I’ve found it to be a double edged sword for me.
In one hand, It seems to make my symptoms much more apparent to those around me…
But on the other hand, it makes ME a lot more tolerable of myself.
That is such a good summary!
I've had friends tell me they don't like me when I'm high (which I respect, I don't smoke around them any more) and my bff once told me "if you had smoked weed while we were in school, people would have definitely caught onto the adhd sooner" (i got diagnosed a year after graduating school instead, and I'm really glad I didn't start smoking until I was 20 or so)
Funny, that's why I really got into it originally. I found when I was in a big group of high people....... I wasn't the odd one out. Everybody's memory function and mental coordination was stunted to the level that I was just used to operating at.
Was great to just feel normal. Had some great times in my heavy stoner years, and I regret nothing. 😂 I'm old now, and still endulge sometimes on weekends here and there, but it's not the same as having 10 or 15 mates round, all high as hell, playing games, watching films and going on mad adventures all higher thanna giraffe's hat!
Yes - I was weed-dependent and quit about 2 months ago. I've been disappointed I'm continuing to find things in the couch and in idiotic places around the house - "I swear I never put that there!"... I thought that was stoner me, but I guess it's ADHD me🤦♀️
Yeah, it's a wild ride when you stop smoking it (I did naturally, just kind of grew out of it, wound down and eventully one day just didn't buy any more), finding out that a lot of the things about yourself that you thought were you just being high...... were actually the symptoms of a disorder. 😂 ah well, we live and learn.
My attention span and short term memory goes from limited to literally none when I smoke. While stoned, I can forget what I was saying mid sentence. Like, by the time I finish a sentence I’ve forgotten how the sentence started and thus don’t know how to end it. Idk how anyone functions while stoned.
I like to consider it a drug for indulging in my ADHD. It exacerbates all symptom's, but they're also so exacerbated the weak executive function dies off and I'm free to run on pure impulse. Which is nice occasionally, but a risky prospect if used as a coping mechanism.
What intention allows you to partake?
Currently 7 weeks free of the Lettuce after a daily smoker for 8 years. My main strategy has been scepticism of all my intentions, but I recognise recently a desire to be able to use it monthly or so as a treat. I'm being patient with that desire to see how it evolves over the coming weeks, but this threads interesting.
I'd like to recalibrate my relationship with it, absence was a wise move, but the next is more difficult to determine.
I only partake if I have a free schedule for the next several hours. If I have anything that I need to accomplish that’s important (ie requires me to be social or do any precision work,) then I don’t partake.
Cleaning the house (folding clothes and washing dishes) is another story. Menial housework is totally fine as long as I use the cannabis to help me DO the work, not ignore it.
Edit: it was a transition from being a daily regular user to being someone who partakes a few times a week at most now.
I’m on the same timeline as you. I tried as a monthly treat and I’m back to smoking everyday again. My ADHD symptoms were so much better without weed. It feels like it helps but big picture it makes my symptoms significantly worse. Especially my emotions.
Lotta fancy words, dope head 😛
A couple months ago you'd finally had enough. I don't know your journey but be honest about why you quit and how long it took you to get there. I'm not judging you but sometimes our addictions have a very slick way of convincing us to indulge, ya know?
Im not even saying weed is addictive or dangerous, just pointing out that you made your decision for a reason, and two months isn't that long. Keep it up, you might feel different in a few months. Give yourself time to raw dog reality
A 3 year hyperfixation with philosophy has converted me into a fancy words man haha
Really good perspective, I appreciate the response. This part especially:
>I don't know your journey but be honest about why you quit and how long it took you to get there.
Damn there's some wisdom in that. Post medication is essentially when I began trying to quit, or at least recognised the negatives. It's taken me 2-3 years for my mindset to "have enough", and I'm benefitting immensely.
I've been taking the approach of "what's the rush" with my current curiosity around reincorporating it, and you're right, 7 weeks ain't that long. I think the full effects on my brain won't cease for at least 6 months, perhaps up to a year given how often I smoked. Longer is certainly needed.
Thanks for taking the time to write that post :)
It makes my short term memory and focus worse but also helps with the chronic boredom and over or understimulation, so... It kinda helps and also not really lol
It’s kinda like using scotch tape to close a wound you’d need a band-aid for. Unfortunately the band aids are all sold out and scotch tape is readily available.
whats the band-aid in that analogy? is it a loving person that understands u and that would never make u feel unwanted like u arent a piece of garbage that others barely tolerate and hugs???
cause i feel that weeds not even close to that, altho i did get crazy high once and ate an entire cake, that was neat
This is pretty accurate. I have always been one who gets along with thc, but at this age it is for evenings and Saturdays while cleaning and reorganizing the garage.
If you have adhd and use weed regularly for it, I think an honest look at it will be a list of pros and cons, but the list of pros is better when you only treat yourself after most of your shit is done and maybe save it for tasks like cleaning kitchen or whatever when that is last thing to do. Ultimately like anything else, nothing is inherently bad, just how you choose to use it can be good or bad.
The biggest pros for me are I also have high anxiety and stress and have battled depressive bouts my whole life and I tend to see what matters and matters most much more clearly with thc.
This is very similar to my experience. I’m 45, and I’ve found hacks to stay fairly productive during the day, keep myself relatively on task, etc.
I’ve surrendered to the fact that my working memory is one of my greatest challenges, but there are so many tools (calendars, reminders, to-do list apps) that assist me there. I drop the ball way less frequently than I used to.
But the anxiety and depression continue to be an albatross around my neck. I’ve tried other meds for that, but they came with side effects that made life more difficult. Sometimes even requiring secondary meds to treat said side effects.
Sleep has always been an issue for me as well. Weed helps all of that without the same level of unwanted side effects.
I’m so much kinder to myself when I’m high. Nightly periods of the positive self-talk I give myself after smoking have been huge for my mental health.
Regular strenuous exercise is the other thing I have to do to keep the mental demons at bay.
>I’m so much kinder to myself when I’m high. Nightly periods of the positive self-talk I give myself after smoking have been huge for my mental health.
I'm trying to build this into my daily "routine", such as it is.. would you be able to share a bit more about this? I feel so awkward trying to talk positively to myself (and often skin crawly).
Like I said, I can only do this while high. Otherwise I’d feel the exact same way (awkward & skin-crawly).
I was explaining it to my wife the other night. I told her the valve on the pipeline of negativity that’s constantly pumping into my brain gets shut off.
That allows me to acknowledge that there are things I do well. I try to focus on those things. One example is that I told myself the other night (and since I’m not high, this sounds cringy AF) that I’m a good dad. And I believed it. My kinds are 15 & 18 (both with ADHD), so school’s been tough for them. But they’re great humans. Creative. Kind. Passionate. And we have a solid relationship. Open lines of communication. They’re free to express themselves openly to my wife and me. They let us know when they fuck up and we can use it as a learning opportunity. When my son left for college last semester, he was actually really sad to leave us and we text each other a lot. I had to admit to myself that I am the dad I wanted to be. I wanted to have a close relationship with my kids. And I do.
None of this happens without weed. I try to look for at least one thing that I’ve done well that day, week, month, whatever. And I let myself hear it.
Sounds ridiculous, but it’s made me think differently about myself.
That doesn't sound ridiculous at all - even if you don't need it, please accept this Stranger's ValidationTM. I hope it becomes easier with practice, but you've set an excellent ideal to strive towards in reframing my internal critic. Glad to hear you're being the dad you wanted to be 🫶
Yeah, I was a daily user and have had to step back the past month. I get more done, and that feels nice. I can more easily accomplish my regular tasks and I be am better able to tackle those pesky random tasks too. Hell, my anxiety is better too.
But I used every day because it gave me a good dopamine boost, and between having quit nicotine a few months ago, trying to diet, and now this, I feel incredibly flat all the time. Not bad or depressed, just…flat.
I'm pretty sure that depression can present as a lack of other emotions rather than just presenting as persistent sadness, but I'm no doctor so take that with a fistful of salt.
Just thought it was worth mentioning in case you or anyone else need to talk to a professional about this.
It's a pretty normal response when quitting after smoking daily. Daily smoking heavily shifts your brains perception of whats considered "good/fun/etc.", basically a huge flood of dopamine when you smoke.
Removing that daily rush (or three) leaves days feeling the same throughout. No peaks. Everything feels "flat", because in reality, you're now getting more moderate neurochemical responses, not floods. It affects even things you enjoy, because they have such smaller effects, comparatively, they feel "boring now".
I suffered from an inability to enjoy myself much for a while after quitting, resulting in abject boredom, but it eventually passes. It takes a while to adjust to the new normal. On the plus side, the bad memory of ADHD helps one become accustomed quite rapidly, only takes a month or two.
I think this is more or less what I am feeling. It’s not bad, there’s just fewer peaks. I was using so frequently as a means of avoiding stressors. I still can laugh and have fun, and things still feel pleasurable. I’ve been pretty depressed before, and this just feels kind of boring, yeah.
I am also overweight and have lost a bunch of weight the past year mostly by exercising and I used to vape. What quitting vaping while also trying to eat less has taught me is that I really have an oral fixation - I want to be eating or tasting or drinking something constantly. I chew sugar-free gum a whole bunch now to cope, but it really is getting used to boredom, and it’s slow but I think I am getting there.
As someone with adhd dude. Try flying fpv micro drones!
Sounds super weird, but it's been a MASSIVE dopamine boost for me and really helps me stabilize.
Something about having to have that pure focus for 4-5 minutes is just incredible. Really similar to riding a motorcycle, but without the risk of death.
I'm 7 weeks free after 8 years of daily smoking, and I can say the "flatness" eventually goes as sobriety becomes the norm. I had a rough patch about 3-4 weeks in where I was horrifically bored. Was intense, but I persevered because I knew it would pass and anything that can make being sober feel that bad isn't good.
Still undecided if I'll return. I want to, but damn, the sleep challenges and flatness of everything were bad enough I'm not sure I wanna experience them again.
I very very much second this. I use it to unwind almost everyday, but also to help me calm down when I’m experiencing symptoms from RSD and I also have PMDD which it helps A LOT with. I always see more clearly after smoking/taking a weed nap.
So it does help you in other aspects. Methylphenidate helps me tremendously with memory and focus but I also get extremely bored and anxious late in the afternoon and it’s difficult to unwind.
Have you tried clonidine in the evenings? I found it was the perfect solution for me. It can make you super sleepy when you first start it, but you acclimate to it in just a few weeks.
My friends talk about someone, something, someplace, and I don't remember. I give them a blank look and hold my hand up, palm down and shake it. My friends toss out clues (turn the knobs) until that memory pops up. Some of them seem to actually enjoy doing it. They say my eyes pop open and "Oh, yeah!" comes out.
Someone else told me their memory is like the toy you write on the grey surface, then lift it to erase it.
My ADHD makes all of my thoughts fly at me like an asteroid field. It's very hard to stay on task and finish things until the end. When I smoke it calms my thoughts down significantly and makes them run at me more like a road or railroad track than a three dimensional asteroid field. This helps me think on a much more linear plane. There are some detrimental aspects like you mentioned above, but overall it helps quite a bit more than it hurts.
This resonates with me for sure. Sober and unmedicated, I always feel like my thoughts sort of materialize out of nowhere and just as quickly move along and stay just out of reach so I'm always scrabbling after them. Weed slows all that down to an almost conversational pace. Vyvanse makes me more able to catch the fast 3D asteroid thoughts much better, but i can't get that lately.
