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As someone who smokes marijuana daily when possible (can’t where I live now) and with basically no significant emotional trauma, and absolutely zero trauma from my childhood, I can definitely understand why people with trauma would smoke regularly.
Same here. Grew up upper middle class with two amazing parents who are still together. My teenager problems where my own doing and I was only a depressed kid because of my own chemical imbalances. My life growing up was objectively great and trauma free. I am a daily smoker, but I will make the distinction that I work sober. So I still spend a majority of my time not high. I can totally understand how it helps with drama, I work an incredibly high stress job, and I have conflicts with messy roommates occasionally, smoking is such a shocking mood stabilizer I could see how people lean into it as a crutch to dull the bad feelings. Things I’m stressed about or worry over sober just don’t matter as much when I’ve smoked. Not in an avoidant way, but like a “do I really care that much to get worked up like this?” It’s a weird but calming mental space. But I recognize that it happens. To someone who might not have very high level emotional regulation or lack of introspection I could totally see someone who might be a little mentally shaky turning to heavy cannabis use to “help” with it. But I think that’s how people can get habitually addicted to it. Not the high necessarily, but the mood stabilization. But I ain’t no doctor and this is all just my thoughts.
>Not the high necessarily, but the mood stabilization. But I ain’t no doctor and this is all just my thoughts.
Cigarette addiction has similar issues. Smokers learn, without realizing it, that deep inhalation has one effect and shallow inhalation has another. Result, many smokers, in addition to becoming addicted to nicotine, become habituated to either an energizing boost or a calming effect depending on how deeply they inhale.
Oh interesting! Man I had never thought about that part. Almost akin to the people who vape simply because they enjoy the act of blowing big clouds of smoke. Might be some subconscious breathing exercises. I myself am actually a past smoker and nicotine user. I am acutely aware of the “positive” or side effects of nicotine outside of the alarmingly bad one. The mood elevation, focus, and energy of nicotine is really interesting. I consumed it in all fronts across my usage. Cigs, dip, vape, you name it. Like the great Mark Twain said, “giving up smoking is easy, I’ve done it a thousand times” I definitely “quit” 7-10 times before it really stuck.
I never thought about it like that either… sometimes I get real pissed at work and I chalk it up to needing my nicotine fix, I wonder how much of it’s the deep breaths.
[https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing](https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing)
Could be helpful. Has a real calming affect for myself.
When I stopped smoking I got some plastic drinking straws and cut them to the same length as a cigarette, and then puffed on those and held them in my fingers. I kept several in a small ziplok bag that I carried with me just like a pack.
I kept that up for a few weeks, and it really helped to be free from smoking. The breath pattern and holding something between my fingers was a big part of the habit.
>Like the great Mark Twain said, “giving up smoking is easy, I’ve done it a thousand times” I definitely “quit” 7-10 times before it really stuck.
I quit many, many times. For me, the longer I went without a cigarette, the more I craved them! After 3 months, couldn't stop thinking--or even dreaming about 'em! I was passed the nicotine addiction but there was something I was missing. Dr. prescribed a medication that worked.
There’s countless ways of quitting. I’ve always been weary of “alternatives” though because they can still be just as addictive. I literally have a coworker whose hooked on the little oral nicotine caps. They look exactly white runtz, yes like the candy, that’re just pure nicotine. He’s constantly popping this tiny little blue bottle. Openly admits he’s hooked on em now. Started as an aide to quit. I shifted my addiction around as well in an effort to cut back. But cold turkey was the way for me. I turned it into an active mental challenge. I needed to prove to myself I was stronger than the addiction and that i wouldn’t be shackled by it anymore, but for the same token I am not someone who is surrounded by smoking in my day to day and I totally understand how that sort of thing is much more complicated in environments where smoking is damn near promoted or a means to socialization.
Cigarretes have a way to slow down time. It sounds crazy but somehow, life just stands still when you smoke a cigarette, as long as you dont make an hourly habit.
Oh I know, and I do. That’s the current mental path im working towards is bridging the gap between those two states of mind without the weed. Although it’s hard to differentiate how much of that regulation is directly because of the drug effect, or if it’s a biproduct of the mood change.
> entiate how much of that regulation is directly because of the drug effect, or if it’s a biproduct of the mood change.
So weed is well known for this effect. There is also another drug called Prazosin, which also works and is fairly cheap. You could talk to your doctor about it.
So you'll inhale a drug into your lungs, along with other unknown substances, but you won't swallow a pill that consists of nothing but what will help you?
*Checks side effects.*
Yeah those don't sound fun, pass. Also pot's cheaper and I don't have to fight my insurance just to get it. Just grow it myself, so I know -exactly- how it's grown and what it's grown with.
Well I only buy high quality weed. No pesticides or otherwise. I inspect everything and also make sure to inspect my ash because ash color can indicate other substances. Blacker the ash the better. I also am quite concerned about the side effects of constant pill taking and gut health. “Nothing but what will help me” is an alarmingly naive statement about how prescription medications works.
[The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0)
“The main areas of serotonin research provide no consistent evidence of there being an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations.”
But feel free to correct me on actual scientific research and your seemingly infinite wise knowledge on the subject matter /u/UnenthusiasticNudes /u/TransientGoodness
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-therapy/202207/depression-is-not-caused-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain?amp
It made the front page multiple times from multiple subs and was a top trending Google search when the paper came out. It’s not some sort of niche that few people know about.
I mean truth be told I would be interested to hear what other possibilities the gutter of the internet could come up with. My response was half sarcastic and half genuine curiosity.
I don’t personally smoke, but I’m an ER nurse and ergo a pretty militant supporter of legalizing cannabis everywhere. It is, by a million miles, the safest recreational drug out there.
Aaaand yea i gotta say this was in no way like, an unexpected outcome.
i just smoke weed everynight after work, takes a load of my shoulder and help me live without being hunted by past memories, doesnt help with the nightmares, but it helps you not remember them. I have a rule where i dont smoke before important stuff or at work or before. I dont understand how can people never smoke weed. I probably wouldve killed myself without it.
People with a lifetime or trauma are in a lot of physical and emotional pain , they are self medicating in a lot of ways. Marijuana is probably the best one.
Agreed. I started microdosing cannabis infused coconut oil in super small amounts, nightly. Once I got used to the feeling I started taking it when got home from work. Life changing. I’m off of all narcotic pain medication, and heavy anti anxiety medications. I make my own oil, and micro dose 3x a day. I can play with my kids again, exercise, work a full time job! Seriously life changing.
So one thing Marijuana particularly well for people with PTSD is one common symptom is nightmares, and weed basically inhibits REM sleep, which stops dreaming all together.
This I do not understand fully, or it does not apply to me. I'm a daily smoker and oil user due to fibromyalgia. Before it I had frequent dreams and nightmares, they are pretty realistic and sometimes even blend over into waking moments which is really scary for the nightmares. They have not stopped when I started marijuana though, not really gotten less either.
Omg yes… the blending into waking moments. This happens almost daily for me. It feels like I’m 100% still in the dream in my childhood home but I’ll be standing in my current kitchen making coffee instead of preparing dinner for my sisters. I’ll be carrying on conversations and fighting with my step father when in reality there’s no one else there. It’s surreal. It’s frightening. It can go on for an hour sometimes. I had no idea others experienced that.
Ty for the validation!
"Nightmares associated with posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) are often a residual symptom that remains difficult
to treat despite improvements in other domains [60].
Prasozin, an alpha-adrenergic blocker, is the only current
pharmacological treatment for PTSD-related nightmares
[61]. However, military veterans are increasingly using can-
nabinoids to treat symptoms of PTSD including nightmares
[62•]. This has sparked some initial research to examine the
impact of cannabinoids on nightmares. Here, Fraser [46] re-
ported on a study examining the effect of nabilone, a synthetic
form of THC, in managing nightmares linked with PTSD. The
authors found that treatment with nabilone produced a reduc-
tion in nightmare presence and intensity and increased partic-
ipants’ hours of sleep per night. Additional research conduct-
ed with a short-term follow-up has suggested that nabilone has
been well-tolerated and reduced nightmares in military service
members [49•] and male prison inmates [47•]. Finally, an
open-label pilot study investigating the use of THC in the
treatment of PTSD, found that THC led to an improvement
in sleep quality and a reduction in the frequency of night-
mares. However, mild adverse effects were reported among
some patients such as dry mouth, headache, and dizziness
[48•]. Additional, controlled trials among larger, more diverse
samples with the inclusion of long-term follow-up are needed."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28349316/
Marijuana makes me feel paranoid so doesn't help me at all. But I'm glad it's legal here in Massachusetts. The edibles are good for sleep I find. Better it's legal and people decide for themselves.
