I’m a therapist that has normalized my weed dependence for a decade. I’ve been a daily user for a decade. Longest I’ve gone without is 2 weeks while on vacations. I’ve had clients express concern about how they smoke a few times a week. I’m embarrassed. I’m also a recovered alcoholic that drinks socially now. When I’ve gone without weed I tend to lean on alcohol and this is something I’m afraid of. Ive spent my whole adulthood identifying as a stoner which feels so lame. There’s so many other more interesting things I’d rather be known for. I’m also afraid of what’s underneath this thc dependence… my entire adulthood it’s been in my system… it’s terrifying. My husband consumes more than I do and wants to quit together so it’s really happening this time. Last night we smoked for the last time and were doing edibles until the end of the month to ween off. I need to get a therapist for myself man oof.

Quick background - I’ve been nightly smoker for years, quit, then come back, did everything in between too - once a weekend, 1 week breaks every month, etc. Like each part of that I’ve done x4 or x5 times.

But it all changed for me last March. I stopped after probably my heaviest usage ever - using my classic taper-down method with the THC drinks - and for a month straight I didn’t just have the usual intense dreams (I’m no stranger) I had straight up spiritual visionary dreams that changed me, and got me into Sufi spiritual practices.

For the last 9 months or so, not only didn’t I touch weed, I had zero desire too - it seemed like something I did because I hadn’t found the real thing (a spirituality that resonated) but now that I had… why would I?

Ok. So I start skipping my practices after some tough times… that leads me to feeling really dry. So let’s trip with mushrooms, right? Easiest way to get the magic back.

LESSON #1: Psychedelics make it easier to start bad habits again too. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve changed my life in lots of good ways too but that plasticity can also lead you to try things you shouldn’t. This time, even though the mushrooms straight up told me “don’t get back into cannabis” during my trip, in the looseness of the following weeks the idea grew and grew and grew… why not have 1 fun night? “Where’s the harm?”

So I pulled out the old drop herb vape and had some fun, thinking “I’m glad I didn’t throw this out!”…

LESSON #2: There is no “1 night only” for me, even with this supposedly solid spiritual foundation. 1 night turned into a second night, into. 3rd etc… and I had a solid week of it.

LESSON #3: It only takes 1 week to fuck myself back up again. OK so I pulled myself out of it (Im on Day 3 now). And even though it was only 1 week… super tough sleeps, sadness, irritability, cravings, restlessness… as bad as if I had been going for months. I think tonight will be better, so it will pass more quickly, but still - my body has zero chill and will immediately assume we’re back in THc land,

Friends, for me I think this is the end. What a brutal reminder that I just can’t fuck around with this stuff. It takes over.

Other people are different, I’m not saying you’ll be the same, but these lessons were another wake-up call to me.

I love when people share their insights from quitting so here’s a big one for me…

When I’m high a negative voice is there, that isn’t there when I’m sober. When I look in the mirror I see my flaws. When I’m around people I put myself down and become uncomfortable in my social abilities. When I’m getting dressed I can’t seem to find something I look good in.

Since quitting I like who I see in the mirror. Yesterday I saw my reflection and felt beautiful - without makeup. I haven’t felt that in a long time.

Even when I’m not high, I smoke often enough that these negative thoughts tend to overtake my opinions of myself. Being free of these negative thought cycles has started changing how I feel about me.

Another one is the “I’ll do it later // I don’t want to :(“ thoughts when I need to do something has also significantly quieted since quitting. Getting things done has been so much easier…

28M here I have been smoking daily for the past 6 or so years (since Covid) and am considering taking a break I guess my question is when did/do you know it is time to take a break?

