Thoughts on moms that smoke marijuana

[BabyMamma93]

this thread has been on my mind all weekend..
to me it doesn't make sense to self meditate for anxiety, weed makes you paranoid, it makes your heart beat faster, it can cause panic attacks, and smoking weed is known to cause anxiety, so i don't understand why you would consider taking weed to help with anxiety.
of corse im not judging you nor am i saying absolutely do not smoke weed, bcos i you want to you will anyway, i guess its just been on my mind alot and i needed to get this out!

 

[nic18]

I wouldn't. I couldn't risk getting my son taken off me, no way.

 

[BabyMamma93]

i will just add.
i didnt think there was a risk of having children removed if you smoke the odd joint?

 

[Andypanda6570]

. I am in the U.S. and my friend got her child taken away because she would not go to school, she is 16.. I don't know how it is anywhere else, but here, it is possible to have them taken away not permanently , but temporarily and that is enough reason for me, why I would never do something very irresponsible.. JMO

 

[nic18]

Surely there is a risk of the child or at least social services getting involved as its illegal in most places.

 

[ClairAye]

You would assume that smoking it alone is no reason to take them away and that they would look into everything else, like if you smoke but are able to look after your home and children or not? I have no idea though!

 

[Foogirl]

You would assume that smoking it alone is no reason to take them away and that they would look into everything else, like if you smoke but are able to look after your home and children or not? I have no idea though!

I guess it comes down to what they will consider as neglect. It might be that smoking weed when you are in sole charge of your children is enough to constitute neglect.

 

[pinklightbulb]

I smoke it. I have OCD/health anxiety and depression. I find myself much calmer and able to withstand more stress and in turn it helps me be a better parent. It doesn't compromise that at all, for me.

 

[wookie130]

It depends on where you live, and what the laws state for your locality. Where I live (Iowa, U.S.), smoking pot in the presence of a minor (which doesn't necessarily mean IN FRONT of the child...one has to basically be smoking it under the same roof while the child is there in the house) is considered child abuse under Iowa code. This can get your kids removed (usually temporarily), and I've seen it happen. But again, it depends on where you live, and the law in your area.

 

[Larkspur]

As this is in the teen parenting section, I'm going to guess you're at least still young, if not a teen.

There are a lot of good reasons to choose some other method for dealing with anxiety and stress than taking drugs, not least of which is that as a teenager, smoking weed is literally damaging your brain and affecting it for decades to come. Human brains are not fully mature until the mid-20s, and using drugs to deal with stress now may mean that in the future you find it much harder to deal with anxiety without drugs, and have to take larger and larger doses for the same effect. It also increases your risk of developing other psychiatric disorders, like schizophrenia and depression.

I am not personally against weed, I would be happy to see it decriminalised even though I don't enjoy it myself. But I do think it's risky to use it regularly as a young person.

You could try learning meditation, having counselling, spending more time exercising, or talking to a doctor about prescription medication as proven alternatives for decreasing anxiety.

 

[Googiepie]

I would say it depends on how it affects you. My OH's cousin stayed with us for a while after she had a baby. She started smoking weed again a few months after her LO was born, she would pass out and wouldn't be able to hear her baby crying when she woke up in the middle of the night. They were in the same room! I had to go downstairs and shake her awake pretty much so she could take her of her baby. I have nothing against smoking weed but I think it's a better idea to do so if there is someone else to take care of baby while you wind down.

 

[tasha41]

Smoking weed may help with your anxiety in the moment, but there is a lot of debate about whether or not long term use causes or exacerbates anxiety and other mental health issues.

Personally, my long term well-being is not worth the risk, so I choose not to smoke weed (I also don't really drink, and I don't smoke cigarettes). I didn't really enjoy it before I had my daughter though so maybe it would be different if I had.

I have also have some diagnosed anxiety issues, have been to cognitive behavioural therapy (I felt like it was a waste of time and stopped going, but I have realized I do apply some of the techniques in my day to day life)... I have some triggers and I bring my lorazepam prescription with me pretty much anywhere I go, in the event that I have a panic attack. Unfortunately, it really just masks the symptoms of your anxiety attack while the thoughts are still in your head.

