Hi Having a difficult time over here.
Thought some of y'all might have helpful tips.

Well, i should have posted sooner.. since i already went threw the worst,
but i bet this will come up again... and iam still not down the mountain.
SO
[MOD EDIT: REMOVED PART OF POST. PLEASE READ ATTITUDE SECTION, NO TALKING OF BUYING/SELLING/PRICES]

i usually would smoke at least two grams of the medicine a day,
and if i run out, OH GOD i feel terrible! Can not even get out of bed.

This is going on for like two weeks.. Get some, run out, feel shitty,
and repeat.. i know that sounds dumb, but i have serious withdrawals!
More so than others it seems to me.. Other people seem to just breeze
on by, but i have huge heaviness. Like it was an opiate or something.

Well guess i did mention that, extreme negativity twards others.
i like being the calm guy with wise advise, not a slumped over junki.
Which is how i feel people see me like this, since i keep to myself.

Anyway, oh i should mention this too.... [removed]

iam highly functional, more so than without, since i get bad anxiety.
if i get to lazy, i just quit a little while, so then iam good again.
it's being forced to quit that really sucks. Ok almost finished here!

My question, and main reason for this thread was to get your opinion,
and to ask if there is something that could take away all the stress?

iam going to try oral harmalas... was going to ask about it, but will
be at home trying them by the time there is a response here. SO hmm..
What about harmalas with L-DOPA, or phenethylamine, or 5-HTP, anyone?
Thanks for reading. it actually calmed me down a lot to sit and type.

Looks like you already found one thing that helps that isn't substance related. Distraction. Find things you enjoy to take you mind off stress. I'll sound like a broken record soon but doing a little exercise helps immensely. Get outside in the sunshine.

I find various tea's work for me. Passionflower, Rhodiola, Lemongrass and Ginger and plenty of others. Not just the plants themselves but having a nice hot cup of tea is relaxing. Scented candles, lavender...experiment a bit and see what works for you.

CBD is legal and non addictive. You might want to get an e-cig with some CBD vape juice and see if it helps. It's legal in all 50 states in the USA and relaxes muscles and relieves pain. Good luck.

+1 for CBD
+1 for passiflora
+1 for harmalas, no need for anything else with it.
Add some meditation and some walks away from the hustle and bustle and you'll be feeling better in no time. Some shrooms could also help.

You're not alone - I've experienced intense side effects and subsequent withdrawal symptoms from smoking too. (after 3ish years of daily smoking) In my internet searching I also found many others who have experienced a similar level of addiction/withdrawal. Definitely a minority though. Most people have a hard time believing the extent of some people's withdrawals from MJ.


Anyway, over the years I've quit many times due to the side effects I get from smoking regularly and went through withdrawals each time (though lessening in severity as the years went by) but I can't really say that any supplements I tried did much...and I tried a lot. (kava, kratom, harmalas, microdosing mushrooms, 5-htp, passion flower, valerian, ashwagandha, maca, L-DOPA, tryptophan, and probably others I'm forgetting) They all had their effects, sure, but they weren't the results I was looking for. Quitting cold turkey and staying off of it worked to get rid of the major side effects and of course I got through the withdrawals but I never felt like I fully recovered...even after 9 months one time...just felt like I put the process on pause or something...plus the desire to smoke would remain and then when I'd partake I'd jump in the deep end. I had no discipline.

[so here's how I climbed down that mountain you mentioned]

In the end, the best thing I ever did was to develop discipline - the long and slow way. I decided to continue smoking, but started weening myself off little by little. I started smoking less and less each day. I got down to just smoking 2-3 little hits in the evening, then 1-2 hits in the evening. Once I was comfortable with that I started throwing in no-smoking days here and there. Just one at a time. Then I'd start doing 1 day off every week, then 1 day off every 6 days, then 1 off every 5 days, then 1 off every 4 days, then 1 off every 3 days etc - until I was comfortable with smoking every other day. (though I still wanted to smoke every day) Then I'd smoke a few days in a row and slip in TWO days of no smoking in a row and build up the same way I did with one day off. Then 3 days off. Then 4, and on and on. It was never a super rigid perfectly thought-out schedule, but you get what I'm sayin. Sometimes I'd slip and smoke every day for a week or 2, or 3 or 4 a couple times. But I always returned to some sort of patterned weening-off process.



