What To Do If You Green Out (1) (1)
By Chris December 21, 2019

People from all walks of life enjoy consuming cannabis. THC is nonaddictive and non-toxic, meaning that you can’t overdose if you accidentally ingest too much. Even so, you can still overdo it. If you accidentally consume too much THC, you will always run the risk of greening out. 

 

A green out isn’t a good time for anyone and can really put a damper on your mood. It should go without saying that if you green out, you’re going to have a bad time. There are many ways to combat a green out, allowing you to get back to feeling normal sooner rather than later. 

10. Deep Breathing Exercises

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Anxiety is one of the biggest causes of greening out. That being so, taking deep breaths should always be your first step when it comes to getting back to normal. Deep breaths can help ease your nerves and improve your mood. Most of the time, this will work wonders at getting you back to normal.

 

You can also try singing, which has been known to help achieve the same result. Singing, like breathing, will help you relax. Another solid benefit to both breathing and singing is that it helps you focus on something other than your anxiety. Taking your mind off your issues and focusing on deep breathing or singing, then, is a great way to alleviate the symptoms of greening out.

 

9. Stay Hydrated

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Dehydration can have very noticeable effects on the human body. Most headaches, in fact, are simply a symptom of dehydration. While water is a great choice, you can pretty much drink whatever you like to curb the effects of greening out. Cold drinks can also help regulate your body temperature, bringing it down to where it needs to be

 

Drinks that you should avoid, however, are ones that are high in caffeine, along with energy drinks. These won’t help you at all and will only exacerbate your symptoms by kicking your anxiety into high gear even further. You should also avoid drinking alcohol, as booze is known to increase your chances of your green out spiralling out of control.

 

Choosing to drink things like juice, water, or herbal teas will always be your best bet. Anything that is meant to help relax the mind is definitely a good call. We also suggest avoiding juices that have a lot of sugar. Our favourite go-to drink to consume during a green out will always be water. Drinking water will result in you feeling better sooner than other options, while also being your healthiest option.

 

8. Eat (or Chew) Something

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Eating food can also help you minimize the negative effects of a green out. Foods like fruit will increase your blood sugar, giving your body the energy it needs when you’re in the middle of greening out. You don’t need to eat a lot in order to capitalize on these benefits.

 

Fatty foods will also slow the rate at which compounds like THC are metabolized by your body. This, in turn, will also minimize the effects of any green out. Furthermore, many foods contain terpenes, which can help offset any negative effects you may be experiencing. 

 

Chewing black peppercorns, for example, has been shown to decrease the chances and duration of a green out. This is due to the fact that they have high levels of caryophyllene, which helps mitigate the anxiety felt when consuming THC. You can also minimize the chances of greening out to begin with by choosing strains with specific terpenes like caryophyllene or pinene, which also helps to curb anxiety.

 

7. Take a Shower

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Taking a shower works to make you feel better during a green out in two distinct ways. First of all, taking a shower lets you effectively regulate body temperature. If your body temperature begins to rise, you can simply hop in a cool shower to bring it back down to manageable levels. 

 

Another way that a shower will help in the event of a green out is that it can help relax you. Showers also help to massage the body, which releases endorphins. Endorphins will help you better fight against the symptoms of greening out. Finally, showers can help distract you, which will let you power through your green out more effectively.

 

6. Rest and Relaxation

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As with all anxiety-based problems, a green out can be negated through rest and relaxation. This can take the form of meditation or simply putting your head down for a quick nap. Both of these are solid ways to avoid the awkward feeling of a green out. Even though it may sound somewhat counterintuitive, exercise will also work to relieve stress and get you through a troublesome green out. Additionally, lying down with your eyes closed can help you avoid the spins and keeps you feeling more normal.

 

Meditation works much in the same way that taking deep breaths help you when you’re greening out. When you meditate, you end up stretching and relaxing your muscles. This works twofold by releasing endorphins and giving you a mini massage at the same time. You are also supposed to regulate your breathing in the same while while you’re meditating, so you’re basically killing two birds with one stone.

