10 ms·

I smoked weed heavily from my ~16 to ~18. And I stopped because it was so overwhelming experience that I could not stand any more. I couldn't function normally

by nenadg 7y ago

I smoked weed heavily from my ~16 to ~18. And I stopped because it was so overwhelming experience that I could not stand any more. I couldn't function normally and had really tough trips, thinking about so many end results in the same time. Minutes took hours and basically it was an agony, while everybody had pretty joyful time laughing. Now, I'm 38. I'm functional (so far), I have family with kids. I haven't developed schizophrenia, but I have (had ever since my 18) the problem focusing on (for example) - dates, lists (for when I have to go to buy something), simple calculations etc. similar trivials, but I have no problems working on abstract stuff - I work as software engineer. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, based on my experiences, but it seems that majority of others had quite the opposite experiences than me.

graphememes 7y ago
Being in the bay area, I have witnessed what you expressed happen to many engineers since the legalization. They burn out quickly as well. They swear it's not weed since everyone else tells them that's all tinfoil hat stuff. It's very unfortunate.
- mrlala 7y ago
  Are the engineers you are referring to in developing brain stages? You are replying to OP who said from 16-18.. that is still fairly prime development.. your bay area engineers are probably mid 20's? That is quite different when we are talking about brain development.
  - qzx_pierri 7y ago
    They're probably referring to someone who starts getting high everyday, and quickly becomes "smoked out" - We all know someone like this. I used to get high a lot (when I was 21-23), and I stopped because I noticed myself becoming a shell of who I once was. When I wasn't high, nothing was fun anymore. It started off as saying things like "Bro this would be so much more fun if I was stoned", or "Dude, imagine getting high and then doing X' - This soon turned into "I'm so bored. This would be more interesting if I was high". Soon, I wasn't happy until I picked up an eighth and rolled up a blunt or packed my bowl. When I would stop, I would feel so numb. I soon got depressed, but luckily found a counselor and worked through that dark time with exercise and meditation. People really downplay how damaging getting high all the time can be. It's strange though, because this doesn't happen to everyone. Some people can get stoned all day everyday and live a very happy, productive life. I wish I was in this category, but nothing good lasts forever.
    - birdyrooster 7y ago
      I'll throw my hat in as one of those that has been smoked out practically 24/7 for the last seven years and haven't experienced these symptoms working at various big name tech companies as software engineer. I am glad to hear things are going better for you now!
      - verall 7y ago
        (explaining my vouch - I wish I could choose to auto-collapse my own comment as meta/unsubstiative) Other posters have thrown in personal annecdotes in more words but this one is against the prevailing narrative so it's dead.
    - o-__-o 7y ago
      Weed effects last for up to 8 hours. Weed messes with REM cycles. This means weed should be treated like coffee (no usage after 4pm) and obviously not before going to work. Meaning the best times to smoke are weekends and holidays, preferably right after you wake up at a normal hour (7-8am)
      - massaman_yams 7y ago
        From the report linked to in this commment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20833229 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20833229 "There is moderate evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for: • Improving short-term sleep outcomes in individuals with sleep disturbance associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis" That's not everybody, of course, but it's enough to say that weed can have positive effects on sleep quality.
        o-__-o 7y ago
        Negative, doc. In the article you cite, cannabis can help when your sleep cycle is _already_ f'ed. But then you have to have a real long talk with yourself and ask why? Why, when there are better medicines to manage sleep disturbance in the short term which actually improves your sleep. (I am genuinely asking, even OTC sleep medicines will work better than weed) Weed cannot have positive effects for the layperson because it increases time between REM cycles. Again, if your lack of sleep affects your REM cycle (i.e. its already f'd) then you are doing no harm, but you are not doing much good either. Maybe you missed my original comment. If you are getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night then you should _not_ be drinking caffeine after 4pm. Likewise, you should also NOT drink alcohol before bed. Further, weed, the topic of this thread, should be avoided after 4pm due to its prolonged effects on your body including impact to REM sleep.