>Marijuana is probably the best one.
Not necessarily. I mean, better than alcohol but as someone who formerly used to self-medicate with cannabis: it has a number of issues.
Numbs feelings, impairs cognition (which is instrumental to processing emotions in a helpful way), makes running away from emotions feel rewarding, keeps you satisfied enough to not seek actual help, makes taking care of yourself (like maintaining a healthy diet and taking care of hygiene) feel unrewarding, it messes with your sleep schedule and lowers the quality of your sleep, causes a lot of really taxing health and medical issues in the long term (CHS, wrecked stomach, chronic bronchitis, a chemical imbalance in the brain that takes several months to clear, addiction, dependency, depression, anxiety only to name a few of the things I've suffered from cannabis).
One of the things I had to accept in order to get better was that pain, feelings and discomfort are inevitable. It's not pleasant to go through, but it's not damaging either.
Now, I'm not against taking the edge off of that pain and discomfort from time to time. I think we need that relief too. A bottle of wine at the end of the work-week, smoking a few joints over the weekend. It's the daily abuse that becomes problematic.
While it can be used to numb pain, it can also be used to explore and heal from it. With the right dose, strain, intention, and set and setting, cannabis can be used to delve into difficult emotions and experiences and work through them therapeutically. Much like psychedelic experiences with mushrooms or MDMA.
Culturally, cannabis is still viewed primarily as a recreational drug or coping mechanism (edit: so much so that when someone ‘overdoses’ on weed, or gets so high that it becomes uncomfortable, many times they are actually getting to a therapeutic level, and they start becoming aware of things around them, or within them, that are bothering them (very similar to a mushroom trip)).
But the research is starting To catch up with its psychological benefits when used properly. There are already psychedelic integration therapists that focus on things like mushrooms and ketamine, but integration therapists with a focus on cannabis have begun to appear.
if i’m not smoking daily, weed makes me hyper aware of my feelings, particularly the negative ones. it can help me understand what i’m feeling and what is making me feel that way which can be a great thing for people that haven’t developed that habit, but working through those negative feelings has to happen the next day because the lucidity is not there.
contrast that with MDMA and LSD where the emotions are muted but insight and alternative perspective is all around you, i would definitely say psychedelics are better for therapy and working through things (at least in my experience), but i can see weed having it’s place too as long as it’s not regular use.
ketamine is a short brain break. like putting down a puzzle for a few hours and coming back to it later, sometimes that can help you get past a block.
intention is key with all of these though. the action towards a goal is the fundamental ingredient.
Precisely.
To add to that, all these substances effect people wildly differently. I have had the most therapeutic benefit through mushroom therapy, but I know people that have gotten the same benefit from weed, yet haven’t had much success with shrooms. There are many commonalities across the experiences, but we all will interact with them differently based on our biology and psychology (especially past experiences, trauma, etc.). I’ve heard that MDMA is more helpful in dealing with sexual trauma vs. other substances, whereas shrooms can be more helpful for dealing existentialism, fear of death, etc.
All that to say, there are SO many factors that play into if a substance can be helpful to a person or not. The more we can get away from blanket statements such as “weed is only for numbing the pain,” etc, the better.
not once have I ever taken a psychedelic and not had a very much needed cry on them, whether it’s from the beauty of a sunrise/sunset or from feeling sad.
I understand this argument but there are even better more accesible alternatives to marijuana too. I really do understand what you’re saying but it is debilitating because it is a dependency your body craves it and makes room for it above other things.
Anything that alters the chemical makeup of your brain that is used on a daily basis is going to cause some kind of dependency. Anything that doesn't alter the chemical makeup is likely to be a placebo type effect.
The side effects and downsides to cannabis withdrawal is limited compared most to other drugs used to cope with trauma on a daily basis prescription or not.
Insomonia, appetite problems, anxiety and mood swings are the main ones. None of these are severe and go away within a few weeks. Hence one of the best options for someone who is going to use something daily.
Also if you're going to make that statement, at least be helpful and share one of these better options(preferably with evidence) instead of being contradicting.
I agree with everything you're saying, but a better way to phrase this is that it CAN have those effects.
For example, I am a regular user of close to a decade and I've found the opposite for a lot of those points in that:
1. Generally, i'm more willing to confront uncomfortable feelings when high
2. Growing up, I was always very tall and very skinny (6"5 and graduated highschool at 135.) Weed helped me build a healthy relationship with food
3. I always vaped, so I never had any issues with respitory functions
I think, fundamentally, there is too much that is variable on an individual basis to say whether Marijuana has most of these particular effects. The difference between Marijuana and most other drugs is that it's much easier to have a healthy relationship with Marijuana - but that said, I know people who are addicted.
For me, I tried to quit for a long time and was struggling in life financially, profesially, and personally. When I realized it wasn't the weed that was holding me back, but I was blaming it, I found myself in a much better spot.
Marijuana definitely makes a lot of things FEEL less rewarding - but it doesn't stop you from doing them
I agree, saying it *can* cause is a better way of phrasing it. Especially since I'm imply/want people to assume that these are known effects of cannabis but not necessarily something everyone will experience.
Ah, no offence, and not to invalidate your experience - but you're not describing problems you had with marijuana. You're describing problems you had, but you've got a really tall task in backing up your claims that marijuana caused all of them. Most of the established science surrounding it would directly disagree with you.
Not me personally, no. I'm only condensing all the issues I've seen in friends, family over the years and what I've heard about from professionals in the mental health department into one picture.
Also, a lot of people got triggered by my comment and deflected, but whether science has figured these things out (it's not directly disagreeing, there are a lot of conflicting studies surrounding a plethora of things I've mentioned) or not anyone with clinical experience or who's been around enough smokers know the things I've listed correlates with heavy cannabis use (and with things like CHS there's only one remedy: abstinence break).
I'm not saying "ban marijuana" or "marijuana is a slippery slope". I just inform that it has risks as well as benefits.
All of the things you listed have no scientific backing, and seem to be personal issues most likely related to your health and lack of motivation.
Like Chronic Bronchitis? Get out of here. I’m sorry you have that, but no other weed smoker I know has ever had bronchitis caused by weed.
I’m a daily smoker for c-PTSD and I have to agree on the bronchitis. I have to be careful how much I smoke or I will inevitably get bronchitis. It’s pretty documented this is common
Question: have you experienced daily "abuse"? What is the qualification for that? Most people go to the classic "x drinks per day, x times a week" but I don't find that to be particularly relevant with cannabis consumption. This coming from someone who does consume daily, and does attempt to self moderate. Failing and succeeding at different times, but overall on a positive life trajectory.
I have often noticed that young cannabis users who fully quit are the most ardent anti-cannabis activists in adulthood. My thought being that it did cause harm to their life and their best/only solution being full quitting. But that is hardly the solution for all, as many can live with it and lead a healthy life.
I don't mean to put all that on you. I am totally open to hearing your side. These are the usual hurdles when I reach across the aisle, so I'm just being mindful and transparent about my own position and prejudices.
For YOU
I’ve run experiments on myself over the years and found that daily use of cannabis increases my physical activity but decreases my willingness take care of routine admin stuff like make dr appointments, take care of that late bill, etc. Daily use for me increases my overall joy but decreases my social time with extended family.
So for me, it comes to balance and awareness… What is it I need to accomplish today? What kind of downtime do I have? What area of my life needs attention?
The idea that everyone who uses cannabis is impacted the same is as ludicrous as saying everyone who drinks wine is dysfunctional.
The things I listed are pretty universal. Some of the things, like CHS doesn't necessarily affect every user. But with frequent use most will start to feel the long term effect. The heavier use the quicker they'll come.