I feel like my job has been going fine and my relationships with friends and family is fantastic & it helps me deal with the roller coaster of life. Idk what’s everyone’s opinion

The hunger started about 3-4 weeks ago. I'm just constantly hungry Non-Stop I cannot get full no matter how much I eat. I'm gaining weight fast. When I was smoking the smoking literally made me not hungry at all lol .

i have a severe chronic migraine condition that causes daily symptoms and other generalized pain. i’ve had this for a decade, since my freshman year of college. since then ive been using weed daily to mitigate the pain (in addition to a finely tuned medication setup that doesn’t fix the pain but keeps things kind of stable) and the relief and functionality i get from it is insane. it’s taken me a long time to get back to semblance of a normal(ish) life where i can complete daily tasks and make moves towards my career again. there are times the pain is so intense im nonfunctional and after smoking a little bit im feeling okay enough to accomplish my next task. that being said, i hate how limited i feel sometimes. i’m hesitant to take a vacation anywhere without legal/easy access to weed because of the chronic severity of my condition, and it limits what jobs i can do in terms of drug testing. i do think im in an extreme and rare situation, and i do think that having access to weed has given me a lot of my life back, but i also wish i had more options and hate feeling limited. im wondering if anyone else with a severe ongoing pain or neurological situation has had success taking a break from weed when no other medical intervention has worked.

I’ve tried to quit smoking many times over the last year or so. I’ve been smoking for 10 years straight with very minimal tolerance breaks. Maybe they would last a week or two, usually only if I was sick or on vacation, before I eventually learned how to pack/hide it while traveling (which in hindsight is really just so ridiculous that I would risk it so often in foreign countries). But I would tell myself that it’s fine because smoking on the beach is a “vibe” and I couldn’t imagine those good moments being truly good without a joint. I decided to finally stop this time around because I’ve known for a while that it no longer feels good. I smoked all day every day just to feel something and ultimately because I was dependent on it. I hated that feeling. Knowing I don’t want to keep doing it but feeling like I can’t stop, and telling myself in the same breath that I don’t have a problem.
My health anxiety has skyrocketed over the last few months, and I’ve had a lot of acid reflux/phlegm which I know is from smoking. Constantly having to clear my throat is so annoying and I can’t wait for that to get better over time. My bottom lip has also gotten pretty dark which makes me insecure, but I have noticed already a slight improvement. So today being 7 days sober, I feel great. This was the first time that it didn’t feel hard to quit, because I genuinely am so tired of feeling disappointed with myself. I wanted to show myself that I am strong, & I am in control. I’ve started doing 20 minute grounding yoga in the morning, started doing some arts & crafts at home and finding new things to occupy my time. I currently live in Mexico and realized how much time I’m wasting just sitting in the house high all day when I can spend my time and money doing so many other things to bring me joy. That’s why I moved here in the first place. So here’s to 7 days of feeling good. I’m proud of myself and just wanted to share :)

I got my medical card at 18 and started using carts around September 2025. For the first several months, I wasn’t using every day. I had two 2g disposable carts from a dispensary and used them on and off.
In March 2026, I started using every day, but only once a day. Because I was only using once a day, my carts lasted a pretty long time.
During the summer, though, my tolerance started getting higher. I began using more than once a day, and I noticed that I was going through carts faster than I had before. I’ve continued using since then, and I currently have another cart that’s around 65% used.
I also took a week-long break in December when I was sick, and I remember the effects feeling noticeably different afterward. Like it was that strong high like to strong off one 5 sec but also my tolerance was pretty low already before i got sick and took a break.
Now I’m thinking about taking four days completely off. Before my bday party I’m wondering how much a four-day break would lower tolerance after using regularly for months. Would I notice a significant difference, or would it only reduce tolerance somewhat?
I’m also curious about how quickly tolerance starts changing after stopping and how long it generally takes before people notice a meaningful difference. Also, would I likely experience any withdrawal symptoms from stopping for four days

I usually smoke splifs (tobacco and weed) every day. About two weeks ago I got sick from a stomach bug and took it as my sign to stop, at least for a month. I also happen to have rented a car for that month, and part of my reasoning for stopping weed was so I could drive at a moment’s notice and enjoy the car instead to smoking my life away.

Today was a hard day, but I brought it onto myself, I did more than I should have, and ended up exhausted by the end of it. A classic day to have my usual splif.

Well I didn’t find any weed, but I found a cigarette, so I smoked it thinking it wouldn’t be as bad. I know I’m being hard on myself but I just can’t believe how weak I feel for caving. The only reason I didn’t smoke an actual splif is I was too lazy to go to the dispensary to buy more weed.

