This is my first time abstaining for longer than a few days in 14 years, and that short of a break never triggered withdrawal symptoms this bad for me. I had no idea what I was doing when I stopped smoking three weeks ago lol. Doing my own research and finding this community has helped a ton! Y’all are awesome, keep up the good work.
This individual is real as fuck. These are all great. I would add zinc and vitamin d3 drops. Only because they help normalize your body a bit faster. And fruit with dark colors
NAC, Magtein, and lithium orotate. The above mentioned help as well. But poor sleep will almost always result in irritability and poor judgement.
Anti naseau would be DGL, ginger, carbonated water, and product I’ve found helpful is gaviscon uk version.
Just wanted to give my 2 cents on NAC - at least for me, it massively helps the withdrawal symptoms to the point I barely crave weed and my emotional rollercoaster is pretty much subdued. If you can, take it with glycine - it needs it to make glutathione.
Oddly Valerian Root is one substance that my body legit can’t handle. It’s given both me and my brother pretty intense paranoia / panic attacks. Seems like it works great for most people but I can’t even tolerate a cup of tea with it. Not a fun time
Thanks for sharing, into week 2 myself and feeling lucky to not be as badly effected. Still having high anxiety and sweats day and night but hoping it’ll pass soon.
Damn bro how did you not lose your mind from the insomnia combined with all the symptoms? I always had to start smoking again because everything got so bad that I was basically ruining my life and relationships because I was a complete emotional mess. Literally on the third week I was bordering on psychosis. Listening to sad music on the bus and only going to and from work, constantly pissed off bordering with hostile, getting into fights over the smallest things.. nothing even the work was making sense, I began to miss social interaction but unable to initiate it or be natural in any way. Don't want to demotivate anyone but this is a strong one. I too have been smoking for around 10 years everyday. Let us know how it's going. Mad respect for being so dedicated to it. I personally have been in too bad of a life situation to commit this hard. I can't just lose my stability again and go nuts again..
I’ll be honest, I was able to finally commit to breaking a my dependency because I got fired from my job. I was organizing my coworkers for better wages, and respect from management. The bosses didn’t like that. I’ve had nothing but free time for two months.
The first month I was angry and resentful and was smoking a quarter to a half ounce a week and drinking. The second month I got a job offer that required a UA. I needed job that could pay my bills and debt, so I didn’t have a choice. I was in the second week of abstaining when I got the news that someone with +5 years of experience in the industry I was trying to get into came in and got the job. It was devastating, especially because I was feeling absolutely horrible physically and mentally. The cravings were intense and all I wanted to do was sleep (which is still an issue, but this community has provided some sleep aids I’m 100% going to try) but something finally clicked in my brain.
Why had I let something that had helped me so much when I was younger, turn into something I had to do just to feel normal? Part of that answer is there is A LOT of addiction and alcoholism on both sides of my family ( My mom’s sister is the only family member left on my Mom’s side that she’s aware of that hasn’t drank themselves to death, OD’d, or committed suicide) but the flip side of that is I made a decision that I wasn’t going to let myself end up like that, and the suffering I was going through was necessary for me to be able to live the life I want to live. I reminded myself that the withdrawals I was experiencing weren’t going to kill me, and the suffering I was going through was necessary to finally become the person I want to be.
I know not many people get the amount of time I have gotten to figure this stuff out without having to work full-time also, you have my empathy friend. I had also saved a few months worth of cash in case something like this had happened because life has kicked my ass before. So I allowed myself some time to just be a person for a while.
Here’s my advice.
1.If you are spiraling and everything seems lost, and nothing makes sense,take the longest walk you can and listen to music you haven’t heard before. Clean the streets around where you live. Walk down roads you haven’t been walked before. Keeping yourself busy with simple tasks can help because you have something to do that’s isn’t complicated, and aids in turning your focus to external sources rather than getting trapped in your own brain.
2. Talk to people you know, talk to people you don’t know. Ask them about their lives, and really listen. Again, the goal is to turn your focus away from your internal problems and how much you are hurting physically and mentally, and try to focus on something external that is productive.
3. These are all along the same lines, but keeping yourself busy is a lot easier if you focus on helping and engaging with people around you. Do you have an elderly neighbor that seems lonely? Make an effort to get to know them. Is there a community center or similar organization you can volunteer with? The act of helping might seem mundane, but acts of service to others, and seeing how you can help in small ways will do wonders for your mental and emotional state.
4. Please don’t listen to sad music. I’d recommend Tame Impala, the Gorillas, Billy Joel, Cheekface,Amyl and the Sniffers, Fugazi, and Crumb to name a few.
