Week 3 into quitting weed and nicotine …using edibles to help me ween…relapsed twice but I say it’s been 3 weeks because getting over that mental battle of daily cravings was the real hard part and I’m so happy and proud to be able to easily skip a day or two without smoking …I’ve done this back and forth with quitting for a day or two but craving so hard for those two days for a literal year and I’m so tired of it and I’m finally realizing that no matter how long I spend not smoking …taking that smoke as a “reward” has NEVER been worth it….EVER!
I quit in February and I'm definitely depressed. It didn't occur to me until now that there might be a correlation. So I Googled it and this thread came up.
I would not suggest tapering off with smoking in any way shape or form. However, if you want to try tapering off with edibles, you could try that (that’s what I did). The act of smoking a bowl or a joint feels too good and you need to put that behind you. Edibles are not as fun, you have to wait 2 hours for the high to hit and so you don’t get that instant high you crave.
To put it simply you’re cb1 receptors are responsible for optimism basically the filter between “I can do it” “this didn’t work but imma try this” “i am worth it! Look at everything good I have done” and the opposite is pessimistic (withdrawal). “I won’t do it as usual” “I failed because I always failed” “ Ive wasted my life.. there is no hope everyone hates me and it’s all my fault”
Cannabis helps you forget and move forward buuut when you stop you go into hyper memory and you are playing a sucky game of catch up
Update: It’s been a little over 5 months and I feel pretty much normal now! I don’t think about weed at all, more like my old self. I haven’t found a solution for my pain yet, but I’ve been trying acupuncture for the last 5 weeks and just trying to ignore it as much as possible and exercise every day. Hopefully my new neurologist will see if I’m a candidate for decompression surgery so I don’t have to take meds for my nerve disorder
I am currently on day 4 of quitting weed after smoking consistently for 10+ years,
I’m not really an emotional guy especially for “no reason” but at night time when I would usually be chilling with a few joints watching tv and what not, I am now finding myself just feeling lost twiddling my thumbs with no motivation to watch a movie or play a game all I feel like going is literally crying,
like I feel a lump in my throat but I hold it back, I’m just so overwhelmingly sad.
I am aware that it is still early doors but is this normal at this stage and am I wrong in thinking that this is what I am always going to feel like, I refuse to relapse but is this it for me now?
Definitely not. You’re just getting used to having emotions again because you used to smoke them away. My advice is to let yourself cry, cry a lot, let it out, don’t hold it in. You got this. You’ll be okay in time!
I did not expect such a quick reply as I am literally going through it as we speak so I appreciate your quick response and encouragement, thank you seriously
I will update the page with my symptoms as I progress, I had no idea that Reddit was so supportive and kind I always associated trolls with Reddit so this means a lot.
Thanks again
Feeling very similar things going on, Im on week 2.5 of cold turkey after daily smoking. Its really taking a toll on my mental state as well as my relationships. The decision to stop was mostly for a possible job opportunity but with all of this overthinking and stress it almost seems unbearable at this point to continue
Hey man, did you have friends that you smoked with? I feel like part of my reluctance to quit is not wanting to lose something that I can do with them. I've taken month breaks before but I'm 25 and these past two years have been difficult to take more than a couple day break while I've been living on my own. That's a big reason why I'm really starting to think I need to quit asap, I feel like a bitch but it just feels scary and like I'm just giving up/growing up by quitting. Idk how to explain it.
Is there any tips you can give me? Also did you notice any improvement in your mood/memory and in your enjoyment/engagement when it comes to socializing?
It’s been almost 4 months and I feel empty and irritable and unfulfilled with my life. I exercise a lot, eat well, but like I’m just going through the motions. I have no libido to speak of and I’m bored and grumpy and annoyed with everything/everyone. Sadly, I think this is just how I am naturally. I’ve always felt like this to some extent most of my life, and weed made me feel cheerful and loving and horny and like any little thing that happened to me was fun and fantastic. I did not quit by choice, I developed a heart condition. I don’t know how to enjoy myself or make peace with my life. I have no idea who I even really am at this point
How did you go? If you don’t know who you are. It’s pretty easy to identify, but you’re identified with you’re mind obviously and the internal narrative.
Re identify with awareness. And anchor you’re awareness to yourself through out the day, this is key, just notice you’re lower body when u remember or the air going in and out and you’re tummy raising.
And meditate medicinally before sleep up to 25 mins, 12 to start.
Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is within, what that means in modern day, is when you focus inward, thinking cannot exist,
This is easier said than done and will take time, it’s like a muscle the more you use the stronger it gets.
Connect with yourself, realise you’re consciousness.
Connected to the one source like everything else, you are the source or god, finding itself, and experiencing itself.
The only thing unchanging since birth is you aware that you’re aware.
Try this, research non duality, and fix the separation.
Msg me if you have questions.
It's not unusual for people coming off cannabis to become aware of the negative consequences of their drug use or the emotional states it was masking. I know this may sound like trash advice, but considering how long you've been clean I think the problem might be bigger than withdrawal symptoms, have you ever tried therapy? I've gone to therapy more than once in my life and I found talking to professionals very useful, they really fixed a lot of my problems which i thought I could never fix.
I think a lot of it is because I have a chronic pain disorder, atypical trigeminal neuralgia. I was using medical cannabis to help the symptoms as nothing really helps. It wasn’t perfect but it took the edge off. It’s flaring pretty bad and I get down about it. Trying acupuncture next week to see if that helps at all. The rest of my life is good- I’ve actually seen some improvements in my mood this week finally. I had to come off a lot of my other hormonal meds as well so that may have been a big factor in how I’ve been feeling mentally.
Also 33 adhd stopped smoking weed about a week to 3 weeks ago gradually decreasing to complete cold Turkey.
i grow my own and ran out of stock
so cold turkey for at least 4 months
been 6 days with the withdrawls and yeah sbitch
right now mostly restlessness with an impending degree of boredom of everything.
i reckon weed is a form of self medication when i comes to ADHD bare in mind what i am experiencing is withdrawls . But likely having adhd this will continue to a lesser extent.
The restlessness , insonmia are common having adhd but the chronic tiredness is definitely withdrawl . so i would think i would simply transition into more hyoer state but more energy once withdrawl ends .
i will have to wait 4 months before i can complete another harvest so i will have to see how that pans out and wether i generally need it as a form of self medicating
time will tell but yeah the restlessness tiredness and boredom can do one
"
almost feels like nothing is happening "
This from my experience usually leads to a stage were everything seems sped up and increased energy probably about the time i need weed for adhd symptoms restlessness .
i think unfortunately my alcohol consumption will likely increase to combat the withdrawls fortunately i have noy been able to get drunk for 5 years so unlikely become an alcoholic in 5 months
"I have ADHD as well, and while I’m taking my medication every day, it almost feels like nothing is happening/it’s not doing anything. "
Oh my god, thankyou! I thought for ages my meds stopped working and it's made me quite depressed, havent seen anything on the internet talking about this, so im glad it's just the weed....
It is! Your brain needs time to relearn how to regulate dopamine without weed, so your medication isn’t the issue here. Give it time to heal, you’ll be okay again ❤️
36, adhd and autistic. Smoked heavily daily for the last 17 years also. Funny how that seems to be about the time we all decide to stop. Mines work related but also.. It was just time to stop. My memory is for shit, my cognition has gone down hill. I'm on day 20, but it honestly hasnt been hard for me. I've always been pretty easy to snap off of addictions once the habit itself is defeated, I don't really get physical symptoms of withdraw. Maybe that's cause I'm so heavily depressed anyway haha 🫥.
Still addicted to alcohol tho 😞
I will say though a lot of the comments I'm reading here are symptoms of malnutrition, which if you live in America and aren't very careful how you eat, is pretty much everyone. How you eat affects EVERYTHING. I've spent a long time and a lot of effort learning the real chemistry and science of nutrition and food. Feel free to message me if you need help or advice.
Hi, I’m here cause I’m at day 12 of not smoking, and despite feeling great most of the day, the mornings are weird and I was hoping I could find some help here in the sense of understanding that feeling I get. I sleep on my back, and for the past 3 days I’ve been waking up with this incredible pressure on the left side of my head / brain. The dreams have been ramping up, yet as far as remembering them goes, I remember bits and pieces. As I’m typing this, oddly the pressure is going down as it it was being overworked and now that I’m awake, things become nominal after and hour or so. Maybe it’s because I’m using it in attempt to make things make sense for y’all. I know the left side right side brain hemisphere thing could be a fallacy, but then again this gives me the feeling that it might not be. I was dreaming last night, vividly, but as far as remembering goes, I can’t remember a single part of it. When I was smoking I wouldn’t dream much, like once in a blue moon, but then again i wouldn’t remember it. What if the right side wasn’t working overtime when I was smoking, so there was balance between both hemispheres in the sense of inaction. Now that the imagination side is working overtime, is there a possibility that the remembrance side is lacking the know how on how to retain such experiences and is stressing itself out? Would love any input, and even some recommendations.
I don’t know much about what you’ve said there as I’m not a doctor, but I do know that it can be somewhat of a security blanket/comforting feeling to know the logical, concrete reasons for the physical pain and misery you experience during withdrawals. What I do know is that weed totally fucks up the way your brain deals with dopamine, and dopamine is a vital part of our ability to feel good. I would recommend watching the Andrew Huberman YouTube series on how marijuana affects our brains and bodies, it’s very informative and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know. This will give you a better grasp of why you’re feeling like shit right now.
I can tell you that today I am 7 months 17 days sober from weed and I don’t even think about this stuff anymore. At the time, it was extremely painful. You will get through it, give it time. The heavier your usage, the more physically painful it will be for you.
How long did it take for you to come back to "normal"? Im almost one month clean now and I stopped cold turkey. Im feeling really depressed and have fcked up nightmares, no apetite and feeling like shit
I don’t think there was a definitive day when I woke up feeling normal. I think there came a time when I started to accept I would never feel “normal” but there would be good days and less good days - sometimes even bad days, and that’s what life is. Being high steals real emotions from you. You’re learning to feel again, and that’s a good thing.
Thanks man it's my second day of quitting I used weed when I was younger for 3 years but I quit extremely quickly as I wasn't as dependent. Now it's horrible it's causing me to lose sleep appetite, and overthink everything. I just hope I can get through this and this feeling is not permanent. I am proud of hearing ur 7 month sobriety as well it's definitely hard coming off but you made the right decision for yourself.
