Quitting weed

[LuxObscura]

Withdrawals are your tax for being drugged. Enjoy them!

Isn't it possible that we can feel similarly high when a substance is missing,
just like when we consume one?
In one case, the substance binds to receptors.
In the other, there is nothing, or the substance that would bind is absent.
Yet both produce a sensation.
Maybe this can be reinterpreted?
As if withdrawal itself is a state similar to consumption?

 

[Voidmatrix]

Isn't it possible that we can feel similarly high when a substance is missing,
just like when we consume one?
In one case, the substance binds to receptors.
In the other, there is nothing, or the substance that would bind is absent.
Yet both produce a sensation.
Maybe this can be reinterpreted?
As if withdrawal itself is a state similar to consumption?

The qualia is different. The high from adding a substance often generates pleasantness or hinders unpleasantness.
The withdrawal is almost nothing but unpleasant experiences.
This is also going to be susbtance specific and withdrawal specific.

One love

 

[Skr9]

Isn't it possible that we can feel similarly high when a substance is missing,
just like when we consume one?
In one case, the substance binds to receptors.
In the other, there is nothing, or the substance that would bind is absent.
Yet both produce a sensation.
Maybe this can be reinterpreted?
As if withdrawal itself is a state similar to consumption?

Good point.

 

[LuxObscura]

The qualia is different. The high from adding a substance often generates pleasantness or hinders unpleasantness.
The withdrawal is almost nothing but unpleasant experiences.
This is also going to be susbtance specific and withdrawal specific.

One love

That’s also a very good point.
The qualia is definitely different.
As you mentioned, it also depends on the substance and the nature of the withdrawal,
and that led me to the conclusion that this mechanism can potentially be dangerous,
especially with substances that cause physical withdrawal rather than just mental effects.

Still, this mechanism, mentioned by @Skr9 and the inspired argument, could also serve as a kind of positive internal, mentalistic self-trickery.
If one chooses to surrender to the withdrawal, instead of surrendering to the substance, it might actually be helpful.
But that requires leaning into, diving through, and ultimately befriending the mental aspects of the withdrawal.

 

[Voidmatrix]

That’s also a very good point.
The qualia is definitely different.
As you mentioned, it also depends on the substance and the nature of the withdrawal,
and that led me to the conclusion that this mechanism can potentially be dangerous,
especially with substances that cause physical withdrawal rather than just mental effects.

Still, this mechanism, mentioned by @Skr9 and the inspired argument, could also serve as a kind of positive internal, mentalistic self-trickery.
If one chooses to surrender to the withdrawal, instead of surrendering to the substance, it might actually be helpful.
But that requires leaning into, diving through, and ultimately befriending the mental aspects of the withdrawal.

I answer too fast nowadays.

I ought to have also added that back in college a buddy, while in the process of quitting cannabis, stated that in many ways, being that sober was a kind of high in and of itself.

One love

 

[Skr9]

If one chooses to surrender to the withdrawal, instead of surrendering to the substance, it might actually be helpful.
But that requires leaning into, diving through, and ultimately befriending the mental aspects of the withdrawal.

Exactly! Very nice words man. That's how I had it. Amazing attitude to it.

 

[Orion]

I resonate with a lot of the posts in this thread. I have friends who like weed, from full-on stoners to those who partake only on special occasions. The majority seem to think the brain fog isn't a problem, withdrawals don't exist. They think the sweats are just made up because they haven't smoked everyday and then suddenly stopped. All of this has happened to me a few times.

Of course I know of the anti-weed propaganda but it is possible to praise cannabis a bit too much. I still think it should be legal but that doesn't mean I think it's perfect. Some people seem to think that somehow cannabis is the only drug with no side effects at all. If you point out just a couple of them then you must be a prohibitionist. It's childish BS.

At this stage of my life I smoke on and off. When I'm smoking, I an a stoner and I smoke too much. I cannot mediate my use. However I can stop it completely when desired. So, I smoke (too much) for a while and then I quit for a while. That's been my pattern for a few years anyway.

This has pretty much been my experience. It's too easy for me to smoke it all the time when I have it. It's been months since I last had any cannabis in my possession and so the temptation to smoke it hasn't materialized.

 

[Kobranek]

I honestly couldn't see myself not consuming cannabis in one way or another as I consider it a sacrament and medicine. It has benefited me and continues to do so in ways that I can only look back and realize how much it has. There was a point where quitting was a goal for me but then I just kept beating myself up with that idea more than it has done me any good. Maybe one day I'll lose my motivation to support my favorite hobby. I've met some really good genuine people in the cannaverse and support the industry with my whole being. I realize that some folks don't function at their most productive and have a propensity to experience more drawbacks than benefits so they need to tread carefully. Much love nexus fam!

 

[ABe©eDarian]

I feel cannabis is good, and has been good to me. Cannabis is good. Smoking too much is bad. I smoked too much, way too much, and chain smoked cigarettes and blunts as well. Some level of undeniable heart disease that I'm unsure how will factor in to my life going forward getting older. Much of my past cannabis use was beneficial and very useful. Another significant amount of it was a good waste of a great deal of my life. Like 100 days in a row of smoking cannabis and not improving relationships in life come to mind, as does 100 days of cannabis in a row with no ayahuasca or cactus or mushrooms.

