It’s a good thing that life never shows up unannounced and in need of your attention, especially when you’ve just sat down to relax and have had the first pull from a joint.
The reality is, life happens, and although your plan was to kick your feet up and relax, sometimes your plans change and you need to focus and sober up.
Or, maybe you’re giving a new strain a try and went a little too deep on that last rip, and you want to pull away from that high a bit and just relax.
Here are a few things to try next time you need to sober up.
What Kind of High Are You Right Now?
When considering how weed makes you feel, you will find a wide range of potential forms of high, and knowing what form of high you’re feeling can help you try new methods of sobering up.
Cannabis is one of the oldest production plants grown in every corner of the world over the last 10,000 years. Originally, cannabis consisted of two forms: indica and sativa.
Cannabis indica was grown throughout India, and focused on psychoactive effects; i.e. it was bred for high THC levels, and a focus on mind and body relaxation.
At the same time, cannabis sativa was being grown throughout Europe, where the focus was on the use of fibrous materials found along the stems. The oils and seeds of the cannabis sativa plant were high in plant fats and other phytonutrients for nutritional and medical purposes. Over the years, cannabis sativa would be grown with a focus on energizing feelings within the body and mind.
Over the years, indica and sativa would be bred together to get the best of both feelings in what is now known as a hybrid. These hybrids offer a range of physical outcomes, being either sativa dominant, indica dominant or 50/50 hybrids.
This range of outcomes means some weed could open your mind and wake you up or give you a boost of physical energy, while other strains may encourage you to lay back on the couch and just relax.
So, with that primer, here are some ideas to help you sober up, with some do’s and don’t for specific strains.
#1: Eat A Snack
Much like alcohol, smoking on an empty stomach can hit a bit harder. While each smoker claims food may or may not have an effect, it may be worth a try to succumb to those munchies.
What food you eat will have a major effect on if or how much eating may help you sober up. When you smoke, your blood sugar drops, which is why you get the munchies in the first place. This is the reason your body craves sugary snacks and drinks when you smoke.
If using edibles, your body has to digest the THC-rich food before it can be absorbed. When taken by itself, it becomes the only thing in your stomach and is rapidly absorbed. By eating, you can add more “fillers” to your stomach to help dilute the edibles.
#2: Avoid Certain Foods
Some foods are known for reacting with cannabis, and actually getting you higher. If you’re trying to sober up, these foods should definitely be avoided.
Mango fruit is packed with terpenes, the same chemical found in cannabis that’s behind the smells and tastes. Of the terpenes in mango fruit, the myrcene terpene is known for its effects on cannabis. Myrcene is known to cause a rapid onset of cannabinoids by allowing the brain to quickly utilize THC. Mango fruit can also cause the effects of weed to be felt longer, meaning a long-lasting high.
Chocolates are known to make you feel better when you’re down, but could they help you get stoned? Chocolate is packed with a cannabinoid known as anandamide. Dark chocolates and higher cocoa mixes (above 70%) have a higher concentration of this.
Additionally, green and black tea antioxidants called catechins bind with the same CB1 receptors that are affected when smoking weed. This can intensify your high and make matters worse if attempting to sober up.
#3: Avoid Caffeine
Cannabis sativa is known for its mental and physical energy boosts, increasing brain activity and heart rate. The same effects can be found when you drink beverages high in caffeine such as coffee, some teas, energy drinks, and sodas.
If you’re attempting to sober up from a sativa high, avoid caffeine-packed drinks.
Caffeine can also decrease salivation, making dry mouth even worse.
Stay Hydrated
Something you don’t think about when smoking is your body’s THC level concentrate. This refers to the other active events happening within your bloodstream such as hydration.
When you smoke, the THC affects your body’s endocannabinoid system or your ECS. The ECS has a hand in tons of processes throughout your body and is common to your mouth as submandibular glands which are responsible for a majority of your saliva production.
When the THC bonds to these receptors and saliva fail to release, you get the feeling of dry mouth.
You should consider drinking water before, during, and after smoking to help with dry mouth, and staying well hydrated can reduce your body’s bloodstream concentration, helping you sober up.
Relax
When cannabis sativa becomes a bit too much, you may find your mind racing while it becomes difficult to focus. While this can sometimes be enjoyable, smokers who are trying to calm down may find this irritating.
To relax, try laying back on the couch or in a bed and closing your eyes. While your brain may be extremely active, you can remove any items that may otherwise increase thoughts or focus.
Take A Shower or Bath
With the idea of your body becoming energized and your heart rate increasing, a long hot bath or shower may be a form to calm you down and relax your mind.
