Weed is harmless.

But if you get high every day, nothing else in your life will be as exciting as your drug.. for a while. Hopes and dreams slowly die at the altar of your addiction.

The cost of weed isn't just what you pay at the dispensary. It's also the hopes, dreams, and opportunities you give up along the way. The real price is everything.

So you decide to quit, hoping to restore all the best things in life.

But now withdrawal steals both the high and the dreams, leaving joyless emptiness in their place. For weeks you feel flat, and it's torturous. You get no pleasure from effort and no high from weed. You're stuck in no man's land, desolate and hopeless.

Then your inner voice starts to bargain.

"At least weed made your unbearable life bearable."

"But all I need is more time. Three months. Six months. Maybe a whole year."

A whole year? I can't wait a year to fix my life.

Besides, if I smoke now, I'll get so high. My tolerance is gone. And I deserve it. I can moderate my use this time. I don't even know why I quit in the first place. I'm a good person. Gotta have fun sometimes, right?

So you give in.

Just once or twice.

Or every day for the next six months.

Then you finally decide it's time to quit... and begin the same miserable cycle all over again.

Forever.

Yeah... weed's harmless, all right.

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!!

I used to use everyday multiple times a day for almost 10 years when I decided to finally quit thanks to this sub. After 155 days I thought I could give it a try again since I had a vacation coming up so I got a pen. I finished the pen before even going on vacation after I said I’d just try it at night to see how it was. Night quickly turned into days which turned into mornings which turned into 24/7. One pen then turned into 3 pens. This continued into my vacation until I ran out on the last day. Im now back and am trying to go back to being on track. Ive realized I could never be a casual user so here we are back on day 4 again. There’s no physical withdrawal symptoms like when I stopped the first time except maybe for sleep but it’s a lot mentally again. Im so disappointed in myself and lack of self control.

I began smoking weed in 2022. 2023 was the best financial year of my life making more money than I ever made before and was able to have unique experiences all the time because I had the money to do it. 3 years later after chronic use and the bad decisions to go along with it I am in severe debt, unemployed, about to file bankruptcy, had to move back home with my family, and lost friendships/direction in life. It took me so long to finally quit but coming home after living alone and drowning in debt and using weed to cope, I realized the past 2 years were a complete failure due to me not being fully present due to compulsive weed usage. From sun up to sun down. I isolated heavily and that period of my life will come to be one I bury and never revisit.

I am a few weeks into sobriety and I feel all over the place mentally but it is kind of a good feeling knowing that I have already hit rock bottom and there is nowhere to go but up. I want everyone reading this to heed my story and realize that weed will never fill the hole you feel inside! I ruined my life smoking weed! But now I am fighting back! Don’t give up!

I can count on one hand the number of days I've spent sober since I was 13. They were all against my will, essentially while traveling or horribly sick. I've even brought it to states and countries where it is very illegal, risking it all. I've never had to try and quit... I always found my way around tests for jobs, and have been a "functional" user since I started.

I knew I had a problem after just a few years of using it, but the past few years I've really come face to face with my ugly addiction and have hated myself for it, despite continuing on daily. I honestly can't believe that I have made it this far, on what is my first try.

I'm so proud of myself for getting this far. I was using 1-2g/day via bong for many, many years. My parents both do it and would give it to me as a kid. What was a fun, social activity as a teen, quickly turned into an addiction that I fed all alone, all through my day. Flower had eventually become my best, and sadly, my only friend.

The first 3-4 days were difficult due to cravings and physical symptoms of course, but for some reason it felt easier than I expected. Days 5-12 were actually pretty nice, and easier to get through with every 24 hours. But days 13 and 14 (today) have been incredibly hard. I've got a never-ending headache for two days now and several things out of my control have been pissing me off.

I'm really feeling the anger, rage, and irritability now at this point. I consider myself lucky that I didn't have many triggers these past 2 weeks (I'm currently unemployed and have been able to really tend to this recovery journey in the safety of my home thus far). But man.... these emotions are such big triggers, and I'm having intense cravings for the first time since the first few days I quit.

I am determined not to relapse, I don't plan to smoke, but I'm having serious trouble processing these feelings. These feelings would have been a prime excuse for smoking my lungs out just 2 weeks ago. I know it's normal to feel this way during withdrawal, but it makes me wonder if I've always had a problem with processing emotions, anger in particular, and just masking it with weed (knowing myself and my history I'm leaning towards 'yes').

I called and made an appointment with a therapist this afternoon, for next Tuesday. I realize that I need help at this stage in my recovery to progress onward in a healthy way. I've never used formal therapy before. I hope it helps me learn how to deal and cope with these emotions and other traumas I've lived through so I can continue on in my recovery.

