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Weed Addiction; Smoking Again?

Discussion in 'Marijuana Consumption Q&A' started by crazygoalie, Dec 20, 2013.

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  1. #1 crazygoalie, Dec 20, 2013
    Hey y'all, first post here,
     
    Some backstory:
     
    I smoked for the first time when I was 15, and smoked maybe once a week until I went to college last year.  My freshman year I smoked more often, a few times a week, but not every day or anything.
     
    I started smoking every day around last June, and kept that up (excluding a one-week break in August, three day break in October, and a two day break in November) until December 16th.  It was for a variety of reasons--helped with anxiety, being high is awesome, I spent the summer at my college so I had a lot of free time and no one was around, etc.--.  I knew I had developed some sort of mental dependency on it as I was noticeably more anxious without it in August, but it didn't seem to be particularly worrisome.  I started smoking a lot more during the semester (whenever I wasn't in class, basically) and while it didn't affect my grades or friendships or anything, I started to get horrible withdrawal whenever I went home for breaks (October and November)--vomiting, unable to eat or drink for about three days, anxiety, etc.  On December 16th, I decided to quit cold turkey, at least for a little while, since I knew there would be times when I couldn't smoke and I didn't want to have to experience that everytime.
     
    Today is the first day it's starting to get better (WEEEEEEE), so now I'm starting to think about my future approach to weed.  I definitely don't want to quit forever since it made my life better (even when I was addicted), but I also have proof that I have an addictive personality when it comes to weed and suffer from pretty extreme withdrawal after two months of heavy smoking.  I was wondering if anyone has any advice about when it would likely be okay for me to start smoking again without dealing withdrawal or making myself likely to relapse?  Any advice about how to prevent future addiction/dependency would be awesome as well.
     
    Hope to get to know this place better, I've been lurking for quite some time.  Thanks y'all, and apologies for the long post.

     
  2. #2 Green Star, Dec 20, 2013
    I'm waiting for someone to come in and tear you apart about how weed is non-addictive and that you're wrong and things like that.OP, I'm glad you're starting to feel better. To prevent such things from happening again, might I suggest having a smoke free day every week or two? Not necessarily 24 hours, just from when you wake up to when you go to sleep again. This will allow your mind to adjust and not forget how to deal with anxious emotions. That's how I do it, anyway. Like right now, I'm having a dry spell, but I'm not freaking out or anything.
     
  3. #3 Frank_S, Dec 21, 2013
    I have bad anxiety and depression when I stop smoking. But then again I stopped taking anxiety and depression meds and replaced them with cannabis. My anxiety can get bad enough to make me sick to stomach on both ends. I had this before cannabis. Did you have any anxiety issues before starting cannabis?
     
  4. #4 lazytoker, Dec 21, 2013
    Eh, for me, it's either smoke 24/7, or don't smoke at all. I can't do the only smoke on the weekends bs like some people. But you may be different.
     
  5. #5 crazygoalie, Dec 21, 2013
    I had some anxiety issues before smoking weed, but never anything particularly serious (never had medication or anything).  And even that mostly went away when I was smoking just a couple times a week in college.  Mainly I'm just concerned about starting too soon and finding myself feeling as bad as I have been the past few days or relapsing and becoming dependent again.
     
  6. #6 the_tobzster, Dec 21, 2013
    At the end of the day weed is just as addictive as the next thing. The thing that is hard is trying to keep your mind off of it. Smoking for 2 months straight and then going cold turkey, you will be constantly thinking about smoking because that's what you have been so used to. Do something completely different, go out somewhere, immerse yourself in a video game or movie, perhaps have a drink to take the edge off! It pisses me off when people say weed is addictive, sure it is but just as much as anything other pleasure is; sex, video games, shopping... Sure they are addictive in the sense of regulating your self control but there isn't anything PHYSICALLY addictive in it, that you NEED to function.
     
  7. #7 Blergs, Dec 21, 2013
    your body has its own cannabanoids and i believe  due ot negative feedback loop (body slows or stops its own production) that when you stop cold turkey as your canabanoid levels crash, your body is shocked and your system starts to start up again ( or increase) the production of its own cannabanoids, now not having supra-logical amounts put in that its used to. 
    Cannabis is not physically addictive IMO.   just like you have ill effect at a drastic change of diet or day to day routines and the body would adjust, i feel the same can happen with cannabis when the body is accustomed to it and slows its own production of similar compounds. 
    unless you are using cannabis heavy with chemicals that can cause chemical withdrawal, I believe its more of a  "shock" to the body rather than  "withdrawal"  that you are experiencing
     
    you should taper off 1-2 weeks before going on break....
     
  8. #8 Blergs, Dec 21, 2013
    I half agree, i mean i agree on 90% of it, but the  "need to function" part...   as stated above there is relation to something in our bodies we DO need and it is effected by regular cannabis use (canabanoids),  taper down over  a week.   but i agree its not additive in the way os a withdrawl of a drug, not like tobacco, cocaine or even coffee.  you are not born with cocaine in your system ( i hope lol) or coffee , THAT is a drug you can withdraw from, cannabis is a plant that is closely related to a system we ARE born with.  use alot of cannabis, then stop and there is a period of "crash" you cna call it, of the canabanoid levels while your body picks up its production again, BUT cannabis is stored in fat VERY well and released slowly into blodo even when stopping, so this effect of "crash" is minimal and im surprised the OP had much of an issue like this.
     
    OP: are you super thin?  I have a feelign you hold less body fat = more crash. 
     
