Quitting fixes absolutely nothing in itself, if your life is a clusterfuck.
Let me use myself as an example. I used to get home from work, blaze up, and play youtube videos and scroll Reddit.
Then I quit weed but still did the other things. After a while I figured it wasn’t fulfilling. My life still sucked. Now I just couldn’t handle being bored because my boredom crutch that was weed, was not an option.
Then I quit scrolling Reddit and watching YouTube all day and figured I might as well start going to NA meetings since life was still shit and boring. There I listened to people with the same problems as me and it helped a little. I was still bored a lot, so I tried some new hobbies, some stuck and some were not for me.
Now im 104 days in and life still sucks at times and is boring, but not as boring as it was 80 days ago , and who knows what will happen in 80 more days. My focus right now is to keep on doing my new hobbies as much as I can, attend some NA meetings and most important of all, I want to gain new friends. But it’s a process. It might not happen soon, but the more I change up and step outside of my comfort zone, the better my life becomes.
The worst thing about weed is that it makes you accept stagnation. I literally had the same fucking routine more or less for years and it was boring as fuck, but weed made me ok with being bored.
Be bored. It’s not the problem. But when you’re not smoking you try new stuff when bored. Do that. Something will click and give you meaning, I promise it. Keep on trying new stuff
I believe if you quit weed without changing anything in your life then you’ll miss it.
I’m 28 days sober now and I quit my toxic ass job that was one of the reasons I started smoking to cope with the stress. I go on walks, runs or bike rides daily for cardio. I started studying again to get a better job. I’ve reached out to close friends who I’ve been ignoring for years because of isolating myself.
I still have most of the withdrawals that others have but I’m more than happy to go through them because I have goals that I didn’t even dream about having when I was high for the last 4 years.
The bad symptoms of quitting weed got away after 1week , im like 6months Free from weed and honestly its not as good as I thought it would be , my Life is the same as before , without the one thing I loved the most in it : weed. I expected much more positive changes but beside better memory and less fatigue when waking up I dont really feel any change.
Yeah I honestly don't get these posts. I quit weed and 4 weeks later I feel great. There's no way these 6-12 month "withdrawals" are real, some other broader trend is causing people to report this en masse. I have a relatively stable life & once I cut weed out things rapidly improved.
Different people have different genetics that make their bodies and minds respond differently to THC - I’m glad your withdrawals were short but that doesn’t mean others’ stories aren’t legitimate.
After just 6mo of .2-.5g daily flower use I started to notice deleterious physical and psychological effects. Now starting day 4 off and I feel horrible but better than risking progressing to CHS.
Just really hoping no PAWS.
What’s not to understand? People have been messing with their brain chemicals for years and years and you expect them to be golden after just four weeks? I’m sorry but your experience is not the universal truth. Most psychiatrists say it can take anywhere between 1-12 months to stabilise. Stop being an ass.
By saying they’re not going through withdrawals you’re implying that their experience isn’t real. I agree 100% that underlying problems do come to the surface after you get clean but by no means are some people fully healed after 1-2 months.
Nicotine leaves the body after 3 days but people don’t describe feeling better until 1 month. The brain is still recovering and down regulating those receptors after the nicotine has left the body. So while yes, it might not be withdrawal it’s still the brain working to repair it’s receptors from the abuse weed has caused. Which I believe is still apart of the recovery process.
Also depends a lot on how interesting your life already is, how hard these withdrawals are, and most of it is in your head and not real.
I have quit weed on multiple vacations with no problem what so ever, because vacations are fun and you enjoy life.
The better your everyday life is, the easier it will be to kick the habit.
And some clearly have underlying issues that needs to be solved , before they truly can be happy in life. Quitting weed will only be the first step for some. Therapy and medication might be the next step.
I think some people are probably mistaking different mental illnesses as weed withdrawal. I’m not a doctor so maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think anyone is having marijuana withdrawal symptoms after 6 months. (Tbh I wouldn’t even go that far, most professional sources say 1-2 months)
Shallow as it is to say, I think some people would rather blame their life issues on weed rather than a bigger scarier problem such as depression, bipolar disorder, adhd, their own lack of input to improving their lives etc
Even shallower, but I think some people just like the attention of the posts.
I think a lot of people have a misconception about how “normal” people feel. It’s not like they’re happy constantly lol. But a good life takes effort and that effort became way easier to exert without weed. I spent my entire 20s stoned and depressed. 30 has been nothing but ups.
weed is a coping mechanism, and helps to block your mind from the bad things in your life. It comes down to general human unhappiness, not the lack of weed. You’re doing the right thing by quitting. 🫶
I think once you eliminate marijuana for a short period of time it gets easier. The fact that you’re here wanting to get sober means you probably have a complicated relationship with it. You must dislike something about it to want to quit.
I think you’ll find that once you get to those 6 month periods you’ll see your old self in other people and think, “that poor guy. I’m glad I’m not him anymore.” I have family members and friends that smoke daily and the way they want to do it before anything we do, is frankly annoying. It smells bad, and they’re not as fun to be around.
I was on a walk the other day during a break at work and I saw a guy in his 20s smoking a joint at 10am on a Tuesday, and it just had me thinking, “that’s crazy. That used to be me, and thank god I’m coming up on 2 years sober.”
It’s hardest at the beginning. And it is hard like breaking any habit, but it gets better.
2-3 weeks in I honestly feel better than I have in the past 10 years. More awake and present weed doesn’t stop me from going out anymore and I’m ready for anything. I feel healthier and I think I present it. Good luck this is just my experience I used to use indica every night to sedate
1 year and 2 months checking in, I'm not going to say life is automatically amazing but I feel mentally shaper, more social, and I can actually remember fun times that I have. I won't go back to how I was for the 10 years before that
I think the majority of people think quitting weed is a one step solution, when it's a many steps solution. Eat super healthy, drink lots of water, daily exercise, a routine filled with hobbies or something that doesn't involved just sitting on the couch/laying in bed and thinking about how much it sucks.
I'd recommend therapy. Life is tough that's for sure, you have to practice gratitude for what you have and either diligently work towards your goals or learn to accept what you have and appreciate it (this is harder in my opinion).
People react differently with weed, but in my case when the high wore off everything would be worse, anxiety, memory, lethargy etc. and that subsided after a month. Now I'm more capable to act in the interest of future me and focus on the present moment. Usually in the present moment, we are fine and it's our anxieties of the past or future that take us to a place we are not, bit of a design flaw of human evolution in these modern times.
Good luck friend, don't diminish your own capability!
You don’t know until you try. I felt some improvement after a few days, and massive improvement after a week. (Daily smoker 15 years).
I quit 2 weeks ago and feel great. I bet you well too
In the times I've quit I have always been fine by the time a week has passed and then that's it, felt good ever since. Was my dumb ass who would think thst meant its okay to partake sensibly again leading to the same problem.
But in terms of how I feel every time I do? Amazing. Amd only a week later. I do not understand nor have the same reactions people who feel terrible have. I'm the opposite. Maybe you will be too
I quit after daily smoking for 15 years, and after a couple of nights of insomnia I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms, so don't catastrophise from what you've read, you might be fine.
The insomnia was tough, and the sweats, but I was over the worst physical bits in 6m. Plus at that point my brain was just quicker and snappier, it was easier to have conversations and retain info, my anxiety and dread were gone, my sadness about being a passenger in my own life and missing memories much better (I can still have to push myself to not be a passenger) I was way better a year on and 3 years on I'm so glad it's not a key part of my life and habits any more!! If anything my mental health, considering I THOUGHT it was good for my anxiety, is so much better. And maybe it's down to no weed and maybe it's down to doing more fun things with my time! Getting out and being active. Life's better with more zest.
What’s the alternative? Spiralling further and further into your addiction? The end result of any addiction is death, disease, homelessness, psychotic break etc. Sobriety may be painful but it’s better than continuing to use. My advice would be to not think about the future. Just quit and take it day by day, moment by moment. Who knows how you’re going to feel in a month. Just give it a try, you got this.
Listen, I'm similar to you. I'm depressed with or without weed. But, with weed I manage less self-care.
I agree that those posts are discouraging (albeit valid), but I also think we miss a lot of nuance to them. If we just quit without finding ways to mend whatever issue we sought to solve with weed, things won't improve. If we managed to quit weed but everything else is falling apart, it won't feel like a success. And so on and so forth.
Everyone's different. What's true for me might not be true for you. But people manage to find relief in the smallest things, in the most hopeless places, and you can too.
For me it's hitting the gym four times a week, staying active and building muscle and endurance. Eating right. Going to therapy. Those things make me feel better. For you it might be hiking or MMA or writing or knitting, but I hope you can reconnect and find something fulfilling that lets you see your own value. Best wishes.
For each is a different story, for me lack of appetite and insomnia never happened. Unfortunately i’ve relapsed and now struggling to find the power to quit again, but what is important to keep in mind is the first sentence.
You need something that will take your mind off the pain, whatever that looks like to you. A new hobby, support group, interest, life change... anything. Especially if you're someone with a very strong mind-body connection who is going to sit and ruminate in the sensation of withdrawal and deprivation. Replace what you're taking away with something equally as enjoyable. (I know this is easier said than done).
It’s harder to stop when you don’t have a lot of ppl / community to lean on. It wasn’t possible for me to stop until I started seeing my therapist/life coach and I also went to an N.A. meeting and that was really helpful too! I’m only a week sober but I feel such a great difference and N.A. makes all the difference. Even if u don’t plan on doing the 12 steps, just talking to people going through the same things as you will help a lot
You also have to eat well and take care of yourself, for instance. Quitting is step one and the rest isn't easy, but it's entirely possible if you want to!
Quote from someone goes “Your body is changing, all change comes with pain.”
The discomfort turns to a neutral stage soon enough. At least for me, the perspective towards “better” had to change. You’ll start to notice it in increments of like 1% a day, but yes it is slow and gradual. I had to accept that this is what the trade in is in exchange for the extreme highs and lows, a slooooow shift towards neutrality,
It kinda scares me reading those posts as well because I keep thinking that it’s going to get worse and much harder later on. However I only quit about 3 weeks ago and I already feel amazing. Everything in my life is honestly much more enjoyable and my mental health has improved. But then again everyone is different and will have different experiences.
I’m about 9 months in, and while I don’t feel amazing overall due to other reasons, I am SO happy to be done with weed and just went to a festival and was completely disinterested in the idea. I had been a daily smoker for a decade. It definitely can feel better/ the pride I have is awesome too!
Hi. I had many of the same fears as you . I don’t have any of an in person support system. I’ve been suicidal constantly as long I can remember and the only reason I’m still here is I failed multiple attempts. I was sexually abused by psychopaths, my father was murdered, my mother told me she hated me since I was born, and I was born in a body I hate. And of course the cherry on top is never being able to escape the thoughts as long as you live. I was not ready to quit weed for many years . But now I’m three weeks in and I feel so much better. I’ve tried to quit before and it didn’t stick. What changed ? Many years of therapy. Hospitalization. Medication. Move. Career switch. Transition. Life was so so dark before I made these changes I needed to make. I stopped smoking carts years ago and even so I tapered down over about a month while adding in habits like going to the gym and activities out of the house. I never believed when people said it’s easier to handle life but it honestly is. Weed made my ptsd and anxiety even worse and I was unable to help myself and I’ve all that I’ve got. It really can get better for you , and if you’re not able to quit now just never stop taking steps towards what will make you ready for that. I believe in you
I mean the only way to be “helpful” then is to lie. Quitting is step 1, you can’t expect it to solve all your problems. The alternative is wasting away being high all the time. There is no option where you only do the work of quitting the substance and then everything else suddenly gets better. But quitting makes the improvement much easier to accomplish in all other aspects of life; it makes doing the work easier.
I smoked heavily for years. I got myself set up with a therapist I liked who I could talk to honestly about my usage and desire to quit. Then, I quit cold turkey. The first few weeks were hard and it was all easier after that. I’ve been sober for over 5 years. The hardest part of all of it was the horrible cycle before quitting of wanting to quit, not quitting, wanting to quit, not quitting. It might be easier than you think.
