I am curious because that's what happened to us. No more giddy giggling. No more body tingles. It literally stopped being fun! That was when we realized it's become a bad habit. What's the point of spending money and fucking with my lungs if I'm not even getting anything out of it other than a lower bank balance and bad cardio? I don't necessarily mean a higher tolerance, because I feel like we had started smoking way more and still not feeling any effects, even when seeking out higher THC percentages.

Is this what people mean when they say that Mary will tell you when you are done?

I’ve been reading this community for a while, and honestly, some of your stories have helped me get through moments when I was really close to giving in. Today I wanted to share mine.
I’m 15 days without weed.
I know that might not sound like much to someone who’s been sober for years, but to me, after everything I’ve been through with this addiction, it means a lot.
I started smoking when I was a teenager. I’m in my twenties now, and somewhere along the way, weed stopped being something I did for fun and became something I felt I needed to get through life.
I didn’t have the easiest childhood. I grew up having to deal with responsibilities and situations that made me feel like I always needed to be strong, even when I wasn’t.
For a long time, weed felt like my little vacation from all of that.
I could spend the entire day worrying about work, money, the future, and everything I needed to accomplish. But at night, I could smoke, play some video games, and, for a few hours, pretend none of it mattered.
That was the dangerous part for me.
Weed didn’t destroy my life overnight. It made me comfortable with slowly neglecting parts of it.
I started putting things off. Losing motivation. Struggling with concentration and memory. Isolating myself. Spending money I should have been saving. Letting opportunities slip away. Sometimes being physically present with the people I loved but mentally somewhere else.
And the worst part? I knew exactly what was happening.
I have dreams. I want stability. I want to build a home, have a family someday, and become someone I can genuinely be proud of. But for years, there was this huge distance between the person I wanted to become and the decisions I kept making.
At one point, I actually sat down and wrote a list of 24 reasons why I needed to quit smoking.
Twenty-four.
Health, money, motivation, relationships, discipline, self-respect, the future I want to build… I knew all the reasons. Knowing them was never the problem.
The problem was that whenever life got overwhelming, my brain could make all 24 reasons disappear behind one thought:
“Just one more time.”
I’ve tried to quit so many times. I relapsed multiple times last year, and again this year. I’ve made promises to myself, set dates, counted days, and convinced myself that this time would be different.
Sometimes I’d make it several days. Sometimes more than a week.
Then something would happen. Stress, boredom, frustration, or just the feeling that I deserved a break.
I’d start negotiating with myself. Maybe I could smoke occasionally. Maybe I had finally learned to control it. Maybe one joint wouldn’t hurt.
And eventually, I’d be right back where I started.
One thing I’ve had to accept is that weed wasn’t the only problem in my life. A lot of the things I was running away from were still there when I sobered up. But getting high made it incredibly easy to keep avoiding them.
Now I’m on day 15, and I’m trying something different.
I’m trying not to give weed so much space in my mind anymore.
I don’t spend my entire day thinking about how I’m quitting, how many days I have left until some milestone, or how I’m supposed to survive the rest of my life without smoking.
I just try to live my day without it.
That doesn’t mean the cravings are gone. Far from it.
Sometimes the urge hits me so hard that I spend 15 or 20 minutes trying to quiet my own thoughts. My mind starts reminding me how good it would feel to smoke, how relaxing it used to be, how nice it would be to escape everything for a little while.
And I have to keep pulling my attention away from those thoughts. Again and again.
But I’ve noticed something important.
Cravings come in waves. And waves eventually pass.
Every time I’ve managed to get through one without smoking, I’ve proved to myself that wanting something doesn’t mean I have to do it.
I know this isn’t a magic solution. It’s just what has been helping me lately.
And I also know that 15 days don’t erase almost a decade of habits.
That’s actually what scares me the most.
Right now, I’m doing well. I’m motivated. I’m proud that I’ve made it this far.
But what happens when life gets really difficult again?
What happens if something terrible happens two weeks from now? What if I go through another period of intense stress, disappointment, or pain?
For years, weed was my escape route. Whenever things became too much, I knew exactly where to run.
I’m afraid that one day, when life hits hard enough, that old escape route might start looking attractive again.
I don’t want to pretend that I’ve conquered this addiction. I haven’t.
I’m just someone who’s failed at quitting many times and is finally managing to put some days together.
But something feels different about these 15 days.
For once, I’m not just thinking about the things I want to stop doing.
I’m thinking about the person I want to become.
And I know that person won’t magically appear just because I stopped smoking. I still have a lot of work to do, a lot of habits to change, and a lot of uncomfortable things to face.
But at least now I’m giving myself a real chance.
I’m posting this partly because this community has helped me more than you probably realize, and partly because I might need to come back and read my own words on a day when I feel like giving up.
If you’ve managed to stay sober through a genuinely difficult period in your life, I’d really appreciate hearing how you handled it. That’s the part I’m most afraid of.
And if you’re reading this on day one, or after another relapse, I just want you to know that I’ve been there. Many times.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
But today is day 15.
And today, I’m not smoking.
Thank you for being here.

