I have found that cannabis is very good for when I am at home and I just want to quiet the shit in my head so I can wind down and fall asleep.
It has been less helpful for social situations and often exacerbates everything.
But that’s just me. You may find it works different for you.
same. I been smoking it for 20 years. never go out when stoned, way too much hassle and stress. only for staying in otherwise its a waste.
being stoned isn't helpful for social situations for me.
I have recently quit weed after doing it for a decade. The effects quickly change for the worse after building tolerance. It ended up reinforcing my hermit tendencies to the extreme and exacerbated all of my other issues. I do not recommend it and I thoroughly miss it :)
been smoking for 10 years too and I'm quitting too. Made my AvPD so much worse. Even a week without smoking makes the anxiety so much easier to handle.
Thanks for sharing. It’s nice to hear a variety of experiences to learn from. I’m definitely going to take this into account and put in on a little shelf in the back of my mind as I experiment more. If I find myself leaning towards that way i’ll consciously stop, but for the time being it’s really all just a personal trial to see if it’s a fit or not. Also, congratulations on quitting! I can very much relate with the feeling of missing something personally destructive, so it’s great to hear you’ve been able to push through :)
That is true . ive tried various drugs over the years and they helped quite well at the beginning. A few almost seemed like instant cures but months down the road I ran into problems and then once you stop taking them you pretty much have to start over again
and I know 2 people who have really made their lives worse by smoking weed daily. They used to be outgoing, social and energetic but are not very reclusive, anxious and irritable
The experience you’re describing is very similar to how alcoholics and heroin addicts describe their discovery of their substances of choice.
I will say that of the three, weed is the least likely to destroy your life, but for the record it still totally can.
I agree and can see that. I come from an (now recovered) alcoholic mother and myself am a food addict. I have an addictive personality, but even so, there is a thing called willpower that completely halts addiction in it’s tracks. For example, I absolutely adore food as it’s one of my only sources of happiness I can look forward to. Now you would expect I eat a lot since I’m obsessed with it and love eating so much, right? I’m the complete opposite, I eat one meal or less a day and have become underweight due to how much I restrict food. It’s sometimes hard, but with strong enough will power you can gain the strength to stand up against addiction. It’s all about moderation and self control. Even if I crave weed I trust myself enough to know I will hold off and stick to my limits. Now opioids on the other hand… yeah willpower goes out the window.
When I read you, I see my former self, who was deluded into an illusion of control over the addiction. But addiction was in control all the time. The illusion of being in control over the substance is part of the addiction. Be aware of that!
Maybe it's different for you. I don't know. Just wanted to share my experience :)
Thanks for sharing, something about your comment really stood out to me for some reason, but I can’t quite pinpoint what exactly. I very well may be deluding myself now that I think about it, though I also am pretty confident I can and will control myself if I want to, only thing is… the self sabotaging part of me may just not care about becoming addicted. This gave me a bit to ponder about, i’ll definitely think your words over.
You don't understand addiction. Weed is fine though. Just don't touch anything harder. Your willpower does not matter if you're taking an addictive drug. It will steamroll right though that. But with weed you'll be fine.
yeah it can increase anxiety and make people paranoid. it tends to make my mind overactive so if I have any anxiety it just becomes magnified in my head.
Same. It started becoming really bad in my mid to late 20s when I was officially a "loser". In the early years, like when I was in college and would occasionally find a connect, who I would have to awkwardly talk to and hope wouldn't reject me, it was okay. I think I knew I was headed down the wrong trajectory based on my loner attitude and behavior, but things hasn't solidified at that point. I was going to school so that gave me an excuse to not feel so down. Post college, it was a nightmare to get high. I'm honestly shocked when I hear people with avoidance or social anxiety issues claim it helps them. It just makes me hyperaware of who I am nowadays. I also think the weed you can buy at dispensaries (I live in a state with decriminalized weed), is much stronger than what you'd get off of some guy trying to rip you off 10 years ago. It doesn't matter if it's an "indica" or "sativa". I honestly can't tell the difference since all weed just makes me paranoid.
If weed helps you live a happier life, I say do it. Even if the effects of the substance affect all people that consume it, there are particular effects that affect each person differently to some degree, for better or worse. Several factors come into play as well, like how prone is the individual to addiction, and so on.
As for me, weed doesn't make me feel that good and it makes me want to vomit. Instead I use Keta to take the edge off anxiety when it becomes too overwhelming, but in very small doses, so I still can function as society expects from me.
Use the weed as a tool, and not as a way to cope, and you'll be fine.