  - strlen 7y ago
    I believe the aforementioned engineers are simply experiencing the effects of marijuana: both acute intoxication and symptoms associated with regular use. If they're healthy adults in mid 20s, then these symptoms should go away within 1-2 weeks of discontinuing use - problem is they don't view their symptoms as associated with routine use. That said, seeking to be routinely intoxicated could itself a symptom of something else wrong in their work or personal life. This would be a non-controversial statement to make about "hard drugs", alcohol, video games, risky relationships, etc...
    - sharadov 7y ago
      Exactly, you can smoke a joint and go hike/ride a bike or you can sit your ass on the couch and be toking up bowl after bowl!
      - strlen 7y ago
        Don’t ride a bike: first motor and response times are impacted, second (at least in California) you absolutely can get a DUI on a bicycle.
        jotm 7y ago
        People drive high. I can't believe how many times I've heard "I can drive just fine, it's not like alcohol". Cannabis changes my perception of time and significantly affects my attention. I would never drive in that state, or even cross the street, I'm sure I'd get hit by a car... I don't think other people are that different.
        TomMarius 7y ago
        Chronic weed usage changes the way you're high. The time distortion nearly goes away and you can control your attention pretty well. I'm not endorsing driving high of course.
        dkersten 7y ago
- sharadov 7y ago
  That's profoundly sad. But I don't blame the drug, people need to figure out boundaries.
  - donw 7y ago
    That requires clear and honest guidance as to where those boundaries might lie, though. Broadly speaking, I am pro-legalization of Pretty Much Everything, on the basis that proper education and appropriate treatment programs for heroin users are better for society than jail time. But that comes with the need to implement pragmatic, evidence-based policies for how we approach drug use as a society. A lot of neural development happens before your mid-20s, with a very large chunk happening during your adolescent years. Recreational drug use before your mid-20s, which includes alcohol and nicotine, really has a massive impact on your entire life. I would argue that "soft" drugs, like low-percentage alcohol (beer and wine), maybe cocoa tea (not purified cocaine), and possibly low-percentage CBD should be relatively safe for adolescents from sixteen onwards. Medical professionals, feel free to chime in if I'm wrong here. :) Hard alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and such, on the other hand, should have some access barrier for those under the age of twenty-five (90th percentile for complete neural development). I wouldn't advocate an outright ban or criminalization -- if a teenager wants some weed and vodka, they're going to get it -- but putting some barriers in place to discourage consumption for the under-aged would be wise. All of this, of course, needs to be coupled with comprehensive education. The abstinence-only approach of "Just Say No" doesn't equip kids to really understand the full impact of the drugs they choose to use, and because of that, there's a lot of misinformation out there, ranging from "weed will make you crazy" to "it's completely safe for kids". Neither of those things is true, and if we want to empower people to make good decisions, we must first be honest with them about the impact and trade-offs of the options on the table.
    - sharadov 7y ago
      That's the libertarian approach, which says legalize everything, tax everything. Am with you on it, although am not sure, how that would work with hard drugs ( cocaine,mushrooms,LSD, ecstasy,heroin). Again within hard drugs - cocaine is vastly different from doing LSD. A single dose of LSD in a bad setting could mess your psyche up for life. What you are doing is choosing the better of two evils.I would rather buy a pure form of LSD from Pfizer that one from a street dealer with a nefarious source and containing crap knows what!
- birdyrooster 7y ago
  Can you point to anything beyond anecdotes?
- chillwaves 7y ago
  Do these folks drink? I know a lot of stressed out workers who drink heavily.
newsreview1 7y ago