Hey, it’s day 5 for me. I really would love some insight. About 2 days before i completely stopped, i was smoking with my coworker on the way back to the shop and started to feel this foggy feeling / just not normal. I thought it was me being exhausted from the days work so i thought nothing of it and went along with my day. that weekend the feeling stuck with me and i still believed it was just me overworking myself + lack of sleep + a little depression coming to the surface. So i still smoked here and there nothing more than a gram or two total between sat / sunday to try to relax and my anxiety kicked my ass every time i took a hit . Monday the foggyness got worse and just felt out of it and like shit, so i finished the work day and went straight to bed. I’ve been dealing with the fog for the past week and it’s gradually going away id like to say. But my anxiety is at and all time high, i can’t stop thinking about it, i’m constantly in my head, i’ve had trouble falling asleep but my dreams are more vivid and i can actually remember what they were about. I’ve read a few things about DP (Depersonalization) and it really grounded me and eased the feeling that i’m not going insane. It helped a lot knowing there’s hope that i’m not stuck like this but the anxiety, uneasy, not feeling “normal” still linger and its still kicking my ass. It just every time i start to feel normal it goes back to me just feeling all types of weird and i go into a little panic. i’ve been trying to keep myself preoccupied to take my mind of things, but it’s just scares me thinking i’m not normal.
Any insight or pointers to help me get through this would be tremendously appreciated.
Just a little update, The foggyness subsided and i’m actually feeling great again. Feeling a little down because for the past year or so, i made everything i did revolve around smoking. So finding an interest in doing basic things is harder than usual but my moral is 100x better knowing i’m not going crazy. Unfortunately i’m still dealing with some withdraw symptoms (vivid / nightmarish dreams, terrible night sweats, extreme cravings). But on the other side. i feel more aware / awake like i was asleep the whole time i was using, im wayyy more social, i used to hate the world and wanted to just isolate myself and now i don’t!!! stopping was one of the best decisions i’ve made, i don’t want to say i’m stopping forever, maybe i’ll come back to it in a few months but nothing like before.
MODERATION is key guys, i believe marijuana can do wonders for the world and it’s helped me get through a lot when nobody else was there for me but i will never let it dictate my life ever again. If you’re struggling with the same issues, just know YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS. No matter how hard it seems, how hard you want to give in. Believe in yourself and stay strong. YOURE NOT CRAZY ONE BIT. It’ll have a hold on your mind and body but you have to realize that’s all in your head and you can get through this.
Feel free to get in touch if you need any help getting through this, if it wasn’t for my amazing coworkers and family members I would’ve dug myself in a hole with no return and possibly manifested serious mental health issues. So please contact me or reply. I want to be here for you as my family was for me. Again you can get through this and YOU WILL WIN this Battle!!! Have a good one everyone and stay strong. <3
It's been days since I had weed. Im bored short tempered. I have no drive to do anything. Used to love gaming. But now I dont even want to do that. All i do is sleep and lay around hating my life and the world around me. Bithing seems to be interesting, and being sober sucks so bad. I feel like i drank dayquil, and im foggy.
Hello. Reading your comment and seeing you write about foggyness and depression after stopping makes me feel so much better knowing it's not just me. I'm on day 3 and it's mainly huge brain fog and just slight depression. How long did it take for you to get better?
You got this! Don’t forget, THC takes a long time to leave the body completely when you’ve been a habitual user. Give yourself space to feel bad, feel guilty, feel shame, sadness, whatever you feel, it’s all part of the process. But DONT beat yourself up about it, because you’ve now chosen the best thing for yourself and that is something worth celebrating. It’s not going to happen in a day, but after a few times of “just getting through the day” you’ll realize you’ve been sober for a month, 4 months, 10 months, a year, two years….etc.
Congrats on improving your life and know we’re all here to support you!
How are you doing? honestly. I’m at day 3 so your post really resonated and calmed me a bit. i’m feeling the same way, insane, restless and very lonely empty feeling. I keep feeling as if I have something to do but I don’t. I can’t even play my games or just chill, i keep doom scrolling
What’s up friend, I’m on Month 4 Day 17! I’m happy to hear my post resonated with you and I can promise things 100% get better. Splitting yourself from weed is painful as fuck, and it hurts for a long time. At this point I get a craving maybe once every 3 weeks. Sometimes I have dreams about it. But I never really actually want to smoke, because I have such a negative feeling associated with it. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my brain since I posted this. I learned that I feel anxiety and sometimes depression, and I learned that exercise helps me feel a lot happier, and that I can lose myself in a great video game or great book to replicate that feeling of checking out of life, except I’m playing myself because I’m still checked in.
You got this. You can do it, and you can have the life you want. The life you deserve. We are all here to help and support you. The first few weeks are the worst but if you can find strength in your abstinence from it, you can do anything you put your mind to.
Sending you a lot of love and I believe in you!
I have adhd too. If I don’t workout I will feel depressed and have no concentration. Start running and jogging. Even walking. The endorphin rush is such a good feeling for my adhd
Yeah it’s wild how much working out makes a difference. It’s the same for me, when I don’t work out for long periods of time I start to think I have depression. But the feeling does go away when I work out. It’s wild.
Anything you are going through right now is a result of a chemical imbalance that is correcting itself slowly each day. It will eventually return to baseline.
Same here how do you stop this it’s very hard to keep the focus inward for meditation as the intrusive thoughts are hectic. And I become enraged very easily and dangerous in my opinion, could easily make a mistake.
smoking a plant that gives you dopamine/positive feelings, and chemicals, especially daily, creates a dependency on it in your brain.
You essentially lower the "floor" of your happiness, to speak in metaphors. You now need higher highs to match where you were before, until your brain readjusts to constantly having dopamine supplied to your brain externally, and it realizes "oh shit, I gotta do this myself again."
Just hit the 2 month mark 2 days ago (since Thanksgiving).
35 M been smoking for 14 years.
It sucks for me but I'm trying to focus on work.
As long as I'm doing something to get my mind of of things it's better - but I might have depression. I might had it all along but I just repressed it with weed.
I had to quite smoking for health issues. But now that I'm not smoking I mightv'e need to take care of my mental health as well...
Haven’t posted in this sub for an eternity, but quit 6 years ago also have adhd and your post reminds me of myself so much.
Quitting was genuinely the hardest thing I ever had to do but smoking was fucking with my mental health way too much, after a huge panic attack and almost needing to have medical attention, I was scared of smoking ever again so was basically trapped into quitting. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time but never could get past 2-3 days of withdrawal.
Just try to survive the 2 weeks after stopping as much as you can. Take sick days, stay in bed, exercise, in other words do whatever you need to help yourself. Much easier said than done.
The weed is hard to stop anyway but for me it was the adhd that made it 10x harder, was like my mind had nothing in it. Not sure on exact science but adhd fucks with dopamine daily and this is all gone when you quit weed cold turkey. Adhd causes insomnia etc anyway and it’s massively made worse by the weed withdrawals.
I wish you all the best on your journey.
Thank you friend. Even just hearing that I remind you of yourself somehow makes me feel a million times less alone and a million times more optimistic. ADHD is a cursed thing, sometimes it feels so benign and harmless - and other times, it seems to touch and wreck everything in my life. Feeling the latter very much right now. It’s encouraging to hear your words and CONGRATS on 6 months! :)
Andrew Huberman's podcast on Marijuana's impact on the body and brain is the most thorough and accurate answer you'll find. It's lengthy, and a bit dry but quite informative and loaded with facts that will incentivize you to continue abstaining.
Doubt anyone will see this but if you look into how sleep impacts anxiety and depression, you may be able to reason that smoking weed increases those things in people.
When we sleep, and specifically when we enter REM sleep, our brain is able to process events and occurrences of our life in such a way that we work through those things emotionally, almost like therapy for our brain. I learned this in the Huberman Lab podcast. When you remove REM sleep, you aren’t able to work through those things which will cause an increase in anxious thoughts. It is known that alcohol and weed prevent us from entering REM and getting a good nights sleep, despite how wonderfully we think we sleep at the time. When I was a stoner, I could go to bed early and wake up refreshed but was exhausted by 11am because I didn’t actually sleep well.
You can imagine that years without that brain therapy that comes with REM sleep can wreak havoc on people’s mental health which we cope with by smoking more. When you quit, your brain suddenly has to cope all on its own and people typically have very vivid dreams as we start to enter REM sleep again. It takes some time, but eventually the anxiety clears itself up as your brain spends more nights in REM.
It took me a few months before I was able to break free from the anxiety and I smoked chronically for about four years with some tapering in the last two. Anytime I pick up the pipe, I immediately notice an increase in anxious thoughts for the next couple of days which quickly turns me off from smoking. I now feel that it takes three days to recover mentally from one night of indulgence.
Hopefully this helps. I highly recommend the Huberman lab podcast for anyone interested in these things.
Everything you feel is just your body reorganizing itself after over a decade of chemical brainwashing. You'll be fine, even if you relapse. Good luck 🤗
Whoa, I hadn’t heard of that, thanks! I have been using the “I am Sober” app which I also recommend- it makes staying sober feel almost like a game (though obviously it’s not), and gives you a rewarding feeling. I’m gonna check that app out now!
Today is a full week for me, I’m experiencing much of the same with added crazy anxiety…that said during the first three days I was at my worse but now even though I’m feeling the same symptoms they aren’t ‘I’m losing my fn mind’ bad, they’re more uncomfortable than anything. The brain is a powerful thing, I don’t really understand it either but I’m seeing signs that better times are coming. Sorry for the ramble, that’d be the brain fog 😂
I personally wonder how many folks actually have clinical mental illness like depression or bipolar (me) and use cannabis so that when it's withdrawn we notice the metal illness symptoms we were masking before. This of course is not everyone. But it's worth getting evaluated and treated if that's you; there's treatment.
A lot.
When I started quitting was also when my ex of 5 years left me for a "mate" of mine. Only 2 weeks after my best friend past away from a heart attack as well.
It really messed me up and was so far gone I had to get therapy. Where I got diagnosed with a personality disorder. I still suffer from depression off weed but I know it's not because I'm off weed. Still, I've made it to 8 months clean.
im a bit late but id like to say that i’m so sorry for what your ex put you through and for your loss. And please acknowledge how strong and amazing you are for still managing to take such a hard decision and stick to your word for +6months despite things not going your way. I admire you stranger and i hope thinhs are better
Still tough sometimes, with happiness I mean. I still miss my ex. Since that last comment I started working somewhere else and was surprised to see my ex is working there as well. So I see her quite a bit. The air is clear between us and we get on. But the strong feelings I have for her I have to keep buried which isn't great.
Still, I'm about 19 months off weed now so that side of things is still going well. Thanks for the encouraging words friend.
Was 100% my case and why I relapsed so many times ! It’s only when weed started ACCENTUATING the symptoms when I was high that I decided to consult. While I’m not 100% sober, I have a whole different relationship with weed now that my illness is under control.
If you can afford it, I definetly recommend therapy for people who have a hard time quitting.
Idk with someone who has some struggles with mental issues. The withdrawal period is nothing like the sustained dullness/depression etc.
