Marijuana anxiety withdrawal

Kurosawaisgod · Newbie Joined: 04 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

I have been a marijuana smoker for the past three years, for this past year I started smoking marijuana very heavily. I recently decided to quit because it was making me extremely lazy and I want to concentrate on college. I went from smoking an avg. of 6 bowls a day, cut down to only once a week for about a month and now have completely quit for a week. My anxiety is unbearable and familiar things are now very intimidating. I am having problems with concentrating and even communicating with people. I am very scared because I used to be very good at problem solving, and a talent for writing its seems like its all withered away. Are these just withdrawals that will go away in a few weeks or something that will take a long time to get over?

Sez · Newbie Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 1

I have cut done to 1 smoke a day - and am about to take the plunge myself, I am a little freaked as i am diabetic and my habit has been playing up with my BSL for a while. What have you done to cope with the anxiety? Any techniques you've used that have proved effective in dealing with withdrawal. I have never needed it so much - never smoked it often until i moved in with my partner - he smokes every day.... b4 work too . He is very smart and articulate (perhaps not 4 smoking so much) and almost seems uneffected by it . Needless to say causing few probs with us at mo! Strange how he feels very threatened at the thought I am even considering it ?

He tried to convince me otherwise !

Any thing u could share much appreciated

Cheers

Sez
Laughing

Guest · Guest

Your man is really bad news for trying to convice you not to stop. Lets all face it. I smoke, but know its a drug, its not a "good thing" and most including myself would be better without it. I've found people with addictions (and although not obviously affected- he is addicted) want company. Its just not a good cycle. Your partner should be more supportive of positive changes you want to make in your life.

Aussie B · Newbie Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 7

yes i agree, your partner should not be encouraging you to continue smoking but encouraging and supporting you in your decision to make a better life for yourself without weed controlling it... for the chicky who is trying to deal with the anxiety or others who are having sleepless nights bcos of quitting, hopefully what has helped me quit (one week today - yipee - 24yrs old) may help others...for anxiety, there are "Blackmores natural herb tablets called "nerve aids"which is a specific combination of herbs used for their mild sedative action. It provides relief of nervous tension and mild anxiety... and for the sleepless nights "Valerian Forte"which helps the mind and body rest ensuring a good nights sleep. All of what was mentioned can be purchased at any health food store or leading chemist.... Its not something to be used for ever but it does help get over those initial hurdles you face when quitting marijuana.... I encourage everyone to try and quit and enjoy a better life rather than spend 20-40 years in a daze and then be sitting there in old age wondering what your life would have been like had you given yourself the best opportunity to enjoy it and none of us can and i certainly couldnt have, should i have continued smoking everyday.......... Good Luck To All ! No Regrets !!!!!!!!

Guest · Guest

I HAVE A Q???? ME AND MY BOYFREIND ARE TRYING TO HAVE A BABY BUT THE THING IS HE SMOKES WEED WOULD THAT EFFECT THE BABY OR MAKE IT HARDER FOR ME TO GET PRGNANT????

AND HOWWHOULD I KNOW IF IM PREGNANT RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT HOW LONG DO I WAIT TILL I CAN TAKE A PREGNANCY TEST?????

Yoga Honey Bunn · Newbie Joined: 21 Dec 2006 Posts: 82

I've quite smoking weed for 3 1/2 years. I was a daily smoker. I did go to a treatment center and found that the process was more than just "stopping." It's important to take other steps. For example:

1. Change the people you hang out with and the places you go to prevent relapse.

2. Get a support group.

3. Surrender the process of recovery to something bigger than you (ie. a "Higher Power") to succeed.

If you really want to change your life, your whole life has gotta change. Under the anxiety, there lies depression. Mental health professionals tell us this. So, rather than treat just a symptom, we've got to get to the heart of it and look at our emotions. But, you're not alone. Wink

NO IM LOST · Newbie Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 3

PHDinTHC · Newbie Joined: 07 Feb 2007 Posts: 3

As my handle implies, I am quite knowledgeable with regards to nearly every aspect of marijuana, both smoking and expertly cultivating it.