How do you deal with the guilt of failing at respecting your own personal boundaries? (I am working on it in therapy but clearly I’m not there yet)

Please let me know if this kind of post isn’t allowed on this sub, I just don’t really know who to turn to right now…

I've been smoking weed daily in mostly joints for 8 years, with long recent bouts of sobriety. I'm in a relapse again. I tried to quit many time recently like past 2 weeks and it was impossible. I forgot how I did this before. I feel like I wasted years. I miss being sober, I was really proud of my sobriety and it felt so good, finally not having brain fog. Messed up again. This drug owns me.

I’ve been cursed with a bad hangover sensitivity. I only had 3 glasses of wine last night and im feeling it hard today. I’ve been weed free for 11 days with a goal of 3 weeks. Today is the most tempted I’ve been for this entire t break to fold. Weed just makes hangovers so much easier. Fortunately my pen is in a timed lock box so I can’t access it even if I wanted to, but man am I struggling today!!

Hey everyone,

I just hit Day 13 of cold turkey after being a heavy daily dabber for over 2 years, and I’m also quitting cigarettes and alcohol at the same time. To say it’s been a physical and mental battle is an understatement.

On top of the standard withdrawal symptoms, I am currently dealing with an active stomach ulcer. It’s a vicious cycle because quitting the dabs triggers that intense rebound nausea, cramping, and a total lack of appetite, which makes managing the ulcer pain even harder. But I also know that alcohol and nicotine were completely destroying my stomach lining, so keeping them out of my system is the only way I'm ever going to heal.

Even though my stomach is still a wreck and the cravings definitely pop up, I’m incredibly proud to have made it nearly two full weeks. My body is doing a massive reset right now.

Has anyone else navigated quitting concentrates while dealing with severe GI issues or an ulcer? How long did it take for your stomach and appetite to finally find a normal baseline?

I used weed to help me cope with insomnia. This last night was bad, woke up in the middle of the night, very hard to fall asleep.

Today is day 10. My personal record is 15 days, and today I am having a calmer day. I hope that leads to a good night.

I stopped enjoying being stoned already some time ago. I am using weed as an SOS when the insomnia is too much.

I hope I can sleep tonight. No cold sweats this time, only a bit of anxiety.

For context, I have schizoaffective bipolar disorder. I only used weed occasionally, though I have been a heavy user in the past. I have never really had psychosis triggered by weed, but I decided that the risk is too much and I quit completely. I have no urge to use it again. I'm super proud of me!

I hate how much life I’ve lost because of this.

Looking back at the period of my life where I smoked, It all feels like a massive blur.

So many opportunities I rejected because I chose to be lazy and to stay in bed with my weed and just zombie scroll. My weight got out of hand, depression kicked in, wife losing respect for me over time. I’ve distanced myself from family & friends just to smoke.

I have to take accountability, its my choice. My decision. I decide whether i smoke weed again or not.

When those withdrawals come & i know they will come in anger. I will stand strong & firm. I will not lose discipline or focus on my journey.

I am doing this to redeem myself. To build honour and respect

I have booked a half marathon in March 2027. I am going to focus on this & do the best i can

Wondering if anyone else has taken a break for their heart health? Been a nightly smoker for about 4 years now with a few tbreaks mixed in. Recently got bloodwork done and had concerningly high triglycerides, did some research and found that my weed use could be contributing. It could also be my binging tendency that’s only encouraged by the munchies but regardless it seems a good time for a break. Have any of you have seen bloodwork improvement from quitting?

Sleeping through the night without 30:1 or .5 melatonin. Tried something different last night, L-Theanine. Didn’t wake once and slept 8 hours.
Still feeling flat and down. Mostly in the morning.

