Marijuana use

[comb]

I just told my therapist (who I’ve been seeing for like a year) that I smoke weed on a daily basis. She asked me why I hadn’t told her before and I didn’t really have a good answer. I guess now that I’ve been thinking more about it, i feel like I don’t think medical professionals have to have a say over everything in my life and I just really enjoy it. It helps me in many ways and I’m not really interested in stopping.

I also don’t want to make this a problem I don’t feel like it’s a problem. But I also am analyzing myself and being like “why do I feel so defensive about this?”

Do you use marijuana? How often? Do you tell your medical professionals?

[Agora1]

Hi comb, I've never used marijuana but have heard some nightmare stories on here stating they never had anxiety until one day after smoking it changed their life forever.

So as for the therapist wanting to know if you smoke weed it's because it can be very important for her to know about any mind altering drugs a patient uses. I don't think she is judging you but wanting a clearer picture of your lifestyle that may impact your mental health issues. xx

[Rbolty]

Hey Comb! Don’t feel guilty about smoking and enjoying weed. I myself smoke a bit here and there. I’ve told my therapist no big deal. Don’t dwell on it too much. It makes you happy and you enjoy it. Keep on smokin puff puff pass

[hypercat54]

Weed impacts on your mood and behaviour so of course it's important for your counseller to know about it. People often use substances like this to avoid facing their issues as a sort of emotional crutch. Do you think you use it like that? If you and are going to carry on with it then I can't see much point in having counselling. x

[4meto]

I agree with you about the "WEED" thing. It's here to stay. So we need to milk its benefits for all we can! I've had crippling anxiety for the past 4 years along with acute depression. No meds. seem to work for the anxiety till now. My youngest daughter suffers with all of this to.

Just this last week she turned on to CBD oil from hemp. You use the oil in a vape pipe. My first puff on the vape pipe I could feel my anxiety dissipate tremendously. I am a believer for darn sure. When my anxiety starts to creep up, a pull on the pipe puts it at bay. PLEASE NOTE! If anyone decides to go this route. Please do lots of research on the oils. There is a lot of snake oil and mouse milk out there! I went the hemp weed route instead of weed based. because hemp has a very small amount of THC which marijuana so you will not get a high. Plus the CBD based hemp oil is legal in all 50 states. This stuff really works. I am totally sold on it!

[Hidden]

As a student I get to do a lot of research and explore topics that I probably otherwise would not. I have taken a lot of classes on addiction and the impacts of drugs on the cognition etc, and I am currently working with a group studying psychedelic therapy which is a relatively new field of study. Therapists are using heretofore taboo drugs like LSD, MDMA, Mescaline etc. in therapy to reduce inhibition and allow patients to access traumatic memories without experiencing the anxiety and potential re-traumatization. Marijuana is both recreational and medicinal for many afflictions; however, I think your therapist would be acting unethically if she did not ask about your usage. What people who advocate for the use of illicit drugs, either for pleasure or for legitimate health reasons, fail to take into account is that there are always risks associated with use. If the wrong combination of drugs are taken, fatality is a a very real possibility, and as someone pointed out, for every pure version of a drug, there is an impure street version that God knows what it could be laced with. Psychedelic therapy is beneficial to some UNDER SUPERVISION, but prolonged use of some of the drugs being used leads to health risks. Combining some psychedelics with something as benign as cough medicine or MAO inhibitors can lead to death. My point is, all medical professionals take an oath to first do no harm, and they make you fill out forms indicating allergies and medications you are on legal or illegal for your protection. The counselor does need to know what you ingest, smoke, or intravenously add to your body chemistry that might be contributing to your physical as well as emotional states in order to HELP you. Marijuana for example, heightens the effects of alcohol, raises the effect of blood thinners but reduces the effect of antiviral medications, it reduced your ability to concentrate and messes with your motor skills. It also affects your ability to focus and remember for 24 hours after using it, so imagine sitting in your counselors office high while she is trying to help you concentrate or remember something. Extensive cannabis use has been linked to paranoia maybe that accounts for your defensiveness, but if the therapist did not ask and something happened to you, or she missed something she might have caught otherwise had she known, she would be devastated.

[Agora1 in reply to Hidden]

Auberie, thank you for sharing your in depth reply on mind altering drugs. Very well researched and helpful. xx

[comb in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for this! Have you read “how to change your mind” by michael pollan?

[Hidden]

I have not, but I am googling now!