Too high — seven little letters and a space. Doesn’t seem so bad on the surface, right? There are plenty of four-letter words that might seem worse. But for new and experienced cannaseurs alike, four-letter words are nothing when compared to saying “too high” out loud.
Unfortunately, it’s an all-too-common part of the marijuana experience. One minute you’re riding a seriously righteous high, and the next minute you’re convinced the floor is going to open up and swallow you whole.
So what’s a too-high stoner to do? The cannabis experts at Honest Marijuana give you 15 remedies to help you down fast.
How To Sober Up When You’re Too High
1) Stop Smoking
This may seem like an obvious first step, but you’d be surprised how many people think that more of the same will make it all better. Probably has something to do with old saying, “Hair of the dog that bit you…”
Regardless, when you feel like you’ve gone too high, put the joint, blunt, or bong down and do something else for a while.
2) Battle The Blaze With CBD
Here’s a cool fact: cannabidiol (CBD) actually counteracts the psychedelic effects of THC. Add to that the wonderful news that CBD doesn’t have any major side effects of its own, and you’ve got a potent remedy for a bad trip.
We recommend keeping a stash of CBD oil on hand for the inevitable too-high emergencies that pop up now and again.
3) Sleep
Sleep is an excellent remedy when you feel way too high. While you snooze, your body releases hormones that work to clean out your system and repair any problems.
Plus, you’ll be asleep, so you won’t have to deal with the brunt of the bad trip.
We recommend a short 30-minute nap if you can manage it. Any longer than that and you may feel even groggier later on. Be sure to set an alarm or you’ll wind up sleeping a lot longer than you intended (although that’s not necessarily a bad thing).
4) Exercise
Exercise is one of the best ways to sober up when you’ve been too high. Sure, you might not feel like getting physical when you’re suffering through a bad trip, but trust us, it works.
Exercise is an effective remedy for two reasons:
- It gets your blood flowing, which helps move the THC out of your system.
- It releases endorphins that reduce pain, stress, and anxiety.
Find an activity that gets your heart pumping, like walking, running, hiking, or having sex. Give it a good 30 to 60 minutes and see how you feel after.
5) Drink
Now before you grab a fifth of Jack and start chugging, we’re not suggesting you try to counteract one psychoactive substance with another. That’s just a recipe for disaster.
What we are suggesting here is that you drink plenty of water.
At the most basic, water helps flush the cannabinoids and terpenes from your body. It can also help prevent the fuzzy-headedness (think massive hangover) that develops as you return to earth.
If water’s not your thing, try orange juice, cranberry juice, or a sports drink to preserve the electrolytes in your bloodstream.
6) Eat
After a heavy dose of THC that takes you too high, a good strategy for coming back down quickly and easily is to eat. You’re going to be famished when the munchies set in anyway, so why not get a head start on the process and reduce your bad trip at the same time?
Filling your belly with food helps reduce your high in two ways:
- The fats in the food bind with the cannabinoids, causing them to metabolize faster.
- The presence of food in your stomach pulls blood away from your brain, which reduces THC’s psychoactive effects.
Some suggest you eat healthy foods (those work just fine), but we can’t resist a burger and fries when we’ve been too high.
7) Shower
You can reduce the effects of being too high by taking a shower. Cool, right? A hot shower will increase blood flow in your body (which helps remove the cannabinoids).
Better yet, alternate hot and cold water to decrease your heart rate, drop your body temperature, conserve energy, and preserve oxygen.
If a shower isn’t available, splash cold water on your face instead. Stay away from baths (pools of water and psychedelic substances don’t mix).
8) Distract Yourself
Sometimes, all it takes to come down from being too high is distracting yourself. Play a video game, read a book, watch TV. Whatever it takes to get your mind off the feeling that your body’s going to fly apart into a billion pieces.
9) Socialize
Friends can calm you down when you’re confused, panicky, or even depressed. Just be sure you pick the right friends to help you through your ordeal. You don’t want friends who will add to your anxiety.
10) Take An Anti-Anxiety Medication
This isn’t always an option, but if you already have a prescription for anti-anxiety medication, now would be the time to take it.
Don’t go overboard, though. Just one dose is enough to drastically reduce your symptoms and get you back on track.
11) Smell An Essential Oil
We don’t have any first-hand knowledge with this one, but some stoners we’ve talked to swear by it. Taking a deep whiff of an essential oil can wake you up and bring you back to reality faster than you can say, “I’m too high.”
We’ve seen EMTs use smelling salts to revive an unconscious patient (on TV) and this is probably very similar, so we have no reason to doubt that there’s some truth in the claim.
Try invigorating, citrusy scents like ginger, lemongrass, lemon, and orange to really give yourself a kick in the “come down” pants.
12) Ingest Some Pepper
Black pepper contains a terpene that reduces stress and anxiety when ingested or even just smelled. So if you’re feeling too high, put a pinch of pepper (no more than ⅛ teaspoon) in your mouth and suck on it.
You can also chew on a whole peppercorn if you don’t have the ground variety.
13) Eat A Lemon
Lemons contain limonene (also a terpene). Limonene is a powerful calming agent. Plus, you get the citric acid and the citrusy scent (see essential oil above).
The combination of all three can counteract the effects of being too high. Suck on a lemon or squeeze the juice into a glass (or directly into your mouth).
If you’re down for a bit of chemistry and really want to jump-start the sobering process, mix pepper and lemon juice together and take a big gulp. You feel better already, don’t you?
14) Focus On Your Breathing
If there’s just no way you can perform the other tips on this list, the very least you can do is focus on your breathing. We’ve been in situations where we can’t find any CBD and we can’t even peel ourselves off the floor to find a cheeseburger or get some exercise.
All we could do was breathe.
If you find yourself without a way to sober up after getting too high, just breathe. Focus on breathing as deeply as possible into your belly for a count of four.
Hold the breath for a count of seven, and then release it slowly for a count of eight. Repeat until you feel yourself coming down off the ledge.
Breathing helps circulate your blood, which helps move the cannabinoids out of your system. Breathing deep also sends more oxygen to your brain, which can calm you down and help you deal with being too high.
15) Wait It Out
All the suggestions on this list will help you deal with the effects of a bad trip. In reality, though, the only thing that will really bring you down off the ledge is time. And sometimes, just waiting it out is the best strategy for dealing with being too high.
We’re not saying you shouldn’t try the other tips on this list — you most certainly should. Try one, try them all. But also get it through your head that what you’re experiencing won’t last forever. That can make the wait more feasible.
Get The Right THC Dose
If you’re in search of the best marijuana experience — without the risk of getting too high — find the right THC dose beforehand. You can never go wrong by starting small and increasing slowly.
If you’re brand-spanking-new to the world of cannabis, take a toke or two off a one-hitter, wait a few minutes to see how you feel, and then try a few more (if you need it).
After that, you can measure how much your one-hitter holds and calculate how much pot you can handle in a single sitting. Then when it’s time to roll a joint or pack a bowl, you’ll know how big to go.
And regardless of how many times you’ve dated Mary Jane, it’s always a good idea to talk to the knowledgeable folds at your local dispensary. They can recommend just the right products so you don’t accidentally buy one of the strongest weed strains they’ve got when all you really want is an easy buzz.
For more information on all things cannabis and to check out our 100-percent all-natural marijuana products, visit HonestMarijuana.com today.