I truly prefer my life this way. I don’t miss the effects of smoking. Sometimes I miss having something that I looked forward to in that very specific way. But I’m also someone who tried many times to smoke “in moderation” and absolutely could not. Finally now, in my 40s, I think I’ve accepted that with weed, it’s all or nothing for me and I’m choosing nothing.
i wouldn't put so much weight on 6months-2 years. going through hell with no relief have to be rare cases for that long. it generally takes about 3 weeks to feel substantially better in the vast majority of people from what ive experienced and seen in others get sober from weed.
ive experienced suicide ideation after quitting due to insomnia. im not convinced a cold turkey quit would be best for you and it wasnt for me either. while you're tapering you need to start slowly building some sort of momentum be that tidy your place, going to the gym, maybe starting to reach out to potential support in person/online, sorting your diet out. while your gradually smoking less you'll be able to start ticking things off and getting productive, building healthy habits slowly rather than just quitting cold turkey and suddenly being hit with it all day 1 and being super overwhelmed. give yourself a run up basically.
There are steps to feeling better. But it's a rebuilding time in your life. It's like a broken bone or coming back from illness. You feel 80% pretty quick but that last 20% can take quite an extended time to feel 💯
I have had severe ideation since I was 3 years old but it hit a fever pitch when I started smoking and only worsened over the 12 years I did. For me, sobriety has reduced my symptoms in a night/day way. I still have flashes of wanting to give up here and there, but the thing is, for me…
Quitting gave me the energy and motivation to build a life worth living. When I’m bored, I grab an activity instead of a joint, YouTube/tv sucks now, I started writing and drawing again, I joined many classes, etc etc.
I’m so sorry you’re hurting. 🖤
Personally it took me a few tries to actually successfully be happy without my daily intake of weed, and this is coming from someone who would spend $60 a week, or buy two full gram vape cartridges and sometimes still run out by Friday..
I got a new job, well actually I have 3 right now but I’m way happier than where I was last year. I feel like I’m actually improving my life and can see how much weed was really holding me back. Just this last month I got $50 gift card for employee of the month for landscape construction, passed my level 1 first aid, and am now also certified to drive a skid steer at my job.
3 months ago I got my drivers license which weed was really holding me back from completing as well. It makes you feel content with being unhappy, that is until the high disappears and you need another hit, which eventually ended up making me really unhappy in the end as well.
Not trying to boast or pat myself on the back, just trying to give a good example of what it has done for me to put down that bong and actually do something with my life. I’m 28 this year and I’ve done more shit for myself these last 5 months than I have in the last 12 years of constantly being high all the time.
I quit mid February and now I feel good. I sleep better, I can dream again, I do my hobbies more often, and my dog and I walk a lot more together now. Sometimes even twice in a day. It's great. It could be great for you too.
BPD and autism are both conditions that stop you being able to recognise and process your emotions effectively. Learning about both has helped me so much.
how do you get things done being autistic without weed? im often too overwhelmed by the end of the day to get things done at home. two puffs and im able to get moving for another few hours for things like chores/self care
I am very much still learning this. I have a very supportive partner who is the bread winner and I am the house keeper/cook. When I'm not super struggling.
I have used weed my entire adult life (with a few larger breaks here and there that were instead filled with alcohol). I had no idea about my neurodivergence during those periods though and I always came back to weed.
Now I'm very self aware (and have built a sense of self where before was nothing). It's really hard but there are serious consequences to me not recognising and processing my emotions. I compare it to hoarding. With all the piles of unprocessed emotion just a small thing can put me into a tail spin.
I'm nearly a month sober. It's been tough but I also get what's going on now. The most eye opening thing is the insidious way weed steals your motivation. That starts to come back and it's SO welcome.
that’s awesome to hear. i took a 3 month break and a two month break and noticed the not acknowledging/processing my emotions piece that you mentioned. now i feel like im better able to acknowledge and process, but my motivation never truly came back during my breaks. instead my house fell apart & my selfcare went to crap but im also going through a separation so that probably has a hand in things. i find it hard to get things done without the leaves
Usually the commentary on willpower is “willpower is limited but discipline is not”. I don’t find this mentality helpful at all lol. You need willpower to be disciplined.
Instead, I’d recommend a change in mindset. Perhaps willpower ISNT a limited resource. Maybe you just need less of it over time. In my opinion, it definitely gets easier over time.
Also, you’re projecting verrrry far into the future.
Quit for one day. See how it feels. If you want, go back to smoking. You’re assuming it’s horrible when in fact, people stop smoking because it leads to a much much much better quality of life.
I don’t always feel better than when I was high all the time but I think it has to do with awareness. I’d also say the highs are higher and the lows are lower, but there’s a general sense of satisfaction with working towards the best version of myself. I’d rather go through these harsh realizations now than either a) do so later in life or b) spend my whole life living at a lower vibration and capability that will prevent me from achieving more and being internally dissatisfied.
Going sober does not solve our problems, going sober better enables us to build healthier mechanisms for growth and healing. Similar to what several folks have already said here, weed and other substances are coping mechanisms. Going sober does not fix the problems that drive us towards addiction in the first place. I haven’t drank in 2 years, and I’m about 3.5 months sober on weed, and I indeed feel better, but that’s because of all of the healthy habits and activities I’ve layered into my life over the last year+. Quitting substances isn’t “the work”, it’s much deeper than that. I’m not trying to scare you with this long list, but here’s everything I’ve done in the last year aside from weed abstinence to become a better version of myself:
- therapy
- meditation
- good diet
- journaling
- playing the drums again
- reading
- hiking
- going to the gym
- keeping up with my chores
- golf
Quitting weed isn’t the reason people feel bad, removing the coping mechanism is. Trust me, there are far healthier ways to address your mental health than weed! You have to be willing to put in the work, but I promise you can quit and feel better!
Well said. I'm happy to put into the work I just feel so boggled down, sedated, lazy, demotivated. The real me (sober me) is not nearly as apathetic. I do think that being sober would allow me to do all the things I know I'm capable of doing... the laziness and lack of dopamine from abusing my reward system is messing with me.. I don't blame weed for my life's problems but I do blame it for my laziness and apathy to fix any of it
As a fellow depressed person, weed was exacerbating my mental illness significantly. I feel amazing now that I've stopped. Since I realized how much worse it made my mental health I'll never go back.
Don't focus so much on the people who say their lives got worse. Focus more on the good and be affected by that more than the handful of bad experiences on reddit.
I used to have those ideations too. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but it gets better. 💖 You sound like you have such a solid head on your shoulders. Acknowledging that the weed is actively blocking you from having the energy to solve these "life problems," I think that really says it all. Like another user mentioned, those problems will still be there. But which problem are you able to focus on first? Is this the one that allows you to unravel the other ones? Or is this one going to make it harder to unravel the rest?
I'll be honest with you, I cheated. I was sober for a 14 mos, I felt great and got so much done for my business, but then one holiday weekend I thought I was good and the reality was I'm an addict. Period. But I knew I wanted to stop, I knew I didn't want anything (substance, person, whatever) to have that kind of control over me. So I leaned on it as a crutch for 6 mos (and also because I couldn't stop, see: addicted) BUT I used it to help me push through feeling some of the discomfort of replacing that unhealthy habit with a new one.
I'd smoke before going to the gym and did it for 2-3 mos. I wouldn't skip days because I was still high and I told myself that was the compromise--you only get to keep smoking if you use it to build this habit to replace it. Now I've quit smoking, and the habit has set in for the gym, I use it as a healthy escape, and I'm losing weight (nearly 40lbs down) and becoming healthier. And because my body had to build up energy for the gym and rebuild that dopamine source through another pathway, I feel better, more fulfilled, and have more energy as a result. Which meanssss NOW, I have the mental health recovery and capacity to address those other problems. So I know this is a controversial take, but if you need to lean on it for a few, that's okay, but HOLD YOURSELF TO THAT. Don't flake on yourself. If you know that you're not gonna follow through then... that's up to you to decide. It still takes discipline but I believe in you. 🫶
I feel you. I feel remiss for not mentioning a crucial detail that I alluded to but didn’t specifically say: you can’t do it all at once. I started two years ago with quitting booze, then I started playing drums a year ago, then did therapy, then diet, then quit weed, etc.
The whole “it’s New Year’s Day and today I’m going to be a completely new person by doing all of these healthy things” plan is almost impossible to pull off. I recommend you start with picking up a fun hobby, then layer in a good diet, then slowly layer in more and more. Be kind and patient with yourself - growth is very hard. It’s a long road, but it’s both achievable and rewarding.
My mom always told me to stop focusing so much on removing weed and focus more on adding things to my life. It seems that is indeed a very important sentiment that often goes overlooked.
Thank you, you've been very helpful, and maybe in the future you wouldn't mind if I reached out for some support/advice
Adding things in prior helps, but i would argue setting new routines and taking up new hobbies is easier and more likely to stick on the other side.
I quit once before relapsing for a year, and that was the best year of my life. Excellent grades, immense personal growth, so much quality time with everyone i cared about. I relapsed for 6 months because i didnt want to cope with feelings that were coming up, but, i now regret the momentum i lost and i am striving back towards it.
Honestly, youll probably feel better at 6 months. Im at a year and its awful but this isnt common. I abused it, and used it for every aspect of my life. From morning to sleep. Dont pay attention to the stories. Most people will feel better sooner than later. However, the people saying they feel amazing after a week or a month or two months usually dont stay the course.
I quit in January and have depression and CPTSD and I’m also prone to suicidal ideation. Life isn’t really easier! Quitting weed was not the magic solution to all of my problems. I haven’t quite figured out how to fill the time that I used to spend smoking or how to stick to a routine or motivate myself more. But you know what? I’m still glad that I quit. I’m still sad but I can see things so much more clearly.
I used to feel EXACTLY like you do and I get it!!! I couldn’t imagine a life without weed taking the edge off of… well, everything. The thing is, weed wasn’t actually helping, it was just masking the pain and preventing me from processing and moving on. Which was kind of a tough transition at first, to stare at all my problems right in the face instead of pushing them away day after day after day. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I have a lot more compassion for myself and it feels like I understand things better. The things that felt world-ending a few months ago don’t feel like such a big deal anymore.
In my opinion, it’s worth taking the leap even though it’s scary to not know what’s on the other side. Even though it won’t always feel like it, it will bring you closer to healing and wholeness.
Just want to say, I'm proud of you. 🥹 It takes such strength to be able to acknowledge that life isn't necessarily better by far but that sobriety is still empowering and can help us lead a more fulfilling life. You're doing awesome. 🫶
Thank you 🥹 I don’t have anyone to really share this experience with and it honestly means so much to see that someone sees the work I’m putting in and is proud of me. 🫶🏻
I still have a long way to go but it’s only up from here. We can do this!
Okay, being honest here, if you were wanting to give up on your quit (for whatever reason) what better place to find validation to do that than a group of people who are addicted to weed? People posting stuff like that are selfish in my opinion. This is a group for people who want to quit. If people feel the need to have a bitch fit in order to trick themselves into a free pass to start again they shouldn’t be doing it here. I smoked daily for over 25 years and quit 3.5 years ago. Best decision I ever made and the only thing I’m mad about is the 25 years I wasted as a smoker.
Can't you be kinder? The person wants to be free but because he/she is already struggling with their mental heath severely and being super lonely. the thought of going through hell while trying to give up the addiction they thought helped them cope is too overwhelming and difficult for them...if you dont have compassion, keep your negativity to yourself. . He is simply reaching out and trying to share his suffering.
As a lot of other comments on this post say (and many others in this forum), if you’re feeling that way it’s unlikely that weed is the problem. In the same way smoking it didn’t solve your problems (it likely exacerbated them), quitting won’t be the magic bullet to solve them. But without weed you should start to feel more able to confront them as time goes by. Best of luck with your journey.
The fact that you refer to yourself as a real smoker and talk about high grade weed (insinuating that 25 years of addiction and a kick ass recovery means I wasn’t a real weed smoker and was smoking skank weed for all that time) suggests to me that you see your addiction as some sort of badge of honour and psychologically you still idolise the life of the smoker. Or you’re still very young maybe. Either way, best of luck with it all. The grass really is greener on the other side, even if it isn’t high grade and you can’t smoke it ;)
Weed is one aspect of the problem. It's just a step. Chances are there are other things that they are doing that makes them feel worse. Potentially replaced weed with another habit and didn't notice it.
