A Guide to Reading While High

While stereotypes suggest that people only eat and watch movies while high, reading while high can be just as pleasurable and engaging. 

The bottom line is that most activities, with the exclusion of things such as driving and operating machinery depending on the strain and THC level, of course, can be enhanced and enriched by doing them while high.

Some people get high to promote exercise. Others do it for social reasons and, as we’ll discuss today, reading can be a fantastic choice for your time spent high.

In the following article, we’ll discuss how people can reap the benefits of combining cannabis and literature through which, we hope, you’ll discover the tremendous potential of reading while high. After that, we’ll explore our top 10 best books to read while high. 

By the end of this article, you’ll have the tools needed to encourage more reading in your life.

Reading While High

What we do while high is a personal choice. There are so many productive and rewarding activities in our life that can benefit from adding in some bodacious bud. 

Reading is a perfect example. Being high can help to inspire creativity, imagination, and inspiration. Weed can heighten vivid imagination and help inspire and motivate us to learn from what we read while considering new perspectives and interpreting ideas more openly.

When it comes to reading while high, it is critical to focus on your dosage and setting. Find a comfortable environment with good lighting and remove distractions. It can be easy to get distracted while high, but we can overcome these urges through intentional effort. Get your room ready and have your book waiting for you.

Consider your weed dosage carefully. You will want to consume less than you would for sleep-promotion or couch-locking sedation. Generally, this means smoking less than you would before binge-watching Netflix. Small amounts of cannabis still pack a punch. The burst of creativity and imagination is the goal, and this is where less is more.

Once you get high, start reading your chosen book. It’s okay if you get distracted or your mind wanders, but try to pull your attention back to reading. Over time, this practice becomes easier and more comfortable, and eventually, will feel fluid and natural. 

Regarding your choice of books, we’ll have some specific suggestions below. However, more broadly, try to pick less dense literature that interests you. Whether you like autobiographies, fiction, fantasy, philosophy, or self-help, find books that pique your interest and inspire you. 

Combining these works of literature with the benefits of being high can create exceptional outcomes and benefits, some of which we’ll discuss below.

The Benefits of Reading High

Cannabis can benefit your reading experience through several related cognitive alterations, such as encouraging imagination and creativity. Being high impacts how our brain functions by altering the neural activity, often serving to stimulate your mind to create new connections and ideas, which can lead to powerful inspiration.

These alterations in cognitive functioning from being high can promote pattern recognition. By combining unrelated ideas, our brain can create new ideas. We call this inspiration. This is thought to be the reason why being high stimulates new ideas and inspirations. 

Reading philosophy books combined with cannabis can produce powerful insights as we connect seemingly unrelated points into a cohesive message.

Cannabis also promotes introspection, which is the notion of self-reviewing ourselves. This enhancement of personal insights combines wonderfully with self-help novels. Whether you are trying to change your diet, exercise, or productivity habits, weed can be a powerful stimulant.

Being high enhances our connections with the past. Most readers know how cannabis can inspire vivid memories from your past and provide new insights. In this way, reading while high can enhance our ability to relate to what we read. 

It empowers us to view our past experiences in a new light. Whether you’re reading about historical figures or reading high fantasy, being high can enhance these associations with your past.

Reading for Relaxation

Ultimately, indulging in bud and reading both promote relaxation. Combining the two can help ensure you’re in the right headspace to read thoughtfully. When you smoke some weed and spend time reading, you help reduce muscle tension, decrease stress, and promote rest. 

All of these can help lead to an amazing sleep afterward. Compared to staring at bright screens, reading books is much more conducive to bedtime and sleep promotion.

Getting buzzed on weed also helps increase empathy and understanding. These enhancements help you get into the world of your story more deeply. It is easier to understand the motivations of the characters and the intentions of the author. 

Thus, being high helps you feel the fiction, dive into the world, and understand the story. While stoned, we share the experience of the words on the page more intensely.

10 Best Books to Read High

Now that we have discovered how and why being high combines so well with reading, it is time to look at some specific books. 

We have created a list of our top 10 best reads to enhance the benefits of being high. The topics range from cannabis itself to past autocracies and creative insights.

1. High: Insights on Marijuana

High: Insights on Marijuana was written by Sebastian Marincolo and is all about being high. The ideas in this book helped stimulate the content of this article. 

Sebastian discusses how being high can lead to profound insights. The book describes how being high provides enhancement of episodic memory, pattern recognition, creativity, introspection, and our ability for empathic understanding. 

You likely recognize several of these topics as we described them above. If you want to learn more about how cannabis can help you garner insight, this is the best book there is.

2. Wonderbook

Whether you ever plan on writing a book or not, this novel is incredible and inspiring. Combined with cannabis, this book inspires creativity through its amazing images and thought-provoking content. 

Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction was written by Jeff VanderMeer. There are few books out there that stimulate ideas like this one, and the situation only gets better when combined with your favourite icky sticky. 

