There has long been an association between weed and paranoia and panic attacks.
Marijuana can cause mild paranoid feelings, intense confusion, feelings of self-worthlessness and panic attacks
There has not been much research on the subject, but Italian scientists have found that low doses of the psychoactive chemical in weed can be calming while large amounts have the opposite effect.
Hearsay evidence certainly points towards the fact that most people who’ve smoked weed – if they’re honest – will have experienced paranoid feelings.
The range of paranoid feelings that weed can induce is huge. They include mild paranoid feelings that can be laughed off, through intense confusion, feelings of self-worthlessness to extreme paranoia. Many marijuana smokers report having had full blown panic attacks – either while smoking weed or at some other time.
Even though, these feelings may be mild, the stronger paranoid feelings are extremely unpleasant for the individuals experiencing them and, amazingly, online health forums are full of weed users asking: “how can I smoke weed without getting paranoid?”
The answer, of course, is to stop smoking weed.
But it’s not always that easy. I know that weed, even though it’s obviously not doing you any good, is still difficult to give up.
If you think you may be experiencing negative emotions as a result of smoking weed, and you are interested in trying to quit, then you may be interested in downloading my free e-book and relaxation MP3 to help you stop smoking weed.
What can you do about paranoia?
Unfortunately, not a great deal. You just have to give up smoking weed. You can try the relaxation and breathing exercises outlined in the above-mentioned free e-book and MP3, but as you will be stoned whilst you are experiencing this paranoid feelings this will be of limited value.
If you are experiencing paranoid feelings when you haven’t even been smoking then there’s plenty you can do. You can concentrate on your breathing and try to make sure you are conscious only of your breathing and try not to think about anything else.
This is easier said than done but, believe me, it does work!
If you have any recurring paranoia that is worrying you then the best thing to do is to consult your doctor. Don’t be embarrassed. Don’t worry that you’ll be labelled as a pot smoker or that they will think you are wasting their time. If you are really worried about your mental balance you should always seek professional help.
What can you do about panic attacks?
Similarly with the above advice about paranoia, if you are really worried about panic attacks then you should consult a professional.
However, a simple panic attack will actually never harm you. A classic case of panic attack is caused by a slight increase in heart rate (caused by smoking or something else), you feel mild anxiety over the feeling in your chest, your heart rate increases still more, you get more anxious, your heart rate increases … so begins the vicious circle.
It’s good to know, then, that no one ever died of a panic attack. In fact, there’s nothing wrong with you. If you stop smoking weed you’ll probably not have one again.
Again, concentrating on your breathing and trying not to think about anything else will help. Although, if you are really worried you should talk to your doctor.
What do you think?
Have you ever had anxiety, paranoia or panic attacks due to weed? What have you done to counter-act them?
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