Weed tolerance/addiction and more. Seeking help!

[silvy]

Hey. I can't remember my old login info so I'm "smurfing" this, because I do desperately need some information from more then just google searches.

----

Been smoking for the last four years, since I was a sophmore in college. Pretty much non-stop, expect for a few days in between getting a new stash here and there.

Now I am at the point to where I am miserable without weed. When I don't smoke weed my mind seems to be in some kind of hyper focus knot. I know it sounds crazy, but its like I cant stop thinking/worrying when I'm not high. I just keep thinking and thinking, and if I try to stop thinking I feel like I am holding my breath. It is driving me crazy. As soon as I smoke a bowl the anxiety goes away, and I can focus on whatever I am doing. For example, I just watched the newest season of Game of Thrones, a series that I have loved since the books were released years ago. I tried to watch the show sober and had absolutely ZERO interest. I turned it off twenty minutes in to go play battlefield. I took a couple of bowl hits, re watched the show and was super engaged the entire episode. I somewhat understand the effects of neruo-transmitters on the brain. My theory is that the weed is desensitizing my dopeamine receptors. Therefore, when I'm not stoned I am miserable.

Would the assumption that thc holds the same properties as per say alcohol or sex be true? Both activities feel amazing after a period of abstinence, but give depreciating pleasure when done back to back. Have I smoked so much weed over the last four years that my brain is totally pleasured fried?

How do you guys deal with this? At the end of May I am leaving college to move back home to find a "real job" and all that good stuff... Yolo my asshole, because I am not ready for this. Over the next week before I move back home and get forced to face life I would really like to put my self in the best mental state as possible. As in, stop playing video games all night, quit wasting time on TV, porn, pointless internet websites, etc. Now that I am out of college I have no doubt I will not drink near as much. I am wondering if I need to give weed up as well? would these steps be enough to restore my dopeamine receptors to a point to where I can enjoy life with out being high?


I know this is a lot, thanks to any one that takes the time to read

 

[Jibult]

Now I am at the point to where I am miserable without weed. When I don't smoke weed my mind seems to be in some kind of hyper focus knot. I know it sounds crazy, but its like I cant stop thinking/worrying when I'm not high. I just keep thinking and thinking, and if I try to stop thinking I feel like I am holding my breath. It is driving me crazy. As soon as I smoke a bowl the anxiety goes away, and I can focus on whatever I am doing. For example, I just watched the newest season of Game of Thrones, a series that I have loved since the books were released years ago. I tried to watch the show sober and had absolutely ZERO interest. I turned it off twenty minutes in to go play battlefield. I took a couple of bowl hits, re watched the show and was super engaged the entire episode. I somewhat understand the effects of neruo-transmitters on the brain. My theory is that the weed is desensitizing my dopeamine receptors. Therefore, when I'm not stoned I am miserable.

Would the assumption that thc holds the same properties as per say alcohol or sex be true? Both activities feel amazing after a period of abstinence, but give depreciating pleasure when done back to back. Have I smoked so much weed over the last four years that my brain is totally pleasured fried?

How do you guys deal with this? At the end of May I am leaving college to move back home to find a "real job" and all that good stuff... Yolo my asshole, because I am not ready for this. Over the next week before I move back home and get forced to face life I would really like to put my self in the best mental state as possible. As in, stop playing video games all night, quit wasting time on TV, porn, pointless internet websites, etc. Now that I am out of college I have no doubt I will not drink near as much. I am wondering if I need to give weed up as well? would these steps be enough to restore my dopeamine receptors to a point to where I can enjoy life with out being high?


I know this is a lot, thanks to any one that takes the time to read

Your body will always be able to recover, with enough time.

This sounds to me like generalized anxiety. It's a big issue with me. I deal with my GAD through exercise and, unfortunately, marijuana. Exercise is more effective at negating stress, but more often than not smoking a bowl is a much easier endeavor than a 2-4mi run, or hittin' the heavy bag for five 3min rounds, or even just slapboxing and running around with my dogs.