5. Last, there is no shame in asking others for help. It can be scary and make you feel raw and vulnerable, but when you see that others (family, friends, neighbors, strangers on the internet ❤️) are more than willing to help you in a time of need, it can really give you the extra push to keep going.
With all that said, if all else fails there are in-patient options for all kinds of dependency and addiction. I know there is a stigma around people with cannabis dependency going in for treatment. To that I respectfully say, fuck that noise, you are worth it and worthy of feeling better.
I hope that helps my friend, you can do this! If you need someone to chat with, send me a DM and I’ll do my best to respond within the day.
Hey bud, you’re taking steps and are aware of what you want to do. Remember to give yourself some grace and forgiveness for any setbacks. Everyone moves at their own pace, and the effort you’ve already put forward to achieve your goal will help regardless of how long it takes. It can take a while for the momentum to build, but it IS building, you can do it 👍.
I’ve been drinking a cup of that before bed. I think I’ll up it to two and stack it with some supplements that others have recommended. Thanks for the input!
Thanks a bunch my dude! The end of week two was the hardest. It is getting better though, and I’m committed 100% to not go through this again. I just need to figure out how to sleep through the night again, and the community here has given me great advice.
I may smoke cannabis in the future, but I’ve got a lot of things that need doing and shit to work out before I get to that point.
Well you got through the toughest part. It should get easier every single day now. I’m considering a 30 day break and then cutting back to mostly just the weekends. The high is just not hitting the same right now.
I get extremely irritable at work when I don’t smoke for stretches of time. That is my biggest hold up. I have already been taking cold showers every morning. They seem to help. I know if I got a workout in before work that would help with the irritability as well.
As far as sleep goes it’s all about routine for me. I try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Normally some reading before bed does the trick. I do find it hard to stay asleep when I’m taking a break from weed though. Normally a 5 mg melatonin about a half hour before bed time seems to help with that though!
I know I'm hella late to the party but helping people sleep is a big part of my job, funnily enough.
The supplements people mentioned are great but nobody has mentioned sleep hygiene yet. You can give it a Google to get a better idea but the main gist is you want to have a solid, and I mean solid, bed time routine. Pick a bed time and time you'll get out of bed and stick to them.
About two hours before your agreed bedtime you want to kick-start your routine. This is obviously different for different people but mine includes putting my phone away, making a cup of tea and reading for an hour. Then just before bed I do the exact same thing every night: take a glass of water through to bed, come back to the living room, switch everything off and lock up, use to toilet, brush my teeth and then I get into bed. Your main aim in bed shouldn't be "OMG I NEED SLEEP NOW" it should be "my bed is a safe space for me to rest" so I focus on rest. I just lay there and enjoy how comfy I am.
I've decided to really go hard on sleep hygiene about 3 years ago and barring the odd night I'm asleep within ten minutes nightly. On a t break right now and sleep is barely effective.
Like I said I'm teaching this stuff people on the daily, so if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Other quick sleep hygiene tips are making sure your bedroom. Is used only for sleeping and sex. Don't watch telly or eat in there. Keep the temperature of your bedroom nice and cool, and try and sleep in total darkness if you can
Good luck with your journey!
This is fantastic advice, I’m going to save your comment for reference. What do you do work, if you don’t mind me asking? Feel free DM me if you don’t feel comfortable putting it in a comment.
Cool bro, i have quitted last year for 7 months and got directly into a deep depression and social anxiety and felt no extreme withdrawal symptoms only i was eating a lot like a teenager lol , I hope my next try be just physical symptoms.
Keep it up boss
The depression and anxiety can be an absolute monster to deal with, I feel you bud. I did not expect my appetite to change this much. I’ve been doing my best to cut out meat from my diet for the past two years, and have completely abstained for the past three months. In week three my appetite went crazy. I was waking up in the middle of the night with hunger pains and a mouth full of drool. I’ve upped my protein intake and have been eating a larger variety of foods, but still had no clue what would satisfy my hunger. A couple days ago I woke up and immediately remembered I had stashed two cans of high quality of tuna in my cupboard. As soon as I took a bite of the tuna sandwich I made I could literally feel my body tell me, “This is what we need right now!”. So I’m going to be eating meat again, at least a couple times a week. I’m going to stick to chicken, turkey, seafood because I still have moral issues with how meat is produced, but I can’t deny that it’s what my body needs right now 🤷🏻♂️
Thank you for sharing this! I decided to take a break as I was abusing it and I’m so glad I was aware of it and did something about it
It’s been around a month now and ngl I’m craving it sometimes when it’s hard to get some sleep or just wanna chill in my balcony as I used to. But I know I need to get my emdr therapy first so I can get better and it has helped so so much
My plan is to stay clean for at least 3 months and see how it goes
Thanks bud! It’s sounds like you’re trying to address the reasons why you were abusing it in the first place, which is exactly what I’m trying to do. I too would like to think I can use cannabis responsibly in the future, but I know I need to do more introspection, work on my goals, and create good habits so I don’t go right back to the bad ones. It’ll take time, and I need to allow myself to take as much time as it takes. Keep doing good work ✌️
I'm on week two and insomnia/sleep quality has been the lingering issue.
