I should get back to at least some intermittent fasting. The alcohol added at least 10 pounds mostly on my stomach area. I’ve lost a few pounds already but I’d like to get back to where I was before Covid. The extra weight messes with my blood pressure. When I was younger, I rarely drank alcohol except wine with food. I always thought it was the opposite of cannabis in terms of what affects it has on consciousness. Weed opened your eyes to different perspectives, alcohol made you less open and often belligerent? As time went on I realized I was using it as a medication like cannabis too. Drinking can be fun socially and it temporarily takes away some stress, at least in the short term. It’s the habitual part I really don’t like. And once you have a drink, it’s so easy to say F it. Hey, that’s just about me though, everyone gets to choose for themselves how they live. I do have a lot of experiences in the family with the destructive nature of alcoholism. My brother-in-law and his son, my nephew, both drank themselves to death. They didn’t make it to 45. Their whole side of the family was shattered. Appreciate the fasting reminder. Time to go out in the woods for a walk. Here comes December. Enjoy
I quit 10-12 years ago. I still get occasional urges but I hated smoking so much that I would never try smoking again (unless I had a terminal disease or the world was ending). By the time I quit I had trouble hiking because my breathing was so compromised from 40 years of smoking. And I like spending time hiking and walking in the woods. My breathing now is so much better even though I still smoke a lot of cannabis. Now if I smoke on the phone or when I drink alcohol or coffee, or all the other habitual triggers, I reach for a bowl or joint. I guess next I’ll deal with that habitual behavior next. Not a problem there either, done it many times.
Any one else get those mad night sweats? I smoke pretty much every day - a joint or two in the evenings but if I go abroad, I don’t have weed and I wake up drenched in sweat, like I’ve been in a shower. Normally second night in. It’s like my body is doing a detox.
Before Covid, I frequently traveled overseas, and often for multiple weeks. I’d often be in locations where cannabis was hard to find and/or had very strict laws which would lead me to abstain while away. I can relate to the night sweats. I can also attest to rarely dreaming, but when I’m not using cannabis, I have incredibly vivid dreams. Vivid to the point that I wake up exhausted, even though I’ve slept 6-8 hours. It’s as if my mind is so active while sleeping, that it never has time to rest.
This is very well stated! I’ve kicked cigarettes multiple times throughout life. Cigarettes were a must for me after a meal and after smoking weed and upon quitting, I found those moments had the most intense cravings. After a while, they subside and it becomes SOP to not want a cig after such activities. Been about 7 years now since the last (and final!) time I kicked cigarettes. It’s all about rewiring the brain.
@GrouchyOldMan thank you so much for this detailed post. It’s been a little over 2 years since I took a break and I’m long overdue. For me, the first few days are the worst, but I’m going to leverage some of what you’ve provided the next time I do step away for a reprieve.
Great Read!!! hmmm now I want a bong hit!!!
Funny how that works. When I quit smoking cigs it really ruined smoking pot for me for a long time. Every single time I smoked weed I’d always finish it with a cig and just smoking weed would just make me crave tobacco horribly. That said, I haven’t smoked cigs in 7 years now and the cravings have gotten much much better. I still crave them sometimes if I’ve been drinking and enjoying cannabis but, usually only for a passing moment.
The worst is when you smell the smoke outside the Bar when you see someone with a cigarette holy shit is that not like the last temptation of Christ
So, who is up for doing a two day T-Break starting this coming Friday?
I’ll do it along with you. Hell, I think I’ll do it anyways, just to say I did and to savor a few vivid dreams again.
I’m thinkin from Friday wake up till the rooster crows on Sunday. I’m going to be out of pocket most of Saturday, but otherwise I’ll be checking in, might be fun to share experiences. Let a few others know that it ain’t no biggie.
I’m not saying anybody “needs” a break, that’s your call, but WTF, two days off is more like an experiment than a deprivation, right?
@catapult? @CapnCannabis? @anon20530495? @Mestizo? @PilgrimProgress? @Shadey?
With the way this week is going with work, this weekend is looking a little too ambitious for this guy lol. After New Years is more realistic for me.
I’m not emotionally ready for this yet
Alright grouchy I’m down, though, I’m on day two already, right now. I like this extra little bit of motivation, maybe I’ll go for a full week even. I have to say, it’s feeling mostly good at the moment. For me sleep is the hardest part. I wind up waking up every hour or two. But, my daytime energy is elevated and I feel lighter in spirit. I had been having some depression creep in the last couple months and was medicating quite literally, from before sunrise, right through to bedtime. While, I love that herb can help fend off depressive feelings. I know that I also need balance and I need to feel the feelings sometimes. Thanks to all engaging in this thread and be healthy y’all!
Yeah, I’ll join in. That means Friday and Saturday.
All right then, let’s keep each other psyched and motivated.
For all the benefits I receive from both growing and using cannabis I am thankful. And taking a little break now and again provides the perspective to appreciate it all the more. I think that “Knowing” I can stop is reassuring somehow.
