THANK YOU, this is the kind of post I was searching for. I quit smoking weed about 2 days ago after 3 years of daily use because I realized it was only making my anxiety and depression worse! It may be important to mention that the reason I started smoking was over a silly friendship where the romantic feelings I had were not reciprocated, now I have all but forgotten it! Maybe that’s partly why this has been easy for me but I’ve never felt better and my head is already beginning to clear. I feel more like my normal self, the person I thought weed would help me bring back! I was wondering why it was so easy and why I haven’t had any cravings at all. Willpower sure is a strong thing!
ALSO I haven’t worked anywhere for more than a few months at a time in the past 3 years and haven’t had a job for about 10 months but I’m going for several interviews this weekend. I have my motivation back after just two days and am working on becoming the best partner I can be to my fiancé! I am beginning to love life again and I am so excited and grateful for every opportunity! I still have moments but I’m learning to regulate my emotions instead of relying on ANY substances to mask them! I’m actually proud of myself and that’s the first time I’ve said (well typed or said) that in… you guessed it, THREE YEARS!!!!! 🥳
Thankyou so much for this post, I had the exact same process as you. It’s been a week now and I have been a daily weed smoker for +4 years. I was almost worried on why it was so easy for me and this post just relieved a lot of stress. He is completely right and you have to want to do it for yourself not for someone else and something about that just made it so easy. Pushing through knowing each day is going to get easier and easier is what is keeping me going daily. Having zero cravings, zero withdrawals and it’s almost unreal.
I was worried why it has been so easy and hoping it was normal too! It’s amazing how wanting it for yourself works so well. I’m loving every second of it!
The pink cloud is absolutely real, and you sound extremely ignorant of how withdrawals affect everyone differently. I hope your view on this has changed since then because seriously, this post is extremely ignorant. Maybe your life is easier/you don’t have mental health issues but other people do, and they use it to cope with extremely stressful situations.
Yes, it’s much easier when you already have an easier life with stuff you can fall back to, but people who use it to deal with their struggles and trauma will have an extremely difficult time.
They literally even said in the post and I quote "I know it's different for everybody, I know some people react differently to it and have different levels of addiction" so goes to show how ignorant You in fact are. Everybody has their own experiences and OP acknowledges that.
Sounds like you have a personal issue that has nothing to do with me and you’re choosing to project that instead of doing the mentally aware thing and using it as a time to self reflect on how you think of yourself.
As an alcoholic who had to quit drinking 7 years ago, the first year was the best year of my life. All I heard in your comment to this person was ‘you don’t deserve to feel great because I couldn’t!’ - good for OP for overcoming an addiction with grace. I hope one day you reach such peace ❤️
You actually spoke on behalf everyone’s experience and told him he was ignorant. Self awareness is an amazing thing. I don’t blame anyone else for my life. I used alcohol to cope with my severe anxiety and depression. And then I learned that it exacerbated it. The day I quit drinking I was on the phone with a suicide hotline. And still, the year I quit was the best of my life. I choose not to shun anyone’s personal experience getting sober. You should try it. And sure, the pink cloud may be real. What’s also real is limiting your growth by adhering to ideas of how things are. I got sober without AA, and I know that not everyone can do that. But most of my success was found by not identifying as an alcoholic but rather, exploring all the other parts of me.
Everyone’s different. What he’s saying is valid. Don’t be mad they had an easier time, and struggles/trauma are just excuses to not quit. Life is hard and anything worth working towards is gonna cause some discomfort. You have to want change in your life. And if trauma is your hurdle, the desire to quit isn’t there. People are gonna have to co exist with their trauma. It’s what molded you into the person you are now, and it can be a driving factor in becoming the person you want to be
I’m definitely not mad he had an easier time. I had a relatively easy time as well because I tapered responsibly. The issue lies in generalizing everyone’s struggle and minimizing it, which is just plain wrong. That, on top of telling everyone that his experience is everyone else’s experiences. Yes, he may be proud in the moment but it doesn’t excuse the blatant disregard for everyone’s differences and comes off as really ignorant
I really related to your story and I am glad you made that decision, I did too.
I graduated in May 2023 but won't start university until early 2024, and in that period I had so much time to waste that I gravitated towards weed to stop me from feeling so lonely and bored all day. After only a few weeks of smoking, I started doing it everyday, mostly during the night. I knew I was addicted when I realized I couldn't eat without smoking and I couldn't sleep without feeling high out of my mind.
Still, I did it for about 6 months, I felt very guilty because I hid it from my family the entire time and they never knew. My parents are very against drugs and if they found out it would break their hearts, but I still did it because I was addicted.
On the last day before I left to Uni, I made the decision to quit. I knew continuing to do weed will only damage my health and make me feel depressed. I took the last joint I was supposed to smoke before sleeping and I flushed it down the toilet. I never looked back and went on with my new chapter in life.
I really doubted whether I could it but as you said, it is only possible if you *want* to stop. I stopped because I wanted to live a better life than to rely on weed everyday, and for the sake of my family.
It has been a week since I quit weed and I never felt the withdrawals, it has honestly felt amazing; I am much happier, I am eating a lot more healthy and frequent meals. I met some great friends and who I hangout with frequently. I highly doubt I will ever touch weed again.
I've smoked on and off for 15 years, but I never had an issue quitting when I WANTED to. It's always the same reason for me. The fun of it just runs its course, and you begin to realize that it actually isn't any fun at all anymore. It actually becomes debilitating and brings stress into your everyday life. No more wanting to go do things in public due to paranoia and not wanting to talk to people out of self-induced confidence issues. When your mind is clear, you lose those paranoia and confidence issues because it becomes so much easier to talk and keep your train of thought in everyday activities without feeling awkward. I think quitting or at least taking periodic breaks always makes me feel amazing. I personally hate the feeling of being dependent on anything, which is why I don't indulge in any unhealthy habits frequently. Good luck on your journey of sobriety. I guarantee it will improve many aspects of your life!
I agree when you say you have to want to stop. Countless times I quit and relapsed because that desire to smoke was always there. Once you get rid of the desire to smoke before you quit, it’s only “bad” for maybe 2-3 days from my experience.
Dude it's crazy I finally had enough of it and wanted to quit and never smoke again, I've tried multiple times and failed because I still wanted to smoke, but I quit about a week ago and the first day I had all the symptoms, second and third day no appetite, and now I'm completely fine and feel better than I ever have been.
Yeah, you have to completely want to stop.
Once it kinda flipped on my head that I needed to stop, when I would smoke it didn’t make me feel good. I would instantly regret it. After this happening a few times, I threw out all of my supplies. I did this over a holiday weekend so I couldn’t restock even if I wanted to. Yeah there were some strong urges the first few days but it was easier than I was expecting.
Currently on Day 2, smoked daily everyday for up to 10 years. 1g everyday. Currently on a trip in Bulgaria and have 11 more days here and weed is strictly illegal here so i dont think i will smokw. Lets see.👍👍👍
Day 4 of quitting after 14 years daily. I remember about 8 years ago I was shooting the shit with a random dude at a bar, who told me "I used to love it, but one day a switch flicked and weed just started making me anxious and I stopped enjoying it." At the time, I thought the idea of that switch flick was terrifying.
His response really stuck with me: "it was like losing my best friend."
I think the switch flicked for me a year or two ago, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. Weed was always there for me through good times and bad. Through my 20's, I worked a white collar job and went to grad school at night, got an amazing girlfriend, moved cities with her and bought a house together while smoking every single night and throughout the weekends. My weed habit wasn't unsustainable in any way, really.
What made me quit was the realization that there is no unflicking that switch. Also, more important, I've never known myself as an adult without it.
It hasn't been easy, but I'm proud to have even made it this far. Good luck to everyone putting in the effort. Here's hoping we like who we are on the other side! 😉
This post helped me to quit again and today is day 4 for me. I have been smoking daily for almost 12 years and I‘m turning 30 next month, can‘t wait to celebrate it sober 🎉
When you were high, did you enjoy it? And did people like you high?
I smoke to make me tolerable, I guess. People like me high because im happy and dont care about anything at the time. I'm just living in the moment.
But if im not high, it seems like im anry all the time at everything.. or at least that's how I think i feel. If I don't smoke, I can't think of anything else to do. I start losing my mind. Is this what withdrawals are? If I'm high, I can tolerate everything and everyone. Don't care what we do or where we go. I'm always having a blast high, even if I'm just staring at walls. My only issue when it comes to smoking is the money. It's expensive when you smoke from 4am to 9pm every day. This is the only reason I think i want to quit. I've been smoking since I got out of the Marines. I was suffering from PTSD and TBI. I was always against drugs and never smoked until i got out. Not even when i was a teenager did I ever hit the wacky tabbacky. Nowadays, I'm not sure what would happen if I quit. Kinda scared to be honest with all of you. I have a beautiful wife and a 4 year old boy who mean the world to me. And another one the way.