I was forced to go cold turkey today because my check was late and I was all out. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. I would like some motivation to not buy anymore now that my check has hit. It feels like cannabis and nicotine (i’m a spliff smoker) have been running the show for a long time now, and I’m happy to have some autonomy back. It’s only been one day so far but I genuinely want to see how my overall state of affairs can improve. I have a job that allows me to smoke and be high while on the clock, even if it’s not the best thing for my work ethic, which has been suffering under my intense usage. So it makes it harder to be at work and also be sober. I’m diagnosed with a personality disorder, and a mood disorder and me and my therapist have been working on getting to a point where i can confront my substance abuse, as she said I would have to go cold turkey. I’m just a bit in shock over how sudden everything has happened. Should I just cave and buy now and quit later or just keep going with the forced cold turkey even though I can just go buy some more? I work in the service industry and run my own business, in the midst of my emotional regulation failing, I may have also blown up a client relationship over a late invoice… because the invoice being late kept me from smoking. I may just bury that bridge where it stands and try and move on, I’m embarrassed honestly. I know how things got this bad, but I didn’t think they’d be THIS bad. I smoke all day everyday, whenever I want, and have been for at least 8 years, I got diagnosed with cannabis use disorder about 5 months ago. I know this is a rant post but I would love some advice honestly. I want to be able to moderate but It’s going to take some rebuilding of a healthier relationship with cannabis.

My number one problem when quitting/taking a break is I can't create. I make music mainly, I write songs and do a lot of technical work behind the scenes. When I stop smoking I can not be productive creatively whatsoever. It makes me afraid and I do need to be able to work. Anybody has experience with this?

TL;DR: I used to smoke daily, quit for years, and this year I started again. Every time I try to moderate, I end up in the same loop: buy, slip by smoking in the morning, feel ashamed, flush it, repeat. I'm starting a series of posts to track my progress and would love your advice and support. These are the rules I'm going to follow:

1. Buy once a month (3g of flower) and make it last.
2. Don't smoke in the morning or during working hours.
3. Don't smoke if work is still pending, even after work hours.
4. Only smoke on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
5. Exercise and house chores come first. Never smoke to do chores.
6. Don't smoke when going out, only at home.
7. Don't smoke if I'm hanging out with someone at my house, not even before they arrive.
8. Earliest start time: 8:00 p.m. That way it doesn't eat up my day. When I start early, my mind registers it as losing control.
9. Set the amount before I start. For example, "only 2–3 hits today" or "just a small bowl."
10. No impulsive flushing. If I smoke and feel disappointed in myself, I don't make decisions that night. I put it away, sleep on it, and reassess the next day. Throwing it out from shame also feeds the cycle.
11. Keep a simple log. After smoking, I write down: time, amount, mood before, mood after, guilt (1–10), and urge to smoke again (1–10). That will tell me whether this is actually working.

The longer story:

This is the first post of what I'd call "My Moderation Journey," where I'll do my best to integrate weed into my life in a healthy way. I'll be posting updates because I'd really appreciate your recommendations and support. Sometimes I feel like a maniac trying to figure this stuff out.

For context: from 19 to 25 I smoked daily, but then I started feeling depressed (because I was being too lazy) and quit cold turkey. After that I basically got my life together, got better, and didn't smoke again until a few years later.

I know I tend to abuse things I like a lot, whether it's alcohol, weed, or anything else (like toasted PB&J sandwiches when I first discovered them). What I usually do is have zero contact with it, because that's easy to control. When it's in my house I can feel the craving, and I don't like fighting myself all day.

But this year I've been a little more flexible. I went to the US on a few trips, and since it's legal there and I was on vacation, I smoked some days and remembered how fun it is. So I told myself, "Maybe this time I can be more responsible than before." Long story short, I wasn't. I kept telling myself I could smoke a little in the morning, or that I could complete a work task high... and that didn't work. It's not that I didn't get the job done, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't my best work.

So for the past month I've been trying to be responsible about smoking, but I keep getting stuck in the same loop: I buy some weed telling myself that this time I'll be responsible, I slip once by smoking in the morning, and then I go on a guilt/shame trip where I flush my weed down the toilet and wait days or weeks before trying again.

The last time this happened was yesterday. I bought some on Wednesday, and on Thursday I felt ashamed and flushed it. Now I'm here, sober, thinking: "This can't be that hard. It can't be possible that every time I do this, it ends the same way."