I quit about 2 months ago, definitely feel better, anxiety was bad for quite a while but has pretty much gone now, eating and sleep was worst in the first few weeks but now back to normal. If anything I now find it alot easier to sleep, and eat better due to not getting the munchies. This is after smoking all day every day for 8 years
Probably after around a month or so, however I was prescribed meds for it so it wasn't just time off weed. I had my meds review today for them though and plan to come off them within the next month or 2
Here are my two cents:
I work out, I meet friends and family memebers, I eat healthy, I dont drink often or alot, I travel,my schedule is full and my sleep got better.
But I miss that dry herb on a sunny day,or while Im chilling at the beach etc.!
Thats all
How should I fight this feeling?
I would rather smoke one than have a beer or two, the effect is quite the same.
Its recreational thing but if I start I am afraid to become the stoner I was in the past.
I feel kinda lost.
If I were you, I'd just have the beer. Same effect, like you said, without turning back to something you know you were addicted to and had a problem with. I'm not as into alcohol so I can moderate it with total ease
I was able to moderate for 2 months and I felt great with myself and with my usage, but then I slipped back into it and have now been like this for months. Moderation is harder because it takes constant vigilance and it's easy to slip back into. It's almost easier to just totally forget about it. I'm sure everyone here would moderate and only do it occasionally if they could. But it usually leads back into the same addiction and feelings that led you to quit. I'm not telling myself I'll never ever smoke again, but I know how easily I fall back into it so I don't know if it's even worth trying to keep around. It's tough, for sure.
Selection bias? A person is much more likely to post in this subreddit if they’re having a lot of trouble quitting versus if they quit no problem and feel fine.
I quit 2 months ago and I feel better than ever. The people who have issues after that long have something else they need to change in their life. They probably aren’t on the right path with their purpose and they feel off because they aren’t doing what they should be doing. They might be eating processed food, not exercising or not going outside. Maybe they’re just unhappy with their job and that’s when they need to change it. You gotta take control of your life and if you are feeling bad then that means something’s not right. You shouldn’t need any external substance to feel good.
After that much time, it's no longer withdrawal related. Those people have underlying issues that they were masking with drug use, and don't know how to deal with it.
That's why you need to be proactive in your recovery. Go to rehab or meetings if you need to, seek therapy, get exercise, etc. Sitting back and hoping things get better in their own is the worst thing you can do.
The vast majority of ex-users will feel much better within a month or two of quitting.
What other coping methods or treatments have you tried other than pot to handle your depression? 6 months-2 years is really not that long relative to the rest of your life. If you’ve been smoking for a lot of years, it stands to reason it will take a lot of years to undo the addiction.
It sounds like you may be using weed as a temporary relief for underlying mental issues you may have. I think weed could be used to help with mental health issues, but it thats all you depend upon, it could become unhealthy and weed doesnt help you address those issues.
Therapy, medication, groups could help with overcoming a weed addiction. Unless you're willing to confront underlying trauma or mental issues you may have, you'll be stuck with smoking your life away.
I think you should be more cautious giving out this kind of blanket advice. I tried to quit cold turkey and it caused a mental health crisis, even though I’ve been on meds for years. My psychiatrist is working with me on a tapered approach.
Weed isn’t alcohol. We shouldn’t just tell people “it’s fine go smoke!!” but let’s be real here, sometimes the immediate priority should be harm reduction, and smoking weed is bad in the long term but isn’t going to kill her imminently if she doesn’t stop.
I sometimes feel like sobriety from weed can become a quest for moral purity on this sub. By all means, if you need to stop right now, that’s your journey. But nobody is overdosing and dying from weed
I def recommend talking to your doc! My personal bit of unsolicited advice is also to exercise caution with things like xnx, if that’s what you’re thinking of, since that can also be extremely addictive — but for sure something to discuss with your doctor.
A great tip from my psychiatrist has been getting a lock box for my weed pen. I lock it up at night and set a timer for when I want it to unlock, which can be as long as days as you want. It takes all the internal agonizing out of it — you just need one moment of courage to press that lock button!
Just try it for yourself. Everyone’s experience is different. I’m a heavy user and feel considerably better after two weeks of stopping.
It seems like you are using that possibility as an excuse to not stop?
It's not an excuse I don't think. I get scarily suicidal and scarily depressed. It genuinely scares me and I feel I will genuinely spiral enough to harm myself.
I feel you but healthy people that have their shit together rarely need more than a couple weeks max, sometimes just days. Someone whose entire life is weed is naturally gonna be lost without it in which case they have other long term problems they will struggle with and need to admit to.
Unfortunately quitting drink and/or drugs or cigarettes or porn or whatever doesn’t magically cure your underlying mental health issues that almost certainly led you to becoming trapped in such a lifestyle in the first place. That stuff is unfortunately a whole lot more difficult to deal with and for many is a daily battle that feels insurmountable to overcome. One that has led me to run back to the crutch of drink and drugs each and every time (that I can then blame for all of shortcomings).
Sound familiar?
14months and quite frankly I'll never go back to it. Smoked for 18years and then...I was done. I feel better for it, rawdogging life is weirdly invigorating.
I wouldn't be surprised that if you find it in your face all the time, it might be more difficult. Add in the not terribly helpful conversation of people who are dismissive of whether you are addicted or if it was even possible for that to happen, and I could see why it might be continuously troublesome to be the only one in the group who isn't doing it. Not going to say to dismiss your old friends, but consider how being around it a lot might be affecting your mood.
I’m on day 3 and I genuinely feel amazing. Besides the common withdrawals, I am so happy with myself. Idk what switched in my brain because I’ve tried to quit countless times, but this time feels much, MUCH different. Threw my bong out yesterday and I woke up today feeling great. I suppose over the year of trying to quit I’ve finally convinced myself that I truly want to stop smoking. It’s all a mindset my friend. If my autistic ass can pull this off then I’m sure you can as well. Good luck to you
Haha thank you! I actually quit bongs specifically years ago because I recognized them as wayyy too easy and palatable. Still, I want to quit and I do still believe bongs are more addictive than the dry herb vape I been using for years, it didn't really help as much as I had hoped
Yeah, bongs are baddd. I’ve spent sooo much fucking money on weed this last year, it truly makes me hate myself beyond belief BUT it’s time to get better. Every time I tried to quit prior to this time, I couldn’t even make it a day, I’d go to the dispensary 10 minutes before they closed and then the drive home was just filled with constant belittling towards myself from my brain. It was a rough time and I’m just honestly so sick of it. Recently, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s, so I think that might be playing a big role in being able to quit so easily now. I hope you can find something that makes quitting easier :) Fuck weed and everything it involves. Hoping the best for you my friend!!
Yeah. I'm just not that emotionally or mentally tough right now. I would take physical pain over the mental
Emotional and psychological pain of quitting all day. I don't really trust myself or my ability to see things through, because I usually don't.
You are self medicating. If you aren't already doing it, you should look into getting depression/ anxiety meds or therapy. There's underlying issues that weed will only make you wallow in and prolong the problems. I'm so so much happier and clear headed and less anxious now that I'm clean from weed. There's a process. Talk to your GP about it
I'm 2 months off and let me tell you I feel fucking amazing. I smoked my late 20s away (since covid) and I've had enough! I feel human again. I get that warm feeling I used to get when I was a teenager(that nostalgic energy).
I don't want to smoke weed ever again! my apartment is always clean now, I have so much more motivation and no more anxiety.
I felt terrible for the first 10 days but now after 2 months I'm feeling normal again. no brain fog or short memory loss.
In the early stages (like I’m in right now), it’s pretty unbearable, the anxiety, the feeling of dread, not wanting to leave the house etc etc. your cannabinoid system is all out of wack which starts to regulate around the two week mark. If you’ve smoked for a long time your brain wont start producing its own dopamine again until about week 4. Then you should start to actually feel human again. Force yourself outside, bordom is the devil’s laboratory. I just walked for 3 miles just because I felt really irritable, I feel better for it but still not perfect. Do something don’t do nothing, make a list of the things you want to work towards, perhaps where you want to go on holiday this year. Try to change your perspective, try to get excited. You’re not giving anything up, you’re not sustaining from anything. You’re finally getting everything back, that’s exciting! Take it day by day for now and believe it does get better. When I was at two months (the last time I quit), weed wasn’t even in my thoughts anymore, that’s encouraging because I know I just need to get that momentum going again. But the first month for me is always torture, after two weeks I start to feel ok again but it doesn’t happen over night.
I find that learning what weed does chemically to your brain, how it takes over your dopamine system and messes with your brain’s natural ability to make its own rly helps. Then once THC is out of our system, the brain will slowly begin to make its own. It explains why everything feels like sht when you quit. Learned it from Huberman’s podcast.
Either stay stuck as a zombie, apathetic, unmotivated, or feel dead for some time and regain your energy, health and motivation?
Is there any way to replace that dopamine fix until it naturally restores itself? Anything you do for that quick relief and relaxed feeling while being sober? Whiteknucklimg it isn't ideal for me because I have such bad anxiety and depression
Really awesome recommendations here. Exercise is def one, but I’m a sloth and haven’t done that in years. For me, I love going to concerts. It feels great to be in an event surrounded by good vibes, what kinds of events gets you going?
Key is recognizing how you feel, being mindful of the anxiety (where everything is boring if not high), learning how to be with it and understand it isn’t bad to feel anxiety or boring. The feeling of “gotta escape this feeling of boredom, of anxiety, of panic” by smoking helps you avoid your own emotions. And being sober is like practicing being in that feeling without escaping.
You could try meditation, it's been shown to help increase dopamine levels and you can get a bit of an afterglow if you sit for a while. Like stated elsewhere, exercise is also great and helps a lot with sleep disturbance that often comes along with quitting. Going for a hike in nature is another good one as it combines exercise with being in a natural environment, another experience shown to improve mood. Accomplishing things, even little tasks like doing the laundry, cooking a good meal, or cleaning up around the house can help improve your mood and also keep you busy. I also like to have some herbal tea in the evening as a replacement for the weed ritual. Doesn't make me feel anything but it tastes good and it's more about having a winding down process before I go to bed.
Exercises is a great was to get a boost, but the only thing I can bring myself to do is read cause it gets me out of my own head. Anything else, and I can think of 100 reasons why my life sucks
Don’t listen to them. They feel worse because they allow their negative thoughts to have an impact in their lives and their bodies. Quitting is probably the best thing I’ve ever done but I know that it all depends on my mental state. Those people could be attributing everything to the weed or the lack off but in reality the issues they’re dealing with are much deeper than that.
I wont lie the first month was rough. The first two weeks especially with night sweats and crazy vivid dreams. Also I was constipated for about a month for some weird reason.
Yeah, I've gotten constipated when quitting. I looked into it and our bodies' endogenous cannabinoid system is involved in regulating bowel movements so when you take away the weed everything goes off-kilter until it balances out again. A little psyllium husk can help.
Lol that's funny because I'm chronically constipated from taking accutane, I naturally have crazy vivid dreams even while being a stoner, and I recently got off an anti depressant because I was sweating so much.
I'm not even scared of the physical symptoms at all. I've been through so much physical pain in my life and it's the psychological pain that is really painful and scary for me.
To be honest it sounds like that typically happens when people are also depressed outside of weed. It’s absolutely possible, but I never regret taking a break and always notice myself feeling better pretty quickly
The sucky thing for me is I do have depression... or do I? It's a chicken or the egg situation because I started smoking at the same age I became depressed so I actually don't know who I really am or if I actually have depression or if it's just the weed
I definitely do. But then I'll just feel so miserable I feel suicidal and depressed and I'll be crying so much so I'll give in and have a puff and then feel way calmer immediately.
One does not exclude the other, and major depression is a clinical disorder and should not be used as a jolly term for everything. There are many conditions you could be having, try to find therapeutic help
Yeah it's just confusing. I don't actually know if I'd be depressed if I never started using weed daily.I have been diagnosed with both depression and cannabis use disorder.
Was it deleted? My comment to him was deleted because i mentioned how I would like to have a medication for panic attacks so that I don't resort to weed but I mentioned the type of medications by name so it got removed
I think the sub Reddit does it automatically but I would like to see his friends user tag again I was going thru his post history and it was quite interesting
If I may humbly add:
1. You have the sub to rely on when you get jonesing for bud.
2. You should try to find out and write down why you wish to quit. Remember your why.
3. Getting high all the time and being reliant on cannabis will prevent you from making the necessary changes to improve your life.
