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Counter-acting negative effects of Cannabis

Hightide

Kava Enthusiast
Hi everyone,

Im new to this forum and have yet to try Kava. Ive ordered a tincture from "lifestyle choice" to get a feel for it.

I'm hoping it helps with anxiety and difficulties socializing. Also it would be nice if it help emotions come to the surface a little bit becuase I feel that I have a difficulty feeling emotions leading to my anxiety.

I used a lot of marijuana in my teens and it led to a pretty serious mental breakdown of sorts. Basically, I lived in a paranoid, anxious and disconnected state for about 3 years after I quit. I was smoking to deal with a lot of issues so it wasn't soley pot, but it certainly triggered a state I wouldn't have been in if i never smoked. I Felt psychotic at times and my mind was just on constant overdrive from habitual pot use. I really did not feel like myself even around family and close friends which made this such an isolationg experience. It made it so hard to socialize and just feel at ease with people. If I drank this would change but i found myself needing to get blackout drunk to get past my discomfort. Anyway, things are easier now but still I tend to be alone a lot of the time and just have trouble vibing with people the way I did before smoking. Anxiety can be high sometimes and can overthink social situations quite a bit.

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with Kava reversing the negative effects marijuana can have on the brain? I've read that chronic pot users (especially in adolescence) can have depleted GABA recpetors. I'm hoping Kava may be able to restore this. Whats your experience with Kava and the ganj? Anyone experience Kava restoring brain chemistry over time? Does anyone use Kava to address paranoia?

Thanks for your responses! Can't wait to try this plant for myself
 

ThePiper

Kava Lover
I don't have that particular experience but I can see kava reducing your anxiety. I have a good amount of anxiety and have experienced a little depersonalization/derealization in my teens that maybe you could relate to. Kava is a very grounding plant and kind of balances my thoughts. Drinking kava every day puts me on kind of a smooth ride through my days (I drink a little before work too) and it increases empathy but it's something you have to experiment with before you can figure out what you need. I suggest traditional prep
 

Hightide

Kava Enthusiast
Defiinitely can relate to DP. Grounding is exactly what I need, i get carried away in my thoughts too often! I am glad it helps you with these things. So do you mean that by needing to experiment with it that each person needs to form a unique relationship with it in terms of dosage and strength?
 

Mo'iety

Kava Enthusiast
I've never had a particularly bad relationship with cannabis, but kava turned out to be everything cannabis was supposed to be but wasn't.

I started using cannabis before I discovered kava. And I enjoyed it, but never found it particularly relaxing. It was always somewhat of a mental stimulant for me, with the tendency to put my mind into introspective tornado-mode, so to speak. Which was sometimes enjoyable, but over time I started to find this state less desireable and more dysphoric/anxiety-inducing. I started using cannabis less and less, and once I discovered kava, started using it more and more. Now I very rarely use cannabis, and drink kava almost every day. Kava also started replacing the nights I'd have a drink or two at home to relax, to the point where I only drink socially now.

But I find that heady kavas are everything that cannabis was described to be: puts you in a giddy, uplifted, laughing mood, relaxes your mind and body, makes you feel a bit more social and makes everything seem a bit more interesting.

Edit: some people find particularly heady kavas to be anxiety-inducing. That hasn't been the case for me; all kava is anxiolytic. The headiest kavas can definitely be somewhat energizing, but in a calm way if that makes any sense. For me, kava has none - no hint whatsoever - of that mental edginess that cannabis can have.
 
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ThePiper

Kava Lover
Defiinitely can relate to DP. Grounding is exactly what I need, i get carried away in my thoughts too often! I am glad it helps you with these things. So do you mean that by needing to experiment with it that each person needs to form a unique relationship with it in terms of dosage and strength?
Yes exactly
 

Hightide

Kava Enthusiast
I've never had a particularly bad relationship with cannabis, but kava turned out to be everything cannabis was supposed to be but wasn't.

I started using cannabis before I discovered kava. And I enjoyed it, but never found it particularly relaxing. It was always somewhat of a mental stimulant for me, with the tendency to put my mind into introspective tornado-mode, so to speak. Which was sometimes enjoyable, but over time I started to find this state less desireable and more dysphoric/anxiety-inducing. I started using cannabis less and less, and once I discovered kava, started using it more and more. Now I very rarely use cannabis, and drink kava almost every day. Kava also started replacing the nights I'd have a drink or two at home to relax, to the point where I only drink socially now.

But I find that heady kavas are everything that cannabis was described to be: puts you in a giddy, uplifted, laughing mood, relaxes your mind and body, makes you feel a bit more social and makes everything seem a bit more interesting.

Edit: some people find particularly heady kavas to be anxiety-inducing. That hasn't been the case for me; all kava is anxiolytic. The headiest kavas can definitely be somewhat energizing, but in a calm way if that makes any sense. For me, kava has none - no hint whatsoever - of that mental edginess that cannabis can have.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I think cannabis starts out good for a lot of people and loses its touch with overuse and can turn things pretty bad. In the end i think its about smoking with respect, which I never did. So good to hear Kava replaced after work drinks for you
 

Krunkie McKrunkface

Kava Connoisseur
Interesting! Thanks for sharing your experiences. I think cannabis starts out good for a lot of people and loses its touch with overuse and can turn things pretty bad. In the end i think its about smoking with respect, which I never did. So good to hear Kava replaced after work drinks for you
what virtually no one will ever tell you is that cannabis is a terrible substance for young people to use. it's an old man's thing. Kava is for adults of any age.
 

Mo'iety

Kava Enthusiast
I'm glad I only got into cannabis in my early-mid-20s and not my teens like so many do. And also that I never was a heavy user. It definitely seems like - from the limited research that's available - cannabis is fine once your brain is fully developed but can have lasting consequences earlier.
 
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