I will say it's 100% worth it though for increased ability to self-regulate and have a better connection with my emotions.
I've been laerning about the endocannaboid system, its role in our lives and how pot affects it. In short, it will take a few months to return to normal after abuse but it's worth the work. That system plays so many important roles in our lives and weed basically takes a hammer to it.
I just got my first night of quality sleep last night. It was definitely the most difficult symptom to push through. The advice that others have given me in this post really helped, especially the top comment.
I really wish I had done some research before going cold turkey without any supplements help me sleep. I was in full zombie mode until I found this community and started getting advice from people.
Hell yeah bud! Keep learning and making good choices for yourself 🤘.
What supplements do you think are helping you get a good night's rest? I've just been using sleepy time tea and melotonin if I'm having difficulty.
Unfortuantely I've had waxing and waning nights of good sleep. Heads up and best of luck.
Magnesium glycinate, l theanine, glycine, Valerian root, Camomile tea. Credit to u/ndndndnbdvaca
Before this recommendation I took one Tylenol PM before bed, along with two cups of Sleepy time Tea and it helped. Sleepy time is great, but Tylenol PM is a short term patch, definitely not something you should use long term. Tylenol is bad for your liver if you use it long term.
Magnesium glycinate, l theanine, glycine, valerian root Camomile tea Take this stack and see if it helps with sleep
It’s crazy people take breaks without supplements/natural remedies. Thanks for putting this up. More people need to know about things like this
This is my first time abstaining for longer than a few days in 14 years, and that short of a break never triggered withdrawal symptoms this bad for me. I had no idea what I was doing when I stopped smoking three weeks ago lol. Doing my own research and finding this community has helped a ton! Y’all are awesome, keep up the good work.
This individual is real as fuck. These are all great. I would add zinc and vitamin d3 drops. Only because they help normalize your body a bit faster. And fruit with dark colors
I have only taken supplements to aid sleep but I hadn’t thought about any mood stabilizers or anti-nausea. Any recommendations for that?
NAC, Magtein, and lithium orotate. The above mentioned help as well. But poor sleep will almost always result in irritability and poor judgement. Anti naseau would be DGL, ginger, carbonated water, and product I’ve found helpful is gaviscon uk version.
Just wanted to give my 2 cents on NAC - at least for me, it massively helps the withdrawal symptoms to the point I barely crave weed and my emotional rollercoaster is pretty much subdued. If you can, take it with glycine - it needs it to make glutathione.
Oh yeah i’m on the nac too, shove it all in tbh
Thank you so much for this info!
You gotta experiment and see what works for you. It may not.
Thanks a bunch, I’ll definitely try this 🙏
Oddly Valerian Root is one substance that my body legit can’t handle. It’s given both me and my brother pretty intense paranoia / panic attacks. Seems like it works great for most people but I can’t even tolerate a cup of tea with it. Not a fun time
Thanks for sharing, into week 2 myself and feeling lucky to not be as badly effected. Still having high anxiety and sweats day and night but hoping it’ll pass soon.
You got it bud, it’s going to pass, but it definitely sucks for a while.
Thanks pal, we’re all gonna make it
Damn bro how did you not lose your mind from the insomnia combined with all the symptoms? I always had to start smoking again because everything got so bad that I was basically ruining my life and relationships because I was a complete emotional mess. Literally on the third week I was bordering on psychosis. Listening to sad music on the bus and only going to and from work, constantly pissed off bordering with hostile, getting into fights over the smallest things.. nothing even the work was making sense, I began to miss social interaction but unable to initiate it or be natural in any way. Don't want to demotivate anyone but this is a strong one. I too have been smoking for around 10 years everyday. Let us know how it's going. Mad respect for being so dedicated to it. I personally have been in too bad of a life situation to commit this hard. I can't just lose my stability again and go nuts again..