My dudes, I’m about five or six months clean. I always told myself I would come back here and share with the community because so many people that came back to share their progression when I was in my first days and weeks really helped me step away from the habit.

I’m here to tell you how my life has improved since stepping away - and I hope this will help you get through the hurdles that present themselves along the way.

The first week was easy. I was sleeping really well and my body was able to get the rest it had so badly needed.
However, the first month was hard. My emotions were very heightened and I found it difficult to manage the depth of loneliness. An emptiness I was experiencing. But I made it through and those feelings eventually left.
That’s just how it worked for me.

Since stepping away, everything in my life has improved.
I work for myself, and the opportunities that have come my way over the last few months have been better than the opportunities over the last few years.
I’m doing more, being challenged in new, interesting, and exciting ways. And there is expectation of me to rise to the occasion which is something I thrive in.

My health - physical, emotional, and mental - are better than they have been in years. I eat really well and very clean. Very minimal processed foods, which helps the other areas of my life.
My fitness is matching the level at which I was when I was 28. I exercise every day and it feeds my mental and emotional relationship with myself in ways that Mary Jane never could.

I’m also more emotionally resilient and stable. I’m less reactive and sensitive to the dynamic changes life throws at you.

My relationships with people have improved immensely, so much so that I have been attracting a lot of attention from the opposite sex, which again helps with my mental and emotional well-being.

In general, I’m more positive, more enthusiastic, professionally and personally driven, I’m getting my finances in order, I’m getting my creative projects in order, I’m making better decisions for myself and taking measured risks in my life, which are making huge improvements.

Without sounding too ‘woo woo’, I believe if you put it out to the universe, it comes back. And that has been my experience.
I put it out there that I want a change and the change has come in so many different ways I never could’ve expected it.

I’m more than happy to share more if someone wants extra context, more detail, or a little bit more motivation. But life on the other side is so much better.
Even now, I have the option to socially and safely light up with close friends in a safe space with strict boundaries, but I’m finding that I absolutely would prefer to not do that.

Once upon a time, I couldn’t see a day without it.
Now I can’t imagine touching it again, and I have to say that feeling is priceless to me.

I’m male, 42, single, highly educated, a professional creative, I demonstrate ADHD habits and behaviours - I have sat a test, but it was inconclusive and I would need to engage in more tests to get a formal diagnosis. I have had the habit since I was 28. That’s a 14 year relationship with Mary Jane. Most of that was daily use. There were months that I took a break, but I think the longest I went was five or six months. So I’m currently about to break my own record for sobriety. I don’t have a problem with drinking. I’m not a big drinker. And other substances don’t really do much for me.

There’s every chance I could be back here in a couple of months to share more and give motivation back to the community that helped me get to this place.

You can do it.
I believe in you.
I believed in me.
I love you.
I love me.

I hope this helps x

In the 750 days since I quit smoking, I got promoted. I got a better job. I got a new boyfriend and then we got engaged. I had a baby. I got in the best shape of my life.

But then due to serious pregnancy complications, and a very traumatic birth I’ve been profoundly depressed and it’s been making me miss smoking. For context, I smoked every day for 14 years, starting first thing in the morning before I got out of bed.

It’s hard to remember the damage it did to my life now that I’m so far out and objectively I know that my life improved dramatically since quitting, but this is the first time that I’ve really missed it. And I’ve been missing it for months since everything has been so hard.

