Almost 3 months clean.... Still feel bad

[lostinhope]

I quit 81 days ago. Started smoking every day from 15-19. Ever since I have quit I have felt out of it. Low energy, slightly sick, inability to feel truly happy, music doesn't sound good to me anymore. I also feel anxious, and have acquired this weird social anxiety where i will get super sweaty when talking to someone one on one. I never used to have that. What's going on? Starting to think I should just go back to the weed, because i feel almost worse. Can anyone shed some light? Much appreciated! Hoping I will get out of this funk.

[tokeless]

Hi.. I think you're craving. The physical and psychological states are closely linked.. you think of smoking again to make yourself feel 'better'.. change your routines and drink plenty of water.. it really is better off weed but the psychological bit can play havoc at times.. you could choose to lapse or choose to keep going. imagine going back to zero after doing so well.. i bet you'd regret it after the first toke. Stay strong friend.. the future is in your hands not a rizla.

[Ananda_M]

Hey man, I think this is quite normal. Well, maybe not normal for everyone, but for some kind of people it is "normal". I'm saying it, because I experienced this too. I am starting to be sure that I replaced (during long periods of my life) normal socialization by weed, hence I did not have good social habbits and therefore it all sucked (still sucks sometimes).

The sweating was, in my case, the sense of my low value in comparison with others... of course, this was not so true, but I was convinced that I do not have any cool conversation topics, they will think I'm moron etc.... in fact, I was not aware about my emotions and emotions of others and was fearful about talking to people. This was much worsened by weed quiting and it happened during my one (and only) long phase OFF weed... when I started learning how to be more social, the sweating disappeared. IMHO, it were PAWS and low social skill in combination.

Btw. now clean for 5 weeks and still feeling like "naked" in most of conversations (only my parents and close friends are quite OK), but it starts to making me more positive, especialy conversations with girls

[slick_willy]

Hey lostinhope, I had the same exact thing happen right as I was first quitting. I would be at work talking to a customer and BAM I would start pouring sweat from my forehead, trying to cover it up. I think it is a part of social anxiety that manifests as physical symptoms, and I know that for me, this has completely gone away. I am not 100% where I was before smoking, but socializing is a LOT easier now, although I often just don't feel like it. I am at four months as of yesterday and quitting has been the best thing I have done in a looongg time.

I would not start smoking again since that is very likely what has caused your symptoms, and it is likely to make them worse. Things that will help you are exercise, healthy diet, good sleep, meditation, CBT, and just going easy on yourself but also being productive to stay busy. Best of luck man

[akash agarwal]

@slick willy
Congrats man even i am 4month 1 week clean and
I m doin alottt better but its usually i just brain fog dp is worst man
I gt a question fr u
Did u gt panic attack if u go farr away from your house or area?
Like 50 km away from ur house (some village or jungle area)

I feel so different and weird like a pure dream when i go out of my house and if i go far then BAM panic attack (heart attack kinda feelings)
Reply

[Kenna]

I think you need more time to be able to overcome it completely. It can be a transition period. Let's find somewhere quiet, can go on a travel, or a monastery, studied meditation, yoga or something fabulous catch you have to move and stop thinking.

[NoProblem]

I'm just over 100 days (104 to be exact) and I thought I was getting better and out of the woods only to be met with the challenge that is PAWS. The worst part about it, is it was completely random and unpredictable. I've been suffering from irrational amounts of anxiety and depression. The anxiety almost feels like panic disorder (but I don't want to self-diagnose). I never had these issues before smoking, so it concerns me. I would continue to give it time and see what happens lostinhope because I can definitely relate. Where it becomes difficult (and this is likely the anxiety talking) is do I finally go and see my GP to see a psychiatrist to figure this out? Or do I sit idle in this miserable, mentally jailed lifestyle and hope that it will all go away on its own?

This is a great community and the experiences shared will always provide comfort. Keep hanging on as you're NOT alone!