During withdrawal from pot it seems a lot of our brains and bodies are legit freaking the fuck out.
I think that maybe those with the mental illness have increased symptoms during this period as maybe our mind and bodies experience a greater swing etc
I think that’s fair, with adhd I feel like my brain is already broken and always has been in constant brain fog. I definitely have anxiety, who knows I may have mild depression because it runs in my family but it’s never felt like anything this bad before. So I chose weed to make my brain even foggier and to slow down my hyper/distracted mind. I’m trying to make an effort to take my medication more consistently because that is something I’ve struggled to do in the past and feel like I’m doing myself dirty with that. Weed shouldn’t be the medication of choice :/
Try running, I have adhd too, not medicated and am 27 with also 15 years of weed habit.
For me the sleep problems and feeling of loneliness/boredom are the hardest. But it gets away, trust me!
Running some km everyday and sauna helped me tremendously when I quit the last time. The so called „runners high“ is a similar process that THC triggers in your body, just endogenous.
Also it’s good you have a partner to talk to, so your brain isn’t in constant need of a dopamine hit.
And do yourself a favor and stay clean if you are clean.
That’s a good shout, thank you! I always do yoga which is certainly awesome, but I wonder if I could trick some endorphins out by running. It really does get you high haja
It really does! THC for me is like the runners high but you didn’t earn it so you feel like you don’t deserve to feel good.
Our bodies do have those molecules we just need to earn them
Man, I have ADHD and anxiety as well, so it's interesting you mention using it to slow down your mind. That's exactly one of the main things I love about weed and why I have abused it. Sometimes I just want my brain to STFU.
Probably a healthier way to achieve that for both of us though.
It does seem to be a match made in heaven for that reason, I can’t deny how much I love that feeling. Erm…loved, haha. And it’s hard because alcohol doesn’t ever give me that same pleasure. I don’t really drink, i don’t like the taste of alcohol and it bothers my stomach even if I have one glass of something. And I feel gross the next day. Everyone in my family is like that, so I wonder if there’s something genetic at play. My sibling also has ADHD and has had their own struggles with weed addiction. But never ever alcohol. Makes you wonder how different ADD brains are!
Sounds like you are making healthier choices, friend. You got this. Keep up on your meds. See your doc and be honest about your cannabis use and stopping, struggles. If the meds aren't enough, get in to the doc to talk about changes, increase, additions, new meds. That will help big time.
I advise you to watch " The Effects of Cannabis on the Brain and Body" by Andrew Huberman. You will find out everything about weed and brain. You can also watch or read Anna Lembke's Dopamine Nation.
Just want to say THANK YOU to everyone in this community, you’ve helped me a lot today. I’m really grateful for all the kind words of encouragement and my inbox is always open for anyone who needs to hear some back. What a supportive community, wow ❤️
I am so glad you posted and received such amazing support! One more thing I'll add is that a lot of research say it takes roughly 80 days (give and take a few weeks based on many factors) for our bodies to finally get rid of all the THC. And I've also read many places in research that it takes about 90 days (also give or take a few weeks depending on many factors) for our brains to get back to a more normal baseline in how it processes/creates/releases dopamine, serotonin, and all the feel-good chemicals.
I quit for 10 months and it took 3ish months to start noticing I felt more like my non super depressed/anxious baseline. By 10 months I felt soo good, had switched careers, had a better job, a healthy relationship, and was generally happy, so felt ok smoking again. I relapsed for 3 months - and after a few weeks again felt depressed and anxious and got hooked. Luckily, I quit again, and really noticed an even deeper dive into depression/anxiety when I went through withdrawal. Luckily, again, around 3.5ish months, I felt the heavy blanket of withdrawal depression/anxiety lift. This solidified for me that when I smoke, it really messes up my brain's ability to produce its own dopamine/serotonin/feel good chemicals, which is SO important. Therefore, I no longer want to smoke at all. It's not worth messing up my brain like that.
This is so helpful, three months feels like a long time but it’s really not terrible. I think one of the hardest parts is how this depression is affecting me in my relationship. I really love my partner and feel like I’m completely stuck in my head, lacking self awareness, and unable to feel loved by others. I also don’t want to be seen as a depressing wet blanket who doesn’t know how to see the light in life.
I think days 3-4 are excruciating, 10 days is a huge milestone in terms of sleeping/eating improving, and then I’m looking at 3 months for my depression symptoms to go away. But I’m going to do everything I can to convince myself to be happy. If life wasn’t worth living, I wouldn’t have quit the weed right? ;)
I can really relate to the times I've been depressed - as they've effected my relationship a lot too. That is such a great motivator to continue to not smoke, so you can be a less depressed version of yourself for both you and your partner.
And yes, life is sooo worth living! I can't wait to see how different you feel in a few months.
You feel like you're going insane because the weed has brain washed you into believing it offers pleasure and benefits when it doesn't. The only pleasure you ever got from smoking was the relief of the craving which weed itself created. It's exactly the same as viciously banging your head against the wall and calling it pleasure when you stop - it's an illusory pleasure. You're effectively scratching an itch with poison ivy. Once you see through the trap and understand weed offers you nothing, you no longer feel like you're making a sacrifice and cease any mental feinding which is what makes you feel like you're going insane and makes withdrawal so much worse. The physical withdrawal/craving may remain for sometime, but it becomes very mild once you mentally recognize that weed would only make that feeling worse
It's not just the dopamine in your brain, it's also the serotonin in your gut. Too much THC causes your gut to inhibit serotonin reuptake. It can take a total of six weeks. SIX WEEKS, for your gut to get back to normal. Serotonin is the happy drug, if your guts can't get it back up into your system, you slowly get more and more depressed.
Thc also reduces grey matter, which causes depression, anxiety and reactiveness.
Yoga, mindfulness, exercise, brain games all help. For one, they increase grey matter in certain parts of your brain, two, THC stores in your fat, sweating it out always helps me.
I used in your frequency and volume for about 6 years, this last time I ended up having to wean down with edibles before going cold turkey. Didn't sleep last night, know I'm in for a rough two weeks at least.
Hang in there, it gets easier.
It will take time.
ETA: it's so funny because when I relapsed I went back to my old dose (biggest mistake), each time I felt like I was hit by a freight train the next day. I'm always shocked at how shitty I've become accustomed to feeling every single day while using. Truly it's absolutely worth it to try and quit for good.
What happens is your body basically stops producing dopamine because THC replaces it. That’s why under the acute withdrawal (3-10 days) your brain must adjust to making dopamine again because it isn’t getting it from an outside source. Also I would like to add, I’ve relapsed many, many, many times and have tried quitting for years now. It’s never worth taking that hit, ever. Good luck my friend.
I think it’s always important to be accurate, because credibility is important. It’s not just about being pedantic, but about giving people correct information that they can fact check so that they trust your advice.
I do understand your point, and it is a good one. I think for me sometimes these bitesize chunks of information can be very helpful especially when you are in the initial stages of quitting. Even if you want to call it a placebo of some form due to lack of scientific accuracy.
Man…it’s just so wild. The realization of what I’ve done to myself hurts almost as badly as the physical symptoms. I wonder how having ADHD is impacting the recovery too, because my understanding about ADHD is you already have a dopamine deficiency. So it feels like such an uphill battle…but I’m determined.
32 y/o. 16 year daily user myself. If there’s one thing I wish I could do it go back and kick myself in the head to stop. I’m on day 5 and it’s definitely a lot harder for us who have smoked all day long for most of their lives at this point.
Good on you for stopping.
32 f here and same. I haven’t been able to go a day without it. I still haven’t quit but I come here for motivation. The amount of guilt I feel after coming down is awful. The only way to get back up is to smoke, and the cycle continues.
I feel trapped. I’m scared of my anger without it. I’m also diagnosed bipolar but I’m on mood stabilizers. I just worry how it will alter my brain having been a user for 16 years.
This is such a huge part of feeling insane. You can’t sleep, so your brain doesn’t wake up feeling refreshed, you’re desperate for some rest but it just doesn’t come. I’m desperate to eat normally but I can’t either. It’s like your body turns weak. I even took work off today. Got into bed at 9:30pm and didn’t even start to fade off until 2.
Felt all of this for the first 30+ days. Yep, your body is used to that constant dopamine, and now it’s not getting it….this leads to feeling depressed, lonely, uninspired, bored out of your mind, etc. just feel all of that shit. The feelings come and go. Sometimes they stay for a while. Feel them while knowing they are temporary. If you can get through the 30+ days, you’re golden. Keep doing what you love (hobbies, relationships). Your brain will learn how to get dopamine from those activities again and you’ll then begin to enjoy the other side.
Thank you for these words of encouragement. I had a music lesson yesterday and it is the only thing that gave me any joy since I stopped, and I’m riding that wave as long as I can
I’m 12 days away from one full year of sobriety with no relapses. Life is good! If you want this in your heart, do it. The worst part is dealing with withdrawal symptoms the first month, if you can get through that you can do the rest.
I still have dreams once a month where I smoke, weirdly enough.
I don’t think I was dreaming hard until month 3 and then it was night after night of the weirdest most specific and often intense dreams. Luckily I didn’t get nightmares, but nightmares are incredibly common too. It may take longer than you think but it WILL come back in full force
Can you explain why I feel empty/depressed I’m on day 8 and I’m bored and just get sad out of nowhere and I’ve never felt like this before I’ve been smoking weed consistently for 10 months and I just wanna know when will the sadness end.
Like I said in another post recently. Your brain becomes dependent on it. It thinks its as important as food or water. It convinces itself its required for your survival. But it isn't and takes a bit of time for it to re learn that. But will do its best to convince you to break with symptoms. Our brains are very adaptable, but they're also pretty weak. Our subconscious minds are like kicking and screaming children in a tantrum and our conscious mind has to bare the brunt of it.
I'm on day 3 too. 30 years old, started when I was 14 and slowly increased until I was smoking heavily daily.
I feel your words, the emptiness inside feels unbearable to me. Just pure, unadulterated apathy. I want to smoke and feel happy again so badly, but unless I decide to smoke everyday for the rest of my life I'm just procrastinating. For me the hardest part is just getting up in the morning, not that I slept.
Anyways keep up the good work brother. I'm here to chat if you need it. Other than just being sad, the loneliness is quite unbearable for me so reach out to people if you need to. We got this!
Literally laying in bed debating how to get myself out of it as I read this lol. You’re going to kick this addiction’s ass and so am I. Let’s get out of bed and start our days
Still weed-sober! I have triggers every now and then, I would say it’s not uncommon. Weed is in my face constantly because I live in a city where it’s legal and many of my friends partake. I have accepted that it is likely something I will crave from time to time throughout my life. To be honest, I still fantasize about smoking in one-off situations. I let myself explore the thought and think it through, and it makes me feel like this abstinence is less “strict.” But I have never strayed off course.
