tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post3922796368842950833..comments2023-10-05T04:44:25.174-05:00Comments on Addiction Inbox: Marijuana Withdrawal RevisitedDirk Hansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-66480076112217663102013-05-05T16:10:03.271-05:002013-05-05T16:10:03.271-05:00Very good all that ive been reading has been very ...Very good all that ive been reading has been very much true i stopped smoking weed 15 days ago nand beleive me it wasn't easy as i still feel the symptoms of my body trying to re adjust itself to its natural old self. for the first few days i had sleepness nights the sweats n a few panick attacks followed by anxiety n restlessness physical tension also come do to the withdrawal process one thing to combat it is exercise take walks keep your mind of things n be positive you might feel that there is something wrong but on reality is just your mind and body fighting the toxins out the system drink plenty of water eat rigth i just cant wait till all this is over and im fully back to my old self..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-70515291711851682552012-11-19T18:47:08.851-06:002012-11-19T18:47:08.851-06:00Well Hello again! After more than half of a year o...Well Hello again! After more than half of a year of being completely sober..I find myself back here again, re-reading and re-living the things I posted in December of last year. I wonder when I will realize that I am not capable of casually smoking like most of the people I know are. :/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-83952524156037124182012-08-02T23:08:26.448-05:002012-08-02T23:08:26.448-05:00Yeah, sleep problems still rank pretty high on the...Yeah, sleep problems still rank pretty high on the list for most people. If you can't get your straight 8, then you gotta improvise, true.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-62698854524956971492012-08-02T22:00:12.267-05:002012-08-02T22:00:12.267-05:00Hi to anyone who is still active on this thread. I...Hi to anyone who is still active on this thread. I'm a 21 year old male who has experienced everything described above, panic and anxiety in particular (pot exacerbated my social anxiety). Anyway, most of you were heavier smokers than me, so naturally your recovery will be longer. That said, the severity of your symptoms will decline sooner than you think. And don't fall prey to the 'once-off' mentality either; as an addict you have to expect nothing but a downward spiral. Complete abstinence is key.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-91599427363416791732012-08-02T21:52:00.886-05:002012-08-02T21:52:00.886-05:00Hi to anyone who is still active on this thread. I...Hi to anyone who is still active on this thread. I'm a 21 year old male who has experienced described. I would just like to add that yes, it is an uphill-downhill battle, but the severity of your symptoms will ease significantly as time goes by. For the insomniacs, I find it much easier to get some sleep during the day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-13005281748319631332012-02-13T19:40:33.929-06:002012-02-13T19:40:33.929-06:00"Do you think that it can help pot addicts to..."Do you think that it can help pot addicts to make amends in the same way that they tell other addicts to?"<br /><br />I can't see how genuinely saying you're sorry can ever be a really bad idea.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-59287990073346208782012-02-13T18:08:57.106-06:002012-02-13T18:08:57.106-06:00Thanks so much for this blog, I never thought ther...Thanks so much for this blog, I never thought there was any help or support out there for this and everyone says it is not addictive (as did I for many years) which is probably what stopped me from quitting for so long even though I wanted to. <br /><br />First of all to all those deniers of weed addiction who say this is propaganda, maybe you are not addicted but then not all drinkers are alcoholics. But if you are someone who smokes all day and convinces yourself you are fine (as I did) then you might want to consider if you would think you didn't have a drinking problem if you were having your first beer after breakfast. I managed to convince myself i could take it or leave it at the same time as i was crawling around searching my carpet or pulling part my sofa for any stray crumbs. Or ringing my dealer in desperation every two minutes - and he would say "you potheads are the worst" - that more than many types of "recreational" drug users we would be the ones climbing the walls when we couldn't get it. I was very high functioning though and have managed to carve out a successful career, though I always felt like I was a fraud about to be discovered and maybe I would be even more successful without it, certainly socially and relationship wise it has affected me greatly. Having said that I don't necessarily think legalisation is a bad idea, in fact maybe it would mean there would be more recognition and help for this problem.