Crankyness

[Mckdenton]

Ok, usually I will vape about 3 times a-day. But i'm trying to take a little break. This is my fourth day sober as a bee. Boy have I been cranky! Anyone else here notice any irritability when taking a break? just curious... I cant wait to go get rocked tonight and see alice in wonderland 3D tonight and mellow out

 

[mnmlh]

That's just your neurotransmitters pulling a big "WTF?" It takes about two months before the balance has really restored itself. Then, depending on how MJ has effected your life and productivity, begins a functional recovery process that can take years. That can be an irritable process too, since you don't have something around to level out your thoughts and emotions and may have to face up to reality. This is the general dependence model. With MJ, things are less severe, but it's still applicable. The physiology part anyways. Getting it our of your system and whatnot is a separate issue. I'm talking about the way the body responds to a change in brain juice levels.

 

[PerseusStoned]

I've been sober for about the third week now (applying for new jobs and just want to be careful in case they drug test) and definitely noticed some crankiness the first few days. I burrowed my pain in movies/video games for a few days and haven't had problems since then. If the gf wasn't out of town I am positive it would have been easier...

Enjoy "Alice in Wonderland", can't wait to see it vaped myself.

 

[Mckdenton]

mnnlh, hell of a response, thanks for that! i guess I don't enjoy reality, or dont want to face up to reality. (if this is in fact reality :/ ) And PerseusStoned, thanks, I plan on enjoying it, i'm stoked!, This is one of the rare times my gal will be joining in on a sesh

 

[AGBeer]

No its not just that - think of your meds as meds.

All of my life I have been on one form of an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication, and coming off of that tended to suck for a while. (Depending on which one)

A part of it is changing your perspective as well. It might not make the symptoms easier, but it sure makes it make sense and easier to swallow.

 

[Qbit]

That's just your neurotransmitters pulling a big "WTF?" It takes about two months before the balance has really restored itself. Then, depending on how MJ has effected your life and productivity, begins a functional recovery process that can take years. That can be an irritable process too, since you don't have something around to level out your thoughts and emotions and may have to face up to reality. This is the general dependence model. With MJ, things are less severe, but it's still applicable. The physiology part anyways. Getting it our of your system and whatnot is a separate issue. I'm talking about the way the body responds to a change in brain juice levels.

Yeah yeah whatever m'kay. Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.

Actually, quite seriously, I think the whole 'reality' thing is a myth perpetuated by drug warriors. Just because you're not using weed (or alcohol or any other drug) doesn't mean that you're in touch with reality. There's plenty of tee-totallers wandering around utterly deluded.

And just because you're using drugs it doesn't mean you're out of touch with reality. In fact it wasn't till I started using drugs that I began to get a grip on reality - that is, what really is, and who I really am. I'm far more grounded now than I ever was before.

Mind you, that's not to say that there are people who don't abuse drugs, including weed. Of course not. But there's a big difference between use and abuse.

 

[sour]

That's just your neurotransmitters pulling a big "WTF?" It takes about two months before the balance has really restored itself. Then, depending on how MJ has effected your life and productivity, begins a functional recovery process that can take years. That can be an irritable process too, since you don't have something around to level out your thoughts and emotions and may have to face up to reality. This is the general dependence model. With MJ, things are less severe, but it's still applicable. The physiology part anyways. Getting it our of your system and whatnot is a separate issue. I'm talking about the way the body responds to a change in brain juice levels.

Yeah yeah whatever m'kay. Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.

Actually, quite seriously, I think the whole 'reality' thing is a myth perpetuated by drug warriors. Just because you're not using weed (or alcohol or any other drug) doesn't mean that you're in touch with reality. There's plenty of tee-totallers wandering around utterly deluded.

And just because you're using drugs it doesn't mean you're out of touch with reality. In fact it wasn't till I started using drugs that I began to get a grip on reality - that is, what really is, and who I really am. I'm far more grounded now than I ever was before.

Mind you, that's not to say that there are people who don't abuse drugs, including weed. Of course not. But there's a big difference between use and abuse.

I really like your perspective, I can relate

 

[mnmlh]

Yeah yeah whatever m'kay. Reality is a crutch for people who can't handle drugs.

Actually, quite seriously, I think the whole 'reality' thing is a myth perpetuated by drug warriors. Just because you're not using weed (or alcohol or any other drug) doesn't mean that you're in touch with reality. There's plenty of tee-totallers wandering around utterly deluded.

And just because you're using drugs it doesn't mean you're out of touch with reality. In fact it wasn't till I started using drugs that I began to get a grip on reality - that is, what really is, and who I really am. I'm far more grounded now than I ever was before.

Mind you, that's not to say that there are people who don't abuse drugs, including weed. Of course not. But there's a big difference between use and abuse.