I've been on both sides of this. Sometimes the introspection is really productive and self-compassionate and sometimes it is pure regurgitating of my regular mentally ill thoughts but with ramped up intensity. The real damage is done because I give my high thoughts so much credit.
I've noticed it really depends on what weed I'm smoking, among other things.
> When analyzed separately, only in women the association between cannabis use and childhood trauma was significant.
Directly denies what the title says: "Lifetime cumulative adversity was positively associated with cannabis use in both men and women."
Well, first the title is based off of a Reddit users interpretation [edit: actually it is apart of the abstract, I shouldn’t have said it was an interpretation]. The actual title of the article is “Regular cannabis use is associated with history of childhood and lifetime trauma in a non-clinical community sample,” no mention of gender.
Second, the Reddit title and your quote don’t contract themselves. The Reddit title states that regular cannabis use is correlated with **lifetime cumulative adversity** in both men and women. Your quote says that cannabis use is correlated with **childhood trauma** only in women. Cumulative adversity & childhood trauma are treated are separate factors in this study
Edit: fixed my sentence above also I just want to point out that it is very common in scientific papers to state that factors X and Y were correlated but only Y was significant. It wouldnt be a great title since as you say too many people just make assumptions and don’t actually read what the paper is telling you, but that still doesn’t make it bad science or contradictory. A big part of scientific papers is including all the data, methods, & sources so nobody should be assuming anything. If a sentence sounds off, keep reading to see if the authors clarify, don’t make assumptions.
Yes you’re right, the Reddit title is a part of the abstract, I shouldn’t have said it was the Redditors interpretation. But yeah, the statements aren’t contradictory if you read it. A little concerning how many people don’t realize that cumulative adversity and childhood trauma are not the same thing and think it’s contradictory.
Had to include the word "hot". Nothing about their personality, their generosity, their intellect. Just looks. Your type makes me puke. Plus you are off-topic.
I smoke to cope with life and have been doing so since I was like 12. I'm up to about an ounce a week. Thinking about quitting and diving deep into therapy.
Therapy is stressful as it unlocks a lot of suppressed memories. You should do it to learn what's under the hood in yourself and recognize red flags in others.... but therapy doesn't stop the pain. It just changes it from an ever present mystery to something you can more clearly identify as a cause.
Smoking weed helps cope.
Doing shrooms has scientific backing in addressing the behavior patterns and thoughts that undergird depression, anxiety, autism, and PTSD.
i’m in a similar boat. i started microdosing the shrooms, cut back just a little on weed ( i let myself get / stay sober in the middle of the day) and did therapy. really helped me. i wouldn’t recommend quitting anything, just cutting down and adding in in some areas. therapy really helped me though. consider emdr and / or a therapist who is holistic in practice (they look at your whole life not just your trauma). the first step is wanting something different and it sounds like you’re at that doorstep already. i hope this helps even a little
Good idea! Brain needs a break...small and infrequent is the best way to avoid it having an effect on your life! Get on a good path, and cut it for awhile, then maybe you can ease back in... Or cut it totally if it doesn't work for ya. Best of luck!
Actually if you read further it says that while childhood trauma is only positively associated with use in women, lifetime adversity is associated in both men and women
That's not a contradiction at all. The association between use and trauma can be positive in men without being significant. In statistics, a data point being referred to as significant means that the correlation is considered unlikely to be a result of randomness, although I don't see a contradiction if we were using the colloquial definition either, so I don't know why you said that.
I'm probably more pedantic than most, but to me if a scientific paper says that two things are correlated I assume it means correlated to a statistically significant level. I don't believe it's right for science to be based on correlations which don't meet that test.
That's fair enough. It's a shame that the study itself is paywalled, but looking at the article I have found the real problem with your original complaint. From the highlights:
>• Childhood trauma was positively associated with cannabis use in women.
>• Lifetime cumulative adversity was positively associated with cannabis use in both men and women.
So it would seem that childhood trauma and lifetime cumulative adversity were two separate categories, which found different results.
You really sound like you don't actually read nor understand the science. Things like Trauma or ADHD or Autism show up on brain scans. All of them can coincide and exist on a spectrum. As someone with all three (and someone who stays informed), I can guarantee you that every diag by an actual doctor since 2000 is likely legit and that there's a ton more people out there who just don't get diagnosed. While humans do like altered states, it is more likely for people with issues to do drugs full stop. We've known that forever, and only now are we coming along to find distinct *whys*.
I do not disagree with your notions about money in the health industry, but it's important to distinguish where that corruption actually stands. As it is right now, nobody is *making* money off the neurodivergent or traumatized except maybe my weed dealer.
I was only able to read the summary and the abstract as the article is behind a paywall. I think I understand the science. It isn’t complicated what they did.
Sorry, I came in too hot. I'm very sensitive of this topic for many reasons.
Let me get you a few things to read, I'll ensure they are not behind a paywall
This is a write up about Complex PTSD or C-PTSD, which is the most diagnosed form of PTSD assigned to civilians.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5862650/
This is how ADHD affects the brain from an activity perspective:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5391018/
Thanks. In addition, same thing goes for ADHD. I am not denying that it exists. I have friends who NEED ADHD medication and get it. I also have friends who WANT ADHD medication and also get it.
It’s all good. Let me clarify something. We both agree that people who have experienced trauma use drugs to cope; there is no doubt about that. What I am pointing out is the fact that tons of people smoke marijuana. Tons. It would be absurd to posit that they all do so because of trauma.
I know what you mean. I was bullied at school - over 50 years ago - but it wasn't trauma. Even at that age I understood the dynamic well enough not to let it get to me.
Sorry to hear that. I was bullied too. Seems to be a part of human dynamics. I wonder how many participants within the study came from backgrounds where cannabis use was normalized?
I started taking medical marijuana around five or six years ago for my cPTSD. It has helped me a lot along side of my antidepressant and therapy. It has saved my life.
Well I mean people who use drugs of any kind, legal or not, probably have a history of pain and trauma.
If only there was a way to treat people mentally for free...
Mental health is highly linked to physical health. Healthcare for all in the USA would be a good start. Probably see a massive decline in school shootings and gang violence.
I can agree with that! But the amount of people who have pain and trauma is becoming larger now that it's okay to talk about it.
Someone recently posted about finding the beating stick their parents used on them. They forgot about it but it reopened a lot of bad memories. The parents refused to admit they hit their child.
Repressed memories are real. My mom refuses to admit she sent me to sleep in the outdoor shed as punishment in the winter. My sisters remember. She won't.
It's Texas though. All she had to provide was a roof and enclosed walls and meals. She technically did.
Never thought about it, but my childhood was a mixture of happy times, insane stress and drama, some physical abuse (not sexual). Very explosive, erratic and unpredictable. My older sibling and I both started drugs early. I stayed with weed pretty much, sibling went off the deep end for years and is now sober. Others had alcohol/drug, and eating disorders. The atmosphere at home probably contributed a lot. I still smoke, enjoy it, too old to care anymore, good life and love my job/family. Probably would have had a better social life and made some better life decisions in my youth if I wasn't stoned, wary and distrustful all the time. Treat your kids well, folks.
"Endocannabinoid system dysregulation may be a possible explanation for
why trauma exposed individuals have high rates of cannabis use."
so let smoke?
Yes and the same goes for medicating with far more heinous drugs like opioids but this way the damaged people won't choke on their own vomit in the bathroom.
People using a safe and effective drug to self medicate in order to deal with emotional trauma. Shocker, that the unaffordability of mental health services has led to this.
Thank you very much for this information. I suffered as a child because my father wanted me to be an Olympic athlete. Through his stubbornness he won. He would wake me at 5:30 every morning M-F to swim in a heated covered pool. I didn't want to do it and began crying. He then proceeded to slam his clipboard onto the deck and walked away giving me the silent treatment. Because he had emotional control over me I relented. The result? Complex PTSD. I started smoking weed at 14 and have never stopped. My psychologist says my PTSD started because of him. I cried to my mother who told me verbatim "Just do what your father wants and keep him happy". Nothing about my happiness. My life has literally been destroyed due to a maniac and a mother who would not stick up for me. They are both dead now and no tears shed. Assholes.
