Greening out is almost an inevitable event if you’re committed to being a stoner. How else would we learn our limits? The best ways to deal with a green out are to breathe, lay down and distract yourself by doing things you like (such as listening to music). If things get really rough, you could even make yourself puke. Remember that it’s all in your head and only a matter of time before the weed wears off and you go completely back to normal!
Even the most seasoned stoner has greened out before. Nobody is beyond the effect of smoking too much weed. And if you really love ganja, it’s easy to push it a little bit too far. Greening out is something different for everybody. For some, it’s the feeling of dizziness and nausea. For others, it’s a full blown psychotic episode. I even know people who think they are dying when they green out. But have no fear – there is no such thing as a marijuana overdose. Nobody has ever died from smoking too much weed. So what do you do when you’ve smoked one bong too many? I’ve got some tips that can save you in the middle of a weed crisis!
1. Listen to music
If you’re starting to freak out, put some of your favorite tunes on. You’d be surprised how relaxing good music can be. It can help you concentrate on something other than the chatter in your head. It also helps if the music is happy and uplifting, rather than choosing something dark or depressing.
2. It’s a perfect time to meditate!
If you’re at all into meditation, you know that it’s good training for times like these. Focusing on breathing will slow your heart rate down and relax the body. It is also a good way to bring you into the present moment. If you are breathing deeply, you definitely cannot be dying.
3. Lay down
When you start greening out, it can be easy to start panicking. That is only going to make matters worse. So lay down somewhere comfortable. If you are flailing about making a fuss, you’re going to scare everybody around you. But if you lay down, it will just look like you’re being lazy. So do yourself and everybody a favor and lay down! Plus, you can combine this method with the previous two.
4. Make yourself vomit
If you’re up to making yourself vomit, then you must be really desperate. It’s okay. We’ve all been there. Drink a ton of water and go somewhere private to make yourself throw up. It might seem like a crazy thing to do, but you’ll be surprised how much better you feel afterwards. Think of it as something like a cleansing. You’ll feel much more relaxed and some of the weed will have left your system.
5. Drink or eat something
Sometimes filling up your belly can make the effect of weed go away. It can even make you sleepy. Take advantage of that by drinking a warm tea or eating one of your favorite stoner snacks. It might seem difficult to eat in the moment of a green out, but once you start you’ll be completely fixated on smoking – and not on greening out! But don’t drink alcohol in this moment! It can only make matters worse.
6. Get some fresh air
From my experience, most green outs occur when people have been hotboxing. So if you’re in a friends car or you’ve been hotboxing the shower, step outside and breathe in some fresh air. It can completely cool you down.
7. Go to sleep
Everybody knows that weed is the perfect thing to use before sleep. It is a powerful sedative, and if you lie down for 10 minutes you will probably fall asleep. This is the easiest way to pass through a green out. You can’t call the hospital or have a psychotic episode if you’re sleeping. Perhaps you’ll have some interesting dreams, but your future self will deal with that when you wake up after a nap.
8. Go for a walk
Walking is a great meditation for an anxious mind. It is also a great way to bring attention to your body, and to incorporate the method of getting in some fresh air. If you do decide to go for a walk, don’t go too far. It can be easy to get lost if you’re stoned. It also pays to walk in areas that you are familiar with. Being in new places can completely exaggerate the greening out mode. So keep it simple and local, and walk around for a few minutes.
9. Have a chat with one of your friends
If you’re smoking with friends and have started freaking out, try having a chat with one of them. Try and pick the most sensible one and tell them what’s going on. They might be able to calm you down by telling you a joke or reminding you that there’s nothing to freak out about. Sometimes just expressing that things are really intense can calm you down. But you should, by no means, call your parents or your boss telling them you’re greening out. That could cause more problems than it solves!
10. Remember it’s all in your head
If all else fails, remind yourself you’ve only smoked weed. Nothing really bad is going to happen. Unless of course you call the ambulance and send yourself to hospital. That’s not something you want to explain to paramedics – or an added bill you want to pay for something as simple as greening out. You cannot actually die or overdose from smoking too much weed. It is, in fact, all in your head. Just don’t do anything stupid like try to drive a car and you will be completely fine. It’s only a matter of time before it wears off and you can laugh about how silly you were!
I hope these tips help you in the rare case of greening out. Know your limits for the next time!
