TL;DR: After spending years attempting to reduce my "need for weed", (good quality) CBD (may) be the final nail in the coffin. Also, its smart to try things one at a time to properly evaluate its effectiveness.
I have been struggling with cannabis addiction for the last 15 years of the 20 years ive been smoking it. (in my late 30s now) Occasionally, very rarely nowadays due to tolerance, i have these moments when getting high feels so good, like such a relief. These experiences have kept me coming back for more all these years.
It hasnt really hurt me too much physically, other than lung capacity.
Not much mentally either, have held down a good job, but id probably be in an even better job or position if i was not stoned at work.
Im sure it has hurt me socially, as i am usually much quieter when im high. And im pretty quiet to begin with.
It has mostly hurt me financially, and since "money isnt everything", i chose time and again to get more weed rather than save money. Ended up with about 40k of debt, and that really has impacted my life negatively.
For years ive been struggling to either quit or reduce my use. The times i have quit have been easier for a while, because trying to control use was a slippery slope for me.
Its right there, one more hit and ill be good the rest of the night. Eh, one more hit. Eh, ill finish it, and quit until i see the dealer again. Then call the dealer the next day.
I have analyzed why i like getting high so much:
-It relaxes my body, i like the way it makes my face feel and my chronic knee pain doesnt go away, but it becomes just another sensation.
-It makes me poop. If i dont poop at least twice a day, i get alot of gas and bloating. At this point i have a hard time pooping without smoking.
-It gives me a "pick me up". I can be dead tired, and if i havent gotten high in several hours, getting high will give me a huge second wind.
-It makes meditation easier. But this is bad, as it can (and has) become a crutch, to where its now harder to meditate sober.
So in my struggle i have tried many different things. Here is a list of the ones i can remember and still do. There are things ive tried that were a shot in the dark and not worth mentioning because they definitely didnt help.
Pre-smoking: i had been doing martial arts and eating pretty healthy, and continue to this day. So diet and exercise or lack of it was not my answer.
Attempt 1: tried many different smoking herbs. Cannot remember exactly which ones, but i had gotten sample packs of different herbs from a web site.
None of them gave me what weed gave me, except this stuff called "Spice", which i later found out was a synthetic cannabinoid, and ended up costing as much as real weed anyway
Read books on addiction, no real help there.
Attempt 2: At this phase in my life i was smoking alot more than before, and added drinking 3-6 beers per night.
Tried yoga, Wim Hof (cold showers and breathing techniques), LSD and mushrooms.
Also tried some random supplements - Black seed oil, L-theanine, Chlorella, multivitamins, fish oil, D3, B complex.
I still take the D3 and B Complex as they do seem to improve my life regardless, and L-theanine on occasion.
Attempt 3: At this point (last winter) i was actually not smoking weed due to my living arrangement, and perhaps to fill that gap i started seriously meditating. I took to it and love it and still do it now.
But during this time any time i encountered weed i smoked it and wished i still was smoking it.
At one point tried some CBD vape and gummys from the local smoke shop, but they didnt do much. One time 10mg of gummies made me feel as relaxed as if i had meditated, but not enough to keep me coming back.
And then i discovered vape cartridges, and then a neighboring state legalized and open a shop 1 hour away. The convience of the cartridges means that i got back to spending tons of money on weed again! Which leads us to the next attempt.
Attempt 4: In March, decided i need to get my ass in gear and cut out the excessive smoking. Stop being a crack head about it!
Took a 40 day supply of Align Probiotic. I think it helped my stomach problems, im never constipated and dont have much gas, but it still wasnt "making me poop as much as i though i should be". So i was still smoking, and pooping, several times a day.
Took turmeric + pepper + ginger capsules. Am still taking them as i do think it may be helping. Going to stop for a bit after this bottle runs out though to see how i feel.
QiGong, particularly Zhan Zhuang "standing still like a tree". I feel great afterwards!
After all of the above, i still had the urge to smoke whenever i can and be high 24/7. However, i had been feeling great despite all this.
Did all of the above in a 3 month period, so unfortunately i dont know which helped and which didnt!
Then, i read alot more about CBD, and realized what i tried previously might have been low quality. So i researched vendors and order a full spectrum tincture, 15mg per dropper full from a reputable company.
Been experimenting with the dosage, but am finding 15-30mg once in the morning and once after work has all but eliminated the intense craving for weed. I still long for it when i try to poop for the second time in a day and just have a "gas log", but other than that it must be "scratching the receptors that itch".
An example of a "win" in my book: On Monday my wife busted out a surprise joint. I took some hits, got high. She put it out half way, and re-lit it like an hour later. I took two hits and said "im good".
Me just 3 months ago would have smoked it down to a roach and then wondered when the next one was coming.
That was the last time i smoked, and plan on smoking tonight as a reward for going to martial arts class.
Side benefit: not craving food as much, have more energy, am calmer (dealt with multiple major crises at work today like a boss), and not craving alcohol!
So at this point im sure all of the things ive kept doing/taking (Vitamins D3 and B, Martial arts, Meditation, QiGong, probiotics) probably combine to get me to the point where CBD was enough to get me to where i want to be. Going to try stopping turmeric and see if i feel the same... no negatives to taking it but id just hate to be throwing money away and worrying about one extra thing if its not actually helping.
Anyway, just wanted to share my experience. Highly recommend trying a good quality CBD for in between THC doses, if you havent already.
Submitted May 29, 2019 at 10:41PM by Radian_333_hex http://bit.ly/2WdMRJM
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