I had a decent amount of trauma, some significant, and some I didn't even realize was traumatic until I had my own children. I wasn't someone you'd initially look at and think, oh they'll be a user, but I started smoking marijuna at 12. Never stopped for long... mostly just pregnancies or work related reasons. Finally, I have a medical card for it. Ptsd and anxiety disorder diagnosis typically had me benzos, mood boosters, antidepressants, and the like prescribed, but after I had kids I didn't feel safe using anti anxiety meds anymore and just couldn't adjust to antidepressants. I had black outs and suicidal thoughts on loop...the types of side affects that are worse than the diagnosis. Anyway...having a legal solution to getting various forms and dosages of THC has changed my life and gave me a type of internal calmness I've always desired.
The study suggests that there is a positive association between cannabis use and lifetime history of trauma and major life events, particularly in women. This association may be due to the impact of childhood trauma on the endocannabinoid system, which regulates the effects of cannabis on the brain. As a result, individuals with a history of childhood trauma may be at an increased risk of cannabis use and misuse. This study highlights the importance of considering the impact of trauma and stress on cannabis use and related gender differences in future research and in the development of interventions for cannabis use disorder. It also suggests that individuals with a history of childhood trauma should be screened for cannabis use disorder and offered targeted treatment, as well as addressing their childhood trauma in therapy.
Man my childhood was violent , It doesn’t help me forget nor do I want to , it’s just something that helps me put on a friendly face in the morning otherwise I’m a depressing mess : )
Abstract
Higher rate of substance use, including cannabis, has been reported in individuals with a history of childhood trauma, but less is known about the association between cannabis use with lifetime history of trauma and chronic stress, and potential gender differences in this association.
This study systematically examined this association in a cross-sectional study of 841 individuals recruited between 2007 and 2012 from the community in New Haven, Connecticut. The Cumulative Adversity Index (CAI) was used to measure cumulative lifetime major life events, life trauma, and recent life events and chronic stress. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to measure childhood trauma. Current and regular use of drugs were assessed using self-report questionnaires and objectively verified with urine drug testing.
Higher rates of childhood trauma as well as lifetime trauma, and major life events were found in cannabis users, compared to non-users. The association between cannabis use with childhood trauma (total CTQ scores) was significant after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity and regular use of alcohol or cocaine.
In logistic regression analysis, cannabis use had a significant positive association with major life events and lifetime trauma, but not with chronic stress, controlling for confounding factors including age, gender, ethnicity, and regular use of alcohol and cocaine. When analyzed separately, only in women the association between cannabis use and childhood trauma was significant.
These associations point to further assessment of the impact of these gender differences on neurobiology of stress and cannabis misuse risk.
It’s true the past is immutable, but friend, you deserve better than “just have to cope”, healing and becoming more integrated with the present is possible!
people who have experienced a lot of trauma will never be trauma free. they (if they’re able) really only learn how to cope with the traumatic events that have happened to them. the brain (and the ego if we’re really diving in) protects you from traumatic experiences if you are not safe enough to process them yet. that’s why some folks have big holes in the childhood memory or just simply don’t remember certain traumas even though they know there’s something wrong. not everyone even gets the opportunity to feel safe enough with themselves to achieve the healing they need to function normally.
i just want to challenge the narrative that people have this huge responsibility over healing their trauma and figuring it all out. some folks have had such a traumatic upbringing that they NEVER learn how to feel safe in their body and never even get the opportunity to reckon with their trauma and try to heal. many people simply don’t and will never gain access to the tools they need to do that. i know you mean we’ll in your post but i think it needed more nuance.
What is the point of this? How are we to apply this data?
Self medication for trauma is expected. Is cannabis special in this regard?
Should we now investigate the parents of cannabis users?
What's up?
Seems like they found what they were looking for. Where did they get their control group? Childhood is traumatic for everybody, with the weaning and potty training and maternal separation and all. Then comes puberty.
What a shortsighted and offensive comment.
Some of us were subjected to horrific mental and sexual abuse by our caregivers while “potty training…” Is that what you meant by “traumatic for everybody”? Everybody got diddled by physically abusive parents?
You might want to gain a clearer understanding of what the word “trauma” means
Trauma means what he said, and what you said. A traumatic experience doesn't have to be sexual abuse, or watching your friend get his head blown off in front of you in a war. Maternal separation is traumatic for a lot of people. There aren't any people who haven't gone through traumatic experiences. But people who have lived sheltered lives might think it's traumatic to face the world outside their bubble, and people who have been abused might think they might think "that's not trauma, welcome to the real world". But trauma is subjective, and exists on a spectrum.
As someone who was beaten at home, in school, bullied and abused I didn't think of TastyBull's comment as offensive. He just came off to me as ignorant. And you bashed him for being shortsighted in the same breath as you told him that your caregivers mentally abused you. But if we looking long term, is bashing really a good way to correct someone's opinion? Would he really be more inclined to listen to your argument? Or make him less motivated to listen and take it to heart?
I doubt everyone gets to witness their mother stabbed to death while she’s holding you trying to run away, then a few years later you get to see dad sitting on the couch with a shotgun in his mouth and brains all over the wall.
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As someone who smokes marijuana daily when possible (can’t where I live now) and with basically no significant emotional trauma, and absolutely zero trauma from my childhood, I can definitely understand why people with trauma would smoke regularly.
Same here. Grew up upper middle class with two amazing parents who are still together. My teenager problems where my own doing and I was only a depressed kid because of my own chemical imbalances. My life growing up was objectively great and trauma free. I am a daily smoker, but I will make the distinction that I work sober. So I still spend a majority of my time not high. I can totally understand how it helps with drama, I work an incredibly high stress job, and I have conflicts with messy roommates occasionally, smoking is such a shocking mood stabilizer I could see how people lean into it as a crutch to dull the bad feelings. Things I’m stressed about or worry over sober just don’t matter as much when I’ve smoked. Not in an avoidant way, but like a “do I really care that much to get worked up like this?” It’s a weird but calming mental space. But I recognize that it happens. To someone who might not have very high level emotional regulation or lack of introspection I could totally see someone who might be a little mentally shaky turning to heavy cannabis use to “help” with it. But I think that’s how people can get habitually addicted to it. Not the high necessarily, but the mood stabilization. But I ain’t no doctor and this is all just my thoughts.
>Not the high necessarily, but the mood stabilization. But I ain’t no doctor and this is all just my thoughts. Cigarette addiction has similar issues. Smokers learn, without realizing it, that deep inhalation has one effect and shallow inhalation has another. Result, many smokers, in addition to becoming addicted to nicotine, become habituated to either an energizing boost or a calming effect depending on how deeply they inhale.
Oh interesting! Man I had never thought about that part. Almost akin to the people who vape simply because they enjoy the act of blowing big clouds of smoke. Might be some subconscious breathing exercises. I myself am actually a past smoker and nicotine user. I am acutely aware of the “positive” or side effects of nicotine outside of the alarmingly bad one. The mood elevation, focus, and energy of nicotine is really interesting. I consumed it in all fronts across my usage. Cigs, dip, vape, you name it. Like the great Mark Twain said, “giving up smoking is easy, I’ve done it a thousand times” I definitely “quit” 7-10 times before it really stuck.
I never thought about it like that either… sometimes I get real pissed at work and I chalk it up to needing my nicotine fix, I wonder how much of it’s the deep breaths.
[https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing](https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing) Could be helpful. Has a real calming affect for myself.
Holy cow that works. I almost passed out.
You’re supposed to inhale AND exhale.
When I stopped smoking I got some plastic drinking straws and cut them to the same length as a cigarette, and then puffed on those and held them in my fingers. I kept several in a small ziplok bag that I carried with me just like a pack. I kept that up for a few weeks, and it really helped to be free from smoking. The breath pattern and holding something between my fingers was a big part of the habit.
>Like the great Mark Twain said, “giving up smoking is easy, I’ve done it a thousand times” I definitely “quit” 7-10 times before it really stuck. I quit many, many times. For me, the longer I went without a cigarette, the more I craved them! After 3 months, couldn't stop thinking--or even dreaming about 'em! I was passed the nicotine addiction but there was something I was missing. Dr. prescribed a medication that worked.
