54 days ago I quit THC after years of abusing it. At my worst I was smoking 4–5 joints every single day. What started as something I thought was helping me slowly pulled me into a black hole of depression, laziness, and isolation.

I couldn't hold down a job. I'd get hired, lose all motivation, quit, and repeat the same cycle over and over. I convinced myself it wasn't the weed, but looking back, it played a huge role.

Today, things are different.

I've been working the same job for the last 3 months, and for the first time in a long time I'm actually sticking with something. I wake up, go to work, and feel like I'm slowly rebuilding my life.

For anyone who's just starting their journey, here are a few things that genuinely helped me:

- Reading books whenever my mind was racing.

- Spending more time with my family instead of isolating myself.

- Having a support system I could talk to.

- Going to the gym consistently. Exercise helped my mood more than I expected.

- During the first couple of weeks, whenever I had intense urges, I'd dunk my face into a bowl of ice-cold water. It would snap me out of the craving and calm me down.

- The first week was rough. I had trouble sleeping, so I'd watch movies or listen to podcasts until I got sleepy instead of lying in bed overthinking.

- I cut off all the friends I used to smoke with. That was one of the hardest but best decisions I made.

I'm not going to pretend it's easy. Some days were unbelievably hard, and even now I still get urges once in a while. I know it'll probably take more time for my brain to fully settle, but compared to where I was 54 days ago, I feel like a completely different person.

If you're in the early days of quitting, please don't give up. Even if you don't notice it day by day, your life can slowly start coming back together.

Thank you to everyone in this community. Reading your stories reminded me that I wasn't alone.

One day at a time. ❤️

3 days in. Been thinking about letting the flower go for a while now. Life's been an uphill battle, I decided recently I'd rather confront the emotions than mask them. 33M, 15 years of regular evening/weekend use. Last night I couldn't sleep at all, felt like shit. Whoop says I slept for 2hrs 7 mins, typical sleep for me is 8hrs 5mins. I walked downstairs to load up a bowl, but I opened this page first and read all of your journeys' & experiences and decided to stay in the fight!!!!

I got myself into this situation, and god damn it, I am going to get myself out of it!!!! my wife and kids deserve me at my best and I am driving hard to get there!!

Hi friends. I am early on in completely quitting weed. I feel really ready and resolute, and I'm doing really OK so far.

The thing is, I've realized I used weed a lot to avoid hard things in my life. My wonderful live-in boyfriend of 7 years drinks too much. Like, way too much. He is an obnoxious drunk. I used to just smoke when this got uncomfortable....now I need to face it.

I am resolved to talk to him this week. My therapist says that I need to state MY boundaries, and not put it on him, but let him know I dont want my partner to drink excessively. That won't be a part of my future.

I'm terribly avoidance (see: above) and take meds for depression and anxiety already....any tips for how to make this talk go easier for both me and him?

Thank you so much to this community, for helping me get to this point. ❤️

It’s been 41 hours since my last hit of THC. I’ve cried three separate times already and got super existential sad last night before bed. I have been feeling depressed anxious and isolated from the world for too long. Starting to feel angry about all the time weed has stolen from me… angry at myself for getting to this point and making these choices in the first place. But it’s time to wake up and start living!

I am going to join a local run club tonight (I’m not a runner but I’m willing to try). Trying to stay busy during my usual smoke hours. Wish me luck! 😬

I used to think staying sober was all about willpower.

Now I think it's mostly about conditioning my thoughts.

When I first quit weed, my reasons were powerful because they were fresh. I was painfully aware of everything it was doing to me... brain fog, laziness, binging junk food. Quitting wasn't that hard because my mind was completely focused on the downside.

But something changed over time.

The pain faded.

Without realizing it, I stopped thinking about why I quit. My mind slowly started remembering only the parts it enjoyed. I wasn't craving weed because it had become more appealing, I was craving it because I'd stopped reinforcing the downside of smoking.

That's when I realized something that changed everything.

The mind naturally moves toward whatever it thinks about most.

If I constantly rehearse the benefits of sobriety, staying sober feels natural. If I constantly replay the pleasure of getting high, eventually that's the direction I'll start drifting.

It's like a scale in my mind.

On one side are all the reasons to stay sober.

On the other side are all the reasons to smoke.

Whichever side I keep adding weight to eventually wins.

So now I spend a couple of minutes every day adding weight to the sobriety side. I revisit the costs of smoking and the benefits of living without it. I made a long list and I don't just read the words, I remember what they felt like.

That simple habit made more difference than all the willpower I ever tried to use.

People understand that the body has to be trained over and over again to remain healthy. I don't know why we expect the mind to be any different.

