An Absolute Beginner's Guide To Dabbing

The word "dabbing" tends to conjure different images in people's minds: someone dabbing perfume behind their ears, or someone practicing that particular Atlanta-based dance routine of the same name. However, people steeped in marijuana culture know that dabbing is the practice wherein the user consumes high amounts of THC, the psychedelic chemical found in the plant. While the practice does come with some distinct dangers, it's become incredibly popular, and lots of people are reverting to this particular way of getting high now that it's mostly legal. The following guide will help you figure out how to make the most of dabbing while staying safe.

Defining Dabs

Dabs are bits of amber-colored wax that is hash oil of the butane variety and it is extremely concentrated and contains THC in its purest form. This concentrated substance extracts cannabis oil by using butane oil. Dabbing has been around since at least the 1960s, when people first realized that the process helps to create very concentrated levels of THC, thus making for a more pleasurable experience. Although, it's definitely become more popular as of late, especially among teens as marijuana consumption has become more and more legal throughout the country.

How to Dab

There are different ways to enjoy dabbing, and there isn't really just one simple, straightforward way. People commonly enjoy marijuana through joints or vape pens, at extremely high temperatures, but self-heating dab rigs are all the rage these days. These are specially designed glass bongs, sometimes called oil rigs, which entail a dab being placed on an attachment and using a blow torch to heat the wax; which in turn produces an intense vapor than can be inhaled. This allows for the effects of dabbing to be felt immediately, and the ease and smoothness of the process get people hooked straight away.

Warnings

Dabbing, while fun, isn't always safe and you need to be careful. There are significant dangers behind the practice, even though people tend to operate under the erroneous sense that it is safer than traditional methods. Just because dabbing allows you to get high off of just one hit doesn't mean that it's automatically healthier than the traditional method of taking up. Like all forms of drug use, it comes with an assortment of risks, and it's best to be well aware of these details before indulging in the habit.

For one, because the concentration of THC is so high, dabbing can lead to blackouts, cause a rapid heartbeat, loss of consciousness, produce feelings of extreme paranoia, and even skin conditions like breaking out in hives or creating an uncomfortable crawling sensation on the skin.

Also, because the inhalation of such high quantities of hallucinogens can be an intense experience, it creates a risk of absorbing high levels of toxins into the body. At the end of the day, dabbing forces you to inhale chemicals such as benzene and methacrolein since you need high temps in order to be able to get just one puff. And, because you're imbibing such a concentrated level of THC, any hope of quitting the habit will be complicated a few years from now. Because your tolerance levels will be quite high, the withdrawal will feel even more severe, and "getting clean" will be virtually impossible. The best thing you can do before you start dabbing is to go in with eyes wide open, fully aware of the risks, and figure out the best way to mitigate the intense effects.

At the end of the day, dabbing can be fun and, depending on the person, a good way to avoid the more traditional problems that come with smoking a joint. You just need to have the right equipment and be fully aware of your own body's limits and tendencies. If you've had an intense go the first time around, then perhaps dabbing isn't something you should do all the time.