Hey @catapult, it sounds like you are doing really well and your descriptions pretty much match what my last break felt like. Definitely trouble sleeping, but more energy during the day. Thanks for sharing.
If you have any friends that might like to take a break let them know.
-Grouchy
Hey, I’m going to enjoy smoking today and tomorrow even more because I won’t be partaking Friday and Saturday. Two days is easy. I used to bring a little on the plane when I visited family in Florida. Then I got paranoid due to a weird guy on the plane asking me questions so I stopped doing that. I would go for a week or more with nothing. I often felt high for most of the week. One of the reasons I like OG is there are many folks who smoke as much or even more than me. The rest of my family are employed with children so they only get weekends, if that. I used to very much enjoy having my children’s help with trimming. They were in college then and often in party mode. It was usually an all day and all night task. I’d start in the morning and they’d come later in the day to help. And they grew up during “just say no” Dare program bullshit. Reagan tried to divide the family then, get the kids to turn in their parents. Fortunately, they trusted me more. But it was a weight they had to carry and they tried to make sure their friends didn’t know.
I actually didn’t use any yesterday I am on my monthly 6 day fast atm. Yesterday was the half way mark and I had the munchies bad the day before, Monday night, so to avoid getting them again yesterday, I had half a gram of mushroom instead of using weed so I could sleep OK.
I will finish my fast Friday night or might push it to 7 days this time, to drop a couple of extra pounds before being bad over the holidays, which I know will add some back lol.
So count me in, I will try and go longer than Saturday, just depends on the pain and ability to sleep, and how much the groaning pisses off the misses lol.
Hi @Shadey, I was hoping you’d join in! Your health issues raise the stakes and I admire your gumption. Gumption, an old term but appropriate here methinks.
Stay in touch, you’ll flow some gumption onto the rest of us.
I am a very stubborn person, when I decide to do something it invariably gets done, no mater how much it impacts me.
I like to challenge my conviction and determination, it’s really no big deal for me to stop using anything, if I think I am becoming dependant or addicted to it.
If there was something less damaging to my body and brain than weed, that could control my pain and help me sleep better, I would use that instead and just be an occaisional user as I am with alcohol and mushrooms.
If you quit for long enough that smell will begin to smell disgusting. It’s interesting how that works
Thats because you start getting your sense of smell and taste back.
A Walk in the Woods
I took a walk in the woods today and my thoughts turned to this group.
So, I sez to myself, ‘Grouch, these guys took your T-break post to heart 
and some of them are actually gonna do this thing. How cool is that?’ Answer: Very cool, and I hope to add some value since I lit the fuse on this. So I went for a walk to think it through.
Cape Cod has some magnificent hiking trails and most days the Saintly Spouse and I try and take advantage of them. Cranberry bogs, forest trails, snug harbors and sandy beaches, good for walking, talking, and thinking. I’m on my own today so I sampled a double dose of my favorite @ReikoX Green Dragon tincture and ventured off the asphalt onto a two foot wide trail down one of our kettle hole trails. Soon I was deep into an oak and conifer forest, stoned AF and considering what a tolerance break really means to me with the help of THC induced “CannaFocus.”
That got me to trying to sort out my own complicated relationship with cannabis, especially since I instinctively reject all the self-help addiction therapy approach to cannabis tolerance breaks. Somehow that language never seemed applicable, for me at least. I’ve ingested cannabis since I was 13 and I’m an old guy now. Long time, and during that time I think cannabis was beneficial for me. And I don’t think I’m fooling myself about that either. I realized I’m not trying to Quit cannabis, I’m trying to optimize it.
Even my daily routine of cannabis use hasn’t keep me from getting it all done. Every day, decade after decade. I bet I’m not alone in this either. The level of conversation on this site is good evidence that the Stoner caricature is bogus. Most of us function pretty damned well.
So my premise is that cannabis is a good thing for me, and I’m just fine-tuning those benefits by taking a break so my body can reset. Moreover, I think that negotiating a T-break with yourself can actually unlock additional cannabis rewards.
As several of us have mentioned, the return of vivid dreams is a common side effect of a T-Break. I really enjoy the return of colorful dreaming. The increase in life energy and focus is also common after a break. Personally, I like that intangible feeling of being “in charge” of cannabis. If your cannabis use ever gets in the way it’s good to know you can drop it when you need to.
We all like this powerful plant because it’s Awesome, but when you are in the presence of Awesome fire, it’s easy to get burned. In our case, new cannabis growers suddenly find themselves in possession of a limitless supply of a miracle drug. And, if you’re lucky you find yourself immersed in a fascinating slice of cannabis culture like OG, where the “Seeds of Knowledge” as well as friendly folks on a mission to “Overgrow The World” offer seeds that are both priceless and free for the asking. That is one potent cocktail and you’d better be on your game to handle it.
So, anyways, that’s why I’m here, and declaring myself to be on a program that I think will add benefits on top of benefits.
(paz y amor!)