Page 2 | To let my son smoke weed due to stress

Movielover71 · 2023-02-19T00:10:24+00:00

Ds(16) dad has passed away recently and it has been a very hard time for us. I have noticed the smell of weed in the house and we have talked about it, he has told me he is very stressed and I feel bad to sanction him at such a difficult time in our lives. AIBU to let him be and just let him smoke?

Rustyhandlebars · 19/02/2023 00:49

My son is in his forties and has schizophrenia. He smoked weed from age fourteen. I knew nothing about how dangerous this drug could be. My son will never be as he was once, please try all you can to stop your son go down the same road.

Eyerollcentral · 19/02/2023 00:51

JimmyGrimble · 19/02/2023 00:36

My son has recently been sectioned with psychosis for the second time. He was a moderate weed user in his teens and this continued in his twenties when he started adding other drugs too. He’s now looking at a likely diagnosis of schizophrenia. We have had a hugely traumatic few years and we are terribly concerned about his future. He was a high achiever and at university when he began to get very unwell. I would advise you, OP to seek out other therapies for your son and try to get him off the weed as quickly as you can. It’s just not worth the risk. Good luck.

How terrible for you, your son and your family. I really hope things start to pick up for you.

DemiColon · 19/02/2023 00:59

Why would this be better than stress drinking?

I find it so odd that some people see weed as so benign, especially in this kind of scenario.

Rainbowqueeen · 19/02/2023 01:16

No don’t condone it.

Tell him you really want to help him deal with the stress. Write a list together of stress relief methods. Therapy, acupuncture, exercise, fresh air, time with friends, healthy eating, medication. Tell him to pick the ones that appeal most to him and work together to help him do those things.

Reassess in 2 months. Remind him he might need to try some different things.

But weed is not the solution. I’m so sorry for your loss

AllTheThingsIWantAreHere · 19/02/2023 01:20

Agree with everyone else. I'd absolutely refuse to let him have weed. I'd actually drug test him to check too - drugs tests are cheap from Amazon. Weed can be a disaster for young people.

I would help him in any other way.

amispeakingintongues · 19/02/2023 01:20

I'm so sorry for the tragedy of losing your son's dad.

I smoked weed for 10 years straight as a coping mechanism to grief. It consumed my life, even though on the outside I held down a good job and rented my own place, i was absolutely miserable.

I just about managed to escape its clutches about 3 years ago. When weed is abused, its not a harmless substance - as with most things in life!

Please find help. There are various ways to help quit - CBD, support groups, talking therapy... I'm a born again Christian since 2020 and the only thing that honestly broke my addiction was deliverance ministry.

Hope you find the help you need x

neveradullmoment99 · 19/02/2023 01:22

Eyerollcentral · 19/02/2023 00:15

Incredibly bad decision. There can be catastrophic effects on the mental health of teenagers caused by smoking weed particularly when he is already under a huge amount of stress. Are you aware of cannabis induced psychosis?

This

neveradullmoment99 · 19/02/2023 01:23

Rustyhandlebars · 19/02/2023 00:49

My son is in his forties and has schizophrenia. He smoked weed from age fourteen. I knew nothing about how dangerous this drug could be. My son will never be as he was once, please try all you can to stop your son go down the same road.

and this. My brother has schizophrenia. He smoked weed as a teenager.

IfOnlyOurEyesSawSouls · 19/02/2023 01:33

I am a mental health professional... you seriously are so misguided and hugely wrong In colluding with this

Hes a child.

Openmindedbloke · 19/02/2023 01:37

Hard one. I wouldn’t be too hard on him, but equally it could lead to other drug habits like speed, crystal meth, coke or even ‘e’
personally I would stamp that out in a loving way then get him a nice hobbie to help with the stress. I got quite into jigsaws last time I was stressed

YolayCaprese · 19/02/2023 01:42

I'm so sorry for the loss of your husband.
Please help your son find other ways to cope.
I work with vulnerable adults and I know way too many who have had such difficult and hard lives due to mental health problems brought on by cannabis use in their teenage years. It really is not harmless to health.