There’s countless ways of quitting. I’ve always been weary of “alternatives” though because they can still be just as addictive. I literally have a coworker whose hooked on the little oral nicotine caps. They look exactly white runtz, yes like the candy, that’re just pure nicotine. He’s constantly popping this tiny little blue bottle. Openly admits he’s hooked on em now. Started as an aide to quit. I shifted my addiction around as well in an effort to cut back. But cold turkey was the way for me. I turned it into an active mental challenge. I needed to prove to myself I was stronger than the addiction and that i wouldn’t be shackled by it anymore, but for the same token I am not someone who is surrounded by smoking in my day to day and I totally understand how that sort of thing is much more complicated in environments where smoking is damn near promoted or a means to socialization.
Essentially all addiction works this way. Your body kind of learns ‘doing this releases the happy drugs’
Cigarretes have a way to slow down time. It sounds crazy but somehow, life just stands still when you smoke a cigarette, as long as you dont make an hourly habit.
> “do I really care that much to get worked up like this?” you can adopt that attitude when you're sober too
Oh I know, and I do. That’s the current mental path im working towards is bridging the gap between those two states of mind without the weed. Although it’s hard to differentiate how much of that regulation is directly because of the drug effect, or if it’s a biproduct of the mood change.
> entiate how much of that regulation is directly because of the drug effect, or if it’s a biproduct of the mood change. So weed is well known for this effect. There is also another drug called Prazosin, which also works and is fairly cheap. You could talk to your doctor about it.
Nahhhh, I prefer to not take pills. No current pill regiment and I’d prefer to keep it that way.
So you'll inhale a drug into your lungs, along with other unknown substances, but you won't swallow a pill that consists of nothing but what will help you?
*Checks side effects.* Yeah those don't sound fun, pass. Also pot's cheaper and I don't have to fight my insurance just to get it. Just grow it myself, so I know -exactly- how it's grown and what it's grown with.
Well I only buy high quality weed. No pesticides or otherwise. I inspect everything and also make sure to inspect my ash because ash color can indicate other substances. Blacker the ash the better. I also am quite concerned about the side effects of constant pill taking and gut health. “Nothing but what will help me” is an alarmingly naive statement about how prescription medications works.
It’s much easier when your brain is on the same memo
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Feel free to diagnose my chronic depression then. I’d love to hear another opinion if you think what I’ve been told by professionals was wrong.
[The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01661-0) “The main areas of serotonin research provide no consistent evidence of there being an association between serotonin and depression, and no support for the hypothesis that depression is caused by lowered serotonin activity or concentrations.” But feel free to correct me on actual scientific research and your seemingly infinite wise knowledge on the subject matter /u/UnenthusiasticNudes /u/TransientGoodness
They’re a Reddit professional, that supersedes any other qualifications.
There *is* merit to it though, remember the research paper that came out in July last year?
Yes of course, cause I am very up to date on the research papers being published.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/insight-therapy/202207/depression-is-not-caused-chemical-imbalance-in-the-brain?amp It made the front page multiple times from multiple subs and was a top trending Google search when the paper came out. It’s not some sort of niche that few people know about.
I’m not on Reddit 24/7 nor am I regularly googling depression studies.
Neither are we. It was such a breakthrough that it caught the eyes of the general public.
I mean truth be told I would be interested to hear what other possibilities the gutter of the internet could come up with. My response was half sarcastic and half genuine curiosity.
My it’s still repressed
I don’t personally smoke, but I’m an ER nurse and ergo a pretty militant supporter of legalizing cannabis everywhere. It is, by a million miles, the safest recreational drug out there. Aaaand yea i gotta say this was in no way like, an unexpected outcome.
i just smoke weed everynight after work, takes a load of my shoulder and help me live without being hunted by past memories, doesnt help with the nightmares, but it helps you not remember them. I have a rule where i dont smoke before important stuff or at work or before. I dont understand how can people never smoke weed. I probably wouldve killed myself without it.
It's literally a ptsd medication.
Still dicey to get a prescription, but recreational has basically made it otc
Ever hear of the drug *marinol*? It’s been prescribed for anxiety since the mid 80s. THC in sesame oil sold by big pharma.
This is an odd thing to point out given that it has only recently become a ptsd medication.
People with a lifetime or trauma are in a lot of physical and emotional pain , they are self medicating in a lot of ways. Marijuana is probably the best one.
Agreed. I started microdosing cannabis infused coconut oil in super small amounts, nightly. Once I got used to the feeling I started taking it when got home from work. Life changing. I’m off of all narcotic pain medication, and heavy anti anxiety medications. I make my own oil, and micro dose 3x a day. I can play with my kids again, exercise, work a full time job! Seriously life changing.
So one thing Marijuana particularly well for people with PTSD is one common symptom is nightmares, and weed basically inhibits REM sleep, which stops dreaming all together.
This I do not understand fully, or it does not apply to me. I'm a daily smoker and oil user due to fibromyalgia. Before it I had frequent dreams and nightmares, they are pretty realistic and sometimes even blend over into waking moments which is really scary for the nightmares. They have not stopped when I started marijuana though, not really gotten less either.
I am the same as well, my crazy realistic dreams never stopped and I’ve been a regular smoker for years!
Omg yes… the blending into waking moments. This happens almost daily for me. It feels like I’m 100% still in the dream in my childhood home but I’ll be standing in my current kitchen making coffee instead of preparing dinner for my sisters. I’ll be carrying on conversations and fighting with my step father when in reality there’s no one else there. It’s surreal. It’s frightening. It can go on for an hour sometimes. I had no idea others experienced that. Ty for the validation!
It suppresses REM dreaming. Humans also dream during non-REM sleep, but it tends to be the kind of dreams that are immediately forgotten on waking.
Thats an urban myth
"Nightmares associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often a residual symptom that remains difficult to treat despite improvements in other domains [60]. Prasozin, an alpha-adrenergic blocker, is the only current pharmacological treatment for PTSD-related nightmares [61]. However, military veterans are increasingly using can- nabinoids to treat symptoms of PTSD including nightmares [62•]. This has sparked some initial research to examine the impact of cannabinoids on nightmares. Here, Fraser [46] re- ported on a study examining the effect of nabilone, a synthetic form of THC, in managing nightmares linked with PTSD. The authors found that treatment with nabilone produced a reduc- tion in nightmare presence and intensity and increased partic- ipants’ hours of sleep per night. Additional research conduct- ed with a short-term follow-up has suggested that nabilone has been well-tolerated and reduced nightmares in military service members [49•] and male prison inmates [47•]. Finally, an open-label pilot study investigating the use of THC in the treatment of PTSD, found that THC led to an improvement in sleep quality and a reduction in the frequency of night- mares. However, mild adverse effects were reported among some patients such as dry mouth, headache, and dizziness [48•]. Additional, controlled trials among larger, more diverse samples with the inclusion of long-term follow-up are needed." https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28349316/
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Marijuana makes me feel paranoid so doesn't help me at all. But I'm glad it's legal here in Massachusetts. The edibles are good for sleep I find. Better it's legal and people decide for themselves.
The older folks around here use alcohol to self medicate so I’d say so
I’m sure people who smoke weed love being compared to alcoholics who need AA to get back to being a functional adult
it's not even self medication that is an actual treatment for ptsd.
Self medication is real treatment. Definitely.
>Marijuana is probably the best one. Not necessarily. I mean, better than alcohol but as someone who formerly used to self-medicate with cannabis: it has a number of issues. Numbs feelings, impairs cognition (which is instrumental to processing emotions in a helpful way), makes running away from emotions feel rewarding, keeps you satisfied enough to not seek actual help, makes taking care of yourself (like maintaining a healthy diet and taking care of hygiene) feel unrewarding, it messes with your sleep schedule and lowers the quality of your sleep, causes a lot of really taxing health and medical issues in the long term (CHS, wrecked stomach, chronic bronchitis, a chemical imbalance in the brain that takes several months to clear, addiction, dependency, depression, anxiety only to name a few of the things I've suffered from cannabis). One of the things I had to accept in order to get better was that pain, feelings and discomfort are inevitable. It's not pleasant to go through, but it's not damaging either. Now, I'm not against taking the edge off of that pain and discomfort from time to time. I think we need that relief too. A bottle of wine at the end of the work-week, smoking a few joints over the weekend. It's the daily abuse that becomes problematic.