[Ananda_M]

NoProblem, I also though about this choice in the past... I was really suprised in what state I am after few months of quitting (now knowing these can be PAWS... and hoping they will not hit me so hard as in the past after months). In fact, I've never been at specialist, just once told to my friend who was novice psychiatrist and he told me I should hold on for one or two months.

Anyways, whatever your choice will be, let us know. As you wrote, we have to keep together! GL

[Jamie514]

Good to know you did manage to beat your addiction for 3 months and still continuing. I think at least six months it takes to feel normal.

[Regularguy]

I'm just over 100 days (104 to be exact) and I thought I was getting better and out of the woods only to be met with the challenge that is PAWS. The worst part about it, is it was completely random and unpredictable. I've been suffering from irrational amounts of anxiety and depression. The anxiety almost feels like panic disorder (but I don't want to self-diagnose). I never had these issues before smoking, so it concerns me. I would continue to give it time and see what happens lostinhope because I can definitely relate. Where it becomes difficult (and this is likely the anxiety talking) is do I finally go and see my GP to see a psychiatrist to figure this out? Or do I sit idle in this miserable, mentally jailed lifestyle and hope that it will all go away on its own?

This is a great community and the experiences shared will always provide comfort. Keep hanging on as you're NOT alone!

please share how are u doing now ? i am 90 days in this sh** and also was sure that i am getting better but now it turned around

[NoProblem]

I'm just over 100 days (104 to be exact) and I thought I was getting better and out of the woods only to be met with the challenge that is PAWS. The worst part about it, is it was completely random and unpredictable. I've been suffering from irrational amounts of anxiety and depression. The anxiety almost feels like panic disorder (but I don't want to self-diagnose). I never had these issues before smoking, so it concerns me. I would continue to give it time and see what happens lostinhope because I can definitely relate. Where it becomes difficult (and this is likely the anxiety talking) is do I finally go and see my GP to see a psychiatrist to figure this out? Or do I sit idle in this miserable, mentally jailed lifestyle and hope that it will all go away on its own?

This is a great community and the experiences shared will always provide comfort. Keep hanging on as you're NOT alone!

please share how are u doing now ? i am 90 days in this sh** and also was sure that i am getting better but now it turned around

Hey RegularGuy,

I'm about 4 months delayed on this response as I just saw it. Currently sitting at 9 months since quitting and most of my symptoms have disappeared .... except the anxiety. It comes in waves sometimes, very randomly (PAWS) but at a much lesser severity and it's very situational. While not as severe as it was early on, I still have what I would consider to be a mild case of panic disorder. I have very irrational fears that I developed during withdrawal which could be related to the experience I had in the acute phase. For example, I have issues travelling far distances (50km +) from home or travelling by plane, which is what I was doing when the acute withdrawals hit me in April 2016. I get really anxious and feel a fear like I've never felt before. Although, it seems that this is gradually getting better as time goes on but veryyyyy slowly. I am in the process of seeing a therapist to iron out what remains.

Overall, I am doing significantly better than I was when I wrote that post. I can say for certain that this is the slowest healing process I have ever encountered in my life. How are things with you?

[Flucktoo]

I quit 81 days ago. Started smoking every day from 15-19. Ever since I have quit I have felt out of it. Low energy, slightly sick, inability to feel truly happy, music doesn't sound good to me anymore. I also feel anxious, and have acquired this weird social anxiety where i will get super sweaty when talking to someone one on one. I never used to have that. What's going on? Starting to think I should just go back to the weed, because i feel almost worse. Can anyone shed some light? Much appreciated! Hoping I will get out of this funk.

Hey man

You've got to lay off weed and I would reccomended all psychoactive substances as well for a long long time. I've read loads of recovery stories of people that smoked at the same age and for the same amount of time and it took them one, two or maybe even three years to feel back to normal. It's a long process but you've just got to be a soldier and go through all of the sh**. I'm a week sober after my relapse ugh but yeah you've got to hang in and if you want it to not take so long, start exercising, reading, meditating and taking supplements regularly.

Hope this helps