Marijuana withdrawal symptoms affect some more than others

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

So I've read all these posts....misery seems to love company when going through all this and it helps to know we are not alone.

I'm 37 and have been smoking for around 20 years, been a heavy smoker for about 15 years. I smoked daily on average probably around 5 J's a day. Not 5 everyday....but most days. I just got sick of the hold I felt it had over me. I really enjoyed it for the relaxation (or laziness) it gave me but felt that it was comsuming my thoughts too much. When at work I couldn't wait to get home and blaze one. If I was meeting some friends for dinner, i would make sure to stop at home first so I could get high before. It's not that I felt awkward in social situations, i've always been very comfortable with being high, it just became a part of me, it's what I did. So I decided to stop and I haven't had any cravings, no moodiness, no irritability or depression. What I've experienced is this;
Day 1) Felt fantastic, very proud of myself for making this decision and actually doing it. There were thoughts of calling my dealer but I got a good handle on talking myself out of it. Slept great, like a baby....no dreams.
Day 2) Felt fantasitic again!!! No cravings at all, still so proud that I've actually stuck with it for an entire day! Keep telling myself how proud I am and that I know I can do it. Slept good, crazy murderous dreams.
Day 3) Woke up feeling great! And thankful that my dreams were just dreams! Still giving myself affirmations every day and staying strong. No cravings, no bitchyness, quite happy actually. Sleep sucked though. Tossed and turned for a few hours but still was telling myself just to muscle through it and that it would get better. I finally fell asleep and had a good 4-5 hours I guessed. No dreams.
Day 4) Woke up exhausted but still determined. I'm not going to let the tiredness be the only reason to smoke again. Mood was good all day. No cravings. Started to feel sickish in the evening but thought it was because I was so tired. Couldn't eat much but again thought it was because I was tired. Slept good, no dreams woke up for an hourish around 3 or 4 I'm guessing (I dont' like to look at the clock when I can't sleep) went back to sleep until 7.
Day 5)-today... Woke up feeling TERRIFIC! No cravings, no mood swings BUT....starting to feel a bit nauseous now.

My concern is that it's going to get bad before it gets good....OR can I assume that the worst is over for me? Is it possible to feel worse as the days go on instead of better? I'm really hoping i'm one of the lucky ones. I truley think that I smoked more out of bordem and habit triggers than any kind of dependancy on the herb. Thoughts?

[Gurutree]

Looking for support...

Hi guys,

I'm a 35 year old man and I've been addicted to pot since the age of 18. I have been smoking just about all day every day during that time, and I am definitely feeling serious withdrawals, as this is my 5th day of sobriety. I have decided to detox for good this time (my record so far is 1 year back in 2002), and my girlfriend has given it up as well to help support me and clear up her mind too.

I am quitting because I want my mind back, not because its illegal or because someone else wants me to - this is me trying to improve my life and be more social, successful and happier in the long run.

First of all, this drug is different for everyone when you quit. My girlfriend started smoking 4 years ago when we started dating (mostly because of my influence) and she is having no noticeable withdrawals. I believe this is because her brain works differently than mine. For instance she has always had intense dreams, even when she went to bed stoned out of her mind. For me, pot completely erased any memory of my dreams, so I don't even know if I was really having any. The dreams I have been having the last few days have been horrible - mostly about my friends turning on me and other just generally uncomfortable situations. I will wake up after about 7 hours of sleep, coming out of a nightmare, and when I try and get my last hour in I either return to the same awful dream, or start another awful one that lats for about 15 minutes and I wake up again. The dreams have made my mornings very anxious and depressing, and are the wort part of my rehabilitation so far.

To remedy this, I have been going on walks and exercising with my girlfriend in the morning. I have noticed that on the walks I am constantly arguing with her and blaming her for my problems, but I soon realize that it is my brain trying to weasel her into giving up on me and telling me to smoke again (just so she does'nt have to put up with my bitching). I felt so bad this morning after doing this that I hugged her in tears and told her not to give up on me. I really need my mind back, and I know I will need to use all my willpower just to control my emotions without weed.

I have been bursting into tears uncontrollably for the last few days. It feels like I have lost my best friend, but I know that is not true - its just how it feels. If this is how pot makes me feel when I quit it, then it is more like my worst enemy. I am determined to make it through this, and I'm so glad to have found CannabisRehab.org so that I can express my feelings to you guys. My girlfriend is having a very difficult time relating to my withdrawals, and I really need someone to tell me everything is going to be okay. Here come the tears again...shit.

I may not be the best person to prescribe remedies for you guys who are wanting to detox as well, but here are the things that have helped me through the first few days:

In order of importance -

1) Exercising - it makes my heart pump in a similar way that pot did, and it elevates my mood as long as I do it on an empty stomach (if not I get nauseated) eat a banana, toast and water afterwords to replenish my potassium and flush my system.

2) Warm Baths - this is really a tie for #1. I have been taking these in the morning after working out, before going to bed, and any time I start breaking down in between. The feeling is VERY similar to being high, and they make me sweat a lot which will hopefully quicken the flushing of the toxins.

3) Reading up on detoxing - for some reason, knowing what to expect helps me deal with my symptoms, and focus on the end result. I have read A LOT in the last few days on strategies for quitting, and just reading about all the other people who have been successful is easing my mind as I go through this.

4) Talking to my friends - oddly enough, I am getting support from my pot buddy. He took my plants, and the drug away from me, and has promised me to only talk about life stuff - not the drug stuff. He is one of my 2 best friends, and I think he values our friendship enough to give me support though this. My other best friend has been helpful as well. He barely ever smokes weed, and discovered long ago that moderation is important to him - he is VERY outgoing and social, and finds the drug to be unconducive to his lifestyle. He also recently quit smoking cigarettes, and can relate to my withdrawals.

Thats about all I have to say right now - I should get started on my college homework - I have tons of it today.

Thanks for listening.

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Hi guys and welcome to the forum.

I hope you don’t mind I moved these two posts to their own thread, as I think they raised a point which deserved a thread in its own right.

It is interesting how marijuana detox symptoms seem to affect some more than others, some don’t really seem to have too much of a problem quitting, while others really do struggle and experience significant withdrawal. I think that’s a very good point Gurutree about marijuana affecting you differently depending on how your brain is wired, we have all heard those people who say I have tried marijuana but it didn’t really do anything for me, well I think that can be true, I think different drugs can have a different effect on different people depending on how their body is made, there’s even people who you could inject with as much heroin as you like and they wouldn’t feel a thing because they don’t have the necessary enzyme to process it, an extreme example I know but it just goes to show how different people can react to different drugs. So there’s the whole pharmacokinetic issue of how different peoples bodies react to a particular drug, then there the issue of different peoples genetic predisposition for addiction which can also vary significantly, this has now also been scientifically proved. I think these are some of the reasons why there is so much confusion in regards to whether marijuana can be addictive, people assume everybody is going to have the same experience and over look the fact that this isn’t necessarily going to be the case as we are all different and the biological make up of ours bodies can vary significantly. Nobodies necessarily lying, it’s not a conspiracy, we are all just having different experiences, it does happen in life, different people do experience different things. To read more about this issue you may want to read this post, I think it is such an important point that both the pro and anti pot people so often over look.

In answer to your question unregistered guest, I have read accounts where people have felt fine the first few days but then it has hit them later, but this won’t necessarily be the case for you, like I say everybody’s experience can be different and you may be one of the lucky ones.

Anyway thanks for posting guys, well done on your effort in quitting so far, take care and please keep us posted on how it goes.