When I was pregnant, it was easier to be like well obviously, I’m not gonna smoke again because I’m not gonna harm my baby. But since she is out and safe the temptation has been a lot worse. Like nothing greater than myself is stopping me like it was before.

I also don’t want to start from zero. I’m proud of my 750 and I smoked daily from 14-28 so half my life and all of my adult life I was high. At 30 I feel like I should be past it but it’s still so hard sometimes.

I had been smoking basically daily for 20 years and have had terrible reflux the entire time. I never once connected it to weed. Two years ago I had to have my throat enlarged because all the reflux had caused it to close up and I was put on Prilosec 40mg a day for the rest of my life

Three weeks ago I decided to quit weed for unrelated matters and my GERD has nearly completely subsided. I even stopped taking my Prilosec with no issues (mainly because I started forgetting to take it because I had no symptoms anymore).

Anyways, just my experience but I’m never smoking again, GERD was ruining my life and now I believe it was mainly caused by the weed.

Oh, for reference, I would mainly vape but I’d also have time periods where I’d smoke.

Well. I’m not really upset or frustrated with myself for it but it did have its upside for me. I’d been a daily smoker for over 12 years (recent years I’d upped the consumption to 7 grams every 2-3 days) and had taken a month off of smoking partially due to a medical scare that happened while I was high.

The first two weeks of sobriety I would get night sweats, struggle to fall asleep, had insane brain fog, was constantly semi-nauseous and just generally felt “off” without being able to put a name to it. My buddies do smoke daily and often come over after the gym to sesh and hang out, but thankfully this doesn’t really give me urge to smoke again.

Once I got to a month, I decided to smoke again and was kind of worried that once I did it I would just be off to the races and become a daily smoker again (I’m not really sure why i decided to smoke again despite my feelings about it but hey, it is what it is I guess).

That night I smoked a little .5 gram joint, couldn’t finish it, and realized that I actually don’t really like the feeling of getting high anymore even though it was a daily part of my life for so long. I realize that this only really came about because of the scare that I had, and I think that my body is partially associating the feeling of being high with how I felt right before my scare. Apart from that I’m not sure if I would have taken this break otherwise, but I am happy what it’s shown me. My sleep has gotten much better, I have more time for myself, and just generally feel more present- instead of thinking about the next time that I’ll be able to smoke again.

I guess I’m writing this for anyone thinking about taking a longer break than they ever have before. Try to Go for it, you might like what you find on the other side, even if it was part of your routine for longer than you can remember.

Writing this on day 3.

So I quit carts cold turkey around Sep 20; I am diagnosed bipolar II and it's a fact that there is a risk of mania for a bipolar person when quitting weed and especially carts. So I have my bipolar well managed, long ago I learned to shut down that feeling of craving mania that led to episodes and I haven't had a manic episode for 15 years. Well, carts threw me for a loop. I started getting feelings of having unlimited energy and if I exercised (which I did) I could just keep increasing my energy. This is the mania trap.. So that along with my mind feeling quite clouded and distracted, I ended up smoking a joint on Oct 2 and Oct 3 to calm down, clear my head. Which worked but isn't what I wanted obviously. But I'm happy to report I am already back on track. I've been off joints since then and I plan to keep that up. Thanks for reading

Hey everyone!

I have been a very heavy user for at least 20 years.

I only used flower mostly but really got into infused blunts in the last 2 years adding them to my smoking sessions.

I truly smoked a lot...I would go out to my car everyday smoking 3.5 grams in one session...grind it up in my grinder and do bowl after bowl in my pipe until it was finished. I was doing this at LEAST 3 times a day.

I couldn't imagine not having any on me, I needed to get high (and/or just smoke weed) from the very first thing in the morning to the last thing I did at night. what a scary thought it is to feel that way.

I came from a incredibly hard childhood, we lost our mother when I was 10 and my father drank.....I mean REALLY drank....we didn't have food in the house, we were at one point homeless for a bit after a bad divorce due to the drinking... The priest at the catholic church near us would do special things to help us, take us out for dinner or lunch, he would take care of us without making it seem like he was. He counciled my dad as best he could...he helped with the interventions and helped find us kids a place to go live as we had to leave twice..eventually having to come back after the people thst took us in couldn't do it anymore..i dont blame them..they didnt sign up for long term..but Dad never stopped drinking...and so we were put back in when we became a burden to families thst took us in . Im not religious but what a saint of a man that priest truly is.