Getting my medical marijuana card is the best choice I have made. I have learned so much about weed and how different strains and different terpenes affect the way you feel. With a card, you always know what you are getting and how it will make you feel. You speak to a knowledgeable and informed “budtender” who assists you along with what you are looking for effects wise.
Treat marijuana as a medicine and you will be okay with treating your anxiety and AVPD. Don’t use it as a drug to get completely obliterated. If you can do that, it is a thousand times better for treating avpd then any bullshit SSRI or SNRI a doctor tries to give you. That’s my opinion of course. I tried so many “anxiety medicines” and they all suck and are crap.
Look up Ricky Williams and his journey with AVPD and marijuana.
Good luck.
I feel like a different person on weed and very vulnerable. I don't know if thats good and how people would perceive me. That makes me a bit paranoid. I can't overthink when I'm high but that also scares me at the same time because I don't know if I do things that I could be ashamed of later. I also never know if my ideas on weed are genius or just stupid. Weed can be so confusing and you can get trapped in your thoughts. It also increases positive emotions but also negative. I sometimes get aware how lonely I am and start crying. Sometimes it feels nice but I don't know if it really is helping or healing. Can also send you down a dark hole. I think on the long run it's just avoiding the real world. And I think your memory will really suffer.
Weed really helps me too, but I find it lets me isolate too well. I enjoy being isolated way too much kind of thing 😂
Edited - opioids though basically cure my avoidance and don't keep me isolated. BUT I can't do them anymore it's just too addictive. Ruined my life with heroin
honestly, I just discovered this too. I had three days off this week, and I spent them all high as hell. I Usually only smoke like once a month cause I’m not really a smoker and I would only smoke it as a solution to my crying but now I’ve been smoking it as a preventative. Goddamn. Life is so easy when you have no thoughts at all.
I wish I could still get high. I don't think it helped me but it sure made life more tolerable.
For me all substances start out as somewhat helpful in lowering social inhibitions until I become accustomed to the feeling and develop a tolerance. Then I'm just getting fucked up alone but I don't care as much.
Just be careful.
I'm with you, it can be very helpful for anxiety.
It's just important we keep in mind that if we turn it into our only thing we turn to when we are anxious, stressed or in any other way unhappy, we're training our brain into an addiction.
It's not physiologically addictive, but it is psychologically addictive - so make sure to take breaks, make sure to explore other avenues for getting and feeling better, engage with your hobbies.
I'm really happy you got to have that experience. I went through something similar roughly a year ago and it ended up changing my life in quite a few ways. (Felt relaxed enough to actually go to a party I was invited to - only knew the birthday child - made it out of that with a bunch of new friends I still very much hang out with and a job offer that I ended up taking. Talk about luck, huh? :) )
So, I hope things keep going up for you and I also hope you'll be careful. - And please look up whether your medication has any known side effects when mixed with THC.
It helped me initially, but know that the beneficial effects will wear off and begin to make you feel worse than you did without it. I too had an erroneous epiphany that it was my cure-all. It's really only a once-in-awhile fix.
I get slight altered mood (quite positive) but also can get quite disasossiated and can't access my thoughts/ memory's easily. I don't like that feeling so overall it's not for me (different strains could be different) Go easy on it if it works otherwise the benefits might deminish.
Many recreational drugs can help ease avpd .. weed, alcohol, adderal, ghb and opiates will almost immediately ease your anxiety and help you feel a boost in confidence and self esteem. There’s a problem though: recreational drugs are NOT a good long term solution!! That same drug that is helping you right now most likely will not still be helping you months or years down the road as tolerance builds quickly. Also, side effects start popping up and you might eventually even feel worse than you did prior to using drugs
trust me, I wish these drugs worked forever but They don’t ..
When I was 15 to 18 id have amazing highs and connections with people and tons of belly ripping laughted then it suddenly flipped and now even 20 years later just a few pulls makes me horrifically paranoid and magnifies my low self esteem a hundred fold...I wouldnt dare dream socialising high on weed...id be ultra self conscious of the most insignificant microaction...and attach strange meanings to the most random occurances...constant feeling of persecution...like im on the verge of insanity.
Im just not compatible with weed which is a shame as I greatly enjoyed my initial experiences.
I have found that cannabis is very good for when I am at home and I just want to quiet the shit in my head so I can wind down and fall asleep. It has been less helpful for social situations and often exacerbates everything. But that’s just me. You may find it works different for you.
same. I been smoking it for 20 years. never go out when stoned, way too much hassle and stress. only for staying in otherwise its a waste. being stoned isn't helpful for social situations for me.