Giving up cannabis is one of those things that only you can decide. There's a ridiculous amount of variables to consider in making that decision and, truthfully, only you know yourself well enough to be a decent judge of whether your use of marijuana may hinder your life in a significant way in the future.



Best of luck! Whatever you decide I'm sure it'll be the right choice.

 

[Corazon]

How do you guys deal with this? At the end of May I am leaving college to move back home to find a "real job" and all that good stuff... Yolo my asshole, because I am not ready for this.

You may be forced to take a break, when looking for a job anyway.
Take a break, eat clean/healthy, exercise, and get some sun and your brain chemistry will correct itself much faster. Weed withdrawal/PAWS make life uncomfortable, but at least with effort they aren't completely debilitating.
Re-assess what you want out of the drug. College years can easily lead to everyday use of alcohol or marijuana as part of the social scene, even if it isn't what you would logically decide is your best plan of action.

 

[RobotRipping]

lol weed PAWS? hahaha no offense sorry.

seriously though give it a few weeks and you'll be able to get pleasure out of ordinary things again. I used to refuse to watch a movie while not high, and still refuse to watch certain films while not on psychedelics but at least for cannabis, i don't have that desire any more.

I always recommend people to cut back on their smoking to only nights and/or weekends only. That way you can enjoy getting high to watch your favourite tv show or whatever but the rest of the time you are fine and not craving cannabis. It's a perfect balance that is easy to achieve. Also your tolerance will stay level for a long time like this.

no your brain isn't destroyed, if you want to quit, you may feel mildly shitty for 3 days, then it gets much better and after a week, you'll get used to doing things normally again. Mindset is everything when quitting, or cutting back, so if you really want to do it, i can promise you, you won't face weed withdrawals.

Most people say that they can't eat or sleep when they quit cannabis, or they get night sweats and vivid dreams, yes that is true but when you really want to quit, it's pretty easy to eat and sleep at least. night sweats only last for a couple of days. All in all it's a walk in the park and a pleasant one as your mind becomes more and more lucid after you quit, you can appreciate other things in life.

 

[Corazon]

lol weed PAWS? hahaha no offense sorry.

true true, i think I misused that acronym^
nothing really "acute" about any stage of marijuana withdrawal

 

[buffalosoldier]

Hey. I can't remember my old login info so I'm "smurfing" this, because I do desperately need some information from more then just google searches.

----

Been smoking for the last four years, since I was a sophmore in college. Pretty much non-stop, expect for a few days in between getting a new stash here and there.

Now I am at the point to where I am miserable without weed. When I don't smoke weed my mind seems to be in some kind of hyper focus knot. I know it sounds crazy, but its like I cant stop thinking/worrying when I'm not high. I just keep thinking and thinking, and if I try to stop thinking I feel like I am holding my breath. It is driving me crazy. As soon as I smoke a bowl the anxiety goes away, and I can focus on whatever I am doing. For example, I just watched the newest season of Game of Thrones, a series that I have loved since the books were released years ago. I tried to watch the show sober and had absolutely ZERO interest. I turned it off twenty minutes in to go play battlefield. I took a couple of bowl hits, re watched the show and was super engaged the entire episode. I somewhat understand the effects of neruo-transmitters on the brain. My theory is that the weed is desensitizing my dopeamine receptors. Therefore, when I'm not stoned I am miserable.

Would the assumption that thc holds the same properties as per say alcohol or sex be true? Both activities feel amazing after a period of abstinence, but give depreciating pleasure when done back to back. Have I smoked so much weed over the last four years that my brain is totally pleasured fried?

How do you guys deal with this? At the end of May I am leaving college to move back home to find a "real job" and all that good stuff... Yolo my asshole, because I am not ready for this. Over the next week before I move back home and get forced to face life I would really like to put my self in the best mental state as possible. As in, stop playing video games all night, quit wasting time on TV, porn, pointless internet websites, etc. Now that I am out of college I have no doubt I will not drink near as much. I am wondering if I need to give weed up as well? would these steps be enough to restore my dopeamine receptors to a point to where I can enjoy life with out being high?


