can smoking weed make autism worse

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My short term memory sucks to begin with because I am always so distracted by everything else going on in my head....I will admit it seems to increase some of my sensory sensitivities but it does not make it any more unpleasant or anything. But it tends to reduce all the internal crap I have going on so I can actually better process some of the outside stimuli.

There are risks with every drug, but there are a lot of exaggerations out there about cannabis, so that should be kept in mind when researching it.

Don't read it. But there is still the danger of second hand post...

It actually improves my brain function. I become more aware of other peoples' intentions and am able to think more clearly about things. I wish they would do more serious research on THC because there is definitely a positive effect (for me.)

that's all i read then i laughed. show us the studies.

I'm not saying it does not change the brain even though there is likely little or no evidence that it does. I suspect that it alters behaviour that can lead to altered brains but that is not a big deal. Brains are highly plastic, many many things can change it. change can also be reversed

The so-called scientific studies which suggest that weed damages the brain are laughable, as are the people who automatically believe anything which supposedly came from a scientist. There is plenty of evidence to the contrary from other magical scientists too.

The idea that alcohol is less damaging to the brain than weed, is once again, laughable.

I actually laughed out loud at that one.

I agree alcohol is proven to cause brain damage, and I probably drink too much but I still know this.

I've smoked many times and have always regretted it. I'm overly sensitive to external stimuli as it is, and smoking weed always makes it worse.

However, eating it doesn't affect me the same way. It gives me the stoned sensation without the head high which I hate. Unfortunately it isn't around as often and I sometimes get way waaaay too stoned (hallucinations followed by massive hangover). Never had a bad trip on shrooms, but weed is another story.

I usually stick to liquor

here are my 2 cents on this subject. first, i haven't been diagnosed yet, but i am now convinced that i am an aspie. (if it looks like a dog, and it barks like a dog, it's most likely a dog) as a child, i was obviously different, but i was not a "problem child". i never disrupted class, my grades were perfect and i could somewhat interact with other kids, so i never been diagnosed. (if its not broken, don't fix it) until very recently, i had very little knowledge of this condition so i just thought i was weird. but now, i have talked to my mom, to ask her to inform herself on autism to see if i had any sign back when i was a child. so now we are both convinced that i have that condition so i took a rendez vous with a professional in the next few weeks to maybe get a diagnostic. (or to be told that i'm completely delusional.)

i will tell you about my personal experience with weed. i most likely started smoking weed because of peer pressure. i wanted to fit in. so yes, my social life started, if i can say, because of weed. those kids had the connections, so i needed them to get the drug. over time, i did became good friends with some of these ppl. the drawback was that i became less interested with school. as i grew older, i started to smoke a lot, and i mean A LOT of pot, and that was a very bad thing. a huge mistake. but in small quantities, it's not that bad.

as of the effects of weed itself on me, well, let me elaborate. if i understand correctly, autistics usually have an above average long term memory and concentration. many studies have shown that medium, to long term usage of cannabis affects memory and concentration level. so in a sense, yes, cannabis may help autistic ppl to be more "normal" by nullifying these traits (this is purely based on my logical reasoning and no studies have ever been done on the subject as far as i know). the problem is, even if an autistic person lowers its concentration and memory level, that person still have bad short term memory and its logical reasoning will still be autistic. but many need those (memory and concentration) to be able to function optimally, since we (or they, no official diagnostic yet for me) use these traits to compensate for our (or their) other weaknesses. also, many cannabis users (NT) develops a "f**k it all" attitude. this may help a person with autism. (again, this is simply my opinion and no studies have ever been made on the subject)

in the past 10 years or so, i have been, most of the time, using cannabis in very small quantities. (what my friends smoke in one weekend, i smoke in 2 months). i can not smoke when i'm around other ppl, because i get way too introverted and completely shut myself off from my surroundings. (but i'm rarely with other ppl except when i'm at work so meh.) but i also noticed that when i completely stop smoking for a few weeks, i tend to talk a lot more to myself, (even when other ppl are around) and i tend to become more obsessed with my special interests.

in conclusion, with retrospective in my life, i know now that i should not have used cannabis. (maybe i would be working at cern today looking for that damn higgs boson) but in a sense, yes, i did, (i think) help me with my social life. (or maybe not because i don't have much of one). i now have completely stop smoking since i realized a few weeks ago that i have most likely asperger's. (still working on that diagnostic thing). i now accept who and what i am, and i don't need "illusions" to modify me.

my personal advice to you, if you are one of those smart kids, stay away from drugs. the world needs you more then you need friends. if you already have problems functioning, you can try it. the worst that can happen is that you get worst. but it may also help you, i don't know. nevertheless, in either case, i still strongly suggest that you accept who, and what you are. I WISH I DID WHEN I WAS YOUR AGE.