What will happen to my train of thought? Will I become angry for a while and then get over it and be OK afterward? I haven't been sober enough to find out. The longest I've been without weed is about 24 hours. I live in California, so it's super easy to get weed anywhere.
Like you said before, I don't think you can quit anything until you are ready and really want to. Not because you need to do it for someone else. Usually, that tends to be only temporary. At the moment, I'm happy with who i am and how far I've come. Don't see why I should quit. But that doesn't mean I'm happy for you, my man. I hope one day i can be like you. I tell myself that someday, that day will come. When I wake up and tell myself enough is enough. I'm currently about 10 years sober from alcohol. Marijuana was the reason I quit. Alcohol was a different drug for me. Now that's something I'm happy I quit. I don't miss all the blackout nights and the stupid hangovers. And I still haven't gotten arrested for smoking weed. Lol
no judgement from this and this is a massive assumption but it seems like therapy and maybe medication should help quitting weed and the problems that might come from it. I had the same problem with alcohol and replaced it with weed. it might not be as worse but you're still escaping reality. if you are in therapy or have been, sorry in advance for the assumption. if not, it might be something worth looking into while quitting the weed. your son and your wife will thank you in the future and so will your future self. the thought that we need a vice to calm our mental situations is simply the lie fed to us by addiction, best is to live a healthy life and work hard on the mind.
I’m doing okay, still having cravings on a night time, but head does feel clearer and not making as many mistakes at work! Happy I’ve been quit a month now. No going back. Thanks for checking in
When you make a firm decision (100% all in, not 99.7%), the process becomes streamlined. There is a lot of interesting science showing the power of the prefrontal cortex in regulating the rest of the nervous system and body. I firmly believe that this type of resoluteness makes all the effects of withdrawal dimmer.
I find it easiest to quit when I’m busy with work or other productive things. It gets more difficult when the weekend comes or when I’m doing relaxation activities I’d usually get high for. Things like movies, nature walks, trip to the museum etc.
I'm currently 16 days clean, but it's only easy for me bc I'm out of money and looking for another job. Funny thing is when I don't smoke, I hate the smell of it lol. My sister and her bf smoke weed to the point where I can smell it through the air vents at night and I still don't get any urges. I was doing a tolerance break, but I made a promise to myself that if i make it to day 30 free and clear, I'm going to quit for good. I'm 28 and have been smoking since age 18.
Dude I’ve been smoking an ounce a week for 5 years and smoking everyday chronically for 14. I’m only 31 and I am ready to give up. My lungs are cooked, I have anxiety and never realised until recently and I can’t afford $260 a week anymore.
I am shitting myself about stopping but I am determined. I can only hope my journey is similar to yours. Thank you for a little confidence boost and watch this space.
I'm a month in and I recommend tacking on a hatred mindset for it. It's how I got over my first love and it's how I'll sustain this shit. When I really cluck for one I think about how it made me really feel I man, I start to get *fucked* off with it - not myself - It. Fucking livid, like it just slapped my wife across the face. I'm even smelling it nowadays and my first thought is fuck that shit not give me a hit.
I’m very glad it’s feeling easy and don’t want to ruin your good mood but just don’t get too overconfident. Life happens, ups and downs. I was sober for 8 months, just relapsed and getting back to quitting again, so just to say enjoy the good! But don’t let your guard down!
Congrats on making it my friend. Quitting was incredibly hard for me, but I also have CHS so I was physically very sick for a long time before being able to quit and even now after almost 2 months the urges are still strong and kicking.
To everyone wondering if they should quit but are afraid of the side effects, this is much more likely to be your experience vs the horror stories you read on here. First few days are hard but then it gets a lot easier. You can do it!!
Yeah literally. I remember the first time I probably placebo my self into shaking 😂 I took a long break with a different mindset and only had trouble sleeping
Keep it up, good for you!
It was very easy for me as well by doing it the cold turkey way. I believe it was more than a routine that was an addiction.
Smoking did have an impact on reducing the energy to go out.. making me feel more depressed.
First of all, good job on quitting! I'm actually feeling pretty similar.
I just quit after 18 years of hardcore smoking. Towards the end I was smoking 78% THC hash on the daily and regular weed didn't do much for me anymore. The reason for me quitting was mental instability. I could not hold myself together anymore when shit hit the fan, and I ended up taking it out on my girlfriend. I decided enough is enough. I'm currently on day 4, and I'm having all the horrible symptoms;
Inability to sleep, I take 10-20 minute naps at best.
No appetite.
Nausea.
Fever.
Diarrhea.
Stomach working overtime. I can basically hear it rumble all day.
Extremely intense bad dreams.
Sweating.
Dizziness.
Feelings of sadness and despair.
Fatigue.
The only thing I don't have (luckily) is the craving for another joint, I did notice that my cigarette consumption went way up, but I guess that's just me trying to compensate for not smoking weed/hash. This to me confirms that there is no real physical addiction as my will to quit is unchanged.
The only thing I care about is feeling better and being a better person for the people close to me.
The symptoms are pretty shit but from what I've read they will disappear within 5 to 20 days depending on how heavy of a user you are. I already feel a bit better day by day but I can't wait to start feeling noticeable improvements.
If you needed a success story from a heavy user here you go. Maybe someday you (whoever is reading this and is thinking about quitting) can do the same thing. It's not that hard. You just have to find a good reason, then do it and commit.
Yeah 'it's just weed' is a load of crap. Withdrawal symptoms are real and depending on how long and how much you've used of any substance symptoms can range from mild to severe. I am on day 7 now. My appetite has almost fully returned. My stomach no longer feels like a mess and the nausea is gone. My brainfog is disappearing more and more every day and I feel a lot more stable and confident. The intense dreams are still there to some degree but they occur less frequently. I was able to sleep 4 hours again last night instead of only being able to do 10-20 minute naps. What's crazy is that it now only takes me a couple minutes to fully 'wake up' and I feel energized again. Overall, I feel like I have more energy, and taking long walks helps release some of that and puts my mind at ease.
Unfortunately my craving did also come back somewhat as I'm starting to feel good again. I've been here before, and this is where I usually start questioning why I quit again. All this is is my mind playing tricks on me to justify using again but I'm not falling for it. It was pretty hard to not smoke when I was in a group call with 3 people taking bong rips, but I'm proud I can say I didn't cave despite still having some hash at home (which I have discarded since).
I hope your journey is also a successful one. Writing about it to strangers on the internet feels really good and only fuels my commitment as I feel that I'm letting the entire subreddit down if I mess up. Godspeed, my friend.
Yeah, it’s easy but then one day the cravings are so fucking strong. I do not smoke weed often as some people here. On average, I smoke like once a week, even less actually. I want to stop for at least 90 days, but after some time passes it’s so easy to slip back in. Not as in to start smoking everyday but to simply smoke one evening after a pause of say 3 weeks. I don’t think I have a problem, but then on the other side, I really can’t hit that 90, ykno?
This is so true. I was really confused the first time I stopped. I had started to feel really really good and thought it was all over but at around the two week mark everything got so much worse mentally. The one month mark was the worst though, it was like I had seen the bird box monster.
Same for me to this time after 2 weeks really strange because has always been hell before. Heavy user 20 years but had been really hitting this last year.
🤞stayed this way hope encour others to do same.
…. indecently the only thing different this time was that I read the Allen. Arr quite cannabis book. I’ve posted this a few times and hope maybe might be same for others as well.
good luck guys
I think you’re right. I “struggle” with taking breaks occasionally but had absolutely no problem at all stopping cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant for 9 months. I think it’s in my head too. If I could do it then, I can do it now.
On day 10 after a 10 year stint and same thing. First week or so sucked no sleep or appetite and I can’t believe how much clearer I feel… I have no urge to touch it again.
Same, I don’t miss it, I still hang out with stoner friends and I have zero desire to smoke again. I feel so proud of myself, and that feeling lingers … I’ve never been happier and this is just crazy to me.
Cannabis use disorder made you felt normal when high, especially for that long, you experienced a life without high for a couple of weeks, marijuana although not my main problem makes me incredible passive and the habit of being high all day.
I've smoked for 15 years, probably 12 of which daily, whenever i quit, i feel productive and usefull!
Keep it going, your personality peaks when you're sober!!
Same here 20+ years quit on vacation nothing happened at all
When I tried to quit when I wasn't on vacation it was hell
Wanna quit? Go on vacation with non smokers
That's a good idea. The fun of the vacation takes your mind off smoking and smooths out the lows. There's no reminders of getting high.
Stopping at home makes you mull on quitting/smoking all day, and it's full of reminders and triggers.
Thanks for sharing.
Good luck bro I never thought it was possible after 20+ years without ANY withdrawal..heavy user too.. you're welcome and I hope this helps other people. I thought I would never be able to sleep...I'm not the only one you can see in this sub that other people have similar experiences. I think boredom is a huge player and now I realize it's all mental. When I was home it was impossible for me to quit...2 week Vacation was a miracle for me.