I know this is a lot, thanks to any one that takes the time to read

Dude seriously practice some sport, do some exercise in order to feel better, that is the key if you don't want to be a ZOMBIE

 

[Egzoset]

Salutations,

...when I'm not stoned I am miserable. Have I smoked so much weed over the last four years that my brain is totally pleasured fried?

My guess is you've only fried your sense of balance IMO. The good news is now it should be easier for you to recognize the negative boundaries earlier, hopefully...

 

[weekend addiction]

First Paragraph is background so I don't get flamed and told to go shoot some meth. If your going to read my post with an open mind then you can probably skip this and save yourself some time. I beat my opiate addiction that ended in IV heroin addiction and in me getting accepted into the methadone program. At the time I was such a piece of shit I missed a couple of appointments and never got to take my first dose. I got kicked out of the methadone program for being a fuck up before I could even start (blessing in disguise). This was due to my heavy adderrall addiction at the time. So no more H but I continued to be somewhat addicted to amps and very addicted to Xanax and marijuana. Finally I beat the amp and weed addiction however it took several stays in the mental hospital for me to get over the xanax. I legitimately need strong medicine because deep down I'm fucking crazy.

Hopefully you can see some of my experience and learn from it. First off I am off no assistance to you as my marijuana addiction is pretty severe. This is largely due to being bipolar. My friends who are bipolar who smoke are more greatly affected by it than most. One of them will cuss out their best friend for almost no reason if they run out (this guy smokes 30 dollars of pot everyday and that's conservative for him!!!). The other will lock himself in his room for days and skip class and avoid any human interaction when he runs out.

I seem to manage it better than they do but I cope with excessive alcohol, energy drinks, and though I've quit...chewing tobacco was a big one. Not to mention I sometimes totally fuck my health up with all kinds of hard drugs if I can't get weed. My thought process goes like this: Fuck there is no weed. Wonder if I could get some crack? Too sketchy. Maybe I'll just tweak my brains out on amps and drink a lot? If I always had weed like I used to I don't think I would ever get to this point.


So now I'm on a very low dose of medicine and pretty much no drug abuse except for alcohol and weed. The alcohol is not affecting my life but I know the long-term consequences are there. If I stayed with the meds and alcohol I wouldn't feel like a drug addict. But with the weed I feel the craving that only an addict knows. Its not that I smoke a lot and marijuana actually improves my functionality significantly. Most everything positive I have done with my life I have been high on marijauana. Many shitty things I have done on other drugs but not weed.

So weed helps me deal with being borderline psychotic and makes me more functional. Well then smoke all day why not? Sure but when I run out I just stare at the computer screen or lay in bed all day. To depressed to watch tv even. I'm able to shower and go to work if I have to but I just don't want to do anything. I don't even want to drink. When I took a long break from cannabis I could enjoy anything without weed. Especially drinking and watching tv. I either need to keep a constant supply or smoke occasionally. I'm bipolar and have plenty of anxiety. I can't through drug withdrawals into the mix even if its something like weed. Because while I'm sure marijuana withdrawal is mild for many, it's total hell for me. I've cried myself to sleep many I night because I didn't have a bowl. I've cut myself when I couldn't get weed. When I was 17 I punched my dashboard so hard I broke the AC in my car just because I had to wait an extra day to get my buds.

Oh the irony of addiction. To love something so much that it makes you miserable when its gone. I guess it's kind of like love. And I do love my marijuana. It honestly helps me stablize my mood and reduce stress. Hopefully when it's legal I won't run out ever again.

