Why do I feel depressed when I'm not smoking weed?
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Angel1011208
on
May 15, 2020
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Well, smoking causes fluctuations of serotonin in your brain so when you are smoking you start feeling really good but once you stop serotonin (which is the hormone that makes our mood better) its levels go down in our brain and sometimes the level of serotonin crashes and we stop being able to produce the chemical without smoking and this specifically happens if you have been relying on smoking for so long to be happier. This is also part of the reason why you can become addicted quickly, we start feeling like we can only be happy (from increased serotonin levels) when we are smoking.
Dealing with alcohol or drug abuse?
Anonymous
on
Jun 3, 2020
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You could feel depressed because of extensive use with this drug allowing a link between weed and happiness to occur. This depressed state could be a result of the extensive overuse of this drug. I had friends that felt the same way and isolated themselves when they weren't smoking weed. Once they cut back on the use of this drug I began to see a link between their change in mood and not smoking as frequently. I know that it can be challenging to change habits, but slowly over time, your mood will become less dependent on this drug.
Anonymous
on
Aug 6, 2020
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smoking week triggers a hormone anandamide in the body that produce a heightened sense of joy and happiness, and its only temporary so when you don't smoke it may seem as if u aren't happy, but it mostly because you don't feel the same amount of joy. a way to adjust this feeling of unhappiness is to find other activities and hobbies that stimulate those happy hormones. enjoying simple things as reading, cooking, running around stimulates the part of the brain responsible for happiness and produce dopamine which is the same as anandamide just lasts longer. hope this helps
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brilliantHeart3714
on
Aug 29, 2020
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When you smoke weed anyone that has smoked it can say the same they shut out the rest of the world in the little bubble. it is the same with any drug that once you come off it you have a come down. Which may be less than most drugs but it's still there yeah it makes it harder to deal with everyday things and challenges the capability of being able to cope with those situations within life. Once you have been off weed for a few days you will feel much better and as long as you don't go back to it you will continue to feel that way every day gets easier
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xraapx
on
Sep 6, 2020
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Well, it’s known that weed is used by some as an escape from any real world problems. When you’re high, life is good and you feel almost weightless, but when the high wears off, all of life’s struggles come crashing down. This can lead to weed being used as a crutch, despite the health risks this poses. The only way to stop feeling depressed when not smoking weed is to seek real help, rather than a quick fix. It may be rough in the beginning, but it will pay off and you will feel like a much better and stronger person afterwards.
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helpfulBraid5417
on
Jan 4, 2021
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when abstaining from drug use, our brain can not produce the same chemicals after a certain amount of time. this is because when you smoke weed, the weed produces it for you. It can be extremely difficult to adjust to the struggles and responsbilities of reality. when people start smoking weed, it can used for many different reasons but regardless it still affects you in the same manner. However, when used to block or hide your pain, it will affect you even more due to the fact that you are removing your main source of comfort. Hope this helps, thank you for reaching out!
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bubblegumNarwhal3234
on
Jan 10, 2021
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Because cannabis is an addictive substance which overuse of leads to substance abuse and addiction. Your body has become dependent on cannabis to feel normal. When you don’t smoke as often as usual you will start to go through a withdrawal from cannabis, hence why you feel depressed . Have you tried to to withdraw in a safe environment or spoken to a family member or doctor about going through this process? Addiction is a very unhealthy habit to have, It’s important you speak to a doctor about that’s as soon as you can. Remember, you’re stronger than you think.
Anonymous
on
Jan 21, 2021
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All drugs have some side-effects like apathy or heightened emotions. Maybe you've always had a depression problem but the weed made it apparent. Might be that you never realised it earlier. Weed contains chemicals ( THC and CBD) that in general give our body a sense of euphoria and ecstacy. These chemicals alter our mood. Thus you may feel intense emotions of happiness when you take it but when it effects start wearing off, you start feeling low. Filling the gap of time when you were smoking with something else. Focus on your health and well-being and things will start to seem better.
Anonymous
on
Jan 29, 2021
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When you first try weed it creates a pleasurable sensation. After taking it for a while you'll have to take more to feel that way again. Your body has adjusted to it so you need larger doses. Soon you start becoming dependent on it, and it's hard to stop. At this point you have become addicted. Your body no longer feels normal without weed; you feel depressed when your not smoking it. It's basically a withdrawal symptom. If you quit smoking weed and continue through the immediate withdrawal symptoms, your body will return to normal and the withdrawal will go away.
Anonymous
on
Feb 3, 2021
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Many people use weed as a coping mechanism when their feelings grow uncomfortable or overwhelming because weed can help numb those feelings. Since you may have smoked weed to escape your feelings associated with depression (e.g. anger, sadness, fear, etc.), if that's the case, those feelings haven't actually gone away. They're still there, in your body and mind, and while smoking weed may have helped you ignore them temporarily once the weed wears off those feelings will come back.
Weed can be helpful and therapeutic, but if you're relying on weed to help you overcome painful emotions, it's likely hurting you more in the long-term than it is helping. As long as you remember you'll have to face your feelings eventually, and weed will only hold off the inevitable, you may be better equipped to understand how best to manage your smoking habits.
