Prolonged substance breaks.. What are your thoughts?

[Astraloger]

Good day!

I was curious to hear every ones thoughts on taking breaks from substance use.

I myself am attempting a 6 month break of everything including alcohol as a way to 'cleanse' my body and mind. For me, I feel like it will give me more 'discipline' which up until now has honestly slacked at times.

Has anyone else done this sort of thing before with positive results? I'm not entirely excited about it but I have this underlying feeling it's the appropriate thing to do at this point in time in my life so I'm going to go with it. And that when I return, I will have even more respect for those things I decide to taste.

While we are on the subject, what are your opinions on DMT experiences when related to time between journeys. Do you find it is only a matter of fully integrating the experience before having another? Or maybe a second experience could help integrate the previous by learning more? Does anyone follow a sort of schedule such as once a month type thing? I'm really interested to hear your experiences and what works best for you.

When I 'return' so to speak, my focus will be on DMT, 5meoDMT, and Salvia alone. All of which I have much to learn about. And whatever it is I am seeking, I hope these can be the catalysts to get me there.


- Astraloger

 

[Praxis.]

I think taking breaks is always a good idea and I definitely encourage it. I smoke cannabis heavily and every few months I like to take a break just for a week or sometimes even just a couple days. Even with such a short window I can feel that my body and mind appreciate it! The only downside to this approach is that I experience some mild withdrawal symptoms (no appetite, can't fall asleep, anxiety) that usually take a few days to subside. I think it's probably more beneficial and less stressful on the body to take longer breaks in order to allow your system to fully recover. It can feel kind of silly to abruptly stop smoking, feel like crap for a week, and then start lighting up again just as I start to feel normal. I'm actually taking a break from the wacky tobbacky right now and I'm on day 3 or 4, considering trying to go a full month with it because I can tell it's what my body needs. Coincidentally my diet just went back to normal after 3 months of weirdness, so between that and no cannabis in my system I'm having a bit of a hard time functioning at the moment. I am writing this post at 5am after all...

As far as psychedelics go my patterns of use tend to incorporate periods of abstinence anyways. I might trip pretty often for an extended length of time, but I'm the type of person who needs time to integrate so it feels natural to me to stop taking psychedelics for a while after periods of regular use. I think it varies from person to person though, everyone is different. Someone might be set for a good long while after one DMT session, while another might want to repeat the experience several times right away--different strokes for different folks. I've had a lot of success with weekly DMT use. I also experimented with smoking lowish doses of DMT daily, supplemented with full on LSD or psilocybin sessions on the weekends and I did this for several months. At that time in my life I found this very beneficial and I consider it a landmark in my personal/spiritual development, but if I were to return to that regiment now I would probably be a dysfunctional basket-case.

6 months, that's an awesome goal! Best of luck to you! :thumb_up:

 

[travsha]

Breaks can be great if you feel called to take one.... I took a 3 year break from any mind altering substances (including cannabis and alcohol and even caffeine). After the break I found I had a way deeper connection to the plants and such - and a more balanced approach to them. It was a good break. Recently took a month off because I was doing 3-4 ceremonies a week for a year and a half before that and that was a nice break too....

 

[Continuum]

Taking about a year break from cannabis allowed me to discover which situations it benefits and which it hinders. Not my original intention in the break, but hugely beneficial.

I smoked from the time I was 15 until 35 come hell or high water, out of habit and because it was something I identified with. I smoke pot daily...it's part of me.

After stopping for a while, I started to recognize that I really missed it for physical and meditative practices. Yoga, swimming, playing outdoors, sex... all missing a key component without cannabis. Alternatively, I started to see that tasks that require mental and spacial organization were way easier without.

Now I smoke cannabis a few times a week, on weekends or after work, definitely before yoga or nature walking, etc., but not before work (which for me requires organization) or other tasks like that.

My relationship with the plant is much better now, free of habituation.

 

[Astraloger]

Thanks for all the replies.

It would seem the general consensus is if you feel it's a good idea, then it likely is. So that makes me feel like this is the right choice for me at this point. It's funny the timing with my joining the boards - though this will give me a solid 6 months to fill myself with all the knowledge people here have to offer, and I think that will be very benificial for future journeys.

When it comes to DMT, like you mentioned Praxis, I will likely experiment with different regimes and see what works best for me. I've done DMT 5 times now, just on the cusp of breaking through, so it really is a mystery as to how that will play out.

3 years Travsha? To me that is really impressive. I dont think I've gone more than a month sober for the past 10 years. I think that is part of the reason I feel inclined to do this.

When I did smoke weed, I would take a few days off now and then. It made a huge difference in my tolerance even if I had been smoking daily for months.

And Continuum, that's in a way my hope in this indeavor. To free myself from habitual use of anything, and to have a better relationship with what it is I'm using. And because my focus will be on the 3 powerful DMT, 5meoDMT, and Salvia, I want to make sure I start out on the right foot.

It's not going to be easy, but maybe I'll learn I have more willpower than I originally thought


- Astraloger

 

[travsha]

It is easier to not ingest things when you have decided you wont be ingesting them and then make a habit of it.... Once it is a habit anytime someone asks if you want a puff of cannabis before even thinking about whether you do or not you already reply "no thanks."

But if I am not taking a break for a reason or havent decided to take a break... I will almost always say yes to that puff - I love cannabis too much and it goes great in almost any situation! lol....

My reasoning for taking a 3 year break was that people told me meditation was better then plants and such and that you should abstain from entheogens to get the most of meditation.... So I took a 3 year break to test that out.

My findings? Entheogens work way better then meditation, and entheogens make meditation way more insightful - the 2 practices really compliment each other, while at the same time neither practice needs the other.

BTW - I rarely meditate now. Did it for those 3 years and for the 1st year that I was back into plant medicines. Also did it for a year before I took the break so I meditated for about 5 years straight.... I dont really feel called to it anymore though it did help me lots in the past - mostly it made a great foundation for my plant based practice and helped me get deeper into that.