Us kids weren't liked alot of the time. Dad was SEVERELY depressed and addicted..i get that now.

I never got to graduate with my classmates in elementary school as I had assignments incomplete....I never got to graduate high school with my class as I didn't have enough credits. I failed at everything. Nobody except a few people knew what was going on in the house or our lives.

I only say all this because while I was outside in my car smoking 3 times a day (over an ounce a week easy)for years I was doing the same thing with a substance as my father was, just a different crutch.

Somehow, I have a beautiful wife and wonderful young kids...I cannot let them feel and see the same things I did over and over again so I Quit smoking weed. I told them daddy doesn't want to go to the car anymore, I want to be with them.

I have been having some pretty physical withdrawl symptoms but I push thru hour by hour...or minute by minute...sometimes its second by second.

I am feeling pretty depressed but understand to a level that I am adjusting back to a normal way.

I tell people all the time that I have more than I deserve.....but its not about me...its about them...so I am trucking on for them...

Any words of wisdom or encouragement from any of you wonderful people would be greatly appreciated.. I would like to have this space be where I can be encouraged when nobody else is around.

Thank you to everyone and please keep going! We are in this together for the long term!❤️

I recently quit about a week ago and I just miss sleep so much. Nothing else is as bad as not sleeping! On average how much time do you guys sleep now and how long have you been off the stuff? Looking for a little pillow at the end of the tunnel to look forward to eventually.

Recently hit 500 days sober (weed and alcohol).
Happy to have made it here.
AMA

So I’m 23F and I smoked for the first time when I was 11, and was a full time everyday smoker of weed and nic by the time I was 14.
I’ve battled addiction my whole life it feels like.
I’ve lived on my own since 16 and used to struggle with other things and drink but I have been 4 years sober from those things.

But I smoked the whole time, never letting up, only increasing. I’m on day 2 of no weed no cigs and I feel so freaking sad I don’t even know what to do. For so long i let myself slide on smoking bc it was “better than what I used to do” but that’s just not enough of a reason anymore. I want to go running, and sing, and not be a slave to a little stick on fire. I feel so dramatically depressed it’s crazy. I haven’t felt like this in my adult life and I’m scared honestly.

I want to prove to my brain that I can do things I set my mind to, I want to live a better life, I want my health back. But right now, I just wanna crawl into a hole and cry.

today is my day 1 no weed. i have been a daily cart/gummy user for 3 years now. (growing up i smoked grass daily for 16 or so years, took years off to have a family and just started up when things became legal in nj- giving up good old grass was way different than this) i feel like i am having an out of body experience! i cant eat and i feel so clammy. i know this is normal, i am just so upset that i let myself get addicted to something.

Today is my first day not smoking weed. I’ve been smoking 3-6 joints/bowls a day for 3 years.
I’m starting a new job and school soon and I want to have a clear mind and good motivation.

I’ve been keeping myself busy today, but the craving to smoke is rough.

Anyone have some tips or words of encouragement?
Thank you guys

Holy sh**. How did I do? How did you do? Did we make it through without partaking?

These are some of the questions people have on their mind.

Well...what's your story?

Peace

Just venting. I had a good day, I wish I could just not think about getting stoned.

Sucks. Hope everyone is doing ok

Weed and carts have become an issue for me several times over the past few years since I started smoking. Most recently, I got trapped in the cycle of smoking every day for the past month. Because I have quit several times now, I felt more equipped to deal with the discomfort of it all this time around.

Once again, I am sobering up and now, even after only 3 days of not smoking, the difference between how I am socially and how optimistic I feel is like night and day compared to the last few weeks. Today I had a fantastic day, and spoke more to my co workers and friends than I have in what feels like ages.

As social anxiety has been a big issue since I first started smoking, I was thinking 'wow, lucky me, so many people are talking to me and im actually enjoying my day at my stupid retail job.' Then, after some reflection, I realised that I am the reason my day was so good. I was being outgoing and open, and putting myself in positions I would avoid in the hangover-like state you experience the day after being high.