Anonymous
on
Mar 10, 2021
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Sometimes the use of substances distracts us from coping with the problems in our lives. If you find that you are depressed when you are not engaging in substance use, it is likely that when you are sober, you recognize the issues you are facing or changes that need to be made. Coming to terms with these issues can be overwhelming, unsettling, or upsetting. Dealing with problems can sometimes feel onerous, tedious, or frustrating, and these feelings can lead to feelings of anxiety or depression. It's possible that not wanting to feel these feelings is perpetuating your substance use, however, putting off dealing with the underlying issues and the depression itself, is not a sustainable answer. If you need help getting the the source of the feeling, therapy may be able to help. You can look into therapy here: https://www.7cups.com/therapists/search.php Or, chat with an online therapist here: https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1
Anonymous
on
May 14, 2021
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Because weed is a dependant drug that stimulates the brain so when you don’t have it you are depressed and angry and easily triggered.Im not going to sit here and tell you it’s easy to quit because it’s not, And realistically your not gonna feel normal till about six months in.If you are having trouble staying motivated to quit Remeber why you want to quit and why you don’t want to feel depressed anymore quitting is the best thing you can do for your mental and physical health and you will save a lot of money to and have a New sense of inspiration and motivation
Anonymous
on
May 29, 2021
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You have become dependent on the feeling you get from smoking weed to be happy. You feel that when you are not high you cannot be happy. But, there are plenty of other types of things or activities that you can do that will give you the same sort of feeling without smoking weed, like things that do not involve any types of drugs. Some of my favorite things to do that make me happy are playing video games, spending time with my friends, reading a good book, drawing, and even just laying down and relaxing for a while. Sometimes it may seem like your options are limited, but there are so many things out there that you could do to make you feel even better than you do when you are high.
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compassionateUnicorns6379
on
Nov 11, 2021
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Because you are depressed and smoking weed causes you to get high. When you are high, you are delirious and therefore can ignore the emotions and issues that would be plaguing you normally. Smoking weed is only a temporary escape from problems that ought to be dealt with as soon as possible. If smoking weed and getting high feels much better than dealing with the numerous problems that plague you daily, then you are driven more and more to rely on it. Problems are to be solved with your own hands and not ignored like it isn't actually there.
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braveSoul8830
on
May 4, 2022
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Most likely it is because of how the drugs are effecting your dopamine level. When you are smoking weed it makes your brain "happy" and increases dopamine levels , when you are not smoking weed though , your dopamine levels are very very low which causes depression. you also may feel this way because you are addicted to weed because of the happy feeling it gives to you . This is the reason to why you are feeling depressed when you are not smoking weed.
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SingingPsychStudent
on
May 11, 2022
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That is actually a multilayered answer that based not only in psychology but neurology. Im only a psych student so I cannot fully answer the question but i can explain per what ive been taught and show you some places you where you can do some research. I do ask you double check with your mental health care provider as well. So, in many cases (not all) you begin per chronic stress, curiosity, peer pressure, etc. You like the euphoric feeling and begin to search for it again. Now, you're going to gain tolerance after constant use (how much is up to your genetics and the strength of it). From what I've been taught (per the peer reviewed studies), when you smoke, you're causing a dopamine spike which is part of what's needed to make you motivated or happy. Again, you gain a tolerance and also cause a psychological dependence. I do not know the full science behind it, but I do know that the transmission of neurochemicals is affected. This ultimately means you don't have the same levels of dopamine that you did pre-smoking. Here on some peer reviewed studies and if you do not understand them, please talk to a provider about them to get a better understanding. Again, im only a psych student with limited info about the science, but i do understand enough to explain some things (just copy and paste the citations into your browser and scroll to the bottom to find results. PLEASE read the entire conclusion before and discussion for better/ in depth explanations):
Dierker, L., Selya, A., Lanza, S., Li, R., & Rose, J. (2017, August 18). Depression and marijuana use disorder symptoms among current marijuana users. Addictive Behaviors. Retrieved May 10, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306460317303131?casa_token=xAVNakMDVF4AAAAA%3AKuPPkH_6EQsJjfpSX6tjUCBj4w_tC2ZiIKa5ygv8v5MLRv7Y6MkuSDMzWGhouvqE7G0Vjz8VLJM
Pacheco-Colón, I., Limia, J. M., & Gonzalez, R. (2018). Nonacute effects of cannabis use on motivation and reward sensitivity in humans: A systematic review. Psychology of addictive behaviors : journal of the Society of Psychologists in Addictive Behaviors, 32(5), 497–507. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0000380
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TomSands
on
Oct 5, 2022
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It's all about your depression, which you are not treating but only relieving the symptoms by smoking pot. You first need to get treatment from a psychotherapist, and then you will achieve relief. In your case, smoking pot has only a negative effect in the long run. While you are undergoing treatment, you can, for example, use the delta 8 gummies brand to reduce your addiction to weed. You will have a long way to go to feel healthy, but I am sure you will succeed. You can also take the help of a psychologist who will talk about the causes of depression.