I also have to say that the buying and selling of drugs is at the root of so much criminality and harm I couldn't condone it. Someone is always hurt and abused with drugs, it's really best not to get involved and become reliant for so many reasons.

Itisbetter · 19/02/2023 01:52

Turning to drugs or alcohol is the worst thing you could turn a blind eye to. Help him deal with his stress n a less destructive way or this will be how he learns to cope. Therapy? Exercise? Religion? Support groups?

RedAndBlueStripedGolfingUmbrella · 19/02/2023 01:55

FredInYourHead · 19/02/2023 00:17

This is not a good idea and it's a very slippery slope. Help him to find different ways of coping.

This

wandawaves · 19/02/2023 01:56

My brother started smoking pot after our dad died too, in the teenage years as well. He developed schizophrenia before he was 18, and has never recovered. He is permanently in a psychotic state now. He is mid forties, with no job, no friends (except his dealer), never had a relationship, unstable housing (once my mother is no longer here, he'll be homeless). No life whatsoever. Can't even have a conversation.

Please don't let your son head down this path.

Remaker · 19/02/2023 02:05

You don’t need to punish him harshly at such a tough time, but he needs to learn healthier ways to cope.

It is normal to be struggling after losing a parent. He needs to work through the pain and come out the other side. Numbing himself is not the way forward.

I have 2 family members who have relied on weed to get through hard times. It hasn’t turned out well for either of them.

ClairDeLaLune · 19/02/2023 02:18

Eyerollcentral · 19/02/2023 00:15

Incredibly bad decision. There can be catastrophic effects on the mental health of teenagers caused by smoking weed particularly when he is already under a huge amount of stress. Are you aware of cannabis induced psychosis?

^^ this. With bells on. It happened to my brother and it ruined his life.

sykadelic · 19/02/2023 03:18

Bad idea.

My husbands uncle is schizophrenic from prolonged use.

A girl at works daughter is mourning her best friend because she took stuff that turned out to be laced with fentanyl.

Outside of those 2 things, he needs to find better coping mechanisms.

Weenurse · 19/02/2023 03:26

Really bad idea.
Many studies show effects of weed on growing brains. Can interfere with brain chemistry and cause mental health issues.
Best get proper grief counseling.

Hope551 · 19/02/2023 03:40

I agree with posters here tbh. If you were where it was legal it would be different. In Uk it's not monitored which means it's from the street and can be cut with anything. Therefore it's not medicinal as anything could be in it which could make it more addictive and harmful. I used it on occasion at parties, as a teen. once I had a bit and it obviously wasn't the proper stuff, I completely blacked out and got so poorly which could have been very dangerous.

If it's truely helpful and used appropriately for medicine then there is a can card, you can apply online and your GP can sign it off and decide if it is useful in this case, this means for one it's legal and 2 you can then get it on prescription from a pharmacy where it is produced by legit people and is actual medical stuff which is given in correct dosage and without any nasty stuff. If your son refuses this option, then perhaps he's not using it for right reasons and more an escape which where the red flags will start 😬

aonbharr · 19/02/2023 03:53

very slippery slope, don't allow it.

IndiaDreamer · 19/02/2023 03:57

Dreadful idea! Parent him properly!

BlackKittyMama · 19/02/2023 04:18

Eyerollcentral · 19/02/2023 00:15

Incredibly bad decision. There can be catastrophic effects on the mental health of teenagers caused by smoking weed particularly when he is already under a huge amount of stress. Are you aware of cannabis induced psychosis?

This. I'm a specialist pyschosis nurse, my caseload is disproportionately made up of teens and young adults. It is very often due to cannabanoids. They don't need to be used frequently to trigger illness either, but some people are more vulnerable to it. There is no way to know how it will affect him, but when he's already in such a heightened emotional state, he is particularly vulnerable.

FixItUpChappie · 19/02/2023 04:30

Is that what you want really? For him to use drugs to be less stressed? Not exactly the healthiest precedent. Marijuana is not a harmless weed. Have a look into the mental health implications. Also you would be encouraging/normalizing to your teenager, who is a minor, being high. If he is stressed I recommend looking into counselling and discussing with a therapist how to help your son build resiliency and healthy coping strategies.