Colorado and Washington...wow

[mikethemerc1]

So for those of you that remember me...I'm a HPPD remisser and im proud to say I've remissed twice.  I haven't been on here cause I'm back to 95% (I'll never remember 100:) but I hate to say my troubles are far from over.  If you remember, I relapsed due to seconhand pot exposure...a full relapse of symptoms that lasted a good 5-6 months.  Now its seems some liberal tax hungry assholes think they can make tax money off it in Colorado.  They say they legalized it because they wanted to boost more money for education...are you fucking serious? I mean in my pre HPPD days I smoked...always had tweaks but did it anyway (shouldve been a good warning not to do heavier drugs) but I cant believe just because everyone does it the government has given in.  I mean coke was huge in the 80's but NYC never said "well we cant control it so lets legalize it".  Yeah pot isnt as addictive as coke and its near impossible to OD but pot can give you a fun case of DP/DR which IMO was worse than visual snow.  People think pot is harmless because most people never heard of DP/DR HPPD or any of the things that have fucked our lives.  I know I'm in the minority, some HPPDers still smoke and have no reaction, but some of us have relapsed due to secondhand pot.  I live in Boston, MA, which undoubtedly legalize pot within 10 years maybe 5.  My life is more miserable than when I had full blown HPPD months ago because its everywhere here...in the streets even! And that with pot merely decriminalized...if they legalized it shit itd be more common than cigarettes.  So I stay agoraphobic...I go out only when necessary, luckily i got a nice settlement of cash that I'm investing but that begs the question...should I up and leave the USA? Go to a country where they execute you for owning pot? I mean you guys can relate to if you were back to normal but could relapse at any moment more than anyone I know.  So if you had 300000 dollars, and a hppd threathened life what would you do?  I actually bought a gasmask im so paranoid of legalization...help!!!

 

[Jay1]

Why not just move to the countryside, where you can buy up some land and know you have somewhere 100% safe to enjoy.

 

I wonder if the stress caused worrying about the 2nd hand smoke actually cause your relapse... and not the pot itself. everyone is different, of course, but i've smoked pot after getting hppd, it does make me much worse, but only for an hour or so. Once it is out of my system, it doesn't affect me.

[onedayillsailagain]

To answer your question: if I had that kind of money, I would probably spend 2/3 on researching HPPD and finding a proper treatment.
That said.. I live in the Netherlands where pot is on every corner as well. Smoking pot usually makes everything a thousand fold worse, but I still enjoy the smell.
Sometimes I have friends over who smoke pot indoors, doesn't really bother me.
I concur, it could indeed be the stress itself rather the the smoke..
Also many people benefit from cannabis.

That said, perhaps indeed it is a good idea to move somewhere more secluded and peaceful, especially considering that inheritance. I suggest the seaside would do you good, somewhere with lots of nature.

Alternatively you could try desensitizing yourself to the pot smell. Buy some cannabis incense, or even some of the stuff itself. Smell the hell out of it till it doesn't bother you anymore. Know that it is highly unlikely (nearly impossible, unless the person is blowing the smoke straight into your inhalation stream) to get high off of secondhand smoke. Someone puffing away on the streets having a fume passing your way, is not going to make you high, considering wind and disintegration and such. As for agoraphobia: try walking the less crowded/empty streets to where you need to go. That's what I do when I'm feeling anxious.

[Merkan]

I believe that it is possible to get affected by small amount of CB but only if you have HPPD. I cant drink a half a beer without getting symptoms, even if i do not get drunk. Our threshold is much, much lower and can be even more so on a personal level. I never get high on passive CB but the hundreds of compounds existing in CB could very well do some effect. Jay can obviously smoke it without lasting effects, if I stay around an area with CB in the air long enough, i get very bad for a month up to six weeks.

[miketusa]

I kinda fall in the same boat as Jay. Once it's gone, it's gone. Being around it doesn't really bother me. Of course if I smoke and I havent had a few beers I will freak the fuck out. If have drank a little, it makes it pretty fun. I've only done this twice. And it's been a while since Iv'e done anything at all.

[mikethemerc1]

Well hell I wish i was as lucky to not be affected by pot as you guys, then i'm lucky that I do go through periods of remission as well.  It seems HPPD affects us all differently, maybe every type of HPPD itself is different depending on what drug caused it, who knows.  I've been having bad flashbacks of late even without exposure to drugs so who knows I might relapse for no reason.

[Merkan]

Though i am very liberal i am actually thinking about doing this. I do not have an issue with my homecountry but the short summers and cold climate and darkness has made me decide to move over the bad parts of the year. I am looking at different options but its hard to find a place where it is year around sun and warmth and no CB. I was thinking about Tel Aviv, Miami, LA or Kerala/India but all of those are CB infested. I could go to some muslim country like Malaysia but then there is the issue of isolation.

Its not just about leaving, i need to do something. I produce house music so all i need is my laptop and my keyboard and phones but i cant sit in a random hut for 6 months either. Gonna keep looking for that place.

[Conquer]

Why not just move to the countryside, where you can buy up some land and know you have somewhere 100% safe to enjoy.

 

I wonder if the stress caused worrying about the 2nd hand smoke actually cause your relapse... and not the pot itself. everyone is different, of course, but i've smoked pot after getting hppd, it does make me much worse, but only for an hour or so. Once it is out of my system, it doesn't affect me.

 

Yeah... This. I somewhat doubt the second hand smoke caused it. I'd say your worry of the second-hand smoke is what created stress, causing relapse.

[Merkan]

I do not believe in the stress thing. Especially since the effect i and others get is the same as alcohol. Several weeks/months for it to get back to base. I cannot drink a small beer without getting lasting symptoms. That beer would not show up on a test. I have been around CB environment, like someone lighting it up in the park and did not get any effect though feeling anxious. Went to a CB freetown and is still feeling effects 10 weeks after that exposure. There are 100's of active compounds in the air, enough exposure and you will get affected. Some people seem to have another threshold mechanism then others.

[Merkan]

I do not believe in the stress thing. Especially since the effect i and others get is the same as alcohol. Several weeks/months for it to get back to base. I cannot drink a small beer without getting lasting symptoms. That beer would not show up on a test. I have been around CB environment, like someone lighting it up in the park and did not get any effect though feeling anxious. Went to a CB freetown and is still feeling effects 10 weeks after that exposure. There are 100's of active compounds in the air, enough exposure and you will get affected. Some people seem to have another threshold mechanism then others. I have learned one thing about HPPD and that no normal model is appliable for the individual sufferer.

[peanuttiest]

Hi folks - I'm so late replying here but for other folks reading this I do want to let them know that second hand pot can be (for some of us, and unfortunately you don't know if you don't try) a major trigger. I was on the road to recovery and recently attended a birthday party where (unbeknownst to me) people were smoking on a closed-in porch and kept opening the door to the house. Bonfire smoke covered the smell so I couldn't tell until it was too late. I have developed a massive flare up, with new symptoms that are worse than the original HPPD, as a result. The symptoms started at the party! And then continued to develop over the course of a week. I never had trails before and now I do. I was not particularly stressed or anticipating this - and I think I've handled it pretty well, although of course it's scary. It really can be weed for many folks. Dr Abraham advised people to run if they smell weed.

[umit]

For me i thougt i geth panic attack when i wil smell weed smoke buth after i stayed in a room with friends they was smoking nothing happened actualy i feeld a littel stoned was quit nice and i was enjoying my ciggs