Nowadays I do not smoke anything, and orally consume THC products like 1-4x per month. Decarbed flower, tincture, gummies. Actually I have these good gummies that have Cannabis + Amanita muscaria extract in them that work nicely for me. So, once a week, and I can get the benefits without wearing out the maximization of those benefits. Personal balance as per stage of life that I'm in. CBD isolate on the side for THC-less use for other reasons.

 

[Jamie01]

Now I have added in CBD isolate and eating /vaping a lot of it through the day to help lower THC use and tolerance but also for medical reasons. I was on kratom 2-3 grams a day for a month until 10 days ago when I stopped and started adding the CBD. I experienced no withdrawal whatsoever from kratom so that’s good. The kratom allowed me to stop taking my celecoxib prescription as kratom is also a decent cox-2 inhibitor it would seem…as is CBD I guess because I’m still off my meds today. My goal is to only need them occasionally and it’s been a seesaw of on them off them on them off them so Im trying to find real alternatives. I was surprised how well kratom worked at a low dose for serious inflammation so that one is a keeper to cycle on and off of.

So now I’m mostly using a THC rich concentrates from flower..mostly vaped with around 100 ish mg of CBD a day. Last night though I ate about 100 mg of the CBD after vaping a mix of concentrate and that really seemed to help with sleep and muscle cramps I tend to get around midnight on. I slammed pretty hard skating a ramp yesterday and figured I would wake up in pain but it was ok.

 

[Pumpy]

Now I have added in CBD isolate and eating /vaping a lot of it through the day to help lower THC use and tolerance but also for medical reasons. I was on kratom 2-3 grams a day for a month until 10 days ago when I stopped and started adding the CBD. I experienced no withdrawal whatsoever from kratom so that’s good. The kratom allowed me to stop taking my celecoxib prescription as kratom is also a decent cox-2 inhibitor it would seem…as is CBD I guess because I’m still off my meds today. My goal is to only need them occasionally and it’s been a seesaw of on them off them on them off them so Im trying to find real alternatives. I was surprised how well kratom worked at a low dose for serious inflammation so that one is a keeper to cycle on and off of.

So now I’m mostly using a THC rich concentrates from flower..mostly vaped with around 100 ish mg of CBD a day. Last night though I ate about 100 mg of the CBD after vaping a mix of concentrate and that really seemed to help with sleep and muscle cramps I tend to get around midnight on. I slammed pretty hard skating a ramp yesterday and figured I would wake up in pain but it was ok.

I am impressed

 

[ommani]

I started smoking weed at age 12, which caught up to me (mental health wise) at age 16, forcing me to cut down, substantially. However, I resumed smoking regularly in my early 20's, and did so, off and on, till my late 30's. In early 2020, I finally stopped smoking weed, and except for a few hits that I took in the summer of 2020, I haven't smoked in over five years. It was extremely easy for me to stop smoking weed, as I simply switched to vaporizing it, which I greatly prefer. At this point, I take 1-2 hits in the morning and at night, during the workweek, of a blend that I make for every bowl (roughly, 3 parts sativa-dominant hybrids, 1 part CBG hemp, and 1 part CBD hemp). During the weekend, I might go through around a bowl per day, which still doesn't feel like a lot. This harm-reduction approach has worked so much better for me than the endless cycle of quitting and starting back up again that I was in when I smoked. I go through around 1-2g/month this way, so an oz of flower can easily last me over a year. Overall, vaporizing low doses of cannabis flower, in combination with hemp, feels supportive, enjoyable, and non-problematic to me, for daily use, whereas smoking weed was highly problematic for me, in many ways, over many years.

 

[Voidmatrix]

I find myself smoking less and less now that summer is over, where I had been eating, smoking, and dabbing a great deal. In the past few weeks, I've mainly only smoked at the end of the day, and get nice and roasted. Seems like the new balance for me. Got more confident and didn't need to lean on it I guess... still exploring it. This means I'm mainly interested in "sativa" dominant strains for psychedelic cannabis blends.

One love

 

[ommani]

Day 1 without weed (at least for now). The world is my oyster, except I can't eat oysters, on account of my toe condition.

 

[ommani]

While I don’t see myself quitting weed anytime soon, it was nice to take a 3 day break, which I think may have been the longest I’ve gone without cannabis in many years.

As the element of space is needed for that of fire, even a little break from weed has really helped me to appreciate it’s uplifting, relaxing, and stress relieving qualities.

I think for some people, completely abstaining from weed might be the best option, and I fully support anyone who chooses that path, including a friend who I smoked with a lot over the years of our misspent youth.

In my case, I feel like I could benefit from a little more space in my relationship with cannabis. However, going completely without it feels like depriving myself of a medicine and psychospiritual resource that can truly feel like a godsend, at times.