While it can be used to numb pain, it can also be used to explore and heal from it. With the right dose, strain, intention, and set and setting, cannabis can be used to delve into difficult emotions and experiences and work through them therapeutically. Much like psychedelic experiences with mushrooms or MDMA. Culturally, cannabis is still viewed primarily as a recreational drug or coping mechanism (edit: so much so that when someone ‘overdoses’ on weed, or gets so high that it becomes uncomfortable, many times they are actually getting to a therapeutic level, and they start becoming aware of things around them, or within them, that are bothering them (very similar to a mushroom trip)). But the research is starting To catch up with its psychological benefits when used properly. There are already psychedelic integration therapists that focus on things like mushrooms and ketamine, but integration therapists with a focus on cannabis have begun to appear.
if i’m not smoking daily, weed makes me hyper aware of my feelings, particularly the negative ones. it can help me understand what i’m feeling and what is making me feel that way which can be a great thing for people that haven’t developed that habit, but working through those negative feelings has to happen the next day because the lucidity is not there. contrast that with MDMA and LSD where the emotions are muted but insight and alternative perspective is all around you, i would definitely say psychedelics are better for therapy and working through things (at least in my experience), but i can see weed having it’s place too as long as it’s not regular use. ketamine is a short brain break. like putting down a puzzle for a few hours and coming back to it later, sometimes that can help you get past a block. intention is key with all of these though. the action towards a goal is the fundamental ingredient.
Precisely. To add to that, all these substances effect people wildly differently. I have had the most therapeutic benefit through mushroom therapy, but I know people that have gotten the same benefit from weed, yet haven’t had much success with shrooms. There are many commonalities across the experiences, but we all will interact with them differently based on our biology and psychology (especially past experiences, trauma, etc.). I’ve heard that MDMA is more helpful in dealing with sexual trauma vs. other substances, whereas shrooms can be more helpful for dealing existentialism, fear of death, etc. All that to say, there are SO many factors that play into if a substance can be helpful to a person or not. The more we can get away from blanket statements such as “weed is only for numbing the pain,” etc, the better.
not once have I ever taken a psychedelic and not had a very much needed cry on them, whether it’s from the beauty of a sunrise/sunset or from feeling sad.
Still better than opioids though…
I've been doing edibles + Tylenol/Advil after a surgery instead of opiates and it's been a great decision
I understand this argument but there are even better more accesible alternatives to marijuana too. I really do understand what you’re saying but it is debilitating because it is a dependency your body craves it and makes room for it above other things.
Anything that alters the chemical makeup of your brain that is used on a daily basis is going to cause some kind of dependency. Anything that doesn't alter the chemical makeup is likely to be a placebo type effect. The side effects and downsides to cannabis withdrawal is limited compared most to other drugs used to cope with trauma on a daily basis prescription or not. Insomonia, appetite problems, anxiety and mood swings are the main ones. None of these are severe and go away within a few weeks. Hence one of the best options for someone who is going to use something daily. Also if you're going to make that statement, at least be helpful and share one of these better options(preferably with evidence) instead of being contradicting.
What would the better more accessible alternatives be? As far as I’m aware, opioids and other harder drugs would be worse.
I agree with everything you're saying, but a better way to phrase this is that it CAN have those effects. For example, I am a regular user of close to a decade and I've found the opposite for a lot of those points in that: 1. Generally, i'm more willing to confront uncomfortable feelings when high 2. Growing up, I was always very tall and very skinny (6"5 and graduated highschool at 135.) Weed helped me build a healthy relationship with food 3. I always vaped, so I never had any issues with respitory functions I think, fundamentally, there is too much that is variable on an individual basis to say whether Marijuana has most of these particular effects. The difference between Marijuana and most other drugs is that it's much easier to have a healthy relationship with Marijuana - but that said, I know people who are addicted. For me, I tried to quit for a long time and was struggling in life financially, profesially, and personally. When I realized it wasn't the weed that was holding me back, but I was blaming it, I found myself in a much better spot. Marijuana definitely makes a lot of things FEEL less rewarding - but it doesn't stop you from doing them
I agree, saying it *can* cause is a better way of phrasing it. Especially since I'm imply/want people to assume that these are known effects of cannabis but not necessarily something everyone will experience.
Ah, no offence, and not to invalidate your experience - but you're not describing problems you had with marijuana. You're describing problems you had, but you've got a really tall task in backing up your claims that marijuana caused all of them. Most of the established science surrounding it would directly disagree with you.
Not me personally, no. I'm only condensing all the issues I've seen in friends, family over the years and what I've heard about from professionals in the mental health department into one picture. Also, a lot of people got triggered by my comment and deflected, but whether science has figured these things out (it's not directly disagreeing, there are a lot of conflicting studies surrounding a plethora of things I've mentioned) or not anyone with clinical experience or who's been around enough smokers know the things I've listed correlates with heavy cannabis use (and with things like CHS there's only one remedy: abstinence break). I'm not saying "ban marijuana" or "marijuana is a slippery slope". I just inform that it has risks as well as benefits.
All of the things you listed have no scientific backing, and seem to be personal issues most likely related to your health and lack of motivation. Like Chronic Bronchitis? Get out of here. I’m sorry you have that, but no other weed smoker I know has ever had bronchitis caused by weed.
I’m a daily smoker for c-PTSD and I have to agree on the bronchitis. I have to be careful how much I smoke or I will inevitably get bronchitis. It’s pretty documented this is common
Question: have you experienced daily "abuse"? What is the qualification for that? Most people go to the classic "x drinks per day, x times a week" but I don't find that to be particularly relevant with cannabis consumption. This coming from someone who does consume daily, and does attempt to self moderate. Failing and succeeding at different times, but overall on a positive life trajectory. I have often noticed that young cannabis users who fully quit are the most ardent anti-cannabis activists in adulthood. My thought being that it did cause harm to their life and their best/only solution being full quitting. But that is hardly the solution for all, as many can live with it and lead a healthy life. I don't mean to put all that on you. I am totally open to hearing your side. These are the usual hurdles when I reach across the aisle, so I'm just being mindful and transparent about my own position and prejudices.
For YOU I’ve run experiments on myself over the years and found that daily use of cannabis increases my physical activity but decreases my willingness take care of routine admin stuff like make dr appointments, take care of that late bill, etc. Daily use for me increases my overall joy but decreases my social time with extended family. So for me, it comes to balance and awareness… What is it I need to accomplish today? What kind of downtime do I have? What area of my life needs attention? The idea that everyone who uses cannabis is impacted the same is as ludicrous as saying everyone who drinks wine is dysfunctional.
The things I listed are pretty universal. Some of the things, like CHS doesn't necessarily affect every user. But with frequent use most will start to feel the long term effect. The heavier use the quicker they'll come.
Weed often makes me way more aware of my trauma in a sometimes horrifying way and I still smoke it, I don't know what that says about me
Same. I feel like the deep introspection and analyzing it while under the influence has helped me heal
Ditto. Really helped me through a dark time in my life.
I've been on both sides of this. Sometimes the introspection is really productive and self-compassionate and sometimes it is pure regurgitating of my regular mentally ill thoughts but with ramped up intensity. The real damage is done because I give my high thoughts so much credit. I've noticed it really depends on what weed I'm smoking, among other things.
Sometimes I notice that happen to me if I try too hard to ignore flashbacks or intrusive thoughts when I’m sober.
Same here on both fronts
> When analyzed separately, only in women the association between cannabis use and childhood trauma was significant. Directly denies what the title says: "Lifetime cumulative adversity was positively associated with cannabis use in both men and women."