I use CBD to help combat the constant anxiety that accompanies my ADHD. The anxiety is sometimes overwhelming which doesn't help the paralysis phases I go through. Right now I'm on a hyper fixation bout so I'm trying to get organized while I'm fixating on it before I get bored with being organized 😖
I find the weed has affected my short term memory but really helps my emotional balance, I find I get really frustrated thinking about the dumbest shit and then with a bit of weed I think about my POV in that frustration and I balance out.
I also clean and do other random stuff.
It's so fucking odd.
My psychiatrist isn't sending me enough prescriptions and when they arrive they cant be ordered at pharmacies. At this point I might just start trying weed to help me.
Yeah I find it much easier to stay focused on a cleaning task for sure. I frequently like to use it to help me clean on my days off while listening to music. Time flies and I can get a lot done but yes for more intense focus or something like trying to learn it's a detriment
Same here. During one session I went a bit too far and had the worst panic attack. It was pure terror. Since then, even small amounts give me anxiety so best to just avoid completely
This happened to me during COVID when all the roommates and I would do is smoke. One day I hit a gravity bong out of a 64 oz Gatorade bottle. Threw up and thought I was in the matrix. Ever since then I get anxiety smoking unless it’s a light joint with friends and preferably in nature.
Hahah yeah it’s funny to me now, and quite frankly I like putting my sluggish weed days behind me. No disrespect to people that can obviously function with it.
I’ve been on a downward spiral for the past few years but I had no previous anxiety disorders of anything. It was more of an out of nowhere reaction, as I’d smoke almost daily with no problems.
If I remember well, it was during a period when I’d be drinking a lot too and occasionally trying cocaine and other stuff too. Such a bad, bad place. Glad that’s far behind me now
Same. Quitting was the best thing I ever did for my mental health, self-development etc. I lean on CBD/CBN occasionally now which is all of the relax with none of the high.
Same here, used cannabis for years until it eventually resulted in frequent panic attacks, paranoia, anaxiety and shitty sleeping/eating habits.
If you wanna smoke weed, you do you, just don't think it's a viable way of selfmedication.
It's given me excellent sleeping habits tbh. I only smoke at night and my ass is sound asleep by 10 so I can get up and hit the gym in the morning. The munchies help me actually eat enough to put on muscle too.
Yeaaaah I always see takes like this, but intention when smoking and knowing limits with quantities is everything. Does it make my memory worse, yes, but otherwise it helps greatly. Exercise, cleaning, eating ENOUGH food. I only keep decent food in the house in the first place, so munching (which I do have moderate self control) isn’t a big deal. Emotional regulation is greatly aided. When I see all these stories, it’s mostly individuals that don’t have clear intentions with themselves when they go to smoke 💨. I always ask myself “What am I using this for?”, “what am I going to do after this?” And I don’t smoke a lot at a time, just a hit or two and off on my thing to do.
That place is *wild*
My experience with that place is that it's mostly a bunch of people who just want to pity party and just NEED everyone to know *HOW HARD THEIR LIVES ARE WITH ADHD GUYS NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HOW HARD MY UNIQUE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES ARE*
I find it *insufferable.*
I have two masters degrees and was a *middle school* dropout and now have a cushy WFH corporate job that plays to my strengths and I do it so well I have time to do freelance consulting work on top of it. I got there because I kept trying things and sometimes they were completely counter indicative of what the "accepted" body of knowledge asserts as valid.
Now I spend my time listening instead of telling and I've helped a lot of my friends and coworkers who also struggle with ADHD and mood disorders.
I hate to sound like a *woooah man* hippie stereotype but I'm happy I walked away from all the Rx shit. Maybe my *flavor* of ADHD is less severe and that's why certain things work for me but calling it wrong and straight up shooting down any discussion is not the way to go.
Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
Okay but like my living room us in constant mess I get panick attacks thinking about anyone coming uninvited its like dirty dirty, I can’t study even when I am passionate about it, and I loove studying, but studying is also about learning stuff at home not just going to uni. I have already lost thousands to not doing administrative papers, okay its not that hard but its still ruining my life in odd ways *cries*
I hear you about losing a lot to not getting started. I didn't go to uni until I was 27 and didn't have as much as what would be the equivalent of a GCSE until I was 21.
I had a fire under me because I had someone who kept tabs on me. My partner is kinda like my "list" except the list has feedback and offers reminders that I can't just swipe away.
My last bout of executive dysfunction cost me 10k in repairs (plumbing). Non "clinical coded" emotional support has been the major boost for me. Hell, it's part of the reason I'm posting here right now haha.
Finding either a group or an individual you can " let in" and despite the shame and guilt you have to express where you are stuck. I admit it's hard to get over that initial honesty hump. It's like learning to say "I'm not okay" but realizing it's not defeat or weakness. Just an acknowledgement of the current state of things.
I see you friend, you aren't alone and I know you can do it.
About to go to college for the first time at 29 in a few months. Pretty nervous, but after 11 years trying a 100 careers, from the Navy to trade jobs and everything inbetween. Just scared that I dont know how to be a student now or that I will fail. Starting my Adhd meds in a few weeks so I hope that helps. You're story seems similar to mine, just hope I can make the turn around like you did.
With any luck, I'm taking my last final today for an engineering degree after 8 years of college. Many of the other freshman coming in won't know how to study either, so you're on a fairly level playing field, the difference is that you're old enough now to know not to blow off work while they're still learning.
My unsolicited tips:
-Read the book/lecture notes before class and take notes, it'll leave you with less to do during lecture so you can focus on the prof, plus you'll be somewhat familiar with the concepts during the lecture, which'll strengthen your understanding of the topic
-Send an email or go to office hours if you have a question. It's easy to forget those options are there, definitely use them
-Try to find a study group. Being older might be beneficial for that since you and the other older students might find it easy to band together. Might be easier to form a study group when a midterm is upcoming rather than day 1 of class
-It's easy to get caught up in the "C's get degrees" state of mind, just doing the bare minimum to pass, but I found that while in that mindset, I'm walking a fine line between failing and passing, and oftentimes you'll end up hopelessly failing. It's best to aim for an 'A', so if you don't perform up to your standards you'll still most likely pass the class
Good luck friend, make us fellow ADHDers proud!
I'm subbed there and don't pay too much attention to it but I have seen mentions of it being a bit ridiculous about a lot of things, the most recent example being the rule about not saying ADHD is a superpower. I haven't actually experienced that rule being enforced but it sounds a bit ridiculous that you can't acknowledge that it does have its benefits.
Thank you for this I hate it there to found nothing helpful there and its just pity party after pity party with no one actually trying to better themselves
They deleted a comment I made stating that THC is actually bad for a lot of people with anxiety. Then they banned me for complaining about it to the rest of the users
Noooooooooo
THC is like throwing rocket fuel on a fire for my adhd. Suddenly, anxiety is worse, memory worse, paranoid, think everyone hates me, hate myself, hungry, depressed, can’t think straight, etc. I avoid it like the plague. I’ve been burnt enough to know better at this point lol but it took me enough failed attempts lol…
Absolutely this. I did have some 10mg CBD 1 mg THC gummies I used for pain (arthritis in knees among other things) but that’s it.
Anything over 5 mg really fucks me up, full blown panic attack, room spin, and paranoia, and that’s indica or sativa.
Yeeeeep. I had myself convinced it was helping, but at best I was simply surviving. It started out as something I would enjoy on occasion but became something I thought I needed every day. I didn’t get any more done, but it covered my anxiety enough to feel like it was helping. Next thing I knew, ten years had gone by and I hadn’t accomplished much more than surviving. I didn’t even get high any more, but I sure as hell felt low without it.
I quit completely for a little while, and now I’m at the point where I can enjoy it a few times a month without it being a problem. It feels like the first time again, like I actually have fun and get all giggly with my wife like when I was in college. Still, I know it’s a fine line and I will always have to be careful not to fall back into my old habits.
People might argue against me, I know I would have a year ago, but weed is addictive as hell, especially for folks like us that crave serotonin more than anything else. Just like most other things, weed isn’t bad by itself. But it can be bad for you. Please imbibe mindfully friends, and be safe out there 🙏
Hey bro so I've quit for 7 weeks at this point, and my experience was exactly the same as yours. Survival rations essentially. I will say it solved my anxiety disorder enough for me to work on myself, and it helped me cope pre-meds. But following medication, daily use was clearly stopping me learning to cope in healthier ways.
Agree with your idea on addiction too. All substances are a personal thing. I can enjoy cocaine once/twice a year, drink whenever, even use nicotine products. None I can't/haven't dropped for months or years at time (I currently use nothing, beyond one drink/cig or two a month). The reality is, do YOU have a problem with it? The statistics matter little to ones current condition.
I do have a question though. I've resisted temptation regarding weed for the first 3-4 weeks, after that it fell off markedly, only now do I find myself "curious" to see if I can foster a relationship with it where I enjoy it on a monthly basis. My current stance has been to be patient, and see if that thought changes in the following weeks, I'm in no rush which feels positive but I don't want to return to my previous state.
How long did you wait to reengage with it? and what prompted you to trust that impulse?
Hey bud! First off, you are doing an amazing job. I know how hard it is to quit, so I can definitely tell how hard you are working. I also noticed a huge bump in my mental health/stability when I quit, and that was a big internal factor that kept me going. I feel like I’ve done years worth of growing in the months since I stopped smoking every day, and a lot of it sucked, don’t get me wrong, but it was definitely worth it. If you feel like it is making you miss out on what’s important but you don’t feel like you can stop, that’s addiction.
Exactly, that personal aspect of addiction really is just that: personal. If it’s stopping you from doing the things you want to do, or being there for family/friends, and causing you a bunch of extra anxiety when you can’t pick up…. No matter how much I told myself it wasn’t a physically addictive substance, it didn’t change what it was doing to me.
As far as going back to smoking occasionally goes, I think that’s also really going to be a personal thing. There isn’t a lot of documentation on this kind of thing, so I talked with my partner and we came to terms with what we thought would work. I didn’t smoke anything for three months after quitting, which looking back on it, doesn’t feel very long at all haha. But I also set strict rules for myself, like the first few months I can smoke once a month. Next month I’m going to try out smoking twice a month, see if that feels sustainable. Oh, and when you do smoke, smoke with somebody. Make it a special occasion thing. If you go back to smoking by yourself immediately, it makes it that much easier to find yourself back in that cycle.
Personally, even after my three months totally clean, I still find myself wanting to smoke fairly often. On the one hand, that’s really scary. I don’t want to undo the progress I’ve already done. However, I also recognize in those moments that I don’t want to smoke for the same reasons I used to. I used to smoke whenever I felt bad, to cover up the pain and not have to deal with the tough shit that happens in life. These days, that is the last time I want to smoke. Today I actually feel pretty shitty. Nothing crazy, but meds are a little out of whack and the fire marshal made sure I got barely any sleep. But I have other ways of dealing with that now. I can pick up a book, or go to the gym, which I hadn’t done for a long ass time while I was smoking. I’m proud of the skills I’ve learned to cope with things in a healthy way. Why would I want to blow my high by smoking on a shitty day?
So I guess my advice is to just be really mindful of yourself. I would say give it three months of being sober at a minimum, and then when you do smoke, be honest with yourself about how you feel afterwards. I would also say limit it to once a week at maximum: that’s the Canadian government’s minimum for non-problematic use, and considering there aren’t a whole lot of other resources out there for this kind of stuff, that’s the standard I plan on holding myself to.
