Hash making me paranoid?

SIBHCHEVIE wrote: »

Yes some people who smoke may experience mental problems but that is due to the fact that the problem is already there in the first place and the smoking or any other drug taking just happens to trigger it.

...and you know this because you are:

1) a neural physiologist.
2) a psychoanalyst.
3) you don't know actually, you are just guessing.

That's dangerously like medical advice you are giving there, and I'd wager you are not a doctor.

Smoking definatly did have a hugh affect on our mental state. I started smoking the stuff when i was 13/14. Needless to say I moved on to stronger stuff by the age of 15/16 i.e. estacy...A number of things happened then that made me reliase that my confidence was completly rocked. During my first 3 years of secondary school i was basically in the same class as others (and no it wasnt a special class or anything) but after the Junior cert as you know you get mixed up in different classes therefore out of your comfort zone.. new people etc....It basically shattered my confidence from been too paranoid to talk to people i didnt know, the only thing that helped me was that i played quite a lot of sport and was captain of the u.16 and eventually the senior gaa side..

The point i'm trying to make is that when the paranoia got so bad I thought it was the e's, but when i went off them for a year or so, it didnt make much different. I stopped smoking dope at 18 (22 now) and found a difference straight away, now i never felt better. I am now a secondary school teacher and occassionly take the odd blowout with estacy but to no real side affects, a bit fried the next day. Smoking was the cause of all my mental problems, and although I'm better than before I still am nowhere near as confident as i should have been without smoking it.....

It was only recently when i watched the top 20 most dangerous drugs, a documentry on channel 4, that i seen dope ranking 8th r 9th most dangerous with estacy ranking 18th, even ahead of steroids, which further confirmed what i had found out the hard way.

Anyway thats my two cents worth...

I read some of the posts here and agree with some / disagree with others and don't have time to read them all so I'll give you my side:

I'm in my late twenties and have smoked randomly for the past decade or so, some times other peoples stuff & sometimes buying my own & spending days on end heavily sedated you might say. I'm not a heavy user and have never been one but feel I've experienced enough of it to know what it does.

Personally I think its effects are subjective depeding on the personality of the person taking it, their age, mindframe & reasons for taking it. Mine was purely recreational - at parties, festivals, watching movies at home or to immerse myself in computer games etc - an enhancement smoker so to speak.

As for music and visuals it can make for an exciting experience but at this point in my life it seems completely worthless to seek out enjoyment in something by this manner. If you can't enjoy something sober then you should ask the question why? Plus while it heightens the senses in some ways it saps motivation / concentration in general, not to mention the fact that it plays havoc with your memory, this I know for certain as it did with me!

Over the decade I've known heavy users and occassional users, funnily enough the heavy users are at a point in their lives now that seems restricted or stunted. I've seen paranoia, personality issues and a complete lack of motivation in people due to smoking dope - its namesake speaks for itself I suppose. Personally I have had serious bouts of paranoia from smoking and this persuaded me to keep away from the stuff, anything that can upset your mental equilibrium like that surely ain't no good for ya and over time can do damage in my opinion.

Remember, my view point is that of someone who has been the angsty teenager & is now (hopefully) a mature responsible adult so I've experienced both sides of the coin. I have my opinions on the legality issues but thats not relevant here so we'll leave that out. For those who encourage you to continue smoking - well my guess is that they are young and still immature, eventually they'll realise the emptiness of it all when they get older. When you're a teenager with little responsibility except trying to get your ass out of bed to make it to lectures your view of the world is a little more simplistic to someone with a mortgage, kids, debts, a career - I'm not being patronising, I'm being realistic, it's common sense ffs I've been there!

Anyway, I am in no position to preach just thought you'd like a sincere response from someone who has once stood where you are now - if you asked me personally I'd say save your money, sanity, confidence & spend time doing something worthwhile - in retrospect I've had some great nights smoking but it means little to me now - reading a book gives me a more enjoyable break from reality & I've never heard of reading causing paranoia so.....

There is mind-blowing beauty of a myriad forms in this world, why dull your senses to try and feel / see / hear / experience it - surely the opposite would make more sense. You will always get the for & against camps so its all down to a matter of personal choice, if it doesn't work tho I'd say get out while you still can. Your call buddy, hope I've been helpful.