a young friend of mine has depression but he smokes weed how can i help without seeming old and ..............

Question

oh i cant think of the word


ut anyway, he is a friend of mine i am in my 30s and he is only 17 i try to be honest and blunt and ask questions about how he is feeling and today i said i could smell cannibis on him

anyway i really really wanted to say to him about how it wont help him get better in the long term but i didnt want to come across as authorititave to him especially when he is being hinest with me and my husband

but how do i do this explain the dangers but still let him feel he has someone to talk too if he wants to because he isnt getting on with his parents at the moment

he is on fluoxetine at the moment as well, i have come through a bad spate of depression so i feel i can be understandng but also know that these drugs will not do any good for him in the long term even though he says that when he feels really bad they make him feel better

do you have any ideas


thanks for your help


xxx vici

Answer 1

You could try explaining to him that the cannabis is in this case not helping him. It is well known that it increases the sedative effects of drugs like fluoxetine and other anti-depressants. He's actually counteracting the effects of the prescribed drug by using it at this time. Also explain to him that although cannabis has medical uses it was never given for depression and that because he is obviously smoking it in resin or grass form he cannot judge the dosage he's getting!
You also need to point out that young people are more in danger of becoming physically and psychologically addicted to it!
Cannabis can and does have an effect on the brain and at 17 he is in danger of causing long term effects, explain perhaps that many drugs are restricted because of age, for example aspirin shouldn't be given to young children.
What you shouldn't do is use it's legality as an argument! The very fact it is illegal makes it more desirable for some personality types!It's too controversial a subject and in this age where nicotine and alcohol which are far more dangerous drugs are legal it's hypocritical too!
Put the stress of the conversations on the fact that although for certain things cannabis is a useful drug it's only appearing to make him feel better (that's because of the relaxing effect the drug has on muscles and the central nervous system) Actually it could be contributing a great deal to the depression. The Fluoxetine can't lift his mood whilst he's using it!
Good luck getting through to him, but remember tread slowly and carefully!

Answer 2

Listen to the_only, she is right. Just be there for him and don't preach. A 17 year old will not listen, so be an example and keep the doors open for him to reach out to you.

Being honest and blunt means you also will come across as authoritative, so be careful in your approach. Being blunt can be hurtful, best to be nurturing, and yet honest about mj use. It DOES no good, and does major harm, but will he listen? I think not.. What is he getting from mj that he doesn't get from his fluoxetine? What does he want to be when he is 50? MJ does not lead to success for anyone, and 50 will be just an old man using drugs. Stress his future without drugs, and have him give you examples of successful people who have become successful using drugs. Emphasize his future, not his past nor how bad drugs are. They make him feel good...why does he need to feel good? And what addiction would he take up if he stops mj? Hopefully, your example of your life will keep him from addiction. One addiction stopped, another started, so again, depression is the thing for him to work on so that he doesn't just switch addictions. Success...this is a fine line to walk with a teenager, but loving, nurturing, caring friends can help. Good luck.,

Answer 3

Over the last five years I had begun to have increasingly withdraw into a downward spiral of depression..

But now with the method I can fully focus my energy and thoughts into a decisive line on how to make my life better constantly. And it works like magic! I'm beginning to attract people to me once again and things have just been looking up since then.

Helping you eliminate depression?

Answer 4

What dangers did you explain to him about pot? Id rather smoke pot than take prescribed medicine because its a well known fact that meds can do a persons head in. Then theres the addiction and withdrawral of prescribed medicine. Anything is good in moderation. If a persons abusing pot a.m to p.m then thats a different story. The documented fact is that medicine is dangerous with long term use and withdrawral is a major problem.

Answer 5

Ive been there only 3 months ago i quit smoking skunk after smoking it for 7 years daily!he only feels better when he smokes it because he thinks it is helping it is all in the head!believe me you cant do alot apart from be there for him, i was told all the time while i was smoking what it will do to me and why i need to stop but i didnt take notice and i would still be smoking it if i didnt have a major breakdown one night after a very normal week it came out of no where and i havent touched it since!it was the hardest thing i have ever done and 3 months on my braib is still trying to recover but im getting there!sorry im rambling but basically it is down to him, if he hangs around with people who are doing it all the time its very hard to break out of it but once you get past the first two weeks or so of not smoking thats the turning point but it is scary and its very very hard but it is so worth it!im glad i quit when i did because you dont realise how badly it messes your head until you stop smoking it!i hope this kinda helps!if he smokes skunk(weed)then try and get him to smoke solids(hash)instead as it is alot less harmfull and it may help a little!

Answer 6

He's got to realise for himself that the answer to feeling bad in the first place is what he needs and wants. Weed will interfere with the fluoxetine so it won't be working properly.

Answer 7

you might mention to him that the fluoxetine isn't going to be much good if he is using cannibis, a known depressant. The one pretty much cancels out the other. Result, the underlying depression isn't treated and gets worse.

Answer 8

Sorry, but I suggest to mind your own business in this case. Marijuana is known to relax people and help them cope with depression. If he likes it, it's probably because it's helping him. I wouldn't worry, as the only danger of using it is similar to smoking cigarettes. If he starts smoking 20 joints a day, maybe then you should ask if he needs your help.

Answer 9

smoking weed.will not help with his depression.it will make him worse.i think you just got to be up front with him.and say that you are doing it because you a friend and you are concern about him.best of luck.

Answer 10

Umm, weed is a depressant, if he's clinically depressed-then smokin it wil only defeat what he is trying to overcome.