Marijuana Detox
People who claim that marijuana is not addictive have obviously never spent a sleepless night of headaches and nausea lusting for just that little something to take the edge off.
How to Get Past Marijuana Detox
Marijuana withdrawal is tough, and the detox pains are very real and strong enough to keep a lot of people using more than they want for longer than they want to.
Because marijuana detox doesn’t present with an obvious physical syndrome of symptoms, and because enduring social perceptions about the drug were formed in decades past, when the potency of marijuana was nowhere near what it is today, there exists a lingering misperception about the severity of marijuana detox and withdrawal pains.
Marijuana detox is real
They are real, they are medically recognized as such, and have been for years since a Harvard Medical School Study categorized them as a syndrome of symptoms. Marijuana detox symptoms are not physically dangerous but they can be very uncomfortable, and since the cravings during a period of marijuana detox can be so strong; marijuana detox presents a significant obstacle to sobriety and the bettering of a marijuana addiction.
Marijuana is addictive, the health risks of frequent use are many, and the benefits inherent in quitting make an attempt at detox a very good idea.
Marijuana Detox Symptoms
Marijuana detox symptoms will peak in intensity within a day of cessation of use, and only gradually start to subside after three or four days.
Symptoms include:
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Headaches
- Restlessness
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Depression
- Aggression and irritability
- Extreme cravings
Symptoms occur to varying degrees depending on the history and extent of abuse and personal physiology. Insomnia, anxiety and irritability are very frequently experienced.
Although you're not going to die from marijuana detox, the symptoms of withdrawal are very unpleasant, and since you feel co-occurring and intense cravings to use during the period of detox, the risks of relapse during the initial days of sobriety are high.
Treatment
No prescription medications exist for the real betterment of experienced marijuana detox symptoms, and only time will truly remove the discomforts of detox.
Sustained and vigorous exercise helps many to lessen the severity of symptoms of detox. Robust exercise can prompt the release of natural "feel good" neurotransmitters, helping to ease feelings of depression and anxiety, and sustained activity tires the body, helping somewhat with relapse provoking insomnia.
Having some form of sober support network to rely on during the initial days of temptation can help a lot and focusing your energies on activities away from temptations to use may also reduce the persistence of cravings.
Get Help for Marijuana Addiction
If you cannot quit on your own (and many cannot) you will need professional detox and treatment. Because cravings to use during the initial days overwhelm so many with the best of intentions to quit, progressing through detox in a facility away from access to marijuana may be required. Additionally, successful detox alone rarely provides a strong foundation for long term abstinence. To really stay drug free you need to develop self awareness over the root causes of your drug seeking behaviors, learn concrete and effective strategies to temptation avoidance, and learn with others how to have a good time without needing to get high.
The dangers of marijuana addiction are real; marijuana robs you of your initiative and clouds your emotions and your clarity. Marijuana use is associated with an increased risk for a number of different cancers, and also with a substantially increased likelihood towards certain psychiatric conditions.
Quitting is hard, but it's worth it, and if you can’t do it on your own, get help.
It is very real.
ME TOO
This is because the first time I really tried to quit, I went cold turkey and became violenly angry.
I started when I was about 16. Before I started I was very ill. I spent at least 10 mos laying on the bathroom floor trying to deal with paranoia and nausea. This was very scary to me because my mom never took me to a Dr. I didn't know what my problem was or how to deal with it. I lost my summer job and was anxious about school starting soon. How was I supposed to graduate when I couldn't lift my head off the foor?
That is when I was introduced to MJ and for me at the time it really was a blessing. It allowed me to return to a functioning human again. I was just a casual user, once in a while. I became a daily user when I became friends with one.
Being a daily user made me feel shameful, but I figured I could quit whenever I wanted. The first time I seriousy considered it was when I was pregnant. But smoking helped me sleep, eat, etc. so I deceided to wait until after the baby was born to quit. I was very honest with my Drs. They told me that the biggest danger was low birth weight, but since I smoked small amounts at a time (just a puff or 2...anymore and I would get sick) and I smoked low grade (high grade made me sick) my baby was born very healthy.
When she was a couple mos old I gave it a try because I wanted to be a good mom and good moms don't smoke pot. I was a little nervous because I didn't want to return to the person who could't get off the bathroom floor. After one week I was violently angry. Anyone who knows me will describe me as a quiet peaceful person. I can't tell you how this frightened me! I deceided I would rather be a pot smoking mom than a violent one.
After that I never gave it much thought. I was a good member of socitey. I graduated college, started my own business, and I WAS a good mom. Currently I have been smoking for 30 years, and was starting to feel very guilty and shameful. I was spending 25 to 50 a week, and I wasn't wealthy! I did most of my smoking alone from the time I woke up till I went to bed...every 4 to 6 hrs like clock work. I would smoke with others but I could't "keep up", any more than a few puffs would make me sick. I felt so much guilt and shame because I wasn't smoking to get high (getting high made me sick), I was smoking to feel normal and so I could function.
Well, a couple of years ago I was having "change of life" symptoms and deceided to have a check up. The Dr. spent a lot of time feeling a lump in my throat and asking me Q'S like "Do you ever feel anxious or have heart palputaions?" My answers were no...I had gone thru this with every Dr before. But I was also honest about smoking pot (as with every Dr. before) and she followed a hunch in her gut and had my Thyroid tested.
