I first smoked marijuana when I was 17 and bored. Peer pressure wasn't a big part of it... mostly I was curious (and bored, like I said). I thought it would be just like on The Simpsons, or something. The first time I toked up, nothing happened. I don't (and didn't) smoke cigarettes so it's possible I didn't know how to inhale. Anyway, the second time I was advised to "take deep breaths" and hold it in my lungs for as long as possible. I did, taking 6 or 7 deep drags of pure BC bud and holding it until there was no smoke left to exhale. 20 minutes later, I started to feel nervous, jittery.... just all around anxious. I suffer from 2 anxiety disorders and am no stranger to panic attacks but I was still surprised because I grew up hearing that marijuana relaxes the user. Not for me, it didn't. At first, it felt like the blood entering and existing my heart was full of "bubbles" and my chest cavity felt cold, as if someone was piping ice water into my thorax. Keep in mind weed is a hallucinogen so mild body hallucinations like this are the norm and variations of what I felt are universally known as "getting a buzz". However, not everybody is inclined to enjoy the "buzz" and some people (such as I) may even find the sensation panicky. The next stage of my weed experience was a sensation that my life and identity was gone and that I didn't exist. Yes, I have a good imagination, but the sense of dread I felt that day was more extreme than my imagination, alone, can conjure. I walked around in circles for an unknown span on time (weed messes up your sense of time and space) making little whimpering noises and pulling at my clothes and trying to otherwise dispel the weird sensations occuring in my body, my certainty that a heart attack was imminent (a myocardial infarction for you med nerds) and the sense that I had stopped existing. Whoa. Run on sentence. Anyway, it took over 8 hours for the effects to wear off and 2 times following I suffered similiar reactions (I have now given weed up for good).
So think twice before you take your first toke. I'm by no means anti-weed and I think the culture and little pipes are neat but I dont want any young kids to maybe experience something similar. Some questions to ask yourself before you toke up are:
Do I have any phobis regarding body functions (such as a phobia of being unable to breathe, a phobia of having your heart stop, a phobia of going crazy)? If you do, such preexisting conditions may launch you into panic when the effects of weed first make an appearance.
Have I ever had a panic attack? Panic attacks are unexpected "fight or flight" reactions that occur for a variety of reason, including organic. Suffererers experience a profound sense of unease, a concern about dying, passing out, or going crazy, an inability to sit still, feelings of choking or "being smothered", shakes, cold hands, dilated pupils, tachycardia, and occasional hyperventilation, among other unpleasant symptoms. If you have ever had a panic attack, see a doctor to find out why (yo\u could have mitral valve prolapse, a thyroid problem, an anxiety disorder, etc) and STAY AWAY FROM WEED until you know what causes your panic.
Are the people I will be smoking with supportive? Will they calm me down if I start to feel bad or will they scare me worse or make fun of me? Is the place I will be smoking safe? Will anyone there take advantage of me (this could mean steal your stuff, molest you or simply just mind fuck you) if I am in a compromised state?
Have I ever been arrested? Do I have a record? Remeber. harmless as weed is relative to other drug, it is still an illegal substance (laws differ from place to place... some areas you can smoke with a presciption, others you can be found with weed as long as it's under an ounce, etc). Am I prepared for the consequences of getting in trouble (however unlikely)?
DO the people who want me to try weed have other drug problems? Do they shoot up heroin or smoke crack? Weed is often referred to as a "gateway" drug because dealers often want to make drugs look less dangerous than they really are. So they start a kid off with something with few side effects and then encourage them to try riskier and more dangerous drugs. Not good.
Do I really want to try this drug for ME or am I being pressured into it by my friends?
These are all important questions to ask yourself.
And I never got the munchies.