    Just taper over a couple weeks man ;-)
     
  9. #9 crazygoalie, Dec 21, 2013
    I am indeed super thin! I knew that THC was stored in fat cells and released over time, but it never occurred to me that that could be related to how hard I crash whenever I stop, but that makes total sense! Thank you! At this point I'm not worried too much about the actual quitting-I haven't smoked for three days, probably won't for at least another week, and I was able to eat and function today, so it's already a lot better.  Mostly just a little worried that if I pick it up again when I'm back at college from December 28th-January 10th, that I'll have to go through this all again since I'm leaving the country for a week on January 10th and won't be able to smoke.  Thanks for all the help y'all, it's been rad so far 
     
    :bongin: (i wish).
     
  10. #10 FLYIN HIGH, Dec 21, 2013
    Same thing happened to me coming out of college, ( except couldn't handle the TBreaks) So it's been 15 years and still smoking.Quit while your ahead and just keep it a sweet memory.
     
  11. #11 xxOgkushxx, Dec 21, 2013
    i just got on probation for 3 years. had to quit unmentionable nd weed. i knew i was addicted to weed. hang in there itll all be over in 3-4 days. i got off the unmentionables right after my arrest. so i dont have to go thru horrible withdrawl on probation nd maybe even die from quiting unmentionable cold turkey. but i had to quit weed in the 2nd of this month the day my probation started. i had exactly what ur saying. cant eat. vomiting. anxiety. cant sleep and felt sick. it was all gone after 4 days. u just gotta lay in bed and watch movies. thsoe 4 days will feel like a month but u gotta pull thru. after ur done with withdrwal a weekll feel like a year for the first 2 weeks time went by suppperrrrr slow. it made my life better. my addiction wasnt a problem. only a problem if i cudnt smoke which was never. i wud say smoke it one time a day. i wud dab 2-3 grams a day which is like 14-20 grams of weed. the only problem im having now is i grew up not sober. ever since 12 i was on all types of drugs. im now 18. growin up without really seein the world sober nd then goin sober fucks with u. i was depressed for a while cuz my homies were out partying getting fucked up but now my focus is money only. i was pretty succesful especially for my age. but im now trying to take it to a new level and make double. everyday i wake up i get to work and until night i dont stop. wake up and repeat. its boring af but i gotta do what i gotta do and instead of spending 3-4k a month on drugs now im savng that 3-4k. once im off probation ima get back to dabin and tame the unmentionables. the only thing i hate is how slow time goes by at first. this is my 3rd week sober and times starti9ng to go by fast again like before. a week used to go by like i blinked nd now it feels forever. jus keep at it for 2 weeks so it clears out ur body nd then smoke once a day. dont stay high 24/7. nd dont listen to any dumbasses that say withdrawl from bud/wax isnt possible. ur boby might not be aching but ur mind is
     
  12. #12 h2xhardcore, Dec 21, 2013
    Hey nanSent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum mobile app
     
  13. #13 Guest, Dec 21, 2013
     
    Your like me, fold or all in.
     
  14. #14 Omega369, Dec 21, 2013
    Everything is ok in moderation

    Daily is overdoing it IMO. I smoked daily for 3 years and started noticing issues coming up. Anxiety, anti social, turning into an oversleeping hermit. I decided to quit cold turkey about 3 months ago and haven't felt better. Now I'm smoking about once or twice a week and I feel great.
     
  15. #15 AlphaOmega420, Dec 21, 2013
    [​IMG]
     
  16. #16 The Golden Spiral, Dec 21, 2013
    Jesus christ not this again.
     
  17. #17 crazygoalie, Dec 21, 2013
    To people saying or implying that cannabis is not addictive, that's not the point of this post.  For WHATEVER reason, I have experienced very awful symptoms that have required me to go to the emergency room because I could not keep fluids down for days. Maybe it's 100% mental, maybe not.  I apologize if I offended people by referring to it as an "addiction."  I'm in a tough place, the reason-beyond that it is a result of me not smoking-does not matter, and I came here for help.  I don't see why it matters if it's an "addiction" or a "dependency" or if it's me being "weak", I--and many others--have had truly awful experiences immediately after stopping smoking, and that is the point of this post.  
     
    I truly do apologize if me adding the word addiction bothers people.  For clarity's sake, I was using the following page when considering the use of the word addiction: http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction
     
    However, I don't see the point of coming to a post that pretty clearly mentions what its about in the title and posting something that could be taken as an attack (I don't think any of you were), or is disputing a small part of my post.  Just my two cents though, and it takes all types to make a world.
     
    Toke on brothers and sisters, I hope to be able to responsibly join you soon.
     
  18. #18 xxOgkushxx, Dec 21, 2013
    ur a dumbass. u ever seen someone suck dick for Tylenol? does it make it not a drug? nd i seriously doubt anyones suckin dick for coke. crack? yea. 
     
  19. #19 LiveGood, Dec 21, 2013
    Id day take a week break or so, try to focus on whatever you've got going on and keep yourself occupied and at the end of the week if you feel like you wanna smoke, then smoke. My friend gets bad withdrawl symptoms like anxiety and depression, but it really goes away after 4 or 5 days. Plus it'll lower your tolerance and if you decide to hit the herb you'll be flying. I smoke everyday but sometimes everyone needs a little break
     
  20. #20 antinomies, Dec 21, 2013
    The meaning of the word, addiction, it was created by man, it is totally unnatural, is weed unnatural? Do we have to have a laboratory, and reach synthesis to make marijuana grow? There is a lot of experimental evidence to show that it is somewhat evolutionary, we have cannabis receptors in the brain, there is nothing addictive about it.
     
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