much respect for you, the shaman of the next generation. I have an EXTREME fascination w/ psychedelics and have done acid and shrooms a good amount of times. at first, when i was young, i had fun. now i always get caught in that grey, quiet, depressive state where all feels absolutely HOPELESS. i also have short bursts of this intense hoplessness feeling when sober now(spilt-second flashback?). i smoke weed everyday and am caught up in the "should i be smokin everyday" loop of depression. i guess my question is this. I have a good amount of problems, is it realistic to try and deal w/ these problems w/ psychedelic use? or should i deal w/ the depression through yoga and meditation? Should i quit weed while working on the self, or at least cut down? Does marijuana perpetuate my depression? Will psychedelics do more bad than good while you are depressed?

i am 20, and have probably been depressed for about 5-6 years. i have social anxiety disorder and have not responded to prozac, but haven't been very proactive in dealing with my problems. Any advice you can give me about depression that isn't well known would be very helpful. I'd also like to know if salvia is worth trying. thank you very much.
moonchild

Moonchild,

Cannabis and psychedelic drugs are NOT anti-depressants, and should NOT be used to solve emotional problems. And yes, they can make things worse. You say you've been depressed for 5-6 years. Have you been smoking pot that long? If so there might be a connection!

Everyday use of marijuana really gets you in a rut, and the more you use, the deeper the rut. Get it? You can get so low you can't even see above the ditch you've dug. So why not stop? Any change of mind will probably be a big improvement. Oh you might get a little more depressed for a couple of days when you first stop, but then, THEN, you'll start feeling more alive than you have in a long time. This is the point at which you must be careful. I've learned that when you start to "feel good" naturally, it's like getting high, but that often kicks in a "I feel great, let's get high" syndrome that starts you smoking again. That's the hard one to get beyond. But once you do, you may find yourself with more energy and more motivated than usual. Then you must focus that energy on something fun and productive. So plan out what you're going to do when you get straight, and psyche yourself to do it! Either go back to school, or get a new job, or take that trip, whatever, just take advantage of your newfound zest. Then you won't need the crutch of drugs to define your daily life.

Yoga and meditation are excellent for improving your mental and physical condition, which could be a large part of your depression.

If you can manage that, and learn how to keep yourself straight when you need or want to be straight, then perhaps you can approach cannabis again as a therapeutic or recreational drug, not as a dependency.

If you cannot manage the above prescription, then you really should seek outside help (as you've just done by writing me!). Why be miserable, when you should be enjoying life?

I highly recommend you DON'T use salvia until your depression is cleared up! It won't help!

Wishing you Health & Happiness,
The Old Hippy