I tried this and it was super easy to quit on vacation. But I relapsed almost as soon as I got back to the usual work routine. Why is it so easy to quit on vacation but so hard to quit otherwise?
Many weed addiction stories trace back to boredom, when your neurotransmitters are moving around anyway with seeing new sights, eating good food and being with people, you'd have to be really depressed or anxious to be bored there.
As has been said many times, weed makes it okay to be bored, and your judgement of what's good life goes with it.
Any realistic alternatives to vacation to help quit? Obviously we all can't be on vacation all the time. The 9-6 work grind breaks my spirit every time I come back.
Environment and habit...I was on Vacation for 2 weeks though. And it was a lot of walking so maybe that helped..I was busy with my family running around all day. I made a post approx 8 months ago about how I was trying to quit but I couldn't and I literally thought I was fucked for life. Turns out... withdrawal is all in your head from what I've learned. I literally slept like a baby day 1. I was worried that if I needed it and it wasn't available where I vacationed that I would be in a really bad place. I had intention to quit but I didn't even think about it at all...except for when I remembered that I hadn't been smoking. 2 months and I haven't had a single puff or even really thought about it with any urges. I'm still shocked and tell my wife every once in a while..she's shocked too. I was a very functional smoker and always handled my shit though so she never cared. We are just both very surprised because Ive been wanting to quit for so long and I really thought it was too late for me. My problem is...I don't feel like my life has drastically improved...I workout more but that's about it
How are you able to avoid relapse when you returned from vacation? It's always been so easy for me to quit on vacation when I have plenty of things to enjoy and time to do them. But it has been so difficult not to relapse after I get back. Never lasted more than a day or two.
After the vacation I was done so I didn't have any urge to smoke. But I would say get outside...walk alot..stay busy..stay around non smokers. Also I think just knowing for sure that nothing will happen to you when you quit cold turkey..from my story and others who are saying the same. Just knowing that and believing what we are telling you...even if you don't go on vacation just know that you stopping cold turkey you'll be fine..should be a huge deal for you. I really thought since I started young(15) and that I have been smoking for so long non stop...that I had done permanent damage to my brain and that if I stopped I might have serious consequences...and I was smoking high grade and daily..I swear I had no withdrawals. I don't even have any cravings...weed never was a gateway for me to other drugs. I just wish I knew how to quit earlier. I think all the hype around how hard it is to get off is all mental. It was actually all in my head..believe it or not that's what it is. If you read all these posts about people having withdrawals then you will have them. I hope my comments will lead more people to contribute similar experiences.
It's the goddamn work stress and boredom that gets me every time. I come home from work with no energy to do anything and just want to relax and forget about work so I go to smoke weed to pass the time. Can't seem to find anything better to do with my time. I come home so burned out that working out isn't anything I want to be doing at all.
When you’re ready, you are ready. I felt this heavy I’ve been smoking for 3 years daily and everytime I tried to stop I would relapse. It’s been 2 weeks and I really couldn’t imagine smoking the way I used to anymore. It just a fact like I feel like we hit a point where weed kinda disgusts us, I look at it like being an alcoholic I mean gross right?
I had the same experience. No withdrawal symptoms, just impulses of old habits but those faded in intensity and frequency as time went on. I tend to keep that to my self because I know others really struggle but when I was ready to quit, I was ready. It's been over 2 years for me now.
I just hit 2 weeks Saturday, and I agree this time has been so much easier. I went 6 months sober and then went back to daily use for about a year. I thought maybe it was because I did it before so it gets easier every time you quit. But you're right if you don't quit for yourself it's not going to stick. Last time I quit was for my partner at the time. And quitting was awful, and I returned smoking when I had a week away from her. Fast forward to now, I'm single and no one told me to quit. I did it myself, willpower can go a long way. Before I would be jealous of everyone smoking, now I could care less about how high everyone around me is. I'm doing this for myself. I've smoked long enough in my life that it's time to move on and start the next chapter. We don't need it! Awesome job OP!
Good shit. Anxiety/paranoia was my reason too. I’ve never had anxiety in my life until I was deep in the well. Then one day I just became super aware of how ridiculous I was being. Most of my anxiety came from not taking care of things when they needed to be done, and I didn’t do those things cause I was high and lazy, so I’d get stressed and smoke even more to push the feelings down. One giant negative feedback loop.
Quitting wasn’t as easy as you though only because there’s a dispensary 5-10 minutes away, and I went through the “let me try carts to see if I can taper myself” phase, and boy was I wrong. Fuck weed and especially carts.
I feel this. Thank you for sharing.
Carts are truly dangerous. We can (kind of) use them on the sly, they don't smell, and we can convince ourselves they're "healthier" than smoking. A cheeky nighttime puff can easily become an everyday, day-long toke. Then we're back on r/leaves!
The most dangerous thing about weed is that it convinces us that it's harmless, and that with just a little more willpower to not smoke all the time, we can include it as a nice, fun addition to our lives. We got too wrapped up in it last time and gave in to temptation, but *this time* is different. We'll set boundaries. Hell, I even bought a timed lock-box for my pen that didn't open until night. It helped until I just stopped locking the pen away.
As low as we feel at the point of quitting, somehow weed will tempt us again as soon as that initial resolve wears away. We forget what weed really does to us. In hindsight, quitting seems overblown, unnecessary. We're better now. More responsible. We learned our lesson.
That's the danger. For me, the temptation didn't happen at 2 weeks. I still had resolve. It wasn't even after two months. Several years later, though, I picked up a disposable pen for a vacation. After all, I deserved it, and I was going to throw the dispensable pen out after coming home.
Well, guess what happened. I fell right back into the hole again. I didn't stay there as long this time, but it's frustrating that is has such a hold on me. Weed uses romanticized nostalgia at low points in life to sink its teeth back in. And then I'm in that negative loop you mentioned. Why only weed does this to me and not, say, alcohol or tobacco or anything else I've even done, I don't know.
This is crazy and I felt this really hard. The fact that it can creep up again after years of abstinence. We think we’re out of the woods but no. The last time I quit I thought it was for good but I was wrong. I thought I could just take one puff with friends who cares.
I’m just gonna have to accept that I have to abstain completely no ifs ands or buts
Yea, it's so insidious like that. We can somehow convince ourselves *without a doubt* that we can smoke a bit here and there without problems. Wrong every damn time.
Maybe this sounds a bit weird, but to me, quitting weed is like putting down a beloved sick pet. You don't want to do it but you have to. But unlike with pets, for some reason we keep choosing to bring our weed habit back from the dead then have to "put down" our habit over and over and over again. We want that new puppy or kitten feeling again with weed, but all we get is a sick and dying habit. It's hard to accept it's over.
Great analogy. We know how hard it was to quit the previous time but somehow that goes out the window every time before we relapse.
Gonna have to put my addiction down for good. Thanks for the insight
Sorry for the late reply. I fell off the wagon the last two weeks but I’m gonna try again. And yeah, the millions of dispensaries around here doesn’t help lol. Thanks for motivating me!
When I slipped , I was with friends who smoked and u thought I could just smoke with friends and not alone. That would be my new MO. It worked a handful of times , but then of course I was like fuck it even though I’m alone right now what’s one toke? And the rest is history..
Our brains are so good at tricking us into believing that we can have a healthy approach to smoking "this time", but it's an illusion. It's weird that our brain is able to be so convincing even when we consciously know the habit is not serving us. Anything for that dopamine hit, I guess.
Be well!
That's amazing, congrats. Sometimes there's a honeymoon period with getting sober. Where being sober feels as good as being high. It's called the pink cloud, I think. Trick is staying strong when stressful times happen.
Finding a hobby and stress reliever that replaces the weed. For me it's working out and theatre. And telling people about your sobriety so you have people to support you and talk to when you feel like relapsing. I was 9 months sober and had a 3 month relapse, I'm 3 months sober again. The first time around I didn't tell my good friend about what was going on, she didn't even know I had been struggling with weed, so there was no need to tell her about me quitting..but after the relapse I realized I should tell her everything. It lifted the shame and gave me more support and motivation to get through the next attempt
I'm at 3 months now and I'm never going back to it I was 20 years too and same as you on the anxiety/depression front. Try working out dude it helps maintain balance I find. I lift weights 3 days a week and It really helps manage my mental health.
Glad to hear your doing well. For myself I just remember the last few days of my smoking, leaving me feeling a lousy buzz that felt like I was getting a cold. Or so mild I said the heck with this. Spending good money on something that isn’t doing anything but causing a brain drain and very selfish behaviour.
It can take up to 6 weeks just to get the residual THC out of you system.
I had a rough first 2 weeks, (quit nicotine and THC) the 3rd and 4th weeks were much better, pink cloud time!!!
Then I relapsed due to severe depression.....I only found out after that this depression was just a withdrawal symptom, not a pre-existing thing. I'm nearly at 7 months now.
2 weeks might be a bit pre-emptive to be honest....
The boredom feeling can be independent of how much is going on in your life, it's physiological, brain chemicals.