I feel like once the fatigue of addiction is lifted, almost instantly I regain the ability to connect. I can approach people again and my humour comes back. Im smiling and laughing again. It feels like my brain can start conversations again and the mental sludge of overthinking and shame are gone. I feel less like a failure. I can speak to friends and family early in the morning because I don't feel as hollow and my eyes don't look as gaunt.

Im still anticipating some rough times as my emotions stabilise and I can sleep properly again, but it makes me wonder why I even went back to it in first place.

Sorry for the long and personal post, but I really need to get this off my chest. Today, I finally have the courage to open up. I’m no longer afraid of being judged. I just want to move forward.

Until very recently, I had been using cannabis almost every day for five years. Five long years of chasing that same high I got the very first time I smoked. Five years of trying to convince myself that “it’s not that bad” or “it’s just one joint.”

During that time, I tried to hide the long-term negative effects of my addiction: a terrible memory, chronic fatigue, losing the ability to enjoy everyday life, and so much more. How many days off did I waste because I chose to get high instead of actually enjoying life? I have no idea, but it was enough to make me realize that I’d had enough. It’s not normal to put your addiction before your friends or even your own family.

Eventually, things started getting harder and harder. I missed days at work. I had arguments with people I love. I wasn’t even sure who I really was anymore. That’s when things finally started to reach a breaking point.
For a long time, I pretended I was doing fine, even though I was constantly fighting a battle against my addiction.
Then, recently, I finally reached out for help. I couldn’t keep living like this anymore. I felt stuck in life. I needed to find my footing again. I also realized that I needed a change, so I decided to go back to school and start a new chapter in my life.

I know that getting sober won’t give me back the time I’ve already lost, but at least it will allow me to move forward and become the best version of myself. I can finally see a future that I’m excited about, without all of this clouding my vision. I’ve been working harder and harder on myself, and I’m starting to see the results.

All of this is to say that life is more beautiful than it might seem to some of us. If you’re struggling with addiction, talk to someone. Don’t keep it all bottled up inside. There will always be someone willing to help you. You can get through this. You can get your life back.

Hi yall, I’ve been on this ride before but I actually really need to stop using weed. Primarily used dab carts, to the point where I was doing it before almost everything and not feeling almost any effects.

I think part of what kept me using was that when I would quit after a long time of almost daily use, those first days of withdrawal came with intense and frequent crying, severe anxiety, mood swings, and suicidal ideation unlike anything I ever typically experience. Almost like clockwork - I quit and become intensely depressed, anxious and suicidal.

I am on day 2, and yesterday sucked so bad. I can’t go back. My wife was like “I think you really, really need to be sober for a while.” I keep reminding myself that the drug made me number and dumber,, this group has helped.

I’m mostly just curious if anyone else has experienced this.

Ty

I’ve quit many times before, some times have been worse than others, for example back in 2022, I was smoking carts heavily morning to night and I went through a horrible 2 week long CHS episode. That was bad. The worst thing I’ve ever experienced. Last year I smoked maybe for 3 months and when I quit, I had no problem at all. Now fast forward to now, I’ve been smoking for 6 months now and it’s starting to make me nauseous, I think it’s my CHS coming back, I know it’s time to quit again, and I know that at the end of the day I will be okay, but nonetheless, I’m terrified. Thanks for reading, I really appreciate it :) could use any advice I can get!

Hello everyone! I completely forgot to go on here and write about my 12 month celebration. I’m coming up to 13 months already. Honestly, still doesn’t feel real. Smoked from 12-25 all day everyday, then at 25 I started quitting and relapsing for a few months at a time. I had 5 months 7 months, 4 months, and 9 months but never even got close to the 1 year mark. I told myself this time that no matter how many cravings I get, I want to see what kind of person I become after making it past 1 year. I had insane cravings and depression every 3 months steady with the last time being right as I was about to hit my 1 year mark. I literally contemplated throwing everything away for like 2 weeks but somehow made it. I love the way my mind works so much, the way my body feels, the way food tastes and the way sleep feels right now. I love having clear sober looking eyes and holding conversations with full eye contact, I love being able to know I can safely drive at anytime without any risks, and start planning years into the future. There are so many benefits and I can’t wait to see how much this second year will bring, since the first 12 months are mainly just an on and off struggle! I had to take a lot of time off work during these first 12 months, but I am about to double and triple those lost wages this upcoming year!

