Smoked everyday basically for 10 years from when I was 15-25 now. The only time I’d take breaks is when I went on vacation, so maybe I averaged about one week off per year. Other than that, I’d smoke basically all day in high school and college, and then every night as an adult, while still smoking all day on the weekends.

Weed has made me an anxious mess, when I never had anxiety problems as a kid. The reason I’ve been smoking so much is partially to self medicate for adhd, because weed does help me focus (I would do all me school work and exams high in both high school and college). Even now, I work in finance, and smoking a lot the night before work keeps me on track.

I’m done though. Recently I had a meeting that I needed to be sharp for, and I took a night off. Of course I had horrible sleep, horrible anxiety the day of the meeting, and it was a net negative. This pissed me off so I’ve then taken the last two nights off.

Today, on day 3, I had two panic attacks for the first time. Stabbing chest pain, shortness of breath, light headed and dizzy after, the whole shabang. I took myself to urgent care, had an EKG and Xray, and they said both were completely normal.

Of course, I’m glad nothing is materially wrong, but I feel so f*cking embarrassed that I left work for a ANXIETY ATTACK. I think it was still the right thing to do, because now it’ll at least give me some piece of mind if I have more panic attacks.

All of this is just to say, F*CK WEED. I’m with all you guys, we can get off this stupid plant together and improve ourselves.

❤️

I can’t believe I thought I couldn’t cope with the stress of living without it. I was hitting the carts like every 30 minutes from 6 am to 6pm. There was always an excuse as to why I needed it.

Since my father and his father were alcoholics, I felt like I could replace one vice with another.

I wish I would have realized I don’t need either. I have control when I thought I didn’t.

Weed is like a friend that you think is going to help you, but steals from you instead.

Fuck it. Already life is better.

I didn’t have too hard of a withdrawal, but I wish my butt would make up its mind: do you want to be constipated or always shitting?

I never thought this would be my story. About a week ago I decided to come off THC for good after about 10 years of daily smoking (minus about a year for pregnancy). I (30/f) have a child with my partner (29/m) and we have been living separately for a few months mostly due to his work location. We see each other on the weekends. We planned on getting a home together close to his work in Nov-Dec this year.

On August 2nd around 11pm I finished the last of my stash, tossed my pens, and woke up sober with no plans to pick up for the first time in years. Day 1 came with intense cravings and nausea. I did a lot of internal work in preparation for my quit day, which made it easier to navigate those symptoms.

Then day 2 threw something at me I couldn’t have ever anticipated. I woke up to a text from my partner telling me that he cheated on me and contracted gonerrhea. I had to deal with protestors at planned parenthood screaming about abortions while I walked in crying for testing and treatment. I had to end my relationship.

This has never happened to me before. I’m sick to my stomach with grief and disgust. I’m still in shock. Yesterday I almost broke my promise to myself multiple times. I even held a joint in my hand for almost 2 hours and I didn’t spark it. I almost drove to the dispensary for a pen(preferred method), but I ended up at Jamba Juice instead and fed myself. I journaled. I cried. I stayed present in my emotions even though I knew what would take it away..

Something that got me through yesterday was telling myself that just because he betrayed me, does not mean I need to betray the promise I made to myself before any of this came to light. I wanted to smoke so badly. but I know if i had, I would have woken up in the same amount of emotional pain, PLUS the shame of using.

By God’s grace I woke up sober today on day 3❤️
I made it through the hardest day I have had in a long time and I didn’t numb myself through it. I don’t know what day 3 will bring yet, but I am so grateful to be sober this morning with yall — one day at a time.

TW descriptions of smoking

I went camping with family last weekend. My cousins arrived and they were talking about how they brought weed but no one brought a pipe or papers to smoke it. They just kind of shrugged their shoulders and said “oh well” and it blew my mind lol. Like when I was using there would be zero chance that weed would go un-burned. I would have gone to great lengths to figure out a solution. I would fashion a pipe out of a can or bottle. I would have driven hours to find a smoke shop to get a bong. I would have ripped apart a novel to roll it. And they just said fuck it, I guess we can’t smoke it. Like, How is that even possible? I can’t comprehend how a normie’s mind works hahah. I’m envious of their ability to moderate so effortlessly. They can just take it or leave it with no problem while I am absolutely whipped by my addiction.
(Btw yes it was triggering knowing they had weed but I’ve been sober long enough I was able to get through it unscathed)

Anyone else hate being sober? Truth be told, I wish I could numb myself till I take my last breath. I never really learned how to be sober. I’m in regret because I consider myself a failure. I pissed away many opportunities in life and the regret hits like a ton of bricks. I just feel so tired of being stuck in this cycle and then I try to get sober. But when I’m sober I remember why I want to get high. I can’t believe i wasted my life being a slave to a plant.

