stop smoking and start dreaming

[i am sam]

I have been an everyday smoker (talking about pot but same with cigarettes except longer) for about a year and half now. Unfortunately right before I started smoking I encountered my first lucid dream and have been obsessed ever since. I have had more trouble trying to dream to even consider trying to become lucid. In that year and a half i might have had half a dozen dreams that I could remember. I just recently stopped smoking and I have more dreams than I could have ever thought possible. Some of the coolest dreams I could ever imagine from being thrown into the magic world Harry Potter style, to flying higher and faster than any jet. Just last night had a dream about a zombie virus infecting the world just like the movies, from not knowing about the virus and putting 2 and 2 together ending in a car chase trying to escape from the present setting, guns included. Dreaming is better than any drug could possibly make you feel. Now I am on my way to a nice dream journal and become lucid as soon as possible. Anybody else have the same experiences?

[Abra]

That's amazing! Maybe you were trying to tell yourself something. Maybe subconsciously, you weren't allowing yourself to enjoy dreaming (or even remember them) until you rid yourself of those harmful drugs! You get what I'm saying, right? There might be evidence that pot smoking hinders dream recall (some may debate me on this--there haven't been many studies on it). I think you made a great choice. Welcome to Dreamviews!

[Lona]

I have heard of other people that "don't dream" when they have smoked. And other chronic users who never remember their dreams. If you want to remember your dreams, you should definitely consider quitting.

[i am sam]

Smoking pot is not necessarily a bad thing, but can definitely get in the way of goals, and progression in general for everyday life. It was fun for a while but I would much rather remember my dreams and actually have dreams than smoke almost ever again after what I have experienced lately.

[Behr]

i find im the same way, i just try not to smoke any ganj. a few hours before bed and i can still recall dreams but, my friend that introduced me to lucid dreaming is the exact opposite, i figure lucid dreaming is his natural born talent since hes dildd since he was 10. he turns 18 this year and still smokes weed. (2 years ago he smoked weed everyday and ld'd every week as i was told, to this day hes slowd down on it and has no difference in his ld's) so this all depends on the person

[Brandon Heat]

I've smoked pot at least 2 bowls a day sometimes 8, 10, 15+, whatever. But I can't say I have noticed a recline in my lucid dreams. As a matter of fact I would have at least one at least a few times a week when smoking. However I noticed that when I was not smoking I was in my prome 3-5 ld's a night every night. So pot did have somewhat of an impact on my LD'ing. But I'm planning on quitting can't even get high anymore it sucks, but oh well.

[Apfelpfankuchen]

I've just recently stopped smoking ANYTHING as a new year's resolution so I'm waiting to see the results of the new year So far no lucids, but dream recall is improving gradually.

[tommo]

Meh, it's all personal. Did you think quitting would help? Did you have the preconceived notion that smoking would hinder dream recall?

[Modest]

I've come here because I'm wanting to quit and hoping maybe cool LD experiences will help me out just a little bit. Just looking for positive alternatives

[TheMoon]

Ive personally found it better to have a few drinks before a lucid dream, rather then pot. If you plan to have lucid dreams, whenever, Your best off not smoking any pot a good 2 - 3 hours before bed. Having a few drinks doesn't matter, but if you smoke pot, you wont lucid dream as well without.

[tommo]

And in comes the know-it-all. Clearly people have stated it doesn't affect them in any way. How can you just claim that they're lying without any proof? However alcohol does make me remember dreams more sometimes but I doubt I would have a hope in hell of becoming lucid. Also it's stupid to suggest it.

[Apfelpfankuchen]

I usually get better dream vividness when I drink mildly

[Happiness is a Warm Gun]

I've been a daily smoker for 5+ years, but I'm starting to get anxiety while high, so I'm taking my first break ever. It's been around two weeks since my last hit, and my lucids are becoming more and more frequent. I don't think it's impossible to have lucids while high (my first lucid ever came on a night when I had burned down a huge blunt before bed), but it definitely seems harder to remember them. In the past week I've slowed time to play weeks of chess with Gary Kasparov, become Spiderman, traveled back to the 70's to hang with my hippie father, and gone on countless joyrides that always end with me crashing and telling the cops, "Uhhh, he did it!" and running off. Been great, and now all I need to do is meditate without waking myself up.

[TheMoon]

And in comes the know-it-all. Clearly people have stated it doesn't affect them in any way. How can you just claim that they're lying without any proof? However alcohol does make me remember dreams more sometimes but I doubt I would have a hope in hell of becoming lucid. Also it's stupid to suggest it. Are you talking about me? I used the word "personally", meaning that its just in my own experience. I don't know everything... :-\

[tommo]

Are you talking about me? Yes. I used the word "personally", meaning that its just in my own experience. I don't know everything... :-\ And then you said: If you plan to have lucid dreams, whenever, Your best off not smoking any pot a good 2 - 3 hours before bed. Having a few drinks doesn't matter, but if you smoke pot, you wont lucid dream as well without. All unsubstantiated claims. Please at least give a reason for saying 2-3 hours and that you won't lucid dream well if you stop smoking.

