What to do when you get way, way, way too high

Anisha Dhiman - thegrowthop.com Posted 5 years ago
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It happens. You took a big bite of a friend’s home-baked edible without realizing the cannabutter they used was incredibly potent. Or, you got a bit carried away at a party and had a few too many puffs on a pipe. Whatever the reason, your functioning is impaired, and you find yourself couch locked, just sitting there seemingly unable to move. What now?  

 

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First off, don’t freak out. Find a place to sit. Breathe in and out. Focusing on your breath will help to calm you down. Unless you were also consuming alcohol, you’re super stoned not drunk. Unlike alcohol, one has ever died from OD’ing on cannabis.  

While you will be fine, that doesn’t mean you aren’t having a bad experience. Dr. Alison Draisin, Psychologist at the AIMS Institute in Seattle and CEO/Founder Ettalew’s Edibles, states, “Cannabis is one of the safest medicines in our modern pharmacopeia, but it is by no means without negative effects.” As she observes, “Feelings of discomfort, anxiety, restlessness or even panic are possible, and breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure may change.”  

1a URUGUAY MARIJUANA e1554144875220 What to do when you get way, way, way too high

First off, don’t freak out. Find a place to sit. Breathe in and out.

Here are a few practical pointers offered by Dr. Draisin to mitigate the effects of delta 9 (THC). Drink citrus drinks or juices especially products that contain lemons or oranges. Eat pistachios or pine nuts, or inhale pine essential oil. Another option is to inhale black pepper. Also, while high CBD products can be used to counterbalance the effects of THC, CBD takes longer to work than these other products since it is a cannabinoid and needs to metabolize. 

Cannabis Consumer Safety   

According to Dr. Draisin, “new patients are advised to ‘ease into’ medical/recreational cannabis to get a feeling for the sensory and mood changes they experience.” Always start small. You can always add more, as it is harder to minimize the effects once you have taken too much. 

Prior to consuming any cannabis be sure some non-alcoholic beverage like water is readily available to prevent dry mouth. Also, have some munchies around in case a given cannabis strain makes you really, really hungry.  

Be mindful that the cannabis culture tends to be a social culture. Cannabis users may pass pipes, joints, and other dangerously-hot paraphernalia to each other without care. You want to get buzzed not burned. Dr. Draisin suggests you should be aware that placing your mouth on objects that have been in the mouths of others is akin to kissing that person on the mouth. “The best protection against communicable diseases is abstinence. Placing your hands between your mouth and the apparatus/joint keeps the germs away and you stay healthy!” 

Finally, before heading out, pack along a to-go kit containing a few of Dr. Draisin’s recommendations along with a non-alcoholic beverage and a few munchies, so you can be prepared to practice self-care when couched.  

 

TheFreshToast.com, a U.S. lifestyle site, that contributes lifestyle content and, with their partnership with 600,000 physicians via Skipta, medical marijuana information to The GrowthOp.

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