pls dnt judge.but did taking drugs contribute??

[bethyboo]

hello everyone. i left home at 16 and took alot of class A drugs for a few years. i havent touched drugs for over 7 years but at the end of my drugs period and ever scince ive suffered from panic attacks. i used to smoke canabis and stopped that 3 years ago for the same reasons. i wanted to say that i am not a horrible person and taking drugs was just a silly thing that i did when i was younger but i have always wondered if this was the trigger to why they started.
My nan spent many years in and out of mental institues for depression and severe ocd and although i realise it is in the genes i do wonder if it hadnt been for the drugs then i may have gotten away with it?? is there any proof do u think. i totally have accepted the way i am so its not really answers im looking for just something that i thought might have been mentioned and a part of me is desperately hoping that im not the only one.i dont want to be judged for my past as i am although far from normal am a very nice person lol x

beth salisbury

[JPF]

Hi Beth

Well I certainly won't judge you and I'm sure I'm not alone in that! I've heard anecdotally that there is some medical evidence to link drug use and some mental health problems.. A good friend of mine did a huge amount of weed and ended-up on Prozac and had trouble with self-harm, depression and paranoia.. However, he told me that he smoked the stuff to make him feel better so whether the one influenced the other I don't know..

I've never really done drugs and I still get Panic Attacks. I come from a long line of depressives so, like you say, I think it's in the genes as much as anything - maybe drugs make it come to the fore a bit more, I honestly don't know but I tend to think it's kind of a 'if you're meant to get, you get it' kind of deal (I have no evidence for that, it's just the way I feel!)

Just my ha'peth - some of the nicest people I've known were total pot-heads! :)

All the best
J

[vernon]

Hi there, Welcome to the site.
Don’t think badly of yourself for what you have done in the past, It wasn’t a big issue anyway cos most people have took drugs in some form or other. I have been a heavy and daily drinker for about 40 years and that’s no different to any other drug except its legal? However I have stopped drinking for 14 months now and don’t think the taking of drugs make any difference to whether u suffer from bad nerves or not. I started drinking heavy to hide from my anxieties and fears and found I could do the same as other people and enjoy myself after a drink, Maybe you was the same had the problem all along and used drugs to help you and hide from it? There are so many people with anxieties, phobias OCD etc and lots of them have never took any kind of drugs, also there are drug and alcohol users out there who never get bad nerves, so I don’t really think this sets it off, its the type of person we are. Anyway don’t think badly of yourself, nor dwell too much on the past, just think of now and the future to get you well again. The past is gone and thinking of it will only bring back the past and stop u getting better. Take care for now and hope u feel better soon, Vernon

[seh1980]

hello there,

I wonder the same thing. I smoked cannabis for many years and occasionally took other drugs, too. I now take nothing at all and often regret having done it all as I can't help wonder if I brought the panic attacks upon myself. I think I probably did but there's not a lot I can do about it now, is there? We all make mistakes and we learn from them. Don't beat yourself up about it; just put all your energy into overcoming the panic attacks and tell yourself that you will soon feel a lot better.

Sarah :D

[FAN]

hi dont dwell on whether or not you caused the panic just work at getting better im sure it doesnt matter how anyone came to be this way the fact is we are now here with the intention of getting better

fan x

[Meg]

Hi Bethy,

There is now growing evidence that 'recreational ' drugs are involved with some peoples first panic attack- either whilst under the influence or whilst recovering from it.

The jury is still out as to whether these people were prone anyway and the drugs were a catalyst for it or simply caused a brain anomaly at that time.

What is true is that we've seen quite a lot of people with drug caused panic on this forum and once the initial shock and fear is over and fear of the fear has set in - the recovery process is similar to the rest of us..

It does seem though that those people may need to stay off drugs thereafter or run the much higher risk of panic returning and this type panic is one of the very few causes where it does really come ' out of the blue' .






Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

You cannot conquer fear until you have learned what it is you're afraid of. The enemy is ignorance. Vivian Vance

[stimpy]

Panic attacks are associated with either a build-up of stress, or a major life stress.

Some people will experience panic attacks as part of an illness. For example: someone with asthma may have a panic attack as a result of feeling breathless.

Panic attacks can be a side effect of drug use.
But whether or not drugs can cause anxiety, panic and confusion, brain and liver damage long after you stop taking them is uncertain.


Love, light and Best wishes
Liz xxx
With hard work and determination and all the things you know.
The world is there for you to take. There's nowhere you can't go.


[:p]Scatty Eccentric & 'Poet Laureate to panic and anxiety'

[razocaine_07]

i think that reading your post, it came across, to me that your dwelling of the drugs is causing more problems. Everybody does things they regret, but its in the past and thats where it belongs. Yes there are connections between the likes of cannabis and anxiety, depression etc. I used to smoke skunk which is more potent than resin i think. I quit because i thought it was doing damage and when i panic, it plays on my mind. But not when im having a good period. So i put it down to my panic and not the drug use.

[andrew]

hi beth, nobody could make anything other than a guess about what might have happened if things had been different. there is alot of anxiety involved in a drug lifestyle and the extreme up and downs are anxiety heaven. dont stress yourself your not the only one ok.
well done for making such a positive change in your lifestyle and take some belief that just like you got through all that, you will get through this.
you tc ... andrew

[nomorepanic]

Hi Beth

Welcome aboard the forum.

I am sure that there is a link between drugs and panic but as you have stopped taking the drugs now then you can forget about it and concentrate on getting better.

I hope we can help you on that road to recovery.