Reading everyone's posts here have been so helpful for me. So thank you for sharing your stories and experiences. I wish everyone the best of luck and remember -- you... we... are not actually alone. We can all do this... one day at a time.

Thanks for reading.

Sooooo I quit smoking last year for around 6 months after 10 years of daily use. I was on vacation for Thanksgiving with my family and I convinced myself I had to be high on the holiday so I could properly enjoy the food. I took one hit of my sister’s pen and was SOOO HIGH! I immediately felt super anxious but it slowly evened out. When we got back from vacation I would hit her pen once a day and I would wake up with horrible headaches because my body was like wth are you doing? Flash forward and I realized I was smoking again every day. It started to affect my motivation heavily and I was in denial. I went right back to my old ways even though I tried to convince myself that I was able to moderate my use. The reality of it is just like any other addiction it is a slippery slope. It started off slow and then I was right back at it like I was before. Anyways I’m on day 3 1/2 of being sober and I’m looking forward to my mind being clear again. When I wasn’t smoking my anxiety was so much better, I was able to eat without worrying about smoking first. What really helps me is writing out a list of my WHYS and going over it everyday. So far I’m doing fine I just know I will have very intense dreams/nightmares for at least a month because of the REM rebound. My point is that even though I had myself convinced I was able to control my use, at some point I was right back in those imaginary handcuffs. If you are considering using weed just once or whatever it is I recommend that you go back to your why and remember why you stopped in the first place. It will take away from you and your relationships slowly over time and by the time you realize it 10 years will have gone by. You got this! I believe in all of you and myself💓

Hiiii!
I thought I'd come back and leave something positive for anyone maybe going through what I did.
I was a pretty heavy THC smoker but eventually it did nothing for me. I thought it would help me gain weight but I maintained more than anything.
I decided to go clean also in efforts for my partner to get a new job. I went through it for real, I made so many posts because I was desperate. 1-2 months later my appetite came back SO strong. Honestly when people told me this wild happened I laughed and felt as if it wasn't true. I was 90 ish lbs and now I'm 130🥹 ever since I was young gaining weight was so hard for me. It was also a healing moment for my mom when I told her how much I weighed. Any ways, it's tough & still think about going back but all this hard work didn't happen for NO reason. Keep pushing you got this 💞

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 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!

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!

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. ❤️

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.

Title says it all! To follow up, I made a post last week debating/hinting that I wanted to quit despite overcoming a traumatic brain injury.

I have no use to my left side, and I’ve been vaping/smoking MMJ for a few years to ease up on my muscle tone. I grew so dependent on the feeling of getting high or “relaxing”, to a point that it made me miserable.

I took someone’s advice and discussed it with my doctor first. All went well. I threw my pen out as I walked out the main door. (It’s somewhere in a landfill now)

I fought off some cravings the first day, definitely. It can be rough for some, but oddly enough, not for me. I celebrated by taking my dogs to the park and going swimming at my local YMCA pool.

My second and third day, I had work all day. Two hefty 10 hour days back to back so I was distracted for good reasons. Bonus that I ended up getting home late and straight to bed both days.

My fourth day… I got sick with a 24 hour stomach bug. I unfortunately slept all day with a little gaming.

By Day 5, I wasn’t craving anymore and I noticed my sleep drastically improved. I was dreaming again!

Fast forward to today, I looked at my medical card, and at first I wanted to cut it up, but I safely put it away to keep as a rememberance. But I can safely say, I’m never going back. (Plus I told my doctor that he no longer needs to schedule anything in my profile)

I’m not going to say it’s easy. But it’s absolutely not impossible and if you truly want to quit, just challenge yourself to a week. You can do this and I will absolutely cheer you on!

I've been fully weed free for nearly a week now. I know I can do this, because I recently went to a country where it was illegal for a whole month and was fine... but goddamn is it hard being back home. Maybe I wasn't chemically dependent, but I absolutely was emotionally dependent on it.

I work a high-stress job, and the hardest part has been losing the post-work wind down. When I had a hard day, I could look forward to smoking in the evening. Now, I feel myself getting upset on my way home from work because I get this feeling of "ugh, I have nothing to look forward to." I have plenty to do after work, so I'm not lacking hobbies. But I crave the easy and immediate stress relief smoking weed brought me.

I know this is irrational, and this feeling is going to fade with time. I'm not going to give into that urge... but goddamn does holding myself to it suck!!!!!

does anyone have advice on how to combat the feelings of frustration at losing your "easy stress reliever"?

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 🥹

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 feel like I literally can’t stop smoking weed. I first started smoking 5 years ago only at nights for the first 2 months then it quickly led to a 5 year period of all day everyday. From the minute I woke up to the moment I fall asleep I’d smoke. I’ve had periods of working throughout but I’ll still smoking the minute I walk through the door. It causes me health problems and it has been for months and I still use it. It’s been making my heart pound for the past 12 months every time I smoke yet I’ll still smoke. I’ve had holidays which are for not smoking and I’ll smoke either while their somehow or slowly from once at night then all day everyday again once I’m home. I want to stop so badly and I plan to just go cold turkey from once I wake up i don’t enjoy it one bit.