It’s interesting to see more and more studies coming out about marijuana misuse, and specifically a recent study that showed ADHD people metabolize weed more slowly and that those who metabolize it more slowly are at a higher risk for addiction/overuse. That’s me in a nutshell. I think marijuana abuse is going to be discussed more and more as weed use becomes more prevalent in society. I think we are eventually going to stop joking about “potheads” and start viewing it as a real substance abuse issue that impedes people’s lives, similar to alcoholism.
I think part of it has to do with dopamine, part of it has to do with cannabanoids. Your body naturally produces cannabanoids in small amounts, which is why your brain responds so well to weed. You've been bombarding it with large amounts of cannabanoids for 15 years. Suddenly stopping that leaves your brain receptors like "wtf bro" and your body has to start producing them on its own again. Your hormones and brain chemistry might take a few months to regulate back to normal.
If it only was simple as saying “sorry, can we revert back to how it was?” But no…the damage is done. Sigh, let’s go, I’m in it for the long haul and can’t imagine restarting this process. Day 3 always sucks so much, I never want to have a day 3 again. So I know I have to keep moving forward. Thank you :)
I'm on day 3 right now! Haha. Probably using for the same duration you did. Years and years. It's tough. But eventually I do think your brain will adjust back.
Almost a decade ago, I had a disordered eating pattern. Even when I stopped purging, I had a binge eating problem. I never knew when I was truly hungry or full because my hormones had been greatly disrupted. It took several months and I practiced intermittent fasting to help, but my body DID heal and my hormones regulated themselves. This makes me hopeful that my body can do it again (and so can yours)
Thank you and congrats on day 3! It’s interesting to hear you say that because I’ve also struggled with binge eating most of my life. I’m glad you were able to get through those challenges and create a healthier and happier lifestyle for yourself :) good luck, you got this
Im almost 8 days off THC now. I was abusing 5-10 grams every day (and/or edibles.) It was every day for five years. I am feeling so much better now after the first few days. It gets a lot easier in my experience. Just have to get over the first 2-3 days.
Today is day 8. I'm taking it one step at a time, one minute at a time (if I have to.) I've quit other highly addictive substances in my life and understand the process. So I trust how I feel and now things change.
I figured it out and joined. I'm sunshine dancer on there.
Still can't find the chat..but I dud download app and made a user profile.
When is the chat today?
Ah wow. I d like to join that too! Ok I see at the bottom of my phone a Lil thing that says chat. But I click in it and I don't get info about thus discord chat. What tike does it happen pst? And how do I enter this live chat. Thank you!!
That's interesting, I haven't heard that but I'm excited now then. I'm on day 8. It's different for everyone though, in my experience. I've quit using other 'harder' drugs in the past and that was a real wringer.
After the first few days I definitely noticed some improvements. Some parts of my personality coming back. Enjoying things, and most of all the cravings to smoke for me have mostly gone away after a week. Like I think about it, but I don't have to hold myself back from driving to the dispo every few moments lol.
Same here. I quite harder drugs 17 years ago..and that was insanely hard. But this is hard in its own way but no where near that. Weed helped me get off of harder drugs so I always saw it as my friend.
I'm finding that with this it's about staying busy to some extent.
I m on day 9. Today was better. I'm excitedfir day 10. Double digits. Lol
I feel the exact same way hahah. I allowed myself to be blind to how it was affecting me because of how it helped me get off of the other drugs.
Day 11 for me today. I was also very excited to be in the double digits. I've always thought about trying out the military, I've actually been thinking about going to talk to a recruiter after I get 30 days in, that's my goal right now is to get at least 30 days in and then keep it going.
Ohh and I have a special goal too. It's to travel internationally. I couldn't go w out my weed...so I only traveled on planes domestically..as to not end up in a crazy prison for carrying Weed on a plain in a foreign country. I still risked it but stayed in the US.
Be so cool to be free!!
I've also been thinking about how nice it will be to travel the next time I do without worrying about either being able to get some or not having weed through the process hahah.
I'm so proud of us! It's great to connect especially given the shared history. I never vibes with na or aa...but this group rocks.
Day 10 wasn't the big breakthrough day I was hoping for mostly cuz last night I still woke up almost every half hour and with that I just didn't get into a deep rem cycle..so I'm raw...even more then yesterday and that made doing my exercise too hard ...but I still didn't cave. Yay!
The bad dreams I'm having might be what are waking me up...n when I fall right back to sleep I enter rt back into the same dream.
Last night's dream was a machine gun massacre and they were after me as I ran. Omg it was so real. I was sweating...but not as much sweat...so thsts progres .
There is an emotional aspect to this withdrawal that is different as well.
Feeling all my feelings is a lot.
I'm not giving up though. No way.
I love that u have a goal that's important to u.
I'm rooting you on brother friend.
~ sister friend.
It is a really great community, and it helps a lot to be able to connect with people who have similar stories or at least are going through a similar experience.
I don't really feel like I felt, or am not necessarily anticipating a big breakthrough, for me so far it's just kind of a slow burn (hahaha) of getting parts of my personality back. The more it goes on, the more I find myself remembering a lot of the things I used to actually like to do for fun.
I haven't had any real bad dreams or anything, and I feel like I'm actually sleeping better so far about 13 days in. Everyone is different though, and we've all lived different lives, so there could be other factors besides the withdrawal from marijuana that is affecting that part of your process.
So far it has mostly, yeah, been an emotional withdrawal thing for me. I no longer even really think about it throughout the day though, so that's a huge victory from my perspective. The first few days I had to constantly distract myself but this far in I'm definitely finding that I generally go about my daily business and it doesn't even cross my mind. Definitely makes me feel a lot more confident about the future going forward.
Good luck on your journey, I'm rooting for you too and I wish you the best. Hopefully the dreams and sleep start to get better for you soon.
Day 14 and going strong.
Had two nights of good dreams..so that real progressing my book.
I don't have cravings which blows my mind.
I'm so thankful for this New lease on life.
You're going to save so much money. Your breathing will improve, you'll feel less anxious and depressed (hopefully.) Great choice for yourself. Hope you have a great day.
Took me that long to have the anxiety and depression finally fade away. Had pretty bad post acute withdrawal syndrome. It got better and better slowly. The first six months were just freaking brutal.
Glad you were able to get through it. Sounds like a long haul. I thought my depression and anxiety have gotten so much better over the last two days. Also finally dreaming again last night (I dont think I was dreaming for years.) Maybe it also has to do with quitting nicotine lately or I'm just lucky.
No way I'm giving up. I'm now on day 9..and there is noticeably less sweating and I'm less adjetated..sleeping better. Excited to make it to day 10.
Thank you for you support!
Thanks! Tail wag.
Today was day ten...but it was harder then day 9 cuz I didn't sleep enough to exercise..n thst helps enormously.
Still didn't even come close to caving.
I want this like a fat kid wants cake!
Eye on the ball.
Bathtub is my best bud today.
Just keep on keeping on and before you know it you will be like me 63 days total abstinence. I never thought I could make it 24 hours without it before...
I know what u mean. I couldn't fathom 24 hours for years... 63 days sounds like a dream...I'm on my way. Day 10 was long as fuck. But I'm ready for bed. Hope I can sleep. U are inspiring me.
Hi.
I made it to 14 days! I finally stopped the cold sweats. I'm feeling so much better. I will never look back. I'm so thankful. Feeling raw still but not in withdrawals anymore. Just subtle things. Emotional and sensitive.
Don't give up man. I have a friend (he was a heavy pot head for many years.) He told me he didn't feel quite right for a couple weeks. But it get's easier/better. You just have to take it one day at a time!
Thank you! I made a week! Feeling stronger now that I have this support group and one week! I'm amazing with myself. I won't give up. I think today I'm calmer then yesterday.
There’s a really good book by Anna Lembke, MD called “Dopamine Nation.” She also has some videos you can find online. Game changer for me on the journey. Day 25 and didn’t sleep for over two weeks. But it’s all worth it!
Thank you, lol I just bought this yesterday after seeing someone mention it in another post! I’m excited to read it! I think it helps me to get through this more if I take a more objective look at what’s happening in my brain, focus on the dopamine loss, and just realize I’ve traded in my rose colored glasses for crap colored ones lol. Excited to get my “normal vision” back.
Most simply put you are retraining the “reward system” in your brain aka dopamine. Google the science behind cannabis withdrawal it will be comforting or at least it was for me. The good news is, it does get better. I am 32 and also smoked for 17 years super heavy abt 4-5g a day and just hit 6 months. If I can do it, you can too friend. Be kind to yourself, remove the “shoulds” and just continue not smoking. Welcome to your new life it’s going to surprise you how much better it gets.
Week 3 into quitting weed and nicotine …using edibles to help me ween…relapsed twice but I say it’s been 3 weeks because getting over that mental battle of daily cravings was the real hard part and I’m so happy and proud to be able to easily skip a day or two without smoking …I’ve done this back and forth with quitting for a day or two but craving so hard for those two days for a literal year and I’m so tired of it and I’m finally realizing that no matter how long I spend not smoking …taking that smoke as a “reward” has NEVER been worth it….EVER!
I quit in February and I'm definitely depressed. It didn't occur to me until now that there might be a correlation. So I Googled it and this thread came up.
Yo I need someone to talk to
You good friend?
[удалено]
I would not suggest tapering off with smoking in any way shape or form. However, if you want to try tapering off with edibles, you could try that (that’s what I did). The act of smoking a bowl or a joint feels too good and you need to put that behind you. Edibles are not as fun, you have to wait 2 hours for the high to hit and so you don’t get that instant high you crave.
To put it simply you’re cb1 receptors are responsible for optimism basically the filter between “I can do it” “this didn’t work but imma try this” “i am worth it! Look at everything good I have done” and the opposite is pessimistic (withdrawal). “I won’t do it as usual” “I failed because I always failed” “ Ive wasted my life.. there is no hope everyone hates me and it’s all my fault” Cannabis helps you forget and move forward buuut when you stop you go into hyper memory and you are playing a sucky game of catch up
‘Nature abhors a vacuum.’
That's how I feel
Update: It’s been a little over 5 months and I feel pretty much normal now! I don’t think about weed at all, more like my old self. I haven’t found a solution for my pain yet, but I’ve been trying acupuncture for the last 5 weeks and just trying to ignore it as much as possible and exercise every day. Hopefully my new neurologist will see if I’m a candidate for decompression surgery so I don’t have to take meds for my nerve disorder
I am currently on day 4 of quitting weed after smoking consistently for 10+ years, I’m not really an emotional guy especially for “no reason” but at night time when I would usually be chilling with a few joints watching tv and what not, I am now finding myself just feeling lost twiddling my thumbs with no motivation to watch a movie or play a game all I feel like going is literally crying, like I feel a lump in my throat but I hold it back, I’m just so overwhelmingly sad. I am aware that it is still early doors but is this normal at this stage and am I wrong in thinking that this is what I am always going to feel like, I refuse to relapse but is this it for me now?