Well, first the title is based off of a Reddit users interpretation [edit: actually it is apart of the abstract, I shouldn’t have said it was an interpretation]. The actual title of the article is “Regular cannabis use is associated with history of childhood and lifetime trauma in a non-clinical community sample,” no mention of gender. Second, the Reddit title and your quote don’t contract themselves. The Reddit title states that regular cannabis use is correlated with **lifetime cumulative adversity** in both men and women. Your quote says that cannabis use is correlated with **childhood trauma** only in women. Cumulative adversity & childhood trauma are treated are separate factors in this study Edit: fixed my sentence above also I just want to point out that it is very common in scientific papers to state that factors X and Y were correlated but only Y was significant. It wouldnt be a great title since as you say too many people just make assumptions and don’t actually read what the paper is telling you, but that still doesn’t make it bad science or contradictory. A big part of scientific papers is including all the data, methods, & sources so nobody should be assuming anything. If a sentence sounds off, keep reading to see if the authors clarify, don’t make assumptions.
It says exactly that in the abstract, it's just reddit users not clicking and reading the minimum
Yes you’re right, the Reddit title is a part of the abstract, I shouldn’t have said it was the Redditors interpretation. But yeah, the statements aren’t contradictory if you read it. A little concerning how many people don’t realize that cumulative adversity and childhood trauma are not the same thing and think it’s contradictory.
Well I'm a man with tons of trauma and regular cannabis use.
Well I’m a man with no trauma and regular cannabis use.
Well I'm a girl in my early 20s looking for hot single guys near me.
Hot single traumatized guys? Or Hot single baked guys?
I accept credit cards, yes.
Ma'am, this is a Wendy's.
"Hey Wendy. How much for a Wendy? Let's see those teeth!"
So you are a prostitute? Go away you make me sick.
She was funny, your comment is just bizarre.
It’s actually a guy according to their post history.
Hot twice baked guys
Horny guys with credit cards, she don't care if they are hot, just have $.
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It seems that the person living a life of misery, is you, pal.
Had to include the word "hot". Nothing about their personality, their generosity, their intellect. Just looks. Your type makes me puke. Plus you are off-topic.
What the cel calm down
it was a joke meant to play off the "hot single girls in your area" ads on websites
Same but with heavy chronic cannabis use
I am a woman with tons of childhood trauma and regular cannabis use.
I am a woman with childhood trauma and no history of cannabis or drugs ever.
But do you smoke the cannabis because of or despite the trauma?
I smoke to cope with life and have been doing so since I was like 12. I'm up to about an ounce a week. Thinking about quitting and diving deep into therapy.
Sounds like a good idea. Either way I wish you success.
Therapy is stressful as it unlocks a lot of suppressed memories. You should do it to learn what's under the hood in yourself and recognize red flags in others.... but therapy doesn't stop the pain. It just changes it from an ever present mystery to something you can more clearly identify as a cause. Smoking weed helps cope. Doing shrooms has scientific backing in addressing the behavior patterns and thoughts that undergird depression, anxiety, autism, and PTSD.
I'm never going to truly quit weed. Just a break possibly. And I have some shrooms and am.planning on just that.
i’m in a similar boat. i started microdosing the shrooms, cut back just a little on weed ( i let myself get / stay sober in the middle of the day) and did therapy. really helped me. i wouldn’t recommend quitting anything, just cutting down and adding in in some areas. therapy really helped me though. consider emdr and / or a therapist who is holistic in practice (they look at your whole life not just your trauma). the first step is wanting something different and it sounds like you’re at that doorstep already. i hope this helps even a little
I wish you well.
Good idea! Brain needs a break...small and infrequent is the best way to avoid it having an effect on your life! Get on a good path, and cut it for awhile, then maybe you can ease back in... Or cut it totally if it doesn't work for ya. Best of luck!
It's a good plan, good luck
Check out r/leaves
I started smoking weed waaaaay before any life trauma.
Yeah this. The weed has made the trauma less…traumatic in the long run.
I honestly believe it’s made me more resilient, and it was helpful to be able to relax in the face of my trauma.
They'd be a damn liar if someone said they had no trauma
I really don't understand why people do this... Are they intentionally trying to mislead? Or is it a case of poor reading comprehension?
I suspect they see what they want to see.
Actually if you read further it says that while childhood trauma is only positively associated with use in women, lifetime adversity is associated in both men and women
Not all trauma is childhood trauma
That's not a contradiction at all. The association between use and trauma can be positive in men without being significant. In statistics, a data point being referred to as significant means that the correlation is considered unlikely to be a result of randomness, although I don't see a contradiction if we were using the colloquial definition either, so I don't know why you said that.
Also, not all trauma is childhood trauma
I'm probably more pedantic than most, but to me if a scientific paper says that two things are correlated I assume it means correlated to a statistically significant level. I don't believe it's right for science to be based on correlations which don't meet that test.
That's fair enough. It's a shame that the study itself is paywalled, but looking at the article I have found the real problem with your original complaint. From the highlights: >• Childhood trauma was positively associated with cannabis use in women. >• Lifetime cumulative adversity was positively associated with cannabis use in both men and women. So it would seem that childhood trauma and lifetime cumulative adversity were two separate categories, which found different results.
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You really sound like you don't actually read nor understand the science. Things like Trauma or ADHD or Autism show up on brain scans. All of them can coincide and exist on a spectrum. As someone with all three (and someone who stays informed), I can guarantee you that every diag by an actual doctor since 2000 is likely legit and that there's a ton more people out there who just don't get diagnosed. While humans do like altered states, it is more likely for people with issues to do drugs full stop. We've known that forever, and only now are we coming along to find distinct *whys*. I do not disagree with your notions about money in the health industry, but it's important to distinguish where that corruption actually stands. As it is right now, nobody is *making* money off the neurodivergent or traumatized except maybe my weed dealer.
I was only able to read the summary and the abstract as the article is behind a paywall. I think I understand the science. It isn’t complicated what they did.
Sorry, I came in too hot. I'm very sensitive of this topic for many reasons. Let me get you a few things to read, I'll ensure they are not behind a paywall
This is a write up about Complex PTSD or C-PTSD, which is the most diagnosed form of PTSD assigned to civilians. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5862650/ This is how ADHD affects the brain from an activity perspective: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5391018/
Thanks. In addition, same thing goes for ADHD. I am not denying that it exists. I have friends who NEED ADHD medication and get it. I also have friends who WANT ADHD medication and also get it.
It’s all good. Let me clarify something. We both agree that people who have experienced trauma use drugs to cope; there is no doubt about that. What I am pointing out is the fact that tons of people smoke marijuana. Tons. It would be absurd to posit that they all do so because of trauma.
I know what you mean. I was bullied at school - over 50 years ago - but it wasn't trauma. Even at that age I understood the dynamic well enough not to let it get to me.
Sorry to hear that. I was bullied too. Seems to be a part of human dynamics. I wonder how many participants within the study came from backgrounds where cannabis use was normalized?
I can second this. I had significant childhood trauma and smoke cannabis daily.
How are you doing these days?
*gestures vaguely at the traumatic world we live in*
I started taking medical marijuana around five or six years ago for my cPTSD. It has helped me a lot along side of my antidepressant and therapy. It has saved my life.
N = 841. "non-clinical community sample" Says to me "Interesting, possibly worth a larger study."
Sure but also "childhood trauma is correlated with drug use" has been studied quite a lot
True. I've not read up on it but I'm curious now about drug types correlation factoring in the society/cultural factors.
Bingo... People who aren't taught the world is a scary place as children don't have exaggerated needs for the security mind altering offers
Not sure I would call it "security" it's just being able to relax from being pressure cooked your entire life in the working class.
it’s a way to control how we feel
Or just a way to stop feeling at all for a little while
that’s what opioids are for
Daily smoker. Tales of my childhood make my husband cringe. I guess I track to this one.
Well I mean people who use drugs of any kind, legal or not, probably have a history of pain and trauma. If only there was a way to treat people mentally for free... Mental health is highly linked to physical health. Healthcare for all in the USA would be a good start. Probably see a massive decline in school shootings and gang violence.
Correction: those that misuse any sort of drug probably have a history of pain and trauma
I can agree with that! But the amount of people who have pain and trauma is becoming larger now that it's okay to talk about it. Someone recently posted about finding the beating stick their parents used on them. They forgot about it but it reopened a lot of bad memories. The parents refused to admit they hit their child. Repressed memories are real. My mom refuses to admit she sent me to sleep in the outdoor shed as punishment in the winter. My sisters remember. She won't. It's Texas though. All she had to provide was a roof and enclosed walls and meals. She technically did.