Edit: Update: So I haven't smoked hardly any for the past couple days. Spiraling out of control depression. It's not that I'm a danger to myself but I'm definitely depressed. Two friends of mine said they were going to get me some bud and some how both of them fell through. I hate living in a city where I don't know anybody. I honestly feel fucking miserable. Now don't get me wrong, hard drugs have always lead to a more intense physical withdrawal. However, the psychological withdrawal of marijuana is only comparable to benzos for me. I would rather CT a 50 mg a day oxy habit than stop smoking a gram of shitty weed everyday. Sure I would have diarhea and cold sweats. But I wouldn't want to cut myself or give up on life. Cannabis withdrawal affects people very differently based on body chemistry and mental stability. For those of you that can't accept that go fuck yourselfs.

 

[Achten]

Sounds like you're in need of direction. I struggled myself and I'm good on my way getting out of whatever I created in my head.

Anyway, more practically, maybe a "real job" (what's an "unreal" job then? of do you mean "fulltime?") is good for you, creating routine etc.
Weed, videogames, porn, .. can still be a part of your life (and probably will be for a few more years if I may wager a guess), but you'll have to assign moments to each activity.

I found working life *much* more liberating than student life. Everybody says being a student is the best time of your life. I feel bad for people who say that. I don't believe people stop growing/evolving after 25. Your whole life is a Soul Search.
I did have a LOT of fun studying, but it cannot be compared to the freedom that I have now. Play the game well, and you won't enjoy less weed/videogames/...

 

[Jibult]

Cannabis withdrawal affects people very differently based on body chemistry and mental stability. For those of you that can't accept that go fuck yourselfs.

Too true. Thanks for sharing that, Weekend (the entire post, not just what I quoted).

 

[weekend addiction]

Too true. Thanks for sharing that, Weekend (the entire post, not just what I quoted).

No problem it pisses me off when people say its just weed. Just weed is different for everybody. I have been through drug withdrawal many times in many different forms. Marijuana is curiously strong for me. I wish it wasn't but it is. Oh and I finally got a bit of weed and now I feel fine for now. Fucking bullshit cycle I need to cut back or get better connects.

 

[Jibult]

Go for both! Cut back and search for fresher, more consistent product! It's a win-win situation.

My compulsion (or impulsion? fuck it, my desire**) to smoke weed is so much stronger than my interest in most other drugs. My one exception, though, is Xanax. That shit is dangerous for me to be in abundant supply of... Aside from alprazolam, though, it amazes me how incessant my urge to smoke weed is when I'm out. Pretty much the only thing that'll keep me from overly thinking and stressing myself in that situation is an inability to get any bud. Whether I'm flat broke, on a super budget or the county's just super dry, the only time not having herbal on hand doesn't bother me is when I can't get it for whatever reason. If it's a viable option and the thought hits my mind, yeah, I'm probably going to be smoking in a li'l bit.

 

[silvy]

Go for both! Cut back and search for fresher, more consistent product! It's a win-win situation.

My compulsion (or impulsion? fuck it, my desire**) to smoke weed is so much stronger than my interest in most other drugs. My one exception, though, is Xanax. That shit is dangerous for me to be in abundant supply of... Aside from alprazolam, though, it amazes me how incessant my urge to smoke weed is when I'm out. Pretty much the only thing that'll keep me from overly thinking and stressing myself in that situation is an inability to get any bud. Whether I'm flat broke, on a super budget or the county's just super dry, the only time not having herbal on hand doesn't bother me is when I can't get it for whatever reason. If it's a viable option and the thought hits my mind, yeah, I'm probably going to be smoking in a li'l bit.

Man, you hit me on nail with that. That't exactly why I smoked for four years straight. Weed simply made everything better, there was no viable reason to put the joint down. And xanax... yeah it's a good thing my hookup never sold more then about 10 a month, because I can ALWAYS find a viable reason to take a xanax.

Any way, this is the OP. I didn't smoke for three days and was pretty miserable. I thought it wasn't bothering me at first, but once that initial "im doing something good for my self" motivation died off it got really shitty. I went and worked out last night and it felt extremely liberating. I felt great in til I got back home, started watching a movie and realized I couldnt smoke. Will power is the hardest thing in the world.