For some, the first time smoking weed may be underwhelming as they don’t experience anything. For others, you may have heard crazy stories regarding what someone has experienced after getting high for the first time. Because of the mystique surrounding weed for first-time users, some may be anxious about trying it out.
The reality, however, is that weed is nothing to stress about. With the right preparation, you can have an awesome first time trying weed out for yourself. If it’s going to be your first time smoking weed, here are a few helpful tips and some additional information on what you should expect.
Is It Your First Time Smoking Weed?
There are a wide variety of reasons why you may be deciding to try out cannabis for the first time in your life. For those who live in areas where it’s recreational, you may want to try it because your friends smoke. Others may need to take it for medicinal purposes. Regardless of why you’re smoking weed for the first time, don’t jump straight to smoking wax. Let’s start your journey with some pointers to help you get started on smoking flower.
How to Smoke Weed Your First Time
Preparation
Preparation is arguably the most important aspect of your first time smoking. The last thing that you want to do is be underprepared, especially if you find yourself venturing out into the world while high on weed. Instead, focus on these things:
Set and Setting
Whether you choose to smoke from a pipe, bong, joint, or blunt, it’s important that you have all the materials you need at your disposal. This includes a grinder to help you grind your weed, the papers or tools that you need to start smoking, a lighter to heat up your herbs (preferably new so you don’t run out of juice midway through your smoke session), and an ashtray catch your ash. If you’re trying to keep your smoking secret, you may also want to have a fan and some odor neutralizer nearby too.
Regarding setting, it’s best to smoke in a place where you feel most comfortable like your house or a friend’s house. This will help you feel more comfortable as being somewhere unfamiliar can only increase anxiety if you’re experiencing it after you start feeling high. When it comes to smoking, safety is your first major concern!
Water
Weed can be very dehydrating, and most smokers deal with cottonmouth. To combat this, it’s important that you have plenty of water on hand. You may also wish to have some of your other favorite drinks on hand to enjoy. The only thing that you should avoid are beverages that will only dehydrate you further, such as coffee or alcohol (which may negatively amplify the effects of your high).
Snacks
Even if you’re someone who’s never smoked before, you’ve likely heard of the munchies that people have when they smoke weed. Weed can often make you feel like you’re hungry even when you’ve eaten, and nothing’s more satisfying than feeding these cravings. Whether you want chips, fast food (that you’ve ordered ahead of time, of course), or some other sweet or salty snack, stock up on these items before you decide to try your herbs.
Use a Pipe
There are certain types of tools that are more user-friendly for the new smoker. Unless you decide to purchase pre-rolls like joints or blunts, the fact is that these types of items can be hard to roll by yourself. Instead, you may want to purchase a tool like a pipe to get started with. There are plenty of affordable pipes at your nearby smoke shop as well as grinders and lighters to help you use them.
All you have to do to use a pipe is grind up your herbs (make sure it’s chunky, not powdery or so small that you can’t get a good light), pack your bowl (not too tightly as this can restrict airflow), gently move your lighter over the herbs so as not to light them completely on fire and burn through them quickly, hold your finger on the carb on the side, inhale, release your finger, and repeat!
It sounds confusing when written down, but you’ll get the hang of it as you experiment more. You can even ask a friend to show you the first couple of times so that you pick up on it quickly.
Tips on Smoking
Getting set up and started is rarely the hard part. For new smokers, learning how to smoke effectively can often be difficult for them. To ensure that you’re prepared once you start lighting up your herbs, let’s dive into a few tips on smoking.
Inhale Deep
When you smoke, it can be natural for your body to expel the hot smoke as it’s not accustomed to it yet. That being said, do try to get deep hits when you start taking pulls from your pipe or your water pipe. This deep inhale will allow your lungs to absorb all of those tasty cannabinoids and terpenes and begin distributing them throughout your bloodstream. This can take some time and practice, so don’t worry if you have a rough time getting started your first time.
Limit for Your First Time
Unfortunately, there is such a thing as being too high, and the last thing that you want to do during your first time smoking is reaching that point. Instead, aim to take little hits and wait to see how your body reacts. If you begin feeling funny, you may be getting high. It doesn’t necessarily happen for everyone the first time, so it’s important to be patient with yourself and experiment over time. However, it’s crucial that you avoid overdoing it and getting so high that you have an unpleasant experience. Take it slow and allow yourself to see how you react to certain amounts of weed before trying to smoke more.
It’s Ok to Cough
It’s a pervasive myth among certain circles that coughing is seen as not being able to handle your weed. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Coughing is a natural reaction to smoking, especially when you’re taking deep hits as you smoke. If you cough, know that it’s absolutely okay and it’s not a reflection of your ability to smoke weed “well”.
What to Do When You’re High
When you finally do reach your first high, you may be thinking to yourself, “what now?”. Being high is simply a state of being, and it’s how you apply it that defines your experience. Here are a few things that you can do when you’re high.
Enjoy
Being high is an entirely new experience for those who are just now starting to smoke. Don’t think about it too much. Instead, enjoy your high and really get into the feeling. Whatever you feel like doing (as long as it’s safe and there’s no potential for you getting hurt along the way), let your high mind guide you. Enjoy the experience and don’t think too much about any stress or anxiety that may present itself. This time is your time to feel what your high has to offer.
Eat
As we stated above, those who consume cannabis often feel hungrier once they start to feel the effects kick in. Besides feeling hungrier, the taste and texture of food may often feel completely different when you’re high than when you’re sober. If you’re looking to experiment while also satisfying your cravings, bust out of a movie and some of your favorite snacks and meals and see what it’s like to eat while you’re high. Who knows? You may have an entirely new take on certain foods once you’ve eaten them while high.
Laugh
When we smoke, almost everything can seem funnier to us. This is why it can be a great idea to turn something on that makes you laugh and enjoy it in an entirely new light. Whether this means popping in a comedy movie or putting something on your TV like a show or a video online, seek out your favorite comedic videos and see what it’s like to experience them while you’re high. Chances are that you’re going to love them a lot more than you already do!
Conclusion
Smoking for the first time can be a source of anxiety for those who may have heard stories from others. But as long as you’re safe, comfortable, and prepared, you don’t have to worry about a bad first-time experience. If you plan on smoking weed for the very first time and want to make sure that you have and know everything that you need in order to really enjoy it, use the guide above to prepare for your weed journey. Once you become familiar with what your high is like and what you enjoy doing while you’re high, it will become an easier experience over time!