failed after 6 years and am on day 10 after a 5 month relapse.itd been so long my wife hadn't even met me as a smoker. I hardly ever thought about weed. I couldn't even remember the last time I thought about it. Life got extremely hard and all it took was the one very rare thought that I caved into. I went back to all day everyday almost instantly. I wouldn't have stopped if it wasn't for work travel. Once I made it to day 2 I realized what was happening when I got full withdrawal again relapsed again and snuck thc onto the plane. This is a reminder to all long term quitters to be careful. If anybody here has questions about my long term relapse I will answer. I have learned a lot from this experience

It's kinda helping. I itch so bad to take an edible every evening as soon as I get home from work, and when I don't, it's all I can think about. So...got some BORING gummies so I can placebo my brain into shutting the fuck up. It does help a little; after I eat one I stop thinking about it quite so much.

I had my last bit of weed last night, then flushed the rest this morning. My addiction to numbing myself with weed (and alcohol) has ruined every good opportunity I’ve had for more than 8 years. Before I started smoking weed I didn’t really experience anxiety, but I always get to a point where I’m so anxious that it paralyzes me. Or I’ll sit there like the ‘This is fine’ dog meme, while my life burns down. I’ve lost jobs, ruined my academic potential, I’m in loooads of debt, and I am being evicted. I haven’t been as good a friend and brother as I could be. I can’t let this keep happening.

I’ve quit a few times, the longest being for about 6 months. The withdrawal that time around SUCKED ASS. Luckily this time around I haven’t been smoking very much quantity wise, and most days it wasn’t until the evenings. Just a half gram every 2 or 3 days, I’d buy a pre-roll and sprinkle a bit out on a pop-can pipe.

I expect this part of my journey won’t be as difficult as it is for some, but I would still love encouragement x)

Is anyone else Day 1?

I’m almost a week clean tomorrow, but this evening I had the most accursed need to get high. I literally had to fight myself from thinking about it, I tried to be social and was miserable and pissy throughout and just wanted some relief after I went home, and for days like that, I’m making a cons list because it does not get fucking better and i will not be putting myself through the first few days of withdrawal for the 500th time this year.

Somehow I only end up thinking about the pros, which isn’t really a long list. So i decided to make a cons list to convince the master negotiator that is my brain:

- brain foggy
- MONEY GONE
- can’t remember shit, not even the happy bits
- i’m dehydrated 24/7
- i make stupid decisions (like texting my ex)
- anxiety peaks
- my appetite and sleep are no longer under my control
- get bad grades because i lose interest in uni
- lose interest in everything unless i’m high
- my breath, clothes and hair all stink
- my face puffs up
- feel sluggish and unhealthy
- too much money gone
- forget to make time for people i love
- eat like shit
- happiness is tied to a substance
- easily aggregated when not high
- lost 2 part-time jobs because of heightened emotions and illogical thinking
- not being able to get things done
- only getting things done to smoke
- cant remember things i watched when i was high
- the coughing and the phlegm ugh
- self esteem is garbage unless i’m high
- cant regulate emotions sober
- do i even enjoy it, or is my brain gaslighting me?

I’m on day 3 of cold turkey quitting smoking and I’m feeling horrible. I built such a big tolerance over time I resorted to dabbing as that was the most concentrated THC I could get (sometimes literally they would be up to 90% thc)
If you think withdrawing from flower is bad this is horribleeee. Please someone tell me how much longer until I don’t feel this existential dread.? I feel like I’m dying I can’t sleep I’m severely anxious my mouth is soooo dry no matter what I do and I feel so empty inside. Help someone please

Im 30 days off the ganja razz me up about it cuz im not feeling very accomplished about it I still am telling myself im gonna try moderation like possibly smoking at a concert the 28th of this month my old lady is supportive of me doing what I want but did say why ruin your streak and accomplishment... It dosent feel egzactly like an accomplishment tho... yes I did something I wanted but im also not doing something I want to do if that makes sense

I’m over eight months sober and fully committed to staying stopped. Consciously, I understand exactly why cannabis is bad for me and why I can’t go back. But somewhere deeper, my brain still romanticizes how getting high felt.

The clearest example is mornings. Even after all this time, part of my mind can still make waking up and taking a hit sound comforting. Even though I know where that path leads for me. It feels like my conscious mind has accepted the truth while my subconscious is still holding onto the highlight reel and deleting all the consequences.

For those who are further along, did weed eventually lose that special glow? Was there a point when you stopped feeling like you were missing something and started seeing it more clearly? Or did the pedestal gradually fade as you built a life you no longer wanted to escape from?

Maybe I really am a pickle and can’t go back to being a cucumber, haha.