<br /><br />I am now 10 days into my abstinence after smoking pretty much every day for 15 years (I am a 30 year old female) In the last few years, I have been working from home, weed would be my first waking thought most days and if I got to midday without smoking I thought I was doing well. I am experiencing all the symptoms every one is talking about (not because of the power of suggestion) , I was having all these before and thought I had some terrible disease, now I realise this is normal at least I am a bit less worried. The night sweats have abated a bit now in the last few days but the headaches and flu-like feeling is worse, the depression is really kicking in and my mood swings are ridiculous, I am crying all the time. Luckily I have supportive friends who don't mind me ringing them up half-hysterical. I am also worried that I may have been self medicating for years (I suffered severe depression in my late teens) and that now my real underlying depression is coming out. Also long-standing issues that I guess I have always masked by having a joint as soon as I felt a bit down. My concentration is also shot and this is what I am probably most worried about as I am a writer and at the moment I have zero creativity (which weed seemed to give me sometimes).<br /><br />Sorry for this long post but it is therapeutic for me and hopefully useful for others. <br /><br />One thing I would like to ask - now that I have a bit of a clearer head I am starting to have awful realisations about how my problem has affected my relationships particularly with my family over the years, making me argumentative and aggressive when I couldn't smoke. Or creating bad situations for myself so I could justify having a smoke. I keep flashing back to a particularly horrific argument with my parents because they wanted to visit me on my day off and of course I didn't want them to as I wanted to smoke, I screamed at them like a mad person. Do you think that it can help pot addicts to make amends in the same way that they tell other addicts to? <br /><br />Thanks, and good luck to all of you going through this. The upside of this horrible withdrawal is it is a wake up call for all of us as to the extent of our problems, which will hopefully stop us from sliding back to the old ways.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-55034603919211749312012-01-03T16:15:58.616-06:002012-01-03T16:15:58.616-06:00Thanks, I appreciate your candour too :)
I'v...Thanks, I appreciate your candour too :) <br /><br />I've been clean for 6 weeks now but contracted a nasty flu dose over xmas. I cant tell which is making me feel nasty. <br /><br />I can imagine that people DO say "I felt better on it" but that's short sighted imho. I'm giving up for general health and anti-cancer reasons and cancer would feel worse then this :) (I smoked tobacco joints) <br /><br />In my case, only recently (the past 2 weeks) have I been having vivid dreams and some scary ones too. Just makes me more determined to get off and stay off.<br /><br />Thanks, its good to know that it gets better. We'll see in 6 months.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-14772986009705410892012-01-03T10:18:21.363-06:002012-01-03T10:18:21.363-06:00Sorry, I was riffing on the common lament: "I...Sorry, I was riffing on the common lament: "I felt great on (substance X) and now without it I feel like shit." Obvious answer, go back to taking substance X. And a lot of the time, that's what people are angling for, really--somebody to say, well, you should just go back to smoking, all your problems will be solved.<br /><br />But to your specific question, which I still haven't answered. ;) Most of the worst, for most tokers, is over in a few weeks. For some, effects linger for months. If you're free of serious cravings, then that should help immensely. If you stick it out for 6 months, it will NOT be like it is today. Hooray for brain plasticity. Heaving regular smoking changed your brain, and daily abstinence will change it, too.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-77977638799261912622012-01-02T23:56:48.529-06:002012-01-02T23:56:48.529-06:00To be fair, I didn't ask that question. Where ...To be fair, I didn't ask that question. Where did i say "should go back to smoking?"<br />I'm not going back, I'm asking what is in the future.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-28953814365590340922012-01-02T11:23:39.988-06:002012-01-02T11:23:39.988-06:00"My memory is shot, my attention span is minu..."My memory is shot, my attention span is minuscule, I'm far more aggressive then I have been before, I'm irritable, anxious narky and bored. If I stick this out to 6 months, is it still going to be like this?"