High Anxiety: Contending with THC-Induced Panic

Marijuana has a reputation as being a chilled-out, mellow drug that results in goofy laughter and eating lots of snacks. But for some people, being too high can be anything but chill. 

I once got so high, I thought I was dead — no joke. Amidst my dazed and confused panic, I started searching for an online article to calm myself down but couldn’t find one. So I thought we would provide that article if anyone in our audience is bugging out because they got too high.

Take a look at the clock. What time is it? Note that in about an hour, you should start to feel better. But when we are high, an hour can feel like an eternity. So let’s get you as comfortable as possible and try a few things till you feel a bit better, shall we? 

You’re not going to die

First and foremost, you are not going to die. No one has ever died from too much cannabis, and you are certainly not going to be the first person to break that statistic. You’re just a little too high, and that’s ok. It’s happened to the best of us. Most people who have used marijuana have been where you are now. And every single one of us has survived and lived to tell the tale. 

Treat your cottonmouth

Let’s get you some cold, refreshing water. THC, the active drug in marijuana, causes dry mouth. So let’s remedy that immediately. Having water nearby when we are too high is a comfort. So grab some water, have a few sips, and set it within reach.

Reach out to someone

Is there someone around that you feel comfortable with? If so, ask them to hang out with you till you calm down a little. You can also text with someone you trust till you come back to earth, or give them a call. Connecting with another person can ground you when you feel too high. They may provide some laughter, comfort, or the needed reassurance to help you get through this.

Comfort television

If you can, throw on your favorite show. Having a familiar and comforting TV show on (even just in the background) can provide some distraction and “normalcy.” You could also try to find something calming or funny to watch. We definitely don’t want anything too dramatic, scary, or serious, so try to keep it light. Here are 62 suggestions for the best Netflix shows to watch while stoned. We love Parks and Recreation, Impractical Jokers, older episodes of Top Gear, and 30 Rock for lighthearted, humorous, and easy viewing. The Office is also a great standby.

Relaxation tips

Take a few deep breaths. In fact, square breathing – which is a controlled breathing technique –  is quite helpful in calming us down. We watched a bunch of videos so you don’t have to and found this one quite relaxing. It’s only three minutes long, and it may help regulate panicked breathing which may make you feel calmer. You can also try this grounding exercise. There’s also no shortage of guided meditations online that you can try out or play around with. 

Lighten up

Our last tip is to try to laugh a little. We know this feels scary, but in reality, everything is fine — you’re just high. As we said, most everyone who has ever used marijuana has an “I got too high” horror story — and this might be yours. Sure it’s scary now, but it won’t be later. It will certainly make for an interesting story to share when the topic of bad highs comes up around the water cooler or at a party in the future. 

What’s next? 

Typically, when we use marijuana, the goal is to relax. So when we have a bad high and feel anything but relaxed, it totally sucks. We know how you feel, and it’s not your fault this happened. But soon enough, you will be in the munchies phase of your high which can be quite fun. I also found that I slept really well after having a bad high because they always wore me out. So, there are lots of snacks and great sleep coming your way quite soon. 

Take a deep breath and try to relax. This WILL be over soon, and now you have an interesting life story. 

What’s your “I got too high” horror story? Please share your story in the comments so our high-anxiety readers have more stories to calm them down! 

Laura

Laura is co-creator and writer at The Wagon. She’s written for Newsday, ran a marathon and fallen off bar stools. At 3+ years sober, she currently lives on Long Island, NY with her husband and little dog.