Hey - if you throw your neurotransmitters ability to create homeostasis way out of balance, then you are carrying around a ball and chain during that period of recovery. If someone reported unexplained irritability, then how else can you explain it? It's not like MJ is going to effect this in an extreme way, as I said, but some people have a weak sense of self and can be paralyzed by the change (NOT saying that is the case here.) Those deluded teetotalers you speak of are likely suffering from the same type of imbalance, but without drugs. It's called mental illness, but more likely brainwashing in this case, which is still classified as a "personality disorder" (which are BS imo.)

The irritability comes from the the lack of an ability for the mind to settle down without giving it what it's used to. It's like muscle memory (or plasticity rather), and goes beyond the strength of someone's psyche. That's all I'm saying. Some people who prefer MJ as their medicine already suffer from bipolar, or worse, types of afflictions. In fact, if you take a sampling of people with psychosis, 2/3rd of them use MJ. I do not believe that drug use leads to mental illness, except during formative years perhaps, but I've heard that schizophrenics rank even higher in use.

And on the subject of being in touch with reality, my use of the word feels taken out of context, or misinterpreted. "Reality" is all around us, and someone who is heavily medicated may function perfectly well within that construct. If we are talking long-term effects here, then let's say you take away what they are used to, and give them a perspective that may not be familiar to them; they will have to deal with things in a new way. Or is it suddenly not medicine here? Where's the benefit then? It is claimed to treat pain, anxiety, insomnia, etc. Put an anxious person who is in pain and hasn't slept all night back in their job position and tell me they are not going to have difficulties compared to when these symptoms were absent. Some people go to work sick, with injuries, right after a family death, and many other feats of willpower. Generalizations about the psychological effect without environmental considerations for the person's life and character are useless if we are to make some value judgement about it's harms/benefits. That's why I am trying to provide info from a physiological standpoint only. The basis for a more general debate on MJ use and psychology too subjective, but I'm always curious to hear others' perspectives on how they have felt when going through a transition from use to abstinence.

 

[SkeletonLips]

Yes, whenever I have to abstain, I am prone to irritability. I just seem to have a shorter fuse, and the little things that just bug me when I'm not abstaining, end up being annoying to the point that I can feel my blood pressure raising. I also get cranky, because my anxiety levels go through the roof. I have no problem with mnmlh's assessment of what our brains are doing, because he seems to be spot on with what the symptoms are. I am bipolar and weed is the only drug that helps me though, so I am fine with any physiological drawbacks that may occur when I can't get my medicine. -S.L.

 

[obelisk]

It isn't only the leaf, it could be abstinence anything: tobacco, alcohol, opium. Happens to me all the time. It will pass. Does make things difficult for family while you are getting over the withdrawal symptoms though.

Re the reality comment: whatever it is that you believe as real is only a truth within a given context. :/

 

[SimonC]

What is this sober thing you guys speak of?

Simon

 

[tdavie]

I was on Lorazepam/Diazepam daily since October/2001. And in the kast few years, I'd take 0.5mg Alprazolam about miday at work when my anxiety started to rise up. I started reusing marijuana in October/08, and then daily in November/09, and vaporizing since December 11/09. Haven't used any anti anxiety meds since about Jan 15/10 since I've found that the anxiety is knocked out for 16-20 hours (even if the high goes in 2-4 hours).

As an unexpected and quite beneficial side effect, I found that my arthritis pain is vastly reduced if I take 10-15 vapor hits, and completely erased if I vape for about 3-4 hours. And I can't take a lot of common anti arthritis meds because of kidneys.

So yeah, if I took a break, I'd get as cranky as HELL because I'd have to rely on benzodiazepines again and my joints would start hurting.

Tom

[I'm still not sure if I'm enjoying vaporizing/MJ so much because I am catching a 'buzz', or if it's because 2 of my medical issues are gone and I can just relax....either way, I'll take it....it works very well for me]

 

[PerseusStoned]

What is this sober thing you guys speak of?

Simon

What is this reality thing you guys are speaking of?

On a side-note (of mental illness) all current research I've read of indicates THC will accelerate your initial attacks (particularly in schizophrenic and bipolars) but will not increase severity or frequency. As an example, if you would normally get an attack when you turned 20, if you start smoking when you're 10 you might start getting attacks when you're 16.

 

[lwien]

On a side-note (of mental illness) all current research I've read of indicates THC will accelerate your initial attacks (particularly in schizophrenic and bipolars) but will not increase severity or frequency. As an example, if you would normally get an attack when you turned 20, if you start smoking when you're 10 you might start getting attacks when you're 16.

I can totally understand how it could accelerate the initial attacks, but I don't understand how it would do this without ANY impact on the severity or frequency. Just from a logical point of view, it would seem that it "could" have an affect in all of those categories, but not necessarily that it would.

Could you please link some of that current research that you speak of? I'd like to read a bit more about this. Guess I could always google it, but you may be able to save me a bit of fishing time.