<br /><br />So you quit, and you're not feeling so hot.If the subject was alcohol or cigarettes, or heroin, you know what the answer would be. Nobody's going to say, "oh, your attention span is shot and you're feeling irritable? Gee, might as well go back to smoking cigarettes, drinking whiskey, or shooting smack."Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-58818821636537400692012-01-02T03:21:34.917-06:002012-01-02T03:21:34.917-06:00Hi all... Good reads here. I'll keep it short....Hi all... Good reads here. I'll keep it short. I'm 41 been smoking on and off for 20years. Considerably more on then off. I get all the symptoms here but I didn't know the sweats were related to quitting, that's good to know and for me, they stop after a few weeks. I'm 5 weeks clean at this point with two instances of minor set backs (one third of a joint on each occasion ). Funny, I would smoke 6 joints a night no problem but after a few weeks now, those thirds of a joint hit me like a truck!<br /><br />I don't get cravings for joints,that's my one saving grace. I have cravings for something, but it's like my head hasn't worked out that it's those joints.<br /><br />My question is this... Is there a happy ending to this? My memory is shot, my attention span is minuscule, I'm far more aggressive then I have been before, I'm irritable, anxious narky and bored. If I stick this out to 6 months, is it still going to be like this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-62531234928373930412011-12-20T11:47:22.862-06:002011-12-20T11:47:22.862-06:00That hyperemotionality can make the world look so ...That hyperemotionality can make the world look so hopeless and sad, I know. And the endless attack of major and minor irritations seems unremitting. And to top it all off, when you go to bed at night and toss and turn, you sweat through the sheets. This is withdrawal, it's very real, but few people understand what people who are on the right chemical wavelength with marijuana go through when they quit. So be thankful for a supportive OTHER above all.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-80118567242257909392011-12-20T08:29:17.687-06:002011-12-20T08:29:17.687-06:00Hello it's me again, 25 y.o.f. that posted abo...Hello it's me again, 25 y.o.f. that posted above! Today marks one week since quitting the habit and I'm pleased to say I haven't wanted to cheat at all! Yesterday was the first day I was able to eat anything more than a bite I'd force myself to choke down, but I do know my appetite is slowly returning. I also notice that the crazy sweaty/chill spells are happening less frequently during the daytime, yet still returns with fury at night. We actually purchased an airmattress to sleep on while I "detox" because we were honestly concerned about ruining our brand new memory foam mattress with my sweating :( Thankfully my husband is unbelievably supportive and understanding of everything, including the tears! Within the last few days I've become Hyper-Emotional, crying over the tiniest things like tv commmercials?! My focus now is to try to acknowledge the emotion from the start and know that it's something I can control! I'm feeling stronger than I have in a long time and I think a lot of that is coming from proving to myself that I can do this thing!!! It's me vs my habbit and I've got a long way to go, that I'm sure of, but I'm definitely winning!!! Good luck to you in Europe and anyone else out there!! Also, BIG THANKS to you, Dirk, for this blog! Just writing seems to be therapy for me and looking foward to updating my progress makes me want to beat this even more!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-10026551416254776602011-12-19T09:06:46.035-06:002011-12-19T09:06:46.035-06:00You're quite right to point out that there are...You're quite right to point out that there are dozens of psychoactive compounds in marijuana besides THC, and the state of the research on pot is very primitive compared to almost every other psychoactive drug. The irony of course is that weed is the world's most popular psychoactive drug, and we know the least about it.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-84273794655413301562011-12-19T01:28:37.922-06:002011-12-19T01:28:37.922-06:00Hi from Europe