I am on day 50. I smoked every day for 12 years until I developed CHS. I loved blunts the most, the whole ritual of rolling was part of the enjoyment. I loved the smell and the heavy smoke. I started smoking joints to be “healthier,” and of course did bongs and stuff too. But I loved the rolled flower most.

Then in the last 3-4 years I really pivoted from flower to high dose edibles and carts. Then straight up dabs. Shit got bad when I was waking and baking with dabs and wasn’t even feeling high. It came to a head when I had to quit because a CHS diagnosis. It was the worst experience of my life, and all I have to do is remember how sick I was and the thought of smoking is wayyyyy less appealing.

Anyway, withdrawal has been awful. This community has been so helpful though. I cried and cried and cried at nothing for weeks. Literally just driving by roadkill on the highway would make me cry because of the loss of life. A news headline would have me crying. Also, I’d be sitting on the couch, in silence, and then cry at nothing.

I also developed the most intense dreams! I would wake up and feel like I’d been on a head trip to another dimension. It was insane. I’ve never had such intense, emotional dreams. They’d stick with me all day.

Well, they seem to have finally started balancing out. Maybe 10 days ago the dreams themselves got more normal, then I quit dreaming at all. Last night I had a crazy dream with a lot of violence, but I woke up and felt fine. It didn’t stick with me at all.

The boredom is also getting more tolerable. I posted here many times for support on Sunday evenings in particular.

This group has been kind of a lifeline for me. It feels like group therapy and makes me feel less alone. Everyone in my life smokes so while they support my sobriety, it’s been isolating in a way.

Thanks for being here, you guys. If you’re going through it right now, it really does get better. The worst days were the first week or so, and breaking the habit is hard even if you’re committed. Breaking any habit is hard but the rituals, social aspects, and the emotional escape makes weed really difficult. You can do it!

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!

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.

Been almost 24 hours without weed. I woke up this morning and I felt like absolute shit. I think I woke up like 5 different times through out the night. Muscle aches all over my body, really bad nausea, headaches, feeling like I have a slight fever, and all I ate today was a smoothie and some yogurt. I walk around 8-10 miles a day for my job, and I felt like I was dying today. I feel a lot better now than earlier today, but I still can’t eat anything solid. I can’t even smoke a cigarette without the thought of puking.

I’ve smoked weed since 2015, and it started off with flowers and bongs. Eventually I switched to carts and have been vaping weed for the last few years or so.

I’ve taken breaks before, and suffered all the usual withdrawal symptoms. But this is the first time quitting since I started vaping. Holy fuck, these carts and disposable vapes are no joke on what it does to you if you quit. I searched “muscle aches” in this sub, and I found so many people that have experienced the same thing I’m going through. It definitely made me feel better about the withdrawal symptoms I’m experiencing.

I’m committed to this though, and I can’t wait for the muscle aches and lack of appetite to go away. I can’t wait to go on vacations and not be dependent on weed to have a good time or to enjoy food. Seeing some of the posts on here where people have been sober for years is inspiring, and makes me believe I can do it! Just wanted to vent and get this shitty day off my chest. Day 2 here we come!

This is my 1937472th time trying to quit. It’s always “tomorrow”, but it never is. 3 dispensaries on my drive home from work.

The hardest part about all of this - worse than the zero hunger, lack of sleep, irritability and boredom - is knowing that I was sober for almost 2 months, before I went to Mexico and was offered a joint. I figured, why not? I can enjoy it casually…

Then I turn into a regular user again. There’s no in-between when it’s so available to me.

I’m feeling the weight of the world immensely right now. If it’s not shame, dread, and guilt, it’s sadness, doom scrolling, procrastination, and defeat. I wish I could skip to 2 weeks from now, and feel the clarity return, watch my creativity spark, and see myself starting to appreciate life again.

I love this sub and your stories. This community brings me so much hope. ❤️

For me personally, a reward system helps me achieve goals. Let’s say after 5 days, 10 days sober etc i allow myself something. But this usually translates to shopping or sweet treats etc. does anyone have any rewards they use for themselves that doesnt include spending money?

Hi all, I hope you are all doing well 💕

I am really proud of myself for hitting 10 days, but I am still really struggling with waking up in the morning. I just can’t get out of bed, and keep setting alarms etc. I sleep well, for a full amount of time (7.5-8.5 hours) and take iron tablets for my low iron.

Just wondering if maybe it’s related to me going sober. Has anyone else had this and found it hard to shake? Thanks x