So I now make sure I never forget the reasons I quit

by mentally reinforcing the truth every single day... but it only works if you actually do it consistently. Never give up!

I had to finally quit weed and coffee for some health issues with my heart, and today is day 7. I'm a week free! Friends and family say I seem lighter, brighter, and happier and you know what? They are right. Withdrawals have been better than in the past, which convinced me mindset and setting are vital to this process. I wasn't going to celebrate until another beautiful soul in here reminded me that I still am making a choice not to smoke, regardless of why I'm quitting and it's good to mark the achievements. So I'm taking myself to get some boba tea with double tapioca pearls today, because I deserve to celebrate this milestone.

For everyone struggling to quit, you can do this! I smoked daily for 20 years and the day I quit I realized I was finally choosing myself, not the smoke. I deserve my health and happiness and so do you!

Now I've heard how intense dreams are when you quit, but oh my god. They have been insane! It feels like a new world at night its such a trippy thing to adjust to. How long did you guys have vivid dreams for? Also would love to hear any crazy dreams you guys have had.

After a spiral, I woke up last Saturday and decided I wasn’t going to smoke anymore.

Couldn’t sleep for the next 48 hours, then slept 5 hours the following night, and around 7 hours last night.

I’m still getting waves of nausea and my interoception is awful - can’t tell when I’m hungry/thirsty until I’m about to fking die on the spot.

I THINK the acute craving for smoke is starting to level off though.

I played with my dog this morning and felt more awake and present and grateful than I have in a long time. I know it’s only 5 days but yeah

Good luck everyone 🥹

I dont know how I got lost. All I could think of that caused me to get hooked on weed for 18 years was my Uncle's introducing it to me when I was mourning the loss of my grandmother. I never truly dealt with her loss until I was off the weed. It was as if my body naturally wanted to heal and learn from the loss but the weed numbed it. To all those who have the chance to inspire the ones they love, dont do weed with them as a form of bonding. Play music, bowling, pool, have a beach day, play tennis, racquetball, workout at the gym, bike, or do something in nature. Wishing you all to continue to be strong on your journey stopping weed. Much love.

For me it's Rainy overcast days. I just wanna get high, eat and watch Netflix. The forecast says the next 5 days are raining. How can I deal with it?

I quit 125 days ago. since then life has given me crisis after crisis, multiple family health issues, a beloved pet passed away, plumbing issues, you name it...

...but behind the scenes, as I grieve and do care taking and my travel plans are canceled, something has been changing. I'm becoming myself again. The ambitious, curious, focused person i was before i started this addiction, so many decades ago.

it's not always easy but it is worth it. i'm working on projects that i've been daydreaming about for years. i feel like i'm 24 again, with a new, exciting life ahead. starting from nothing but the ashes of my former self.

Onward

Hey all,

What is the right way to quit - this is probably just paranoia but like is cold turkey a safe way to quit? Or is it better to try and taper down usage until there is no usage ?

The tapering down I have tried over and over again and I always end up over consuming again - I think that cold turkey would be my only option to quit, is this the way?

EDIT:

Thanks everyone, you are all incredible people and I appreciate you!

I am no longer scared of quitting cold turkey, today was my last day!

never thought id say this but it's time

I gotta lock in and get my life together

😭😭😭

I’m almost one week sober from smoking and was feeling good but got emotional thinking about dating and a bunch of bs. I’m so overwhelmed I’m on the edge of an anxiety attack. I’m considering having a beer and watching tv

thoughts is this a step backwards do I just raw dog my emotions and be super uncomfortable?

Three days without weed after about a year of regular vape use. I’m quitting because I have a career opportunity that means more to me than staying high, and I’m determined not to throw it away.
The last 24 hours have been rough. Night sweats, stomach feels like crap, almost no appetite, and this weird internal shaky feeling that’s hard to describe. I know it’s probably withdrawal, but it still catches me off guard.
The cravings aren’t even the hardest part right now. It’s worrying about whether I quit in time and wondering if my body is ever going to feel normal again.
I’m not looking for shortcuts or miracle detoxes. I’m staying clean. I guess I’m just looking to hear from people who’ve been where I am.
How long did the first week last for you? When did you start feeling like yourself again? Any advice for getting through these next few days would be appreciated.
Thanks for reading.

Went to dispensary got a joint and took 3 hits and threw it out right away. I can’t believe i was feeling high like this all day long before. The symptoms came back right away including the mood swings. Back to day one, ugh

hi everyone!! its been almost a week since I kicked this ugly nasty habit. Thankfully my CHS symptoms have started to subside and I’m slowly getting my appetite back which is great. but im curious if anyone also got sick after like a week or so? I think maybe my body and immune system got really weak from the withdrawals and I picked up some random cough. which sucks because coughing in the morning makes me feel like I need to dry heave. gonna try to take a cough suppressant or whatever

Particularly looking for the experience of those who smoked 24/7 365 rather than those who took an edible before bed or smoked in the evenings.

