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The Cypher said:
Month long break from all drugs (no alc, no weed, no psychedelics)

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I don't think this is the best course of action, at least with the case of marijuana, and with alcohol, depending on how frequently he is using both. Of course, he specifically stated that he stopped drinking alcohol. I definitely think holding off on psychedelics would be a good idea, because they seem to instantly be bringing out negative experiences in a framework from which it is difficult to alter that experience. However, if he has made a regular routine of doing something like marijuana, and he is already having difficult, suffering mental experiences, then it wouldn't make very much sense to simply stop smoking. I really don't think the mind's routine chemical composition is something you flick around like an on/off switch, especially if he has been smoking pot on a regular basis and it doesn't sound like it is the source of the problems. Gradually stopping usage could be a good idea, but gradual is the key word. He doesn't need to make his situation any worse by quitting anything cold turkey - I really don't understand what the benefit from trying to do so would be.

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The Cypher said:
It's just that cannabis use has been known to exacerbate anxiety and panic attacks--the stress from quitting cold turkey might be a little unbearable, but I'd say that's worth it in the long run to get a month of good sobriety and reflection on any possible psychological issues that might be at the root of his anxiety attacks.

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I'm not necessarily stating that it isn't a good idea to stop using drugs for awhile, but easing off, IMO, would be a much more preferential approach towards doing so - for example, if you're toking three times a day, space it out to two times a day for a little while, then one, etc. etc. etc.... I just don't see a reason to make things more difficult by making radical adjustments in one's chemistry, especially since it didn't sound like pot was responsible for bringing on these unbearable symptoms. Its hard to know, though, until he fills is in a little more on his usage. I really don't think cannabis itself exacerbates anything, especially since, at the same time, some people experience anxiety and panic attacks as a result of usage, whereas others specifically take cannabis to relieve anxiety and panic attacks. Also, it would depend on how sativa or indica dominant the pot is.

OP, fill us in more on the specifics of your usage. Do you find it helps with the aforementioned physical problems you're having, like with your spine and everything?

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Ogre812 said:
May I ask what your MOS was in the military?

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Wronguy said:
I've been seeing a lot of posts in this forum about anxiety. A lot of people are dealing with anxiety from bad psychedelic trips or some other traumatic event in their lives that was the catalyst. I used to be an anxiety sufferer as a result of a few back-to-back bad trips. I went through daily panic attacks and high levels of anxiety.

This was a dark time in my life and I was bound to rid myself of it for good. I considered a few options including therapy and prescription drugs. I also seriously considered self help, as there are a lot of programs out there to help people with anxiety. After many weeks of research I decided to take the self help approach and purchased a system (more on that later).

I spent the next few days putting the system to use and I knew in a single moment I was going to succeed. When I first came to terms with my anxiety at that time, I was in tears. I knew I was the cause of it, but I didn't know how to make it stop. I contemplated suicide at one time simply because I knew I wouldn't have to deal with it if I was dead. Now these types of thoughts were mere seconds and no real action was taken or tried, but they were still there.

First and foremost, I think it is very important to understand how anxiety occurs (for those of you who have no idea). Anxiety levels are controlled by a small organ in the brain called the amygdala (a-mig-da-la). When a traumatic event is experienced the amygdala can become reset to have a higher than normal level of anxiety. This is especially true when psychedelic trips occur at high doses when the user is not properly prepared for the experience or some other traumatic event. Because the amygdala has been reset, you may start to experience high anxiety levels from situations that would normally produce a low-level anxious response.

Once high levels of anxiety are experienced your mind will begin the "flight or fight" response by instructing the adrenal glands to secrete epinephrine and nor-epinephrine. This causes your heart to race with the sudden rush of adrenalin. The problem with this type of physical response is that you are not in any physical danger so the adrenalin has no way of subsiding. You will find yourself stuck in a state, for a short period of time, where you may become fearful. The fear is a response because you are experiencing the physical affects , not necessarily the mental aspects.

You may find that you will start having an anxiety attack when you experience sensations or thoughts that you associate with your bad trip or traumatic event. This can include blurred vision, upset stomach, dizziness, and heart rate increases. If you were on an empty stomach at the time, you may start to associate hunger with that experience and bring on an anxiety attack.

The most important thing for you to remember is that you are not going to die and you are in no danger. They are just sensations. What I highly recommend is for you to start practicing thought diversion. When you have thoughts or sensations that you would begin to associate with your anxiety, divert those thoughts immediately. Count backwards from 100, breathe in slowly and deeply and exhale in the same manner. Slowing your breathing will aid in slowing your heart rate. Do not stop what you're doing! This will only reinforce the behavior and could lead to agoraphobia.

You need to remember that anxiety is a result of behavioral conditioning. As long as you continue to act anxious in situations that do not warrant that response, you will have anxiety attacks. Once you can master thought diversion, for starters, you will find that your behavior will change and your anxiety levels will come down. The other important aspect to recovery is to fill every moment of every day. If you find yourself with too much time on your hands, you may start to dwell on these bad feelings and provoke an anxiety attack.

The other important aspect to anxiety is you. You control the anxiety levels. You can stop the anxiety at any time. You, and only you, have to power to choose not to behave in an anxious manner. As soon as you realize who is in control of your anxiety, you can stop it in its tracks.