I now happily go 2-3 weeks without smoking. (and then I only smoke 1 day, 2 tops, sometimes in a row or with a day between) I'm extremely pleased with the results of doing it this way...I feel better than when I quit for 9 months straight, and I now have the discipline to keep my usage under the amount/frequency that gives lingering side effects. Most importantly, I don't feel the need to smoke anymore. I sometimes do it as a spontaneous treat, sometimes as a tool for exploring consciousness and issues I'm dealing with in life, etc - but I never have that need to smoke because I don't feel good without it - that's gone.

*It also built up discipline which bled into other areas of my life as well.*

All that being said, if you can go cold turkey and feel 100% after the withdrawal symptoms pass and then keep your usage to a healthy level, by all means go for it - no need to prolong the process. This is just what worked best for me. I know some people are probably like whaaaaaaat it's just weed! I know, ha. Trust me, I know. I quit the regular ol' way so many times and after I kept going back I realized and accepted that I had no real discipline, so I thought hey, why not try it this way instead. And whaddya know - it worked. It worked extremely well and helped me grow.

<3

All great advice so far.

What really seemed to help me a lot when I stopped smoking after smoking heavily for months everyday was a good fast. It really helped to reset my metabolism and the withdrawal was WAY easier to overcome.

Just water, no food or juice of any kind for 48 to 72 hours. If you have any health problems or you're very physically active then it may not be a good idea. Even if you feel you're in pretty good health caution is advised. It really helped me get through it, however.

I'm not trying to make you feel discouraged here but it can take up to 3 months before your body gets back to functioning normally after a heavy habit like this. Just be aware of it in case you're still feeling crappy after a full month or two. Eventually you'll get through it if you stick with it. Good luck!

Something I would recommend for stress/anxiety is Californian poppy - standardised gelcaps from a medicinal herbalist supplier. When the need has gone there's no desire to carry on dosing, IME.

Other herbal helpers - as tea/tisane/infusion - would include chamomile, limeflower, skullcap and betony, the last of which is recommended for helping overcome addictions.

Again, this is all stuff that has helped me in various situations.


I like the sound of DesykaLamgeenie's disciplined approach as well, despite never having tried it myself (for anything, come think of it. God, I'm such a slacker...)

And again, good luck! You can do it.

I've been smoking mostly daily for the last 15 years, with occasional breaks. I'm just currently 11 days into a break which I plan to make a long one, at the very least a month. The hardest days for me are day 2-3, after that it gets significantly easier.

I think it's mostly mental. It's just the first couple of days where I feel physical effects and I don't have much energy and my appetite is screwed up, but by day 5, I'm crystal sharp and feeling just fine again.

I find easier if you change setting. Don't stay in your house where you always smoke in the same place, because everything will remind you of weed. Stay in a different room where you don't smoke, or ideally go out, be somewhere else that is not associated with weed. This to me is the key!

Also exercise, for sure! Very important! And eating as good food as possible, trying to set your appetite clock back to normal.


By the way, you are here in the forum for a while already, you should know there should be absolutely no talk about buying/selling/dealing/prices. Read the attitude page if you have any doubts.


Good luck!

This. Plus ->

I don't think that's it's a good way to archive what you want to archive by substituting THC with another substance. I really think that most of the "withdrwal" symptoms are generated by the mind. Psychosomatic, if you will.

My recommendation would be to set up a substitution ritual. Something that replaces the act of preparing and smoking canabis. My suggestion would be something like setting a little tea ceremony. Just to develop another routine one can hold onto and to replace the ritual of smoking weed.

Agree with endlessness's advice. Stay active as much as possible, especially if your able to get outdoors, most definitely do that.

If you plan to cut back or quit altogether, then it'll just be a matter of time before new patterns set in. Our lives are based on patterns at some level, so if you put in the effort to stay active, doing activities that'll take your mind away from weed, eventually patterns start to shift and before you know it you'll be thinking about weed less and less until eventually the thought of it will be few and far between. This all requires your honest effort though.