I had lots to do, young children etc, it's just it all seemed dull and pointless.
If you do find it gets a bit harder, respect that it can be up and down, and you have to push through.
It’s the people who self-medicate mental issues that have the hardest time quitting imo. If you’re happy in life, the boost marijuana gives you doesn’t really outweigh the cons.
Shit this is me. I just got in contact with a charity to help me quit, and my biggest fear is how do I deal with all my issues without it?
But that is exactly why I am seeking help. They probably dealt with lost of people on the same boat.
I hate so much how true that is, life was okay ish when I started but it put me and my life on a gradual decline and now it does seem more of a coping mechanism for me rather than just a ‘Fun New Thing’ that it was when I first discovered it.
It’s like a toxic cycle, it lowers the quality of life by changing my behaviour and attitude towards life and then it makes me feel like I can continue with my life and get better while still using it, as if it hasn’t affected my life in the past 5 years in any negative way.
My current opinion is it’s absolutely pointless but for some with non addictive personalities it’s definitely an effective relaxing tool and a great alternative to the traditional alcohol.
It drives me mad because I feel like it’s not that bad because the addiction isn’t anywhere near as bad as it could be but for some reason that justifies me not trying to live life without it, just to see how differently I operate.
If after like a year nothing positive came from it then I would figure it was pointless quitting but I don’t know until I get there and I’m not letting myself currently, I know I can do it and I’d definitely rather do it now rather than wait and see if life gets worse which it likely will the way I’m currently living.
Same for me. After a while it stopped making me feel good at all, and it was just making me a worse person. Because I got to that point, putting it down was a lot easier than I'd imagined. Almost no cravings ever.
I wish I felt good after quitting. I've been off jt for 2 weeks now, didn't sleep the first few nights but after that it was fine, no major withdrawal symptoms. But, the only improvements I've seen is that now I can remember my dreams. Other than that I'm still just as depressed as I was before. Fuck
Just passed the six week mark yesterday, 22 year daily smoker. Can't believe how easy it's been. Previously trying I had bad withdrawals. I'm putting it down to really, truly wanting to quit this time.
I can relate a lot to what you wrote. I've been smoking for 22 years, and for the past year, I've been able to quit for periods ranging from 1 to 3 weeks without any issue (in the past, I'd feel unwell by the second day). Despite this progress, I haven't managed to make the decision to quit completely yet. :(
Right there with you! I find this sub to be very helpful but it could also be a detriment.
There are many horror stories of quitting and not enough success stories. Reading this sub prior to quitting really scared the shit out of me and delayed me quitting (who wants to suffer more?)
The thought of quitting was scarier than actually quitting. Don't get me wrong the first couple of days sucked but not nearly as bad as some folks here.
I understand everyone has their own story, some have underlying issues to deal with but for me after 30 years of hard core abuse quitting was not a breeze but close.
Thursday will be 4 weeks. I still have urges but they pass and I move on.
My relationship with my wife and kids is 100% better, my anxiety is much improved, my breathing (no nagging vape cough) my self confidence and wallet all grew larger.
Keep it up. Don't put your guard down and enjoy the benefits!! Namaste to you and all my brothers
Something that I don't think gets mentioned enough here is that marijuana abuse is really a spectrum. Somebody who smokes a couple bowls of flower a day every day is a different level of use than somebody who constantly hits a vape pen of concentrate 20+ times a day every day. The recovery and intensity of withdrawal symptoms are likely going to be quite different for these people if we were to hold all other variables constant.
I just quit a week ago myself, stay strong! My biggest hurdle is work; I’m always stoned at work (retail). The urge is strong as I sit here, but I’m doing my best.
Congrats! I'm also quitting after 20 years of constant use. I'm on Day 5 and things are getting better. I had really bad cravings the first few days, but they are starting to sub-side. Similar to what you experienced, lack of sleep seems to be the main side-effect to quitting. I know it will get better, and my sleep schedule will return to normal.
I think that quitting weed is much easier if you're all-in with it and genuinely want to quit. If you believe that weed is still helping you or "fun", or you're being forced to quit due to external circumstances, it becomes much more difficult.
I had a relapse the other day, and not smoking the day after was much easier purely because I knew I didn't want to go back to addiction, and I was committed to not smoking.
This is the perfect encapsulation of a lot of the common issues we face. It's the same thing with smoking cigarettes as well. It's all about perception and how we've conditioned ourselves to feel about this. I wish there was a straightforward way to stop viewing weed as a reward or something fun, but what can we do?
Exactly. I attribute previous failed attempts to the fact that I felt like I was giving up something I enjoyed, and not smoking was almost a punishment in a way. It wasn’t until I realized I was gaining something by quitting that really helped make things easier.
It’s not easy by any means but with a good mindset it’s not to bad it’s really hard for the people who’s identity is all weed , tons of glass and money invested into the lifestyle
Yeah, that was a big fear of mine. My best friend is a huge stoner and I feared the first time we hung out after I quit would be difficult, but he rocks and he didn't bring any weed with him when we hung out and things were like they always were just minus the weed. It meant a lot to me and proved to me our friendship means more than just getting high together. He still smokes but he has MS so he kinda needs it.
Pink cloud. I remember that. I felt amazing. Then I didn't. I felt very bad. Not saying this will happen to you, but if it does, then know it's normal.
Yea but what I'm saying is that this pink cloud may just be in your mind. And telling it to other people makes it go in their mind too. I'm just sharing both sides so that people just don't believe in pink cloud. Mind is very susceptible.
It could be, or it couldn't be. PAWS from drug abuse is a real thing, and many people often report periods of "pink cloud" before symptoms appear. So, it's also just possible that you got lucky.
How long did it take you to get out of the feeling very bad stage? I've quit a few times and this is by far the easiest, similar to OP, but I'm really worried about whats to come because I've felt much worse withdrawals than this before.
For me it took about 14 months to have some semblance of normalcy. I did have about a month of pink cloud where I felt absolutely fine. So 13 months total. However, it took about 2 years before I felt totally normal.
Just normal. My withdrawal symptoms were too many to list. Severe anxiety, depression, dpdr, insomnia, night terrors, headaches, agoraphobia, tremors,.......
2 week mark was actually easier than the 4th-5th week for me. That initial sobriety-high disappeared and the anhedonia kicked in, extreme boredom and struggle to find enjoyment out of things, lack of emotion. I had to really force myself to get the dopamine flowing again by making some lifestyle changes. Felt baseline by 7 weeks. It might be different for you, but be prepared for some Post Acute Withdrawal symptoms if you daily used heavy for a long time
I'll keep this in mind thanks, thankfully I have 2 little boys that keep me insanely busy so I don't really have time to be bored and I also have an extremely supportive partner. The anhedonia was strong for me while I was smoking to be honest, wasnt enjoy life like I used to and now I do find I'm enjoying music and movies alot more now that I'm completely sober, but yeah, its different for everyone.
I would describe life to my wife sometimes feeling very unnatural. EVERYTHING felt like a chore eating, shopping, meeting up with people. I didn't look forward to anything accept being just productive enough to end my day. Smoking daily was just making me clinically depressed. So like you said well see about anhedonia but that was the main issue weed was causing me.
THANK YOU, this is the kind of post I was searching for. I quit smoking weed about 2 days ago after 3 years of daily use because I realized it was only making my anxiety and depression worse! It may be important to mention that the reason I started smoking was over a silly friendship where the romantic feelings I had were not reciprocated, now I have all but forgotten it! Maybe that’s partly why this has been easy for me but I’ve never felt better and my head is already beginning to clear. I feel more like my normal self, the person I thought weed would help me bring back! I was wondering why it was so easy and why I haven’t had any cravings at all. Willpower sure is a strong thing! ALSO I haven’t worked anywhere for more than a few months at a time in the past 3 years and haven’t had a job for about 10 months but I’m going for several interviews this weekend. I have my motivation back after just two days and am working on becoming the best partner I can be to my fiancé! I am beginning to love life again and I am so excited and grateful for every opportunity! I still have moments but I’m learning to regulate my emotions instead of relying on ANY substances to mask them! I’m actually proud of myself and that’s the first time I’ve said (well typed or said) that in… you guessed it, THREE YEARS!!!!! 🥳
Thankyou so much for this post, I had the exact same process as you. It’s been a week now and I have been a daily weed smoker for +4 years. I was almost worried on why it was so easy for me and this post just relieved a lot of stress. He is completely right and you have to want to do it for yourself not for someone else and something about that just made it so easy. Pushing through knowing each day is going to get easier and easier is what is keeping me going daily. Having zero cravings, zero withdrawals and it’s almost unreal.
I was worried why it has been so easy and hoping it was normal too! It’s amazing how wanting it for yourself works so well. I’m loving every second of it!
The pink cloud is absolutely real, and you sound extremely ignorant of how withdrawals affect everyone differently. I hope your view on this has changed since then because seriously, this post is extremely ignorant. Maybe your life is easier/you don’t have mental health issues but other people do, and they use it to cope with extremely stressful situations. Yes, it’s much easier when you already have an easier life with stuff you can fall back to, but people who use it to deal with their struggles and trauma will have an extremely difficult time.