The test came back indicating that I have an over active thyroid, so she repeated the bood test to confirm. The 2nd test confirmed, so then I had to swallow a radioactve pill for another test that made it clear that I have a lump on my thyroid gland which was interfering with it's hormone production. This is what caused my unexplained sudden and severe weight gains and losses over the years, as well as sleeplessness, nausea, panic etc. (all the reasons that made me smoke)
I was put on a med and my levels returned to normal so I was quite exceited and told the Dr. that I would like to quit pot and she said she would help me do that later but first we had to address high cholesterol and diabetes and other issues that were a result of my malfunctioning thyroid. I was also a little concearned about the possibility of radiation treatment if my meds didn't work. I didn't want to lose my contacts incase I did have to go thru radiation because I knew it would help me with nausea, etc. and my DR. agreed. (It is interesting to note that non of my Drs or Dentists were ever concearned about my pot habit...even tho I was an all day user for many years. Maybe because it was just a puff or 2?)
So anyways I stopped beating myself up about it and concluded that God had provided me with pot to help me with my undiagnosed thyroid problem, but I still wanted to quit.
(I did confront my mother and ask her why she never took me to the Dr that year I was so sick and she told me she thought I was on drugs! How ironic because it was the lack of medical attention that led me to drugs! In my moms defense, I did see many Drs afterwards (including 2 prenancies) and they were always curious about the lump in my throat but never followed up on it. Probably because my answers to all their Q's were always no...because pot helped with the symptons!)
So anyways I wanted to quit but was afraid to go cold turkey because of what happened the last time. So I had the same idea you had. Normally I would make sure I got more before what I had ran out (like milk or something), but I deceided to let myself run out and then let a whole day go by before getting more. Turns out it was't so bad. I did that for a while and then went to 2 days. I did that for a while and then went for 3 days, but then instead of buying more I deceided to just go for it.
I have had insomnia, night sweats, some panic(but not much), loss of appetite,etc. but I'm still holding on. I am very greatful for this site because I needed help figuring out if what I was feeling was because of withdrawl or thyroid.
I AM ON DAY 5!
This is a great accomplishment because less than 24 hours after deciding to go for it my 15yr old son was rushed to the hospital with alcohol poisining. He was at a party and someone snuck in a bottle of vodka. This was his first experience with alcohol and he way overdid it. He went into convulsions, vomitting, urinating, devicating, the whole nine yards. Thank you Jesus that his friends called an adult and the adult called 911. When I got the phone call I swear I could hear satan..."Thissss isss not the time to quit ssssmoking pot..." and I have to admit that usually works. But I wanted to be strong for God, for myself and for my son.
So I didn't call my contact and that felt good.
ONE DAY AT A TIME. There is no right or wrong way to get there. If you end up getting some, enjoy. Then try again. Keep trying until you succeed. I quit smoking ciggs over 20 years ago and that was much harder for me than this. The cravings were unbearable and I would always go back. Then I would quit again. I can't tell you how many times I had to try. I would say "you've done well..one won't hurt.". But quitting never got any easier. So eventually I deceided it was always that first cigg that led me back to the painful point of having to quit again, and if I could stay away from that first cigg I would be ok. 20 yrs later and I don't even have a desire anymore. I used to have dreams that I was smoking and I would feel very guilty until I woke up!!
My confusion has been that I don't get cravings for pot so I thought if I could quit ciggs when the cravings were so bad, I should be able to quit pot. But I didn't get withdrawls from ciggs, just overpowering cravings. With pot, I don't get cravings, but I do get withdrawls which have been magnified because of my thyroid! With Gods grace and my thyroid meds.....
I would like to Thank God for taking care of me, even when I was an athiest. I do believe he led me to pot years ago because I needed it. I also believe he led me to the Dr. who would follow her hunch. And now I believe that he will give me the strenghth and courage to dump this habit. I will need him more than ever to face the overwhelming emotions of anger and sadness from my childhood that pot helped me to avoid. It was ok for me to avoid them at the time because I had no support, but now I do.
PRAISE GOD FOR HE IS GOOD.
HE TAKES CARE OF ME LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD.
ALL I HAVE TO DO
IS TRY TO BE GOOD.
PRAISE GOD
FOR HE IS SO GOOD.
PRAISE GOD
THE WAY YOU SHOULD.
Just remember, God created you, and he dosn't make mistskes.
Much love and blessings to you all.
Keep fighting the good fight.
inspired
me too!
MJ Withdrawals...
If it's not addictive, why do we relapse?
Lucky for me, I have people in my life whom I feel are entitled to my clear headed nature, and deserve not just my best intentions but my best efforts as well.
I have enjoyed marijuana in good times, and I have turned to it in bad. I use poor excuses to explain why marijuana is a less detrimental substance for people to abuse, because unlike alcohol, speed, coke, LSD, or whatever other people also get too easily wrapped up with, marijuana users are most likely to just be lazy, and harmful to nobody but themselves. Thats not entirely true, and if it were the case why not allow say household use Opium Poppies?
The fact is, for me at least, that more often than not, I am seeking a sedation, and generally for little other reason than want for taste and a continued state of euphoria.