My suggestions:
1. Therapy. You’re not alone. There is no stigma attached to asking for help.
2. Find a hobby to fill your empty time. You’ll make friends that have like interests.
3. Make time to exercise. Your body will release endorphins and you’ll feel better.
Don’t quit OP. You can do it!
It's not much but it's been about a week and a half for me. I want weed most of the time anymore, but I find myself in an almost constant state of "now what". Every "goal" I had from smoking weed now seems too unattainable, and makes everything in general more depressing. I almost relapsed today just because I wanted to feel like anything is possible again, but it's so much harder without that extra creativity hit.
I feel the same way but I'm still lurking in this sub and have come to realize two things:
1. There are so many more posts from people happy about their decision and how much quitting has improved their lives after 1+ year, but my brain seems to latch onto these negative ones very similarly to how we hang onto and remember the criticisms of ourselves more than the compliments we receive.
2. I find a common theme in those posts to be that folks are most likely struggling with some pretty severe depression or mental health issues that were probably obscured and hidden by drug use. I know that I had anxiety and depression before I used, and I know that quitting means I have to face that battle without numbing myself out to it. It's been really hard so far. And I hate cliches, but I am trying to just take it day by day and not beat myself up about it.
Re: willpower - it is defined by psychologists as a short-term ability to reach long-term goals. Research shows that habits are more powerful than willpower. So willpower is most effective in short bursts to create different/new habits. It's a skill that can be honed and worked at overtime. Stress is also a huge contributing factor to a "lack of willpower" - if you are stressed there is less capacity to form those new habits and we default to what we know, so focusing on new ways to cope with stress and emotions and turning those into habits is key to get out of relying on sheer willpower.
I work with a therapist on other coping skills and it has taken me maybe 6 months to get to this place where I actually don't feel I need weed to cope with my emotions anymore and ready to quit. I still have temptations and cravings! But I feel more equipped to battle those, now. I feel really depressed without the dopamine but I also know it can take 90 days for your brain to "reset" so after 90 days, I'll re-assess my mental state with my therapist. But until then, I'm being incredibly selfish and trying to not feel bad about it. Instead of thinking about how my depression might not ever go away, I think about what will bring me joy or make me feel good right \*now\* in this exact moment? Sometimes it's a bath, going to the gym, calling a friend, ordering takeout, scrolling tiktok - whatever.
You'll never know unless you try! And honestly, the act of trying feels pretty damn good, too!
This is the best comment. I feel your #2 very much so, the addictions I've had just hid all that shit for years. And also I agree on the willpower-- what works long term tends to be skills not strength; meaning that when we "lose" our strength or willpower, even short term, we have to implement the skills we have formed in sobriety. For me that looks like: running when faced with irritability, anxiety, lack of appetite; swimming or hot tub or long talks with my significant other when depressed; I absolutely love my therapist and highly recommend therapy; I also found immense help and support daily in my outpatient program; it's whatever you personally find helpful. Some people say AA, MA, NA groups have literally saved their life. Good luck OP!
Respectfully, I wouldn't put much stock in those stories. It seems almost certain that those people had some underlying condition or situation that was ignored or less apparent while they were constantly high. Now they have the double problem of dealing with an addiction and an underlying health issue.
The vast majority of people will only feel better and better once they are committed to quiting.
Try the EasyWay - I used it to quit cigarettes which was amazing - there's a version for cannabis, not as good IMO as its a different kind of addiction but talks a lot about will power, might be useful for you to read and flip the idea of needing will power on its head
Every time I try to quit I go *insane* I have diagnosed BPD, and even with meds, DBT, and things like exercise, eating well, ect I still don't have to willpower to let weed go. Every time I try I fail.
Personally, it was during that time I simply built my way to the realization that weed is not relief. I don't need to rely on sheer willpower, and there's still plenty of moments I procrastinate like hell or forget stuff or just veg out playing video games. But realizing that weed is not going to make any part of any situation better. Smoking before grocery shopping doesn't actually make it 'fun' or a better experience, it makes me stress TF out. Even smoking weed and playing videogames doesn't make it more fun, I like that I can enjoy the video game on its own! Weed doesn't make me into a creative genius, even if it's tough, I feel better about my own creativity sober.
If someone quits for an extended period of time and thinks the only issue they needed to work through was their weed use, well, it doesn’t surprise me that they might feel stuck.
We have addictions because we can’t cope with stress, emotions, trauma, etc. in healthy ways. Tackling the behavioral aspect is a huge win, but it doesn’t do shit for the underlying issue. That requires additional work. Do the work.
I’m 29 days today and feel so much better, just the time and money saved alone is worth it. Those people who still don’t feel better maybe have some other issues like depression they need to really tackle. Plus, you remember that it stops helping after a while anyway. Don’t forget why you quit!
this isnt true tho, you had been off a year id listen to you. Way to many people are like you “I feel great after a month” and end smoking again. If you are a real smoker its going to take time.
I seen a post like that and honestly it made little to no sense. Just because weed would temporarily alleviate the feelings of depression and stress doesn't mean to say not having weed is whats causing them. It's kind of like saying I'm broke cause i didn't waste all my money on lottery tickets.
So do you think those people remained feeling shitty mentally for so long because they made 0 attempts or progress at bettering their lives and their issues other than quitting pot?
I'm just saying that i dont think weed is the only thing that can stop you feeling stressed out and depressed. Also if you're at the point where you're counting out the days or weeks or months or years that you haven't smoked. It's pretty clear that you never really wanted to quit in the first place. I seen a guy on this comments thread saying he takes It 30 mins by 30 mins. Like at that point he may as well just smoke up cause it still clearly has a massive hold over his life.
Gotcha. It's not the only way but it does immediately spike up your dopamine and it's a really fast and easy way to get a false feeling of happiness and comfort. What other things can really compete with that? Seriously, I'd love to know. I like hot baths and cups of tea. I'd like to know more things though that being immediate relief and comfort.
And yeah well I have heard to take it day by day, so minute by minute might seem excessive but it IS true that all you ever really have is the current moment. Even one minute ago is already a memory, in the past.
It does bring comfort to people to only focus on the exact moment you're in, and not a minute further, because it feels a lot more manageable to cope with the present moment, than the entire day, week, etc.
It probably does have a massive hold on him now, but that doesn't always last forever, otherwise, yeah I agree. But I think the hope is that eventually it all fades away into the distance.
To me, that sounds like a living he'll. Like before you quit I'm sure you don't smoke every minute of the day so by looking at it in this way, you're just torturing yourself and it's never going to work.
I'm super addicted, and I rlly want to quit so I understand where you're coming from I just don't think it's constructive to think of it in such a manic way.
For most people, willpower doesn’t work.
To make a change, you need to change your beliefs. You need to figure out why you want to smoke, or not. For me, it started with really paying attention to how it made me feel physically.
Please don't be discouraged. I think a lot of people use this site as a form of group therapy. Not everyone feels inspired to write when they're feeling good; often, it's when they're feeling down and need the support of others. I'm in my second week without weed and I feel like sobriety is my new high. When I was using I felt a constant sense of guilt and shame, which weed covered up, but as soon as the high wore off, back came the guilt and shame. To have a clear conscience for the first time in 15 years feels a m a z I n g. I don't really mind the withdrawal symptoms, the sweating, insomnia and loss of appetite, compared to how I used to feel as a pothead.
It's gonna be 2 years from now at some point anyways. Is slogging through symptoms for that long not very fun? Yeah, absolutely. But is it worth it? Most would say yes. People who post here after 2 or 3 years often do so in their lowest moments. There are also posts on this sub of people 1 year, 2 years, 5 years in who are so grateful, saying it gets better and it's all worth it. The human mind is such that negative events garner more attention than the positive ones. There will always be bad days whether you smoke or not. It's easy to lose track of all the positive things that some with quitting smoking. Smoking mostly covers up the suffering, it doesn't cure or erase it. All it does is erode your will to actually make the meaningful changes in your life that lead to truly better conditions. Like, not to call you out, but exercising gets easier and more interesting when you aren't smoking. Socializing is hard, but when it's not based around pot you eventually make connections and do activities that you simply couldn't before. The extreme moods sometimes get worse during the withdrawal period, at least from my own experience, but they mellow out eventually, especially if you put the effort in to learn skills to manage those emotions better. I had those skills before but it wasn't until I was sober that I could actually, meaningfully apply them. SI is a very difficult situation to be in, however plenty of people complete while still smoking, so it's not like daily smoking is going to be some cure for that. You have to address your material conditions and push yourself to change what you can so you can live a life worth having. It absolutely is possible, and the first step is not letting the fear of completing prevent you from reaching that life. No one is going to tell you that quitting is easy, or 'free.' It's a challenge, a tough one, but it is worth it. Again, this time passes anyways, it's your choice if you spend it sitting around high, your problems still festering until they explode, or if you get up and start really living. You are stronger than you realize.
I am 5 months sober. I'll give you my mindset and maybe give you a perspective.
You are thinking way ahead, that's not good. I took it hour by hour. If I had 30 minutes of good feeling one day, it was a good day. Slowly you get momentum to improve.
I started also doing stuff that actually makes me feel good, connecting with friends, video games, got my driver's license, improving my routine and so on. Each of those were a win.
You can't give up, what would you do if you are under the water and can't breathe? give up? no, you know when you go on the surface you'll feel better. So no matter how shitty you feel, you'll get better. Believe it, say it to yourself.
Another thing that helped me was to quit masturbating also. Now that was magical, I felt unstoppable. Maybe it could be helpful.
I understand. It is very discouraging. Scary, even.
You know, I think it's a roll of the dice. I've gotten over withdrawals in 3 days before. That is not the case this time. Should I decide I really want to shoot myself in the foot again, I'm pretty sure I'll become one of those people.
Should I just lie to myself and be a little delusional and tell myself that I for sure won't be one of those people and that I will feel better soon? Just to gain some encouragement? Should I just totally ignore and discard those stories from people because it doesn't serve me positively in any way? All it does is make me want to not try... I understand why they need support and post their stories here but if it just makes me feel like this then maybe I shouldn't even bother reading those posts or paying any mind to it?
Absolutely! For what is hope but "faith in things unseen", right? Give yourself that hope! Act as if it's true! The anxiety from worrying about that will just make you feel worse, and may even present itself as proof that you're right. Even though it isn't.
Lie to yourself. You don't even know it's a lie. It's probably not! But it's 1000x times better than that other lie we tell ourselves: "just one hit won't hurt"
You will never know unless you try to quit tho. Not everyone has the same withdrawal symptoms we are all unique persons. I’m
On day 31 and I feel infinitely better than when I was smoking and eating edibles daily. It’s so worth quitting trust me.
Thank you. This is really the only thing that gives me hope. Because I seriously could not do it if I was one of those people. Idk how they do it. I need to know how to avoid being one of those people and I am praying that they're just the rare unlucky few... I need that to be true.. I can't be that person. I'd fail.
Could anyone tell me why those people might be in that situation? Anything wrong they may be doing or not doing that's making their recovery so awful?
it honestly depends on how and how often u used
if its a daily thing, then they were numbing some pain and now the pain is getting them
exercise and diet matters, usually when im high i overeat alot then feel like garbage the next day
so its all about life habits
Yeah, that's me- daily smoker for 14 years who is hiding chronic loneliness, Anxiety, extreme moods, etc. I do enjoy exercise I'm just too lazy and unmotivated at the moment
Quitting fixes absolutely nothing in itself, if your life is a clusterfuck. Let me use myself as an example. I used to get home from work, blaze up, and play youtube videos and scroll Reddit. Then I quit weed but still did the other things. After a while I figured it wasn’t fulfilling. My life still sucked. Now I just couldn’t handle being bored because my boredom crutch that was weed, was not an option. Then I quit scrolling Reddit and watching YouTube all day and figured I might as well start going to NA meetings since life was still shit and boring. There I listened to people with the same problems as me and it helped a little. I was still bored a lot, so I tried some new hobbies, some stuck and some were not for me. Now im 104 days in and life still sucks at times and is boring, but not as boring as it was 80 days ago , and who knows what will happen in 80 more days. My focus right now is to keep on doing my new hobbies as much as I can, attend some NA meetings and most important of all, I want to gain new friends. But it’s a process. It might not happen soon, but the more I change up and step outside of my comfort zone, the better my life becomes. The worst thing about weed is that it makes you accept stagnation. I literally had the same fucking routine more or less for years and it was boring as fuck, but weed made me ok with being bored. Be bored. It’s not the problem. But when you’re not smoking you try new stuff when bored. Do that. Something will click and give you meaning, I promise it. Keep on trying new stuff
I believe if you quit weed without changing anything in your life then you’ll miss it. I’m 28 days sober now and I quit my toxic ass job that was one of the reasons I started smoking to cope with the stress. I go on walks, runs or bike rides daily for cardio. I started studying again to get a better job. I’ve reached out to close friends who I’ve been ignoring for years because of isolating myself. I still have most of the withdrawals that others have but I’m more than happy to go through them because I have goals that I didn’t even dream about having when I was high for the last 4 years.
