I use cannabis all the time. I smoke it usually. But sometimes I vape, dab, eat edibles, take tinctures, and even slap on dermal patches. It's a beautiful way to live. I feel that cannabis has helped me be a more creative, insightful, and outgoing person without being a detriment to my life in any way.

But being a productive and responsible stoner can be a challenge sometimes, and it can come with some issues. We hope this guide can help some people better navigate the challenges of heavy cannabis intake. We'll start with some lighter issues and move to the heavier ones.

The Munchies
To many who enjoy cannabis, the side effects of wanting to chow down on snacks and junk food isn't a bad thing. But if everytime you have an intense session, you're opening a bag of potato chips, that may lead to some bad results.

Munchies tend to be a combination of being hungry when you're not necessarily, and also having a craving for something specific. If those cravings tend to be for unhealthy foods, then you should strive to replace them with better choices. Making the simple decision to have healthier snacks at hand will quickly remedy this plight.

Decision Paralysis
A common problem of constant cannabis use is the dilemma of choice. It can be harder to be quickly decisive about options and preferences when you are high because weed helps you draw more relations between subjects. This enhancement of thinking is a feature rather than a defect but can work against you when you want to make a speedy decision and not a deep and thoughtful one.

There are a few ways to help this situation. Plan your choices ahead of time if possible. If you know you're going to get crazy-blazed, then you should pick out the movie you want to watch, the food you're going to eat, or the game you're going to play ahead of time. If choosing first isn't an option then another strategy is asking yourself to eliminate one choice randomly. If you are disappointed by no longer having that missing option, then it's probably a good one to go with.

Ask for help with your choice if its difficult for you. If you have a friend you can call on or even a stranger their objective opinion can help you sort out your indecisiveness and move forward with the rest of your day. Also remember that you don't have to make the best choice, just a good one. Often we can go back and change our minds if we want.

Budgeting
While not a hurdle to everyone, setting aside money ahead of time and not spending too much of your income on your stash can be extremely challenging. Depending on your intake it's hard to gauge what you should be spending, but for sure it should only be money left over from paying all your bills and debts first.

If you're only spending disposable funds on your cannabis and you still have money left over for things like food and other hobbies, then you're probably not in any danger zone. But you should ask yourself if you're making any unnecessary sacrifices so you can still smoke as much as you want. If the answer is yes, then maybe cut back some.

You can also change the type of cannabis products you are buying. Can you get more bang for your buck with concentrates or topicals? Maybe if you try edibles for a while, you'll end up paying less for the same experience.

 

Inflammation

If you are a big smoker, then you are probably familiar with the swelling of the lungs and air passages that can come from regular combustion smoking. This inflammation of the lungs can cause chest pains, sore throat, and a nagging cough.

Unfortunately, there is no way to keep this from happening without taking a break from combustion. Your inflamed lungs won't bother to try healing themselves until your body notices the absence of constant smoke inhalation.

You may notice that if you switch to only vaping that your cough increases even though the harshness of smoking is no longer there. This is because cannabis and the ingredients in most vape solutions are an expectorant. Instead, vary your intake with edibles and tinctures and give your lungs a break. It will probably take a week or two of not smoking before you notice a difference depending on how heavy your intake is.

Smoke Happy
If you ever find that your cannabis use is putting you mentally or physically in a bad place, then you know something is wrong. This is a plant that most of us can agree is supremely helpful in many ways for the people who choose to use it, but overuse can happen and when it does you need to take action. Of course, the ability to fix any of these issues is in your hands, and you have what it takes to make those changes happen.