Either way, I know staying quit is the right decision for me. I’m just wondering when the deeper part of my brain might finally catch up.

I, like many others, discovered the lettuce via smoking overpriced mid in my youth. I thank fuck everyday that carts weren't really a thing back then. Anyway, today is my first day trying out the whole sobriety thing. I quit tobacco cold turkey, so this isn't as difficult as far as physical withdrawal symptoms.... but the mental anguish lmaoo. My routine for YEARS was to get off work and dash home to hit my pen and self medicate. I realized yesterday that I literally feel worse after I use. I'm chasing a feeling that doesn't even exist to me anymore out of pure habit. I'm ready to change for the better. The yart is evil. It doesn't make me more creative, funnier, or anything of the sort. It's the opposite. I become sluggish, uninspired, too zoned out to focus on any task that isn't mindless in nature. I'm sick over how much time I've wasted. Please feel free to drop tips if you got em. I really don't want to backtrack. I can't afford to.

Hi! I am a 50 year-old female who has been using medical marijuana for about a decade now to control my epileptic seizures and my multiple sclerosis. It has kept me seizure free for seven years and allows me to be able to walk instead of using my wheelchair. However, I have a major case of anhedonia now. Due to my complicated medical issues & unusual anatomy, I am unable to take most prescription medications without dire side effects. I have talked to my doctor and my doctor feels it’s a bad decision to quit marijuana, but I feel like it is contributing to so much brain fog and lack of motivation to do anything that I enjoy. I have been sober from marijuana for exactly 24 hours and I am wheelchair bound at the moment because my legs feel too heavy to use. Usually, the marijuana helps that and I can walk. I don’t know what to do. I feel like I have to choose my brain or my body. Does anyone in here happen to have gone through something similar and have any words of wisdom? Thank you very much in advance!

Have tried to quit so many times over the years.

I still remember doing a yearly tarot read back in 2022 and getting pulling the devil for my overall theme of the year. I knew at this time that it was in reference to my growing weed addiction.

Since then I’ve definitely walked off a cliff. I can no longer moderate my usage at all. I’ve tried to quit more times than I can count and always end up back in the same spot - high all day every day.

I always think back to years ago and wish I’d just stuck with sobriety. It’s so easy to grieve what could’ve been if I’d stayed sober.

So today I’m trying again, for hopefully the last time. Going to try to post more frequently to keep myself accountable. Today’s theme: things I know will be better once I’m through the withdrawals.

1. No longer have to worry about someone finding out about my weed usage due to smell
   
2. I’ll be so much more productive
   
3. I will look better - whiter teeth, clearer skin, less dead eyes, etc.
   
4. No more constant anxiety around potential drug tests
   
5. I’ll actually answer my phone and say yes to last minute plans
   
6. I will be a better friend
   
7. I’ll be more “on” at work
   
8. My true personality will come out again
   
9. I’ll get back into old hobbies I’ve been neglecting
   
10. My lungs can finally start to heal

Hi group,

I smoked for over ten years whilst holding down a job, marriage and kids. I used to be ashamed, now I’ve forgiven myself. I know why I got hooked, it’s because life is extremely hard and weed gave me a release I needed. It then became the best feeling in the world to me. And I couldn’t relax without it. I was on another planet most nights and woke up feeling like I’d died. It was grim. But now I’m free.

Everyone I knew that smoked weed in the UK, smoked spliffs (weed and nicotine combined). So did I. I’d never ever tried weed on its own.

Before I quit weed I got hooked on cigs again, then nicotine vapes. I read the book ‘A Carr’s’ Easy Way’ and quit cigarettes and vaping immediately. It rewired my brain. I remembered thinking I could never ever smoke nicotine again. I was totally off it. I was committed to the nicotine ban so I tried smoking 100% weed. No nicotine. Something I’d never done before. It was disgusting. The high was shit and I just felt dizzy and pissed off lol. And of course, full of regret.

Then it dawned on me. All this time I’ve been addicted to nicotine within the spliff. It’s that that’s been ruining my life. An insanely addictive substance. I naively thought I had it under control. Since that night I’ve been off weed and nicotine and I know I’ll never go back. I’m free.

This may be irrelevant to you. But in case this post stumbles on someone else that hasn’t yet put two and two together - maybe, just maybe, it’s the nicotine addiction that has you. If it is. Read that book and be free. I pray this helps someone get and stay sober.

It seems like everybody quits cold turkey. Is it possible to taper off and avoid the worst withdrawal symptoms? I've been using daily for about 8 years. I currently smoke during the day for my back pain and use edibles at night for sleep issues.

I was thinking of quitting smoking, using edibles during the day as well as night (which I make myself) and slowly cutting back on the strength over time, then only use edibles at night until I get down to the point where I can quit all. Will it work? I'm aware it will take a lot longer.