That said, I have smoked it every day for both medicinal and recreational purposes for over 25 years. I smoked roughly a quarter a day.

Six days ago, I stopped completely. I did not taper off slowly, I just quit because I wanted to. Obviously, I was concerned over possible withdrawal symptoms. Here's what to expect:

I experienced mild restlessness and irritability the first day after I quit.

The second day all I noticed was that, since I had been a heavy, daily smoker for many years, I instinctively found myself reaching for my pipe or bong. I did not take a hit, I just set them back down and went on with my day. My body didn't 'need' it, I was just used to the ritual of smoking all of the time, so I just boxed up my smoking devices and put them where I didn't see them all the time.

The third day on up till now, I've had no 'cravings' and only noticed that I have more 'mental' energy, but my body seems to want to sleep more than I used to. This is most likely due to the fact that cannabis (THC)stays in a person's fat cells for some time after ceasing to use it, especially in one who was a heavy smoker like me. My sleep is now much more restful, even though I have for years insisted, with others that pot made sleep better. Cannabis makes you lazy and you lose motivation to do pretty much anything. I am looking to find a new pain management program now, so I take Ibuprofen (Advil) and while it's not nearly as effective as smoking pot, my mind is MUCH clearer and I feel like I've just woke up from a 25 year long cloud. My brother came over this morning and lit one up in my living room and offered me a toke. I politely declined with no problem, although I'd be lying if I told you I didn't think twice before saying 'no'. That made me feel very good about myself.

I am still of the mindset that it is a personal choice, not one to be mandated by any government.

If you want to smoke it, go ahead. If you want to stop smoking it, go ahead and try it, see how you feel after thirty days or so. If you're considering trying it for the first time, simply remember that you will be introducing your brain to something that may or may not cause you problems you didn't have before. If you have an addictive personality like myself, leave it alone and you may just get 25 years of pot-free life, where you can do little things like, well remember stuff... If you can toke recreationally with no probs, more power to you.

Will I smoke again in the future...? I don't know, but it's my choice.

I will say, in closing, that while many pro-cannabis people deny that marijuana is a gateway drug, ask any heroin, cocaine, or other hard drug addict if they started out their addictions by first sticking a needle into their veins. They didn't. They tried pot first 99% of the time.

For anxiety, irritability or restlessness, I highly recommend a new herbal product on the market called SleepMD. It's available in the US over the counter at most any drugstore or supermarket pharmacy. Cut the regular dose to half or less during the day and double it at night. Nothing I've ever tried (except weed, Klonopin or alcohol) relaxed me enough or helped me to sleep. This all-natural stuff is good for you and is strong enough to sedate Ozzy Osbourne or even Morton Downey Jr. in about twenty minutes.

Do not use pot if you and your other half are trying to get pregnant. Cannabis has been shown to cause reproductive issues with your DNA and the last thing you want to bring into this world is a kid with two heads and a tail. I'm exaggerating of course, but since noone really knows for sure what will happen to your unborn stoned baby, go ahead and play it safe.

If you have a partner or friend who you wish didn't smoke herb, voice your opinion (do a practice run in front of the mirror, you don't want to piss them off, be nice) but be sure and tell the other person that it's their decision, not yours. Remember when you were a kid and your parents forbid you to do something? Yeah, that worked out well, didn't it? Makes you want what they tell you you can't have even more, right...?

For all those who have quit and are still suffering from eating or other mental/physical disorders remember this; you're just feeling the emotions that started you to smoke pot in the first place. Get to the root of those problems and you'll be headed the right directions. Do the right thing for yourself and give it a bit more time, one day at a time. That's what makes you make it through to the other side. You'll be amazed at what a Higher Power and a therapist can do. I promise, I'm living proof and I was a 'worst case scenario'.