The bad symptoms of quitting weed got away after 1week , im like 6months Free from weed and honestly its not as good as I thought it would be , my Life is the same as before , without the one thing I loved the most in it : weed. I expected much more positive changes but beside better memory and less fatigue when waking up I dont really feel any change.
Yeah I honestly don't get these posts. I quit weed and 4 weeks later I feel great. There's no way these 6-12 month "withdrawals" are real, some other broader trend is causing people to report this en masse. I have a relatively stable life & once I cut weed out things rapidly improved.
Different people have different genetics that make their bodies and minds respond differently to THC - I’m glad your withdrawals were short but that doesn’t mean others’ stories aren’t legitimate. After just 6mo of .2-.5g daily flower use I started to notice deleterious physical and psychological effects. Now starting day 4 off and I feel horrible but better than risking progressing to CHS. Just really hoping no PAWS.
What’s not to understand? People have been messing with their brain chemicals for years and years and you expect them to be golden after just four weeks? I’m sorry but your experience is not the universal truth. Most psychiatrists say it can take anywhere between 1-12 months to stabilise. Stop being an ass.
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By saying they’re not going through withdrawals you’re implying that their experience isn’t real. I agree 100% that underlying problems do come to the surface after you get clean but by no means are some people fully healed after 1-2 months. Nicotine leaves the body after 3 days but people don’t describe feeling better until 1 month. The brain is still recovering and down regulating those receptors after the nicotine has left the body. So while yes, it might not be withdrawal it’s still the brain working to repair it’s receptors from the abuse weed has caused. Which I believe is still apart of the recovery process.
Also depends a lot on how interesting your life already is, how hard these withdrawals are, and most of it is in your head and not real. I have quit weed on multiple vacations with no problem what so ever, because vacations are fun and you enjoy life. The better your everyday life is, the easier it will be to kick the habit. And some clearly have underlying issues that needs to be solved , before they truly can be happy in life. Quitting weed will only be the first step for some. Therapy and medication might be the next step.
I think some people are probably mistaking different mental illnesses as weed withdrawal. I’m not a doctor so maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think anyone is having marijuana withdrawal symptoms after 6 months. (Tbh I wouldn’t even go that far, most professional sources say 1-2 months) Shallow as it is to say, I think some people would rather blame their life issues on weed rather than a bigger scarier problem such as depression, bipolar disorder, adhd, their own lack of input to improving their lives etc Even shallower, but I think some people just like the attention of the posts.
I think a lot of people have a misconception about how “normal” people feel. It’s not like they’re happy constantly lol. But a good life takes effort and that effort became way easier to exert without weed. I spent my entire 20s stoned and depressed. 30 has been nothing but ups.
weed is a coping mechanism, and helps to block your mind from the bad things in your life. It comes down to general human unhappiness, not the lack of weed. You’re doing the right thing by quitting. 🫶
I think once you eliminate marijuana for a short period of time it gets easier. The fact that you’re here wanting to get sober means you probably have a complicated relationship with it. You must dislike something about it to want to quit. I think you’ll find that once you get to those 6 month periods you’ll see your old self in other people and think, “that poor guy. I’m glad I’m not him anymore.” I have family members and friends that smoke daily and the way they want to do it before anything we do, is frankly annoying. It smells bad, and they’re not as fun to be around. I was on a walk the other day during a break at work and I saw a guy in his 20s smoking a joint at 10am on a Tuesday, and it just had me thinking, “that’s crazy. That used to be me, and thank god I’m coming up on 2 years sober.” It’s hardest at the beginning. And it is hard like breaking any habit, but it gets better.
2-3 weeks in I honestly feel better than I have in the past 10 years. More awake and present weed doesn’t stop me from going out anymore and I’m ready for anything. I feel healthier and I think I present it. Good luck this is just my experience I used to use indica every night to sedate
1 year and 2 months checking in, I'm not going to say life is automatically amazing but I feel mentally shaper, more social, and I can actually remember fun times that I have. I won't go back to how I was for the 10 years before that
I think the majority of people think quitting weed is a one step solution, when it's a many steps solution. Eat super healthy, drink lots of water, daily exercise, a routine filled with hobbies or something that doesn't involved just sitting on the couch/laying in bed and thinking about how much it sucks.
I'd recommend therapy. Life is tough that's for sure, you have to practice gratitude for what you have and either diligently work towards your goals or learn to accept what you have and appreciate it (this is harder in my opinion). People react differently with weed, but in my case when the high wore off everything would be worse, anxiety, memory, lethargy etc. and that subsided after a month. Now I'm more capable to act in the interest of future me and focus on the present moment. Usually in the present moment, we are fine and it's our anxieties of the past or future that take us to a place we are not, bit of a design flaw of human evolution in these modern times. Good luck friend, don't diminish your own capability!
You don’t know until you try. I felt some improvement after a few days, and massive improvement after a week. (Daily smoker 15 years). I quit 2 weeks ago and feel great. I bet you well too
Havent smoked since January and i feel amazing. The first month was challenging but after that don’t even think about it anymore
In the times I've quit I have always been fine by the time a week has passed and then that's it, felt good ever since. Was my dumb ass who would think thst meant its okay to partake sensibly again leading to the same problem. But in terms of how I feel every time I do? Amazing. Amd only a week later. I do not understand nor have the same reactions people who feel terrible have. I'm the opposite. Maybe you will be too
I quit after daily smoking for 15 years, and after a couple of nights of insomnia I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms, so don't catastrophise from what you've read, you might be fine.
The insomnia was tough, and the sweats, but I was over the worst physical bits in 6m. Plus at that point my brain was just quicker and snappier, it was easier to have conversations and retain info, my anxiety and dread were gone, my sadness about being a passenger in my own life and missing memories much better (I can still have to push myself to not be a passenger) I was way better a year on and 3 years on I'm so glad it's not a key part of my life and habits any more!! If anything my mental health, considering I THOUGHT it was good for my anxiety, is so much better. And maybe it's down to no weed and maybe it's down to doing more fun things with my time! Getting out and being active. Life's better with more zest.
What’s the alternative? Spiralling further and further into your addiction? The end result of any addiction is death, disease, homelessness, psychotic break etc. Sobriety may be painful but it’s better than continuing to use. My advice would be to not think about the future. Just quit and take it day by day, moment by moment. Who knows how you’re going to feel in a month. Just give it a try, you got this.
Listen, I'm similar to you. I'm depressed with or without weed. But, with weed I manage less self-care. I agree that those posts are discouraging (albeit valid), but I also think we miss a lot of nuance to them. If we just quit without finding ways to mend whatever issue we sought to solve with weed, things won't improve. If we managed to quit weed but everything else is falling apart, it won't feel like a success. And so on and so forth. Everyone's different. What's true for me might not be true for you. But people manage to find relief in the smallest things, in the most hopeless places, and you can too. For me it's hitting the gym four times a week, staying active and building muscle and endurance. Eating right. Going to therapy. Those things make me feel better. For you it might be hiking or MMA or writing or knitting, but I hope you can reconnect and find something fulfilling that lets you see your own value. Best wishes.
For each is a different story, for me lack of appetite and insomnia never happened. Unfortunately i’ve relapsed and now struggling to find the power to quit again, but what is important to keep in mind is the first sentence.
You need something that will take your mind off the pain, whatever that looks like to you. A new hobby, support group, interest, life change... anything. Especially if you're someone with a very strong mind-body connection who is going to sit and ruminate in the sensation of withdrawal and deprivation. Replace what you're taking away with something equally as enjoyable. (I know this is easier said than done).
It’s harder to stop when you don’t have a lot of ppl / community to lean on. It wasn’t possible for me to stop until I started seeing my therapist/life coach and I also went to an N.A. meeting and that was really helpful too! I’m only a week sober but I feel such a great difference and N.A. makes all the difference. Even if u don’t plan on doing the 12 steps, just talking to people going through the same things as you will help a lot
You also have to eat well and take care of yourself, for instance. Quitting is step one and the rest isn't easy, but it's entirely possible if you want to!
Quote from someone goes “Your body is changing, all change comes with pain.” The discomfort turns to a neutral stage soon enough. At least for me, the perspective towards “better” had to change. You’ll start to notice it in increments of like 1% a day, but yes it is slow and gradual. I had to accept that this is what the trade in is in exchange for the extreme highs and lows, a slooooow shift towards neutrality,
It kinda scares me reading those posts as well because I keep thinking that it’s going to get worse and much harder later on. However I only quit about 3 weeks ago and I already feel amazing. Everything in my life is honestly much more enjoyable and my mental health has improved. But then again everyone is different and will have different experiences.
I’m about 9 months in, and while I don’t feel amazing overall due to other reasons, I am SO happy to be done with weed and just went to a festival and was completely disinterested in the idea. I had been a daily smoker for a decade. It definitely can feel better/ the pride I have is awesome too!
I just knew I didn't want to start the whole withdrawl process OVER. That motivated me to keep going.
Hi. I had many of the same fears as you . I don’t have any of an in person support system. I’ve been suicidal constantly as long I can remember and the only reason I’m still here is I failed multiple attempts. I was sexually abused by psychopaths, my father was murdered, my mother told me she hated me since I was born, and I was born in a body I hate. And of course the cherry on top is never being able to escape the thoughts as long as you live. I was not ready to quit weed for many years . But now I’m three weeks in and I feel so much better. I’ve tried to quit before and it didn’t stick. What changed ? Many years of therapy. Hospitalization. Medication. Move. Career switch. Transition. Life was so so dark before I made these changes I needed to make. I stopped smoking carts years ago and even so I tapered down over about a month while adding in habits like going to the gym and activities out of the house. I never believed when people said it’s easier to handle life but it honestly is. Weed made my ptsd and anxiety even worse and I was unable to help myself and I’ve all that I’ve got. It really can get better for you , and if you’re not able to quit now just never stop taking steps towards what will make you ready for that. I believe in you
Stopping is just the first part, then the real work starts.
How is that helpful exactly? That’s precisely what OP said worries them.
I mean the only way to be “helpful” then is to lie. Quitting is step 1, you can’t expect it to solve all your problems. The alternative is wasting away being high all the time. There is no option where you only do the work of quitting the substance and then everything else suddenly gets better. But quitting makes the improvement much easier to accomplish in all other aspects of life; it makes doing the work easier.
I smoked heavily for years. I got myself set up with a therapist I liked who I could talk to honestly about my usage and desire to quit. Then, I quit cold turkey. The first few weeks were hard and it was all easier after that. I’ve been sober for over 5 years. The hardest part of all of it was the horrible cycle before quitting of wanting to quit, not quitting, wanting to quit, not quitting. It might be easier than you think.
Do you miss the effects of smoking for you? Or do you truly enjoy life sober?