I went cold turkey two weeks ago,i...Hi from Europe <br />I went cold turkey two weeks ago,i've been smoking and vaporising 6 plants of Chronic for about 5 months.<br />The first week was a journey to hell, anxiety moody aggressiveness loss of appetite,sick just think about drink a glass water,shivers,extreme cold and hot in just a few minutes,dry nose and lips,weakness,but the most annoying was/is the night sweat ,i had/have to change my self and dry my hair 2 time a night.<br />The 2 week, most of the symptoms where reduced (except sweat)but since 3 days i feel always exhaust and no energy at all, i can eat vegi and drink juice,sometimes meat.Tomorrow i'll start the 3 week.<br />I take it with fun cause it's the first time i live this experience,..we will not dye and we know why we are in such mess,soon or later all will be good again.<br />There must be a reason why from the new year in holland no more coffeshop for tourist and the probability that skunk (over 15 % Thc) will be reclassified and moved into the category with drugs such heroin and cocaine.<br />I am still pro legalisation but with a more explicative infos about the danger of such shit,more research on this plant would be great cause we still don't know all about this plant.I remember that i smoked a few leaf just after 16 days of grow,obviously Thc wasn't present but my eyes was red ,i got appetite and slept like a log while feel just a little alterate.We all point on Thc but forget that it's one of the 85 cannabinoids that are present in the plant so ,more research would be nice.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-74568438112475478722011-12-16T10:02:58.711-06:002011-12-16T10:02:58.711-06:00The sweats are really a bother for many people, an...The sweats are really a bother for many people, and obviously a problem for any bed partners. Some folks resort to changing the sheets in the middle of the night. I don't know of a cure or a short cut. It eventually normalizes, has something to do with the brain's internal cannabis system being involved in temperature regulation, which gets screwed up when you smoke heavily for a long time.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-15264743698360840802011-12-16T08:07:45.388-06:002011-12-16T08:07:45.388-06:00So here I am!!! I am a 25 year old female who'...So here I am!!! I am a 25 year old female who's absolute intolerance and disgust towards marijuana and tokers alike turned into a full-blown addiction in what seems like a blink of an eye! I went through college without smoking and then one night with a close girlfriend who I didn't know smoked (she was a great student and clean-cut..not what i had come to believe a "stoner" was)I decided...what do i have to lose? So I lit up and fell in love! Now it's been almost 6 years and I've smoked daily with plenty of justifications for doing so!! I've tried quitting atleast 4 times now...but always miss it and justify starting again. This time has to be it for me though!! The main issue for me is the sweating!! It's just DISGUSTING!! I'm on day 3 now and have been waking up mulitple times per night just SOAKED..my husband has been leaving our bed! I showered twice during the night last night and only slept 5 hours on and off!! Has any one found anything that helps with this crazy sweating?? I've not noticed a ton of irritability, but I have ZERO appetite and am coughing up the most nasty crud ever!! I know if I don't quit now it'll be even more difficult later, so I'm going to stay strong...and sweaty, I guess!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-40711370778757396382011-11-30T02:26:44.375-06:002011-11-30T02:26:44.375-06:00Love this blog. I am only on day 4 of not smoking....Love this blog. I am only on day 4 of not smoking. It is 315am and I cannot sleep. I stumbled upon this blog because I had always heard there were no withdrawal effects from pot yet I have been experiencing all the symptoms described. Most notably are the night sweats. They are pretty bad. I found comfort n the fact that these symptoms are normal. I depended on weed for my appetite. I depended on weed for sleep. Those are the worst withdrawal effects in my opinion as I am an avid weight lifter and lack of sleep/food leads to horrible workouts/loss of size and strength. Lack of sleep also leads to not being able to perform as well at work. I haven't experienced irritability as of yet but I'm waiting. The reasons I quit were a)I haven't been getting laid lately because of b)I have become agoraphobic. I don't put myself in social situations as I would rather be lying at home smoking my bong. I am a recent college graduate and need to find a job which will most likely drug test. I have no motivation to get out of the house either to go look for jobs. It's always "oh I'll do that tomorrow or I'll do that next week". It never happens. Weed is slowly ruining my life as my life has become and will remain stagnant until getting high stops crossing my mind. Hearing people describe the same problems as me will do nothing but make this easier. I feel as though I am in a support group.Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-25484208760020007452011-10-29T14:21:54.618-05:002011-10-29T14:21:54.618-05:00Hey Sam, it's April. I'm really glad you p...Hey Sam, it's April. I'm really glad you posted as I was beginning to wonder if anyone but Dirk was out there. Today marks 2 months smoke free for me and while I am greatful for my sucess, there have been some challenging days. I wanted to tell you that I had a similar experience as yours with my partner but it was with drinking back when I was a pretty heavy drinker and I was the one struggling with her desire to not drink so much. I know it must be hard for your husband as it is always great to have a smoking buddy but I beleive he is acting the way he is out of fear....fear you guys can't have fun any more, fear you will decide you don't want to be with a dope smoker, fear you won't enjoy intimacy as much etc. As long as you keep assuring him that you will support him in whatever he wants to do and you just ask the same from him he will come around unless he's a dick...but doesn't sound like he is. I am still making realizations about how numb I was a lot of the time when I was smoking....hard to look at, but sometimes that helps me appreciate being more present and in many ways has forced me to start facing my life issues head-on....which is ulitmately going to help me grow as a person. I wish you the best of luck and as a fellow female smoker send you my support. Hang in there.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-86304946659753226082011-10-12T07:37:59.690-05:002011-10-12T07:37:59.690-05:00Thanks for sharing everyone! I'm a 50 year old...Thanks for sharing everyone! I'm a 50 year old female and smoked occasionally from teenage years until I met my second husband. I was happy to be with someone who could appreciate the use of dope for enhancing music, food and sex on special occasions but was not aware how hooked he was. Ten years on I've smoked joints every night. My teenage daughters have commented on my declining memory but it was not until I embarked on a full time masters degree that the full impact hit. The ability to hold ideas in my head had seriously deteriorated. I got through ok, but I'm certain my cognitive abilities have declined. I am now 5 days dope free, using mild tranquilisers to help with the hideous anxiety and depression. <br />I am determined but my husband is threatened by my abstinence and is subtly sabotaging me in a variety of ways....I have assured him I love him and that this is about me not him. Has anyone else had this problem?Samnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-56449018555522598662011-09-22T09:27:45.332-05:002011-09-22T09:27:45.332-05:00Very glad to have you posting on your progress. Qu...Very glad to have you posting on your progress. Queen Elizabeth supposedly used weed for her PMS, but there's no good evidence that it helps.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-90612987371210720802011-09-22T01:43:48.247-05:002011-09-22T01:43:48.247-05:00Hi, its me, April, again. Pretty sure that no one...Hi, its me, April, again. Pretty sure that no one's really reading these posts but they are theraputic for me. I just wanted to report that the peak I was experiencing just a few days ago has turned back into a miserable valley. Today I felt kind of like I did during the initial days of quiting.....headache, sweating, irritable and anxious....and pissed off about all of it. Also it is 12:30...insomnia. I don't mean to play the girl card but I am having raging PMS and in the past I would just smoke heavily through all that....I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had urges to do that in the last 24 hours. The good news though is that I remain smoke free as I am determined to get this shit out of my system. Certainly though I agree with the earlier post about thinking you are through the withdrawls and they pop up again. Hope my pot abstinance-a-log is helpful if not now, then at some point........Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-81057206216393220842011-09-18T23:04:20.529-05:002011-09-18T23:04:20.529-05:00Hi its me again...the 42 year old female from the ...Hi its me again...the 42 year old female from the previous post. ...actually my name is April. Well I am on day 16 and I am feeling so good that I just had to post. The first 3 days were the worst. Day 3 was rugged as hell. Honestly, the last 5 days I havent even had an urge and in fact quite the opposite, I have NO desire to smoke. I am already noticing great improvements in my life...I am happier,have more energy, my true personality is coming out again and my relationship with my partner and attitude at work have all improved. Plus my fear of people is disipating...I find myself talking to people everywhere I go! I know there may still be some rough days ahead but I am SO GREATFUl I quit smoking and I want to say thank you again to you and all who have posted info and support. Much love, AprilAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-142743152971096915.post-53775376378856653392011-09-04T09:20:19.637-05:002011-09-04T09:20:19.637-05:00Despite dope's reputation as a convivial party...Despite dope's reputation as a convivial party drug, most marijuana addicts report sitting home alone, toking up.Dirk Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07429793255785560043noreply@blogger.com