Even if your not planning on cutting back or quitting, the above will still serve you well.

<3

I'm worth endlessness too, if only because our use of cannabis is similar. Luckily i live in a state where recreational use is legal, and even if they stores aren't o open yet, its such an ingrained part of my states culture that noone cares at all. The police have long ago stopped prosecuting primary marijuana offenses and employment testing is coming to an end.

I find the withdrawals to be mostly psychosomatic and frankly i don't pause my use, which i do do occasionally, when I'm in a life stage where i need it. Its my anxiolytic and sometimes i just plain need it and am glad for it. But then yes, there are times when its good to chill for awhile. Marijuana has been my lifelong ally and has never turned on me, we have a mutual love and respect for each other. Its the one plant medicine that i truly understand, and she's never slapped me, lol.

FANTASTIC INFORMATION from everyone. Thank you all SO much!!!!

Really can relate to most everything posted, and i have tried versions of those techniques.

i forgot about CBD.. must check that out!

Like someone mentions you cannot just replace with another substance,
and you never get that effect you're looking for when trying replacing,
but it can help for sure! and at times it can be better than nothing.

i had some magnolia bark tea... it's slightly relaxing.
"
Passionflower, Rhodiola, Lemongrass and Ginger sounds good! especially the first two.
ALSO California poppy is one that i should try,
would include chamomile, limeflower, skullcap and betony,
the last of which is recommended for helping overcome addictions."

@DesykaLamgeenie; sounds like you know exactly what i was saying...
i'd been thinking about trying some discipline. Like scheduling exactly when,
and how much to use. Because i really LOVE cannabis, but i REALLY hate being
so dependent on anything, or anyone. You gave me much hope for what i want.

@endlessness my bad i didn't realize.. Thanks for the advise and fixing the thread.
i can concur with you about day 2-3.. They are the worst, and then it's all mostly mental.
Also like you say, i realize a setting where someone often smokes has many habit triggers.
So i usually clean up all evidence. Then it's not all staring me down, reminding the habbit.

And to those who mentioned exercise, and distraction.. indeed i've been gardening ALL day!

Last night;
After getting back home, i lay down on the bed, and just sort of meditate.
i decided not to try the harmalas then, because i was feeling SO tired, it
was almost relaxing to be so tired. Also i had been drinking coffee before.

Noticed an interesting symptom that, i'd sort of noticed earlier,
there seemed to be a cloud of white smoke moving near the ceiling,
it was moving a lot with a contrasted black shadow, and also there
were many dots of color in the dark room. Earlier i had noticed the
outlines of things were not stable, but moving slightly, not much.
iam sure others here can see some visuals if they focus a little.
it was like that, except there was no focus needed. interesting!

Something else happened iam excited to happen again....

The two 1000ug B-12 vitamins i took earlier that day may have contributed.

i haven't had such a vivid dream in years!
and dreaming is like my all-time favorite things.
and it wasn't fragmented, but deeply detailed story line.
Unfortunately, i didn't think to lay there and memorize everything.

i was given a choice between a handful of two kinds of seeds..
Pshhh, that is about all i can remember now,
except a feeling i made a wise decision on my choice of seeds.

SO iam feeling much MUCH better today, that 'need to smoke' has gone.
i still think, oh that would be nice, but NOT oh iam in hell i need smoke!

Another thing, i suspect that the cigarillos i use to wrap with are also addicting.
if i had nothing to wrap it and used a bowl, it just wouldn't satisfy the craving..

SO my new plan is to not smoke for a week or two.. and then
Maybe a couple hits at work (that is our bonding moment) NO NO HITS!!
NAh i might lol, but the prospect of having dreams gives me strength.

Then, i will try only smoking from bowls, no more tobacco cigarillos.
And have a schedule of how much i allow myself per day, hm two bowls.

One more thing i should mention to is i must be detoxifying, or something,
because my face has broken out, and some of my glands have become swollen.
Especially above the atoms apple, my lyphnodes i think, is a swollen knot,
So google says it's caused by a mild infection of upper respiratory tract.