To switch gears and address weed specifically, I’ve had many clients who use it as a crutch for insomnia, anxiety, and appetite (while on meds.) Here’s the problem: It is an inefficient and potentially harmful bandaid for those issues, and it often makes them worse in the long run, while diminishing overall functioning in the short run.
Using weed to relax doesn’t take in to account the negative emotional effects of not smoking first thing the next morning. (And, if you wake & bake, you’re in even more trouble.) Plus weed is a depressant. It acts much like alcohol in this respect. It makes you feel good in the short term, but leaves you with some serious neurochemical baggage later.
Using it as a sleep aid usually screws up you sleep pattern even more and lessens your functioning for the following day. I have also heard of a recent study that demonstrates that chronic chronic smokers show a 10 point lessening of IQ by decade. I figure that those of us with ADHD need all the functioning we can get.
The strange thing is that there are plenty of safe, effective, approved pharmaseutical remedies for these symptoms. Ativan doesn’t make you stupider, but can help you relax. Ambien shouldn’t mess up your whole sleep schedule if taken properly. And appropriate management of you ADHD can help both problems!
When confronted with the facts, I’ve had some people say, “well weed is natural. I guess I can’t argue with that. But, snake venom is natural too. I wouldn’t put that in my body. I’ll stick with the Ativan.