Taking too much and freaking out is not an unusual occurrence in the smoking fraternity and although unpleasant is often non-fatal. Paranoia, nausea and general anxiety are all associated with freaking out. There can be no specific trigger, it can just happen.
Over the years, through painful experimentation it has been determined that there are a number of things that can be done to help in these situations.
The most important thing to do is to stop smoking right now. Trying to smoke your way out of a freak out can lead to much more unpleasant developments such as “Whities”. For those of you not familiar with this occurrence it is the same as a blackout except everything goes white first, well that is my experience
, it might sound fun but loosing consciousness and finding yourself face down in an ashtray is not desirable. I know!Are you with friends? (That is to say true and understanding chums, not people you have just recently met.)
Try and explain to them briefly that things are not going so good at the moment and that you may need their assistance. It can be difficult if you feel you are alone when you are with friends and freaking. If you do not have any friends close to hand NEVER leap up, grab the nearest unsuspecting soul and start screaming “I’M FREAKING OUT, HELP ME!” at them, this is not useful and should be avoided at all costs. Believe me I have done this and the results are seldom pretty.
Just sit back relax and try to take the following information in…
Many smokers advocate the intake of sugar when freaking out to assist in negating some of the effects being felt; what must be determined is in what form you feel capable of taking the sugar in, liquid or solid. The easiest solution is a sweet drink, fruit juices are usually a good choice, try to avoid caffeine and other stimulants. This is where being with friends is helpful as someone can get the drink for you without you having to stagger babbling and flailing to the counter for service; unless your friends are complete bastards and they make you do it anyway. If you are flying solo, or forced to, then you will have to perform the potentially difficult, but necessary, action of getting the refreshment yourself, this can be achieved by focusing on the task and taking it all nice and easy.
A good way to focus is to remember that everything is okay and things will improve, especially after the refreshing drink you are about to get. This should get you back on the road to recovery and at least help you make a few decisions.
So… stop dribbling, calm down, sip your drink and read on…
Now you are feeling a little more with it you should be able to start deciding if your surroundings are having an adverse effect on your serenity and if you need to change them. If you are somewhere that is too crowded, noisy or psychedelic this could hinder your ability to calm the fuck down. It may be an idea to step outside for a few minutes if your surroundings are not in tune with your mood. If you are not with friends make sure you have all your shit with you (mobile phone, wallet, trousers etc.) before you consider moving and if you are with friends make sure they know where you are going.
Too many times I have overheard the conversation:
“Where’s Dave?”
“I don’t know, his shit’s still here. It’s like he just vanished.”
“Did anyone see him leave?”
“Who’s Dave?”
If you do feel the urge to escape (Again not unusual) make your way out carefully. Pushing people out of the way, tripping over things and mumbling about your fragile state of mind is not the most dignified or popular way to exit anywhere, especially if you are expecting to go back in.
Once outside try not to make a nuisance of yourself, staggering aimlessly onto a busy street in Amsterdam is not at all recommended. Usually it is sufficient just to get outside, find somewhere suitable to lean against or sit to take in some fresh air and let your head clear. Don’t rush anything; make sure you are feeling a little more ‘down to earth’ before going back inside. Remember it’s always good to take time before smoking any more, ease back into it as you don’t want to go straight back to freaksville do you?
