What's wrong...will I get better?

[foryourconsideration]

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone could help me understand whats going on...basically i've smoked weed for near 6 years now, at mid teens to early twenties (about 6 years on and off) and i've attempted to quit on few occasions. I quit about 4 times in Uni, but couldn't get to grips with it cause my house mates and friends smoked it all the time and i kept caving in.

Basically, i've quit for almost 5 months now, and it's weird, I find it's effected me socially, im anxious, have hot blushes i have sweats and i can't concentrate very well (especially in conversation, as my mind wanders). I also have strange thoughts and feel quit clouded and my memory is quite bad. Its knocked my confidence for six too .

Can anyone tell me how long it will take before I feel normal and myself again. It's like a bad dream that i can't wake up out of. Although i occasionally i do have these sudden memories that i havent felt i've accessed in a looong time (is that a good sign?).

sorry to go on. any replies would be much appreciated.

cheers!

[Judith]

Greetings foryourconsideration

In my opinion the anxiety probably predated the cannabis abuse. It would have got further out of hand if you had spent years trying to avoid the unpleasant state by being stoned in uncomfortable situations.

Try theanine. It worked for me. If you do some research on this website and elsewhere you will hear that theanine is an amino acid with remarkable calming properties which does not make you drowsy and is not addictive.

Reading may help. (Like "Fear and other Uninvited Guests" by Harriet Lerner.) Or psychotherapy.

Do whatever it takes to get back on the reality road so that you can live a meaningful and valuable life. Addiction is a symptom of other issues. If you don't deal with them it will be hard to stay clean and sober.

Good luck to you.

[Northernstar]

I used to smoke it, too (along with other drugs) and quit. I felt that much of its negative physiological effects vanished after a few days, as all the THC leaves your body within less than a week. So it's important to understand that your problem is not a medical one- your brain is just as fine as if you had never smoked it.

However, there is also a psychological dimension which appears to be much more important to you. Smoking weed calms you down, gives you a notion that the world is "ok" and a feeling of satisfaction. So you've never learned to deal with anxiety, frustration and insecurity yourself and always solved it with drugs.
I can't tell you how to learn that, you have to find out yourself, as we are two different individuals - but I can tell you what worked for me:

First of all, I moved out from the environment so it was much easier to quit. Then I started to set up steady structures in my life which supposedly served my new life goals. So I always got up at the same time, went to work, went to work out at the gym over lunch break and then returned home in the evening. In the evening, I watched TV series (they are addictive too, tho) during the first few months after quitting. Then engaged in some more active leisure activities or met friends - and now I'm often using the evening hours on weekdays to simply meditate and tidy up my mind.

I'm still slightly depressed and have a few issues left to solve (find the whole story in my own thread, "How to get back on track" from November 30th in the Psychology subforum - I'm not allowed to post the link), but generally I'm much better off than a few months ago.

[ThisIsMyNickName]

occasionally i do have these sudden memories that i havent felt i've accessed in a looong time (is that a good sign?).

I know EXACTLY what you're talking about!

Super random images of your past popping up in your conscious, right?

Have you ever done LSD or some other hallucinogen?

Those random flashbacks to situations when you were a little child are quite common among people who use those drugs and who experienced trauma as a child.

I have some VERY strange memories of me being 1-2 years old. Bad things happening to me, if you know what I mean.

Don't be surprised if someday you're faced with a couple of uncomfortable memories. It might be your brain trying to rebuild itself, healing from traumas.

Anyway, don't take it too seriously. After my uncomfortable flashbacks, I started reading the science on the subject and, apparently, false memories are quite common.

And THC only heightens the paranoia.

Good job on quitting the weed, my friend.

EDIT: THC stays lodged in your brain up to 6 months. One week is not enough, not even close, for the body to get rid of THC.

Watch the video embedded here:

http://redalertpolitics.com/2012/11/27/ ... alization/

[viarba123]

There is not much psychological. That is all jumbo-mumbo. THC dependency creates chemical imbalances in canabioid system, which is very important and controls many parts of your existence.

Detox is long as THC stays in FAT.

My example:

I'm at six months and still having problems, with ups and downs. I did not smoked weed to escape from anything, I'm satisfied with my life and where I am. I smoked for the out of reality experience and the feeling which I loved since I've smoked first time at 16 (now i'm 28, but only a short time I have abused). I smoked because I have too much time and too much money on my donkey, middle-class existential 'crisis'.

It will eventually go and everything will be fine. If you never had any problem before starting, nothing to worry about.

Try theanine, I agree, it is a wonder pill.

[biggiesize]

Hello.First of all,Congrats on making it this far.Next let me assure you that you WILL get better if you stay strong.I quit 4 1/2 years ago and I didnt see any improvements at all until month 8.I was still cloudy headed,distorted vision,and had trouble reasoning things out on my job.But by the time 1 year rolled around,my brain had rewired itself and i felt 100% normal.It varies by person but you should be 100% between 8 months -1.5 years.
Also read Jurplesman posts on getting the nutrition you need to recover and stay healthy.Keep fighting......Life after the haze is AMAZING!