unlike smoking and alcohol.


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## Mr. Frostie (Nov 2, 2008)

I don't use illegal drugs because I don't want to get a criminal record. I've never even smoked cigarettes and only have had alcohol on two occasions in my 27 years of living. But, I don't see how using marijuana to "mask the problem" is any worse than the legal methods like SSRIs and benzos.


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## xboxfreak (Jul 22, 2008)

Certain strains come with a lot of paranoia. I was certainly a lot more paranoid when I was smoking. I would think every car was a cop car. It might not be so bad if it was legal.

I have been clean for around 1 year now. I loved it while I was smoking but gave it up because I didn't want to be screwed up all the time.

If you want more info about weed and social anxiety search the forums over at GrassCity http://forum.grasscity.com/


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## JPars (Apr 18, 2009)

Did not help me at all. It makes me happier, but socially paranoid. The thoughts of people judging you are stronger for me. Of course it varies from person to person though.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

It depends greatly on the relative levels of active chemicals such as THC and CBD. THC causes the primary effects of weed, while CBD acts to modulate those effects and calm you down a bit. THC by itself can cause psychosis, paranoia and anxiety, while CBD reduces these negative effects. Take a look at this:






CBD has been proven by research as an effective anti-psychotic and anxiolytic. SA sufferers especially should choose a strain high in CBD. You'll want a predominantly _Cannabis indica_ plant, such as Northern Lights.


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## Bethdolly (Apr 29, 2009)

...don't smoke pot! Using drugs and alcohol just makes it worse! Plus its not good for you that's my opinion, that's true.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

Bethdolly said:


> ...don't smoke pot! Using drugs and alcohol just makes it worse! Plus its not good for you that's my opinion, that's true.


Cannabis is about 1 million times less harmful to you than tobacco and alcohol; they're not even comparable. Not a single person has ever died from cannabis, while many people have died from too much caffeine.

The schizophrenia links are very weak and mostly in susceptible people and heavy usage, which begs the question: why take psychoactive drugs if your brain is already screwed up? The people who exacerbate their problems like this only have themselves to blame. Do you know what else exacerbates psychotic symptoms? Caffeine in high doses, and alcohol dependence (Korsakoff's syndrome).

Emphysema rarely occurs with cannabis, unlike tobacco. No link has been established between cannabis and COPD. Cannabis does contain tar, like tobacco, but tobacco's carcinogenic action is mostly (90%) due to radioactive breakdown products of fertilisers used to "flavour" tobacco (stated by the U.S. surgeon general). One such compound is polonium-210, the stuff used to poison Alexander Litvinenko. Yeah, you're smoking that.

Basically, as long as you aren't already psychotically-inclined and moderate yourself a bit, cannabis is really, really safe. I would be more worried about drinking coffee than smoking a nice fat spliff.


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## Wellington (Dec 29, 2007)

^ Speaks the truth. Whenever I smoke cannabis I feel extremely happy and relaxed. I like to talk in depth about certain topics. I probably talk alot more when im high, and I don't worry about talking at all. But, certain strains make me a bit more introverted while others make me talk quite a bit.


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## Scrub-Zero (Feb 9, 2004)

stay sober.


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

I just watched an episode of "In Plain Sight" about a man who smoked marijuana for severe social anxiety disorder. It was really weird. 

I know a 70-year old woman who takes medical marijuana for chronic pain. It is a wonder drug for her. In her case, it is much safer than taking pain pills.

I don't see anything morally wrong with using medical marijuana for social anxiety. The question you have to ask yourself if the side effects outweight the benefits.


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## Phibes (Mar 8, 2009)

No, stay sober.


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## imt (Sep 22, 2008)

Hey hey hey...


smoke weed everyday


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## Recusant (May 4, 2009)

dronez said:


> during my first year of smoking weed, pot helped my social anxiety - after this it started making me EXTREMELY nervous whenever I smoked. never have I felt more anxious in my life


This is pretty much teh same for me. when i first started smoking pot it helped me not only with my anxiety around people, but also it allowed me to have a 'mask' kind of so if i was feeling particularly uncomfortable and didnt know what to say i could just say something like 'dude im so high' and then not have to interact really. it also helped with connecting with people because you could talk about weed. i probably would not have a single friend today if i never smoked pot.

but after a while it the paranoia started overcoming the positive effects, and i started to get this:



Brightpaperwarewolf said:


> You definitely have to be careful. When you like cannabis way too much and it doesn't exactly motivate you to socialize. You are content with just ripping bong hits all day, unless the others like it as well, then you invite them to join in.
> 
> Also you can develop depersonalization from frequent use.
> 
> Your professional probably seen a lot of stoned students.


when i got to college it started helpiing again, but after awhile i started to get what i think is depersonalization/derealization thinking people were reading my mind, thinking that other people and the world were part of my mind, its hard to explan but combine that with sa and you get some really weird thought patterns


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## Brightpaperwarewolf (Oct 16, 2008)

^^^

I can describe the feeling. It depends on how long you smoke, but the more frequent you smoke, the stronger strains these days with slightly different effects, it'll set your anxiety and paranoia to a new level. It also becomes extremely hard to relate to people, partly because you are stoned and it's harder to give a damn, partly it's because they wouldn't care to get to know someone who does drugs. It's also the fact of yourself, it makes you question if you want to befriend these people because you have something to hide and because you have to worry about the criminal elements, your anxiety goes through the roof. 

Looking back from all those years when I did, I used to think smoking weed was the only way to get friends because the way I saw it when I was younger, potheads were nice people and sober/alcoholics were mean. But as I got older and older, those fads became meaningless and potheads become outcasts in society. Don't get me wrong, a lot of older people smoke, and a lot of successful ones and all types of people, conservative, liberal, non-political, black, white, rich, poor, straight, gay. But if you start on relying it for a crutch, just to feel normal, it'll be the biggest mistake you'll make. The longer you become stuck in it, it's harder to get out. Cannabis may not be that addictive to smoke, but for others, the enjoyment can be too overwhelming.


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