80 days clean of weed

[biohack9]

I had a sex addiction in addition to the weed dependency. Orgasms floods the brain with dopamine and thus receptors become desensitized. In my case my testosterone is higher than the high range of normal, but clinical depression is possible, albeit likely from PAWS. This is a dopamine situation.

"Dopamine, unlike other neurotransmitters, plays a crucial role in the brain's motivation and reward system — and contributes to our survival as a human race. According to the Recovery Research Institute, it takes 14 months of complete abstinence for the dopamine transporter levels (DAT) to return to nearly normal."

This coincides with my research, and there was a lady in the ED thread that said her libido came back at exactly 14 months.

Slow process, but worth it in the end. Some nofappers have taken 18+ months to cure ED and libido issues. So recovery is possible, just very slow.

We can't blame ourselves when we live in a low dopamine society... how isn't addicted to SOMETHING? Internet, social media, TV, food, smoking, drinking, sugar, etc.... basically comfort, and things that don't take EFFORT.

The fastest way to resensitize dopamine is to basically just be BORED lol. Walking, reading, exercise, and healthy eating.

[SparkleFly12]

Yeah, everything is related. Im not pretending to understand the brain and libido, no one does... This is just my experience; and I know the underlying problem may be something related to brain chemicals / oxytocin / dopamine. But from experimenting I notice the difference between feeling the urge to orgasm (abstaining) and actually having normal libido can be seen after you orgasm. It is a bit subtle and I thought it was the same at first. Not trying to get dirty here but...

The way I can tell the difference is that on days my libido is normal, and I dont have erection problems, when I see something (a picture, a person) that mildly turns me on, I can feel it turning me on; that optimism in your gut. I have an urge to stare and "check her out". I get this if I have normal libido, or if I dont orgasm for a few days. But if its because of the latter; the urge isnt nearly as strong; and I end up orgasming very fast. After orgasming, such things that mildly turn me on no longer turn me on. But if I have normal libido, that feeling doesnt go away after orgasming.

After a couple years of experimenting with my own libido and ED issues, I noticed this - that abstaining from orgasm just makes me want to orgasm once, but doesnt affect libido overall. And even after abstaining for a few days, and I have an urge to orgasm (and it feels like I have a high libido), I still have erection problems and am not able to get an erection from intimacy.

This is only me, everyone's different. but I have spent many 1+weeks at a time abstaining, thinking my libido was high again, only to find that it didnt help my erection issues or libido issues.

In the end, my solution is just to wait it out. Let my brain re-adjust. As is, it seems the solution to all things paws.

Cheers all, merry xmas and happy holidays. Thanks for reading @biohack and @anna. How are you doing these days @anna?

[biohack9]

1+ weeks is nothing, you gotta go 30-90 days minimum. Check out the /r/semenretention sub on reddit, as well as /r/nofap or lots of other resources about nofap/nosex hardmode. It called comes from Napolean Hill's book Think and Grow Rich.

People have legit withdrawals and PAWS from quitting fapping or sex if it's something that you had an addiction to (I did). Which makes me sometimes wonder if my symptoms now are from that rather than the THC. This is the first time i've practiced retaining while going through a weed paws. When I retained for 4 months in the summer, I felt on top of the world. Then again I was using weed at the time.

It's just another tool to help resensitize dopamine receptors, because orgasm affects dopamine so tremendously like weed. They are two of our highest rewards, which is why it was so easy for me to get hooked on the two of them in tandem haha.

If you have libido/ed issues... abstaining from orgasm is a really good idea IMO. I think it was discussed earlier on in the ED thread too.

[AnnaK]

This is all interesting. I’m taking an hour long class on YouTube about this. I’m hearing that low serotonin is what causes sexual dysfunction. Also that melatonin is related to serotonin. I’m also hearing that diet is the best way to get it right. Nutrients are more bioavailable when you eat the proper foods. I’m not going to pretend that smoking weed did not help me make poor food choices. Acetyl choline is involved in sexual desire. I think nutrition is key to brain health.

[AnnaK]

@sparkle I’m well, I have good days and bad days. I am not so much thinking that I’m dealing with PAWS anymore. I have migraines and hot flashes that are hormonal so I’m working on getting my biodentical hormones in the right amounts. I was very depressed but I think I caused it by eating a lot of sugar and fatty foods over the holiday. I’m learning that hormones and diet are key for my mental health. Also a lot of this is in the gut so I’m trying to keep probiotics and in the proper amount. Cannabis is not something I desire at all any more so that’s good and I feel like my problems are all just my own ignorance and that’s what keeps doctors in business. I hope you feel better soon! Just take care of your body and I know it’s hard and it’s work to do the right things. Libido is related to health in some way so that’s where we should all start by getting more healthy. I’m a food addict so I know how hard it is. Maybe I should keep a food and mood diary. There are so many chemicals involved in addictions.

[SparkleFly12]

@Anna yeah, everything in our bodies is freaking related to everything else...thats definitely one thing that this has taught me. Hell, a part of me still thinks that all of this could just be caused by poor sleep! (I know its more than that). I was at a point a week ago where I didnt think of PAWS except maybe once a day; but things got worse since and now I think about it too much. I need to eat healthier too; I was doing a good job before this wave of paws. I also think that most health issues people face are from food/diet; you really are what you eat.

I dont know much about the brain or body either. But I do try to learn. I know serotonin is critical to our well being and lack of it causes clinical depression (not lack of dopamine). But I would not be surprised if the two are completely related in some way. And Ive felt pure depression before (from MDMA comedowns). That is exactly how I felt at the worst days in PAWS; so I would guess that weed withdrawal PAWS is somehow causing serotonin to be low. Which, as you noted, can possibly be the cause of the low libido / ED.