 

[AGBeer]

I was on Lorazepam/Diazepam daily since October/2001. And in the kast fe years, I'd take 0.5mg Alprazolam about miday at work when my anxiety started to rise up. I started reusing marijuana in October/08, and then daily in November/09, and vaporizing since December 11/09. Haven't used any anti anxiety meds since about Jan 15/10 since I've found that the anxiety is knocked out for 16-20 hours (even if the high goes in 2-4 hours).

As an unexpected and quite beneficial side effect, I found that my arthritis pain is vastly reduced if I take 10-15 vapor hits, and completely erased if I vape for about 3-4 hours. And I can't take a lot of common anti arthritis meds because of kidneys.

So yeah, if I took a break, I'd get as cranky as HELL because I'd have to rely on benzodiazepines again and my joints would start hurting.

Tom

[I'm still not sure if I'm enjoying vaporizing/MJ so much because I am catching a 'buzz', or if it's because 2 of my medical issues are gone and I can just relax....either way, I'll take it....it works very well for me]

+1 to that bro

I have been off of my Lexapro/Welbutrin/Straterra cocktail for a while now as well since I have discovered vaping. Its almost 'weird' as vaping (unlike smoking) serves more of a purpose than just to get 'wrecked'

Vaping (to me) has been a holy grail of sorts. It definitely has been a soul changing experience for me.

 

[sour]

I was on Lorazepam/Diazepam daily since October/2001. And in the kast fe years, I'd take 0.5mg Alprazolam about miday at work when my anxiety started to rise up. I started reusing marijuana in October/08, and then daily in November/09, and vaporizing since December 11/09. Haven't used any anti anxiety meds since about Jan 15/10 since I've found that the anxiety is knocked out for 16-20 hours (even if the high goes in 2-4 hours).

As an unexpected and quite beneficial side effect, I found that my arthritis pain is vastly reduced if I take 10-15 vapor hits, and completely erased if I vape for about 3-4 hours. And I can't take a lot of common anti arthritis meds because of kidneys.

So yeah, if I took a break, I'd get as cranky as HELL because I'd have to rely on benzodiazepines again and my joints would start hurting.

Tom

[I'm still not sure if I'm enjoying vaporizing/MJ so much because I am catching a 'buzz', or if it's because 2 of my medical issues are gone and I can just relax....either way, I'll take it....it works very well for me]

+1 to that bro

I have been off of my Lexapro/Welbutrin/Straterra cocktail for a while now as well since I have discovered vaping. Its almost 'weird' as vaping (unlike smoking) serves more of a purpose than just to get 'wrecked'

Vaping (to me) has been a holy grail of sorts. It definitely has been a soul changing experience for me.

I agree on vaping. It's showed me a different side of using MJ that I've found to be more reliable and dependable. With vapor I'm able to function better than with smoking and that has changed things for me, i'm more comfortable now.

 

[PerseusStoned]

I can totally understand how it could accelerate the initial attacks, but I don't understand how it would do this without ANY impact on the severity or frequency. Just from a logical point of view, it would seem that it "could" have an affect in all of those categories, but not necessarily that it would.

Could you please link some of that current research that you speak of? I'd like to read a bit more about this. Guess I could always google it, but you may be able to save me a bit of fishing time.

Almost positive this is it, but forgive me if I don't re-read the data to ensure it

Its been a good 6 years since I did my 20+ page paper and the pain of the research still surfaces every now and then

 

[lwien]

Thank you PS. Much appreciated.

 

[Rick]

This is a nice thread.
Sober=Reality. Hmmmmmmmm No way Jose. In some for sure but the reality I see displayed by many "sober" or "straight" folks is not good human reality. I would say GHR is kind of a Universal thing that most of us know when we see it. Nice, respect for yourself and others, understanding, play fair, some empathy, love and many, many more words would fit GHR.
GHR is enhanced with MJ. It is so good to even hear the further refinement vaping offers but it is the herb that does it. It is a gift from the Universe to humankind, besides dogs and booze. For some reason I have been blessed with timing and a lifestyle that, so far anyway, allows me no need of a "break" from my medicine. I think it would be very tough. And yes, I would be one cranky asshole.
mnmlh, thank you so much for your explanation on the physiology of what happens.
Reality. Now that is one interesting word. There was a recent story about a young active christian worker who was fucking young girls everywhere he went in different church groups he lead. When one of the "elders" was questioned about it, he said it was satan who did it, satan is everywhere. That man is also second in charge of the local county sheriff dept. Reality???????

MJ is here to stay, thank the Universe. It is Universal Medicine of the highest order. It will help us survive each other and all that Mother deals us. The use of it crosses all age and occupation spectrums.
I do feel for those of you who must stop. I truly hope it is only temporary.
MJ is calm food for the soul.

 

[SkeletonLips]

MJ is here to stay, thank the Universe. It is Universal Medicine of the highest order. It will help us survive each other and all that Mother deals us. The use of it crosses all age and occupation spectrums.MJ is calm food for the soul.

This is what I'm talking about. Beautifully said, Rick!