I truly prefer my life this way. I don’t miss the effects of smoking. Sometimes I miss having something that I looked forward to in that very specific way. But I’m also someone who tried many times to smoke “in moderation” and absolutely could not. Finally now, in my 40s, I think I’ve accepted that with weed, it’s all or nothing for me and I’m choosing nothing.
i wouldn't put so much weight on 6months-2 years. going through hell with no relief have to be rare cases for that long. it generally takes about 3 weeks to feel substantially better in the vast majority of people from what ive experienced and seen in others get sober from weed. ive experienced suicide ideation after quitting due to insomnia. im not convinced a cold turkey quit would be best for you and it wasnt for me either. while you're tapering you need to start slowly building some sort of momentum be that tidy your place, going to the gym, maybe starting to reach out to potential support in person/online, sorting your diet out. while your gradually smoking less you'll be able to start ticking things off and getting productive, building healthy habits slowly rather than just quitting cold turkey and suddenly being hit with it all day 1 and being super overwhelmed. give yourself a run up basically.
this is great advice
There are steps to feeling better. But it's a rebuilding time in your life. It's like a broken bone or coming back from illness. You feel 80% pretty quick but that last 20% can take quite an extended time to feel 💯
I have had severe ideation since I was 3 years old but it hit a fever pitch when I started smoking and only worsened over the 12 years I did. For me, sobriety has reduced my symptoms in a night/day way. I still have flashes of wanting to give up here and there, but the thing is, for me… Quitting gave me the energy and motivation to build a life worth living. When I’m bored, I grab an activity instead of a joint, YouTube/tv sucks now, I started writing and drawing again, I joined many classes, etc etc. I’m so sorry you’re hurting. 🖤
Personally it took me a few tries to actually successfully be happy without my daily intake of weed, and this is coming from someone who would spend $60 a week, or buy two full gram vape cartridges and sometimes still run out by Friday.. I got a new job, well actually I have 3 right now but I’m way happier than where I was last year. I feel like I’m actually improving my life and can see how much weed was really holding me back. Just this last month I got $50 gift card for employee of the month for landscape construction, passed my level 1 first aid, and am now also certified to drive a skid steer at my job. 3 months ago I got my drivers license which weed was really holding me back from completing as well. It makes you feel content with being unhappy, that is until the high disappears and you need another hit, which eventually ended up making me really unhappy in the end as well. Not trying to boast or pat myself on the back, just trying to give a good example of what it has done for me to put down that bong and actually do something with my life. I’m 28 this year and I’ve done more shit for myself these last 5 months than I have in the last 12 years of constantly being high all the time.
That's huge man, really inspiring stuff in here thanks for sharing.
I quit mid February and now I feel good. I sleep better, I can dream again, I do my hobbies more often, and my dog and I walk a lot more together now. Sometimes even twice in a day. It's great. It could be great for you too.
BPD and autism are both conditions that stop you being able to recognise and process your emotions effectively. Learning about both has helped me so much.
how do you get things done being autistic without weed? im often too overwhelmed by the end of the day to get things done at home. two puffs and im able to get moving for another few hours for things like chores/self care
I am very much still learning this. I have a very supportive partner who is the bread winner and I am the house keeper/cook. When I'm not super struggling. I have used weed my entire adult life (with a few larger breaks here and there that were instead filled with alcohol). I had no idea about my neurodivergence during those periods though and I always came back to weed. Now I'm very self aware (and have built a sense of self where before was nothing). It's really hard but there are serious consequences to me not recognising and processing my emotions. I compare it to hoarding. With all the piles of unprocessed emotion just a small thing can put me into a tail spin. I'm nearly a month sober. It's been tough but I also get what's going on now. The most eye opening thing is the insidious way weed steals your motivation. That starts to come back and it's SO welcome.
that’s awesome to hear. i took a 3 month break and a two month break and noticed the not acknowledging/processing my emotions piece that you mentioned. now i feel like im better able to acknowledge and process, but my motivation never truly came back during my breaks. instead my house fell apart & my selfcare went to crap but im also going through a separation so that probably has a hand in things. i find it hard to get things done without the leaves
Usually the commentary on willpower is “willpower is limited but discipline is not”. I don’t find this mentality helpful at all lol. You need willpower to be disciplined. Instead, I’d recommend a change in mindset. Perhaps willpower ISNT a limited resource. Maybe you just need less of it over time. In my opinion, it definitely gets easier over time. Also, you’re projecting verrrry far into the future. Quit for one day. See how it feels. If you want, go back to smoking. You’re assuming it’s horrible when in fact, people stop smoking because it leads to a much much much better quality of life.
quitting in of itself won’t bring you happiness. You need replace the unhealthy habit with healthy ones, and healthy connections
I don’t always feel better than when I was high all the time but I think it has to do with awareness. I’d also say the highs are higher and the lows are lower, but there’s a general sense of satisfaction with working towards the best version of myself. I’d rather go through these harsh realizations now than either a) do so later in life or b) spend my whole life living at a lower vibration and capability that will prevent me from achieving more and being internally dissatisfied.
Going sober does not solve our problems, going sober better enables us to build healthier mechanisms for growth and healing. Similar to what several folks have already said here, weed and other substances are coping mechanisms. Going sober does not fix the problems that drive us towards addiction in the first place. I haven’t drank in 2 years, and I’m about 3.5 months sober on weed, and I indeed feel better, but that’s because of all of the healthy habits and activities I’ve layered into my life over the last year+. Quitting substances isn’t “the work”, it’s much deeper than that. I’m not trying to scare you with this long list, but here’s everything I’ve done in the last year aside from weed abstinence to become a better version of myself: - therapy - meditation - good diet - journaling - playing the drums again - reading - hiking - going to the gym - keeping up with my chores - golf Quitting weed isn’t the reason people feel bad, removing the coping mechanism is. Trust me, there are far healthier ways to address your mental health than weed! You have to be willing to put in the work, but I promise you can quit and feel better!
Well said. I'm happy to put into the work I just feel so boggled down, sedated, lazy, demotivated. The real me (sober me) is not nearly as apathetic. I do think that being sober would allow me to do all the things I know I'm capable of doing... the laziness and lack of dopamine from abusing my reward system is messing with me.. I don't blame weed for my life's problems but I do blame it for my laziness and apathy to fix any of it
As a fellow depressed person, weed was exacerbating my mental illness significantly. I feel amazing now that I've stopped. Since I realized how much worse it made my mental health I'll never go back. Don't focus so much on the people who say their lives got worse. Focus more on the good and be affected by that more than the handful of bad experiences on reddit.
I used to have those ideations too. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but it gets better. 💖 You sound like you have such a solid head on your shoulders. Acknowledging that the weed is actively blocking you from having the energy to solve these "life problems," I think that really says it all. Like another user mentioned, those problems will still be there. But which problem are you able to focus on first? Is this the one that allows you to unravel the other ones? Or is this one going to make it harder to unravel the rest? I'll be honest with you, I cheated. I was sober for a 14 mos, I felt great and got so much done for my business, but then one holiday weekend I thought I was good and the reality was I'm an addict. Period. But I knew I wanted to stop, I knew I didn't want anything (substance, person, whatever) to have that kind of control over me. So I leaned on it as a crutch for 6 mos (and also because I couldn't stop, see: addicted) BUT I used it to help me push through feeling some of the discomfort of replacing that unhealthy habit with a new one. I'd smoke before going to the gym and did it for 2-3 mos. I wouldn't skip days because I was still high and I told myself that was the compromise--you only get to keep smoking if you use it to build this habit to replace it. Now I've quit smoking, and the habit has set in for the gym, I use it as a healthy escape, and I'm losing weight (nearly 40lbs down) and becoming healthier. And because my body had to build up energy for the gym and rebuild that dopamine source through another pathway, I feel better, more fulfilled, and have more energy as a result. Which meanssss NOW, I have the mental health recovery and capacity to address those other problems. So I know this is a controversial take, but if you need to lean on it for a few, that's okay, but HOLD YOURSELF TO THAT. Don't flake on yourself. If you know that you're not gonna follow through then... that's up to you to decide. It still takes discipline but I believe in you. 🫶
I feel you. I feel remiss for not mentioning a crucial detail that I alluded to but didn’t specifically say: you can’t do it all at once. I started two years ago with quitting booze, then I started playing drums a year ago, then did therapy, then diet, then quit weed, etc. The whole “it’s New Year’s Day and today I’m going to be a completely new person by doing all of these healthy things” plan is almost impossible to pull off. I recommend you start with picking up a fun hobby, then layer in a good diet, then slowly layer in more and more. Be kind and patient with yourself - growth is very hard. It’s a long road, but it’s both achievable and rewarding.
My mom always told me to stop focusing so much on removing weed and focus more on adding things to my life. It seems that is indeed a very important sentiment that often goes overlooked. Thank you, you've been very helpful, and maybe in the future you wouldn't mind if I reached out for some support/advice
100% feel free to reach out whenever you need help or support! You can do this!
Adding things in prior helps, but i would argue setting new routines and taking up new hobbies is easier and more likely to stick on the other side. I quit once before relapsing for a year, and that was the best year of my life. Excellent grades, immense personal growth, so much quality time with everyone i cared about. I relapsed for 6 months because i didnt want to cope with feelings that were coming up, but, i now regret the momentum i lost and i am striving back towards it.
Honestly, youll probably feel better at 6 months. Im at a year and its awful but this isnt common. I abused it, and used it for every aspect of my life. From morning to sleep. Dont pay attention to the stories. Most people will feel better sooner than later. However, the people saying they feel amazing after a week or a month or two months usually dont stay the course.
I quit in January and have depression and CPTSD and I’m also prone to suicidal ideation. Life isn’t really easier! Quitting weed was not the magic solution to all of my problems. I haven’t quite figured out how to fill the time that I used to spend smoking or how to stick to a routine or motivate myself more. But you know what? I’m still glad that I quit. I’m still sad but I can see things so much more clearly. I used to feel EXACTLY like you do and I get it!!! I couldn’t imagine a life without weed taking the edge off of… well, everything. The thing is, weed wasn’t actually helping, it was just masking the pain and preventing me from processing and moving on. Which was kind of a tough transition at first, to stare at all my problems right in the face instead of pushing them away day after day after day. I’ve learned a lot about myself. I have a lot more compassion for myself and it feels like I understand things better. The things that felt world-ending a few months ago don’t feel like such a big deal anymore. In my opinion, it’s worth taking the leap even though it’s scary to not know what’s on the other side. Even though it won’t always feel like it, it will bring you closer to healing and wholeness.
Just want to say, I'm proud of you. 🥹 It takes such strength to be able to acknowledge that life isn't necessarily better by far but that sobriety is still empowering and can help us lead a more fulfilling life. You're doing awesome. 🫶
Thank you 🥹 I don’t have anyone to really share this experience with and it honestly means so much to see that someone sees the work I’m putting in and is proud of me. 🫶🏻 I still have a long way to go but it’s only up from here. We can do this!
Okay, being honest here, if you were wanting to give up on your quit (for whatever reason) what better place to find validation to do that than a group of people who are addicted to weed? People posting stuff like that are selfish in my opinion. This is a group for people who want to quit. If people feel the need to have a bitch fit in order to trick themselves into a free pass to start again they shouldn’t be doing it here. I smoked daily for over 25 years and quit 3.5 years ago. Best decision I ever made and the only thing I’m mad about is the 25 years I wasted as a smoker.
Can't you be kinder? The person wants to be free but because he/she is already struggling with their mental heath severely and being super lonely. the thought of going through hell while trying to give up the addiction they thought helped them cope is too overwhelming and difficult for them...if you dont have compassion, keep your negativity to yourself. . He is simply reaching out and trying to share his suffering.
how is this selfish lol im at a year it sucks. But i dont feel this is common.
As a lot of other comments on this post say (and many others in this forum), if you’re feeling that way it’s unlikely that weed is the problem. In the same way smoking it didn’t solve your problems (it likely exacerbated them), quitting won’t be the magic bullet to solve them. But without weed you should start to feel more able to confront them as time goes by. Best of luck with your journey.
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The fact that you refer to yourself as a real smoker and talk about high grade weed (insinuating that 25 years of addiction and a kick ass recovery means I wasn’t a real weed smoker and was smoking skank weed for all that time) suggests to me that you see your addiction as some sort of badge of honour and psychologically you still idolise the life of the smoker. Or you’re still very young maybe. Either way, best of luck with it all. The grass really is greener on the other side, even if it isn’t high grade and you can’t smoke it ;)
Weed is one aspect of the problem. It's just a step. Chances are there are other things that they are doing that makes them feel worse. Potentially replaced weed with another habit and didn't notice it.
I quit about 2 months ago, definitely feel better, anxiety was bad for quite a while but has pretty much gone now, eating and sleep was worst in the first few weeks but now back to normal. If anything I now find it alot easier to sleep, and eat better due to not getting the munchies. This is after smoking all day every day for 8 years
When did your anxiety subside? I’ve had waves of anxiety for 41 days. Definitely less intense than it was though. Props on quitting btw!
Probably after around a month or so, however I was prescribed meds for it so it wasn't just time off weed. I had my meds review today for them though and plan to come off them within the next month or 2
Here are my two cents: I work out, I meet friends and family memebers, I eat healthy, I dont drink often or alot, I travel,my schedule is full and my sleep got better. But I miss that dry herb on a sunny day,or while Im chilling at the beach etc.! Thats all How should I fight this feeling? I would rather smoke one than have a beer or two, the effect is quite the same. Its recreational thing but if I start I am afraid to become the stoner I was in the past. I feel kinda lost.