I'm no cancer patient, and I don't have to go thru the disorientation of most AIDS medications. I just smoke, and would smoke for just about any reason that could come to mind. I'd smoke to be sociable. Smoke with business clients, (which is similarly dangerous w/ alcohol) and I would smoke because I have a hard time finding the kinds of life opportunities which I feel I deserve. I smoke largely because of my over inflated view of my under achiever self.
Lucky for me, I have forced myself to quit for months at a time every couple of years, just as an exercise in knowing I can. Each time I do though, I have cravings, sure. I reminecse ( however u spell it ). I dream of catching a good buzz, and I know after longer spells without it, that the effect is much stronger. Its almost like wishing I could be with a high school sweet heart again, and knowing for the price of a bag that I might get that feeling again. The fact is I'm older, and putting myself thru a sad holding pattern. It might not be sad for me to want to feel that way, except that when I see how others who are entirely important to me will look at me as a self diminished individual.
I would love to smoke say once or twice a year, but every time I quit, and start again.... it never happens that way. When I have a bag, I will keep smoking, battling with myself, or justifying why "its all good" until its gone.
This leads me to detox. Sure MJ is a strong mentally enhancing substance, which I myself am repeatedly guilty of abusing. And, it does cause me to miss out on a lot in life. The point is that when I try to quit, and become less "clouded" all my poor reasoning for why I would smoke all day before and after whatever occassion or incident, My purely selfish reasoning will amplify itself. Until I realize how much time money and energy I waste, just to be stoned, I am operating my whole life impaired by my own poor reasoning, shadowed by inadequacy and loathing.
Its sad, but getting past the physical addiction is nothing compared to trying to right myself in those ways in which I have repeatedly allowed myself to give in, give up, and call it euphoria.
Most pot heads just need a slap on the ass, and a personal reason to rise to sobriety, and to find what an elevated state of mind really is.
I do all this, and then I still go back. Am I an addict? or am I just getting by the best I know how? Nobody can help me but me, and yet when I do.. ? Is relapse always a sign of a hurtful addiction? I'm still on the fence, and glad not to be a drunk.
detoxing day 12
About self hypnosis
I think that the symptoms of detox and withdrawal can affect people very differently, but that cognitive symptoms that might include feeling distracted or unable to focus would be quite normal. If you feel drunk as in you are slurring your words or you can't walk straight, then I think you may be dealing with something above and beyond the effects of marijuana withdrawal.
Congrats on 12 days clean though! Best of luck.
Detox
Go to NA meetings. 90 meetings in 90 days.
This is me...
Day 2
MJ?
Day 10 of sobriety
Each day brings new challenges. The first week was the confused brain and extreme mood swings - from crying to feeling like a zombie. The worst for me are the alternating feelings of hopelessness and intense anger. I'm completely intolerant of all people - friends and strangers - and just want to tell anyone who makes eye contact with me to go f--- him/herself. I'm not normally this way and it scares me. I've always been the 'go to' person for friends and colleagues in crisis. Now I'm in crisis and haven't the courage to ask for help because most people would be completely shocked to learn that I'm a dope smoker. I'm a successful and independent business woman and I have one adult daughter who is happily married and successful in her own right. I work out regularly and take pride in my personal appearance. I don't smoke cigarettes and drink very little alcohol, but I am a closet pothead.
I've quit before and had a very small support group of non-judgmental loved ones to help me. When I relapsed, I was so ashamed, that I didn't tell anyone I was using again. Now I've made the decision to detox, and I'm suffering alone. I can't be around people because I'm afraid of what I might say or do that will offend a friend or loved one.
Can anyone provide some encouraging insight as to how long it will take to feel human again? It's overwhelming right now, and I can't remember how long it took to feel 'normal,' when I last stopped using.
Hope
Hope
It's been 18 days since I last had a puff, and I feel better with each passing day. I'm sleeping better (although the dreams are still a little weird), and my brain is still fuzzy, but each day gets a little easier.
I hope that this message will provide support to whomever might be where I was just a mere 10 days ago.
I'm not out of the woods because marijuana is and will always be my weakness; however,I'm not so depressed anymore, which means the world to me.
Just 18 days is all it took to begin to see life through a clearer lens. It was worth the misery of the first couple of weeks.
Hope Continued
As for your dreams, I concur with you that in the beginning they are quite vivid and can be a little disturbing at times, but as I said before, this is your brain finally getting the true rest it needs and deserves without chemical suppression, and for the first time in along time its got so much excess energy it doesn't know what to do while you sleep, so it makes up some really cool Hollywood Blockbusters that even Stanley Kubrick would be proud of!
But again be reassured that the dreams become more and more pleasant as the days go by, although I keep finding huge bags of weed out of nowhere in my dreams; but in my dreams my subconscious has finally accepted that I have given up, because I still refuse to smoke in my dreams which I found really cool, can you believe that!!
Also if its any help, I found that weed depletes your Vit-B store in your brain, and if you replenish this with a good Vit-B complex, it must be a complex of vitamins not an individual B-vitamin (Solgar are the very best you can get) you will see some great improvements in mood and general outlook. Stay cool, stay focused and stay clean, in a few weeks you will be a new woman with a big smile on your face and will never look back again.