Conversely, marijuana beats alcohol any day. I've yet to hear of someone smoking a joint and then going out to find a fight. They usually hunt down a couch & TV instead.

If you truly smoke for medicinal purposes and it makes you feel better after you've tried everything else, than just keep doing what your doing. Chronic pain sucks and the weed grows here for some purpose. Even Queen Elizabeth used it to ease menstrual cramps. Just be honest with yourself about why your using it. I was robbed and shot in the chest in 1997 so I grew & smoked to ease my nerve damage and pain. Now, I want to enjoy a clear head, so here I am, going on a week with no weed. Hell yeah...! Plus, I'd been smoking so long that it took increasingly huge amounts to make me feel better at all, with such a tolerance built up. Eating it never did anything for me.

Oh, for all those who have panic attacks when you smoke it, that's not unusual at all. There are two type of cannabis, indica and sativa. Indica has thin leaves (think 'thindica' to remember this), while sativa has fat leaves (think 'fativa' to remember this). Indica provides an intense, strong high that causes some people to have panic attacks or freak out thinking they're dying from a heart attack and can't breathe. Sativa give the smooth mellow high that melts you comfortably into whatever your sitting or lying on. Indica is typically grown outdoors and what most people find on the street (looks hard as a brick usually because growers compress it to save space while transporting it), while sativa is more often grown indoors or hydroponically. It's often difficult to tell by looking, but you can certainly tell by doing a 'test smoke' to find out. Toss that stuff out that makes you want to hyperventilate into a bag before you die. And no, don't gift it to someone you don't like very much either. Bad karma... lol

Just to let you all know, I worked in surgery as a tech and first assistant for fifteen years so I'm up on my medical knowledge as well. And no, I didn't operate on people after spliffing one up. That'd be irresponsible and stupid and I took my job seriously and worked at five of the Top 100 Hospitals in the world before getting shot in the chest and retiring. I was extremely good at what I did, one of the best I've been told.

Best of luck to all, and if you pray, pray to God as you know Him/Her and you know what will happen. If you don't pray, well don't, but I'd highly recommend you try it at least once (praying). It's been proven to be beneficial even if you don't believe there is a God. If you don't know how to pray, just go somewhere private/alone and talk to yourself like someone is listening. You'll be right.

You can tell everyone you heard all of this from one of the biggest ex-pothead/grower that ever lived on this green (lol) earth.

Peace. Or not. Your choice.

-PHDinTHC-

greatmoses · Newbie Joined: 18 Feb 2007 Posts: 5

the only reason why you have problems with quiting which is not hard even with friends who smoke all the time for me. it is all in your head. you yourself are doing the anxiety.

this usually means you have a weak mind. and i think that you are probably ok with the fucked up system we have. no offense

honeygirl · Newbie Joined: 21 Feb 2007 Posts: 3

This girl is marijuana-free for 8 days after 22 years of smoking!
I was alternating between feeling great and feeling kinda funny/anxious until I started a supplement combination called Cortiguard. It's a mix of B vit.s, vit C, bacopa, boerhavia root, asian ginseng root, eleuthero root, and a tiny bit of alpha-lipoic acid. Truth be told, it kinda makes me feel high and very relaxed. I could probably deal with the withdrawal without it but why suffer.
A year ago, I decided first to cut back on my smoking. Over that year I went from a quarter ounce a week to the last quarter I bought lasting almost 12 weeks. It took me a week to smoke the last pinner I rolled.
Why did I decide to quit after all those years? Many reasons.....but the biggest one is freedom. I just didn't want to be dependent on anything but air, water, food and shelter. Plus, I was starting to get very curious about what life was like without being high all the time. It's kinda an adventure for me. The last time I was completely pot-free was before the age of 14. Should be interesting..........to say the least.
Before I take off.......I just want to say that I really enjoyed reading the post by PHDinTHC. Very interesting personal story.
Take it light, y'all!

Marijuana anxiety withdrawal

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