5 ms·

Alcohol: Anxiety disorders Marijuana: OCD Caffeine: ADHD

md224 10y ago
Everyone taking opiates would be depressed but nobody would be sure if it was pre-existing depression or Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome. In general, it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate drug withdrawal from re-emergence of a pre-existing condition.
shermanyo 10y ago
I think people are dismissing / overlooking your comment, but I've seen exactly this time and time again. Anecdotally: I developed a drinking problem in my first few years of work, which I used to deal with anxiety and depression as I failed to find my feet and seriously questioned dropping out of software development. I was eventually diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive) and through treatment, experienced a complete life change. I stopped drinking excessively, then almost completely. I never tried to address the problem directly, I just lost any desire to drink outside of a normal social context. Even then, I rarely have more than 2-3 in a night. I'm on stimulants for treatment, but take breaks some weekends and over holidays. I've always been a coffee drinker, but now I'm conscious of how much I'm drawn to it for the positive effects I see. I honestly think it was the only reason I got through university (before diagnosed / treated for ADHD). I was using caffeine in the same way I use my current medication, to fill the same gaps. I don't want to comment on the effectiveness of self medication, or anything diagnosis related. I just find it interesting the correlation between certain personality types and the class of drugs they seem to be drawn to. I think it offers a lot of psychological insight we haven't really looked at in detail.
losteric 10y ago
Or just MJ for everything
- tsomctl 10y ago
  If you can recommend a strain that helps with ADHD while still allowing you to be alert and cognizant, I would really like to know. I've been looking for years.
  - anigbrowl 10y ago
    I have had some success with 'blueberry' indica strains (named for their fragrant characteristics I believe). I can be incredibly productive with this in the right environment (quiet, minimal interruptions, physically comfortable). But it's harder to shift focus and social interaction (even with intimates) is more of a chore. I don't know that it helps with adhd so much as alleviating anxiety enough to let me focus on what I want to think about.
  - rikelmens 10y ago
    Try TrueOG.
  - losteric 10y ago
    https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/best-cannabis-strains-for-focus-and-addadhd https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/best-cannabis-s... I have had the most success with vaping green crack at 210C. Oil concentrates also work, but I tend to overshoot the functional sweet spot and end up recreationally high. Smoking was much harder to nail down. It worked occasionally, enough to justify buying the vape... But the vape is way better.
- arca_vorago 10y ago
  My thought as well, but it's worth it to keep in mind young people probably shouldnt, along with those predisposed to schizophrenia and similar disorders, though I suspect certain strains or alternative cannabanoids out of the hundreds in addition to thc/cbd might be useful.
wutbrodo 10y ago
My understanding is that the association between marijuana use and anxiety is way way higher than between alcohol and anxiety
- md224 10y ago
  I think the idea is that if people didn't have access to alcohol, many of them would realize they have no good way to calm their nerves, and therefore realize they have anxiety issues.
  - wutbrodo 10y ago
    I know, and I'm saying that's more so the case for marijuana than alcohol. I've been smoking weed recreationally since college and still enjoy doing so, but the only time Ive done it more than once a week for an extended period of time was during an inordinately stressful time at work a few years ago (right before I ended up quitting and taking a sabbatical to travel). Alcohol is ubiquitous and easy to get, so it's by far the most common for self-medicating many things, but in the hypothetical we're talking about availability isn't relevant.

md224 10y ago

Everyone taking opiates would be depressed but nobody would be sure if it was pre-existing depression or Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome. In general, it can sometimes be difficult to differentiate drug withdrawal from re-emergence of a pre-existing condition.

shermanyo 10y ago

I think people are dismissing / overlooking your comment, but I've seen exactly this time and time again. Anecdotally: I developed a drinking problem in my first few years of work, which I used to deal with anxiety and depression as I failed to find my feet and seriously questioned dropping out of software development. I was eventually diagnosed with ADHD (inattentive) and through treatment, experienced a complete life change. I stopped drinking excessively, then almost completely. I never tried to address the problem directly, I just lost any desire to drink outside of a normal social context. Even then, I rarely have more than 2-3 in a night. I'm on stimulants for treatment, but take breaks some weekends and over holidays. I've always been a coffee drinker, but now I'm conscious of how much I'm drawn to it for the positive effects I see. I honestly think it was the only reason I got through university (before diagnosed / treated for ADHD). I was using caffeine in the same way I use my current medication, to fill the same gaps. I don't want to comment on the effectiveness of self medication, or anything diagnosis related. I just find it interesting the correlation between certain personality types and the class of drugs they seem to be drawn to. I think it offers a lot of psychological insight we haven't really looked at in detail.

losteric 10y ago

Or just MJ for everything

tsomctl 10y ago
If you can recommend a strain that helps with ADHD while still allowing you to be alert and cognizant, I would really like to know. I've been looking for years.
- anigbrowl 10y ago
  I have had some success with 'blueberry' indica strains (named for their fragrant characteristics I believe). I can be incredibly productive with this in the right environment (quiet, minimal interruptions, physically comfortable). But it's harder to shift focus and social interaction (even with intimates) is more of a chore. I don't know that it helps with adhd so much as alleviating anxiety enough to let me focus on what I want to think about.
- rikelmens 10y ago
  Try TrueOG.
- losteric 10y ago
  https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/best-cannabis-strains-for-focus-and-addadhd https://www.leafly.com/news/strains-products/best-cannabis-s... I have had the most success with vaping green crack at 210C. Oil concentrates also work, but I tend to overshoot the functional sweet spot and end up recreationally high. Smoking was much harder to nail down. It worked occasionally, enough to justify buying the vape... But the vape is way better.
arca_vorago 10y ago
My thought as well, but it's worth it to keep in mind young people probably shouldnt, along with those predisposed to schizophrenia and similar disorders, though I suspect certain strains or alternative cannabanoids out of the hundreds in addition to thc/cbd might be useful.

wutbrodo 10y ago

My understanding is that the association between marijuana use and anxiety is way way higher than between alcohol and anxiety

md224 10y ago
I think the idea is that if people didn't have access to alcohol, many of them would realize they have no good way to calm their nerves, and therefore realize they have anxiety issues.
- wutbrodo 10y ago
  I know, and I'm saying that's more so the case for marijuana than alcohol. I've been smoking weed recreationally since college and still enjoy doing so, but the only time Ive done it more than once a week for an extended period of time was during an inordinately stressful time at work a few years ago (right before I ended up quitting and taking a sabbatical to travel). Alcohol is ubiquitous and easy to get, so it's by far the most common for self-medicating many things, but in the hypothetical we're talking about availability isn't relevant.