Taking a shower can help with both sativa and indica high. With the sativa energetic high, a shower can be relaxing and allow you to close your eyes and take in the relaxed feel.
With an indica high that keeps you relaxed, a cool shower could help you focus and become more energized, activating the feeling on your entire body.
Exercise
Yeah, we know, you lit up to relax, not to get your workout in.
Exercising releases endorphins within the brain, and increases blood flow throughout the body increasing the rate your body metabolizes THC. Working out can also keep you focused on a specific goal, which could help you sober up.
You do need to be slightly cautious when choosing to work out. Some strains of weed can cause hand-eye coordination to be altered, as well as your sense of balance. This may not be the best time to lift weights. Instead, consider light cardio or yoga.
To further help you sober up, exercising encourages you to take deep breaths, taking in large amounts of fresh oxygen.
Breath
Focused on the idea of calming yourself down, sometimes the best remedy to sober yourself down is to take a few deep breaths.
Remember, this feeling is only temporary and you will be okay.
It’s normal for first-time smokers to be a little worrisome about how they are feeling, but we’ve all been there at least once. These feelings are generally new to the body, and becoming anxious may cause the airway to tighten. Take a deep breath.
Remember, the initial high from smoking only lasts 1 to 3 hours wild residual effects last around 10 hours. Relaxing will allow you to remove your focus from the way you feel.
Laying down and closing your eyes will reduce the dizziness or sight delay you may be feeling.
Focus
It’s easy to become fixated on how you feel, which intensifies the overall feeling.
Focusing on something else will not only encourage your brain to work, but will take your thoughts away from a potentially worrisome situation.
With sativa high, it’s common to have quick jumpy thoughts. Consider relaxing and choosing an activity that’s both calming and keeps your focus, such as watching your favorite show or video.
Chew Peppercorn
A method that seems wild, but was so common it required deeper research with the 2011 British Pharmacological Society, chewing black peppercorn remains one of the best kitchen remedies to help you sober up.
One of the most common seasonings found in your kitchen, black peppercorn is filled with terpenes such as beta-caryophyllene that attach to the same receptors as THC, meaning that the beta can actually block the THC.
Use CBD
The best method when dealing with a bit too much THC may be to add more of another cannabinoid known as CBD or cannabidiol.
CBD is the second most potent cannabinoid in the cannabis plant behind THC and is known for a very different effect. A common feeling with taking too much or an unexpected high is the feeling of being anxious.
CBD is a common tool in the fight against anxiety, and with the ability to relax the body and mind, becomes a great tool against sobering up.
While CBD could be found in weed, you may not want the added THC. With CBD becoming a widely accepted and used product, CBD-rich products can be found in many stores.
Vapes, tinctures, capsules, and much more, having some form of CBD on hand could be the solution to mellowing your high.
Understand Your Limits
While it’s good to know how to pull yourself towards a more sober state, the best tool for keeping a clear mind is smoking within your limitations. Each person had different sensitivities to certain cannabinoids.
Work your way up to your limit, it takes 1 to 10 minutes to get high after smoking. Start out where you know you’re okay and build up. Sativa will have a mental and physical energizing effect, while indica is known for its relaxation and “couch” high, or the feeling to want to kick your feet up and relax.
You should give each strain a tray, along with trying and understanding the effects CBD will have on your body.
Method of Use
How you take THC drastically changes how much THC your body will actually receive.
Smoking a joint, blunt, or other rollies your body will receive 20-37% of the THC found in the bud. Most of this loss is through overheating, or thermal destruction from the THC getting too hot and deteriorating instead of vaporizing to be inhaled.
Edibles on the other hand, which aren’t going through a heating process, will bring their full force. What’s labeled is what you’ll get.
Bud is also labeled as a percentage, while edibles are labeled in milligrams (mg) of THC.
How do you compare them?
Since there are 1000 milligrams in a gram, you can use your percentage relative to a gram of weed.
If you have 24% THC bud, if you had 1 gram of weed you would have 240 milligrams of THC. If you rolled a mini joint with a third of a gram, you would have 79 milligrams of potential CBD. When you smoke, you receive 20-37% of the THC, so you receive 16-29 milligrams of THC.
Figure out how much THC you’re used to smoking, and be sure to start any edibles, bud, or new product just below your normal use.
Sober Up
For one reason or another, you need to sober up. These tips and tricks could get you feeling more level-headed and ready to go.
Understanding how cannabis will affect your body will help you get the most out of every bud. Adding a bit of weed to your day-to-day life can help you become more relaxed, and live a healthier lifestyle. Buying your weed from a knowledgeable source such as Emjay is essential to ensuring you have the best products on the market.