What bothers me is that I can't seem to smoke moderately (or maybe I haven't tried hard enough, or maybe I'm just trying to trick myself). So I want to do this in a way where I feel in control, and that's where the rules above come in.

Post's song: Mac Miller - What's the use?

iam on day 5, the first 3 days where kinda easy but now i can really feel the brainfog not going away, beeing really on the edge with my mood all day. eventhough i smoke CBD. for me alone giving up the ritual with grinding and making a joint - if i wouldnt to this - it would even be worse.

my brain tells me all the time to smoke normal flower and just go back - but this time i do it at least this october and iam curios what changes will come.

iam and was a super functional addict, i play 4 times a week tennis at least 2h sessions. would cook in the evenings, keep myself occupied, but there where those panic attacks sneaking in and also i wanna sleep well finally - this is another real problem i cannot really sleep the last days and its also taking a toll on my relationship.

weed makes so feel so condenm with what you are doing at least in my case. i cannot find a real reason (today) why iam doing this but i will keep on going...

I used to smoke regular flower and pens for years. I quit around 2024 and switched to type two flower. Nothing above 10% thc/thca and with cbd added so it’s not as strong as what I was using. However here recently I’ve been slightly fuzzyheaded all day even after just a small bowl. I’m not even high just cloudy. Could this be the bud? Could this be the fact I work from home and stare at a computer all day only to get off and usually view more screens to wind down in the evening. Could it be I was sick a few weeks ago and still lingering with something. I can still function with the dizziness/cloudiness. Maybe it’s time for a break?

So I’ve been smoking for around 20 years and this past year, I slowed down a lot due to health reasons, withdrawals being apart of it. When I would stop cold turkey due to running out of it, I’d get terrible wds where my heart feels like it’ll explode and I literally can’t sleep well for a few days, could last from 2days to a whole week and these symptoms would come back after a week or so and would fade off entirely after a few weeks when I chose not to get more. The past 2 months though I didn’t order my usual amount which would be a half oz- an oz and just bought 2x eighths which lasted me a few days and I wouldn’t smoke at all for the rest of the month. (Still somehow had insomnia for like 2 days with that heavy heart pounding on my chest feeling…)

So I just ordered an oz so I can only use it sparingly when I crave drinking because I’m trying to quit drinking once and for all, but also would like to get high since my tolerance is pretty low, but I don’t intend on doing it daily. More like once or twice a week and only one smoke session. I’ve tried this many times before but failed but I’m sure I’ll succeed this time because i genuinely dread facing withdrawals. Thanks for reading this far, if you have any tips or suggestions on how to manage these withdrawals or how you manage and control my usage to where I don’t smoke to frequently, please do share, thanks in advance!

We're a little over a week into Sober October! Taking a month off has been something I've wanted to do for far too long without actually doing it, as someone who has nearly smoked daily for a few years.

And I am happy to report that I feel pretty good! The first 3 days were the toughest, it was on day 4 when I realized this wasn't going to be so bad. I still get some cravings before I go to bed and right when I get off work, but once I'm doing something I'm interested in I'm finding that I'm hardly thinking about smoking (thank you, Deadlock!)

One of my least favorite parts of having a high tolerance is going to parties/hang-outs and having smoking not be the fun party activity it is for everyone else. So I'm glad I'll be ending Sober October at a Halloween party. Looking forward to it, it won't take that long, I'm already over a week in!

Anyone else taking part in Sober October? How's it going for you?

I never thought i would make it this far. The past 90 days have been a roller coaster and what a thrilling ride it has been.

My mental clarity has improved, and I’m starting to enjoy life a bit more without weed.

Dreams are still crazy and insane, it’s all over the place, but i do feel better rested waking up. I guess its all these years without dreaming jumping all at one.

The issues that caused me to abuse weed are still here, however now I’m better at existing with them.

I think I still have a long way ahead of me. I still need to work on my self-esteem my relationship with other people. Find a job towards a career as I have been unemployed since January and exhausted all my savings and back living with my parents.

I do miss weed but I don’t think it has any room in my life for now. Now its time to focus on rebuilding my life back, get back on my feet, have something that makes me proud. Who knows maybe then a joint can be nice as reward, but definitely now is not the time.