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Recovery For Those Of You Who Quit Weed

Big deal! Ever think you'd get this far without the green? It puts things in a bit of perspective. Perhaps going without cannabis is really a big part of why you've struggled so much (until recently :))?
 
Day 49 today. Mood swings are constant. Horrible anxiety at night, can't sleep much. Impossible to fall asleep. Fleeting moments of feeling good, sex drive fluctuates. Sense of smell seems to be coming back, mind is feeling clearer. Depression is still there, anhedonia rules. Impossible to imagine that things will be ok or that I'll be happy again.

Weed is a harmless drug.

;)
 
Damn! What are you doing to take good care of yourself as you continue to heal?

Sounds like quite the fucking battle. Keep up the great work!
 
i'm sorry but "Half Baked" comes to mind. "YOU EVER SUCK ANY DICK FOR WEED?" "HUHHH?" :D

nah but pot can be tough to give up. I did it but it was like while smoking it was a 5-6 smokes a day minimum. Between the three of us we'd smoke an ounce daily, usually 10 blunts. Sure, wasteful in retrospect, but then again giving up world of Warcraft was tough too. And probably wasted more time. Last time I checked /played was when I noticed I didn't care to paste it anymore.
 
toothpastedog said:
Damn! What are you doing to take good care of yourself as you continue to heal?

Sounds like quite the fucking battle. Keep up the great work!
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About the only thing that has proven to work is exercising. I work out and I'm good for 3-4 hours after.

I should also add that I don't have any cravings for weed, nor did I ever. I don't want to smoke it, and there is no craving for it.
 
Day 51 -

Woke up this morning, and immediately noticed that I had no anxiety. I was out with a few friends and got home late. Even managed to get a flat tire. Woke up after about 5 hours of sleep and did my daily "waking up check" and realized that there was no anxiety. Or depression. Then a few hours later, I became euphoric. Literally happier than a dog. All day long feeling amazing for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Energy is abound, I feel motivated ....

Welcome to PAWS my friends. The mood swings are undeniable. But are also an indication of a brain healing and adjusting the mood chemicals in the brain. It realizes that there is not enough "happy" ones, so it cranks out extra feel good ones. Then it realizes it did too much of that so after a few days you go back into the dumps. Last time this stage lasted for 4 months until I got stable.

I'm on my way to my old self. There will be many bad days ahead, but days like these give me the strength and hope that things will be fine.
 
You're really doing fantastic LL! Keep up all the great work comrade!

I hope you are able to continue working on trying to cultivate fun, nourishing habits and ways to become healthier and kinder with yourself.

You are working so very hard on creating a healthier, more satisfying lifestyle. I can see success becoming more and more of a friend :)
 
I've been off the bud for 5 months I ended up in st gorges hospital I felt like I was loosing the will to live I was smoking bongs all day long for years but I'm clean now and sticking to my codeine, but it is hard
 
Back to feeling like total crap today. Had a bit too much coffee this morning, anxiety is back big time
 
dicko - luck you have legal, OTC access to codeine in your neck of the woods :) I take it your cannabis use has caused more harm than your codeine use? I strongly suggest you start your own thread on the subject of what you're going through with the cannabis and how you're treating yourself with codeine (or just the cannabis issue(s), whatever you're more comfortable with).

LL - I have to be very careful about my caffeine intake these days. I find that I generally limit myself to either no coffee of a cup of very tastily brewed stuff (normally Turkish style). How much caffeine do you normally consume in a day? If it is a lot or your consumption is affecting your in harmful ways, have you thought about creating a harm reduction plan to address its ill (and positive) effects?
 
Went to see my GP, got a prescription for Wellbutrin XL 150mg. Gonna see if it helps with the depression and anxiety.
 
Nice! I found that particular medication to be helpful in early recovery. Be careful with your caffeine intake on it though, probably won't be an issue, just something to keep aware of. Make sure to give it two weeks to a couple months before rendering any real judgement on it, unless you experience some nasty side effect or something. The med can be very helpful.
 
Pure hell. Woke up to severe panic attacks, depersonalization, anxiety everything. Have not started Wellbutrin yet, wanna do all I can to fight this monster on my own.