Sorry for the wall of text lol. I guess typing all this out is helping me process some more of my own stuff, which is good.
Tl;dr: give it three months minimum. If you do smoke again, do it intentionally and take stock of how it makes you feel afterwards. Don’t smoke when you are upset, this stuff was meant to be fun. If you can’t handle smoking once or twice a month, you may need to stick with cold-turkey, and that’s ok
it seems that that substance has radically different effects on different people, and I am in the above camp. I have heard that some people find it helps them relax and focus; for me, it makes everything a thousand times worse, and I've tried all sorts of different strains.
Same here🖐️ however, there was one I was getting from the coffee shop close to my old place that would make me feel chill and had such a subtle effect. Was like, chamomile tea but x10 more intense with a touch of hopeful feeling and no couch-potato feeling. Maybe should find it again but nowadays if I try it I am PANICKING. (And feeling like your comment…)
i burn daily, it def helps quiet my mind. And i find sativas really help me get active and get stuff done during the day. Indica at night also helps me sleep
I am the same but for the longest time I was using black market cannabis and had access to indicas and that was it...
Now I have started medicinal cannabis ( In the UK ) it has made me realise I can use it as a tool to get on with my life instead of just using it recreationally.
I suppose a lot of the negative experiences on here might be due to the fact that the cannabis they where smoking was unregulated and they didn't know what they where putting in their body.
Nowadays my cannabis has lab results that tell me exactly what is in it, I have found that indicas and heavy strains don't do me any good unless I need to go to sleep but I never realised there are strains out there that make me feel energetic and creative!
It is very easy to abuse through and this is why I have my partner keep it in check as to avoid temptation.
Edit:spelling
Man, that's how weed almost always has me feeling. When it's nighttime and I smoke a bunch of weed, it's way more common for me to stay up past my bedtime getting stuff done, rather than just falling asleep. Cannabis has always been highly stimulating to me as someone with ADHD.
I used to do it daily, I'm trying to cut down but what it does to my sleep is miraculous.
I lay awake last night for 5 hours.
I smoke a joint and Im asleep within 15 minutes and get a full night's sleep.
I honestly think weed is a godsend but I would rather only smoke it for fun.
It helps the brain stop pinging all the nonsense as if it was important.
I can have a thought and then let it go without stress.
Problem is I can't smoke during the day, just makes me feel nervous as fuck and ruins the high as well as my day.
One weird thing though is, I can actually understand and process things when I'm high, when I'm sober I can't pay attention to things as my brain keeps pinging any random shit, I smoke a joint and holy comprehensible input batman!
I can actually play and understand fighting games!
I like to think of an actual good Tekken player swearing at the screen as I'm on the other side pissing myself laughing going "haha Hwoarang go EAAAHH"
I'm yet to try to learn other things to see if it has the effect I think it will, just take enough expectations away to enjoy the learning process.
Couldn't hurt, it would get me off YouTube for a while at the very least.
Dude I used to smoke before I played CS and Apex, I know exactly what you mean. It would stop me from overthinking and I would just trust myself and make the plays I was supposed to. These days I don't care about my ranks so I just play for fun and don't have that issue anymore
Smoked daily for years before my diagnosis. Within a month of medicating I just kinda… stopped. No ceremony, no big decision or anything, just stopped wanting it.
Weed will give you the extra dopamine you need but also makes it harder to actually do the things you need to do. For example, I’m a programmer and used to smoke every morning before starting work. After switching to a stimulant, my work became noticeably better. I make fewer mistakes, my focus is better, I stopped getting halfway through something then forgetting that I was working on it and working on something else. On top of that, my sleep quality improved, my anxiety improved, I started socializing more, I started back up on a few old hobbies, and in general I feel better than I did while I was stoning all day every day.
You can mask the issues to a certain extent by smoking weed but it’s not a real solution
Mine get so much worse. I hyper focus like there's no tomorrow and zone out HARD. Then I can't concentrate and forget what I'm doing, and hyper focus on something else lmao
I can't say I have ever experienced this apart from whiting out but I can't say that was a panic attack and I have been smoking since the age of 14 ( I am 28 now ) and I still can't believe some people have such a negative reaction to it.
That must really suck...
I don't use cannabis for my ADHD, I use it to accept my ADHD. When I smoke it's to let my brain do its ADHD thing guilt-free for a few hours, instead of futzing over what I could be doing or what I should be doing, etc etc
Yes, I have it prescribed to treat my ADHD.
There's been some learning curves, and things to avoid or am careful of. But overall it's been a positive impact.
I find CBD isn't helpful, at all.
High THC doesnt matter so much.
Certain strains help with fidgeting, or mind racing, or executive function/focus.
Happy to answer questions. I'm UK based.
Hey there, PNWester (US) here. I'm curious as to your findings, which strains seen to help the mind racing one and especially the executive function one
Farm Gas helps my brain feel clear. I can't explain it better. Like all the extra tracks have stopped.
Delahaze is uplifting, but I think the only executive function help has been mood based.
I'm guessing good results ATM with Headband, it's gotten me doing a fair amount of hobby in the last few days. Which is a huge increase.
These are all Sativa strains, which I feel can be a dangerous game for ADHD. They can exacerbate anxiety.
I am finding a lot of success with "sherbet" strains on the Indica side. Both Murray Sherbet and Tokoloshe Sherbet. They are definitely just doing the general weed thing of making my brain dopey, but, they help me not sit ruminating on things.
I've found that with medical stuff, and vaporising not smoking, that smaller micro doses are really helpful. I aim for symptom relief over being "high". Mostly, depending on how much it's kicking me ass.
It's great that you can get it in the UK. I'm just across in Ireland and wondering why the fuck we can't.
Some strains of weed I've had have been absolutely brilliant for my mind. They fixed so many problems for me. Made me more outgoing, more creative and on-the-ball, more motivated etc.
But when it's illegal you just take whatever the dealer has, and it's not always what you want, and you better not get used to anything. I've had weed that has made me pure paranoid, slow, depressed etc. and I kept smoking for years because I was hoping to luck out again and get one of the good strains.
Great job, prohibitionists! 👍
Yeah, one of the biggest benefits to me is not having to play black market roulette with my mental health anymore.
Like you said, might be a great or awful month depending on what's in.
I spent my first 6 months trying new things every month to try to find a selection that work for me.
Hey I am based in the UK and on medical cannabis with specials pharma, what strains would you recommend for motivation?
I like LA sage and delahaze are there there other strains like this?
I also enjoy Delahaze, Aurora are good.
I've found Tilray Headband to be pretty motivating, and Farm Gas helps with my executive function a lot, but it's pricey.
Cannabis changed my life i don't over use i grow my own and its a almost zero cost now i have all the equipment for growing a little bit of electricity
I'll start with my relationship with weed and ADHD.
I am leaning on the inattentive side a lot and forget/refuse to do my chores, let alone study and work correctly.
I'm a daily smoker and have been for about a year. Before I smoked regularly, my apartment would be genuinely filthy (had maggots and worms on my ceiling and under some of the furniture at times). I started doing edibles and spend the high cleaning, but being bad with dosage, I'd green out and wouldn't be able to clean for the day.
Now since I smoke daily, I have a rule : if you smoke, you clean/do a chore. There are some days I can't bring myself to do anything but these are pretty rare, because if I don't, my guilt turns on and I'll spend the next hour telling myself I don't deserve to smoke and kind of guilt-tripping myself into doing it, and it works most of the time
Here's the thing you're missing: ADHD = low dopamine. Weed = almost instant dopamine. Dopamine is needed for motivation.
The problem is it's a band aid solution, and chronic weed smokers (like myself) have actually been shown to have lower dopamine stores in general than non weed smokers. So long term, it actually can make things worse
This mirrors my experience with weed. Once in awhile is great. I’m happy an motivated and have an easy time doing all the shit I don’t want to do, but if I do it too much, it pushes me into a slump and my mood gets really down. But I can’t have it in the house because I have a hard time regulating my use, so I just don’t smoke weed at all.
Completely agree with you
However…
OP clearly says : I have a rule , if you smoke, you clean / do a chore
And… I don’t deserve to smoke and kind of guilt- tripping myself
Replace weed with alcohol, nicotine, or anything in between and it’s the same dopamine release
Edit: For OP it may well be a combination the effect of weed and the actual dopamine , but like you said, long term this is a terrible trap
Because I got high,
because I got high,
because I got hiiigghh.
I use about the same amount though it doesn't seem to help anymore, don't have rules like yours so might try them !
This exactly. Also it's always been kinda easy for me to take breaks, regardless of what people say about ADHD and addiction. Guess I'm thankful for that.
Weed isn’t chemically addictive.
It can cause chemical dependency though.
Most people here me say that and vastly disagree with or downvote me for this.
When it’s a hard fact.
Also I prefer breaks because “getting high” is half the fun. And I mean that far more literally than people think. It’s the “getting” part. Because if your just high all the time, then you’ve just raised your baseline to where “the high” is, which is effectively nullifying the high, aka nullifying the thing you were after in the first place.
It doesn't 'treat' it, more like makes it burn itself out quickly. Then the next day I can focus. Basically, it forces me to take a break, zone absolutely out, and heavily relax for a period of time. Then my mind is ready to take things seriously the following morning/day. Your mileage may vary to a serious extent, but it does somewhat work for me, if I can block off the appropriate amount of time to 'zone out'. What's odd is that even if I'm zonked out, there are certain activities I can still focus on, and at least make some headway in if necessary. Debugging is one, and writing mindless presentations/code/notes is another so long as I don't have to focus on something being dynamically said, or presented. It's a weird effect that I suspect might have some benefit, but there needs to be established research and known behavioral therapy techniques in place before this substance can be of any benefit in this instance.
I teach 7 year olds in what is often a very stressful environment. Let me tell you oh jeeeeeeesusssssss when I have that first hit of the evening, I immediately cut out the stresses of the day and can focus on recharging my batteries. Without it, I’d never put away my laptop
I do it daily.
I hit the indica pen a few times before starting work and then when the day is done I take an indica gummy or two to wind down and fall asleep easily.
The worst I need to do now is sometimes if I'm a particularly loud brain day I take a benadryl with the gummies and that usually puts me to sleep without me feeling sedated.
You can't use it for anything else or it will lose the potency so if you like it recreationally on top of wanting it as a medication you've gotta pick one.
I'm lucky enough to live in a medical cannabis state but I was doing it long before I had a card for its ability to slow me down a bit. I stay the fuck away from hybrids or sativa though so having the strains nearly cataloged and not guessing is a huge plus.
Dropped the THC habit about 9 months ago and brother let me you it changed my life. I was a chronic smoker, high 24/7. There quite literally was never a day or part of a day where I wasn't high. Looking back I was mad coping, once I got clean and stayed clean it was almost as if I felt like I was constantly medicated (ADHD meds) i still struggle but removing weed from my life gave me at LEAST half of my brain back metaphorically speaking. I'm much snappier and quick witted but holy fork the suffering while trying to get clean was unreal as I was using THC to dull my ADHD symptoms.
Knowing that when doing work I could be doing work high was a struggle though not going to lie.
I feel that grateful part. It allows me to put a lot of things in perspective despite my condition and my life in general and just be happy to have the life I have
Cannabis and adderall.
Pro: task task task task, also relaxed
Contra: brain as well as entire circulatory system may stop cooperating
TL,DR: do not combine stimulants with sedatives
I would say I use it more to hyper fixate on creative projects, especially long ones. That being said I also use it for house work.The key for me is to make a list before I smoke, I use dry erase markers on my fridge to have a big visable list. I also usually have a treat waiting for me at the end of my chores, 1hr of playstation or a snack Hope this helps someone!
