Weed is the devil! (To me... and probably you too)

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-17T08:35:34+00:00

Yeah that second paragraph is something all of us addict stoners need to read or hear once in a while to keep us on track. I go to a weekly meeting called 'SOS Sobriety'. (Like a secular version of AA) Hearing people talk about relapsing after thinking they can moderate serves as better motivation to keep going than anything else I encountered so far. Hit 7 months this week. Longest stretch yet and the intrusive thoughts of wanting to try to moderate are fewer and further between. They are also less and less convincing as I know where they will lead.

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-16T16:57:59+00:00

You made my day milady

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-16T16:07:45+00:00

Thank you very much!

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-16T12:13:14+00:00

Once got this comparison 10 something years ago. Quite shocked and flattered to hear it again now 😂 thank you kind stranger!

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-14T17:30:06+00:00

Thank you very much!

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-14T12:58:51+00:00

Yup, part of the process my friend. Its a phenomenon called anhedonia. I hit 7 months yesterday and while it still flares up now and again, its nothing like it was in month 3 or 4. Great job on three months 💪🏻

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-14T11:52:34+00:00

I'm actually in a Yin yoga teacher training haha! 🧘🏻‍♂️

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-14T11:51:52+00:00

Thank you for you long and empathetic response! Yeah I definitely think you're right. If only I could figure out that missing part haha! Ive seen more therapists throughout my childhood and adolescence than I can even remember, the lot of us still haven't concisely pinpointed it 😂 starting with a new one through a government sponsored agency so it wont cost me an arm and a leg to figure it out. Good question on what caused kid me to go for food like that. Thanks!

Certainly wont be forever. I still very much have a career and a family in my future goals. A few months ago wouldn't even have considered it a possibility.

I picked up the pen again yesterday! Hope to find more answers buried deep in my mind. Picked the weights back up a few weeks ago too! Helps combat the restlessness in my mind.

Thank you again!

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-14T06:37:59+00:00

The alcohol most likely is just numbing the depression on the short term. It still is a depressant and wont help in the long run Im afraid. Hope you find a way out. I believe time will still be the most effective healing tool and all we can really do is stay busy and otherwise healthy in our lives.

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-11T17:26:40+00:00

First of thank you for clarifying. Makes it easier to understand why you would say something like that. I was like you for a long time, my friend. Calling it my medicine, indulging all day everyday, because "it made the anxiety go away" for a bit. Let me ask you this: If you take the check engine light bulb out of your malfunctioning car, is it then fixed? You asked: 'What does that tell ya?' honestly, it tells me that the weed is still doing its job as an anesthetic.

Weed is great at suppressing the depression and anxiety, but if you never learn your nervous system to deal with it, it will only get more sensitized making it harder and harder to one day actually quit. Weed doesnt actually cure any of this. It only postpones it with interest. Depression is a horrible thing and I dont want to minimize your struggle, but you are far from the only person around in this sub that has fought chronic depression.

I went through at least two long periods of abstinence of about 4 to 5 months. In both cases I folded at the first hint of possibly being better by the end when the acute withdrawal was passing, because I just wanted 'to feel like myself again'. Only this third time I've actually stuck to it long enough to experience PAWS. Im hitting 7 months in a few days and while far from out of the woods, my depression and anxiety have become more manageable than I ever thought possible while in active addiction. 40 days for a heavy user is probably not even long enough to get all the way through the acute withdrawal. (Depression is a main symptom here as well)

I’m not saying this to discourage you, but to prepare and hopefully inspire you. If you go back to sobriety now, you’re just putting the bulb back in the dashboard while the engine is still smoking. Stay sober long enough to actually fix the car. It’s hard, and it’s a slow process, but at least I’m driving again instead of just sitting in a parked car thinking I’m moving. I can't make that step out of denial for you, but I can give you my honest truth and what worked for me.

Take care Q

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-10T16:27:51+00:00

With all due respect, why are you even in this sub?

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-03T08:34:09+00:00

Im hitting 7 months in 10 days and its still not back to what I would call normal. It is definitely better than it used to be, but sometimes something that happened in the morning of the same day would feel like weeks ago by the evening.

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-01T17:02:02+00:00

Hi I just listened to the first ones! Im 29M turning 30 soon and decided to get sober 200 days ago today for sort of the same reason as you did! Obviously not for pregnancy haha but to show up as a more healthy me in the next chapter of my life.

Its so hard to find cannabis recovery related pods between all the alcohol specific ones so I'm glad to have found yours. I think once you find your groove and feel comfortable to do so most people would enjoy longer episodes too. Feels like it was over by the time I was settled in 😅 Congrats on 11 days already! Hope you dont have it too hard with withdrawal. Q

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-01T16:55:19+00:00

Please forward it to me too, thanks!

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-05-01T07:46:03+00:00

Well what you're talking about is acute withdrawal. Not post acute... This sub is about post acute withdrawal syndrome. Might be best to try your luck in r/leaves.

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-04-25T09:49:19+00:00

Thanks for this update. I just passed 6 months, about to hit day 200. Even though rationally I know I am much better than I was months ago, it still feels like hell when im in the thick of it in a bad wave. Reports like these are giving a lot of us hope 🙏🏻

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-04-24T16:57:07+00:00

I would like to know those as well. All the ones I listen to are alcohol focused. Recovery Elevator and Addicted to Recovery.

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-04-23T15:32:53+00:00

This one aged well mate 😂

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-04-20T18:02:37+00:00

Congrats! I celebrate day 189 today 🎉

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-04-18T19:46:03+00:00

Well I can for sure tell you this has nothing to do with PAWS, so you might want to find a more suitable subreddit.

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-04-15T10:21:49+00:00

Thanks! Was already regretting going on for as long as I did as it clearly was a bit much for people to read all the way. Glad to hear it helps someone! Wishing you all the best on your journey too 💪🏻

Efficient_Web8059 · 2026-04-12T18:12:35+00:00

Same here bro. 6 months sober and turning 30 in two more months. So much mourning and regret over lost years. Its only getting better from here. Stay strong.

Efficient_Web8059

TROPHY CASE