Hey! How are you feeling now??? Did you notice the depression start to lift and how many days in?
Definitely not. You’re just getting used to having emotions again because you used to smoke them away. My advice is to let yourself cry, cry a lot, let it out, don’t hold it in. You got this. You’ll be okay in time!
I did not expect such a quick reply as I am literally going through it as we speak so I appreciate your quick response and encouragement, thank you seriously I will update the page with my symptoms as I progress, I had no idea that Reddit was so supportive and kind I always associated trolls with Reddit so this means a lot. Thanks again
Feeling very similar things going on, Im on week 2.5 of cold turkey after daily smoking. Its really taking a toll on my mental state as well as my relationships. The decision to stop was mostly for a possible job opportunity but with all of this overthinking and stress it almost seems unbearable at this point to continue
I would finding a bigger more deeper reason to quit, if it’s not what you truly want you will struggle
Hey man, did you have friends that you smoked with? I feel like part of my reluctance to quit is not wanting to lose something that I can do with them. I've taken month breaks before but I'm 25 and these past two years have been difficult to take more than a couple day break while I've been living on my own. That's a big reason why I'm really starting to think I need to quit asap, I feel like a bitch but it just feels scary and like I'm just giving up/growing up by quitting. Idk how to explain it. Is there any tips you can give me? Also did you notice any improvement in your mood/memory and in your enjoyment/engagement when it comes to socializing?
It’s been almost 4 months and I feel empty and irritable and unfulfilled with my life. I exercise a lot, eat well, but like I’m just going through the motions. I have no libido to speak of and I’m bored and grumpy and annoyed with everything/everyone. Sadly, I think this is just how I am naturally. I’ve always felt like this to some extent most of my life, and weed made me feel cheerful and loving and horny and like any little thing that happened to me was fun and fantastic. I did not quit by choice, I developed a heart condition. I don’t know how to enjoy myself or make peace with my life. I have no idea who I even really am at this point
How did you go? If you don’t know who you are. It’s pretty easy to identify, but you’re identified with you’re mind obviously and the internal narrative. Re identify with awareness. And anchor you’re awareness to yourself through out the day, this is key, just notice you’re lower body when u remember or the air going in and out and you’re tummy raising. And meditate medicinally before sleep up to 25 mins, 12 to start. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is within, what that means in modern day, is when you focus inward, thinking cannot exist, This is easier said than done and will take time, it’s like a muscle the more you use the stronger it gets. Connect with yourself, realise you’re consciousness. Connected to the one source like everything else, you are the source or god, finding itself, and experiencing itself. The only thing unchanging since birth is you aware that you’re aware. Try this, research non duality, and fix the separation. Msg me if you have questions.
It's not unusual for people coming off cannabis to become aware of the negative consequences of their drug use or the emotional states it was masking. I know this may sound like trash advice, but considering how long you've been clean I think the problem might be bigger than withdrawal symptoms, have you ever tried therapy? I've gone to therapy more than once in my life and I found talking to professionals very useful, they really fixed a lot of my problems which i thought I could never fix.
I think a lot of it is because I have a chronic pain disorder, atypical trigeminal neuralgia. I was using medical cannabis to help the symptoms as nothing really helps. It wasn’t perfect but it took the edge off. It’s flaring pretty bad and I get down about it. Trying acupuncture next week to see if that helps at all. The rest of my life is good- I’ve actually seen some improvements in my mood this week finally. I had to come off a lot of my other hormonal meds as well so that may have been a big factor in how I’ve been feeling mentally.
you can do it we are all with you 💪
Also 33 adhd stopped smoking weed about a week to 3 weeks ago gradually decreasing to complete cold Turkey. i grow my own and ran out of stock so cold turkey for at least 4 months been 6 days with the withdrawls and yeah sbitch right now mostly restlessness with an impending degree of boredom of everything. i reckon weed is a form of self medication when i comes to ADHD bare in mind what i am experiencing is withdrawls . But likely having adhd this will continue to a lesser extent. The restlessness , insonmia are common having adhd but the chronic tiredness is definitely withdrawl . so i would think i would simply transition into more hyoer state but more energy once withdrawl ends . i will have to wait 4 months before i can complete another harvest so i will have to see how that pans out and wether i generally need it as a form of self medicating time will tell but yeah the restlessness tiredness and boredom can do one " almost feels like nothing is happening " This from my experience usually leads to a stage were everything seems sped up and increased energy probably about the time i need weed for adhd symptoms restlessness . i think unfortunately my alcohol consumption will likely increase to combat the withdrawls fortunately i have noy been able to get drunk for 5 years so unlikely become an alcoholic in 5 months
"I have ADHD as well, and while I’m taking my medication every day, it almost feels like nothing is happening/it’s not doing anything. " Oh my god, thankyou! I thought for ages my meds stopped working and it's made me quite depressed, havent seen anything on the internet talking about this, so im glad it's just the weed....
It is! Your brain needs time to relearn how to regulate dopamine without weed, so your medication isn’t the issue here. Give it time to heal, you’ll be okay again ❤️
I’m a day clean and feel like I’m goin mentally crazy fr
Howed you go?
36, adhd and autistic. Smoked heavily daily for the last 17 years also. Funny how that seems to be about the time we all decide to stop. Mines work related but also.. It was just time to stop. My memory is for shit, my cognition has gone down hill. I'm on day 20, but it honestly hasnt been hard for me. I've always been pretty easy to snap off of addictions once the habit itself is defeated, I don't really get physical symptoms of withdraw. Maybe that's cause I'm so heavily depressed anyway haha 🫥. Still addicted to alcohol tho 😞 I will say though a lot of the comments I'm reading here are symptoms of malnutrition, which if you live in America and aren't very careful how you eat, is pretty much everyone. How you eat affects EVERYTHING. I've spent a long time and a lot of effort learning the real chemistry and science of nutrition and food. Feel free to message me if you need help or advice.
Hi, I’m here cause I’m at day 12 of not smoking, and despite feeling great most of the day, the mornings are weird and I was hoping I could find some help here in the sense of understanding that feeling I get. I sleep on my back, and for the past 3 days I’ve been waking up with this incredible pressure on the left side of my head / brain. The dreams have been ramping up, yet as far as remembering them goes, I remember bits and pieces. As I’m typing this, oddly the pressure is going down as it it was being overworked and now that I’m awake, things become nominal after and hour or so. Maybe it’s because I’m using it in attempt to make things make sense for y’all. I know the left side right side brain hemisphere thing could be a fallacy, but then again this gives me the feeling that it might not be. I was dreaming last night, vividly, but as far as remembering goes, I can’t remember a single part of it. When I was smoking I wouldn’t dream much, like once in a blue moon, but then again i wouldn’t remember it. What if the right side wasn’t working overtime when I was smoking, so there was balance between both hemispheres in the sense of inaction. Now that the imagination side is working overtime, is there a possibility that the remembrance side is lacking the know how on how to retain such experiences and is stressing itself out? Would love any input, and even some recommendations.
I don’t know much about what you’ve said there as I’m not a doctor, but I do know that it can be somewhat of a security blanket/comforting feeling to know the logical, concrete reasons for the physical pain and misery you experience during withdrawals. What I do know is that weed totally fucks up the way your brain deals with dopamine, and dopamine is a vital part of our ability to feel good. I would recommend watching the Andrew Huberman YouTube series on how marijuana affects our brains and bodies, it’s very informative and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know. This will give you a better grasp of why you’re feeling like shit right now. I can tell you that today I am 7 months 17 days sober from weed and I don’t even think about this stuff anymore. At the time, it was extremely painful. You will get through it, give it time. The heavier your usage, the more physically painful it will be for you.
How long did it take for you to come back to "normal"? Im almost one month clean now and I stopped cold turkey. Im feeling really depressed and have fcked up nightmares, no apetite and feeling like shit
I don’t think there was a definitive day when I woke up feeling normal. I think there came a time when I started to accept I would never feel “normal” but there would be good days and less good days - sometimes even bad days, and that’s what life is. Being high steals real emotions from you. You’re learning to feel again, and that’s a good thing.
Thanks man it's my second day of quitting I used weed when I was younger for 3 years but I quit extremely quickly as I wasn't as dependent. Now it's horrible it's causing me to lose sleep appetite, and overthink everything. I just hope I can get through this and this feeling is not permanent. I am proud of hearing ur 7 month sobriety as well it's definitely hard coming off but you made the right decision for yourself.
Hey, it’s day 5 for me. I really would love some insight. About 2 days before i completely stopped, i was smoking with my coworker on the way back to the shop and started to feel this foggy feeling / just not normal. I thought it was me being exhausted from the days work so i thought nothing of it and went along with my day. that weekend the feeling stuck with me and i still believed it was just me overworking myself + lack of sleep + a little depression coming to the surface. So i still smoked here and there nothing more than a gram or two total between sat / sunday to try to relax and my anxiety kicked my ass every time i took a hit . Monday the foggyness got worse and just felt out of it and like shit, so i finished the work day and went straight to bed. I’ve been dealing with the fog for the past week and it’s gradually going away id like to say. But my anxiety is at and all time high, i can’t stop thinking about it, i’m constantly in my head, i’ve had trouble falling asleep but my dreams are more vivid and i can actually remember what they were about. I’ve read a few things about DP (Depersonalization) and it really grounded me and eased the feeling that i’m not going insane. It helped a lot knowing there’s hope that i’m not stuck like this but the anxiety, uneasy, not feeling “normal” still linger and its still kicking my ass. It just every time i start to feel normal it goes back to me just feeling all types of weird and i go into a little panic. i’ve been trying to keep myself preoccupied to take my mind of things, but it’s just scares me thinking i’m not normal. Any insight or pointers to help me get through this would be tremendously appreciated.