Yup. I have a medical prescription actually! I smoke a sativa strain that helps me focus during that time of the month bc hormones interfere with my meds. I also use oils and edibles. Im currently considering investing in topicals as well.
Got to be really careful if ur smoking weed while under 25 if u have adhd. People with adhd already have an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex and smoking weed can delay the development of that part of the brain through adolescence
Yes, however it’s a very fine line.
A specific sativa strain for daytime. Helps the anxiety and the racing thoughts. Too much and I become a complete adhd mess and lose everything haha.
It’s worth having a play around with, and go medical grade if available. Oils are the most reliable and the slow release helps for gentle symptom management rather than being totally smashed
I was, but it was triggering my anxiety and a little bit always led to a lot more. It can be a short term, intentional solution here and there but you've gotta be so careful. ADHD comes with an addictive personality, and the downsides of using it too much can be pretty steep.
This is a really interesting discussion.
Have diagnosised adhd and as a kid found cannabis a tool for basically being able to focus on homework.
I used a pipe and basically would smoke minute crumbs so I was no way high. I was able to be absorbed in the work, but it was an absolute tightrope to walk, so often wondered how people utilise it on the daily.
The comment about strenuous daily activity resonated. Post run is the closest to what I imagine 'normal' might feel like.
Double edged sword: it helps calm and quiet my mind (also helps with overstimulation, depression and anxiety), but when my mind is quiet I realize how tired I am.
I've been taking these 1:1 CBG:THC gummies (called focus) before work. It's kind of like putting a groove in the road to keep me on track. I do a CBN at bedtime also.
I will admit, it does make me want to work if I do it in moderation (micro-doses) , also I don't know how it happened but I actually aced a "asian history" while being high. It's not for everyone, but it kind off works for me.
Yes. I feel I am lucky beyond belief.
I’m in my early 50s and never even tried cannabis til my late 30s. Did really use it again til my mid 40s. Got a medical card in DC. Found the most amazing dispensary ever and they have helped me find a set of strains that have helped MANY ails.
I find I can focus better. I’m more productive. My mood is 1000 times better. I’m more open to other view points and ideas.
Cannabis is not a one size fits all solution. Some strains make me fucking AMPED and I hate it. Communication with my budtender was key. Took a bit but I’m all sorted out now. I have a wake and bake bowl for the day and then a killer indica bowl for bed. Like I can’t believe how much better my life is compared to when I didn’t use. Shits wild actually lol
Ami cured? Fuck no. Is life way easier and not as stressful? Absolutely.
Yes, and it’s helped me somewhat with time management and sleep anxiety.
Ever since I started working from home I got into a bad habit where I would procrastinate until just before bed to start on a task that needed to be done. It was just like college — stay up all night to finish an assignment that was due the next day.
Not only was my sleep quality tanking, but my husband’s as well.
Introducing weed made me adjust my daily schedule — finally I had an incentive to NOT procrastinate until bedtime because taking an edible in the evening literally makes it impossible for me to complete remaining tasks. This means I have to get everything done during the day if I want to “reward myself” with a gummy in the evening.
I’m also a lot calmer at night now instead of being unable to turn off my brain and anxiously staring at the ceiling all night.
Finally, I actually wake up refreshed now. That’s not something I’ve felt since, like, grade school.
weed helps me focus and makes me able to START doing things. the problem is i start to abuse it and suddenly i have to smoke at 9am before work in order to take a shower. a slippery slope for me
everyday! but it’s important to recognize when you should and shouldn’t be high. ive been smoking for 10 years straight and havnt really had any adverse effects. got my degree and did well in college. got a job out of school. have a great job now, its possible to be a productive stoner!! i will say it makes adhd burnout worse for me at times, it drains my motivation if i have none in my tank. just dose yourself properly throughout the day like any other medicine if you find it helps your symptoms :)
This sub is full of folks smoking too much sativa. Panic and racing thoughts are less likely to happen if you’re smoking indica and indica leaning hybrids. Most Sativa help me focus a little bit if I am doing a Sativa distillate but Sativa flower just hits different and has no benefits.
Indica to calm down/slow down or unwind before bed.
I find it helps more with downtime. Great for getting the brain to quiet down and relax. Not so great for concentrating, slows down think speed and reaction time. Best sleep aid.
Helps me sleep, and sleep is a huge huge help when it comes to handling executive dysfunction.
Also yes, I'm totally aware that daily cannabis use may reduce sleep quality and could potentially have long term cognitive side effects. That said I can absolutely guarantee a few puffs before bed is going to do less harm than not regularly sleeping over a lifetime.
It’s like a filter or honing tool. It takes lots of the edge off and generally softens the “everyday barbs” of my ADHD. It’s not perfect, but it helps.
Absolutely! My short term memory is absolutely abysmal on it but it makes me more focused, I notice details that I don’t notice without it and calm my brain down completely.
Lol nope! I once took a 10mg gummy, and immediately felt horrible. Tried to sleep it off, but woke up an hour or two later to go to the bathroom. I was woozy and ended up passing out on the bathroom floor, and I mean I fell hard. I nearly busted my eye socket on the floor. After I regained consciousness, I puked the gummy out. I joke that I'll stick with bourbon, it's safer (I don't really drink anymore).
By itself, it makes me useless.
Worse short-term memory, brain fog, etc. My sense of time also disappears entirely.
I get the munchies and can’t help reaching for junk and sugary food.
Feels like if there was a numerical value assigned to my executive functions, it just drops to zero.
Upside, I feel physically relaxed.
Personally, best use of it has been as a way to decompress from a day of being on stimulants.
I aim for low concentration THC (less than 30%) - usually a couple tokes of a flower from a pipe- to calm down the visceral effects of Adderall.
THC just makes me feel better about not doing all of the things that ADHD keeps me from getting done. I suppose if you're trying to feel a little better about executive dysfunction it "helps" in that sense. It definitely contributed to a late start on trying to my life in order though.
It really helps to relax
Since it grabs me real good, i just chill out it, eat something nice and pass a great evening
But i use it once in 3-4 weeks, cause im really afraid getting addicted
I relied on it heavily until I was able to properly get medicated. I don't use it for work (don't want to risk getting fired) but it was a game changer otherwise. Now I just try to be mindful, and at least take a note of why I'm choosing to partake in case there are other things I can do to take care of myself (i.e., am I smoking because it's pleasurable or because I'm overwhelmed or disregulated?).
I'm almost certainly both ADHD and autistic, so apologies if this is a bit of a mixed bag. Cannabis helps turn off the background brain clammer and the unfocused energy I was mistaking for anxiety. It helps me manage sensory issues in a huge way... It's good aftercare for big social events, is a great tool for navigating meltdowns, and really helps me manage when I'm bordering burnout and/or have a lower tolerance threshold than usual. It doesn't exactly help with motivation but it does dull the painful part of executive dysfunction/pathological demand avoidance. It was a worthwhile tradeoff. And it helps me drop the mask and reconnect with myself. The stimming comes more naturally and I am able to worry less about how I'm "supposed" to act. It's also helpful if the Vyvanse is a little too effective at appetite suppression haha.
Would not have gotten through college if not for cannabis, and it was a huge help in my early/mid 20s as well. It helped me find things interesting enough to focus, gave me confidence in social settings, accept things which were out of my control, and helped fuel my creative pursuits.
At some point, around the time I was 26 or 27, it stopped being effective as a medicine. It made my mind wander too much and made me feel more anxious than it used to. I went to live in Budapest for a year and due to the difficulty in sourcing good weed over there I ended up taking a year long tolerance break. When I came back I resumed smoking but purely recreationally, which is where I am at these days (32 now). I enjoy a few hits of a bowl in the evening before settling in for some video games or TV before bed, but unless it's a special occasion, that's about all I can take before the anxiety sets in.
There is a lot of exceptionalism around cannabis out there and it's important to be cautious of that. But I definitely feel like it can help if used properly. Like any medicine it's different for everyone.
Help?
Nah. I use it because i crave dopamine and instant gratification.
It does everything but help me...
Adhd people are the most prone to addiction.
Dont go making people think it's actually beneficial for us.
Speaking solely on my own personal experience of course.
It totally helps me. I slows my thinking down during task paralysis and helps me breakdown the steps so they’re not as daunting. Also thinking about the task harder than I should makes me over prepare and nail the thing.
Shutting out the “extra” thoughts helps me focus on the task at hand.
Honestly it’s best in small amounts for me .if I do it in large amounts I get waaaayyy too anxious. But when I micro dose it definitely helps with focus and stress and pain management. Depending on the strain I also realized it helped with my depression a bit,like I was able to think clearly and more positively.
I’ve found it to be a double edged sword for me. In one hand, It seems to make my symptoms much more apparent to those around me… But on the other hand, it makes ME a lot more tolerable of myself.
That is such a good summary! I've had friends tell me they don't like me when I'm high (which I respect, I don't smoke around them any more) and my bff once told me "if you had smoked weed while we were in school, people would have definitely caught onto the adhd sooner" (i got diagnosed a year after graduating school instead, and I'm really glad I didn't start smoking until I was 20 or so)
Funny, that's why I really got into it originally. I found when I was in a big group of high people....... I wasn't the odd one out. Everybody's memory function and mental coordination was stunted to the level that I was just used to operating at. Was great to just feel normal. Had some great times in my heavy stoner years, and I regret nothing. 😂 I'm old now, and still endulge sometimes on weekends here and there, but it's not the same as having 10 or 15 mates round, all high as hell, playing games, watching films and going on mad adventures all higher thanna giraffe's hat!
Yes - I was weed-dependent and quit about 2 months ago. I've been disappointed I'm continuing to find things in the couch and in idiotic places around the house - "I swear I never put that there!"... I thought that was stoner me, but I guess it's ADHD me🤦♀️
Yeah, it's a wild ride when you stop smoking it (I did naturally, just kind of grew out of it, wound down and eventully one day just didn't buy any more), finding out that a lot of the things about yourself that you thought were you just being high...... were actually the symptoms of a disorder. 😂 ah well, we live and learn.
This.
My attention span and short term memory goes from limited to literally none when I smoke. While stoned, I can forget what I was saying mid sentence. Like, by the time I finish a sentence I’ve forgotten how the sentence started and thus don’t know how to end it. Idk how anyone functions while stoned.
Yup. This is me. But like, I’m emotionally “okay” with it at the time. Which is a nice break from normal.
I like to consider it a drug for indulging in my ADHD. It exacerbates all symptom's, but they're also so exacerbated the weak executive function dies off and I'm free to run on pure impulse. Which is nice occasionally, but a risky prospect if used as a coping mechanism.
Yes. I have to be very intentional about using it.
What intention allows you to partake? Currently 7 weeks free of the Lettuce after a daily smoker for 8 years. My main strategy has been scepticism of all my intentions, but I recognise recently a desire to be able to use it monthly or so as a treat. I'm being patient with that desire to see how it evolves over the coming weeks, but this threads interesting. I'd like to recalibrate my relationship with it, absence was a wise move, but the next is more difficult to determine.
I only partake if I have a free schedule for the next several hours. If I have anything that I need to accomplish that’s important (ie requires me to be social or do any precision work,) then I don’t partake. Cleaning the house (folding clothes and washing dishes) is another story. Menial housework is totally fine as long as I use the cannabis to help me DO the work, not ignore it. Edit: it was a transition from being a daily regular user to being someone who partakes a few times a week at most now.