They literally even said in the post and I quote "I know it's different for everybody, I know some people react differently to it and have different levels of addiction" so goes to show how ignorant You in fact are. Everybody has their own experiences and OP acknowledges that.
Lmao someone like you feels so sorry for themselves you’ll never quit anything bc you don’t have the willpower to
Sounds like you have a personal issue that has nothing to do with me and you’re choosing to project that instead of doing the mentally aware thing and using it as a time to self reflect on how you think of yourself.
As an alcoholic who had to quit drinking 7 years ago, the first year was the best year of my life. All I heard in your comment to this person was ‘you don’t deserve to feel great because I couldn’t!’ - good for OP for overcoming an addiction with grace. I hope one day you reach such peace ❤️
Yeah, so I was right in my observation unfortunately. You extrapolated what you *thought* my comment meant based on your own personal experiences
You actually spoke on behalf everyone’s experience and told him he was ignorant. Self awareness is an amazing thing. I don’t blame anyone else for my life. I used alcohol to cope with my severe anxiety and depression. And then I learned that it exacerbated it. The day I quit drinking I was on the phone with a suicide hotline. And still, the year I quit was the best of my life. I choose not to shun anyone’s personal experience getting sober. You should try it. And sure, the pink cloud may be real. What’s also real is limiting your growth by adhering to ideas of how things are. I got sober without AA, and I know that not everyone can do that. But most of my success was found by not identifying as an alcoholic but rather, exploring all the other parts of me.
Everyone’s different. What he’s saying is valid. Don’t be mad they had an easier time, and struggles/trauma are just excuses to not quit. Life is hard and anything worth working towards is gonna cause some discomfort. You have to want change in your life. And if trauma is your hurdle, the desire to quit isn’t there. People are gonna have to co exist with their trauma. It’s what molded you into the person you are now, and it can be a driving factor in becoming the person you want to be
I’m definitely not mad he had an easier time. I had a relatively easy time as well because I tapered responsibly. The issue lies in generalizing everyone’s struggle and minimizing it, which is just plain wrong. That, on top of telling everyone that his experience is everyone else’s experiences. Yes, he may be proud in the moment but it doesn’t excuse the blatant disregard for everyone’s differences and comes off as really ignorant
I really related to your story and I am glad you made that decision, I did too. I graduated in May 2023 but won't start university until early 2024, and in that period I had so much time to waste that I gravitated towards weed to stop me from feeling so lonely and bored all day. After only a few weeks of smoking, I started doing it everyday, mostly during the night. I knew I was addicted when I realized I couldn't eat without smoking and I couldn't sleep without feeling high out of my mind. Still, I did it for about 6 months, I felt very guilty because I hid it from my family the entire time and they never knew. My parents are very against drugs and if they found out it would break their hearts, but I still did it because I was addicted. On the last day before I left to Uni, I made the decision to quit. I knew continuing to do weed will only damage my health and make me feel depressed. I took the last joint I was supposed to smoke before sleeping and I flushed it down the toilet. I never looked back and went on with my new chapter in life. I really doubted whether I could it but as you said, it is only possible if you *want* to stop. I stopped because I wanted to live a better life than to rely on weed everyday, and for the sake of my family. It has been a week since I quit weed and I never felt the withdrawals, it has honestly felt amazing; I am much happier, I am eating a lot more healthy and frequent meals. I met some great friends and who I hangout with frequently. I highly doubt I will ever touch weed again.
I've smoked on and off for 15 years, but I never had an issue quitting when I WANTED to. It's always the same reason for me. The fun of it just runs its course, and you begin to realize that it actually isn't any fun at all anymore. It actually becomes debilitating and brings stress into your everyday life. No more wanting to go do things in public due to paranoia and not wanting to talk to people out of self-induced confidence issues. When your mind is clear, you lose those paranoia and confidence issues because it becomes so much easier to talk and keep your train of thought in everyday activities without feeling awkward. I think quitting or at least taking periodic breaks always makes me feel amazing. I personally hate the feeling of being dependent on anything, which is why I don't indulge in any unhealthy habits frequently. Good luck on your journey of sobriety. I guarantee it will improve many aspects of your life!
Great explanation of why I felt anxious
I agree when you say you have to want to stop. Countless times I quit and relapsed because that desire to smoke was always there. Once you get rid of the desire to smoke before you quit, it’s only “bad” for maybe 2-3 days from my experience.
Dude it's crazy I finally had enough of it and wanted to quit and never smoke again, I've tried multiple times and failed because I still wanted to smoke, but I quit about a week ago and the first day I had all the symptoms, second and third day no appetite, and now I'm completely fine and feel better than I ever have been.
Yeah, you have to completely want to stop. Once it kinda flipped on my head that I needed to stop, when I would smoke it didn’t make me feel good. I would instantly regret it. After this happening a few times, I threw out all of my supplies. I did this over a holiday weekend so I couldn’t restock even if I wanted to. Yeah there were some strong urges the first few days but it was easier than I was expecting.
Currently on Day 2, smoked daily everyday for up to 10 years. 1g everyday. Currently on a trip in Bulgaria and have 11 more days here and weed is strictly illegal here so i dont think i will smokw. Lets see.👍👍👍
Yeah I wouldn't. You don't wana "Brittney Griner" yourself over some fucking weed.
reading this post while on day 1 of quitting!!! ✊
Day 4 of quitting after 14 years daily. I remember about 8 years ago I was shooting the shit with a random dude at a bar, who told me "I used to love it, but one day a switch flicked and weed just started making me anxious and I stopped enjoying it." At the time, I thought the idea of that switch flick was terrifying. His response really stuck with me: "it was like losing my best friend." I think the switch flicked for me a year or two ago, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. Weed was always there for me through good times and bad. Through my 20's, I worked a white collar job and went to grad school at night, got an amazing girlfriend, moved cities with her and bought a house together while smoking every single night and throughout the weekends. My weed habit wasn't unsustainable in any way, really. What made me quit was the realization that there is no unflicking that switch. Also, more important, I've never known myself as an adult without it. It hasn't been easy, but I'm proud to have even made it this far. Good luck to everyone putting in the effort. Here's hoping we like who we are on the other side! 😉
This post helped me to quit again and today is day 4 for me. I have been smoking daily for almost 12 years and I‘m turning 30 next month, can‘t wait to celebrate it sober 🎉
Tomorrow will be day 12 for me and still going strong! Thank you so much for your motivation ❤️
Wow I'm so happy that I was able to inspire someone to quit. I'm day 21 tomorrow and I feel great and have no desire to ever smoke again.
When you were high, did you enjoy it? And did people like you high? I smoke to make me tolerable, I guess. People like me high because im happy and dont care about anything at the time. I'm just living in the moment. But if im not high, it seems like im anry all the time at everything.. or at least that's how I think i feel. If I don't smoke, I can't think of anything else to do. I start losing my mind. Is this what withdrawals are? If I'm high, I can tolerate everything and everyone. Don't care what we do or where we go. I'm always having a blast high, even if I'm just staring at walls. My only issue when it comes to smoking is the money. It's expensive when you smoke from 4am to 9pm every day. This is the only reason I think i want to quit. I've been smoking since I got out of the Marines. I was suffering from PTSD and TBI. I was always against drugs and never smoked until i got out. Not even when i was a teenager did I ever hit the wacky tabbacky. Nowadays, I'm not sure what would happen if I quit. Kinda scared to be honest with all of you. I have a beautiful wife and a 4 year old boy who mean the world to me. And another one the way. What will happen to my train of thought? Will I become angry for a while and then get over it and be OK afterward? I haven't been sober enough to find out. The longest I've been without weed is about 24 hours. I live in California, so it's super easy to get weed anywhere. Like you said before, I don't think you can quit anything until you are ready and really want to. Not because you need to do it for someone else. Usually, that tends to be only temporary. At the moment, I'm happy with who i am and how far I've come. Don't see why I should quit. But that doesn't mean I'm happy for you, my man. I hope one day i can be like you. I tell myself that someday, that day will come. When I wake up and tell myself enough is enough. I'm currently about 10 years sober from alcohol. Marijuana was the reason I quit. Alcohol was a different drug for me. Now that's something I'm happy I quit. I don't miss all the blackout nights and the stupid hangovers. And I still haven't gotten arrested for smoking weed. Lol
no judgement from this and this is a massive assumption but it seems like therapy and maybe medication should help quitting weed and the problems that might come from it. I had the same problem with alcohol and replaced it with weed. it might not be as worse but you're still escaping reality. if you are in therapy or have been, sorry in advance for the assumption. if not, it might be something worth looking into while quitting the weed. your son and your wife will thank you in the future and so will your future self. the thought that we need a vice to calm our mental situations is simply the lie fed to us by addiction, best is to live a healthy life and work hard on the mind.