I appreciate this honest statement. I work daily with individuals with mental disabilities including psychosis, memory dysfunction, and perceptional disturbances, and can certainly agree from what I have subjectively seen. (Though also longitudinally as I have viewed medical records extensively over years and years of research). I have witnessed secondhand that higher doses and earlier use of THC are more likely to produce anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis. Dr. Volkow's research at footnote 8 of this statement is spot on, and your comment seems to support his findings.
- appleshore 7y ago
  Society itself seems like a driver of psychosis. In school, they rarely teach critical thinking nor warnings of cognitive biases. People then grow up in a rather unfair world and system. Next they get easily persuaded by a clever YouTube video or concept. Now their anger has a revelation and a fascination.
  - sitkack 7y ago
    And marijuana itself can be a kind of very intense red-pill. If a mind isn't prepared, having that kind of sudden experience can be very jarring.
  - technothrasher 7y ago
    Neither lack of critical thinking skills nor disenchantment with the world leading to fantasy prone thinking have anything to do with psychosis.
    - chillwaves 7y ago
      What do you base this statement on? There are lots of examples of belief systems leading people into what is viewed as psychosis. Cult belhavior. Religious extremism. There are many examples.
- DenisM 7y ago
  Have you considered that there might be a huge population of people out there who smoked weed and did not develop any problems, thus never coming into your orbit? And your observation could be easily explained in reverse: "I have witnessed secondhand that people who were susceptible to anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis due to {trauma|genetics|isolation|etc} and other misfortunes in life were also likely to start consuming higher doses of THC earlier in life, and employ other unhealthy ways to numb their mental anguish". See my reading of the same facts is just as valid as yours, hence neither can claim to be true.
serf 7y ago
>I couldn't function normally and had really tough trips, thinking about so many end results in the same time. Minutes took hours and basically it was an agony, while everybody had pretty joyful time laughing. Curiosity : Why did you continue for two years with such poor experiences?
- sharadov 7y ago
  He was probably already addicted.
- xena 7y ago
  Cannabis addiction is a bitch. It also is really tough to get off of. If you use too much too often, you can get crazy sweats, horrifying nightmares (that are more real than being awake), irritability and headaches that make you want to relapse. The worst part about cannabis addiction is it's mostly psychological.
  - deleted 7y ago
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  - deleted 7y ago
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  - lawnchair_larry 7y ago
    Cannabis addiction, if that even exists, isn’t a bitch at all. Nicotine addiction is kind of a bitch. Opiate addiction is a bitch.
    - wolco 7y ago
      It does exist. It is a 'bitch' but those others are bastards.
      - o-__-o 7y ago
        You get addicted to dopamine release, not weed. Nicotine has addictive properties. Opioids have addictive properties. No one has ever sucked dick for a dimebag.
imvetri 7y ago
Creative mind gets its originality. It made you what you actually are and got rid of influenced knowledge.
leoh 7y ago
Although I'm not a fan of cannabis, it's worth considering that other people occasionally have trouble with "dates, lists... simple calculations" without drug use and lead successful, meaningful lives.
numismatex 7y ago
I've smoked heavily since 12 years old. I function, and it's helped me with arthritis and PTSD at this point. Sometimes addressing problems with common drugs helps. It definitely changes amygdala response and cerebral blood flow patterns. I think it in general makes people question things, and be better people. I also know it affects motivation, which can be great to quell response to pain, but is detrimental to getting up and out. Much of it is also habits, related or not. If you aren't taking vitamins, exercising, eating well and isolated from people and things that are detrimental you're obviously not going to have things go smoothly. My family are monsters. It's helped me through it. Or if you're handicapped by mental issues or the like. I don't buy the psychosis thing, except maybe from edibles. And I absolutely hate to see people stating that it "makes them creative" or other repeated things that they've read or heard somewhere. Oversimplification and lack of education about it is common. Some people just don't handle it well, or are nudged into craziness. Too many people I know didn't read up on what they were getting into with cannabis and psychedelics and want to be into it to be cool, or fit in. I used to smoke to get high. Now I smoke for pain relief. I'm 38 too.

