Hi Benny,
I'm new on here too but also not new to HPPD. You and I actually have very similar drug histories. I used cannabis when I was a young teenager until I had a horrible experience almost identical to the one you described. I never felt quite the same after that. I tried cannabis again a few times after that experience but always had anxiety and felt I was on the verge of another bad trip. About 4 years ago I started experiencing visual snow and terrible anxiety. I learned how to manage my anxiety, I had no idea I had HPPD, I thought I was just experiencing the beginning stages of schizophrenia. About 2 years ago I started using MDMA and cocaine recreationally. Pretty consistently the last 4 years I have had visual snow. It is the most severe at night or when I look at the sky, white walls, or when I am thinking about it. I stopped all MDMA use about 6 months ago, and all cocaine use about 5 months ago. I did so as an effort to see if my HPPD symptoms might go away, and also because my MDMA experiences were becoming unpleasant. Today, I would say my HPPD symptoms are very under control. I think the best advice I gathered from looking at forums over the years is to avoid thinking about your HPPD and to stop using drugs. I am so hopeful that someday I will be able to look at the stars at night without seeing snow and feeling anxiety. I hope that someday my HPPD will go away entirely and I will finally be able to see through this fog. I hope that this forum becomes more active! For years I thought I was the only person in the world who had ever felt this way. We should find peace in knowing we're not alone.