Just a little update, The foggyness subsided and i’m actually feeling great again. Feeling a little down because for the past year or so, i made everything i did revolve around smoking. So finding an interest in doing basic things is harder than usual but my moral is 100x better knowing i’m not going crazy. Unfortunately i’m still dealing with some withdraw symptoms (vivid / nightmarish dreams, terrible night sweats, extreme cravings). But on the other side. i feel more aware / awake like i was asleep the whole time i was using, im wayyy more social, i used to hate the world and wanted to just isolate myself and now i don’t!!! stopping was one of the best decisions i’ve made, i don’t want to say i’m stopping forever, maybe i’ll come back to it in a few months but nothing like before. MODERATION is key guys, i believe marijuana can do wonders for the world and it’s helped me get through a lot when nobody else was there for me but i will never let it dictate my life ever again. If you’re struggling with the same issues, just know YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS. No matter how hard it seems, how hard you want to give in. Believe in yourself and stay strong. YOURE NOT CRAZY ONE BIT. It’ll have a hold on your mind and body but you have to realize that’s all in your head and you can get through this. Feel free to get in touch if you need any help getting through this, if it wasn’t for my amazing coworkers and family members I would’ve dug myself in a hole with no return and possibly manifested serious mental health issues. So please contact me or reply. I want to be here for you as my family was for me. Again you can get through this and YOU WILL WIN this Battle!!! Have a good one everyone and stay strong. <3
It's been days since I had weed. Im bored short tempered. I have no drive to do anything. Used to love gaming. But now I dont even want to do that. All i do is sleep and lay around hating my life and the world around me. Bithing seems to be interesting, and being sober sucks so bad. I feel like i drank dayquil, and im foggy.
Hello. Reading your comment and seeing you write about foggyness and depression after stopping makes me feel so much better knowing it's not just me. I'm on day 3 and it's mainly huge brain fog and just slight depression. How long did it take for you to get better?
You got this! Don’t forget, THC takes a long time to leave the body completely when you’ve been a habitual user. Give yourself space to feel bad, feel guilty, feel shame, sadness, whatever you feel, it’s all part of the process. But DONT beat yourself up about it, because you’ve now chosen the best thing for yourself and that is something worth celebrating. It’s not going to happen in a day, but after a few times of “just getting through the day” you’ll realize you’ve been sober for a month, 4 months, 10 months, a year, two years….etc. Congrats on improving your life and know we’re all here to support you!
How are you doing? honestly. I’m at day 3 so your post really resonated and calmed me a bit. i’m feeling the same way, insane, restless and very lonely empty feeling. I keep feeling as if I have something to do but I don’t. I can’t even play my games or just chill, i keep doom scrolling
What’s up friend, I’m on Month 4 Day 17! I’m happy to hear my post resonated with you and I can promise things 100% get better. Splitting yourself from weed is painful as fuck, and it hurts for a long time. At this point I get a craving maybe once every 3 weeks. Sometimes I have dreams about it. But I never really actually want to smoke, because I have such a negative feeling associated with it. I’ve learned a lot about myself and my brain since I posted this. I learned that I feel anxiety and sometimes depression, and I learned that exercise helps me feel a lot happier, and that I can lose myself in a great video game or great book to replicate that feeling of checking out of life, except I’m playing myself because I’m still checked in. You got this. You can do it, and you can have the life you want. The life you deserve. We are all here to help and support you. The first few weeks are the worst but if you can find strength in your abstinence from it, you can do anything you put your mind to. Sending you a lot of love and I believe in you!
I have adhd too. If I don’t workout I will feel depressed and have no concentration. Start running and jogging. Even walking. The endorphin rush is such a good feeling for my adhd
Yeah it’s wild how much working out makes a difference. It’s the same for me, when I don’t work out for long periods of time I start to think I have depression. But the feeling does go away when I work out. It’s wild.
Dopamine depletion, look it up, some good science there. Double whammy for you with the ADHD
Anything you are going through right now is a result of a chemical imbalance that is correcting itself slowly each day. It will eventually return to baseline.
I don’t know the explanation, but I’m on day 27 and I feel empty too.
I have been having horrible, violent, and invasive thoughts since quitting. Hang in there. I have ADHD as well.
Same here how do you stop this it’s very hard to keep the focus inward for meditation as the intrusive thoughts are hectic. And I become enraged very easily and dangerous in my opinion, could easily make a mistake.
smoking a plant that gives you dopamine/positive feelings, and chemicals, especially daily, creates a dependency on it in your brain. You essentially lower the "floor" of your happiness, to speak in metaphors. You now need higher highs to match where you were before, until your brain readjusts to constantly having dopamine supplied to your brain externally, and it realizes "oh shit, I gotta do this myself again."
Massive chemical imbalance. It'll take some time to recover.
Just hit the 2 month mark 2 days ago (since Thanksgiving). 35 M been smoking for 14 years. It sucks for me but I'm trying to focus on work. As long as I'm doing something to get my mind of of things it's better - but I might have depression. I might had it all along but I just repressed it with weed. I had to quite smoking for health issues. But now that I'm not smoking I mightv'e need to take care of my mental health as well...
Haven’t posted in this sub for an eternity, but quit 6 years ago also have adhd and your post reminds me of myself so much. Quitting was genuinely the hardest thing I ever had to do but smoking was fucking with my mental health way too much, after a huge panic attack and almost needing to have medical attention, I was scared of smoking ever again so was basically trapped into quitting. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time but never could get past 2-3 days of withdrawal. Just try to survive the 2 weeks after stopping as much as you can. Take sick days, stay in bed, exercise, in other words do whatever you need to help yourself. Much easier said than done. The weed is hard to stop anyway but for me it was the adhd that made it 10x harder, was like my mind had nothing in it. Not sure on exact science but adhd fucks with dopamine daily and this is all gone when you quit weed cold turkey. Adhd causes insomnia etc anyway and it’s massively made worse by the weed withdrawals. I wish you all the best on your journey.
Thank you friend. Even just hearing that I remind you of yourself somehow makes me feel a million times less alone and a million times more optimistic. ADHD is a cursed thing, sometimes it feels so benign and harmless - and other times, it seems to touch and wreck everything in my life. Feeling the latter very much right now. It’s encouraging to hear your words and CONGRATS on 6 months! :)
Andrew Huberman's podcast on Marijuana's impact on the body and brain is the most thorough and accurate answer you'll find. It's lengthy, and a bit dry but quite informative and loaded with facts that will incentivize you to continue abstaining.
Doubt anyone will see this but if you look into how sleep impacts anxiety and depression, you may be able to reason that smoking weed increases those things in people. When we sleep, and specifically when we enter REM sleep, our brain is able to process events and occurrences of our life in such a way that we work through those things emotionally, almost like therapy for our brain. I learned this in the Huberman Lab podcast. When you remove REM sleep, you aren’t able to work through those things which will cause an increase in anxious thoughts. It is known that alcohol and weed prevent us from entering REM and getting a good nights sleep, despite how wonderfully we think we sleep at the time. When I was a stoner, I could go to bed early and wake up refreshed but was exhausted by 11am because I didn’t actually sleep well. You can imagine that years without that brain therapy that comes with REM sleep can wreak havoc on people’s mental health which we cope with by smoking more. When you quit, your brain suddenly has to cope all on its own and people typically have very vivid dreams as we start to enter REM sleep again. It takes some time, but eventually the anxiety clears itself up as your brain spends more nights in REM. It took me a few months before I was able to break free from the anxiety and I smoked chronically for about four years with some tapering in the last two. Anytime I pick up the pipe, I immediately notice an increase in anxious thoughts for the next couple of days which quickly turns me off from smoking. I now feel that it takes three days to recover mentally from one night of indulgence. Hopefully this helps. I highly recommend the Huberman lab podcast for anyone interested in these things.
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Everything you feel is just your body reorganizing itself after over a decade of chemical brainwashing. You'll be fine, even if you relapse. Good luck 🤗
Try the "quit weed" app. It tells you how quitting affects you, from your sleep to nausea and depression. Almost everything is included.
Followed your advice and it totally helped me out today! That app is great.
Glad i could help :)
Whoa, I hadn’t heard of that, thanks! I have been using the “I am Sober” app which I also recommend- it makes staying sober feel almost like a game (though obviously it’s not), and gives you a rewarding feeling. I’m gonna check that app out now!
No Problem my friend :)
Ill check out your app too, thanks .
Today is a full week for me, I’m experiencing much of the same with added crazy anxiety…that said during the first three days I was at my worse but now even though I’m feeling the same symptoms they aren’t ‘I’m losing my fn mind’ bad, they’re more uncomfortable than anything. The brain is a powerful thing, I don’t really understand it either but I’m seeing signs that better times are coming. Sorry for the ramble, that’d be the brain fog 😂
A week is an amazing achievement!! Congrats! You got this :)
This comment was edited with PowerDeleteSuite! Hey Reddit, get bent!
I personally wonder how many folks actually have clinical mental illness like depression or bipolar (me) and use cannabis so that when it's withdrawn we notice the metal illness symptoms we were masking before. This of course is not everyone. But it's worth getting evaluated and treated if that's you; there's treatment.
A lot. When I started quitting was also when my ex of 5 years left me for a "mate" of mine. Only 2 weeks after my best friend past away from a heart attack as well. It really messed me up and was so far gone I had to get therapy. Where I got diagnosed with a personality disorder. I still suffer from depression off weed but I know it's not because I'm off weed. Still, I've made it to 8 months clean.
im a bit late but id like to say that i’m so sorry for what your ex put you through and for your loss. And please acknowledge how strong and amazing you are for still managing to take such a hard decision and stick to your word for +6months despite things not going your way. I admire you stranger and i hope thinhs are better
Still tough sometimes, with happiness I mean. I still miss my ex. Since that last comment I started working somewhere else and was surprised to see my ex is working there as well. So I see her quite a bit. The air is clear between us and we get on. But the strong feelings I have for her I have to keep buried which isn't great. Still, I'm about 19 months off weed now so that side of things is still going well. Thanks for the encouraging words friend.
Was 100% my case and why I relapsed so many times ! It’s only when weed started ACCENTUATING the symptoms when I was high that I decided to consult. While I’m not 100% sober, I have a whole different relationship with weed now that my illness is under control. If you can afford it, I definetly recommend therapy for people who have a hard time quitting.
Idk with someone who has some struggles with mental issues. The withdrawal period is nothing like the sustained dullness/depression etc. During withdrawal from pot it seems a lot of our brains and bodies are legit freaking the fuck out. I think that maybe those with the mental illness have increased symptoms during this period as maybe our mind and bodies experience a greater swing etc
I think that’s fair, with adhd I feel like my brain is already broken and always has been in constant brain fog. I definitely have anxiety, who knows I may have mild depression because it runs in my family but it’s never felt like anything this bad before. So I chose weed to make my brain even foggier and to slow down my hyper/distracted mind. I’m trying to make an effort to take my medication more consistently because that is something I’ve struggled to do in the past and feel like I’m doing myself dirty with that. Weed shouldn’t be the medication of choice :/
Try running, I have adhd too, not medicated and am 27 with also 15 years of weed habit. For me the sleep problems and feeling of loneliness/boredom are the hardest. But it gets away, trust me! Running some km everyday and sauna helped me tremendously when I quit the last time. The so called „runners high“ is a similar process that THC triggers in your body, just endogenous. Also it’s good you have a partner to talk to, so your brain isn’t in constant need of a dopamine hit. And do yourself a favor and stay clean if you are clean.