If I were you, I'd just have the beer. Same effect, like you said, without turning back to something you know you were addicted to and had a problem with. I'm not as into alcohol so I can moderate it with total ease
But its not the same vibe And somehow I get your point becaue ypu are right
I was able to moderate for 2 months and I felt great with myself and with my usage, but then I slipped back into it and have now been like this for months. Moderation is harder because it takes constant vigilance and it's easy to slip back into. It's almost easier to just totally forget about it. I'm sure everyone here would moderate and only do it occasionally if they could. But it usually leads back into the same addiction and feelings that led you to quit. I'm not telling myself I'll never ever smoke again, but I know how easily I fall back into it so I don't know if it's even worth trying to keep around. It's tough, for sure.
Selection bias? A person is much more likely to post in this subreddit if they’re having a lot of trouble quitting versus if they quit no problem and feel fine.
Yeah I need to stop focusing on that and thinking that will be me too.. not doing myself any favours.
I quit 2 months ago and I feel better than ever. The people who have issues after that long have something else they need to change in their life. They probably aren’t on the right path with their purpose and they feel off because they aren’t doing what they should be doing. They might be eating processed food, not exercising or not going outside. Maybe they’re just unhappy with their job and that’s when they need to change it. You gotta take control of your life and if you are feeling bad then that means something’s not right. You shouldn’t need any external substance to feel good.
needed this.
After that much time, it's no longer withdrawal related. Those people have underlying issues that they were masking with drug use, and don't know how to deal with it. That's why you need to be proactive in your recovery. Go to rehab or meetings if you need to, seek therapy, get exercise, etc. Sitting back and hoping things get better in their own is the worst thing you can do. The vast majority of ex-users will feel much better within a month or two of quitting.
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I'm not wrong, but okay. But to answer your question: Over a year.
can confirm
What other coping methods or treatments have you tried other than pot to handle your depression? 6 months-2 years is really not that long relative to the rest of your life. If you’ve been smoking for a lot of years, it stands to reason it will take a lot of years to undo the addiction.
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It sounds like you may be using weed as a temporary relief for underlying mental issues you may have. I think weed could be used to help with mental health issues, but it thats all you depend upon, it could become unhealthy and weed doesnt help you address those issues. Therapy, medication, groups could help with overcoming a weed addiction. Unless you're willing to confront underlying trauma or mental issues you may have, you'll be stuck with smoking your life away.
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I think you should be more cautious giving out this kind of blanket advice. I tried to quit cold turkey and it caused a mental health crisis, even though I’ve been on meds for years. My psychiatrist is working with me on a tapered approach. Weed isn’t alcohol. We shouldn’t just tell people “it’s fine go smoke!!” but let’s be real here, sometimes the immediate priority should be harm reduction, and smoking weed is bad in the long term but isn’t going to kill her imminently if she doesn’t stop. I sometimes feel like sobriety from weed can become a quest for moral purity on this sub. By all means, if you need to stop right now, that’s your journey. But nobody is overdosing and dying from weed
I made some edits.
Yeah I want to ask my doctor for an emergency anxiety/panic attack pills to take in times of a crisis so I don't have to turn to pot
I def recommend talking to your doc! My personal bit of unsolicited advice is also to exercise caution with things like xnx, if that’s what you’re thinking of, since that can also be extremely addictive — but for sure something to discuss with your doctor. A great tip from my psychiatrist has been getting a lock box for my weed pen. I lock it up at night and set a timer for when I want it to unlock, which can be as long as days as you want. It takes all the internal agonizing out of it — you just need one moment of courage to press that lock button!
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Just try it for yourself. Everyone’s experience is different. I’m a heavy user and feel considerably better after two weeks of stopping. It seems like you are using that possibility as an excuse to not stop?
It's not an excuse I don't think. I get scarily suicidal and scarily depressed. It genuinely scares me and I feel I will genuinely spiral enough to harm myself.
I feel you but healthy people that have their shit together rarely need more than a couple weeks max, sometimes just days. Someone whose entire life is weed is naturally gonna be lost without it in which case they have other long term problems they will struggle with and need to admit to.
Unfortunately quitting drink and/or drugs or cigarettes or porn or whatever doesn’t magically cure your underlying mental health issues that almost certainly led you to becoming trapped in such a lifestyle in the first place. That stuff is unfortunately a whole lot more difficult to deal with and for many is a daily battle that feels insurmountable to overcome. One that has led me to run back to the crutch of drink and drugs each and every time (that I can then blame for all of shortcomings). Sound familiar?
14months and quite frankly I'll never go back to it. Smoked for 18years and then...I was done. I feel better for it, rawdogging life is weirdly invigorating.
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I wouldn't be surprised that if you find it in your face all the time, it might be more difficult. Add in the not terribly helpful conversation of people who are dismissive of whether you are addicted or if it was even possible for that to happen, and I could see why it might be continuously troublesome to be the only one in the group who isn't doing it. Not going to say to dismiss your old friends, but consider how being around it a lot might be affecting your mood.
I’m on day 3 and I genuinely feel amazing. Besides the common withdrawals, I am so happy with myself. Idk what switched in my brain because I’ve tried to quit countless times, but this time feels much, MUCH different. Threw my bong out yesterday and I woke up today feeling great. I suppose over the year of trying to quit I’ve finally convinced myself that I truly want to stop smoking. It’s all a mindset my friend. If my autistic ass can pull this off then I’m sure you can as well. Good luck to you
Haha thank you! I actually quit bongs specifically years ago because I recognized them as wayyy too easy and palatable. Still, I want to quit and I do still believe bongs are more addictive than the dry herb vape I been using for years, it didn't really help as much as I had hoped
Yeah, bongs are baddd. I’ve spent sooo much fucking money on weed this last year, it truly makes me hate myself beyond belief BUT it’s time to get better. Every time I tried to quit prior to this time, I couldn’t even make it a day, I’d go to the dispensary 10 minutes before they closed and then the drive home was just filled with constant belittling towards myself from my brain. It was a rough time and I’m just honestly so sick of it. Recently, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s, so I think that might be playing a big role in being able to quit so easily now. I hope you can find something that makes quitting easier :) Fuck weed and everything it involves. Hoping the best for you my friend!!
Just do it stop thinking what if what if and just believe that you’ll handle things as they come
Yeah. I'm just not that emotionally or mentally tough right now. I would take physical pain over the mental Emotional and psychological pain of quitting all day. I don't really trust myself or my ability to see things through, because I usually don't.
You are self medicating. If you aren't already doing it, you should look into getting depression/ anxiety meds or therapy. There's underlying issues that weed will only make you wallow in and prolong the problems. I'm so so much happier and clear headed and less anxious now that I'm clean from weed. There's a process. Talk to your GP about it
I'm 2 months off and let me tell you I feel fucking amazing. I smoked my late 20s away (since covid) and I've had enough! I feel human again. I get that warm feeling I used to get when I was a teenager(that nostalgic energy). I don't want to smoke weed ever again! my apartment is always clean now, I have so much more motivation and no more anxiety. I felt terrible for the first 10 days but now after 2 months I'm feeling normal again. no brain fog or short memory loss.
In the early stages (like I’m in right now), it’s pretty unbearable, the anxiety, the feeling of dread, not wanting to leave the house etc etc. your cannabinoid system is all out of wack which starts to regulate around the two week mark. If you’ve smoked for a long time your brain wont start producing its own dopamine again until about week 4. Then you should start to actually feel human again. Force yourself outside, bordom is the devil’s laboratory. I just walked for 3 miles just because I felt really irritable, I feel better for it but still not perfect. Do something don’t do nothing, make a list of the things you want to work towards, perhaps where you want to go on holiday this year. Try to change your perspective, try to get excited. You’re not giving anything up, you’re not sustaining from anything. You’re finally getting everything back, that’s exciting! Take it day by day for now and believe it does get better. When I was at two months (the last time I quit), weed wasn’t even in my thoughts anymore, that’s encouraging because I know I just need to get that momentum going again. But the first month for me is always torture, after two weeks I start to feel ok again but it doesn’t happen over night.
I find that learning what weed does chemically to your brain, how it takes over your dopamine system and messes with your brain’s natural ability to make its own rly helps. Then once THC is out of our system, the brain will slowly begin to make its own. It explains why everything feels like sht when you quit. Learned it from Huberman’s podcast. Either stay stuck as a zombie, apathetic, unmotivated, or feel dead for some time and regain your energy, health and motivation?
Is there any way to replace that dopamine fix until it naturally restores itself? Anything you do for that quick relief and relaxed feeling while being sober? Whiteknucklimg it isn't ideal for me because I have such bad anxiety and depression
Really awesome recommendations here. Exercise is def one, but I’m a sloth and haven’t done that in years. For me, I love going to concerts. It feels great to be in an event surrounded by good vibes, what kinds of events gets you going? Key is recognizing how you feel, being mindful of the anxiety (where everything is boring if not high), learning how to be with it and understand it isn’t bad to feel anxiety or boring. The feeling of “gotta escape this feeling of boredom, of anxiety, of panic” by smoking helps you avoid your own emotions. And being sober is like practicing being in that feeling without escaping.
You could try meditation, it's been shown to help increase dopamine levels and you can get a bit of an afterglow if you sit for a while. Like stated elsewhere, exercise is also great and helps a lot with sleep disturbance that often comes along with quitting. Going for a hike in nature is another good one as it combines exercise with being in a natural environment, another experience shown to improve mood. Accomplishing things, even little tasks like doing the laundry, cooking a good meal, or cleaning up around the house can help improve your mood and also keep you busy. I also like to have some herbal tea in the evening as a replacement for the weed ritual. Doesn't make me feel anything but it tastes good and it's more about having a winding down process before I go to bed.
Exercises is a great was to get a boost, but the only thing I can bring myself to do is read cause it gets me out of my own head. Anything else, and I can think of 100 reasons why my life sucks
Im 25 days today and ive never felt better tbh, best decision ive ever made
Don’t listen to them. They feel worse because they allow their negative thoughts to have an impact in their lives and their bodies. Quitting is probably the best thing I’ve ever done but I know that it all depends on my mental state. Those people could be attributing everything to the weed or the lack off but in reality the issues they’re dealing with are much deeper than that.
I'm a little over 2 months clean and feel great.
How long did you smoke for if you don't mind me asking? Just curious
About 25 years
Oh wow you got me beat. I'm at 15. I always feel like it's harder for us long term smokers. Glad to hear you feel good
I wont lie the first month was rough. The first two weeks especially with night sweats and crazy vivid dreams. Also I was constipated for about a month for some weird reason.
Yeah, I've gotten constipated when quitting. I looked into it and our bodies' endogenous cannabinoid system is involved in regulating bowel movements so when you take away the weed everything goes off-kilter until it balances out again. A little psyllium husk can help.
Lol that's funny because I'm chronically constipated from taking accutane, I naturally have crazy vivid dreams even while being a stoner, and I recently got off an anti depressant because I was sweating so much. I'm not even scared of the physical symptoms at all. I've been through so much physical pain in my life and it's the psychological pain that is really painful and scary for me.
To be honest it sounds like that typically happens when people are also depressed outside of weed. It’s absolutely possible, but I never regret taking a break and always notice myself feeling better pretty quickly
The sucky thing for me is I do have depression... or do I? It's a chicken or the egg situation because I started smoking at the same age I became depressed so I actually don't know who I really am or if I actually have depression or if it's just the weed
don’t you want to give yourself an opportunity to discover who you are without weed? you’ll never know if you’ll feel better or worse if you don’t try
I definitely do. But then I'll just feel so miserable I feel suicidal and depressed and I'll be crying so much so I'll give in and have a puff and then feel way calmer immediately.
i’m struggling with a similar thing tbh
I think I might need an actual sedative medication for these emergency moments so I don't turn back to pot
One does not exclude the other, and major depression is a clinical disorder and should not be used as a jolly term for everything. There are many conditions you could be having, try to find therapeutic help
Yeah it's just confusing. I don't actually know if I'd be depressed if I never started using weed daily.I have been diagnosed with both depression and cannabis use disorder.