HEY
RE: Day 10 of sobriety
'Good luck and Jah bless?'
RE: MJ?
STONED!!!
Gee why did a start smoking. I think for the adventure of it, to laugh, to reach a high level of thinking? I was 15 when I started smoking and said I would not smoke past the age of 30. Well I'm 30 and still smoking pot. Everyday at leaste an 8th a week. At this point I'm purely smoking because I'm an addict! No adventure, no laughing and no higher level of thinking. Just parinoia, cognitive distorded thinking, and loneliness. It has for many years had the opposite effect, a vicious cycle.
I have also struggled with drinking, I am now getting over a 2nd DUI!!. I can honestly say that the drinking isn't an issue anymore, maybe two beers with dinner. At that point I feel like shit and don't want anymore, it has caused me enough problems anyhow.
However, the pot still is an issue. I think the reason why I started was not the reason I continued smoking. I continued smoking because of not wanting to deal with the withdraw symptoms, it relieves stress and takes away boredom. I feel that it is starting to really interfere with my life now, I don't want to admitt it but it is. I'm 30, and want to have a real life. I want to feel good without drugs. I know I can do this. Oddly enough a am big athlete, I'll mtn. bike 20 50 miles, ski, rock climb, etc. It does not make me to lazy, I managed to finish college, I'm an EMT, and tend to be pretty smart. I know that quitting pot is not the key. It is diving into my issues( jealousy, anger, judging others, childhood abuse, and excepting our shity economy) learning to be positive even though things are bad, there is only one way to go when you hit bottom, and that is up. Thanks for reading. Wish me luck!!
Long Time User
Good for you!
Decided to quit
Good luck!!
Day 7 of Detox
STONED!!!
RE: STONED!!!
Challenging
STONED!!!
You know how some people can't handle smoking pot, they get bad anxiety or hallucinate, or etc..well comming down off of pot was just that for me. A drug holiday if you will, getting those symptoms that people get who don't like smoking pot.
A few different times people have smoke around me, it doesn't bother me belive it or not if anything I see how there personality changes and suddenly everything is all good. Well it's not all good if you self medicating, you mid as well be on anti depression medicine or etc... I feel so much better to think clearly, and people have even comented that I look better.
After quiting I don't feel depressed and am not getting anxiety or having strange thoughts.. It's fun to smoke pot when you actually get stoned, you luagh, and can act silly. But when your smoking every day all day, and drinking coffee, it starts to take on a differnt persona. I do believe smoking pot in moderation is fun and ok, make sure you don't have any laten mental disorders that run in your family for it could trigger it. I don't have any in my family, maybe depresion, but who does't. I have always enjoyed the reality smoking pot put me in and playing music. But the reality is that it is NOT REALITY!! Any if you smoke for a long time everyday all day, after a while it can start affecting your mental dispositon, i.e. it can have negative effects and you may get confused on who you are, are you your drug personality or are you who you are without the drug. Scarry stuff. I don feel that I'm starting to balance out, I feel good like I felt like I was a kid.
The trick is make your life good, with exercise, surround yourself with good hearted people, smart people, and try to aviod falling in to negative crowds. Its ok to not be cool..It is ok to be yourself.. I'm sensitive and still get pissed off when dealing with stupid people, and negative people, I feel like they are just trying to bring me down if they see that I'm happy, so im sensitive, feel inferior at times and I hate to admit it, but a have some self esteem issues. I feel pretty confident so that is hard to admit, But I want to be honest and try to be there for all of you, so know it is ok to feel weak, and not strong or feel like a dork, or whatever, the main thing is its way better than being a druggie loser!! Good Luck and keep me in mind when your hurting..I'm trying to stay positive and healthy and avoid triggers that might make me relapse.
Regards,
Dwight
Challenging Continued
Not as easy as I thought
I become friends with a bunch of avid drug users and declined from there. I found I needed to smoke weed for everything, if there was a good movie on or T.V show I just had to get baked. I needed it to go to sleep and If I couldn't buy it I'd scrape the resin out of my pipe even if there were bits of metal shards in the resin, I'd still smoke it because I just wanted to get high.
I didn't care how bad it was damaging me. I went for two weeks without smoking it, but after the second week my symptoms had declined to the point that I wanted to kill myself or get high.
I was constantly sweating, I felt no emotion or passion for anything which scared the shit out of me. I had horrible nightmares, when I woke up I would be so disturbed from the nightmares I'd become depressed and shut down.
So people who say it takes about a week to feel normal are bullshitting.
The only reason i smoke weed now is because Im really scared at being sober and experiencing those horrible nightmares and total lack of emotion.
In my mind I think I've done damage and will never be the same again. I'd rather be dead than go through those nightmares the anger, the sweating and the numbing of the senses, the sleepless nights.
I'm trying to stop smoking today, It's only been eight hours since my last smoke and already I'm covered in sweat and starting to feel really depressed, I'd do anything to be normal again.
5 years
Day 12
Way to go...