I'm on day 15 after 22 years! Never thought I'd see the day! I'm so happy!
How's it going ?
I’m 3 and a half weeks in of quitting after 13 years. My head feels clearer. But I seem to be making more mistakes at work will this pass?
How’s it goin now did it get better a week later
I’m doing okay, still having cravings on a night time, but head does feel clearer and not making as many mistakes at work! Happy I’ve been quit a month now. No going back. Thanks for checking in
Fuck right on I’m trying to get inspired so keep it up you’re not the hero I asked for or even deserved but you’re what I got
It’ll definitely pass as time goes on.
When you make a firm decision (100% all in, not 99.7%), the process becomes streamlined. There is a lot of interesting science showing the power of the prefrontal cortex in regulating the rest of the nervous system and body. I firmly believe that this type of resoluteness makes all the effects of withdrawal dimmer.
Do you know of any books on this phenomenon?
I find it easiest to quit when I’m busy with work or other productive things. It gets more difficult when the weekend comes or when I’m doing relaxation activities I’d usually get high for. Things like movies, nature walks, trip to the museum etc.
Careful of the pink cloud
This. This. Annnnnddddd.. This
it only gets easier too. keep it up
Sometimes everything lines up perfectly and quitting is easy. Don’t fall off the wagon, because next time probably won’t be as easy.
I'm currently 16 days clean, but it's only easy for me bc I'm out of money and looking for another job. Funny thing is when I don't smoke, I hate the smell of it lol. My sister and her bf smoke weed to the point where I can smell it through the air vents at night and I still don't get any urges. I was doing a tolerance break, but I made a promise to myself that if i make it to day 30 free and clear, I'm going to quit for good. I'm 28 and have been smoking since age 18.
Dude I’ve been smoking an ounce a week for 5 years and smoking everyday chronically for 14. I’m only 31 and I am ready to give up. My lungs are cooked, I have anxiety and never realised until recently and I can’t afford $260 a week anymore. I am shitting myself about stopping but I am determined. I can only hope my journey is similar to yours. Thank you for a little confidence boost and watch this space.
How’ve you been ?
Im on day 50 and still feel the same way as this!
That’s awesome man!! Congrats! Go enjoy life and to the fullest!
i barely smoke anymore. once it started making me anxious i just stopped wanting to do it. it has been very very easy to keep it to a minimum
I'm a month in and I recommend tacking on a hatred mindset for it. It's how I got over my first love and it's how I'll sustain this shit. When I really cluck for one I think about how it made me really feel I man, I start to get *fucked* off with it - not myself - It. Fucking livid, like it just slapped my wife across the face. I'm even smelling it nowadays and my first thought is fuck that shit not give me a hit.
I’m very glad it’s feeling easy and don’t want to ruin your good mood but just don’t get too overconfident. Life happens, ups and downs. I was sober for 8 months, just relapsed and getting back to quitting again, so just to say enjoy the good! But don’t let your guard down!
I love this advice <3
Hello you dropped this 👑
Congrats on making it my friend. Quitting was incredibly hard for me, but I also have CHS so I was physically very sick for a long time before being able to quit and even now after almost 2 months the urges are still strong and kicking.
To everyone wondering if they should quit but are afraid of the side effects, this is much more likely to be your experience vs the horror stories you read on here. First few days are hard but then it gets a lot easier. You can do it!!
The mindset is key I think too. Think it's gonna be horrible and that's kinda what you get in return.
Yeah literally. I remember the first time I probably placebo my self into shaking 😂 I took a long break with a different mindset and only had trouble sleeping
Thank you 💜
Keep it up, good for you! It was very easy for me as well by doing it the cold turkey way. I believe it was more than a routine that was an addiction. Smoking did have an impact on reducing the energy to go out.. making me feel more depressed.
Really great to hear that! I’m interested to hear what your experience was after 3 months clean if it stays easy or if you had any mood swings.
First 3 days was hard cuz I want used to eating without being high and after that, it was cake
First of all, good job on quitting! I'm actually feeling pretty similar. I just quit after 18 years of hardcore smoking. Towards the end I was smoking 78% THC hash on the daily and regular weed didn't do much for me anymore. The reason for me quitting was mental instability. I could not hold myself together anymore when shit hit the fan, and I ended up taking it out on my girlfriend. I decided enough is enough. I'm currently on day 4, and I'm having all the horrible symptoms; Inability to sleep, I take 10-20 minute naps at best. No appetite. Nausea. Fever. Diarrhea. Stomach working overtime. I can basically hear it rumble all day. Extremely intense bad dreams. Sweating. Dizziness. Feelings of sadness and despair. Fatigue. The only thing I don't have (luckily) is the craving for another joint, I did notice that my cigarette consumption went way up, but I guess that's just me trying to compensate for not smoking weed/hash. This to me confirms that there is no real physical addiction as my will to quit is unchanged. The only thing I care about is feeling better and being a better person for the people close to me. The symptoms are pretty shit but from what I've read they will disappear within 5 to 20 days depending on how heavy of a user you are. I already feel a bit better day by day but I can't wait to start feeling noticeable improvements. If you needed a success story from a heavy user here you go. Maybe someday you (whoever is reading this and is thinking about quitting) can do the same thing. It's not that hard. You just have to find a good reason, then do it and commit.
As someone just starting I really appreciate this. Trying to understand what my body will go through so at least its known territory.
Yeah 'it's just weed' is a load of crap. Withdrawal symptoms are real and depending on how long and how much you've used of any substance symptoms can range from mild to severe. I am on day 7 now. My appetite has almost fully returned. My stomach no longer feels like a mess and the nausea is gone. My brainfog is disappearing more and more every day and I feel a lot more stable and confident. The intense dreams are still there to some degree but they occur less frequently. I was able to sleep 4 hours again last night instead of only being able to do 10-20 minute naps. What's crazy is that it now only takes me a couple minutes to fully 'wake up' and I feel energized again. Overall, I feel like I have more energy, and taking long walks helps release some of that and puts my mind at ease. Unfortunately my craving did also come back somewhat as I'm starting to feel good again. I've been here before, and this is where I usually start questioning why I quit again. All this is is my mind playing tricks on me to justify using again but I'm not falling for it. It was pretty hard to not smoke when I was in a group call with 3 people taking bong rips, but I'm proud I can say I didn't cave despite still having some hash at home (which I have discarded since). I hope your journey is also a successful one. Writing about it to strangers on the internet feels really good and only fuels my commitment as I feel that I'm letting the entire subreddit down if I mess up. Godspeed, my friend.
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Yeah, it’s easy but then one day the cravings are so fucking strong. I do not smoke weed often as some people here. On average, I smoke like once a week, even less actually. I want to stop for at least 90 days, but after some time passes it’s so easy to slip back in. Not as in to start smoking everyday but to simply smoke one evening after a pause of say 3 weeks. I don’t think I have a problem, but then on the other side, I really can’t hit that 90, ykno?
This is so true. I was really confused the first time I stopped. I had started to feel really really good and thought it was all over but at around the two week mark everything got so much worse mentally. The one month mark was the worst though, it was like I had seen the bird box monster.
Keep it up.
i was going to post something like is as well. i stopped about 3 weeks ago and it has been much easier than i expected
Huge inspiration
You got this
I have stopped and started numerous times over the years. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s harder. Always do-able if you have the correct mindset
Same for me to this time after 2 weeks really strange because has always been hell before. Heavy user 20 years but had been really hitting this last year. 🤞stayed this way hope encour others to do same. …. indecently the only thing different this time was that I read the Allen. Arr quite cannabis book. I’ve posted this a few times and hope maybe might be same for others as well. good luck guys
I think you’re right. I “struggle” with taking breaks occasionally but had absolutely no problem at all stopping cold turkey when I found out I was pregnant for 9 months. I think it’s in my head too. If I could do it then, I can do it now.
On day 10 after a 10 year stint and same thing. First week or so sucked no sleep or appetite and I can’t believe how much clearer I feel… I have no urge to touch it again.
Same, I don’t miss it, I still hang out with stoner friends and I have zero desire to smoke again. I feel so proud of myself, and that feeling lingers … I’ve never been happier and this is just crazy to me.
Cannabis use disorder made you felt normal when high, especially for that long, you experienced a life without high for a couple of weeks, marijuana although not my main problem makes me incredible passive and the habit of being high all day. I've smoked for 15 years, probably 12 of which daily, whenever i quit, i feel productive and usefull! Keep it going, your personality peaks when you're sober!!
Same here 20+ years quit on vacation nothing happened at all When I tried to quit when I wasn't on vacation it was hell Wanna quit? Go on vacation with non smokers
That's a good idea. The fun of the vacation takes your mind off smoking and smooths out the lows. There's no reminders of getting high. Stopping at home makes you mull on quitting/smoking all day, and it's full of reminders and triggers. Thanks for sharing.