I finally accepted that I'm in an abusive relationship with marijuana, and I am truly addicted. I smoke 8 - 10 times a day for YEARS, recently weaned down to about 4 times a day until I dropped cold turkey. It started as a medical treatment for my condition, but quickly became a recreational crutch where I just smoke the day away. I've been trying to quit but relapsed a few days ago. I haven't smoked since my relapse, but the urge is consuming me and the cycle is starting again.

My entire 20s is a blur, my memory is absolutely atrocious and my dopamine is completely shot. I have no motivation, I rely on uberEats orders and it takes a lot to get me to finish chores. I'm extremely bored easily, I dont engage in hobbies (dropping what I'm doing after 30 minutes). I feel like a burn out.

But that's where I am in a vicious cycle. "Well, I'm already a burn out. I'll always have memory problems, always feel bored, etc. So I might as well just smoke up since I've done this damage". And it sinks me into a depression.

Does the memory issues get better? I can barely learn for shit. I'm trying to learn coding and other upskills, but I can't retain things and have to reread multiple times. I forget the source of things and I feel really, really dumb. Even though I used to be very well-articulated and sharp.

I just need to know. Does it get better? Is quitting worth it? Or did I permanently damage my brain where I cant learn new skills anymore, learn new things and form lasting memories with my loved ones? and I'm doomed to live the rest of my days like this forever.

I'm so depressed and I want to quit so badly, but I feel so invested in this hole that I might as well stay. Sunken cost fallacy and all that.

Thanks for reading.

Edit: forgot to mention that I dropped after going from 9 times to 4 times to cold turkey

I made it to six weeks today and I'm feeling grateful! I spent the last ten years as a heavy user morning to night. At 20 I truly believed I would smoke till the day I died. Lately I've noticed that even on stressful days, the urge to smoke doesn't always come up. And when it does, it's much easier to set that feeling aside.

This community was really helpful for me so THANK YOU EVERYONE! I know everyone's experience differs but I'll add my own timeline notes for reference.

Week 1: really really tough, no sleep, no appetite.

Week 2: had sleep paralysis multiple nights! very scary dreams. worked out a ton to try and tire myself out

Week 3: appetite slowly returning. falling asleep okay but still waking up a lot from stress dreams

Week 4: ravenously hungry! let myself eat a bunch of my favorite foods as a treat

Day 25: really bad day, almost smoked. went on a walk and devoured oreos at the park and cried, but didn't smoke.

Week 5: less anxious in the morning. weed no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up! still frequent nightmares

Week 6: feeling mentally stronger! more days when I don't think about smoking at all. appetite all good now, dreams are still tough.

Has anyone else had erection issues after quitting weed? I am at the five month mark now and I am not able to have an erection while masturbating solo. I smoked for 26 years.

So, I’ve posted twice here already but just having a bit of a moment

Context: my partners dad is a taxi driver, so he sometimes gets lost property in his vehicle and today I saw, tucked between his passenger seat and the little wall of the actual car, about £35 worth of weed

I picked it up, showed it to my partner, her dad knows it came from a passenger he had over the weekend and we’re passing it on to one of her friends who’ll enjoy the free bag. Only thing is, I smelled this weed and it’s sent me spiralling a bit, I won’t smoke it but the smell of it and the thought of smoking it has just sent me for a spin. I haven’t smoked any green since going sober but just having the bag in my hand and knowing it was free sent my head and heart racing

Any words of encouragement or strength will be greatly appreciated lmao

Day 46. This past week I had to go the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack. They did xrays on my heart and lungs, ekg, and they said everything was fine. They did blood work and my hemoglobin and hemocrit was slightly elevated. IE I make too many red blood cells. I went back to the doctor a few days ago, and they said nothing is wrong with me, I dont need to worry about my hemoglobin/crit, and that it's probably just anxiety causing my symptoms. I am young, 20 years old and chronic smoker for 5 years. I have been having a high resting heart rate that is bothering me the past few days. Constantly checking it, wondering if im okay etc. Is it symptoms from quitting weed? Is it anxiety? Any general advice for what can help with my symptoms.