When it comes to creativity, this is the best book out there. As we’ve discussed already, cannabis can combine nicely with these words to enhance creativity.

3. The Pot Book

Why not read about cannabis while you enjoy being high? Written by Julie Holland, The Pot Book: A Complete Guide to Cannabis is all about weed. 

With deep historical insights, this book takes you through the decades that led us here. If you’ve wanted to understand what led to Reefer Madness and how we got to where we are today, this is the perfect book for you. 

From politics to medicine to society, this book discusses the complete history of cannabis.

4. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

Written by the popular blogger Mark Manson, this modern-day self-help book fits our current world perfectly.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life is a practical and pragmatic approach to translating psychology and philosophy into our everyday life. Through understanding our flaws, we learn to overcome them and develop a better connection to life. 

While the blunt tone may not be for everyone, this easy-to-read book can be combined with weed for incredible self-reflection.

5. On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

On Tyranny is the perfect book for the trying times we as a species have been through. By Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century is an easy and light read. 

While it may become the smallest book in your library, the lessons are far-reaching and powerful. If you’ve ever worried about society falling to dictators, this book provides practical lessons to ease your concerns. 

Through lessons from the past, Timothy arms you with the tools to resist autocracy. Combined with bud, the deep insights this book can offer are endless.

6. Lord of the Rings

We will admit that a lot of the books on this list have been a bit heavy. If you’re looking for something to help temporarily escape the real world, J. R. R. Tolkien is just what you need. 

The Lord of the Rings saga is a tale of epic heroism, far off mystical worlds and exciting adventures that can only be intensified by reading while high. Weed will only serve to broaden your mental horizons and allow your imagination to run rampant in creating images of The Shire, Mordor and more.  

Embark on an epic journey with Frodo, Samwise, Gandalf and more as they experience a myriad of trying and life-altering adventures on the quest to conquer and destroy the One Ring to Rule Them All. 

7. Harry Potter

Much like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter is also an excellent series for reading while high. 

After all, what better way to get into the magic mindset than by supplementing with a little bit of your own herbal magic? After all, herbology is one of our favourite courses to learn about at Hogwarts. We see you, Professor Sprout! 

Allow JK Rowling to transport you to the land of witches, wizards and fantastic beasts. Follow along with the captivating story of Harry as the Chosen One and his internal struggle for answers and his quest for a home, a family and a sense of belonging.

Incorporating weed will help expand your mind and expectations of what is possible while relating to the very human experiences for a well-rounded, introspective and engaging literary journey.

8. The Alchemist

Indulge in a tale of dreams and treasure and a quest to give life meaning. 

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho follows the journey of a young shepherd from Andalusia named Santiago and his recurring dreams surrounding treasure and pyramids that lead him to seek them out in the real world while learning valuable life lessons along the way. 

A short but rewarding story, The Alchemist, is a fantastic adventure for reading while high as it serves as a motivating tale about the importance of following your dreams while promoting some serious introspection and deep thoughts that can only be truly appreciated while high. 

9. The Catcher in the Rye 

While you likely dreaded being assigned to read it in high school, the classic novel by J.D. Salinger is a relatable and thought-provoking tale that follows the main character, Holden Caulfield and his experiences after getting kicked out of private school. 

Full of teenage angst that we can all relate to in one way or another, The Catcher in the Rye is ultimately a story about coming to grips with the universal reality of growing up and all that it entails. 

The book itself is written from Holden’s perspective. So, when reading while high, it presents a unique view where it seems as though he is speaking directly to you, sharing his innermost thoughts, concerns and dreams, creating a deeply personal experience that will likely leave stoners deep in thought.

10. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

Last but certainly not least, for those looking for an especially trippy experience for reading while high, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is a unique experience that is even more mind-bending to read after taking a few tokes. 

In fact, the book was so good that it was made into a movie starring the ever-talented Jack Nicholson. However, as is often the case, the book is far better. Its creation was inspired by Kesey’s time spent working as an orderly in a mental institution and his dabblings in the world of psychedelics, including LSD. 

The story itself follows Randle Patrick McMurphy, a mischievous character who fakes being insane and ends up confined to a psych ward. Readers can follow along while gaining insight into the institution’s operations and the human mind in a trippy and complex way. 

However, since this story is particularly eccentric, this is when dosage plays a critical role in your overall experience. You don’t want to ingest so much weed that a story like this will freak you out or scare you.

Reading While High – A Fascinating and Enriching Experience 

As we’ve learned throughout this article, combining weed and reading can create a perfect mixture. When you read a book while high, you can increase your understanding of the authors’ work. 

Whether you read fiction about characters who save the world or self-help and philosophy books, getting high can help you become a better reader. We hope you develop a better connection with reading through smoking weed. 

Reading is one of the most amazing things in our lives, and adding your favourite bud to the situation can provide immense benefits. Just remember to stay focused and avoid distractions.

As well, start low and go slow. Depending on your story of choice, you want to be able to comprehend and follow along while still enjoying the ride. 

Happy reading!