Please help me
He was an everyday user, alone in his office after work to relax and deal with stress. And he was "normal" which for me was wierd since, like I said am not a user, I had so many preconceived notions about it. Its been 2 days and seems worse then ever. He turned on me telling me he hates being married and having a family. that his life would be so much easier if he were single. that i control him, if he didnt have us to worry about he could smoke all he wants - he chose to quit this time because he was slacking at work and because of the new medication he is on (xanax and welbutrin) he is hoping will help ease his stress and depression. he simply blamed me for everything wrong in his life even though he has so many good things that most people dream of having.
i just dont know what to do. i dont know if i should believe him - our marriage has been rocky but lately had been fine - i dont know if this is because of his withdrawal. and i have no idea how to help. i feel like everything is just falling apart and all i can do is watch. there are so many other details but this is the basic summary. i am very scared for my family but i want him to quit. i want him to be healthy and happy. He wont talk to anyone about his problems or feeelngs. They all just come out in anger. I am hoping he will read some of your comments so he doesnt feel so alone. Please feel free to email me. I could really use some advice. pippin926@yahoo.com
Hang in there
Just give your hubbie a lot of love and support, and don't get too mad at him. Nobody means to be addicted to anything. He needs to exercise, eat right and drink a lot of water and cranberry juice. After a week or so, the problems with sleeping and anxiety will eventually go away. The cravings don't seem to ever completely go away - hopefully your husband will be able to ignore them, and me too this time. Good luck!
For Her
1 month
Congrats Man!
By the way, if you want to stay in touch with us and the folks that pass through here, we're about to release an online community in a couple of weeks, I'll update you all - I also just set up a Twitter account for ChooseHelp, so feel free to follow us http://www.twitter.com/choosehelp
All the best to you Gonge!
Martin
The basic tenets of academic research...
I would love to see a discussion of causality with respect to the impact of smoking marijuana vis-a-vis "motivation" or "addiction" that meets even the most basic academic standard - the concept of "psychological addiction" is so vague that it could be extended to facets of ones life as ridiculous as being addicted to wearing sandals or driving a car. As far as I'm concerned, if withdrawal does not consist of physical symptoms that actually place the user in real, physical danger, then it would constitute one of the substances for which this nonsensical concept of "psychological addiction" has been concocted.
Let's face it, when things go wrong in life, it's in many peoples nature to immediately seek some external reason, a kind of subconscious arrogance that I'm sure almost everyone is guilty of. I could blame my bad day today on a beer I drank last week, but would that be reasonable? But, as a self-admitted regular smoker, I must say that I take great offense to the nonsensical blather espoused by websites such as this. I have three university degrees from three different schools that would all generally be considered in the top 25 worldwide (for those who believe in rankings), a very successful career -- and perhaps for once will voice the opinion that I greatly enjoyed smoking marijuana in my progression to achieving all of this, and that it was not at all a hindrance to anything I have striven for or achieved. I challenge the moderator of this forum to let this post remain, and to discuss the points I've made.
Oh Lord....
Simple research within the NIH (or pubmed), perhaps, can be of benefit to you.
What point are you trying to make, or what is it that you are really looking for? Or is it that you are simply here to irritate people who are already irritable, and are trying to better themselves?
I get your view on "psychological addiction," but lumping that with "withdrawal does not consist of physical symptoms that actually place the user in real, physical danger" seems ignorant to me. Perhaps ignorant is a harsh word, and maybe a tad bit rude... I suppose what I truly feel is that you are justifying your little habit because you enjoy it.
I was able to go to college, be 2nd in my class, earn the nickname "the girl with the photographic memory," take care of 3 kids and a husband, keep my house clean, lose over 120 pounds, and run my own business successfully. So what????????????????????
I still felt like shit- mentally and physically. Sweating/freezing, shaking, coughing, having to use an inhaler, puking, hallucinating, and lying down because you can't even sit up, eat, drink, and the room's spinning uncontrollably while you're puking or dry heaving seems like a physical thing to me. What part of that is psychological? That's what happens to me when I smoke "too much," yet I couldn't say no. It sort of sneaks up on you, and you don't realize that you've smoked too much until after the fact.
I've smoked 1/2-1 oz a week for almost 6 years, and I'm 31... Oh yea- and I can't even tell you how much resin I smoke a week! I'm just through day 3 of not smoking, and it just got 'bad' a few hours ago. I know that I can scrape what's left of the resin within my bowls, but I refuse to let myself even go there. It is time to quit!
So what- I've managed to make some big accomplishments while stoned.... what could I have accomplished if I weren't?
You sound like an addict. A happy-to-be-using-because-it-doesn't-affect-me ADDICT.
Please, do not use silly rhetoric to excuse your bad behavior... especially in a place where it can be damaging to others who seriously have a problem, and are trying to better themselves. It's comparable to loading a needle for a heroin addict.
You came here for a reason, what is it?
Reply to "The Basic Tenets of Academic Research"
You have to ask the question though, how did you land up here on this web-page if you don't have any niggling worries about your pot use? My hypothesis is (academic..!) that you googled pot addiction because you were worried about the grip it has on you and you fumbled your way in here and then decided, after reading all the posts from distressed users to offload and prove yourself right, the mind finds ingenious ways of glorifying our addictions...beware!
I think you should at least have a little compassion for other people in times of trouble and act a little bit more responsibly and empathetically and stop hiding behind your 3 degrees; you are hardly so narrow minded as to believe you are the only one here with an academic background now are you?