by nenadg 7y ago

graphememes 7y ago

Being in the bay area, I have witnessed what you expressed happen to many engineers since the legalization. They burn out quickly as well. They swear it's not weed since everyone else tells them that's all tinfoil hat stuff. It's very unfortunate.

mrlala 7y ago
Are the engineers you are referring to in developing brain stages? You are replying to OP who said from 16-18.. that is still fairly prime development.. your bay area engineers are probably mid 20's? That is quite different when we are talking about brain development.
- qzx_pierri 7y ago
  They're probably referring to someone who starts getting high everyday, and quickly becomes "smoked out" - We all know someone like this. I used to get high a lot (when I was 21-23), and I stopped because I noticed myself becoming a shell of who I once was. When I wasn't high, nothing was fun anymore. It started off as saying things like "Bro this would be so much more fun if I was stoned", or "Dude, imagine getting high and then doing X' - This soon turned into "I'm so bored. This would be more interesting if I was high". Soon, I wasn't happy until I picked up an eighth and rolled up a blunt or packed my bowl. When I would stop, I would feel so numb. I soon got depressed, but luckily found a counselor and worked through that dark time with exercise and meditation. People really downplay how damaging getting high all the time can be. It's strange though, because this doesn't happen to everyone. Some people can get stoned all day everyday and live a very happy, productive life. I wish I was in this category, but nothing good lasts forever.
  - birdyrooster 7y ago
    I'll throw my hat in as one of those that has been smoked out practically 24/7 for the last seven years and haven't experienced these symptoms working at various big name tech companies as software engineer. I am glad to hear things are going better for you now!
    - verall 7y ago
      (explaining my vouch - I wish I could choose to auto-collapse my own comment as meta/unsubstiative) Other posters have thrown in personal annecdotes in more words but this one is against the prevailing narrative so it's dead.
  - o-__-o 7y ago
    Weed effects last for up to 8 hours. Weed messes with REM cycles. This means weed should be treated like coffee (no usage after 4pm) and obviously not before going to work. Meaning the best times to smoke are weekends and holidays, preferably right after you wake up at a normal hour (7-8am)
    - massaman_yams 7y ago
      From the report linked to in this commment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20833229 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20833229 "There is moderate evidence that cannabis or cannabinoids are effective for: • Improving short-term sleep outcomes in individuals with sleep disturbance associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis" That's not everybody, of course, but it's enough to say that weed can have positive effects on sleep quality.
      - o-__-o 7y ago
        Negative, doc. In the article you cite, cannabis can help when your sleep cycle is _already_ f'ed. But then you have to have a real long talk with yourself and ask why? Why, when there are better medicines to manage sleep disturbance in the short term which actually improves your sleep. (I am genuinely asking, even OTC sleep medicines will work better than weed) Weed cannot have positive effects for the layperson because it increases time between REM cycles. Again, if your lack of sleep affects your REM cycle (i.e. its already f'd) then you are doing no harm, but you are not doing much good either. Maybe you missed my original comment. If you are getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night then you should _not_ be drinking caffeine after 4pm. Likewise, you should also NOT drink alcohol before bed. Further, weed, the topic of this thread, should be avoided after 4pm due to its prolonged effects on your body including impact to REM sleep.
- strlen 7y ago
  I believe the aforementioned engineers are simply experiencing the effects of marijuana: both acute intoxication and symptoms associated with regular use. If they're healthy adults in mid 20s, then these symptoms should go away within 1-2 weeks of discontinuing use - problem is they don't view their symptoms as associated with routine use. That said, seeking to be routinely intoxicated could itself a symptom of something else wrong in their work or personal life. This would be a non-controversial statement to make about "hard drugs", alcohol, video games, risky relationships, etc...
  - sharadov 7y ago
    Exactly, you can smoke a joint and go hike/ride a bike or you can sit your ass on the couch and be toking up bowl after bowl!
    - strlen 7y ago
      Don’t ride a bike: first motor and response times are impacted, second (at least in California) you absolutely can get a DUI on a bicycle.
      - jotm 7y ago
        People drive high. I can't believe how many times I've heard "I can drive just fine, it's not like alcohol". Cannabis changes my perception of time and significantly affects my attention. I would never drive in that state, or even cross the street, I'm sure I'd get hit by a car... I don't think other people are that different.
        TomMarius 7y ago
        Chronic weed usage changes the way you're high. The time distortion nearly goes away and you can control your attention pretty well. I'm not endorsing driving high of course.
        dkersten 7y ago
sharadov 7y ago
That's profoundly sad. But I don't blame the drug, people need to figure out boundaries.
- donw 7y ago
  That requires clear and honest guidance as to where those boundaries might lie, though. Broadly speaking, I am pro-legalization of Pretty Much Everything, on the basis that proper education and appropriate treatment programs for heroin users are better for society than jail time. But that comes with the need to implement pragmatic, evidence-based policies for how we approach drug use as a society. A lot of neural development happens before your mid-20s, with a very large chunk happening during your adolescent years. Recreational drug use before your mid-20s, which includes alcohol and nicotine, really has a massive impact on your entire life. I would argue that "soft" drugs, like low-percentage alcohol (beer and wine), maybe cocoa tea (not purified cocaine), and possibly low-percentage CBD should be relatively safe for adolescents from sixteen onwards. Medical professionals, feel free to chime in if I'm wrong here. :) Hard alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, and such, on the other hand, should have some access barrier for those under the age of twenty-five (90th percentile for complete neural development). I wouldn't advocate an outright ban or criminalization -- if a teenager wants some weed and vodka, they're going to get it -- but putting some barriers in place to discourage consumption for the under-aged would be wise. All of this, of course, needs to be coupled with comprehensive education. The abstinence-only approach of "Just Say No" doesn't equip kids to really understand the full impact of the drugs they choose to use, and because of that, there's a lot of misinformation out there, ranging from "weed will make you crazy" to "it's completely safe for kids". Neither of those things is true, and if we want to empower people to make good decisions, we must first be honest with them about the impact and trade-offs of the options on the table.
  - sharadov 7y ago
    That's the libertarian approach, which says legalize everything, tax everything. Am with you on it, although am not sure, how that would work with hard drugs ( cocaine,mushrooms,LSD, ecstasy,heroin). Again within hard drugs - cocaine is vastly different from doing LSD. A single dose of LSD in a bad setting could mess your psyche up for life. What you are doing is choosing the better of two evils.I would rather buy a pure form of LSD from Pfizer that one from a street dealer with a nefarious source and containing crap knows what!
birdyrooster 7y ago
Can you point to anything beyond anecdotes?
chillwaves 7y ago
Do these folks drink? I know a lot of stressed out workers who drink heavily.