It is important to discuss the use of prescription drugs, as they seem to play a role in many of these situations. I'm going to say it because it needs to be said again; drugs do nothing but mask the problem. There is not a single anxiety sufferer that can claim to be cured from drugs because only YOU can bring anxiety levels back to normal. While it may seem the drugs are helping you, the ultimate cure of your anxiety will always be you.

I feel this distinction must be drawn. We as a society have become way too dependent on drugs and it's tearing us apart. If you're on anxiety medication now, please consult your doctor about weaning off as soon as possible.

Getting back to the method that I employed in my own situation. I was looking into several self help methods and came across The Linden Method. I read this site extensively and did hours of research on this specifically. What I found was nothing but good comments from users and over a 90% success rate!

I remember the day that I made the purchase. I was on a business trip in Tennessee. I was coming back from a meeting and went to my hotel room to bed down for the night. I ordered some food from room service and out of nowhere I started to have a panic attack. It was bad. I was extremely fearful and afraid to do anything, including leaving the room. I was all alone and was not familiar with any techniques to stop them successfully.

I remember that I read about the Linden Method and decided it was time to make the purchase now, not later. I made the online purchase and received the digital versions of the materials they would be sending so you can get started right away. The creator of the system, Charles Linden, has an introductory section in an audio piece and began talking about his own sufferings with anxiety for more than 10 years. He quickly talks about the affliction and gives hope that the condition is a temporary one.

As I spent some time listening to to this man speak about his own demons and the cure that was to come I began to cry uncontrollably. At this moment, at this time in my life, I was able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. I was relieved to hear that my condition was not permanent. I was relieved to hear that I can be a normal person again. Today was the day I would start my life over again! I know that last line sounds cheesy, but man is it true!

My own personal experience with this method was that I was able to squash panic attacks completely within 2-3 days. If I felt them coming on they never escalated like they did before. I was able to quickly ride them out and literally squash them altogether within 7 days. The next battle was ridding myself of high levels of anxiety for good. I began practicing the breathing exercises and thought diversions every day. I soon found myself doing better.

Within a total of say 3-4 weeks, my anxiety levels went from out of control to near normal. I would say that I was able to rid myself of anxiety completely within 2 months. By the 2 month mark I became a master at thought diversion. If I felt anxiety increasing I would quickly divert my thoughts and move on. This practice, in conjunction with a healthy diet and regular exercise (personal choices), became the tools I needed to conquer this affliction.

I am sharing this with everyone today because I think anxiety sufferers need to know that there is a cure. The cure lies within you. No one can help you. No drug can help you. You have to help you. Please take some time to do some research on the Linden Method and  start living your life the way you want to. Just so there is no confusion here, I am in no way affiliated with this company. I just want to help others live to their fullest without the need for drugs, therapy, religion, or any other perpetrated cure.

Thanks for reading. I know it is a bit lengthy. If anyone would like to discuss anything in private, please feel free to send me a PM. Take care.

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dickenz07 said:
but i am going to continue to smoke. unless i start to feel like its making it worse, but one of the reasons  i started to smoke was because it helped me to not take things so seriously and i could actually enjoy things i would do..like something as simple as watch tv without thinking about how shitty of a day i had at work...with weed i can just focus on whatever it is im doing, i just get into a zone and go...

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Its great that it works for you like that.

I'll tell you about how I've always looked at my usage of cannabis and psychedelics. Since sometime during my teenage years, I've seen myself as being on a path of development, basically becoming more aware and changing myself for the better, in turn getting myself out of the way of being more aware. I've always had these experiences, sometimes from just smoking pot, but usually from psychedelics, where I kind of feel like I'm getting a glimpse from the next level, and, afterwards, its up to me to make the changes I need to get there. Also, using marijuana on a more regular basis (its usually a good time between trips) kind of gives me moments along the way to help remind me where I'm going and to help me realize what I need to do. I've found that there is usually a good amount of integration that needs to occur between these enhanced experiences.

I've always seen marijuana and more intense psychedelics as kind of a temporary dissolution of certain aspects of our mental processes that diminish our awareness of our experience of the present moment, effectively making us more consciously aware of our present experience, be it simply the sensory information our senses are collecting, or the role our mind itself is playing in our experience. With something like anxiety and panic, there is aspects of our mind that are not allowing ourselves to simply relax and be. One way you could interpret your experience on mushrooms is that some aspect of yourself became activated, and it really imposed itself on the experience in a negative manner. Something about yourself is not accepting something, be it something in the present moment, yourself, or simply some sense of how things are. The fact that it came back again suggests that its something that has been more subconscious, but now its really starting to come to the surface and you really have to come to terms with it and accept it for what it is before it will go away. MT had some great advice about really analyzing what is the source of the problems (it isn't the drugs themselves). Suffering is pretty much the nonacceptance of reality as it is occurring or as we have conceived it to have occurred, and if its nothing we can change in this moment, then the only thing for it is to accept it. Anyways, its great that you are able to smoke pot without becoming too overwhelmed like on mushrooms, because it gives you breathing room to start sorting things out.

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so hopefully i wont have to do without the psychedelics for too aweful long, i was wanting to take a biking/camping trip to the alabama border this summer on the silver comet trail..anyhows thanxs very much guys

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That sounds really cool. Its great to have something to look forward to, and it kind of fits in with what I was describing earlier, kind of having a sense of direction, so you begin to think in terms of who you are now, who you want to be in the future, and what you can begin doing now to consciously direct change. Everything is always changing anyways, so we might as well influence change in the ways we prefer, and enjoy the process at the same time.