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Waiting Won't Make You Feel Better

  • anonymous Asks ...
    anonymous

    I am at day 52 of no cannabis. I was a 17 year daily smoker so 52 days is cause for celebration. Unfortunately, the last thing I feel like doing is celebrating. Actually I feel down in the dumps, pretty much how I have felt ever since I decided to quit. I did a lot of reading before I got started so I was expecting withdrawal symptoms and I know my brain needs time to heal but honestly this is getting ridiculous. I am thinking about smokimng again just to feel something good again but I really don’t want to do that if I am just around the corner from feeling better again and I would undo all of my hard work so far. I feel stuck and not sure what to do. Is a 50 day + depression after such a long cannabis habit within the realm of normal? Should I keep waiting or what?

  • Dr. Arthur Trotzky Says ...
    Dr. Arthur  Trotzky

    Waiting is not the answer to feeling better. You need to do something about what you are feeling and thinking now that you are without the chemical making you feel good. The problem with cannabis is that it makes one feel pretty good so that person will continue to use to continue to feel good. Unfortunately, with most chemical users and especially those who have addictive disease, the amounts, substances and/or behaviors will increase and the desire to stop will begin to be felt. Just as in your situation, when you stop, something is missing so one returns to the quick fix. I would suggest you find a good therapist so you can find out what is making you unhappy and in what direction you may want to go to make your life meaningful and happy. Toking on a blunt is no longer the goal of life. There are many other options.

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