Take care.
D
WHY!!
Congrats Gonge
By the time I went to college, I cut out all drugs but pot and alcohol. I smoked every day in college, even sold massive quanities for about a year and a half. I've never felt dependent on alcohol, or even liked it in excess, but pot was like my companion...I didn't do anything without it. I began noticing that I was drifting away from family and friends who did not condone the behavior, but I just suppressed these notions and continued to smoke daily.
I am turning 26 in two weeks and this last week it all came to a head. I have managed to be a fully-functioning and contributing member of society with a good job, but I have FINALLY accepted the self-realization that I have lost all the ambition I had in my youth, become more and more prone to do nothing when not at work, and dealt with more feelings of depression than ever. I've tried to use my mental toughness to shake off these feelings, but I have finally admitted that I am just fooling myself.
This is the first time I have tried to quit using since 14, and I am on DAY 10. It has been especially tough because my gf of two years and I have been going through a break up and we live together. I blame part of our failed relationship on our addiction and the unfulfilling lives that it has allowed us to live. I must say it has been incredibly tough. I haven't been hungry, sleep has been few and far between, there has been an overwhelming sense of lethargy (one of the reasons I wanted to quit in the first place), and it is the first thing I want to turn to to deal with the emotions of this failed relationship.
However, I am committed to doing this. I am feeling better EVERY DAY, and the resolve of setting your mind towards doing something that is ultimately good for you is an EMPOWERING feeling.
We only have one opportunity on this Earth (unless you are Hindu), and as much as I used to rant and rave of how rosy the lens was that weed produced to view life through, if you are honest with yourself you know how much more we can do and enjoy SOBER. I want my creativity back. I want my clarity back. I want my ambition back. AND ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE STILL POSSIBLE, no matter what age you are or how long you have been addicted.
I will never be one to point the finger at pot users, and I am certainly not out of the woods yet, but the notion that pot is not harmful and not addictive is totally false and our youth need to know that this is not just some warning that older generations falsely applied to Mary Jane. Like I read above, the weed we smoke today is 10 times more potent (and I smoked the good stuff) and studies will not truly be able to show the effects until years down the road.
Im sorry for the long, rambling post, but it feels SO GOOD to be honest with myself and get this out there. I hope someone on here can relate. I am looking forward to day 20, then day 30, then day 60, and so on.
I still think smoking weed casually is better than drinking alcohol consistently, but until I can prove to myself that I don't need either to lead a happy and successful life, I am blacklisting them.
Good luck to all of you out there and God Bless.
When the smoke clears...
For my son
Thanks
Night Sweats
Night sweats and nausea
We had a fight the other day and it has been three days since he has been away and I haven't had a smoke. From the first day I have had night sweats, lack of apatite, severe nausea and insomnia. Now at day three, I am having restlessness, irritability and the beginnings of what feels like depression. It only just dawned on me today that these symptoms are from withdrawal of MJ, not boyfriend withdrawal.
Now I am considering leaving an unhealthy relationship and giving up my apparent marijuana addiction together... I am scared of the consequences that such withdrawals will have on my mental wellbeing.
I am not sure I can stop smoking pot
I am tired of going through a quarter pound every two to three months, having resin on my lips and smelling like a bong. I wish I could live a happy life without smoking, but I don't know if this is possible. It was a relief to see all of the postings here from people going through roughly the same thing. I've gone to rehab, AA meetings and nothing seems to make my sobriety stick. I will stick with it though, and will change my diet and start exercising a lot - hopefully these things will help in my quest. I've never met a bonghit that I didn't love, so this is going to be a major test.
Just over 24hrs now
Help me Help him
We are new homeowners now and on a strict budget so we decided he was going to stop smoking. Today is the 2nd or 3rd day he's been without marijuana and I'm really concerned about his behavior. He was depressed yesterday and today he's extremely irritable. I told him I would borrow money for him to get a little bit so he doesn't have to quit cold turkey, but he refused any help from me. I don't know what to do especially because he's bipolar. I want to be as supportive as possible, but it seems like everything I say or do makes him angry.
Help me Help Him Reply
I have a lot of sympathy for you and your husband, it cant be easy dealing with all this right now, especially under financial difficulties. Its hard to offer advice to you but I would really encourage you not to have your husband stop cold turkey, that is just too hard for him right now, I am sure it is one of the few things he really enjoys and looks forward to, so I would try and encourage him to cut back but at least allow him the space to make his own decision regarding his pot use. He is the only one who can figure it out, and any extra pressure coming from an outside source (including his wife) will only add to the guilt and depressive thoughts he has and will inevitably make him irritable and angry.
There is actually a growing body of evidence which indicates that bipolar is caused by a vitamin imbalance in the brain, becuse some people dont correctly metabolize the vitamins they take in, leading to a mood disorder like bipolar.
Check out this website: http://www.truehope.com/
Love to you all, and try your best to keep positive in these tough times, my prayers are with you.
Trying again
Kudos to all of you and your courage and determination. I just decided to quit (again) tonight. I realized that after two years of daily smoking my tolerance has become so high that I'm not really enjoying the pot at all, I'm just smoking it as a habit. You'd think that would make it easier to quit, but I know that by this time tomorrow I'll be desperate for a hit to make me feel "normal". I want to be able to enjoy the occasional hit, not hate the pot because it rules my life!
