marijuana peoples views-does it help ?

[stevepll]

Hi all i'm not currently on marijuana and i don't smoke anymore either but i suppose i'm curious as to the affects on a person with health anxiety.
would anyone care to comment or info on experience.
no judgements held on people who do pot i used to smoke years ago.

[HoneyLove]

Hi Steve, marijuana is not recommended for people who suffer with anxiety as it is known to exacerbate symptoms and make people feel worse. Some people do say it makes them feel relaxed, but in general it's best avoided if you have mental health problems. It has a tendency to make people feel paranoid and stressed.

The same goes for other recreational drugs.

In general it's better to learn how to combat anxiety yourself, with a combination of lifestyle changes and therapy like CBT to help you look at the way you think and the root of your anxieties. Rather than relying on a drug to do it for you, this approach will empower you and make you feel back in control of your life again.

[yenool]

I self medicated with cannabis many years ago. Used moderately it was about the only thing that actually helped me feel calm, relaxed and less depressed. I stopped using it as I became worried about the effects of smoking on the lungs, my anxiety had improved and I felt at times I had gone past 'medicinal use' and was basically just using it to 'get high' rather than get motivated and move on with my life............. and of course the cost.

The big problem is of course cannabis is illegal so unregulated - so no standard quality or specified dose which can mean highly variable effects. One week you might take some and feel reduced anxiety, the next week the stuff you get may be a different strain or stronger/weaker and make you feel paranoid & panic.

So I'm not sure I could recommend it to anyone, although I would not frown upon it either. For some people I feel it could be very helpful for treating anxiety, depression and chronic pain, but for others it could be what tips them over the edge into a crisis and worsens their health overall.

Ultimately people have to do their own research and risk assessment when it comes to self medicating, and not just with cannabis but with anything; even something like st johns wort is not without risk.

[stevepll]

Thanks honeylove and yenool both very interesting views and very insightful.
i do feel that this is a road i wont be travelling down any time soon.
thanks again.

[eastofeden]

My best friend has terrible anxiety and paranoia from past weed use. Everyone says it's harmless but I've seen so many people develop unpleasant mental health issues. Another kid at my school has been smoking it since 14 - he acts like the chill rasta wannabe guy but I recently found out he tried to kill himself so he obviously was not happy.
I remember someone said 'warning: weed may cause side effects such as never being able to shut up about weed'. i think that's pretty accurate lmao

It helps calm you down at first but eventually it makes you more anxious everytime you come down so eventually you need more and more to help you relax. I don't think it's as great as people like to make it out to be but so many people I know smoke it like it's nothing. I can't say any of them are in a particular great frame of mind though it's up to every individual what they do so I'm not judging them.

Drugs have just never interested me - I'm too busy trying to get my head straight and think normally without adding more mind bending substances into my system lol.

At the end of the day it only makes drug dealers richer and they can put whatever they want in it.

[HoneyLove]

I think you're making a wise decision Steve. Plus what Yenool said is very true, because it's an unregulated drug you never know what you're going to get.

You're better off going with the tried & tested methods of dealing with anxiety. I hope you can find some relief very soon x