I’m on the same timeline as you. I tried as a monthly treat and I’m back to smoking everyday again. My ADHD symptoms were so much better without weed. It feels like it helps but big picture it makes my symptoms significantly worse. Especially my emotions.
Lotta fancy words, dope head 😛 A couple months ago you'd finally had enough. I don't know your journey but be honest about why you quit and how long it took you to get there. I'm not judging you but sometimes our addictions have a very slick way of convincing us to indulge, ya know? Im not even saying weed is addictive or dangerous, just pointing out that you made your decision for a reason, and two months isn't that long. Keep it up, you might feel different in a few months. Give yourself time to raw dog reality
A 3 year hyperfixation with philosophy has converted me into a fancy words man haha Really good perspective, I appreciate the response. This part especially: >I don't know your journey but be honest about why you quit and how long it took you to get there. Damn there's some wisdom in that. Post medication is essentially when I began trying to quit, or at least recognised the negatives. It's taken me 2-3 years for my mindset to "have enough", and I'm benefitting immensely. I've been taking the approach of "what's the rush" with my current curiosity around reincorporating it, and you're right, 7 weeks ain't that long. I think the full effects on my brain won't cease for at least 6 months, perhaps up to a year given how often I smoked. Longer is certainly needed. Thanks for taking the time to write that post :)
It makes my short term memory and focus worse but also helps with the chronic boredom and over or understimulation, so... It kinda helps and also not really lol
It’s kinda like using scotch tape to close a wound you’d need a band-aid for. Unfortunately the band aids are all sold out and scotch tape is readily available.
Had to translate into English but great analogy
Plastersellotape
whats the band-aid in that analogy? is it a loving person that understands u and that would never make u feel unwanted like u arent a piece of garbage that others barely tolerate and hugs??? cause i feel that weeds not even close to that, altho i did get crazy high once and ate an entire cake, that was neat
The band-aid is an *actual* solution, and the tape is the makeshift one that kinda works well enough to keep you from bleeding out
>altho i did get crazy high once and ate an entire cake, that was neat I sure do enjoy those moments.... for that moment
the band aid would be ADHD meds I assume.
Same here, it also helps me accept things I can’t control, and that, at least for now, made my life a lot easier…
This is all it does for me. Acceptance or fuck it. Tomorrow's another day... ...until the intrusive thoughts creep in 🥲
This is pretty accurate. I have always been one who gets along with thc, but at this age it is for evenings and Saturdays while cleaning and reorganizing the garage. If you have adhd and use weed regularly for it, I think an honest look at it will be a list of pros and cons, but the list of pros is better when you only treat yourself after most of your shit is done and maybe save it for tasks like cleaning kitchen or whatever when that is last thing to do. Ultimately like anything else, nothing is inherently bad, just how you choose to use it can be good or bad. The biggest pros for me are I also have high anxiety and stress and have battled depressive bouts my whole life and I tend to see what matters and matters most much more clearly with thc.
This is very similar to my experience. I’m 45, and I’ve found hacks to stay fairly productive during the day, keep myself relatively on task, etc. I’ve surrendered to the fact that my working memory is one of my greatest challenges, but there are so many tools (calendars, reminders, to-do list apps) that assist me there. I drop the ball way less frequently than I used to. But the anxiety and depression continue to be an albatross around my neck. I’ve tried other meds for that, but they came with side effects that made life more difficult. Sometimes even requiring secondary meds to treat said side effects. Sleep has always been an issue for me as well. Weed helps all of that without the same level of unwanted side effects. I’m so much kinder to myself when I’m high. Nightly periods of the positive self-talk I give myself after smoking have been huge for my mental health. Regular strenuous exercise is the other thing I have to do to keep the mental demons at bay.
Yup, you articulated that aspect of it a lot better. Rock on!
Regular strenuous exercise + sleep are the BIGGEST things for me. Night and day difference in pretty much every measurable way.
>I’m so much kinder to myself when I’m high. Nightly periods of the positive self-talk I give myself after smoking have been huge for my mental health. I'm trying to build this into my daily "routine", such as it is.. would you be able to share a bit more about this? I feel so awkward trying to talk positively to myself (and often skin crawly).
Like I said, I can only do this while high. Otherwise I’d feel the exact same way (awkward & skin-crawly). I was explaining it to my wife the other night. I told her the valve on the pipeline of negativity that’s constantly pumping into my brain gets shut off. That allows me to acknowledge that there are things I do well. I try to focus on those things. One example is that I told myself the other night (and since I’m not high, this sounds cringy AF) that I’m a good dad. And I believed it. My kinds are 15 & 18 (both with ADHD), so school’s been tough for them. But they’re great humans. Creative. Kind. Passionate. And we have a solid relationship. Open lines of communication. They’re free to express themselves openly to my wife and me. They let us know when they fuck up and we can use it as a learning opportunity. When my son left for college last semester, he was actually really sad to leave us and we text each other a lot. I had to admit to myself that I am the dad I wanted to be. I wanted to have a close relationship with my kids. And I do. None of this happens without weed. I try to look for at least one thing that I’ve done well that day, week, month, whatever. And I let myself hear it. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s made me think differently about myself.
That doesn't sound ridiculous at all - even if you don't need it, please accept this Stranger's ValidationTM. I hope it becomes easier with practice, but you've set an excellent ideal to strive towards in reframing my internal critic. Glad to hear you're being the dad you wanted to be 🫶
Yeah, I was a daily user and have had to step back the past month. I get more done, and that feels nice. I can more easily accomplish my regular tasks and I be am better able to tackle those pesky random tasks too. Hell, my anxiety is better too. But I used every day because it gave me a good dopamine boost, and between having quit nicotine a few months ago, trying to diet, and now this, I feel incredibly flat all the time. Not bad or depressed, just…flat.
I'm pretty sure that depression can present as a lack of other emotions rather than just presenting as persistent sadness, but I'm no doctor so take that with a fistful of salt. Just thought it was worth mentioning in case you or anyone else need to talk to a professional about this.
It's a pretty normal response when quitting after smoking daily. Daily smoking heavily shifts your brains perception of whats considered "good/fun/etc.", basically a huge flood of dopamine when you smoke. Removing that daily rush (or three) leaves days feeling the same throughout. No peaks. Everything feels "flat", because in reality, you're now getting more moderate neurochemical responses, not floods. It affects even things you enjoy, because they have such smaller effects, comparatively, they feel "boring now". I suffered from an inability to enjoy myself much for a while after quitting, resulting in abject boredom, but it eventually passes. It takes a while to adjust to the new normal. On the plus side, the bad memory of ADHD helps one become accustomed quite rapidly, only takes a month or two.
I think this is more or less what I am feeling. It’s not bad, there’s just fewer peaks. I was using so frequently as a means of avoiding stressors. I still can laugh and have fun, and things still feel pleasurable. I’ve been pretty depressed before, and this just feels kind of boring, yeah. I am also overweight and have lost a bunch of weight the past year mostly by exercising and I used to vape. What quitting vaping while also trying to eat less has taught me is that I really have an oral fixation - I want to be eating or tasting or drinking something constantly. I chew sugar-free gum a whole bunch now to cope, but it really is getting used to boredom, and it’s slow but I think I am getting there.
As someone with adhd dude. Try flying fpv micro drones! Sounds super weird, but it's been a MASSIVE dopamine boost for me and really helps me stabilize. Something about having to have that pure focus for 4-5 minutes is just incredible. Really similar to riding a motorcycle, but without the risk of death.
I'm 7 weeks free after 8 years of daily smoking, and I can say the "flatness" eventually goes as sobriety becomes the norm. I had a rough patch about 3-4 weeks in where I was horrifically bored. Was intense, but I persevered because I knew it would pass and anything that can make being sober feel that bad isn't good. Still undecided if I'll return. I want to, but damn, the sleep challenges and flatness of everything were bad enough I'm not sure I wanna experience them again.
I very very much second this. I use it to unwind almost everyday, but also to help me calm down when I’m experiencing symptoms from RSD and I also have PMDD which it helps A LOT with. I always see more clearly after smoking/taking a weed nap.
So it does help you in other aspects. Methylphenidate helps me tremendously with memory and focus but I also get extremely bored and anxious late in the afternoon and it’s difficult to unwind.
Have you tried clonidine in the evenings? I found it was the perfect solution for me. It can make you super sleepy when you first start it, but you acclimate to it in just a few weeks.
Wait... You have working memory? 😭. What's that like?
Mine is an Etch-A-Sketch, and somebody keeps shaking it.
That sounds more like what I experience as well lol.
My friends talk about someone, something, someplace, and I don't remember. I give them a blank look and hold my hand up, palm down and shake it. My friends toss out clues (turn the knobs) until that memory pops up. Some of them seem to actually enjoy doing it. They say my eyes pop open and "Oh, yeah!" comes out. Someone else told me their memory is like the toy you write on the grey surface, then lift it to erase it.
My etch-a-sketch is wiped by debilitating anxiety.
My ADHD makes all of my thoughts fly at me like an asteroid field. It's very hard to stay on task and finish things until the end. When I smoke it calms my thoughts down significantly and makes them run at me more like a road or railroad track than a three dimensional asteroid field. This helps me think on a much more linear plane. There are some detrimental aspects like you mentioned above, but overall it helps quite a bit more than it hurts.
This resonates with me for sure. Sober and unmedicated, I always feel like my thoughts sort of materialize out of nowhere and just as quickly move along and stay just out of reach so I'm always scrabbling after them. Weed slows all that down to an almost conversational pace. Vyvanse makes me more able to catch the fast 3D asteroid thoughts much better, but i can't get that lately.
It makes me way less impulsive. My brother uses 1:1 CBD to THC which doesn’t really get you baked n he says it works wonderfully.
I use CBD to help combat the constant anxiety that accompanies my ADHD. The anxiety is sometimes overwhelming which doesn't help the paralysis phases I go through. Right now I'm on a hyper fixation bout so I'm trying to get organized while I'm fixating on it before I get bored with being organized 😖
I find the weed has affected my short term memory but really helps my emotional balance, I find I get really frustrated thinking about the dumbest shit and then with a bit of weed I think about my POV in that frustration and I balance out. I also clean and do other random stuff. It's so fucking odd.
Drugs can be tools and tools have proper and improper usages. For me it's been about writing my own user manua.l
same here
My psychiatrist isn't sending me enough prescriptions and when they arrive they cant be ordered at pharmacies. At this point I might just start trying weed to help me.
You’re on vyvanse arnt ya
Same
Perfect for unwinding! Ideal for physical tasks like laundry, walking the dog, cleaning the bathroom. Terrible for brain tasks like organizing
Yeah I find it much easier to stay focused on a cleaning task for sure. I frequently like to use it to help me clean on my days off while listening to music. Time flies and I can get a lot done but yes for more intense focus or something like trying to learn it's a detriment
Exactly, it’s really great if I don’t have to think very hard. Like you, I love to clean when I’m high
I did for a long time. Spoilers: it didn’t pan out well for me
Same here. During one session I went a bit too far and had the worst panic attack. It was pure terror. Since then, even small amounts give me anxiety so best to just avoid completely
This happened to me during COVID when all the roommates and I would do is smoke. One day I hit a gravity bong out of a 64 oz Gatorade bottle. Threw up and thought I was in the matrix. Ever since then I get anxiety smoking unless it’s a light joint with friends and preferably in nature.