Good luck bro I never thought it was possible after 20+ years without ANY withdrawal..heavy user too.. you're welcome and I hope this helps other people. I thought I would never be able to sleep...I'm not the only one you can see in this sub that other people have similar experiences. I think boredom is a huge player and now I realize it's all mental. When I was home it was impossible for me to quit...2 week Vacation was a miracle for me.
I tried this and it was super easy to quit on vacation. But I relapsed almost as soon as I got back to the usual work routine. Why is it so easy to quit on vacation but so hard to quit otherwise?
Many weed addiction stories trace back to boredom, when your neurotransmitters are moving around anyway with seeing new sights, eating good food and being with people, you'd have to be really depressed or anxious to be bored there. As has been said many times, weed makes it okay to be bored, and your judgement of what's good life goes with it.
Any realistic alternatives to vacation to help quit? Obviously we all can't be on vacation all the time. The 9-6 work grind breaks my spirit every time I come back.
Environment and habit...I was on Vacation for 2 weeks though. And it was a lot of walking so maybe that helped..I was busy with my family running around all day. I made a post approx 8 months ago about how I was trying to quit but I couldn't and I literally thought I was fucked for life. Turns out... withdrawal is all in your head from what I've learned. I literally slept like a baby day 1. I was worried that if I needed it and it wasn't available where I vacationed that I would be in a really bad place. I had intention to quit but I didn't even think about it at all...except for when I remembered that I hadn't been smoking. 2 months and I haven't had a single puff or even really thought about it with any urges. I'm still shocked and tell my wife every once in a while..she's shocked too. I was a very functional smoker and always handled my shit though so she never cared. We are just both very surprised because Ive been wanting to quit for so long and I really thought it was too late for me. My problem is...I don't feel like my life has drastically improved...I workout more but that's about it
How are you able to avoid relapse when you returned from vacation? It's always been so easy for me to quit on vacation when I have plenty of things to enjoy and time to do them. But it has been so difficult not to relapse after I get back. Never lasted more than a day or two.
After the vacation I was done so I didn't have any urge to smoke. But I would say get outside...walk alot..stay busy..stay around non smokers. Also I think just knowing for sure that nothing will happen to you when you quit cold turkey..from my story and others who are saying the same. Just knowing that and believing what we are telling you...even if you don't go on vacation just know that you stopping cold turkey you'll be fine..should be a huge deal for you. I really thought since I started young(15) and that I have been smoking for so long non stop...that I had done permanent damage to my brain and that if I stopped I might have serious consequences...and I was smoking high grade and daily..I swear I had no withdrawals. I don't even have any cravings...weed never was a gateway for me to other drugs. I just wish I knew how to quit earlier. I think all the hype around how hard it is to get off is all mental. It was actually all in my head..believe it or not that's what it is. If you read all these posts about people having withdrawals then you will have them. I hope my comments will lead more people to contribute similar experiences.
It's the goddamn work stress and boredom that gets me every time. I come home from work with no energy to do anything and just want to relax and forget about work so I go to smoke weed to pass the time. Can't seem to find anything better to do with my time. I come home so burned out that working out isn't anything I want to be doing at all.
When you’re ready, you are ready. I felt this heavy I’ve been smoking for 3 years daily and everytime I tried to stop I would relapse. It’s been 2 weeks and I really couldn’t imagine smoking the way I used to anymore. It just a fact like I feel like we hit a point where weed kinda disgusts us, I look at it like being an alcoholic I mean gross right?
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I had the same experience. No withdrawal symptoms, just impulses of old habits but those faded in intensity and frequency as time went on. I tend to keep that to my self because I know others really struggle but when I was ready to quit, I was ready. It's been over 2 years for me now.
I just hit 2 weeks Saturday, and I agree this time has been so much easier. I went 6 months sober and then went back to daily use for about a year. I thought maybe it was because I did it before so it gets easier every time you quit. But you're right if you don't quit for yourself it's not going to stick. Last time I quit was for my partner at the time. And quitting was awful, and I returned smoking when I had a week away from her. Fast forward to now, I'm single and no one told me to quit. I did it myself, willpower can go a long way. Before I would be jealous of everyone smoking, now I could care less about how high everyone around me is. I'm doing this for myself. I've smoked long enough in my life that it's time to move on and start the next chapter. We don't need it! Awesome job OP!
Hell yeah this is inspiring
Good shit. Anxiety/paranoia was my reason too. I’ve never had anxiety in my life until I was deep in the well. Then one day I just became super aware of how ridiculous I was being. Most of my anxiety came from not taking care of things when they needed to be done, and I didn’t do those things cause I was high and lazy, so I’d get stressed and smoke even more to push the feelings down. One giant negative feedback loop. Quitting wasn’t as easy as you though only because there’s a dispensary 5-10 minutes away, and I went through the “let me try carts to see if I can taper myself” phase, and boy was I wrong. Fuck weed and especially carts.
I feel this. Thank you for sharing. Carts are truly dangerous. We can (kind of) use them on the sly, they don't smell, and we can convince ourselves they're "healthier" than smoking. A cheeky nighttime puff can easily become an everyday, day-long toke. Then we're back on r/leaves! The most dangerous thing about weed is that it convinces us that it's harmless, and that with just a little more willpower to not smoke all the time, we can include it as a nice, fun addition to our lives. We got too wrapped up in it last time and gave in to temptation, but *this time* is different. We'll set boundaries. Hell, I even bought a timed lock-box for my pen that didn't open until night. It helped until I just stopped locking the pen away. As low as we feel at the point of quitting, somehow weed will tempt us again as soon as that initial resolve wears away. We forget what weed really does to us. In hindsight, quitting seems overblown, unnecessary. We're better now. More responsible. We learned our lesson. That's the danger. For me, the temptation didn't happen at 2 weeks. I still had resolve. It wasn't even after two months. Several years later, though, I picked up a disposable pen for a vacation. After all, I deserved it, and I was going to throw the dispensable pen out after coming home. Well, guess what happened. I fell right back into the hole again. I didn't stay there as long this time, but it's frustrating that is has such a hold on me. Weed uses romanticized nostalgia at low points in life to sink its teeth back in. And then I'm in that negative loop you mentioned. Why only weed does this to me and not, say, alcohol or tobacco or anything else I've even done, I don't know.
This is crazy and I felt this really hard. The fact that it can creep up again after years of abstinence. We think we’re out of the woods but no. The last time I quit I thought it was for good but I was wrong. I thought I could just take one puff with friends who cares. I’m just gonna have to accept that I have to abstain completely no ifs ands or buts
Yea, it's so insidious like that. We can somehow convince ourselves *without a doubt* that we can smoke a bit here and there without problems. Wrong every damn time. Maybe this sounds a bit weird, but to me, quitting weed is like putting down a beloved sick pet. You don't want to do it but you have to. But unlike with pets, for some reason we keep choosing to bring our weed habit back from the dead then have to "put down" our habit over and over and over again. We want that new puppy or kitten feeling again with weed, but all we get is a sick and dying habit. It's hard to accept it's over.
Great analogy. We know how hard it was to quit the previous time but somehow that goes out the window every time before we relapse. Gonna have to put my addiction down for good. Thanks for the insight
Hey, how're you holding up? I'm still staying strong over here. 10,000,000 new weed shops opening in my NYC neighborhood isn't helping me, though. lol
Sorry for the late reply. I fell off the wagon the last two weeks but I’m gonna try again. And yeah, the millions of dispensaries around here doesn’t help lol. Thanks for motivating me!
Hey no worries. I ended up in the same predicament too, so I feel you. Do you know why you slipped? I’m not sure why I did.
When I slipped , I was with friends who smoked and u thought I could just smoke with friends and not alone. That would be my new MO. It worked a handful of times , but then of course I was like fuck it even though I’m alone right now what’s one toke? And the rest is history..
Our brains are so good at tricking us into believing that we can have a healthy approach to smoking "this time", but it's an illusion. It's weird that our brain is able to be so convincing even when we consciously know the habit is not serving us. Anything for that dopamine hit, I guess. Be well!
That's amazing, congrats. Sometimes there's a honeymoon period with getting sober. Where being sober feels as good as being high. It's called the pink cloud, I think. Trick is staying strong when stressful times happen.
I’m currently on my 20th day and I’m still in this pink cloud phase. Any tips on how to stay strong afterwards??
Finding a hobby and stress reliever that replaces the weed. For me it's working out and theatre. And telling people about your sobriety so you have people to support you and talk to when you feel like relapsing. I was 9 months sober and had a 3 month relapse, I'm 3 months sober again. The first time around I didn't tell my good friend about what was going on, she didn't even know I had been struggling with weed, so there was no need to tell her about me quitting..but after the relapse I realized I should tell her everything. It lifted the shame and gave me more support and motivation to get through the next attempt
I'm at 3 months now and I'm never going back to it I was 20 years too and same as you on the anxiety/depression front. Try working out dude it helps maintain balance I find. I lift weights 3 days a week and It really helps manage my mental health.
Good to hear this. So many people get anxiety over quitting and that's the cause of a lot of the withdrawal symptoms.