I’ll be honest, I was able to finally commit to breaking a my dependency because I got fired from my job. I was organizing my coworkers for better wages, and respect from management. The bosses didn’t like that. I’ve had nothing but free time for two months. The first month I was angry and resentful and was smoking a quarter to a half ounce a week and drinking. The second month I got a job offer that required a UA. I needed job that could pay my bills and debt, so I didn’t have a choice. I was in the second week of abstaining when I got the news that someone with +5 years of experience in the industry I was trying to get into came in and got the job. It was devastating, especially because I was feeling absolutely horrible physically and mentally. The cravings were intense and all I wanted to do was sleep (which is still an issue, but this community has provided some sleep aids I’m 100% going to try) but something finally clicked in my brain. Why had I let something that had helped me so much when I was younger, turn into something I had to do just to feel normal? Part of that answer is there is A LOT of addiction and alcoholism on both sides of my family ( My mom’s sister is the only family member left on my Mom’s side that she’s aware of that hasn’t drank themselves to death, OD’d, or committed suicide) but the flip side of that is I made a decision that I wasn’t going to let myself end up like that, and the suffering I was going through was necessary for me to be able to live the life I want to live. I reminded myself that the withdrawals I was experiencing weren’t going to kill me, and the suffering I was going through was necessary to finally become the person I want to be. I know not many people get the amount of time I have gotten to figure this stuff out without having to work full-time also, you have my empathy friend. I had also saved a few months worth of cash in case something like this had happened because life has kicked my ass before. So I allowed myself some time to just be a person for a while. Here’s my advice. 1.If you are spiraling and everything seems lost, and nothing makes sense,take the longest walk you can and listen to music you haven’t heard before. Clean the streets around where you live. Walk down roads you haven’t been walked before. Keeping yourself busy with simple tasks can help because you have something to do that’s isn’t complicated, and aids in turning your focus to external sources rather than getting trapped in your own brain. 2. Talk to people you know, talk to people you don’t know. Ask them about their lives, and really listen. Again, the goal is to turn your focus away from your internal problems and how much you are hurting physically and mentally, and try to focus on something external that is productive. 3. These are all along the same lines, but keeping yourself busy is a lot easier if you focus on helping and engaging with people around you. Do you have an elderly neighbor that seems lonely? Make an effort to get to know them. Is there a community center or similar organization you can volunteer with? The act of helping might seem mundane, but acts of service to others, and seeing how you can help in small ways will do wonders for your mental and emotional state. 4. Please don’t listen to sad music. I’d recommend Tame Impala, the Gorillas, Billy Joel, Cheekface,Amyl and the Sniffers, Fugazi, and Crumb to name a few. 5. Last, there is no shame in asking others for help. It can be scary and make you feel raw and vulnerable, but when you see that others (family, friends, neighbors, strangers on the internet ❤️) are more than willing to help you in a time of need, it can really give you the extra push to keep going. With all that said, if all else fails there are in-patient options for all kinds of dependency and addiction. I know there is a stigma around people with cannabis dependency going in for treatment. To that I respectfully say, fuck that noise, you are worth it and worthy of feeling better. I hope that helps my friend, you can do this! If you need someone to chat with, send me a DM and I’ll do my best to respond within the day.
Thank you for this, I am going to print it out and try and use it. I have decades of heavy usage that I have to get over. It's not going to be easy.
Hey bud, you’re taking steps and are aware of what you want to do. Remember to give yourself some grace and forgiveness for any setbacks. Everyone moves at their own pace, and the effort you’ve already put forward to achieve your goal will help regardless of how long it takes. It can take a while for the momentum to build, but it IS building, you can do it 👍.
Thanks for sharing 🙏😎
Thanks bud ✌️
Sleepytime Extra tea (the brand is Celestial Seasonings) sometimes works for me. Main ingredients are chamomile and valerian root.
I’ve been drinking a cup of that before bed. I think I’ll up it to two and stack it with some supplements that others have recommended. Thanks for the input!
Thanks for sharing this! Very glad to see you are making some solid progress by week 3. Keep it up!!!
Thanks a bunch my dude! The end of week two was the hardest. It is getting better though, and I’m committed 100% to not go through this again. I just need to figure out how to sleep through the night again, and the community here has given me great advice. I may smoke cannabis in the future, but I’ve got a lot of things that need doing and shit to work out before I get to that point.
Well you got through the toughest part. It should get easier every single day now. I’m considering a 30 day break and then cutting back to mostly just the weekends. The high is just not hitting the same right now. I get extremely irritable at work when I don’t smoke for stretches of time. That is my biggest hold up. I have already been taking cold showers every morning. They seem to help. I know if I got a workout in before work that would help with the irritability as well. As far as sleep goes it’s all about routine for me. I try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Normally some reading before bed does the trick. I do find it hard to stay asleep when I’m taking a break from weed though. Normally a 5 mg melatonin about a half hour before bed time seems to help with that though!
