Tip: Marijuana and OCD

This is a tricky topic as I am not discounting the fact that marijuana can help people with OCD reduce their anxiety. And while I wouldn’t have ever considered myself to be a heavy drug-user, I certainly enjoyed smoking in college at certain times. However, once my OCD got more severe after I left college, marijuana actually made dealing with my OCD more difficult in the moment. It is hard enough to deal with OCD with a completely clear head, and so introducing drugs into the mix can really exacerbate the situation. Not only do drugs mess with how well your mind functions, but also they can become fodder for OCD worries themselves. For example, after eating weed gummies (for the first time since OCD got really bad), I woke up the next day feeling like my brain was in a haze. I then became convinced that marijuana had permanently altered my brain structure and that I would never be able to focus as well as before. This OCD worry led to a mini panic attack and the fear did not fully go away until a couple days later when I felt more normal. So my OCD brain took a temporary effect–marijuana usage sometimes resulting in a foggy hangover–and tried to make me believe this condition was permanent. And it was that much harder for me to deal with than normal because I was still potentially working through the aftereffects of a drug.

And this past experience has affected how I approached marijuana in the future as I have basically sworn off of it, and the one time I did partake, I was so worried I was going to get that brain fog again that I was unable to even enjoy the positive effects of marijuana. However, it has reached the point now where I realized that marijuana may actually be something I need to utilize exposure therapy with. OCD has taken me completely out of how a “normal” person would view marijuana and has made me completely afraid of it. And while obviously marijuana is still a drug, and a life without drugs is certainly not a bad thing whatsoever, I know that I need to keep pushing the boundaries of OCD in all aspects to try to eliminate any influence it has on my life. Ultimately though, it is not a pressing concern as not only am I fine living my life without drugs but also I am still a little scared of marijuana due to my OCD experience with it. And that is ok. As I keep progressing with my therapy, I will continue getting more and more comfortable with even the toughest OCD fears, and I do believe that one day I will be able to conquer this complicated OCD issue. So, in conclusion, I would advise anyone who is in the beginning or middle of their therapy to be cautious around marijuana and understand that it can make you more paranoid and less able to tackle OCD problems that spring up as your mind is not fully focused. However, for someone who is thriving in therapy or at the very end of their treatment, I might try (this is my personal opinion on what I would do in this circumstance and I am not a therapist, so please check with yours before proceeding) a marijuana-related exposure therapy as this can help you deal with anxiety under more challenging mental conditions, thus making you more able to deal with any and all OCD problems, no matter your mental state.