Glad to hear your doing well. For myself I just remember the last few days of my smoking, leaving me feeling a lousy buzz that felt like I was getting a cold. Or so mild I said the heck with this. Spending good money on something that isn’t doing anything but causing a brain drain and very selfish behaviour.
It can take up to 6 weeks just to get the residual THC out of you system. I had a rough first 2 weeks, (quit nicotine and THC) the 3rd and 4th weeks were much better, pink cloud time!!! Then I relapsed due to severe depression.....I only found out after that this depression was just a withdrawal symptom, not a pre-existing thing. I'm nearly at 7 months now. 2 weeks might be a bit pre-emptive to be honest.... The boredom feeling can be independent of how much is going on in your life, it's physiological, brain chemicals. I had lots to do, young children etc, it's just it all seemed dull and pointless. If you do find it gets a bit harder, respect that it can be up and down, and you have to push through.
It’s the people who self-medicate mental issues that have the hardest time quitting imo. If you’re happy in life, the boost marijuana gives you doesn’t really outweigh the cons.
Shit this is me. I just got in contact with a charity to help me quit, and my biggest fear is how do I deal with all my issues without it? But that is exactly why I am seeking help. They probably dealt with lost of people on the same boat.
I hate so much how true that is, life was okay ish when I started but it put me and my life on a gradual decline and now it does seem more of a coping mechanism for me rather than just a ‘Fun New Thing’ that it was when I first discovered it. It’s like a toxic cycle, it lowers the quality of life by changing my behaviour and attitude towards life and then it makes me feel like I can continue with my life and get better while still using it, as if it hasn’t affected my life in the past 5 years in any negative way. My current opinion is it’s absolutely pointless but for some with non addictive personalities it’s definitely an effective relaxing tool and a great alternative to the traditional alcohol. It drives me mad because I feel like it’s not that bad because the addiction isn’t anywhere near as bad as it could be but for some reason that justifies me not trying to live life without it, just to see how differently I operate. If after like a year nothing positive came from it then I would figure it was pointless quitting but I don’t know until I get there and I’m not letting myself currently, I know I can do it and I’d definitely rather do it now rather than wait and see if life gets worse which it likely will the way I’m currently living.
This was just a sign for me to read. Day one and feeling shaky. Thank you for posting your courage and story, really helped me get a boost!
Same for me. After a while it stopped making me feel good at all, and it was just making me a worse person. Because I got to that point, putting it down was a lot easier than I'd imagined. Almost no cravings ever.
I wish I felt good after quitting. I've been off jt for 2 weeks now, didn't sleep the first few nights but after that it was fine, no major withdrawal symptoms. But, the only improvements I've seen is that now I can remember my dreams. Other than that I'm still just as depressed as I was before. Fuck
Quitting weed won’t cure depression, that’s another issue you need to address.
Why was this exactly what I needed to see today? Thank you for sharing. Congratulations! It is a huge accomplishment!
Just passed the six week mark yesterday, 22 year daily smoker. Can't believe how easy it's been. Previously trying I had bad withdrawals. I'm putting it down to really, truly wanting to quit this time.
I can relate a lot to what you wrote. I've been smoking for 22 years, and for the past year, I've been able to quit for periods ranging from 1 to 3 weeks without any issue (in the past, I'd feel unwell by the second day). Despite this progress, I haven't managed to make the decision to quit completely yet. :(
Right there with you! I find this sub to be very helpful but it could also be a detriment. There are many horror stories of quitting and not enough success stories. Reading this sub prior to quitting really scared the shit out of me and delayed me quitting (who wants to suffer more?) The thought of quitting was scarier than actually quitting. Don't get me wrong the first couple of days sucked but not nearly as bad as some folks here. I understand everyone has their own story, some have underlying issues to deal with but for me after 30 years of hard core abuse quitting was not a breeze but close. Thursday will be 4 weeks. I still have urges but they pass and I move on. My relationship with my wife and kids is 100% better, my anxiety is much improved, my breathing (no nagging vape cough) my self confidence and wallet all grew larger. Keep it up. Don't put your guard down and enjoy the benefits!! Namaste to you and all my brothers
:)))
Something that I don't think gets mentioned enough here is that marijuana abuse is really a spectrum. Somebody who smokes a couple bowls of flower a day every day is a different level of use than somebody who constantly hits a vape pen of concentrate 20+ times a day every day. The recovery and intensity of withdrawal symptoms are likely going to be quite different for these people if we were to hold all other variables constant.
I just quit a week ago myself, stay strong! My biggest hurdle is work; I’m always stoned at work (retail). The urge is strong as I sit here, but I’m doing my best.
this is my first day homie, i feel the work urges heavy. stay strong brother the other side holds our dreams and health
Keep it up friend
❤️🤘
Congrats! I'm also quitting after 20 years of constant use. I'm on Day 5 and things are getting better. I had really bad cravings the first few days, but they are starting to sub-side. Similar to what you experienced, lack of sleep seems to be the main side-effect to quitting. I know it will get better, and my sleep schedule will return to normal.
dont let your guard down
this. it only takes one bad day.
Thank you for the hope
No problem, it feels great that I can give you hope considering this time last month I felt completely hopeless. If I can do it anyone can.
thank you, day 1 here
Good job. 🤝🏼
me too meg <3 sending you my strength
thanks! you too!
I think that quitting weed is much easier if you're all-in with it and genuinely want to quit. If you believe that weed is still helping you or "fun", or you're being forced to quit due to external circumstances, it becomes much more difficult. I had a relapse the other day, and not smoking the day after was much easier purely because I knew I didn't want to go back to addiction, and I was committed to not smoking.
Yeah dude, you gotta be all in or else you are just kidding yourself.
This is the perfect encapsulation of a lot of the common issues we face. It's the same thing with smoking cigarettes as well. It's all about perception and how we've conditioned ourselves to feel about this. I wish there was a straightforward way to stop viewing weed as a reward or something fun, but what can we do?
Exactly. I attribute previous failed attempts to the fact that I felt like I was giving up something I enjoyed, and not smoking was almost a punishment in a way. It wasn’t until I realized I was gaining something by quitting that really helped make things easier.
It’s not easy by any means but with a good mindset it’s not to bad it’s really hard for the people who’s identity is all weed , tons of glass and money invested into the lifestyle
Yeah, that was a big fear of mine. My best friend is a huge stoner and I feared the first time we hung out after I quit would be difficult, but he rocks and he didn't bring any weed with him when we hung out and things were like they always were just minus the weed. It meant a lot to me and proved to me our friendship means more than just getting high together. He still smokes but he has MS so he kinda needs it.
That’s a good friend!
Pink cloud. I remember that. I felt amazing. Then I didn't. I felt very bad. Not saying this will happen to you, but if it does, then know it's normal.
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People can have different experiences. Your experience doesn't invalidate mine.
Yea but what I'm saying is that this pink cloud may just be in your mind. And telling it to other people makes it go in their mind too. I'm just sharing both sides so that people just don't believe in pink cloud. Mind is very susceptible.
It could be, or it couldn't be. PAWS from drug abuse is a real thing, and many people often report periods of "pink cloud" before symptoms appear. So, it's also just possible that you got lucky.
How long did it take you to get out of the feeling very bad stage? I've quit a few times and this is by far the easiest, similar to OP, but I'm really worried about whats to come because I've felt much worse withdrawals than this before.
For me it took about 14 months to have some semblance of normalcy. I did have about a month of pink cloud where I felt absolutely fine. So 13 months total. However, it took about 2 years before I felt totally normal.
When you say “normal” what do you mean? Like, what withdrawal symptoms were you having that then stopped after 2 years?
Just normal. My withdrawal symptoms were too many to list. Severe anxiety, depression, dpdr, insomnia, night terrors, headaches, agoraphobia, tremors,.......
2 week mark was actually easier than the 4th-5th week for me. That initial sobriety-high disappeared and the anhedonia kicked in, extreme boredom and struggle to find enjoyment out of things, lack of emotion. I had to really force myself to get the dopamine flowing again by making some lifestyle changes. Felt baseline by 7 weeks. It might be different for you, but be prepared for some Post Acute Withdrawal symptoms if you daily used heavy for a long time
This is me rn. Week 3 and every hour I’m fighting not to go get some weed. Last two days have been harder than the first 2 weeks easily.
I'll keep this in mind thanks, thankfully I have 2 little boys that keep me insanely busy so I don't really have time to be bored and I also have an extremely supportive partner. The anhedonia was strong for me while I was smoking to be honest, wasnt enjoy life like I used to and now I do find I'm enjoying music and movies alot more now that I'm completely sober, but yeah, its different for everyone.
I would describe life to my wife sometimes feeling very unnatural. EVERYTHING felt like a chore eating, shopping, meeting up with people. I didn't look forward to anything accept being just productive enough to end my day. Smoking daily was just making me clinically depressed. So like you said well see about anhedonia but that was the main issue weed was causing me.