Day2
mum of a mj user and addict
No withdrawal
Going thru it!
I started picking up some extra hours at work, so much so that I started staying on the campus at the skool I work at. With my busy schedule I didnt have that much time for partying at all so I didn't smoke much but maybe once a week. One day in December I got some good shit from my boy and decided to smoke after work. I borrowed his bowl and it was semi-packed so I smoked it and got crazy high. I decided to go to my room and did some push-ups and next thing I knew I was off my fucking rocker. My heart was beating off the chart, my breathing was out of whack and I couldn't calm myself down. I completely freaked out and called my girl and decided I had to go to the hospital. They kept me overnight and said it was asthmatic bronchitis from smoking weed and ciggs.
I should have learned my fuckin lesson but I didnt and I kept smoking on and off but I never enjoyed it as much after that. It wasn't the same and it even got to the point where I forgot why I even liked being high...whatever!
The last time I smoked was Super Bowl sunday of this year and I decided to stop. My life carried on as usual, goin to work, hangin wit my girl all that. Then out of no where I started feeling anxious like crazy. I'd be a work and then all of a suddent felt like I had to fucking escape. I would walk away and calm myself down and normally leave work early. I was completely wacked out and I didn't know why. From that point on my mind had gone to shit, I have a creative mind and it went ape-shit with my thoughts and I felt like I was going crazy....like padded-room kinda thing. I felt like I'm on auto-polit where I just live my life going thru the motions but my mind itself would be running a million thoughts an minute. I couldn't sleep, I was in the ER twice in a week for anxiety, I've been withdrawn from people, its nuts.
I've since gone on Zoloft and Xanax for anxiety and I'm seeing a pyschologist. My pysch pointed something out in the DSM called "Cannabis Induced Anxiety Disorder" and explained pretty much I was such a pothead for so long that my brain has been used to it and now it has to rewire it back to the way its supposed to be. Me being the pysch minor I am I've been all over the internet the last couple weeks reading these kinds of postings and things. But I found little or no comfort because no one was talking about the crazy anxiety I'd been going thru.
It helps me to talk about this and get it out. My pysch has been telling me the important thing is to stay positive because this will pass and my body will fix itself....and I can't wait. I had always thought anxiety was for the weak minded and all that but now I see that it can happen to anyone. I was always the chest beating brute guy and it felt nuts to need meds and all that but hey deep down we're all human. I hope this brings comfort to someone else that is goin thru the same thing.
You are not alone! Day 11
Namaste...
We're not alone - Day 20
One more thing. I've been working out regularly too - rigerous cardio. It has helped me get rest at night plus it gives me something to do with the time I used to spend high and daydreaming.
Keep the faith and ignore those people who think what you're going through is a joke (nobody has w/drawal symptoms from weed - it's harmless, etc). It's simply not true for longtime heavy users but there are ways to deal, get through it, and be happy again without it. I'm sure of that now.
Thanks for the great posts and good luck to all.
Panic Attack anyone?
I've been out of my goard...had a severe panic attack while smoking some potent stuff...went to the hospital where I was told that I was having a panic attack. They did blood and urine screen...hearts o.k. Quit smoking that day, I've been a daily smoker for 10 years now, probably a quarter a week. I've been under severe stress prior to all of this stuff going on, relationship woes etc...personal injury settlement finally settled, the money scares me, want to make sure that I invest wisely. Haven't smoked for 3 weeks, but still have feelings of panic...finally went to my family physician...didn't disclose marijuana use, but advised him of these panic attacks. He prescribed me Ativan...don't like that stuff either but it takes away the panic attacks...I take 1/2 of 1mg pill when I feel like a panic attack is coming on. Went cold turkey 5 yrs. ago for 8 months and didn't have the panicky feelings that I do now...but I also wasn't post menopausal (had blood work done)also had my thyroid checked (normal). Anybody got any ideas how long these feelings of panic last?
Re: panic attack anyone
HELP
All that to say, chiropratic care really helps.Also, there's an herb called Valerian root that had REALLY helped (just be careful to not become dependent on that either). It has helped me sleep, relax and get past all the anxiety and cravings(and it's at the local drug store). So,I thank all of ya'll who have been so helpful in realizing I'm not alone. I pray this may help someone get passed this horrible detox!
Day 5
Follow-up
dying or just anxiety attacks from withdrawal?
Nervous system shot or anxiety from withdrawal
Curious
About three years ago I began meditating twice per day and started my yoga practice, which is now a central part of my day. Yoga has opened me up emotionally, for bliss and saddness, to the point I finally became unstoppably curious what would fill the vacuum if I removed marijuana.
This has been both easier and harder than I anticipated. To my complete amazement, I have no desire to light up. The one time I was really tempted I remembered I have no rolling papers and simply refused to buy more. Today I gave away the fat bud that is the remainder of my stash. On the other hand, I have had trouble sleeping and feel an echo of the sadness and anxiety that utterly terrify me because, in a far more severe form, that drove me to a suicide attempt and hospitalization five years ago. I have not been in a relationship for a long while now but was at ease with it until these past ten days when acute loneliness settled on me. My dreams have been vivid, a sharp contrast with my usual pattern of sleeping soundly but having no memory of dreaming.