Actually, almost all the PAWS symptoms are symptoms of depression...it could even be that all we are experiencing is depression from lack of seratonin caused by weed withdrawal; and everything else is a side effect of that. Who knows. I hope people find out someday; mostly just because Im curious too.

All these brain chemicals - especially dopamine and serotonin - are critical to so many systems in our body. From what Ive read researchers arent even close to understanding what all our brains use these for; especially serotonin. Thats why Im not hopeful that a "cure" for paws will be found any time soon. People don't even know what they do, let alone how to re-regulate them. Just have to wait for our brains to regulate them.

@Biohack yeah, Ive read some stories on nofap. I dont disagree that they are good for your sex drive overall, and healthy for you. I mean, there are very few crutches that are in any way good for you...I always think, if humans didnt have it through human history (ie cavemen), its probably not good for you (porn, sugar, drugs, etc)! I did try nofap when I was still smoking; before I finally thought/accepted that weed could be causing my ED. I know you can get PAWS from not fapping, and it can be really bad but only if you were orgasming a lot before. By the sound of things I wouldnt be surprised if you're suffering PAWS from both that and weed...

Personally for me though, I dont think that it is as applicable because I never really had a porn or sex addiction. Im sure it would make a difference, but not a big one for me. The frustrating thing for me is that I never had sex regularly before I started smoking weed; so I dont know if intermittent ED is my normal.

[AnnaK]

There are 100 neurotransmitters but seven main ones. These chemicals must all be in balance and the body will try to find homeostasis. I have learned so much here on this forum. I am watching vids on this to learn what I can. So far what I’m finding out is that sleep and good diet and no drugs or stress and lots of sleep is more important than people think. The brain gets mental illness when it isn’t getting what it needs. Americans especially have terrible habits, poor diet and lots of stress. I wish I had known what I know now years ago. I now have respect for cannabis as a medicine and not a “recreational” pastime. I know why abusing it can trigger psychosis and it would be the same if a patient took an entire bottle of his ssri or antipsychotic meds. I think of alcoholics now as damaging their liver but also their brain. I wonder how hormones work alongside the transmitters and if all the damage is reversible.

[SparkleFly12]

323 days; almost 11 months and close to a year!

Unfortunately things have gotten worse. I had been feeling a bit better the past month; but the past 2 weeks things have turned down again.

Today the headache returned. I feel terrible and cant take this headache.
Low libido, muscle soreness, swollen lymph nodes, all still a part of my life too for the past 2 weeks.
I also have scary dreams again; not as vivid as the first couple months; but always scary and I wake up really frightned.

The frustrating thing is that, PAWS was roughly linear for the first 9 months; it had ups and downs but never a return of symptoms like this. I feel like I did 4-5 months ago; strong headache and other symptoms. I hate life right now. Ive forgotten how shitty life is with this headache; even though Ive only been over it for a few weeks.

Finally starting to work out again..but is hard with this headache.

[Head in loud]

AnnaK, do share those YouTube videos about brain chemistry.
January second marked 18 months for me and I feel like the cloud of PAW is slowly lifting. I started intermittent fasting...usually do water and black coffee fast for 18 to 22 hours and once did 36 hours. I will try 48 hours fasting in a few days...fasting long hours put body into autophagy...body will recycle the bad cells and it is great for brain.

[SparkleFly12]

@HeadInLoud - thats interesting; I find that hunger makes my paws symptoms much worse. but now that the symptoms are lighter it doesnt make much of a difference. Im curious what you find.

Today was much better than yesterday; which is a huge relief for me. I thought Id be putting up with a headache for another 3 months.

[AnnaK]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMuuCS2h5IE

There are hundreds of these on YouTube. They even talk about endocrinology which was a question I had. Just google neuropsychobiology or neurotransmitters and look for videos.

[SparkleFly12]

11 months. I want to come back to this forum every now and then to track my symptoms, but also to help any other people out there that may have similar symptoms; mostly the latter. Hope this helps someone else sometime.

The last month has had a few days that felt completely normal - but it soon went back to feeling meh again. Now it feels like I did at 8-9 months.

Still suffer from poor sleep (6-7 hours of bad sleep and cant get back to sleep), headaches (especially when I wake up), low libido/ed, and swollen lymph nodes in the jaw. Headache is at least not debilitating like it originally was; its just an annoyance that I have learned to live with. Headache is in the temples and sometimes above the eyes.

The strange thing is that this level I am at - these symptoms I am seeing - are exactly what I felt like when I was smoking vape pens regularly (then Id just smoke more to feel better or get to sleep). Im pretty sure (but not 100% positive) that these symptoms were from weed back then; and from weed/PAWS now. So I do hope that this will also get better. But its depressing that things havent gotten any better the past 1.5 months; Ive remained the same which makes me worry that things will just be like this forever, or that I have some underlying medical problem.

[Eroica]

11 months is massive SparkleFly. Sorry youre not feeling well. Im 8 months in and still suffer from a little insomnia and depression but most of my physical symptoms are gone now except tight muscles.

[SparkleFly12]

Had a couple really bad days and a couple that were not terrible. It feels like Im in PAWS waves stage now - I dont feel PAWS all day every day; I feel it in waves now. My waves come with the symptoms I had when I was feeling paws every day - headache, sleep issues, ED/low libido, muscle soreness.

I dont know how long this "waves" part of PAWS lasts. I hope It doesnt last long. Anyone else been through going from PAWS every day to having it come in waves; how long do these waves last?

[Isitpaws]

I’m nearly at 12 month mark and still have paws all day everyday with some days being easier to manage. I was hoping to be better by now but looks more like it’ll take me 2-3 years which I don’t think I can do!

Your on the same sort of time frame as me and I haven’t noticed waves at all