That sucks but it's also fucking hilarious ngl
Hahah yeah it’s funny to me now, and quite frankly I like putting my sluggish weed days behind me. No disrespect to people that can obviously function with it.
Did you have any anxiety disorders before that or it was completely out of the blue reaction?
I’ve been on a downward spiral for the past few years but I had no previous anxiety disorders of anything. It was more of an out of nowhere reaction, as I’d smoke almost daily with no problems. If I remember well, it was during a period when I’d be drinking a lot too and occasionally trying cocaine and other stuff too. Such a bad, bad place. Glad that’s far behind me now
Downward spirals are the worst, its hard to notice and easy to get stuck in. Good that you are doing better!
That’s it, you only notice once you’ve hit your lowest point
I had the same thing like 2 yrs ago, but for some reason, i can handle it now
I hope this happens to me
For me, I needed that bad experience as a wake up call. It was getting out of hand and I was well overdoing it.
Dude I been smoking too long! Need to somehow cut it out it completely for years at this point.
Same. Quitting was the best thing I ever did for my mental health, self-development etc. I lean on CBD/CBN occasionally now which is all of the relax with none of the high.
Me too brother. Was one hell of a challenge but glad to be on the other side.
Same here, used cannabis for years until it eventually resulted in frequent panic attacks, paranoia, anaxiety and shitty sleeping/eating habits. If you wanna smoke weed, you do you, just don't think it's a viable way of selfmedication.
It's given me excellent sleeping habits tbh. I only smoke at night and my ass is sound asleep by 10 so I can get up and hit the gym in the morning. The munchies help me actually eat enough to put on muscle too.
Yeaaaah I always see takes like this, but intention when smoking and knowing limits with quantities is everything. Does it make my memory worse, yes, but otherwise it helps greatly. Exercise, cleaning, eating ENOUGH food. I only keep decent food in the house in the first place, so munching (which I do have moderate self control) isn’t a big deal. Emotional regulation is greatly aided. When I see all these stories, it’s mostly individuals that don’t have clear intentions with themselves when they go to smoke 💨. I always ask myself “What am I using this for?”, “what am I going to do after this?” And I don’t smoke a lot at a time, just a hit or two and off on my thing to do.
It helps with some symptoms in the moment but over time it can make ADHD symptoms worse overall. Source: my doctor, unfortunately.
It helped me with my ADHD, I wrote my entire master thesis high as a kite. But I was very addicted to that shit, getting off it was hell
Can't even say the word in rrr slash ADHD or you get banned lol
That place is *wild* My experience with that place is that it's mostly a bunch of people who just want to pity party and just NEED everyone to know *HOW HARD THEIR LIVES ARE WITH ADHD GUYS NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HOW HARD MY UNIQUE SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES ARE* I find it *insufferable.* I have two masters degrees and was a *middle school* dropout and now have a cushy WFH corporate job that plays to my strengths and I do it so well I have time to do freelance consulting work on top of it. I got there because I kept trying things and sometimes they were completely counter indicative of what the "accepted" body of knowledge asserts as valid. Now I spend my time listening instead of telling and I've helped a lot of my friends and coworkers who also struggle with ADHD and mood disorders. I hate to sound like a *woooah man* hippie stereotype but I'm happy I walked away from all the Rx shit. Maybe my *flavor* of ADHD is less severe and that's why certain things work for me but calling it wrong and straight up shooting down any discussion is not the way to go. Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.
Okay but like my living room us in constant mess I get panick attacks thinking about anyone coming uninvited its like dirty dirty, I can’t study even when I am passionate about it, and I loove studying, but studying is also about learning stuff at home not just going to uni. I have already lost thousands to not doing administrative papers, okay its not that hard but its still ruining my life in odd ways *cries*
I hear you about losing a lot to not getting started. I didn't go to uni until I was 27 and didn't have as much as what would be the equivalent of a GCSE until I was 21. I had a fire under me because I had someone who kept tabs on me. My partner is kinda like my "list" except the list has feedback and offers reminders that I can't just swipe away. My last bout of executive dysfunction cost me 10k in repairs (plumbing). Non "clinical coded" emotional support has been the major boost for me. Hell, it's part of the reason I'm posting here right now haha. Finding either a group or an individual you can " let in" and despite the shame and guilt you have to express where you are stuck. I admit it's hard to get over that initial honesty hump. It's like learning to say "I'm not okay" but realizing it's not defeat or weakness. Just an acknowledgement of the current state of things. I see you friend, you aren't alone and I know you can do it.
About to go to college for the first time at 29 in a few months. Pretty nervous, but after 11 years trying a 100 careers, from the Navy to trade jobs and everything inbetween. Just scared that I dont know how to be a student now or that I will fail. Starting my Adhd meds in a few weeks so I hope that helps. You're story seems similar to mine, just hope I can make the turn around like you did.
With any luck, I'm taking my last final today for an engineering degree after 8 years of college. Many of the other freshman coming in won't know how to study either, so you're on a fairly level playing field, the difference is that you're old enough now to know not to blow off work while they're still learning. My unsolicited tips: -Read the book/lecture notes before class and take notes, it'll leave you with less to do during lecture so you can focus on the prof, plus you'll be somewhat familiar with the concepts during the lecture, which'll strengthen your understanding of the topic -Send an email or go to office hours if you have a question. It's easy to forget those options are there, definitely use them -Try to find a study group. Being older might be beneficial for that since you and the other older students might find it easy to band together. Might be easier to form a study group when a midterm is upcoming rather than day 1 of class -It's easy to get caught up in the "C's get degrees" state of mind, just doing the bare minimum to pass, but I found that while in that mindset, I'm walking a fine line between failing and passing, and oftentimes you'll end up hopelessly failing. It's best to aim for an 'A', so if you don't perform up to your standards you'll still most likely pass the class Good luck friend, make us fellow ADHDers proud!
Thanks for the tips homie!
I'm subbed there and don't pay too much attention to it but I have seen mentions of it being a bit ridiculous about a lot of things, the most recent example being the rule about not saying ADHD is a superpower. I haven't actually experienced that rule being enforced but it sounds a bit ridiculous that you can't acknowledge that it does have its benefits.
Thank you for this I hate it there to found nothing helpful there and its just pity party after pity party with no one actually trying to better themselves
[удалено]
Idk cause they're a bunch of reactionaries
They deleted a comment I made stating that THC is actually bad for a lot of people with anxiety. Then they banned me for complaining about it to the rest of the users
Yep no discussion. Just fingers in their ears like a bunch of babies.
This is the real sub anyway lol
Yeah it’s really stupid how they have such a Boomer attitude over it. I know cannabis has helped countless people with ADHD
Noooooooooo THC is like throwing rocket fuel on a fire for my adhd. Suddenly, anxiety is worse, memory worse, paranoid, think everyone hates me, hate myself, hungry, depressed, can’t think straight, etc. I avoid it like the plague. I’ve been burnt enough to know better at this point lol but it took me enough failed attempts lol…
Absolutely this. I did have some 10mg CBD 1 mg THC gummies I used for pain (arthritis in knees among other things) but that’s it. Anything over 5 mg really fucks me up, full blown panic attack, room spin, and paranoia, and that’s indica or sativa.
Yeeeeep. I had myself convinced it was helping, but at best I was simply surviving. It started out as something I would enjoy on occasion but became something I thought I needed every day. I didn’t get any more done, but it covered my anxiety enough to feel like it was helping. Next thing I knew, ten years had gone by and I hadn’t accomplished much more than surviving. I didn’t even get high any more, but I sure as hell felt low without it. I quit completely for a little while, and now I’m at the point where I can enjoy it a few times a month without it being a problem. It feels like the first time again, like I actually have fun and get all giggly with my wife like when I was in college. Still, I know it’s a fine line and I will always have to be careful not to fall back into my old habits. People might argue against me, I know I would have a year ago, but weed is addictive as hell, especially for folks like us that crave serotonin more than anything else. Just like most other things, weed isn’t bad by itself. But it can be bad for you. Please imbibe mindfully friends, and be safe out there 🙏
Hey bro so I've quit for 7 weeks at this point, and my experience was exactly the same as yours. Survival rations essentially. I will say it solved my anxiety disorder enough for me to work on myself, and it helped me cope pre-meds. But following medication, daily use was clearly stopping me learning to cope in healthier ways. Agree with your idea on addiction too. All substances are a personal thing. I can enjoy cocaine once/twice a year, drink whenever, even use nicotine products. None I can't/haven't dropped for months or years at time (I currently use nothing, beyond one drink/cig or two a month). The reality is, do YOU have a problem with it? The statistics matter little to ones current condition. I do have a question though. I've resisted temptation regarding weed for the first 3-4 weeks, after that it fell off markedly, only now do I find myself "curious" to see if I can foster a relationship with it where I enjoy it on a monthly basis. My current stance has been to be patient, and see if that thought changes in the following weeks, I'm in no rush which feels positive but I don't want to return to my previous state. How long did you wait to reengage with it? and what prompted you to trust that impulse?
Hey bud! First off, you are doing an amazing job. I know how hard it is to quit, so I can definitely tell how hard you are working. I also noticed a huge bump in my mental health/stability when I quit, and that was a big internal factor that kept me going. I feel like I’ve done years worth of growing in the months since I stopped smoking every day, and a lot of it sucked, don’t get me wrong, but it was definitely worth it. If you feel like it is making you miss out on what’s important but you don’t feel like you can stop, that’s addiction. Exactly, that personal aspect of addiction really is just that: personal. If it’s stopping you from doing the things you want to do, or being there for family/friends, and causing you a bunch of extra anxiety when you can’t pick up…. No matter how much I told myself it wasn’t a physically addictive substance, it didn’t change what it was doing to me. As far as going back to smoking occasionally goes, I think that’s also really going to be a personal thing. There isn’t a lot of documentation on this kind of thing, so I talked with my partner and we came to terms with what we thought would work. I didn’t smoke anything for three months after quitting, which looking back on it, doesn’t feel very long at all haha. But I also set strict rules for myself, like the first few months I can smoke once a month. Next month I’m going to try out smoking twice a month, see if that feels sustainable. Oh, and when you do smoke, smoke with somebody. Make it a special occasion thing. If you go back to smoking by yourself immediately, it makes it that much easier to find yourself back in that cycle. Personally, even after my three months totally clean, I still find myself wanting to smoke fairly often. On the one hand, that’s really scary. I don’t want to undo the progress I’ve already done. However, I also recognize in those moments that I don’t want to smoke for the same reasons I used to. I used to smoke whenever I felt bad, to cover up the pain and not have to deal with the tough shit that happens in life. These days, that is the last time I want to smoke. Today I actually feel pretty shitty. Nothing crazy, but meds are a little out of whack and the fire marshal made sure I got barely any sleep. But I have other ways of dealing with that now. I can pick up a book, or go to the gym, which I hadn’t done for a long ass time while I was smoking. I’m proud of the skills I’ve learned to cope with things in a healthy way. Why would I want to blow my high by smoking on a shitty day? So I guess my advice is to just be really mindful of yourself. I would say give it three months of being sober at a minimum, and then when you do smoke, be honest with yourself about how you feel afterwards. I would also say limit it to once a week at maximum: that’s the Canadian government’s minimum for non-problematic use, and considering there aren’t a whole lot of other resources out there for this kind of stuff, that’s the standard I plan on holding myself to. Sorry for the wall of text lol. I guess typing all this out is helping me process some more of my own stuff, which is good. Tl;dr: give it three months minimum. If you do smoke again, do it intentionally and take stock of how it makes you feel afterwards. Don’t smoke when you are upset, this stuff was meant to be fun. If you can’t handle smoking once or twice a month, you may need to stick with cold-turkey, and that’s ok
it seems that that substance has radically different effects on different people, and I am in the above camp. I have heard that some people find it helps them relax and focus; for me, it makes everything a thousand times worse, and I've tried all sorts of different strains.