PS. please note that i have not been diagnosed yet and i may only be a complete f**k up deluding himself with asperger's.

hope this helps.

VERY little experience here; I only tried it a couple times, and I'm 44. I do know that in my case, it makes me feel worried that I can't handle a situation that might come up, like maybe I'll feel like a total idiot if someone comes by after I smoked it, or maybe if there's an emergency, I won't be able to do whatever I'd have to do. Maybe it's a paranoia feeling?

I'm not going to judge whether you should or shouldn't try it, other than to remind you that if it's illegal to smoke it (or to smoke it under certain ages) where you live, as a responsible adult I have to advise you to obey the rules so you don't get in trouble or get your parents in trouble. But with that said, I have never heard of marijuana causing brain damage or worsening autism, or anything like that. It can give you a sore throat and a cough, and if you get in a habit with it, you can start doing dumb things, and let it ruin your life just like alcohol or other drugs.

Charles

That quote is (deliberately?) taken out of context. Let me clear this up. You could replace "mind" with "psyche" and "body" with "brain" in this statement, so don't bother with petty attempts of ridicule and instead stick to logical reasoning. Also I hope you are not saying short-term memory degradation from THC is a hoax?

@Sweetleaf
Since you are no stranger: I recommend ritalin or concerta (intended for add/adhd but I guess any pure amphetamine would work?) with small doses of hash (tricky to balance, I ended up at 0.25~0.4g per day) for that "I can concentrate and the world doesn't overwhelm me" feeling. Still impairs short term memory, so social interaction or a cashier job won't work. Weed didn't work for me, lost motivation, and alcohol caused me to make too many mistakes.

Other then that, I agree with Burny. Yes, the talking in myself part too, that was weird since I never realized how smoking affected that... going to stop smoking 100% and see when it comes back.

THC is not the only active ingredient in marihuana. There are other cabbinoids as well, many of them appear to very effective in quelling physical pain, as well as ceasing neurological interference.

I quit about every few months just to see if I am doing better, with a week I start to tremor again, with two weeks it's very noticeable and affects my gait.

Where did you learn this? Reefer Madness? Don't we have enough hysteria on this forum? I do agree with you on the age though

To be honest with you, I think that most of your paranoia comes from the fact that you haven't done it very much combined with the fact that there's such a negative social stigma about it. That, and the fact that it's portrayed as making you stupid, lazy, unable to remember things, and I've even seen a commercial suggesting its affects are like that of alcohol(total blackouts, treating people like s**t for no reason, becoming a totally different person under the influence of it). Pot definitely does make me slightly paranoid sometimes, but it doesn't make me stupid. If I smoke enough of it, it can make it difficult to pay attention to certain things though. And once you realize where the paranoia comes from and that you're just as capable of doing most things while high that you can do sober, a lot of the paranoia goes away.

I'm sure pot isn't right for everybody, but I don't think that because a few people have had some less than great experiences with it, we should just label it this terrible thing that needs to be outlawed and banned from society forever, or that there needs to be this huge smear campaign against it. It has definite benefits for a lot of people.

I've taken adderall a few times and I like it but I don't know that it actually helps me.

As a not-so-changed (attitude wise) hippie and dealer from the 1960s/1970s (age 19-25) its far easier to list the drugs of those days that I have not done (only three of them... psilocybin, MDA (precursor to ecstasy) and one other that I no longer remember), than those I have done. Those days are long long passed for me though. I still remember though that I never did like cannabis that much because it forced me too deep into my shell and thus made me feel uncomfortable when I really wanted to be more outgoing. Unfortunately the same factor made speed far too appealing to me and I ended up moderately strung out on it for a while until I realized what was happening and forced myself to quit using it. LSD was my favorite though (the real stuff, not the dangerous fake stuff they sell these days... there has been no real LSD since the DEA busted the last two labs making it in the year 2000). It kept my mind active, did not force me into a shell and offered far more than cannabis did.

These days I find it is better to be naturally high on life and (good) people and would be afraid to use some of the drugs that are out there now. A 14 year old should wait a few years, learn to be himself and learn to appreciate youth for all it has to offer (along with all the annoyances). You will never get that chance again.

[quote="TTRSage"...A 14 year old should wait a few years, learn to be himself and learn to appreciate youth for all it has to offer (along with all the annoyances). You will never get that chance again.[/quote]

Absolutely.