I’ve quit many things in my life and somehow this is the hardest. I can’t even make it 12 hours let alone 24 or a week. I thought maybe getting an accurate picture of what’s better, what’s worse, and what’s the same might help envision what will or won’t happen if I do quit and go through withdrawal.

I’m in an extremely difficult place in my life, the toughest I’ve ever been in, and there’s no way out any time soon (this has nothing to do with weed) which makes it particularly hard to let go of, as I feel like it gives me “cosmic acceptance” but it probably just makes me ruminate and numb myself to what’s going on.

Any feedback appreciated!

Been using weed increasingly heavily for 10 years.

Had really bad hyperemesis syndrome yesterday— this is at least the 4 episode of emesis.

Decided with my psychiatrist that I will hold myself accountable for 90 days of no weed. I need to feel what it’s like to be without it— something I haven’t had for a decade.

I already miss how it makes mundane things easier and more fun. But realize that the price is too high.

I will create a structured plan for myself to keep active as much as possible. Busy as much as possible— this I know will keep me strong 💪.

Please share your hacks to keep the positive effects of the weed (feeling more fun and playful socially— increasing productivity for mundane tasks—clearing my mind of distractions and tolerating painful things).

I hope that at the end of 90 days — I choose to not go back.

I feel like I've done this so many times where I quit smoking weed, then my nicotine/vaping ramps up like crazy, I eventually cave and go back to both. Same has happened where I quit vaping then I'm smoking way more weed and it's such a crappy cycle and place to be at. It just feels like continuing one leads me to justify starting back the other and I'm tired of playing this game with myself. I know my triggers for smoking in general are from stress but idk how to push through those stressful moments like a non addicted person. I just feel embarrassed I'm so reliant on these things and I feel like caving all the time. It's the hardest at nights because I usually smoked weed to unwind the day but vaping is an all day thing. Seriously any advice on how to push through this stuff is appreciated because the weed is one thing but losing that makes me fall into vaping more and I just wanna stop

Trying to stop my daily use with a 2 weeks break.

The first day seems impossible 😭😭 I know ky anxiety it out of control with my daily use, but i dont want to stop 🥲

I need to succeed today!

Dear all, today I’m 3 days clean. It’s a start but I feel highly motivated and so far I’m doing good. I have not stopped with cigarettes yet, although i would like to. What advise would you give for the right moment to stop with the cigs?

There are weed shops all around me and I can’t lie I’ve been tempted to go into one. These past 90 days have mostly been a struggle for me if I’m being honest. I’ve been enjoying the clear headedness and my anxiety has definitely been way more manageable without being high off carts and edibles 24/7 but I still miss it especially in the evenings when I’m trying to wind down from a stressful day.

I’m at a work event in NYC so the one thing really saving me is not wanting to look stupid high and out of it around my coworkers. I know that if I did end up using I’d be even more socially awkward and paranoid about looking dumb and things I said. This is a new job so I don’t know many people and am still making a lot of first impressions so I’m staying strong for those reasons.

This morning also marks 90 days entirely free from any weed usage whatsoever. Probably the longest time I’ve been off since I first went to treatment for other substances 8 years ago. I slowly got back into daily smoking and edibles and the past 5 or so years have just been mostly high all the time so wanted to post both to celebrate and for accountability given the temptation around me.

Hoping the next few months really turn things around and the craving/obsession continues to fade, but for now I’m just focusing on today and pledge to stay sober w yall. Peace.

Hello people.

As the title suggests I’m looking forward on ways to keep my sobriety.

For context I’m currently on vacations in my home country where weed is illegal which has helped me start this journey. Prior to that I was smoking 5G a day.

Tomorrow I’m 2 weeks free of weed and tobacco. Upon my return to the country where I’m currently living the weed is legal with coffeshops.

My luck is living far away from them there but since theres a huge shift in the country weather and food quality I know I can feel inclined to get some green after a while there again.

I don’t want that to happen I wanna focus on getting better so I have finally energy, focus and motivation to pursue my goals. Also saving money. Since I’ve started smoking Im constantly in a state of “I never have enough money”.

Answer is big no , I am devastated as I was about to feel goods of quitting and leave the hell of withdrawal here I am starting again from zero. I am responsible for this I admit it . Pleased dont be me , dont let your mind play tricks on you. My mistake I just answered an old friend who still smokes and one day gone in smoke. I will come back stronger and this post will be my testimony. But for now it really sucks being me seriously.