Hi all, I’m new here just wanted to share my story a bit.. I’ve been a cannabis recreational/more/addict for almost 38 years ( started at 15) minus times of childbearing and raising small kiddos. I quit after realizing it was not working for me anymore and sabotaging my mind and psyche. I’m an all or nothing kinda person and I don’t think I can ever go back to occasional or rarely. I feel this is the final curtain and I’m sad to see my sweet green goddess go but she has also been a great deceiver .
Today I feel exhausted… like more than the last few weeks. Has anyone gone through cannabis withdrawal and gotten sort of delayed reaction?
I’m in the same boat as you when it comes to this feeling. I convinced myself for years that I could use marijuana without negative consequences to my emotional and mental health. But, now that I am sober for the longest period in my life since 16, I can feel just how much it was bringing me down and dampening my personality.
As for the withdrawal it is different for different people, in my experience it took over a month for the exhaustion, lethargy, and lack of interest in basically everything to wear off.
I know it can feel overwhelming, but remember you are well on your way to getting through it!
great job on quitting!! i know i found weed one of the hardest things to quit, i think for two reasons, one being that it takes a long while to get out of your system - so you don’t have those spikes like you do with alcohol and nicotine eg - so while you’re using its always there innthe background even if you don’t use for a little while? So when you do fully quit its a big readjustment
The other thing is it doesn’t seem that bad, like alcohol can wreck your life really dramatically, with weed its a lot more subtle - which makes it very easy to backslide.
Things i found useful were;
making a list of reasons i wanted to quit in the first place good and bad cos it’s so easy to forget until you take that first puff and you remember “oh yeah this kinda sucks actually but i can’t stop once i start…”
And to get a new creative hobby, which gives your hands and brain something to do whenever you’re craving and also staves off the boredom which i found the hardest part tbh
And exercise, unfortunately! lol you’ll be dependent on getting dopamine and endorphins from smoking and not having them sucks real bad - so you have to retrain your brain to make its own kinda? doesn’t have to be super strenuous, just a daily walk will do, nut there’s no better way to get those feel-good brain juices flowing lol
Hi there! Your story sounds very familiar to me. I was definitely exhausted off and on for a little while at first. But once that & the sweating (my other most noticeable symptom) passed, it was much better. I recently hit 4 years without it, and it was definitely one of the best decision I’ve ever made! Well done on your decision and your clean time!
Wow! congrats on 4 years!! I cannot even fathom that long. I think the longest I’ve ever gone without was maybe 6 months or so? What are the positive changes you observed upon quitting? I’m having cravings mentally unfortunately it’s been 18 days. I’m at my studio and I used cannabis as part of my art making ritual so today is gonna be tough.
I’m an artist by profession and a gardener so I’ve got things to do on lock, but it’s the associations with these activities that have to be changed unfortunately. I’m at the studio right now and would love to have some.. as I associate it with my art making practice… however this is the double edged sword. Its use is holding me back and giving me a bad attitude about art.. (sounds crazy doesn’t it) that’s 1 of the reasons I quit. I like your idea of writing things down. Will do, thanks for your response.
Ohhhh so many gooooood things! I can remember things more. I’m more present. Everything is so much more efficient! I used to smoke to do artsy things too-but it actually improved once I stopped. I’m more social. I don’t smell like weed all the time. I don’t have to worry about who I see or being a negative influence on the kids. I had more money quitting too! My health is improving. I have better coping mechanisms. Really, allllll the excuses I had for using turned out to be just stuff I made up in my own mind for “why” I had to smoke. It took me a bit to see it, but when that hazy fog cleared-things definitely improved.
That’s so great to hear!!! my memory is already improving, my thoughts are less confusing and I feel like I may do better in social scenes better and have better coping mechanisms later on. I’m in a great mood today as I got a new fierce haircut yesterday and today used a depositing color conditioner on it. It made me want to use… but i resist. It’s weird what triggers cravings.
I was definitely exhausted off and on for a little while at first. But once that & the sweating (my other most noticeable symptom) passed, it was much better. I recently hit 4 years without it, and it was definitely one of the best decision I’ve ever made! Well done on your decision and your clean time! 
congrats on 4 years!! I cannot even fathom that long. I think the longest I’ve ever gone without was maybe 6 months or so? What are the positive changes you observed upon quitting? I’m having cravings mentally unfortunately it’s been 18 days. I’m at my studio and I used cannabis as part of my art making ritual so today is gonna be tough.
my memory is already improving, my thoughts are less confusing and I feel like I may do better in social scenes better and have better coping mechanisms later on. I’m in a great mood today as I got a new fierce haircut yesterday and today used a depositing color conditioner on it. It made me want to use… but i resist. It’s weird what triggers cravings.