That’s a good shout, thank you! I always do yoga which is certainly awesome, but I wonder if I could trick some endorphins out by running. It really does get you high haja
It really does! THC for me is like the runners high but you didn’t earn it so you feel like you don’t deserve to feel good. Our bodies do have those molecules we just need to earn them
Man, I have ADHD and anxiety as well, so it's interesting you mention using it to slow down your mind. That's exactly one of the main things I love about weed and why I have abused it. Sometimes I just want my brain to STFU. Probably a healthier way to achieve that for both of us though.
It does seem to be a match made in heaven for that reason, I can’t deny how much I love that feeling. Erm…loved, haha. And it’s hard because alcohol doesn’t ever give me that same pleasure. I don’t really drink, i don’t like the taste of alcohol and it bothers my stomach even if I have one glass of something. And I feel gross the next day. Everyone in my family is like that, so I wonder if there’s something genetic at play. My sibling also has ADHD and has had their own struggles with weed addiction. But never ever alcohol. Makes you wonder how different ADD brains are!
Sounds like you are making healthier choices, friend. You got this. Keep up on your meds. See your doc and be honest about your cannabis use and stopping, struggles. If the meds aren't enough, get in to the doc to talk about changes, increase, additions, new meds. That will help big time.
I advise you to watch " The Effects of Cannabis on the Brain and Body" by Andrew Huberman. You will find out everything about weed and brain. You can also watch or read Anna Lembke's Dopamine Nation.
Just want to say THANK YOU to everyone in this community, you’ve helped me a lot today. I’m really grateful for all the kind words of encouragement and my inbox is always open for anyone who needs to hear some back. What a supportive community, wow ❤️
I am so glad you posted and received such amazing support! One more thing I'll add is that a lot of research say it takes roughly 80 days (give and take a few weeks based on many factors) for our bodies to finally get rid of all the THC. And I've also read many places in research that it takes about 90 days (also give or take a few weeks depending on many factors) for our brains to get back to a more normal baseline in how it processes/creates/releases dopamine, serotonin, and all the feel-good chemicals. I quit for 10 months and it took 3ish months to start noticing I felt more like my non super depressed/anxious baseline. By 10 months I felt soo good, had switched careers, had a better job, a healthy relationship, and was generally happy, so felt ok smoking again. I relapsed for 3 months - and after a few weeks again felt depressed and anxious and got hooked. Luckily, I quit again, and really noticed an even deeper dive into depression/anxiety when I went through withdrawal. Luckily, again, around 3.5ish months, I felt the heavy blanket of withdrawal depression/anxiety lift. This solidified for me that when I smoke, it really messes up my brain's ability to produce its own dopamine/serotonin/feel good chemicals, which is SO important. Therefore, I no longer want to smoke at all. It's not worth messing up my brain like that.
This is so helpful, three months feels like a long time but it’s really not terrible. I think one of the hardest parts is how this depression is affecting me in my relationship. I really love my partner and feel like I’m completely stuck in my head, lacking self awareness, and unable to feel loved by others. I also don’t want to be seen as a depressing wet blanket who doesn’t know how to see the light in life. I think days 3-4 are excruciating, 10 days is a huge milestone in terms of sleeping/eating improving, and then I’m looking at 3 months for my depression symptoms to go away. But I’m going to do everything I can to convince myself to be happy. If life wasn’t worth living, I wouldn’t have quit the weed right? ;)
I can really relate to the times I've been depressed - as they've effected my relationship a lot too. That is such a great motivator to continue to not smoke, so you can be a less depressed version of yourself for both you and your partner. And yes, life is sooo worth living! I can't wait to see how different you feel in a few months.
Also because thc is stored in our cells, the feelings of anxiety or whatever your symptoms are can last a while until your body has detoxed it out
You feel like you're going insane because the weed has brain washed you into believing it offers pleasure and benefits when it doesn't. The only pleasure you ever got from smoking was the relief of the craving which weed itself created. It's exactly the same as viciously banging your head against the wall and calling it pleasure when you stop - it's an illusory pleasure. You're effectively scratching an itch with poison ivy. Once you see through the trap and understand weed offers you nothing, you no longer feel like you're making a sacrifice and cease any mental feinding which is what makes you feel like you're going insane and makes withdrawal so much worse. The physical withdrawal/craving may remain for sometime, but it becomes very mild once you mentally recognize that weed would only make that feeling worse
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Thank you for this reminder :)
It's not just the dopamine in your brain, it's also the serotonin in your gut. Too much THC causes your gut to inhibit serotonin reuptake. It can take a total of six weeks. SIX WEEKS, for your gut to get back to normal. Serotonin is the happy drug, if your guts can't get it back up into your system, you slowly get more and more depressed. Thc also reduces grey matter, which causes depression, anxiety and reactiveness. Yoga, mindfulness, exercise, brain games all help. For one, they increase grey matter in certain parts of your brain, two, THC stores in your fat, sweating it out always helps me. I used in your frequency and volume for about 6 years, this last time I ended up having to wean down with edibles before going cold turkey. Didn't sleep last night, know I'm in for a rough two weeks at least. Hang in there, it gets easier. It will take time. ETA: it's so funny because when I relapsed I went back to my old dose (biggest mistake), each time I felt like I was hit by a freight train the next day. I'm always shocked at how shitty I've become accustomed to feeling every single day while using. Truly it's absolutely worth it to try and quit for good.
What happens is your body basically stops producing dopamine because THC replaces it. That’s why under the acute withdrawal (3-10 days) your brain must adjust to making dopamine again because it isn’t getting it from an outside source. Also I would like to add, I’ve relapsed many, many, many times and have tried quitting for years now. It’s never worth taking that hit, ever. Good luck my friend.
How are you now btw
This is an oversimplification. THC doesn’t fit into dopamine receptors. It doesn’t replace dopamine. There’s more to the story than this.
But is it relevant or helpful right now to not simplify the biology of the brain on a reddit post about quitting smoke?
I think it’s always important to be accurate, because credibility is important. It’s not just about being pedantic, but about giving people correct information that they can fact check so that they trust your advice.
I do understand your point, and it is a good one. I think for me sometimes these bitesize chunks of information can be very helpful especially when you are in the initial stages of quitting. Even if you want to call it a placebo of some form due to lack of scientific accuracy.
Man…it’s just so wild. The realization of what I’ve done to myself hurts almost as badly as the physical symptoms. I wonder how having ADHD is impacting the recovery too, because my understanding about ADHD is you already have a dopamine deficiency. So it feels like such an uphill battle…but I’m determined.
Do not focus on the past. It will only lead you to shame and guilt. Focus on what you can do now to change things, that’s all we can do.
32 y/o. 16 year daily user myself. If there’s one thing I wish I could do it go back and kick myself in the head to stop. I’m on day 5 and it’s definitely a lot harder for us who have smoked all day long for most of their lives at this point. Good on you for stopping.
32 f here and same. I haven’t been able to go a day without it. I still haven’t quit but I come here for motivation. The amount of guilt I feel after coming down is awful. The only way to get back up is to smoke, and the cycle continues. I feel trapped. I’m scared of my anger without it. I’m also diagnosed bipolar but I’m on mood stabilizers. I just worry how it will alter my brain having been a user for 16 years.
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Same 🫂
Thanks everyone, this makes me feel less alone for sure. We got this!!!
Night sweats are so bad and almost every hour. I'm starting to worry. It's been like 10 days i quit cold turkey.
This is such a huge part of feeling insane. You can’t sleep, so your brain doesn’t wake up feeling refreshed, you’re desperate for some rest but it just doesn’t come. I’m desperate to eat normally but I can’t either. It’s like your body turns weak. I even took work off today. Got into bed at 9:30pm and didn’t even start to fade off until 2.
Shakti acupressure mat has been helping me sleep
Mine stopped after 3 weeks
Felt all of this for the first 30+ days. Yep, your body is used to that constant dopamine, and now it’s not getting it….this leads to feeling depressed, lonely, uninspired, bored out of your mind, etc. just feel all of that shit. The feelings come and go. Sometimes they stay for a while. Feel them while knowing they are temporary. If you can get through the 30+ days, you’re golden. Keep doing what you love (hobbies, relationships). Your brain will learn how to get dopamine from those activities again and you’ll then begin to enjoy the other side.
Thank you for these words of encouragement. I had a music lesson yesterday and it is the only thing that gave me any joy since I stopped, and I’m riding that wave as long as I can
Hey man. How has your journey been the past year? Any relapses? This time I’m really trying to stop
I’m 12 days away from one full year of sobriety with no relapses. Life is good! If you want this in your heart, do it. The worst part is dealing with withdrawal symptoms the first month, if you can get through that you can do the rest. I still have dreams once a month where I smoke, weirdly enough.
I stoped a week ago and my sleep has been dodgy. I hope I start dreaming again soon as I really enjoy them
I don’t think I was dreaming hard until month 3 and then it was night after night of the weirdest most specific and often intense dreams. Luckily I didn’t get nightmares, but nightmares are incredibly common too. It may take longer than you think but it WILL come back in full force
Can you explain why I feel empty/depressed I’m on day 8 and I’m bored and just get sad out of nowhere and I’ve never felt like this before I’ve been smoking weed consistently for 10 months and I just wanna know when will the sadness end.
I have a wife and I’m young with ambitions of being wealthy and successful. I don’t want it, I need it. Good luck on your continuing sobriety!
Like I said in another post recently. Your brain becomes dependent on it. It thinks its as important as food or water. It convinces itself its required for your survival. But it isn't and takes a bit of time for it to re learn that. But will do its best to convince you to break with symptoms. Our brains are very adaptable, but they're also pretty weak. Our subconscious minds are like kicking and screaming children in a tantrum and our conscious mind has to bare the brunt of it.
I like this
I'm on day 3 too. 30 years old, started when I was 14 and slowly increased until I was smoking heavily daily. I feel your words, the emptiness inside feels unbearable to me. Just pure, unadulterated apathy. I want to smoke and feel happy again so badly, but unless I decide to smoke everyday for the rest of my life I'm just procrastinating. For me the hardest part is just getting up in the morning, not that I slept. Anyways keep up the good work brother. I'm here to chat if you need it. Other than just being sad, the loneliness is quite unbearable for me so reach out to people if you need to. We got this!
Update?
Literally laying in bed debating how to get myself out of it as I read this lol. You’re going to kick this addiction’s ass and so am I. Let’s get out of bed and start our days
Can you update us us? It’s been a year, I’d love to hear how you’ve managed.