newsreview1 7y ago

I appreciate this honest statement. I work daily with individuals with mental disabilities including psychosis, memory dysfunction, and perceptional disturbances, and can certainly agree from what I have subjectively seen. (Though also longitudinally as I have viewed medical records extensively over years and years of research). I have witnessed secondhand that higher doses and earlier use of THC are more likely to produce anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis. Dr. Volkow's research at footnote 8 of this statement is spot on, and your comment seems to support his findings.

appleshore 7y ago
Society itself seems like a driver of psychosis. In school, they rarely teach critical thinking nor warnings of cognitive biases. People then grow up in a rather unfair world and system. Next they get easily persuaded by a clever YouTube video or concept. Now their anger has a revelation and a fascination.
- sitkack 7y ago
  And marijuana itself can be a kind of very intense red-pill. If a mind isn't prepared, having that kind of sudden experience can be very jarring.
- technothrasher 7y ago
  Neither lack of critical thinking skills nor disenchantment with the world leading to fantasy prone thinking have anything to do with psychosis.
  - chillwaves 7y ago
    What do you base this statement on? There are lots of examples of belief systems leading people into what is viewed as psychosis. Cult belhavior. Religious extremism. There are many examples.
DenisM 7y ago
Have you considered that there might be a huge population of people out there who smoked weed and did not develop any problems, thus never coming into your orbit? And your observation could be easily explained in reverse: "I have witnessed secondhand that people who were susceptible to anxiety, agitation, paranoia, and psychosis due to {trauma|genetics|isolation|etc} and other misfortunes in life were also likely to start consuming higher doses of THC earlier in life, and employ other unhealthy ways to numb their mental anguish". See my reading of the same facts is just as valid as yours, hence neither can claim to be true.

serf 7y ago

>I couldn't function normally and had really tough trips, thinking about so many end results in the same time. Minutes took hours and basically it was an agony, while everybody had pretty joyful time laughing. Curiosity : Why did you continue for two years with such poor experiences?

sharadov 7y ago
He was probably already addicted.
xena 7y ago
Cannabis addiction is a bitch. It also is really tough to get off of. If you use too much too often, you can get crazy sweats, horrifying nightmares (that are more real than being awake), irritability and headaches that make you want to relapse. The worst part about cannabis addiction is it's mostly psychological.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- lawnchair_larry 7y ago
  Cannabis addiction, if that even exists, isn’t a bitch at all. Nicotine addiction is kind of a bitch. Opiate addiction is a bitch.
  - wolco 7y ago
    It does exist. It is a 'bitch' but those others are bastards.
    - o-__-o 7y ago
      You get addicted to dopamine release, not weed. Nicotine has addictive properties. Opioids have addictive properties. No one has ever sucked dick for a dimebag.

imvetri 7y ago

Creative mind gets its originality. It made you what you actually are and got rid of influenced knowledge.

leoh 7y ago

Although I'm not a fan of cannabis, it's worth considering that other people occasionally have trouble with "dates, lists... simple calculations" without drug use and lead successful, meaningful lives.

numismatex 7y ago

I've smoked heavily since 12 years old. I function, and it's helped me with arthritis and PTSD at this point. Sometimes addressing problems with common drugs helps. It definitely changes amygdala response and cerebral blood flow patterns. I think it in general makes people question things, and be better people. I also know it affects motivation, which can be great to quell response to pain, but is detrimental to getting up and out. Much of it is also habits, related or not. If you aren't taking vitamins, exercising, eating well and isolated from people and things that are detrimental you're obviously not going to have things go smoothly. My family are monsters. It's helped me through it. Or if you're handicapped by mental issues or the like. I don't buy the psychosis thing, except maybe from edibles. And I absolutely hate to see people stating that it "makes them creative" or other repeated things that they've read or heard somewhere. Oversimplification and lack of education about it is common. Some people just don't handle it well, or are nudged into craziness. Too many people I know didn't read up on what they were getting into with cannabis and psychedelics and want to be into it to be cool, or fit in. I used to smoke to get high. Now I smoke for pain relief. I'm 38 too.