My blessed friend Hank, never a stoner by a long time drunk who drinks no more, pointed out to me that I am very lucky to have a strong foundation in yoga and meditation. Most people, he noted, quit drinking or smoking or whatever and look around for what to replace it with.
Probably my biggest upcoming challenge will be the looks of disbelief from stoner friends who will not believe that I, the chronic, am not imbibing. My biggest relief will be no longer smoking a fat joint and then desperately cleaning up because I don't want anyone to know I smoke pot. I just want to be one person, with nothing hidden (quitting pot is a big step in that direction but it is not all of it).
Reading the posts on this site has been uplifting and incredibly beneficial. I realize that the discomfort is a drag but its normal, just the price of admission to what comes next. I love you all!! Namaste. Peter
Withdrawls
i have found i haven't lost the ability to remember things, think clearly or gain weight or any of the main problems many people seem to face when addicted to marijuana. the ONLY problem i face is being able to stay off it, i love it. i would prefer to smoke it than drink alcohol. How ever i want to quit for the sake of my lungs and liver.
i've found quitting has become a habbit in itself, everytime i try to quit i find it hard to get a good nights sleep, i find each time i try to quit, 3 or four days in i will ALWAYS wake half way through the night 3 or 4 time drenched in sweat, even though im not hot nor cold, and this will carry on for many nights. Then if i smoke at some stage the sweats in the night dissapear. I must say that i've never felt any anxiety, nausea, loss of appetite, depression, nor do i feel agression or irritation!
i wonder if there is anyone out there who is in the same boat as me.
can anyone explain the sweating?
Regards, Bean
5 Days now
Calm From Within
Yes, there are symptoms, anxiety, headaches, lack of appetite, sleeplessness, restlessness, even boredom and inability to concentrate. Yes, that sucks. No, it won't kill you. Yes, you can live with it. The feelings we have are ours, we used marijuana to subjugate these natural feelings. Nothing wrong with that, but in the end you have to come back to earth. I found that rather than just as a sleep/relaxing aid (I am naturally high strung) I had begun to use earlier in the day and to use more to escape the reality of my life (which is very boring right now for reasons I won't go into). I knew that before I could DO something to not really be bored I had to stop using pot to hide from my boredom.
My symptoms are greatly alleviated by doing Bikram yoga which gets me sweating, helps my appetite normalize, helps me sleep at night and relieves the neck and shoulder muscular tension that intensifies headaches and is intensified by headaches.
The main thing to remember is that these symptoms do not last longer than 10 days at the outside, 3-5 is normal, and that they are only that, symptoms. Your body is adjusting and this causes discomfort. Deal with it.
Years ago I had a friend who wasn't physical. I was visiting her and needed to get in a long training run. I ran 20 miles that day and she rode a bike, very slowly, next to me. What she did that day would not have been considered even mildly stressful for a normal, healthy person. That night she ended up, my having left the city that afternoon, in the emergency room. When the doctor examined her thoroughly he was peeved to discover that she simply did not know, having no experience, that exercise hurts and given some tylenol and a day or two, the pain subsides. This is our dilemma, to realize it is normal, and it will pass. Drink lots of water. Get some exercise, be prepared to breathe your way through some difficult hours, don't use other substances to allay the symptoms, just feel it, you'll be OK.
Bikram yoga really helps. I have a friend who used it to permanently and effectively get off heroin so if it works for that it will work for this. Take extra vitamin C and eat healthy food. Remember that there are no good feelings and bad feelings, there are only feelings.
If you are a person who is able to manage balance you can eventually use again if you simply never allow yourself to use more days than not. 1 in 3 is a good rule for weed and alcohol to avoid addiction. Balance is good my friends. Be well. Be at peace...
marijuana detox, the way to get it done.
now detoxing sux. ive been there many times, weather waiting for my next bag, or trying to pass that test.
answer? time, water, antioxidants, vitamins, & good circulation= cardio/exercise. sun is AMAZING at clensing you, so long as u wash all that gross toxic sweat off you. green tea, red tea(best) detox teas, black tea, white tea all good tea weather rooibos or clasic teas are high in antioxidants. onions garlic fruits vegetables. all good sources. eat healthy. drink tea, wich is infused in WATER. walk or run around in the hot sun and take hot steamy showers. eating high in fiber and nutrients will regulate you which clenses the colon which hold dead thc filled cells and resin and whatever else. plus clean colon = less weight, and bigger appitite good thing. take multi vitamins daily and drink water water water, juice juice juice, tea tea tea, alot alot alot. like a gallon or more a day, youll be clean in a week or two, i get clean that way and i smoke right when i wake up, and every thirty mins to an hr after that till i sleep. more at night. = between a 1/4 of a oz and a oz a day. depending on cash flow. +) dont worry be happy.
if ur wondering today was my last day of smoking as i have to be clean for a ct date, but i will have no trouble doing it because its tried and true. ive done it before. and i know that one day me and mary jane will be together again. i will smoke till the day i die because it heals me. im very sic, and with out it i could cause alot of damage, so just get off me dawg




Detox