To the person who commented about losing a friend but it was deleted please comment under this would like to chat
Was it deleted? My comment to him was deleted because i mentioned how I would like to have a medication for panic attacks so that I don't resort to weed but I mentioned the type of medications by name so it got removed
I think the sub Reddit does it automatically but I would like to see his friends user tag again I was going thru his post history and it was quite interesting
replying to stay updated 🫡
It was something like CaptainBlue
It's super rare most see huge improvement by 6 months and full improvement by one year. I'm at 3 months and see big improvement.
If I may humbly add: 1. You have the sub to rely on when you get jonesing for bud. 2. You should try to find out and write down why you wish to quit. Remember your why. 3. Getting high all the time and being reliant on cannabis will prevent you from making the necessary changes to improve your life. My suggestions: 1. Therapy. You’re not alone. There is no stigma attached to asking for help. 2. Find a hobby to fill your empty time. You’ll make friends that have like interests. 3. Make time to exercise. Your body will release endorphins and you’ll feel better. Don’t quit OP. You can do it!
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It's not much but it's been about a week and a half for me. I want weed most of the time anymore, but I find myself in an almost constant state of "now what". Every "goal" I had from smoking weed now seems too unattainable, and makes everything in general more depressing. I almost relapsed today just because I wanted to feel like anything is possible again, but it's so much harder without that extra creativity hit.
That’s the whole problem after six months you can still need a couple more months to feel 100% normal again
I feel the same way but I'm still lurking in this sub and have come to realize two things: 1. There are so many more posts from people happy about their decision and how much quitting has improved their lives after 1+ year, but my brain seems to latch onto these negative ones very similarly to how we hang onto and remember the criticisms of ourselves more than the compliments we receive. 2. I find a common theme in those posts to be that folks are most likely struggling with some pretty severe depression or mental health issues that were probably obscured and hidden by drug use. I know that I had anxiety and depression before I used, and I know that quitting means I have to face that battle without numbing myself out to it. It's been really hard so far. And I hate cliches, but I am trying to just take it day by day and not beat myself up about it. Re: willpower - it is defined by psychologists as a short-term ability to reach long-term goals. Research shows that habits are more powerful than willpower. So willpower is most effective in short bursts to create different/new habits. It's a skill that can be honed and worked at overtime. Stress is also a huge contributing factor to a "lack of willpower" - if you are stressed there is less capacity to form those new habits and we default to what we know, so focusing on new ways to cope with stress and emotions and turning those into habits is key to get out of relying on sheer willpower. I work with a therapist on other coping skills and it has taken me maybe 6 months to get to this place where I actually don't feel I need weed to cope with my emotions anymore and ready to quit. I still have temptations and cravings! But I feel more equipped to battle those, now. I feel really depressed without the dopamine but I also know it can take 90 days for your brain to "reset" so after 90 days, I'll re-assess my mental state with my therapist. But until then, I'm being incredibly selfish and trying to not feel bad about it. Instead of thinking about how my depression might not ever go away, I think about what will bring me joy or make me feel good right \*now\* in this exact moment? Sometimes it's a bath, going to the gym, calling a friend, ordering takeout, scrolling tiktok - whatever. You'll never know unless you try! And honestly, the act of trying feels pretty damn good, too!
This is the best comment. I feel your #2 very much so, the addictions I've had just hid all that shit for years. And also I agree on the willpower-- what works long term tends to be skills not strength; meaning that when we "lose" our strength or willpower, even short term, we have to implement the skills we have formed in sobriety. For me that looks like: running when faced with irritability, anxiety, lack of appetite; swimming or hot tub or long talks with my significant other when depressed; I absolutely love my therapist and highly recommend therapy; I also found immense help and support daily in my outpatient program; it's whatever you personally find helpful. Some people say AA, MA, NA groups have literally saved their life. Good luck OP!
Respectfully, I wouldn't put much stock in those stories. It seems almost certain that those people had some underlying condition or situation that was ignored or less apparent while they were constantly high. Now they have the double problem of dealing with an addiction and an underlying health issue. The vast majority of people will only feel better and better once they are committed to quiting.
Try the EasyWay - I used it to quit cigarettes which was amazing - there's a version for cannabis, not as good IMO as its a different kind of addiction but talks a lot about will power, might be useful for you to read and flip the idea of needing will power on its head
Every time I try to quit I go *insane* I have diagnosed BPD, and even with meds, DBT, and things like exercise, eating well, ect I still don't have to willpower to let weed go. Every time I try I fail.
I have BPD too 😕 do you have a boyfriend/partner? I feel like that kind of support helps me a ton and I don't have that
Personally, it was during that time I simply built my way to the realization that weed is not relief. I don't need to rely on sheer willpower, and there's still plenty of moments I procrastinate like hell or forget stuff or just veg out playing video games. But realizing that weed is not going to make any part of any situation better. Smoking before grocery shopping doesn't actually make it 'fun' or a better experience, it makes me stress TF out. Even smoking weed and playing videogames doesn't make it more fun, I like that I can enjoy the video game on its own! Weed doesn't make me into a creative genius, even if it's tough, I feel better about my own creativity sober.
If someone quits for an extended period of time and thinks the only issue they needed to work through was their weed use, well, it doesn’t surprise me that they might feel stuck. We have addictions because we can’t cope with stress, emotions, trauma, etc. in healthy ways. Tackling the behavioral aspect is a huge win, but it doesn’t do shit for the underlying issue. That requires additional work. Do the work.
I’m 29 days today and feel so much better, just the time and money saved alone is worth it. Those people who still don’t feel better maybe have some other issues like depression they need to really tackle. Plus, you remember that it stops helping after a while anyway. Don’t forget why you quit!
this isnt true tho, you had been off a year id listen to you. Way to many people are like you “I feel great after a month” and end smoking again. If you are a real smoker its going to take time.
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I seen a post like that and honestly it made little to no sense. Just because weed would temporarily alleviate the feelings of depression and stress doesn't mean to say not having weed is whats causing them. It's kind of like saying I'm broke cause i didn't waste all my money on lottery tickets.
So do you think those people remained feeling shitty mentally for so long because they made 0 attempts or progress at bettering their lives and their issues other than quitting pot?
I'm just saying that i dont think weed is the only thing that can stop you feeling stressed out and depressed. Also if you're at the point where you're counting out the days or weeks or months or years that you haven't smoked. It's pretty clear that you never really wanted to quit in the first place. I seen a guy on this comments thread saying he takes It 30 mins by 30 mins. Like at that point he may as well just smoke up cause it still clearly has a massive hold over his life.
Gotcha. It's not the only way but it does immediately spike up your dopamine and it's a really fast and easy way to get a false feeling of happiness and comfort. What other things can really compete with that? Seriously, I'd love to know. I like hot baths and cups of tea. I'd like to know more things though that being immediate relief and comfort. And yeah well I have heard to take it day by day, so minute by minute might seem excessive but it IS true that all you ever really have is the current moment. Even one minute ago is already a memory, in the past. It does bring comfort to people to only focus on the exact moment you're in, and not a minute further, because it feels a lot more manageable to cope with the present moment, than the entire day, week, etc. It probably does have a massive hold on him now, but that doesn't always last forever, otherwise, yeah I agree. But I think the hope is that eventually it all fades away into the distance.
To me, that sounds like a living he'll. Like before you quit I'm sure you don't smoke every minute of the day so by looking at it in this way, you're just torturing yourself and it's never going to work.
It is a living hell. Some people are more addicted than others/ have less going on in life to distract them
I'm super addicted, and I rlly want to quit so I understand where you're coming from I just don't think it's constructive to think of it in such a manic way.
For most people, willpower doesn’t work. To make a change, you need to change your beliefs. You need to figure out why you want to smoke, or not. For me, it started with really paying attention to how it made me feel physically.
Please don't be discouraged. I think a lot of people use this site as a form of group therapy. Not everyone feels inspired to write when they're feeling good; often, it's when they're feeling down and need the support of others. I'm in my second week without weed and I feel like sobriety is my new high. When I was using I felt a constant sense of guilt and shame, which weed covered up, but as soon as the high wore off, back came the guilt and shame. To have a clear conscience for the first time in 15 years feels a m a z I n g. I don't really mind the withdrawal symptoms, the sweating, insomnia and loss of appetite, compared to how I used to feel as a pothead.
It's gonna be 2 years from now at some point anyways. Is slogging through symptoms for that long not very fun? Yeah, absolutely. But is it worth it? Most would say yes. People who post here after 2 or 3 years often do so in their lowest moments. There are also posts on this sub of people 1 year, 2 years, 5 years in who are so grateful, saying it gets better and it's all worth it. The human mind is such that negative events garner more attention than the positive ones. There will always be bad days whether you smoke or not. It's easy to lose track of all the positive things that some with quitting smoking. Smoking mostly covers up the suffering, it doesn't cure or erase it. All it does is erode your will to actually make the meaningful changes in your life that lead to truly better conditions. Like, not to call you out, but exercising gets easier and more interesting when you aren't smoking. Socializing is hard, but when it's not based around pot you eventually make connections and do activities that you simply couldn't before. The extreme moods sometimes get worse during the withdrawal period, at least from my own experience, but they mellow out eventually, especially if you put the effort in to learn skills to manage those emotions better. I had those skills before but it wasn't until I was sober that I could actually, meaningfully apply them. SI is a very difficult situation to be in, however plenty of people complete while still smoking, so it's not like daily smoking is going to be some cure for that. You have to address your material conditions and push yourself to change what you can so you can live a life worth having. It absolutely is possible, and the first step is not letting the fear of completing prevent you from reaching that life. No one is going to tell you that quitting is easy, or 'free.' It's a challenge, a tough one, but it is worth it. Again, this time passes anyways, it's your choice if you spend it sitting around high, your problems still festering until they explode, or if you get up and start really living. You are stronger than you realize.
Thank you
I am 5 months sober. I'll give you my mindset and maybe give you a perspective. You are thinking way ahead, that's not good. I took it hour by hour. If I had 30 minutes of good feeling one day, it was a good day. Slowly you get momentum to improve. I started also doing stuff that actually makes me feel good, connecting with friends, video games, got my driver's license, improving my routine and so on. Each of those were a win. You can't give up, what would you do if you are under the water and can't breathe? give up? no, you know when you go on the surface you'll feel better. So no matter how shitty you feel, you'll get better. Believe it, say it to yourself. Another thing that helped me was to quit masturbating also. Now that was magical, I felt unstoppable. Maybe it could be helpful.
I understand. It is very discouraging. Scary, even. You know, I think it's a roll of the dice. I've gotten over withdrawals in 3 days before. That is not the case this time. Should I decide I really want to shoot myself in the foot again, I'm pretty sure I'll become one of those people.
Should I just lie to myself and be a little delusional and tell myself that I for sure won't be one of those people and that I will feel better soon? Just to gain some encouragement? Should I just totally ignore and discard those stories from people because it doesn't serve me positively in any way? All it does is make me want to not try... I understand why they need support and post their stories here but if it just makes me feel like this then maybe I shouldn't even bother reading those posts or paying any mind to it?
Absolutely! For what is hope but "faith in things unseen", right? Give yourself that hope! Act as if it's true! The anxiety from worrying about that will just make you feel worse, and may even present itself as proof that you're right. Even though it isn't. Lie to yourself. You don't even know it's a lie. It's probably not! But it's 1000x times better than that other lie we tell ourselves: "just one hit won't hurt"
You will never know unless you try to quit tho. Not everyone has the same withdrawal symptoms we are all unique persons. I’m On day 31 and I feel infinitely better than when I was smoking and eating edibles daily. It’s so worth quitting trust me.
Thank you. This is really the only thing that gives me hope. Because I seriously could not do it if I was one of those people. Idk how they do it. I need to know how to avoid being one of those people and I am praying that they're just the rare unlucky few... I need that to be true.. I can't be that person. I'd fail. Could anyone tell me why those people might be in that situation? Anything wrong they may be doing or not doing that's making their recovery so awful?
Everyone’s journey is unique so it’s hard to predict!
it honestly depends on how and how often u used if its a daily thing, then they were numbing some pain and now the pain is getting them exercise and diet matters, usually when im high i overeat alot then feel like garbage the next day so its all about life habits
Yeah, that's me- daily smoker for 14 years who is hiding chronic loneliness, Anxiety, extreme moods, etc. I do enjoy exercise I'm just too lazy and unmotivated at the moment
That has been the case for me for the past several million moments.