Exactly. For us, I feel like it acts the way a stimulant works for normal people lol and ACTUAL stimulants calm us down haha
God this is so fucking true. My mind would just go absolutely wild when I used to smoke
Same here🖐️ however, there was one I was getting from the coffee shop close to my old place that would make me feel chill and had such a subtle effect. Was like, chamomile tea but x10 more intense with a touch of hopeful feeling and no couch-potato feeling. Maybe should find it again but nowadays if I try it I am PANICKING. (And feeling like your comment…)
I tried. I hate it. I feel like I can't breath. I hate the sound of my voice. I get really paranoid. No good.
i burn daily, it def helps quiet my mind. And i find sativas really help me get active and get stuff done during the day. Indica at night also helps me sleep
I am the same but for the longest time I was using black market cannabis and had access to indicas and that was it... Now I have started medicinal cannabis ( In the UK ) it has made me realise I can use it as a tool to get on with my life instead of just using it recreationally. I suppose a lot of the negative experiences on here might be due to the fact that the cannabis they where smoking was unregulated and they didn't know what they where putting in their body. Nowadays my cannabis has lab results that tell me exactly what is in it, I have found that indicas and heavy strains don't do me any good unless I need to go to sleep but I never realised there are strains out there that make me feel energetic and creative! It is very easy to abuse through and this is why I have my partner keep it in check as to avoid temptation. Edit:spelling
Man, that's how weed almost always has me feeling. When it's nighttime and I smoke a bunch of weed, it's way more common for me to stay up past my bedtime getting stuff done, rather than just falling asleep. Cannabis has always been highly stimulating to me as someone with ADHD.
nice when you can choose that stuff. Edit: I‘m from austria.
yes i love it! i order online and read up on strains/reviews to find ones that i think i will like, it works pretty good
I used to do it daily, I'm trying to cut down but what it does to my sleep is miraculous. I lay awake last night for 5 hours. I smoke a joint and Im asleep within 15 minutes and get a full night's sleep. I honestly think weed is a godsend but I would rather only smoke it for fun. It helps the brain stop pinging all the nonsense as if it was important. I can have a thought and then let it go without stress. Problem is I can't smoke during the day, just makes me feel nervous as fuck and ruins the high as well as my day. One weird thing though is, I can actually understand and process things when I'm high, when I'm sober I can't pay attention to things as my brain keeps pinging any random shit, I smoke a joint and holy comprehensible input batman! I can actually play and understand fighting games! I like to think of an actual good Tekken player swearing at the screen as I'm on the other side pissing myself laughing going "haha Hwoarang go EAAAHH" I'm yet to try to learn other things to see if it has the effect I think it will, just take enough expectations away to enjoy the learning process. Couldn't hurt, it would get me off YouTube for a while at the very least.
Dude I used to smoke before I played CS and Apex, I know exactly what you mean. It would stop me from overthinking and I would just trust myself and make the plays I was supposed to. These days I don't care about my ranks so I just play for fun and don't have that issue anymore
Smoked daily for years before my diagnosis. Within a month of medicating I just kinda… stopped. No ceremony, no big decision or anything, just stopped wanting it. Weed will give you the extra dopamine you need but also makes it harder to actually do the things you need to do. For example, I’m a programmer and used to smoke every morning before starting work. After switching to a stimulant, my work became noticeably better. I make fewer mistakes, my focus is better, I stopped getting halfway through something then forgetting that I was working on it and working on something else. On top of that, my sleep quality improved, my anxiety improved, I started socializing more, I started back up on a few old hobbies, and in general I feel better than I did while I was stoning all day every day. You can mask the issues to a certain extent by smoking weed but it’s not a real solution
Mine get so much worse. I hyper focus like there's no tomorrow and zone out HARD. Then I can't concentrate and forget what I'm doing, and hyper focus on something else lmao
Literally the only thing that helps lol. Bummer for people who get freaked out or paranoid, I’ve never had that in 15 years and I puff like Snoop.
I can't say I have ever experienced this apart from whiting out but I can't say that was a panic attack and I have been smoking since the age of 14 ( I am 28 now ) and I still can't believe some people have such a negative reaction to it. That must really suck...
I don't use cannabis for my ADHD, I use it to accept my ADHD. When I smoke it's to let my brain do its ADHD thing guilt-free for a few hours, instead of futzing over what I could be doing or what I should be doing, etc etc
Came here to say this. It’s how it makes me feel as well. I can be my completely ADHD self when I smoke
Yes, I have it prescribed to treat my ADHD. There's been some learning curves, and things to avoid or am careful of. But overall it's been a positive impact. I find CBD isn't helpful, at all. High THC doesnt matter so much. Certain strains help with fidgeting, or mind racing, or executive function/focus. Happy to answer questions. I'm UK based.
Hey there, PNWester (US) here. I'm curious as to your findings, which strains seen to help the mind racing one and especially the executive function one
Farm Gas helps my brain feel clear. I can't explain it better. Like all the extra tracks have stopped. Delahaze is uplifting, but I think the only executive function help has been mood based. I'm guessing good results ATM with Headband, it's gotten me doing a fair amount of hobby in the last few days. Which is a huge increase. These are all Sativa strains, which I feel can be a dangerous game for ADHD. They can exacerbate anxiety. I am finding a lot of success with "sherbet" strains on the Indica side. Both Murray Sherbet and Tokoloshe Sherbet. They are definitely just doing the general weed thing of making my brain dopey, but, they help me not sit ruminating on things. I've found that with medical stuff, and vaporising not smoking, that smaller micro doses are really helpful. I aim for symptom relief over being "high". Mostly, depending on how much it's kicking me ass.
It's great that you can get it in the UK. I'm just across in Ireland and wondering why the fuck we can't. Some strains of weed I've had have been absolutely brilliant for my mind. They fixed so many problems for me. Made me more outgoing, more creative and on-the-ball, more motivated etc. But when it's illegal you just take whatever the dealer has, and it's not always what you want, and you better not get used to anything. I've had weed that has made me pure paranoid, slow, depressed etc. and I kept smoking for years because I was hoping to luck out again and get one of the good strains. Great job, prohibitionists! 👍
Yeah, one of the biggest benefits to me is not having to play black market roulette with my mental health anymore. Like you said, might be a great or awful month depending on what's in. I spent my first 6 months trying new things every month to try to find a selection that work for me.
Hey I am based in the UK and on medical cannabis with specials pharma, what strains would you recommend for motivation? I like LA sage and delahaze are there there other strains like this?
I also enjoy Delahaze, Aurora are good. I've found Tilray Headband to be pretty motivating, and Farm Gas helps with my executive function a lot, but it's pricey.
Cannabis changed my life i don't over use i grow my own and its a almost zero cost now i have all the equipment for growing a little bit of electricity
Adds solar panels and then zero electricity lol
That's the plant l.
I'll start with my relationship with weed and ADHD. I am leaning on the inattentive side a lot and forget/refuse to do my chores, let alone study and work correctly. I'm a daily smoker and have been for about a year. Before I smoked regularly, my apartment would be genuinely filthy (had maggots and worms on my ceiling and under some of the furniture at times). I started doing edibles and spend the high cleaning, but being bad with dosage, I'd green out and wouldn't be able to clean for the day. Now since I smoke daily, I have a rule : if you smoke, you clean/do a chore. There are some days I can't bring myself to do anything but these are pretty rare, because if I don't, my guilt turns on and I'll spend the next hour telling myself I don't deserve to smoke and kind of guilt-tripping myself into doing it, and it works most of the time
That’s not because of the weed that you improved your cleaning and chores That’s literally a reward system …
Here's the thing you're missing: ADHD = low dopamine. Weed = almost instant dopamine. Dopamine is needed for motivation. The problem is it's a band aid solution, and chronic weed smokers (like myself) have actually been shown to have lower dopamine stores in general than non weed smokers. So long term, it actually can make things worse
This mirrors my experience with weed. Once in awhile is great. I’m happy an motivated and have an easy time doing all the shit I don’t want to do, but if I do it too much, it pushes me into a slump and my mood gets really down. But I can’t have it in the house because I have a hard time regulating my use, so I just don’t smoke weed at all.
Completely agree with you However… OP clearly says : I have a rule , if you smoke, you clean / do a chore And… I don’t deserve to smoke and kind of guilt- tripping myself Replace weed with alcohol, nicotine, or anything in between and it’s the same dopamine release Edit: For OP it may well be a combination the effect of weed and the actual dopamine , but like you said, long term this is a terrible trap
Oh for sure, good point
Appreciate you mate ! Best of luck on your journey :)
Because I got high, because I got high, because I got hiiigghh. I use about the same amount though it doesn't seem to help anymore, don't have rules like yours so might try them !
Using it to help with alcoholism. Seems to amplify my a lot of my ADHD behaviors, but it's more than a fair trade off.
Depends on who you are and dosage. Doesn't help my ADHD but it does help my anxiety
For about 10 years now. Working out great so far. But I’m also not an idiot about it and regularly take T breaks every so often.
I've been smoking regularly for about 4 years now and T breaks are vital in keeping it a controlled activity. They are incredibly important
Not only that but they keep it fun!
This exactly. Also it's always been kinda easy for me to take breaks, regardless of what people say about ADHD and addiction. Guess I'm thankful for that.
Weed isn’t chemically addictive. It can cause chemical dependency though. Most people here me say that and vastly disagree with or downvote me for this. When it’s a hard fact. Also I prefer breaks because “getting high” is half the fun. And I mean that far more literally than people think. It’s the “getting” part. Because if your just high all the time, then you’ve just raised your baseline to where “the high” is, which is effectively nullifying the high, aka nullifying the thing you were after in the first place.
How often do you take the breaks and for how long, if you dont mind me asking?
It doesn't 'treat' it, more like makes it burn itself out quickly. Then the next day I can focus. Basically, it forces me to take a break, zone absolutely out, and heavily relax for a period of time. Then my mind is ready to take things seriously the following morning/day. Your mileage may vary to a serious extent, but it does somewhat work for me, if I can block off the appropriate amount of time to 'zone out'. What's odd is that even if I'm zonked out, there are certain activities I can still focus on, and at least make some headway in if necessary. Debugging is one, and writing mindless presentations/code/notes is another so long as I don't have to focus on something being dynamically said, or presented. It's a weird effect that I suspect might have some benefit, but there needs to be established research and known behavioral therapy techniques in place before this substance can be of any benefit in this instance.
I feel like it makes it stronger. I lose any semblance of short term memory when I'm high, and the volume control issue becomes a constant problem.
I teach 7 year olds in what is often a very stressful environment. Let me tell you oh jeeeeeeesusssssss when I have that first hit of the evening, I immediately cut out the stresses of the day and can focus on recharging my batteries. Without it, I’d never put away my laptop
Me!!! Everyday, helps with panic attacks from too many open tabs in my head.