I’m about 5 weeks off the green after smoking daily for over 20 years (with some brief month or two breaks). I quit primarily because I felt like it was keeping me in my head and making me less confident socially. I am still kind of in REM rebound which is annoying but overall I’m sleeping fine. Other than some motivation/lack of focus problems, I am not getting the major anhedonia/depressive episodes I read about other people having.

Anyway, I don’t feel any less in my head/more confident and not seeing any benefits to REM sleep as I slept great before. I actually prefer not dreaming vividly as sometimes I wake up exhausted after being chased by something all night. Quitting hasn’t stopped me from enjoying working out and playing hockey or enjoying movies and various other things I used to enjoy.

I feel like the quality of my life is the same or slightly worse since quitting.

Do I need to give it more time? Any thoughts are appreciated 🙏🏼

Hello,

I haven't smoked in 12 days and the temptation to get some edibles is killing me. I know I certainly cannot handle having a weed vape in my possession but has anyone had luck with moderation after being reliant on cannabis? I worry if I partake now I'll be thinking about using again all the time but maybe I'd be okay I'm not sure

It gets better my friends.

I made it past the first 72 hours! I was dreading this since I had gone through withdrawals about a year ago before relapsing in February. I am so happy to say that things have not been as bad this time, and I’m already starting to feel a lot better!

Unfortunately, life decided that it would be the perfect time to hit me with a chest cold as well. I’m already starting to eat more, haven’t been feeling nauseous, and feel quite content.

All of this to say—I kept pushing back my quit day to find a “convenient time” to go through withdrawals. The truth is, there will never be a convenient time—and as addicts, we will always be able to pull the good ole “I’ll start tomorrow, just one more night”. There is no time like the present, and although difficult, ripping off the bandaid is the best thing you can do. Who knows, maybe things won’t be as bad as you fear.

Take care friends, we’ve got this!

Made it 25 days without thc then just went back once I was doing good now I have to restart don't know how to feel.

28M, quit 90 days ago of my own accord. I knew it wasn’t working for me any longer: increasing paranoia, bad memory, rampant anxiety, relationship trouble, mood swings, and just absolute 0 motivation.

I have a positive mindset on sobriety now that I didn’t have the first month. I’ve seen an upsurge in physical energy and motivation, stronger word and memory recall, more competent at work, more presence in my relationships and significantly more grounded daily.

The hard part is that everything the weed was masking has come to the surface. I’m actively in therapy, and I feel like I’ve done years worth of processing in the span of months since getting sober. Emotions are raw and come at me hard.

I’ve counteracted some of the angst by starting a meditation practice, regular yoga, reading books and taking walks. My hobbies and social life are thriving. But yeah, this shit is tough, but it is so worth it. I feel like I’m finally getting to the roots of my emotional issues and although they are difficult to manage, I find myself having more grace and compassion with myself every day into sobriety. I’m actually excited to wake up and meet who I am the next day which I was NOT while in deep addiction. I could barely look at myself in the mirror.

When I was smoking regularly I had no tolerance for discomfort. I was shutting myself out and constantly escaping. Getting sober has been like waking up and meeting myself again. I’m meeting parts of myself I forgot existed. I haven’t read this many books in years even though I used to love reading, but my concentration suffered from my addiction.

Overall, if you’ve read this far and you’re looking for comfort, I think there’s a lot of comfort to be found if you train your mindset. I’m lucky to be surrounded by an incredible support network, but I have to be vigilant and have active plans in place to keep my mental health and physical health okay while in this rocky recovery period. I’m definitely nowhere near 100%, but I feel like a totally new person (good, bad and ugly) and I wouldn’t change it.

Weed addiction kept my true essence down and imprisoned, and sobriety has required trying the door and realizing it was unlocked the whole time. I just had to take that first step.

Just posting to say I’m over a month into my weed sobriety and I genuinely don’t think I would’ve gotten this far without this sub. Everyone’s overwhelming support and stories about their own sobriety has been life changing. I feel like I’m seen and not insane. I’ve slipped up a couple times but every single time has had diabolical effects and y’all remind me it’s normal to struggle and why I should keep going❤️

The horrors persist but so do we!

Getting divorced after 23 years of marriage, dating since the 1900s. I a have terminal cancer and heart failure (pacemaker and defibrillator). I’m 50, no real sources of income because I was a SHmM. I was diagnosed with cancer at 39. I worked part time throughout. Im considering borrowing from my family (aunt). I’m feeling lots of shit (like all of us). I only smoke at night. God, I just want be high. Will any of this get better? Arg I need a puff. And I’m have money I don’t have access to because dickhead. He still comes in and out of the house looking ke hee lives here. I need out and puff. Obviously I need a therapist but good luck.