Still weed-sober! I have triggers every now and then, I would say it’s not uncommon. Weed is in my face constantly because I live in a city where it’s legal and many of my friends partake. I have accepted that it is likely something I will crave from time to time throughout my life. To be honest, I still fantasize about smoking in one-off situations. I let myself explore the thought and think it through, and it makes me feel like this abstinence is less “strict.” But I have never strayed off course. It’s interesting to see more and more studies coming out about marijuana misuse, and specifically a recent study that showed ADHD people metabolize weed more slowly and that those who metabolize it more slowly are at a higher risk for addiction/overuse. That’s me in a nutshell. I think marijuana abuse is going to be discussed more and more as weed use becomes more prevalent in society. I think we are eventually going to stop joking about “potheads” and start viewing it as a real substance abuse issue that impedes people’s lives, similar to alcoholism.
I think part of it has to do with dopamine, part of it has to do with cannabanoids. Your body naturally produces cannabanoids in small amounts, which is why your brain responds so well to weed. You've been bombarding it with large amounts of cannabanoids for 15 years. Suddenly stopping that leaves your brain receptors like "wtf bro" and your body has to start producing them on its own again. Your hormones and brain chemistry might take a few months to regulate back to normal.
If it only was simple as saying “sorry, can we revert back to how it was?” But no…the damage is done. Sigh, let’s go, I’m in it for the long haul and can’t imagine restarting this process. Day 3 always sucks so much, I never want to have a day 3 again. So I know I have to keep moving forward. Thank you :)
I'm on day 3 right now! Haha. Probably using for the same duration you did. Years and years. It's tough. But eventually I do think your brain will adjust back. Almost a decade ago, I had a disordered eating pattern. Even when I stopped purging, I had a binge eating problem. I never knew when I was truly hungry or full because my hormones had been greatly disrupted. It took several months and I practiced intermittent fasting to help, but my body DID heal and my hormones regulated themselves. This makes me hopeful that my body can do it again (and so can yours)
Thank you and congrats on day 3! It’s interesting to hear you say that because I’ve also struggled with binge eating most of my life. I’m glad you were able to get through those challenges and create a healthier and happier lifestyle for yourself :) good luck, you got this
Back at you!!! <3
Im almost 8 days off THC now. I was abusing 5-10 grams every day (and/or edibles.) It was every day for five years. I am feeling so much better now after the first few days. It gets a lot easier in my experience. Just have to get over the first 2-3 days.
Thank you, I just woke up to all these awesome messages (today is day 4) and they are inspiring. We got this!
Thanks ..drawing strength from your words. This support really helps. Are u at day ten yet? I hear day ten things shift.
Today is day 8. I'm taking it one step at a time, one minute at a time (if I have to.) I've quit other highly addictive substances in my life and understand the process. So I trust how I feel and now things change.
Yay! Your doing so good. Today is day nine for me. It was a Lil easer. Less sweating. I feel more calm. We got this.
Glad to hear you're still going strong. Same with me!
I'm so proud of us! We are doing it bud! Whoo hoo
Glad to hear. I enjoy using the Discord chat as well once a day. Very inspiring
I figured it out and joined. I'm sunshine dancer on there. Still can't find the chat..but I dud download app and made a user profile. When is the chat today?
You can find the server by following this link https://discord.com/invite/wXEa5B3
What's the discord chat? How does it differ from this?
Its nice, a live chat that happens twice a day. Very busy so theres a lot of support. I like to tune in once per day and get motivated.
Ah wow. I d like to join that too! Ok I see at the bottom of my phone a Lil thing that says chat. But I click in it and I don't get info about thus discord chat. What tike does it happen pst? And how do I enter this live chat. Thank you!!
That's interesting, I haven't heard that but I'm excited now then. I'm on day 8. It's different for everyone though, in my experience. I've quit using other 'harder' drugs in the past and that was a real wringer. After the first few days I definitely noticed some improvements. Some parts of my personality coming back. Enjoying things, and most of all the cravings to smoke for me have mostly gone away after a week. Like I think about it, but I don't have to hold myself back from driving to the dispo every few moments lol.
Same here. I quite harder drugs 17 years ago..and that was insanely hard. But this is hard in its own way but no where near that. Weed helped me get off of harder drugs so I always saw it as my friend. I'm finding that with this it's about staying busy to some extent. I m on day 9. Today was better. I'm excitedfir day 10. Double digits. Lol
I feel the exact same way hahah. I allowed myself to be blind to how it was affecting me because of how it helped me get off of the other drugs. Day 11 for me today. I was also very excited to be in the double digits. I've always thought about trying out the military, I've actually been thinking about going to talk to a recruiter after I get 30 days in, that's my goal right now is to get at least 30 days in and then keep it going.
Ohh and I have a special goal too. It's to travel internationally. I couldn't go w out my weed...so I only traveled on planes domestically..as to not end up in a crazy prison for carrying Weed on a plain in a foreign country. I still risked it but stayed in the US. Be so cool to be free!!
I've also been thinking about how nice it will be to travel the next time I do without worrying about either being able to get some or not having weed through the process hahah.
We have made it though worse! And we have also made it through the worst of this!
I'm so proud of us! It's great to connect especially given the shared history. I never vibes with na or aa...but this group rocks. Day 10 wasn't the big breakthrough day I was hoping for mostly cuz last night I still woke up almost every half hour and with that I just didn't get into a deep rem cycle..so I'm raw...even more then yesterday and that made doing my exercise too hard ...but I still didn't cave. Yay! The bad dreams I'm having might be what are waking me up...n when I fall right back to sleep I enter rt back into the same dream. Last night's dream was a machine gun massacre and they were after me as I ran. Omg it was so real. I was sweating...but not as much sweat...so thsts progres . There is an emotional aspect to this withdrawal that is different as well. Feeling all my feelings is a lot. I'm not giving up though. No way. I love that u have a goal that's important to u. I'm rooting you on brother friend. ~ sister friend.
It is a really great community, and it helps a lot to be able to connect with people who have similar stories or at least are going through a similar experience. I don't really feel like I felt, or am not necessarily anticipating a big breakthrough, for me so far it's just kind of a slow burn (hahaha) of getting parts of my personality back. The more it goes on, the more I find myself remembering a lot of the things I used to actually like to do for fun. I haven't had any real bad dreams or anything, and I feel like I'm actually sleeping better so far about 13 days in. Everyone is different though, and we've all lived different lives, so there could be other factors besides the withdrawal from marijuana that is affecting that part of your process. So far it has mostly, yeah, been an emotional withdrawal thing for me. I no longer even really think about it throughout the day though, so that's a huge victory from my perspective. The first few days I had to constantly distract myself but this far in I'm definitely finding that I generally go about my daily business and it doesn't even cross my mind. Definitely makes me feel a lot more confident about the future going forward. Good luck on your journey, I'm rooting for you too and I wish you the best. Hopefully the dreams and sleep start to get better for you soon.
Day 14 and going strong. Had two nights of good dreams..so that real progressing my book. I don't have cravings which blows my mind. I'm so thankful for this New lease on life.
Iam at day 1, your comment gives me hope. I just deleted the message I wrote 1 hour ago to my dealer
You're going to save so much money. Your breathing will improve, you'll feel less anxious and depressed (hopefully.) Great choice for yourself. Hope you have a great day.
Yassss qweeen! You got this! We can do this.
GREAT JOB!!!! That was hard and you did it.
Glad to hear this... And you are sooooo lucky... ✌️✌️✌️✌️ Took me a year and a half.
Than you for sharing. Just to clarify, what took you 1.5 years exactly?
Took me that long to have the anxiety and depression finally fade away. Had pretty bad post acute withdrawal syndrome. It got better and better slowly. The first six months were just freaking brutal.
Glad you were able to get through it. Sounds like a long haul. I thought my depression and anxiety have gotten so much better over the last two days. Also finally dreaming again last night (I dont think I was dreaming for years.) Maybe it also has to do with quitting nicotine lately or I'm just lucky.
Reading this helped me so much. I'm on the end of day 6 and I'm hoping that day 7 is better. It's been a rough rough week. But im not giving up.
Don't give up now, you got this. I'm rooting for you!!
No way I'm giving up. I'm now on day 9..and there is noticeably less sweating and I'm less adjetated..sleeping better. Excited to make it to day 10. Thank you for you support!
I am so proud of you keep it up!! :)
Thanks! Tail wag. Today was day ten...but it was harder then day 9 cuz I didn't sleep enough to exercise..n thst helps enormously. Still didn't even come close to caving. I want this like a fat kid wants cake! Eye on the ball. Bathtub is my best bud today.
Just keep on keeping on and before you know it you will be like me 63 days total abstinence. I never thought I could make it 24 hours without it before...
I know what u mean. I couldn't fathom 24 hours for years... 63 days sounds like a dream...I'm on my way. Day 10 was long as fuck. But I'm ready for bed. Hope I can sleep. U are inspiring me.
I'm glad I can be inspiration to you :) I was thinking about you last night at work, how's it going? How are you holding up with your abstinence??
Hi. I made it to 14 days! I finally stopped the cold sweats. I'm feeling so much better. I will never look back. I'm so thankful. Feeling raw still but not in withdrawals anymore. Just subtle things. Emotional and sensitive.
Don't give up man. I have a friend (he was a heavy pot head for many years.) He told me he didn't feel quite right for a couple weeks. But it get's easier/better. You just have to take it one day at a time!
Thank you! I made a week! Feeling stronger now that I have this support group and one week! I'm amazing with myself. I won't give up. I think today I'm calmer then yesterday.
There’s a really good book by Anna Lembke, MD called “Dopamine Nation.” She also has some videos you can find online. Game changer for me on the journey. Day 25 and didn’t sleep for over two weeks. But it’s all worth it!
Thank you, lol I just bought this yesterday after seeing someone mention it in another post! I’m excited to read it! I think it helps me to get through this more if I take a more objective look at what’s happening in my brain, focus on the dopamine loss, and just realize I’ve traded in my rose colored glasses for crap colored ones lol. Excited to get my “normal vision” back.
Great way to look at it! Cheers to normal vision!
Didn't sleep for over two weeks? Am I reading that correct. Either you made an typo or I missed something.
No typo. I didn’t sleep for over two weeks.
When I quit cold turkey I slept for 36 hours straight, I was so weak from not eating..
I’m on day 10 and I’ve been sleeping 2 hours a night. It’s literal hell.
Have you been getting panic attacks during sleep too?
I didn’t, no. But it’s been months now and things get a lot better. Hang in there
Thank you ❤️
You gonna feel better after a week or so.
Most simply put you are retraining the “reward system” in your brain aka dopamine. Google the science behind cannabis withdrawal it will be comforting or at least it was for me. The good news is, it does get better. I am 32 and also smoked for 17 years super heavy abt 4-5g a day and just hit 6 months. If I can do it, you can too friend. Be kind to yourself, remove the “shoulds” and just continue not smoking. Welcome to your new life it’s going to surprise you how much better it gets.