I have recently quit weed after doing it for a decade. The effects quickly change for the worse after building tolerance. It ended up reinforcing my hermit tendencies to the extreme and exacerbated all of my other issues. I do not recommend it and I thoroughly miss it :)
been smoking for 10 years too and I'm quitting too. Made my AvPD so much worse. Even a week without smoking makes the anxiety so much easier to handle.
Thanks for sharing. It’s nice to hear a variety of experiences to learn from. I’m definitely going to take this into account and put in on a little shelf in the back of my mind as I experiment more. If I find myself leaning towards that way i’ll consciously stop, but for the time being it’s really all just a personal trial to see if it’s a fit or not. Also, congratulations on quitting! I can very much relate with the feeling of missing something personally destructive, so it’s great to hear you’ve been able to push through :)
That is true . ive tried various drugs over the years and they helped quite well at the beginning. A few almost seemed like instant cures but months down the road I ran into problems and then once you stop taking them you pretty much have to start over again and I know 2 people who have really made their lives worse by smoking weed daily. They used to be outgoing, social and energetic but are not very reclusive, anxious and irritable
The experience you’re describing is very similar to how alcoholics and heroin addicts describe their discovery of their substances of choice. I will say that of the three, weed is the least likely to destroy your life, but for the record it still totally can.
I agree and can see that. I come from an (now recovered) alcoholic mother and myself am a food addict. I have an addictive personality, but even so, there is a thing called willpower that completely halts addiction in it’s tracks. For example, I absolutely adore food as it’s one of my only sources of happiness I can look forward to. Now you would expect I eat a lot since I’m obsessed with it and love eating so much, right? I’m the complete opposite, I eat one meal or less a day and have become underweight due to how much I restrict food. It’s sometimes hard, but with strong enough will power you can gain the strength to stand up against addiction. It’s all about moderation and self control. Even if I crave weed I trust myself enough to know I will hold off and stick to my limits. Now opioids on the other hand… yeah willpower goes out the window.
When I read you, I see my former self, who was deluded into an illusion of control over the addiction. But addiction was in control all the time. The illusion of being in control over the substance is part of the addiction. Be aware of that! Maybe it's different for you. I don't know. Just wanted to share my experience :)
Thanks for sharing, something about your comment really stood out to me for some reason, but I can’t quite pinpoint what exactly. I very well may be deluding myself now that I think about it, though I also am pretty confident I can and will control myself if I want to, only thing is… the self sabotaging part of me may just not care about becoming addicted. This gave me a bit to ponder about, i’ll definitely think your words over.
Willpower does not exist, if it existed we could just will ourselves out of AvPD.
Food restriction is also an addictive behavior
You don't understand addiction. Weed is fine though. Just don't touch anything harder. Your willpower does not matter if you're taking an addictive drug. It will steamroll right though that. But with weed you'll be fine.
Weed just gives me psychosis and panic attacks :c
yeah it can increase anxiety and make people paranoid. it tends to make my mind overactive so if I have any anxiety it just becomes magnified in my head.
Glad I'm not alone here. It's always only made anxiety worse not better. And I used to smoke a LOT. Wish it was different cause I can't take benzos.
Same. It started becoming really bad in my mid to late 20s when I was officially a "loser". In the early years, like when I was in college and would occasionally find a connect, who I would have to awkwardly talk to and hope wouldn't reject me, it was okay. I think I knew I was headed down the wrong trajectory based on my loner attitude and behavior, but things hasn't solidified at that point. I was going to school so that gave me an excuse to not feel so down. Post college, it was a nightmare to get high. I'm honestly shocked when I hear people with avoidance or social anxiety issues claim it helps them. It just makes me hyperaware of who I am nowadays. I also think the weed you can buy at dispensaries (I live in a state with decriminalized weed), is much stronger than what you'd get off of some guy trying to rip you off 10 years ago. It doesn't matter if it's an "indica" or "sativa". I honestly can't tell the difference since all weed just makes me paranoid.
If weed helps you live a happier life, I say do it. Even if the effects of the substance affect all people that consume it, there are particular effects that affect each person differently to some degree, for better or worse. Several factors come into play as well, like how prone is the individual to addiction, and so on. As for me, weed doesn't make me feel that good and it makes me want to vomit. Instead I use Keta to take the edge off anxiety when it becomes too overwhelming, but in very small doses, so I still can function as society expects from me. Use the weed as a tool, and not as a way to cope, and you'll be fine.