I would suggest CBT for sure, or even just talking to your GP about it...

 

[Kiki1993]

Hi, I don't really belong here but thought I'de add to what others have said. I know someone close to me who was a teen mum, she smokes weed in the house (apparently when LO is in bed) .. I am close tot his person but we lead VERY different lives. Anyway she says she smokes at the front door or in living room while her kid is in bed, let me say that stuff stinks, second you go in her home you can smell it, it sticks to her clothes, to her LO, honestly, you could lose your child, unlikely (social workers seem to turn a blind eye to it) in my area there are so many weed smokers with kids who have social workers and nothing is done to them
Personally to me, it's not a case of "it's better than alcohol" it's a case of a glass of wine with a meal wont lose your child, smoking weed could which is too much to risk.
You mention feeling anxious, I suffer anxiety and have you tried kalms? I've tried quite a few things - kalms, relaxing bubble baths to unwind, changing my diet, cutting caffeiene, have "me time", avoid stressful situations... maybe speak to a doctor about it?
I really hope you find something that sin't risky that helps you, anxiety is a scary thing to have and hard to talk about, talking about it on here is a good first step

 

[Pearls18]

My opinions on smoking weed aside, I think your reasons are flawed, smoking drugs to alleviate anxiety is not appropriate, it's a temporary band aid that'll probably exasperate the situation in the long term. Self medicating with weed, alcohol, whatever is not the way of battling the issue.

 

[housewifey]

I agree with the majority of previous posters- I don't agree with it. Imagine you fell asleep and woke up shortly later to the smell of smoke- judgment impaired you run out of the house without realising your LO is still inside. There are many more examples I could give of why not to do it. With regards to anxiety it will deffinitley make it worse in the long run, what about when your son is 16 and has a mum with serious anxiety and paranoia which can only be controlled with weed' and so your son will probably want to smoke to?! I'm not judging but just trying to get you to think of the other side of it- sounds like you obviously think it's a good idea to begin with.

I don't ever drink when my daughter is in my care, that includes when she is in bed and I am the only one in the house- i'd never forgive myself if something happened and I wasn't in a fit state to drive her to hospital or something.

 

[Eliza_V]

What the others said. Why impair your judgement if you are his sole carer? Not to mention it's a reason for getting investigated by social services. As a fellow anxiety sufferer, I would advise you to see your GP - not jsut for medication, but for something like CBT as it's a more permenant solution.

Also, why waste what (presumably) limited funds you have on it?

 

[Kiwiberry]

To be honest I think it is perfectly ok as long as you are not breastfeeding. I know what it's like to have bad anxiety and it really does help with that. I have bad social anxiety and I used it for 10 years to help me out. I stopped when I got pregnant and only plan to start again when I am 100% done with breastfeeding. I would also only smoke outaide.

Also like others have said it really all depends on how you react to it. For me, I dont act any different than when I am not smoking. It just helps with my emotions and calms me down. I have a natural high tolerance to it and need to smoke a ton of medical grade to even feel the effects. Everyone reacts differently and some better than others. No one can even tell if I have smoked.

For those advocating medication, to be honest it's far worse for you than a natural plant. For so many reasons.

Also smoke out of a vaporizer. It's much better than inhaling combust ed materials.

 

[beanzz]

I think everything in moderation. Don't get so high you (not you personally, just "you" as in anyone iykwim) wont be able to look after your child if there's noone else there. Not around them, go outside like you would a cigarette. Things like that, that are pretty much common sense. I wouldn't ever say never do it as I've smoked it once or twice when FOB has LO so I'd be a hypocrite.

 

[rebeccalouise]

I wouldn't do it, because I'd never, ever risk losing my daughter. end of.

If your anxiety is bad, you should go and see your doctor.

If you have a bad day, find another way to wind down, don't turn to drugs to fix your problems.

 

[Mannie89]

Recreational use of marijuana is legal in my state... I say go for it! As long it doesn't make you a complete idiot zombie then I don't see a thing wrong with it. Now, if were illegal, I wouldn't risk it.