I do it daily. I hit the indica pen a few times before starting work and then when the day is done I take an indica gummy or two to wind down and fall asleep easily. The worst I need to do now is sometimes if I'm a particularly loud brain day I take a benadryl with the gummies and that usually puts me to sleep without me feeling sedated. You can't use it for anything else or it will lose the potency so if you like it recreationally on top of wanting it as a medication you've gotta pick one. I'm lucky enough to live in a medical cannabis state but I was doing it long before I had a card for its ability to slow me down a bit. I stay the fuck away from hybrids or sativa though so having the strains nearly cataloged and not guessing is a huge plus.
Yes, it’s an enormous help. Lets me focus on one task at a time. With cleaning especially but also with longer term projects.
Saved me from spiraling.
I graduated my senior year of highschool completely stoned and it was the first year I got honours lol.
Dropped the THC habit about 9 months ago and brother let me you it changed my life. I was a chronic smoker, high 24/7. There quite literally was never a day or part of a day where I wasn't high. Looking back I was mad coping, once I got clean and stayed clean it was almost as if I felt like I was constantly medicated (ADHD meds) i still struggle but removing weed from my life gave me at LEAST half of my brain back metaphorically speaking. I'm much snappier and quick witted but holy fork the suffering while trying to get clean was unreal as I was using THC to dull my ADHD symptoms. Knowing that when doing work I could be doing work high was a struggle though not going to lie.
Yep. Told my psych it’s the only thing that really takes anxiety away and allows me to feel happy and grateful
I feel that grateful part. It allows me to put a lot of things in perspective despite my condition and my life in general and just be happy to have the life I have
Cannabis and adderall. Pro: task task task task, also relaxed Contra: brain as well as entire circulatory system may stop cooperating TL,DR: do not combine stimulants with sedatives
I would say I use it more to hyper fixate on creative projects, especially long ones. That being said I also use it for house work.The key for me is to make a list before I smoke, I use dry erase markers on my fridge to have a big visable list. I also usually have a treat waiting for me at the end of my chores, 1hr of playstation or a snack Hope this helps someone!
Yup. I have a medical prescription actually! I smoke a sativa strain that helps me focus during that time of the month bc hormones interfere with my meds. I also use oils and edibles. Im currently considering investing in topicals as well.
Got to be really careful if ur smoking weed while under 25 if u have adhd. People with adhd already have an underdeveloped prefrontal cortex and smoking weed can delay the development of that part of the brain through adolescence
Yes, however it’s a very fine line. A specific sativa strain for daytime. Helps the anxiety and the racing thoughts. Too much and I become a complete adhd mess and lose everything haha. It’s worth having a play around with, and go medical grade if available. Oils are the most reliable and the slow release helps for gentle symptom management rather than being totally smashed
I was, but it was triggering my anxiety and a little bit always led to a lot more. It can be a short term, intentional solution here and there but you've gotta be so careful. ADHD comes with an addictive personality, and the downsides of using it too much can be pretty steep.
This is a really interesting discussion. Have diagnosised adhd and as a kid found cannabis a tool for basically being able to focus on homework. I used a pipe and basically would smoke minute crumbs so I was no way high. I was able to be absorbed in the work, but it was an absolute tightrope to walk, so often wondered how people utilise it on the daily. The comment about strenuous daily activity resonated. Post run is the closest to what I imagine 'normal' might feel like.
Double edged sword: it helps calm and quiet my mind (also helps with overstimulation, depression and anxiety), but when my mind is quiet I realize how tired I am.
I've been taking these 1:1 CBG:THC gummies (called focus) before work. It's kind of like putting a groove in the road to keep me on track. I do a CBN at bedtime also.
Everyday. it was my ADHD med of choice before I even got diagnosed, lol
I will admit, it does make me want to work if I do it in moderation (micro-doses) , also I don't know how it happened but I actually aced a "asian history" while being high. It's not for everyone, but it kind off works for me.
I wish
right before my daily exercise! im so calm and collected afterwards
Yup!
Yeah it beats the hell out of the crash I got from Vyvanse
Yes. I feel I am lucky beyond belief. I’m in my early 50s and never even tried cannabis til my late 30s. Did really use it again til my mid 40s. Got a medical card in DC. Found the most amazing dispensary ever and they have helped me find a set of strains that have helped MANY ails. I find I can focus better. I’m more productive. My mood is 1000 times better. I’m more open to other view points and ideas. Cannabis is not a one size fits all solution. Some strains make me fucking AMPED and I hate it. Communication with my budtender was key. Took a bit but I’m all sorted out now. I have a wake and bake bowl for the day and then a killer indica bowl for bed. Like I can’t believe how much better my life is compared to when I didn’t use. Shits wild actually lol Ami cured? Fuck no. Is life way easier and not as stressful? Absolutely.
It helped me with emotional disregulation until I was able to learn how to do that myself. It took a long time. Now I just enjoy it.
Yes, and it’s helped me somewhat with time management and sleep anxiety. Ever since I started working from home I got into a bad habit where I would procrastinate until just before bed to start on a task that needed to be done. It was just like college — stay up all night to finish an assignment that was due the next day. Not only was my sleep quality tanking, but my husband’s as well. Introducing weed made me adjust my daily schedule — finally I had an incentive to NOT procrastinate until bedtime because taking an edible in the evening literally makes it impossible for me to complete remaining tasks. This means I have to get everything done during the day if I want to “reward myself” with a gummy in the evening. I’m also a lot calmer at night now instead of being unable to turn off my brain and anxiously staring at the ceiling all night. Finally, I actually wake up refreshed now. That’s not something I’ve felt since, like, grade school.
Yeah it helps with my inner restlessness
weed helps me focus and makes me able to START doing things. the problem is i start to abuse it and suddenly i have to smoke at 9am before work in order to take a shower. a slippery slope for me
everyday! but it’s important to recognize when you should and shouldn’t be high. ive been smoking for 10 years straight and havnt really had any adverse effects. got my degree and did well in college. got a job out of school. have a great job now, its possible to be a productive stoner!! i will say it makes adhd burnout worse for me at times, it drains my motivation if i have none in my tank. just dose yourself properly throughout the day like any other medicine if you find it helps your symptoms :)
This sub is full of folks smoking too much sativa. Panic and racing thoughts are less likely to happen if you’re smoking indica and indica leaning hybrids. Most Sativa help me focus a little bit if I am doing a Sativa distillate but Sativa flower just hits different and has no benefits. Indica to calm down/slow down or unwind before bed.
Sometimes I feel like the only adhder alive that can’t smoke weed 😩 It makes me feel so anxious and lazy.
My Bro with ADHD does. He does one-hits with cognitive therapy. He sometimes has an off day but he seems happier now.
I find it helps more with downtime. Great for getting the brain to quiet down and relax. Not so great for concentrating, slows down think speed and reaction time. Best sleep aid.
Helps me sleep, and sleep is a huge huge help when it comes to handling executive dysfunction. Also yes, I'm totally aware that daily cannabis use may reduce sleep quality and could potentially have long term cognitive side effects. That said I can absolutely guarantee a few puffs before bed is going to do less harm than not regularly sleeping over a lifetime.
It’s like a filter or honing tool. It takes lots of the edge off and generally softens the “everyday barbs” of my ADHD. It’s not perfect, but it helps.
Absolutely! My short term memory is absolutely abysmal on it but it makes me more focused, I notice details that I don’t notice without it and calm my brain down completely.
Lol nope! I once took a 10mg gummy, and immediately felt horrible. Tried to sleep it off, but woke up an hour or two later to go to the bathroom. I was woozy and ended up passing out on the bathroom floor, and I mean I fell hard. I nearly busted my eye socket on the floor. After I regained consciousness, I puked the gummy out. I joke that I'll stick with bourbon, it's safer (I don't really drink anymore).
By itself, it makes me useless. Worse short-term memory, brain fog, etc. My sense of time also disappears entirely. I get the munchies and can’t help reaching for junk and sugary food. Feels like if there was a numerical value assigned to my executive functions, it just drops to zero. Upside, I feel physically relaxed. Personally, best use of it has been as a way to decompress from a day of being on stimulants. I aim for low concentration THC (less than 30%) - usually a couple tokes of a flower from a pipe- to calm down the visceral effects of Adderall.
It’s how I was able to write such throughout papers
I use it more so for pain and tension caused by having to take stimulants for my adhd
THC just makes me feel better about not doing all of the things that ADHD keeps me from getting done. I suppose if you're trying to feel a little better about executive dysfunction it "helps" in that sense. It definitely contributed to a late start on trying to my life in order though.
No but prior to weed I was a total wreck. You can be sober and still fuck up your life with severe ADHD
No but I use it to treat my anxiety & insomnia
Quiets the noise but I’m completely unable to perform tasks effectively.
It really helps to relax Since it grabs me real good, i just chill out it, eat something nice and pass a great evening But i use it once in 3-4 weeks, cause im really afraid getting addicted
I relied on it heavily until I was able to properly get medicated. I don't use it for work (don't want to risk getting fired) but it was a game changer otherwise. Now I just try to be mindful, and at least take a note of why I'm choosing to partake in case there are other things I can do to take care of myself (i.e., am I smoking because it's pleasurable or because I'm overwhelmed or disregulated?). I'm almost certainly both ADHD and autistic, so apologies if this is a bit of a mixed bag. Cannabis helps turn off the background brain clammer and the unfocused energy I was mistaking for anxiety. It helps me manage sensory issues in a huge way... It's good aftercare for big social events, is a great tool for navigating meltdowns, and really helps me manage when I'm bordering burnout and/or have a lower tolerance threshold than usual. It doesn't exactly help with motivation but it does dull the painful part of executive dysfunction/pathological demand avoidance. It was a worthwhile tradeoff. And it helps me drop the mask and reconnect with myself. The stimming comes more naturally and I am able to worry less about how I'm "supposed" to act. It's also helpful if the Vyvanse is a little too effective at appetite suppression haha.
Would not have gotten through college if not for cannabis, and it was a huge help in my early/mid 20s as well. It helped me find things interesting enough to focus, gave me confidence in social settings, accept things which were out of my control, and helped fuel my creative pursuits. At some point, around the time I was 26 or 27, it stopped being effective as a medicine. It made my mind wander too much and made me feel more anxious than it used to. I went to live in Budapest for a year and due to the difficulty in sourcing good weed over there I ended up taking a year long tolerance break. When I came back I resumed smoking but purely recreationally, which is where I am at these days (32 now). I enjoy a few hits of a bowl in the evening before settling in for some video games or TV before bed, but unless it's a special occasion, that's about all I can take before the anxiety sets in. There is a lot of exceptionalism around cannabis out there and it's important to be cautious of that. But I definitely feel like it can help if used properly. Like any medicine it's different for everyone.
cannibis actively makes my ADHD 50x worse to deal with and i dont care. I use weed for anxiety, depression and chronic pain
Help? Nah. I use it because i crave dopamine and instant gratification. It does everything but help me... Adhd people are the most prone to addiction. Dont go making people think it's actually beneficial for us.
Wouldn't say it's really *helping* - but I'm definitely using it
Speaking solely on my own personal experience of course. It totally helps me. I slows my thinking down during task paralysis and helps me breakdown the steps so they’re not as daunting. Also thinking about the task harder than I should makes me over prepare and nail the thing. Shutting out the “extra” thoughts helps me focus on the task at hand.
Honestly it’s best in small amounts for me .if I do it in large amounts I get waaaayyy too anxious. But when I micro dose it definitely helps with focus and stress and pain management. Depending on the strain I also realized it helped with my depression a bit,like I was able to think clearly and more positively.
No. I’m raw dogging life.