Nicola

[april tones]

hi beth, i havent posed for a while! my story is similar. i used to take ecstasy,speed, draw then o.d and then has deppression, panick attacks. my dad has depression, panic and my nan had post natal deppression severely. love april xx

apriltones

[sal]

Hi Beth

Welcome to the site and regardless of your problem the last thing we are here to do is judge you.

I work in a prison and see some horrendous cases after drug misuse but then i see people as bad who havent taken drugs. I cant say it will have helped but the best thing to come out of this is that you have stopped taking the drugs and that alone deserves credit.

You can only go forward now and we will help you all we can.

Love Sal xx


Dont mess up the best things in your life, just because at present you are unsure who you are.

[jo-jo]

Hi Beth

Anxiety can occur as a side effect of some class A drugs, for example the physiological response that creates the 'high' experienced by cocaine users can be interpreted as either excitment or anxiety. Its entirely possible that at some point in your past, your drug use triggered feelings of panic/anxiety but its likely there were other factors involved too. What's important is that you are here now, looking to the future and how you can learn to manage your panic. Try not to worry to much about what has gone before, we all have regrets in life but as we can't turn back the clock we have to try to let go and move on instead.

Best wishes
Jo xxx

"courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear"

[SickofIt]

I know for a fact that cannibis can cause severe anxiety and panic attacks in some people -it happened to me many years ago.
Just because many use it with no problems doesn't mean it won't happen to you or it didn't happen to you.
I agree with what everyone else said - don't dwell in the past, but realize what your triggers are and stay away from drugs in the future. Sounds like you're already doing a good job of that!
For what it's worth, I don't even drink alcohol anymore.

[lisarose]

Hi Beth, don't worry as you will not be judged on this website, everyone is very friendly and we are here to give you support and encoragment. I haven't ever taken recreational drugs but have always liked a drink or 10!! My panic attacks started when my son was 5 months old, I used to drink becuase I was depressed and stressed although i didn't know it at the time. My first panic attack happened just before christmas 2000 after being very hungover and I was convinced that the alcohol was to blame so I stopped drinking for 6 months but the panics and depresssion still remained and have done since although I am alot better. I was diagnosed as suffering Post-natal depression and General anxiety disorder and the Psychiatrist said it would have happened eventually whether I drunk alot or not, I had had a very stressful few years and I think it has to come out in one way or another. I still drink now to try and cope with the anxiety and depression, which is the wrong thing I know but I have found that it can make my symptoms worse the next day. I seem to be caught up in a viscious circle and don't know how to break the habit. Last August I stopped drinking for 4 months but since January I have found myself starting to slip back to my old ways because of feeling so stressed out with various things so I know I can live without the alcohol, it's just that I use it as a crutch when life stresses get me down and I feel unable to cope without it.

Well done for giving up the drugs, you should be really proud of yourself. Concentrate on getting better now and try not to dwell on the cause of your Panic attacks as sometimes there is no answer as to why people suffer from them.

Take care and I hope you feel better soon.
Love Lisaxx

[angieb]

Hi Beth

Nice to meet you[^]

I agree with what Lisa has just said, very well done you to have kicked the habbit, it really does prove just how strong you are.

I, also like Lisa have never got into the drug scene but have been using alcohol as a crutch now for about 12 years. Not drinking to get drunk, just a bottle of wine most evenings for relaxation purposes...right!!!!!

Try to stop punishing yourself and be proud of whay you have achieved so far. I am sure with your determination you will beat this.

Take care...Angie

[shalom]

Hi, Beth! I just did a search for cannibis and got to your letter.

I'm new here, too, and came upon your post by doing a search for cannabis.

I know just how you feel. Personally, I used sex (with self and others) for over 35 years, gradually adding drink and grass, until they became the secondary addictions, to escape the fears and internal pressures.

I got help when I ended up at an addictions counselor, who also got me involved in the 12- Step Recovery Groups. I was also put on anti-depressants/anti-compulsive/obssesives, and the've also helped tremdously over the past 9 years. They also help with my ADHD tendencies.

I was involved with the 12-Step groups (AA for compulsive drinking, NAfor compulsive drugging that includes drinking, and SA for compulsive use of sex of any kind) for 7 or 8 years, and it turned my life around more than anything else. Like this site, it provided totally unjudgmental friends who know how I feel, because they've BEEN THERE, DONE EVERY BIT OF THAT.

I don't go to 12 step meetings anymore, although I still do things through the insights I got from their philosophy and tools for dealing with life's difficulties.

The fact is, as a result of isolation from fellow sufferers and addicts, maybe I'm on the way back to where I was. Drinking more and more, getting high when I can, and fantasizing more and more about illicit sex as a viable alternative to walking through the fears of daily living. Thats part of what I'm doing at this site.

Incredible site Nicola's constructed, and incredible people participating here!

So, good luck. Maye check out an NA meeting -- loads of fun with people like us, and this site's fantastic, as you've already found out, I imagine. Do the "search" option for any topic particularly interesting to you, like I found you through looking for grass.

Lisa said something very deep up at the top: "I think it has to come out in one way or another. " 100%!!!

Good luck, I bless you and me and all of us it should come out, one way or the other -- and hopefully trhe one most fun!!!
Brother Shalom

[GAD]

Hi Beth

I left a broken home very early and ended up taking alot of drugs and drink - i was in rehab by the age 16. i often wonder if all the drugs i took, smoked and drank contributed to this and i think it probably did to some extent, as we all know that these things dont do much for your mental health. but in my case I remember getting anxious and having pacic attacks and ocd compulsions from a very young age, i think this was due to the violent upbringing that i suffered. In the long run i think that i took drugs and drank as an escape from what was going on at the time. I also agree that it can be genetic too as i see the same traights in family members.