 

Taking a nap, on the other hand, lets you sleep through the discomfort experienced during a green out. The goal is to wake up once your body has had more time to properly metabolize any THC. If you’re too wired to sleep, which can happen, try listening to relaxing music while curling up somewhere quiet and comfortable. You can also exercise a bit before trying to take a nap, which is generally quite effective.

 

5. Keep CBD Handy

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It’s usually good practice to keep a CBD-rich strain or pure CBD isolate close by, just in case you start greening out. CBD is known to curb the negative effects of THC, evening out your high. CBD will also alleviate the feeling of nausea that inevitably comes with a green out. 

 

It’s also worth noting that pure CBD is better than CBD mixed with THC. If you’re in the middle of a green out, you don’t want to ingest more THC, as this can heighten your issues, which isn’t preferable at all. Pure CBD oil is worth keeping around, then, just in case you start to spin and start greening out, as it can make all the difference in the long run.

4. Play the Waiting Game

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“This too shall pass” is an old Persian adage that’s been adopted by plenty of people throughout the ages. It’s great general advice and very much applies to greening out. Keeping in mind that you can’t overdose from too much THC, sometimes your best option is to simply ride out the awkward feelings until you start to sober up. 

 

This can be a bit of a struggle at times, but is what most people end up doing when they experience a green out. The effects of THC don’t usually last for more than a few hours. As such, you can rest assured that you’ll be back to your normal self soon enough. Nothing about a green out is dangerous and its effects will never last longer than your high, which will always go away given enough time.

 

3. Talk it Out

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Sometimes just talking to a friend is enough to mitigate a green out. At the very least, it can distract you until your start to feel more like yourself again. Talking about the sensations you’re feeling can work a lot like therapy. In this way, simply chatting about your current situation can work wonders and help guide you through a rough experience.

 

You can also apply this principle even if you’re on your own. In this scenario, just talk out loud to yourself or narrate what you’re going through. This act alone can really help remedy the situation and help you focus on something other than your anxiety.

 

2. Keep Moving

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This tip relates to the idea of exercising in order to combat a green out. While you don’t have to engage in vigorous activity to follow this tip, it certainly doesn’t hurt. Just keeping in constant motion will be a serious boon when all’s said and done. Getting up and going for a short walk will also increase blood flow and release endorphins. 

 

Furthermore, a change of scenery can help mitigate the issues you face during a green out in a big way. You can opt to pace if you don’t feel like going outside, walking from room to room if you’re at home. While this works, we recommend heading outside and taking a quick walk around the block. This will allow you to get some fresh air and allows for a nice change of pace. 

 

If we’re feeling particularly paranoid during a green out, we like to throw on a pair of sunglasses when we go outside. This pro tip allows us to avoid direct sunlight, which can cause further discomfort. It also ensures that we can hide behind our shades so people can’t immediately tell that we’re stoned. This helps us relax more than when we’re walking around in public while looking all squinty-eyed. 

 

1. Keep Calm

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When it comes right down to it, anxiety can get the better of all of us. When a green out occurs, that anxiety can get kicked through the roof, which doesn’t do anyone any favours. Remaining calm, then, is the best thing to keep in mind when you’re in the middle of greening out. All of the above tips are basically supposed to help you chill out as much as possible, but simply reminding yourself to relax is the best way to get through any green out. When you constantly repeat to yourself that you’ll feel better soon, you can generally ride out any discomfort with minimal fuss. 

 

At the end of the day, the best way to get through a green out is to know your limits. Staying within these limits and not overdosing means that you’ll have more fun. It will also help you avoid most of the negative effects associated with cannabis. 

 

Wrapping Up

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You can also opt for strains that have higher levels of CBD and lower levels of THC. Additionally, paying attention to the terpenes in each strain can help you tailor your high to suit your preferences perfectly. Many terpenes help to reduce anxiety or tone down the effects of THC in ways that will provide the best possible experience. 

 

Finally, if you eat well ahead of time and stay hydrated throughout your high, you’ll green out far less. Avoiding drinking alcohol either before or during your high is another important step that some people don’t take as seriously as they should. Alcohol interacts with cannabis by increasing the effects of both drugs. This, in turn, means that you’ll green out much more readily when you mix the two. 

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