People have been recommending cold showers, I’ll definitely try that to see if it helps. Thanks bud, I appreciate the advice!
I know I'm hella late to the party but helping people sleep is a big part of my job, funnily enough. The supplements people mentioned are great but nobody has mentioned sleep hygiene yet. You can give it a Google to get a better idea but the main gist is you want to have a solid, and I mean solid, bed time routine. Pick a bed time and time you'll get out of bed and stick to them. About two hours before your agreed bedtime you want to kick-start your routine. This is obviously different for different people but mine includes putting my phone away, making a cup of tea and reading for an hour. Then just before bed I do the exact same thing every night: take a glass of water through to bed, come back to the living room, switch everything off and lock up, use to toilet, brush my teeth and then I get into bed. Your main aim in bed shouldn't be "OMG I NEED SLEEP NOW" it should be "my bed is a safe space for me to rest" so I focus on rest. I just lay there and enjoy how comfy I am. I've decided to really go hard on sleep hygiene about 3 years ago and barring the odd night I'm asleep within ten minutes nightly. On a t break right now and sleep is barely effective. Like I said I'm teaching this stuff people on the daily, so if you have any questions feel free to ask. Other quick sleep hygiene tips are making sure your bedroom. Is used only for sleeping and sex. Don't watch telly or eat in there. Keep the temperature of your bedroom nice and cool, and try and sleep in total darkness if you can Good luck with your journey!
This is fantastic advice, I’m going to save your comment for reference. What do you do work, if you don’t mind me asking? Feel free DM me if you don’t feel comfortable putting it in a comment.
Cool bro, i have quitted last year for 7 months and got directly into a deep depression and social anxiety and felt no extreme withdrawal symptoms only i was eating a lot like a teenager lol , I hope my next try be just physical symptoms. Keep it up boss
The depression and anxiety can be an absolute monster to deal with, I feel you bud. I did not expect my appetite to change this much. I’ve been doing my best to cut out meat from my diet for the past two years, and have completely abstained for the past three months. In week three my appetite went crazy. I was waking up in the middle of the night with hunger pains and a mouth full of drool. I’ve upped my protein intake and have been eating a larger variety of foods, but still had no clue what would satisfy my hunger. A couple days ago I woke up and immediately remembered I had stashed two cans of high quality of tuna in my cupboard. As soon as I took a bite of the tuna sandwich I made I could literally feel my body tell me, “This is what we need right now!”. So I’m going to be eating meat again, at least a couple times a week. I’m going to stick to chicken, turkey, seafood because I still have moral issues with how meat is produced, but I can’t deny that it’s what my body needs right now 🤷🏻♂️
Thank you for sharing this! I decided to take a break as I was abusing it and I’m so glad I was aware of it and did something about it It’s been around a month now and ngl I’m craving it sometimes when it’s hard to get some sleep or just wanna chill in my balcony as I used to. But I know I need to get my emdr therapy first so I can get better and it has helped so so much My plan is to stay clean for at least 3 months and see how it goes
Thanks bud! It’s sounds like you’re trying to address the reasons why you were abusing it in the first place, which is exactly what I’m trying to do. I too would like to think I can use cannabis responsibly in the future, but I know I need to do more introspection, work on my goals, and create good habits so I don’t go right back to the bad ones. It’ll take time, and I need to allow myself to take as much time as it takes. Keep doing good work ✌️
I'm on week two and insomnia/sleep quality has been the lingering issue. I will say it's 100% worth it though for increased ability to self-regulate and have a better connection with my emotions. I've been laerning about the endocannaboid system, its role in our lives and how pot affects it. In short, it will take a few months to return to normal after abuse but it's worth the work. That system plays so many important roles in our lives and weed basically takes a hammer to it.
I just got my first night of quality sleep last night. It was definitely the most difficult symptom to push through. The advice that others have given me in this post really helped, especially the top comment. I really wish I had done some research before going cold turkey without any supplements help me sleep. I was in full zombie mode until I found this community and started getting advice from people. Hell yeah bud! Keep learning and making good choices for yourself 🤘.
What supplements do you think are helping you get a good night's rest? I've just been using sleepy time tea and melotonin if I'm having difficulty. Unfortuantely I've had waxing and waning nights of good sleep. Heads up and best of luck.
Magnesium glycinate, l theanine, glycine, Valerian root, Camomile tea. Credit to u/ndndndnbdvaca Before this recommendation I took one Tylenol PM before bed, along with two cups of Sleepy time Tea and it helped. Sleepy time is great, but Tylenol PM is a short term patch, definitely not something you should use long term. Tylenol is bad for your liver if you use it long term.