 

[CosmicRiver]

When i quit for real and some time passed i realized many of the reasons for smoking were made up by my mind because of cravings.
I recognize this is a heated topic for me, because if i knew that i would have quit much earlier.

Most people say cannabis isn't addictive for everyone, that some people are just more prone to addiction. Yet most people i know irl who smoke everyday are addicted, meaning they can't live without it and express the desire to quit or reduce their use because of negative consequences but always fail doing so. I don't think there's an high concentration of unlucky individuals here but i think that many people who are addicted are in denial and praise cannabis so we get a picture that doesn't reflect the real situation. Everything can be addictive, true, but some things like cannabis have an inherent addictive potential.

I don't want to start an argument with anyone or invalidate anyone's opinions. In fact i'm not referring to anyone's writings here. But since this thread might be visited by people who want to quit but can't quit, imo it's time to change the general (not this thread's) narrative from "cannabis is nonaddictive except for some unlucky few" to "cannabis is addictive except to some lucky few".

 

[blig-blug]

it's time to change the general (not this thread's) narrative from "cannabis is nonaddictive except for some unlucky few" to "cannabis is addictive except to some lucky few".

Not that I necessarily disagree, but that probably should be scientifically studied one way or another. Maybe it already has been, I don't know.

Something to consider is that everyone I know that smokes weed does it with tobacco. Nicotine is very peculiar in that more than other substances it creates addiction to whatever comes together with its consumption, be it activities, flavors, (the effects of) other substances... So, while many of those people are clearly addicted to the action of smoking cannabis, I'm not sure cannabis was the only (or even main) substance involved in the addiction.

 

[northape]

Not that I necessarily disagree, but that probably should be scientifically studied one way or another. Maybe it already has been, I don't know.

Something to consider is that everyone I know that smokes weed does it with tobacco. Nicotine is very peculiar in that more than other substances it creates addiction to whatever comes together with its consumption, be it activities, flavors, (the effects of) other substances... So, while many of those people are clearly addicted to the action of smoking cannabis, I'm not sure cannabis was the only (or even main) substance involved in the addiction.

Just a side note about adding tobacco to weed: Most people use some weak tobacco or cigarettes for this. I experimented with adding Mapacho (N. rustica), and people usually dislike it because it becomes too strong and difficult to inhale. Cigarettes are created to be weak and addictive, whereas natural tobacco is strong and very purgative. Inhaling Mapacho often leads to nausea and vomiting, akin to ayahuasca.

Yet most people i know irl who smoke everyday are addicted, meaning they can't live without it and express the desire to quit or reduce their use because of negative consequences but always fail doing so.

I had a friend who used to say he could quit anytime. He is most likely still smoking. It became a habit of his and a go-to drug of choice. He even created a whole outlook around it and how it is spiritually beneficial. I went along with his gaslighting for years until I stopped smoking myself and saw him years later.

Cannabis can lead to real stagnation in character development and can be an escape tool. I am not saying this is the case for everyone, but this possibility exists for some. In my friend's case, he used just enough to feel that spiritual vibe and used it as an excuse to do nothing. I see cannabis as one of the hardest plants to work with. One needs to be vigilant and have a very strong character and a sense of self. Tryptamines are much easier to deal with.

 

[CosmicRiver]

Not that I necessarily disagree, but that probably should be scientifically studied one way or another. Maybe it already has been, I don't know.

Yes and the prevalence in regular users is around 20%. But i think it depends on the population studied and on the methodology. My guess is that starting to use cannabis at 15 yo (as it's common here) raises the likelihood of addiction to far more than that. Because really nearly all the people who smoke here all addicted.

But of course there are people here that i consider addicted that live a normal life, seemingly without any problem, and smoke once a day, and never run out, and they would result non-addicted in studies, and would consider themselves as non-addicted. It's when there is no supply and they run out that the addiction becomes visible.

It was very obvious during the pandemic. I felt like i just had an addictive personality, which indeed i have, and that they could manage cannabis use while i couldn't, but when i saw how they reacted to running out it was really eye-opening.

Something to consider is that everyone I know that smokes weed does it with tobacco. Nicotine is very peculiar in that more than other substances it creates addiction to whatever comes together with its consumption, be it activities, flavors, (the effects of) other substances... So, while many of those people are clearly addicted to the action of smoking cannabis, I'm not sure cannabis was the only (or even main) substance involved in the addiction.

Yes that's true. I think every European smokes it with tobacco, at least at the beginning.

 

[brokedownpalace10]

Yet most people i know irl who smoke everyday are addicted,

The people who smoke everyday are the ones who are already addicted.

imo it's time to change the general (not this thread's) narrative from "cannabis is nonaddictive except for some unlucky few" to "cannabis is addictive except to some lucky few".

Disagree. But only partially.
Pot is certainly easy to get addicted to, but the bulk of the people I know who smoke do not do so every day. Or, if they do, it's at a low level and not a problem addiction anyway. I envy those people.
I'll agree that the "cannabis is nonaddictive except for some unlucky few" statement is too optimistic. However, I'll peg the truth at somewhere in between that and "cannabis is addictive except to some lucky few".