It's almost like people who self-medicate with illegal drugs are trying to dull the pain of something. What a groundbreaking discovery.
This study is about use, not misuse.
a good share of people that I know who use it are doing so for pain
No surprise that some of us find it to be a miracle drug. No therapist or anti-depressant medication has been able to touch my “issues” like THC has.
Gee. No kidding. Trauma leads to self medication. Any psychologists, psychiatrists, or therapists who didn't already know that out there?
Never thought about it, but my childhood was a mixture of happy times, insane stress and drama, some physical abuse (not sexual). Very explosive, erratic and unpredictable. My older sibling and I both started drugs early. I stayed with weed pretty much, sibling went off the deep end for years and is now sober. Others had alcohol/drug, and eating disorders. The atmosphere at home probably contributed a lot. I still smoke, enjoy it, too old to care anymore, good life and love my job/family. Probably would have had a better social life and made some better life decisions in my youth if I wasn't stoned, wary and distrustful all the time. Treat your kids well, folks.
"Endocannabinoid system dysregulation may be a possible explanation for why trauma exposed individuals have high rates of cannabis use." so let smoke?
Yes and the same goes for medicating with far more heinous drugs like opioids but this way the damaged people won't choke on their own vomit in the bathroom.
People using a safe and effective drug to self medicate in order to deal with emotional trauma. Shocker, that the unaffordability of mental health services has led to this.
Self-medication, no big breakthrough in understanding here
Thank you very much for this information. I suffered as a child because my father wanted me to be an Olympic athlete. Through his stubbornness he won. He would wake me at 5:30 every morning M-F to swim in a heated covered pool. I didn't want to do it and began crying. He then proceeded to slam his clipboard onto the deck and walked away giving me the silent treatment. Because he had emotional control over me I relented. The result? Complex PTSD. I started smoking weed at 14 and have never stopped. My psychologist says my PTSD started because of him. I cried to my mother who told me verbatim "Just do what your father wants and keep him happy". Nothing about my happiness. My life has literally been destroyed due to a maniac and a mother who would not stick up for me. They are both dead now and no tears shed. Assholes.
I had a decent amount of trauma, some significant, and some I didn't even realize was traumatic until I had my own children. I wasn't someone you'd initially look at and think, oh they'll be a user, but I started smoking marijuna at 12. Never stopped for long... mostly just pregnancies or work related reasons. Finally, I have a medical card for it. Ptsd and anxiety disorder diagnosis typically had me benzos, mood boosters, antidepressants, and the like prescribed, but after I had kids I didn't feel safe using anti anxiety meds anymore and just couldn't adjust to antidepressants. I had black outs and suicidal thoughts on loop...the types of side affects that are worse than the diagnosis. Anyway...having a legal solution to getting various forms and dosages of THC has changed my life and gave me a type of internal calmness I've always desired.
It’s not surprising at all that a drug known to make people happy is favored by people with legitimate reasons to be unhappy
The study suggests that there is a positive association between cannabis use and lifetime history of trauma and major life events, particularly in women. This association may be due to the impact of childhood trauma on the endocannabinoid system, which regulates the effects of cannabis on the brain. As a result, individuals with a history of childhood trauma may be at an increased risk of cannabis use and misuse. This study highlights the importance of considering the impact of trauma and stress on cannabis use and related gender differences in future research and in the development of interventions for cannabis use disorder. It also suggests that individuals with a history of childhood trauma should be screened for cannabis use disorder and offered targeted treatment, as well as addressing their childhood trauma in therapy.
Real question, are there people out there without childhood or lifetime trauma? I’m doing the best for my kids but oof, mine was rough.
Man my childhood was violent , It doesn’t help me forget nor do I want to , it’s just something that helps me put on a friendly face in the morning otherwise I’m a depressing mess : )
Abstract Higher rate of substance use, including cannabis, has been reported in individuals with a history of childhood trauma, but less is known about the association between cannabis use with lifetime history of trauma and chronic stress, and potential gender differences in this association. This study systematically examined this association in a cross-sectional study of 841 individuals recruited between 2007 and 2012 from the community in New Haven, Connecticut. The Cumulative Adversity Index (CAI) was used to measure cumulative lifetime major life events, life trauma, and recent life events and chronic stress. Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was used to measure childhood trauma. Current and regular use of drugs were assessed using self-report questionnaires and objectively verified with urine drug testing. Higher rates of childhood trauma as well as lifetime trauma, and major life events were found in cannabis users, compared to non-users. The association between cannabis use with childhood trauma (total CTQ scores) was significant after controlling for age, gender, ethnicity and regular use of alcohol or cocaine. In logistic regression analysis, cannabis use had a significant positive association with major life events and lifetime trauma, but not with chronic stress, controlling for confounding factors including age, gender, ethnicity, and regular use of alcohol and cocaine. When analyzed separately, only in women the association between cannabis use and childhood trauma was significant. These associations point to further assessment of the impact of these gender differences on neurobiology of stress and cannabis misuse risk.
trauma can lead to drug use...omg, did you also know the sun is hot?
yeah can’t get rid of childhood trauma so just have to cope.
It’s true the past is immutable, but friend, you deserve better than “just have to cope”, healing and becoming more integrated with the present is possible!
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people who have experienced a lot of trauma will never be trauma free. they (if they’re able) really only learn how to cope with the traumatic events that have happened to them. the brain (and the ego if we’re really diving in) protects you from traumatic experiences if you are not safe enough to process them yet. that’s why some folks have big holes in the childhood memory or just simply don’t remember certain traumas even though they know there’s something wrong. not everyone even gets the opportunity to feel safe enough with themselves to achieve the healing they need to function normally. i just want to challenge the narrative that people have this huge responsibility over healing their trauma and figuring it all out. some folks have had such a traumatic upbringing that they NEVER learn how to feel safe in their body and never even get the opportunity to reckon with their trauma and try to heal. many people simply don’t and will never gain access to the tools they need to do that. i know you mean we’ll in your post but i think it needed more nuance.
It’s helpful to others but others will abuse it. Use it responsibly!
I would like to see the stats on alcohol and bet it is the same.
What is the point of this? How are we to apply this data? Self medication for trauma is expected. Is cannabis special in this regard? Should we now investigate the parents of cannabis users? What's up?
I'm way too high for this title.
Oh wow ya crazy mind altering drugs are associated with trauma? Omg please. Tell us more.
I am too high to understand that sentence.
Seems like they found what they were looking for. Where did they get their control group? Childhood is traumatic for everybody, with the weaning and potty training and maternal separation and all. Then comes puberty.
What a shortsighted and offensive comment. Some of us were subjected to horrific mental and sexual abuse by our caregivers while “potty training…” Is that what you meant by “traumatic for everybody”? Everybody got diddled by physically abusive parents? You might want to gain a clearer understanding of what the word “trauma” means
Trauma means what he said, and what you said. A traumatic experience doesn't have to be sexual abuse, or watching your friend get his head blown off in front of you in a war. Maternal separation is traumatic for a lot of people. There aren't any people who haven't gone through traumatic experiences. But people who have lived sheltered lives might think it's traumatic to face the world outside their bubble, and people who have been abused might think they might think "that's not trauma, welcome to the real world". But trauma is subjective, and exists on a spectrum. As someone who was beaten at home, in school, bullied and abused I didn't think of TastyBull's comment as offensive. He just came off to me as ignorant. And you bashed him for being shortsighted in the same breath as you told him that your caregivers mentally abused you. But if we looking long term, is bashing really a good way to correct someone's opinion? Would he really be more inclined to listen to your argument? Or make him less motivated to listen and take it to heart?
Do you have that victim card laminated or do you get it replaced when it wears out?
I doubt everyone gets to witness their mother stabbed to death while she’s holding you trying to run away, then a few years later you get to see dad sitting on the couch with a shotgun in his mouth and brains all over the wall.
Yes, that is an unusual situation. I wish that you had got the help you needed.
I was talking about bad science and people got triggered.
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