One of the first posts I made involved the act of getting high- specifically, 18,000 feet high in the air. This post is about a different kind of high. For many people my age, especially in this industry, this will seem sort of goofy to say the least. I was almost hesitant to post about the experience, because I was worried about the reactions from classmates and coworkers who routinely take weed to get through the day. Eventually, though, I recognized that the whole point of this blog was to write about new experiences. Clearly, I have lived on a different timeline than many people my age. I got drunk for the first time last April, while the majority of people I know claim to have been drinking for years. Personally, I am glad I waited so long to try anything. Knowing my mental state when I was younger, I would not have had the self control to be adequately careful while using drugs. I drank a lot with my parents this summer, and eventually came to realize I didn’t like the feeling. I now know enough to politely decline when drinks are offered to me. I will reevaluate this at a later time, but for now, I think not drinking will definitely not do me any harm. I was nervous about the possible paranoia that can sometimes accompany weed, but was surprised at how clear my mind was throughout the whole experience. But lets start at the beginning:

One of my closest friends who I was lucky enough to meet this year had a supply of edibles. I had mentioned that getting high was something on my list, and she offered to help me accomplish my goal. We decided that she and I would get high while our other friend, Kay, would watch us. The day before, I prepared as much as I could. I cleaned my room, bought snacks, and did as much research as possible. I also wrote reminders around my room (“don’t message mom and dad” and “don’t drive anywhere”). Okay, I might have been a little paranoid. For the sake of the blog, I also made a google document with questions for me to answer once it kicked in. There has been a lot of speculation and hope that I might be able to control the chronic pain in my left arm, back, and chest through the use of marijuana. Unfortunately, those pains did not go away, but I was pleasantly surprised with how it effected me mentally. To control my ADHD, I take 10 mg of Adderal every morning and 10 more in the afternoon. In preparation of this event, I skipped my afternoon dose. The weed had a very similar effect on calming my mind, with the difference being that it was much more effective on silencing my anxious thoughts. It also prevented me from focusing on much of anything, and the things that I think about constantly, such as the stress about my family and my plans for after graduation, were easy to ignore.

This was one of the most fun nights I have had with my friends since I met them. We watched Willy Wonka (both versions) and laughed very hard for many hours. I ate an entire crumbl cookie, most of a pint of ice cream, a cup of goldfish, and seven mini quiche. I was absolutely devastated when I realized the bread I was about to eat was molding, but luckily my friends distracted me with something else. We called Kay’s mother, and my friends spent at least half an hour trying to teach me how to do the “limp wrist” hand motion, which I couldn’t get right because I kept curling my fingers into a claw, which led to uncontrollable laughter from everyone involved.

I was surprised to say I slept terribly that night. I still felt slightly high for a few hours the next day, and laughed a little too hard when I remembered the night before. A few days later, I got high again by myself. Physically, I felt the same as the first time. It wasn’t as fun, though, and I think the part that made it truly enjoyable was the friends I was with. For about a week after the first time, I was surprised at how much I wanted to do it again. Only about 10% of people who use marijuana end up addicted to it, but addiction runs in my family, so I was extra cautious to avoid it until the urge went away again. Overall, it was a very positive experience. I am glad I tried it, and would be happy to try it again in another setting and see how the experience changes based on my surroundings.

I will leave you with some of the questions I answered while I was high:

1. Are you tired?
   • I feel drugged
2. Are you too hot/too cold?
   • My face feels hot but my body is alright temperature wise. 
3. Is your vision affected in any way?
   • I am having slight trouble keeping my eyes fully open. My vision is slightly blurrier but not significantly, it’s mostly as if my eyes won’t fully focus on my surroundings. 
4. Do you miss anyone?
   • I don’t wish anyone was here. I am content with the people around me. I do not want them to leave.
5. Do you want to be alone?
   • No, I am so glad my friends are here.
6. Look in a mirror. How do you feel about your appearance?
   • I’m very cute but my cheeks are really red