Just to follow up on my last comment. Sure i imagine there are far worse side effects to other drugs but I'm not disputing this, im simply saying YOU ARE WRONG!! Ive been off the skunk for 2 weeks now and feel much much better. Starting to sleep better and appetite is returning. Im still having horrible lucid dreams but hopefully they will pass. You that say it ain't physical either have never been a heavy user or you are simply repeating what you have heard somewhere else.
As I said I know there are far worse addictions but PLEASE understand...you are not alone when you experience all the above mentioned side effects but it does get better. If you get past the first 7 days you are over the worst of it and it becomes more about fighting the cravings and boredom. I OVERCAME IT AND YOU CAN TOO!! Take care
Hi juan,
I was a 20 year smoker off and on who just quit on December 30th as a New Year's resolution and I must say that after a little more than three months of being clean I am STILL going through withdrawals even as I celebrate day 100 of sobriety.
As time goes on the chest tightness becomes the most disconcerting because you feel as though you should be through most of the physical symptoms by now and you worry that you've got heart problems. The thing that actually gives me a small bit of comfort is that I'm still feeling pressure in my head at times, some peripheral neuropathy (which for some reason is most acute in my right hand), a pretty good deal of anxiety which sometimes borders on panic attacks (I have had two or three in the course of this process) and yes, problems sleeping, strange dreams and waking up frequently. All of these symptoms have been reported by others even several months after quitting. In fact, some people have actually offered that this process can take up to one to two years to completely run it's course.
I'm glad you mentioned mucus production because I've been feeling that specifically today along with some nausea and I continue to be surprised with the way my lungs continue to clear themselves out after three months of not smoking.
I'm about to begin therapy for a number of reasons. One, to maybe get some tools to help me through this process and beyond. Two, to get at the core reasons for why I felt the need to alter my consciousness so many times for so many years. And three, as part of an overall quest to get as healthy as I possibly can be including, hopefully, to get off medications for blood pressure and cholesterol.
I've changed my diet, given up coffee and even begin CPAP therapy for sleep apnea. Yep … I've had a LOT of changes over the past three months.
I'm actually paying a visit to a hypnotherapist tomorrow who got into the practice as a way of addressing many chronic health issues of her own. She says she actually reduced the number of things she's allergic to by about 75% and says the healthy community is only now beginning to become more open minded about the role the mind plays in a person's overall general health.
This process has been the most challenging episode of my life to date. Living through day after day of anxiety, fears of having a heart attack at any minute and coming to terms with the way I treated myself and my body for so many years has been an emotional, spiritual and psychological roller coaster ride. My faith, my happiness and my belief in myself as a courageous person have all been tested and pushed way beyond limits I've ever experienced.
It's reassuring to read so many other stories like mine and I think it's important, as marijuana becomes essentially legalized everywhere, for more people to understand that it's not a substance to be taken lightly. As we've clearly learned, it has a profound impact on a persons neurology and psychological state and because it can be managed in a much more sort of functional way than alcohol or hard drugs, it's easy for casual use or habitual use to become a downright addiction over the long run.
I wish you much good luck in your continued recovery.
John
Actor, Los Angeles
Wow. Thanks John. That was deep. I've smoked for 20 years. I'm on day 12 and having a difficult time. I concur with everything you say. Reading all these post help considering I awake at all hours at nite when I should be sleeping. Uuuggghhhh. Thanks for the read, JOHN the actor.
Wow. You are a spitting image of me. I love your post. I could not agree with you more. Thank you
Hmmm, bit stoned here but the way i see it if he thinks he has a physical dependance isn't that psycological also, as mind and body are connected:) ? I've been trying to give up for years....one or two billies a day of xlnt bush. Robs me of incentive but i sure do smile a lot:) I've been trying various subliminals to give up, sleeping bi naural tones, chucking out my pipe....the thing for me is i like it a lot but know it's keeping me from interacting with fellow humans. I am definatly withdrawn when stoned. Ponder on things a real lot then remember nothing. I have to write lists to make sure i get things done. If i wasn't getting things done i would really really have to give up....but i get things done:)