I'm regretting starting to smoke up again back in October, it would have been 10 months today had I not done so. Feel hopeless and can't see myself better. I know it's the chemical imbalances talking, and I know better days are ahead. But this is pure hell. Wouldn't wish it upon anyone
 
There are many things you can do right now to address feelings of hopelessness. When we are really hard on ourselves, in terms of the progress we are making (or not making) to accomplish our goals, we actually end up keeping ourselves from moving forward. I strongly encourage you to find ways of being easier on yourself and gentler about this whole process. These kinds of neurobiological and behavioral changes take time, they don't happen over night.

I also encourage you to attend to the basic of mental health self care practice. Eating regularly (and healthy, balanced meals), creative leisure time activities (what are your hobbies, what kind of stuff do you enjoy?), healthy sleep hygiene (http://www.med.umich.edu/painresearch/patients/Sleep.pdf), getting some exercise on a regular basis, etc. Some of this might apply to your situation more than others, but focusing on basic healthy habits is great way to keep the mind balanced - or start off getting it balanced it to begin with.

Do you have any sense where the panic attacks and depersonalization came from when you woke up? Have you ever struggled with this kind of experience before, or was it a new, rather shockingly foreign kind of experience?
 
simco said:
Not sure what you're getting at. Am I right that you're making jokes about the OP's efforts to quit weed? If not, my apologies. If so, don't.
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It's a movie.

LawyerLife said:
Back to feeling like total crap today. Had a bit too much coffee this morning, anxiety is back big time
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natural part of caffeine use. Better to avoid it if anxiety is an issue.

badfish45 said:
It definitely sounds to me like what you're going through is more than just THC withdrawal.
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It sounds like exactly what I'd go through if I stopped using cannabinoids.
 
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Captain.Heroin said:
natural part of caffeine use. Better to avoid it if anxiety is an issue.
...
It sounds like exactly what I'd go through if I stopped using cannabinoids.
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It may be some underlying or co-occuring condition, but I have also seen these kinds of symptoms come up after stopping cannabinoid use just in terms of cannabinoid withdrawal too.

It actually isn't that unusual for these kinds of symptoms to develop over the course of the first month or more after cessation of use, due to the long time it takes the bodies of regular cannabinoid users to process through all the metabolites and whatnot that have built up in their system.

I have to be so careful about my caffeine intake. A little is very enjoyable, but anything over that amount is fucking horrible. I also tend to struggle with anxiety, though in the form of a kind of social phobia. Caffeine is a very bad idea, generally speaking, right before having to go to an interview of deal with situations that activate anxious states. I mean, a very small amount won't necessarily cause problems, but generally speaking I have found it much safer to just wait until I'm done taking care of business.

Consuming caffeinated products slowly and stopping once I have had enough (even if there is some left) helps a lot in terms of mitigating any harmful side effects of caffeine use (for a plethora of reasons actually). Also only making or purchasing a small amount of coffee or whatever at a time, in other words getting myself only what I need and not some McSized thing, makes a big difference - it doesn't tempt me to have more than I really should be, for instance.
 
I had the panic attacks the last time I kicked it, and they lasted a long time. I went on Wellbutrin a month after stopping last time, and stayed on it for 4+ months. But the problem with W is that you can't sleep whatsoever. Doesn't matter how tired you are you just can't fall asleep. I had to drink a glass of wine or an OTC sleep aid to go to sleep. Then there's the shakiness and dry mouth too. At other times you can't concentrate. It also makes you feel like a zombie where you don't have any feelings. It did help with anxiety and the depression but it didn't make me any happier per se or more optimistic.

I work out as much as I can. Sometimes 2 times a day. I try and eat good to. What I noticed is that not sleeping good totally makes it much worse. Drinking alcohol makes it better for a new hours but the next day I'm in the dumps. So I've decided to avoid alcohol or drink very minimally.

Coffeine is ok here and there but can't drink tOo much. I do it to get a small lift when I have no energy.

My work has been really bad lately, and my family life has never been ok. Romantic life, I'm still struggling with my ex of 5+ years. We are friends, but I feel really down every time I see her.

My entire outlook on life is really negative right now. I keep asking myself if I'm simply depressed because of life or is it the weed. But the timeline can't be disputed: I quit in 12/13/16, and the last time the withdrawals were at it's worse between 60 -120 days. Particularly 90.

I'm freaking out that I've destroyed my life, and that I'm only gonna get worse. The thought is terrifying and crippling. I know I've beaten this before but this time it seems much stronger. Like an enemy you've beaten who's come back with a vengeance. God give me the strength that I need. This is truly hell.
 
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