[TheMoon]

Yes. And then you said: All unsubstantiated claims. Please at least give a reason for saying 2-3 hours and that you won't lucid dream well if you stop smoking. Well i mainly say this because taking any drugs, pot or medication to lucid dream is a bad idea. You should learn to lucid dream on your own, not use pot or some other drugs as a crutch to lucid dream. Thats all i ment. Everyone is different, i find it harder to lucid dream when i smoke pot, because i become very relaxed and fall asleep more easily and go into a deep sleep. I as well don't remember my dreams the next morning. But we are all different.... I say 2 - 3 hours because by that time you shouldn't be high no more Unless you got some really good pot then it could be 3 - 6 hours. And also if you got some really good pot give me a IM and we can get together and get stoned

[tommo]

Ok I get your reasoning now. But if you say not to have drugs than alcohol includes. I have had ganja that got me stoned for at least 8 hours before.

[i am sam]

i checked on this thread a day or 2 ago and there wasn't much but some stuff ya'll have said makes a lotta sense. I have been drinkin' a beer or two every night just so i'm not completely sober. i feel like i need something keep things from being dull which usually includes World of Warcraft and now beer instead of pot. I have had three dreams a night and they all have been pretty cool. I took a couple hits off a bowl last night and i didn't remember one dreams or even a fraction of what might have been. I think it's totally different for everyone because i have been discussing this with my friends and one has been absolutely determined to prove my theory wrong about pot and dreaming. He has consistently had dreams the past couple of nights even though he's been really high before going to bed. I think you're mind makes what you believe a reality.

[Lusense]

I'll tell you this from almost anyone who is or has been a chronic user knows that it GREATLY deters dreams. You will especially know this if you had a good recall before/after the occurence. Let's put it this way, it greatly affects memory and dream recall is already difficult for most people as it is. Even not doing it a few hours before bed greatly will affect your likelihood of lucid dreams let alone dreams. Doing it later on closer to when you are sleeping will make it even worse unless you are just using occasionally. As for getting high for 8 hours that seems kind of ridiculous unless you're a newbie since I almost always get or have had 100% legit primo stuff (eg. purple kush, O.G., purple skunk, white widow, black, godbud...) and it never lasts even remotely NEAR that (besides for some very small effects/burnout) same with people I have talked to. Maybe my tolerance went up I dunno. Ie. Another sleep laboratory study showed that a dose of 20 mg of THC given p.o. decreased REM sleep. After four to six nights of use, abrupt discontinuation of THC produced mild insomnia but not marked REM rebound (52). REM rebound may not be apparent after low doses of THC. However, very high doses (70 to 210 mg) reduced REM sleep during treatment and were followed by marked REM rebound after withdrawal (48). If you are a heavy user (alot of people underestimate and base on low usage) it will almost completely stop them trust me. Not to mention if anything studies miscalculate how much alot of the chronic users use and they still show this.

[pp111]

I think its something like this if you're a bitch, stop smoking and your lucid dreams will increase if you aren't a bitch, it won't make a difference

[tommo]

Also, that is just THC, none of the other compounds were administered. Therefore I'm assuming that's an old study from when they thought THC was the only active compound. Also that 8 hours thing, I was smoking pretty occasionally. I was surprised that it lasted that long as well, my friend was baked for the same amount of time and he was smoking more than me. (Not that night, I mean more regularly). It was just strange stuff, we woke up and were still baked lol.

[Brandon Heat]

Started smoking again not as much as I used to of course, but I still have a strong chain of lucid dreams going on every night, so I think it was just in my head that smoking was having an affect. Because apparently it's not.

[TheMoon]

I'll tell you this from almost anyone who is or has been a chronic user knows that it GREATLY deters dreams. You will especially know this if you had a good recall before/after the occurence. Let's put it this way, it greatly affects memory and dream recall is already difficult for most people as it is. Even not doing it a few hours before bed greatly will affect your likelihood of lucid dreams let alone dreams. Doing it later on closer to when you are sleeping will make it even worse unless you are just using occasionally. As for getting high for 8 hours that seems kind of ridiculous unless you're a newbie since I almost always get or have had 100% legit primo stuff (eg. purple kush, O.G., purple skunk, white widow, black, godbud...) and it never lasts even remotely NEAR that (besides for some very small effects/burnout) same with people I have talked to. Maybe my tolerance went up I dunno. Ie. If you are a heavy user (alot of people underestimate and base on low usage) it will almost completely stop them trust me. Not to mention if anything studies miscalculate how much alot of the chronic users use and they still show this. Smoking too much pot is bad, but smoking it in moderation is not as bad. I smoke weed in moderation, and it doesn't seem to effect my lucidity too much as long as i don't get high before bed. In fact im sure for some people smoking a little pot then lucid dreaming could help, but if you get stoned and try lucid dreaming, im sure its going to effect you in a negative way.

[tommo]

I hate this moderation thing. 1 - Because there is no proof as to why you should take it in moderation. 2 - Because it is based on everything else having to be taken in moderation. That argument is used just for general use but now you've brought it up for dreaming too, so yeah. Maybe there's a reason it is the only thing that is impossible to OD on? Thinking along the lines of, so we can use it as much as we want. Not that I believe in any higher power or anything.

[ChaybaChayba]

Sure it's fun to smoke daily, I've been there, but it's the same thing as taking one sip of a beer each day compared to getting totally wasted each month. It's impossible to get totally hammered on weed each day.. you gotta wait atleast a month because of the down regulation of the cannabinoid receptors in the brain. That is why you need moderation, to make the weed-trip stronger so you can actually learn something from it.