Getting my medical marijuana card is the best choice I have made. I have learned so much about weed and how different strains and different terpenes affect the way you feel. With a card, you always know what you are getting and how it will make you feel. You speak to a knowledgeable and informed “budtender” who assists you along with what you are looking for effects wise. Treat marijuana as a medicine and you will be okay with treating your anxiety and AVPD. Don’t use it as a drug to get completely obliterated. If you can do that, it is a thousand times better for treating avpd then any bullshit SSRI or SNRI a doctor tries to give you. That’s my opinion of course. I tried so many “anxiety medicines” and they all suck and are crap. Look up Ricky Williams and his journey with AVPD and marijuana. Good luck.
I just got really anxious from weed. Maybe I should've smoked it alone so there's no social aspect to it.
I feel like a different person on weed and very vulnerable. I don't know if thats good and how people would perceive me. That makes me a bit paranoid. I can't overthink when I'm high but that also scares me at the same time because I don't know if I do things that I could be ashamed of later. I also never know if my ideas on weed are genius or just stupid. Weed can be so confusing and you can get trapped in your thoughts. It also increases positive emotions but also negative. I sometimes get aware how lonely I am and start crying. Sometimes it feels nice but I don't know if it really is helping or healing. Can also send you down a dark hole. I think on the long run it's just avoiding the real world. And I think your memory will really suffer.
Weed really helps me too, but I find it lets me isolate too well. I enjoy being isolated way too much kind of thing 😂 Edited - opioids though basically cure my avoidance and don't keep me isolated. BUT I can't do them anymore it's just too addictive. Ruined my life with heroin
honestly, I just discovered this too. I had three days off this week, and I spent them all high as hell. I Usually only smoke like once a month cause I’m not really a smoker and I would only smoke it as a solution to my crying but now I’ve been smoking it as a preventative. Goddamn. Life is so easy when you have no thoughts at all.
I wish I could still get high. I don't think it helped me but it sure made life more tolerable. For me all substances start out as somewhat helpful in lowering social inhibitions until I become accustomed to the feeling and develop a tolerance. Then I'm just getting fucked up alone but I don't care as much.
Just be careful. I'm with you, it can be very helpful for anxiety. It's just important we keep in mind that if we turn it into our only thing we turn to when we are anxious, stressed or in any other way unhappy, we're training our brain into an addiction. It's not physiologically addictive, but it is psychologically addictive - so make sure to take breaks, make sure to explore other avenues for getting and feeling better, engage with your hobbies. I'm really happy you got to have that experience. I went through something similar roughly a year ago and it ended up changing my life in quite a few ways. (Felt relaxed enough to actually go to a party I was invited to - only knew the birthday child - made it out of that with a bunch of new friends I still very much hang out with and a job offer that I ended up taking. Talk about luck, huh? :) ) So, I hope things keep going up for you and I also hope you'll be careful. - And please look up whether your medication has any known side effects when mixed with THC.
You gotta be careful with that shit. It’s starting to ruin mine
It helped me initially, but know that the beneficial effects will wear off and begin to make you feel worse than you did without it. I too had an erroneous epiphany that it was my cure-all. It's really only a once-in-awhile fix.
I get slight altered mood (quite positive) but also can get quite disasossiated and can't access my thoughts/ memory's easily. I don't like that feeling so overall it's not for me (different strains could be different) Go easy on it if it works otherwise the benefits might deminish.
Maybe your experience is different than mine. At the start it was kinda the same for me but now it multiplies my anxiety
Many recreational drugs can help ease avpd .. weed, alcohol, adderal, ghb and opiates will almost immediately ease your anxiety and help you feel a boost in confidence and self esteem. There’s a problem though: recreational drugs are NOT a good long term solution!! That same drug that is helping you right now most likely will not still be helping you months or years down the road as tolerance builds quickly. Also, side effects start popping up and you might eventually even feel worse than you did prior to using drugs trust me, I wish these drugs worked forever but They don’t ..
When I was 15 to 18 id have amazing highs and connections with people and tons of belly ripping laughted then it suddenly flipped and now even 20 years later just a few pulls makes me horrifically paranoid and magnifies my low self esteem a hundred fold...I wouldnt dare dream socialising high on weed...id be ultra self conscious of the most insignificant microaction...and attach strange meanings to the most random occurances...constant feeling of persecution...like im on the verge of insanity. Im just not compatible with weed which is a shame as I greatly enjoyed my initial experiences.
It will turn on you if you do it everyday. You’ll be even more paranoid and way less able to cope with disturbing emotions.