What to do when your friend gets too high

If you’ve ever found yourself googling what to do if you get too high whilst on a night out, you’ll be faced with all sorts of advice from breathing techniques and what to eat. It’s one thing if they’re about to whitey everywhere, but it is a lot harder to know what to do when they start feeling anxious or like they’re about to have a panic attack.

This week The Loop posted tips on how to help a friend at festival who’s taken drugs. It includes the usual advice of keeping them calm and hydrated, to the slightly obscure such as chewing on peppercorns.

Here is what you can do if your mate gets too high.

Reassure them with hugs

When people get too high, a number of bad effects can happen: you can get paranoid, anxious, and you can get depressed. All of these feelings can be incredibly lonely and can be amplified when you are high. However, hugs are a natural remedy to help reduce some of these symptoms.

Cuddles can immediately reduce stress by lowering blood pressure and heart rate. They also reduced a chemical called oxytocin, the “cuddle hormone”, as some doctors refer to it as. This chemical is released when cuddling and even sitting near to someone.

Get them into nature

Being amongst flora and fauna helps anybody, high or not, feel a bit more relieved from their stresses and anxieties. Being in nature soothes the mind which is perfect for someone who is feeling a little uneasy after doing drugs.

Have them chew peppercorns

Who knew this urban myth was actually true??? People have been writing on Reddit and Twitter saying that the peppercorns in your kitchen cupboard have calming effects for those feeling paranoid or anxious after consuming cannabis.

It seems a bit like an old wives tale but research has shown peppercorn’s chemical combines with cannabis chemicals producers a calming effect, and the same chemical found in CBD oil.

Help them make a safe nest

Sometimes all that needs to be done is either sleep off the worst part of the high or at least sit in a dark, cosy space until it passes. Being wrapped up all cosy will help your mate feel safer if they’re anxious and will let them feel able to sleep.

Watch sitcoms with them

Sitcoms are known for being light-hearted, funny and contain nothing scary, dramatic or too upsetting, therefore perfect for someone who is feeling a bit low effects of being high.

Watching sitcoms will provide a light-hearted distraction and hopefully calm your friend down until the high passes.

Keep calm

Reassure your friend in a calm voice that no, they are not dying and yes, they are completely safe. Getting frustrated and annoyed at your friend who is high won’t do either of you any favours. Try keep them as calm as possible.

Stay hydrated

DRINK WATER. Anyone who has taken drugs should know this incredibly important rule.The Loop is constantly reminding people of this.

Most advice given says don’t try and drink any sugary drinks or milky coffees, so make sure your mate sticks to plain H20. Make sure they don’t drink too little, but also make sure your mate doesn’t gulp the water down because chances are it’ll make them feel worse.

This is particularly important when taking MDMA. MD has a huge risk of dehydration and heatstroke. Typically someone should be drinking about a pint of water an hour, but it is also important to not drink too much. If you’re sober when you’re out with your mate on MDMA try remember this.

You just need to be drinking enough to help restore those tiny little cells in your body to their normal functioning standard. Drinking water will help with dry eyes, dry mouth, munchies and even the need to fidget.

Remind them to breathe

This may sound silly but if someone is feeling anxious or on the verge of a panic attack or too out of it to function it is important to keep everyone breathing.

If your friend has a really fast heart rate and they are really struggling to breath you can get them to try this trick: plug the right nostril and breath in and out of the left about five times. Then do the same on the reverse nostril. This old breathing tip is meant to be very soothing.

Another technique to help improve breathing and the amount of oxygen into the body is lying on your side. Breathing on your side is said to calm the nervous system and even lower heart rates.

Distract them

Distraction is key sometimes to keep your pal calm and together when they’re feeling the negatives of getting high.

You can distract them by watching sitcoms, chilling out with mates or even snacking. Not only will snacking on a load of junk food heal their munchies, it will also be a distraction against whatever’s going on in their brain.

Related articles:

• How to minimise the comedowns from every drug you’ll take, by drug experts

• Come Down With Me: A morning-after survival guide to the MDMA come-down

• So you’re dropping for the first time? A guide for MD virgins