Before I get into this, here’s a little background on me: I’ve been smoking herb in various forms for about 15 years now, so my body and mind are both incredibly used to all the effects of THC.

In my earlier years, taking tolerance breaks was a very difficult thing for me. I believe this is because I was young, depressed, had worse diet and exercise habits, and was just generally unhappier in life. Much like the Rat Park Experiment, when my life improved in general, it became much easier to put things like herb down for a while.

Everyone is different in this regard, and it also boils down to the length and intensity of your own herb habit. This is entirely based on my personal experiences, yours may vary!

When Is It Time To Take A Break?

Maybe you have a concrete reason to take a break, like dental work, applying to a new job, legal issues, or maybe you just ran out. Personally, I know it’s time for a break when I just can’t seem to get high anymore. No matter how many edibles I eat, how many bowls I vape, or how many blunts I smoke, I’m just not getting where I want to be. Maybe a little tired, but definitely not high.

Other times, if I’m smoking a little bit too much, I can feel my brain start to get a bit frazzled. Maybe I’ll be a bit more on edge than usual, a little more anxious. Too many thoughts in my head, not enough processing. I believe this is my body telling me it’s time to take a break from the herb, so I do. Maybe there are other factors at play during those times, but those breaks always help me regain some mental clarity. 

What Are The Withdrawals? How Long Do They Last?

These are my biggest issues when withdrawing from herb. The short term ones last ~10 days, for me. The long term ones can last for months, depending on my habit. 

Short Term:

• 1. No Sleep, Night Sweats & Intense Dreams: Night time is where my withdrawal gets the worst, by far. I’m basically an insomniac for about a week or two, When I do manage to get any sleep, my dreams are insane. I don’t really remember my dreams at all when I’m smoking, and they come back with a vengeance during breaks. Sometimes they’re even nightmares, or sleep paralysis. Then, dreams or not, I’ll wake up drenched in a cold sweat. Happens every time I stop smoking. Starts getting better after 5-7 days, fully fixed within 2 weeks.

• 2. No Appetite. Eating becomes hard. Rather than hunger or fullness, I mostly just feel nausea. I’ll force myself to eat little meals regardless, because obviously I have to, but it just feels gross. This one starts getting better after about 3 days for me, and then basically gets back to normal. 

• 3. Restlessness. I’ll feel a little bit anxious, tense, jittery, my thoughts will be racing, and I won’t be able to focus on anything. This one only lasts 2 or 3 days for me, but it makes it hard to get past those first few days!

Long Term:

• 1. Boredom. After the short term effects, this one usually becomes the hardest part, for me. Those initial symptoms might be mostly gone, but my brain will still be getting used to finding fun and stimulation without herb. 
• 2. Phantom Highs. I’m not sure what it is, maybe THC being released from my fat cells, but I’ll randomly feel high throughout my day for a solid month. It seems most common in the morning, or when getting my heart rate up. 

Things That Help Me:

• 1. Filling My Time. (Reading, Hobbies, Work, Errands, etc)

The more of my time and brainpower that I can fill up, the better. That means I have less time to sit there thinking about how much I want to smoke some herb. So, in the first few days of breaks, I’ll be as productive as I can possibly be. I’ll go for a run in the morning, shower, get some work done, read a book for a while, drive over to some stores and check them out, run some errands, and spend as much time with hobbies as i can. I’ll play guitar, paint, make a collage, skateboard, anything. It’s a good chance to catch up on things I may have fallen behind in, and at this point, focusing on anything besides herb is a win. 

• 2. Exercise.

Exercise gives me a natural buzz, fills up my time as I mentioned earlier, and gets the dopamine system back on track. Herb releases dopamine, so when we take a break, our body isn’t producing as much as we’re used to. Exercise is a great way to get my dopamine levels back to a regular level, much quicker than without exercising. It gives a natural, calming buzz that completely takes my mind off of herb and the slight edginess that comes with taking a break. It also helps me sleep better during withdrawal, the more tired out I can get my body, the better I’m gonna sleep. 

• 3. Drinking Tea. (Replacing Flower Rituals)

As a big flower guy, grinding the herb and packing a bowl is a big piece of my daily rituals, and becomes something I miss when I’m on a break. So, I’ll find ways to replace it. My favorite is tea; The process of boiling water, picking a tea,  steeping it, and slowly drinking the warm cup is a great ritual replacement for me. It gives me a replacement to almost every part of the herb experience. 

• 4. Journaling

Journaling helps me with two main parts of withdrawal; the cravings and the mental tension. If I’m craving a smoke, I’ll write down exactly why I want to smoke, what I think it will accomplish for me, what other ways I could accomplish that, and how I’m making a better decision for myself by waiting to have that smoke. I’ll even start before my break, journaling about my lack of high, and general dissatisfaction with smoking, and Reading this back can help my cravings as well. In a more standard way, if my mind is a little scattered or tense due to the withdrawal, journaling is a great way to get my thoughts in order and feel a bit better. It brings a bit of calm to what can feel like a storm. 

• 5. Tracking On Apps ($$)

When I take a break, I’ll download a habit quitting app. I use one that shows me how long I’ve gone, and exactly how much money I’ve saved in the process. Seeing that dollar amount go up and up is a great motivator for me to keep it going. I like to take the money I save, throw it in it’s own savings account, and then treat myself to something nice after the break.

• 6. Switching up media (No weed music/shows/movies)

I don’t know about you, but a LOT of the music that I listen to has lyrics about herb. Hearing that just makes me want to smoke, so I switch it up as much as I can. I generally try to avoid any media about herb during the break, even subreddits related to it. 

• 7. Ingesting CBD oil

CBD OIL specifically can help bring me some calm when the break gets me feeling a little tense. 

Things That DON’T Help Me:

• 1. Substance Switching (Ie; Drinking)

I see this as a common tip; Just drink beer every night instead! I don’t like to do that. Aside from that being a slippery slope, I just enjoy challenging myself to total sobriety. I feel that I can’t achieve what I want to with the break, if my brain is still clouded by some other substance, no matter what it is. But again, this guide is just what helps me personally, I won’t judge you if you have some drinks or whatever to get yourself through. 

• 2. Sleep Aids (Melatonin etc)

In a desperate attempt to sleep during these breaks, I’ve tried every over-the-counter sleep aid I could. Most of them seemed to have either no effect, or do the opposite and just make me even more restless. So instead, I’ll just bare through the first few nights and accept that I just won’t be sleeping much. I’ll still try, but I know I might be staring at the ceiling for a couple hours. 

• 3. Smoking CBD Flower

CBD oil helps me, but smoking cbd flower does the opposite. If I smoke some cbd, it’s like I have the flavor, feel and ritual of herb, but the effects i’m really searching for just aren’t there, which makes me crave some regular herb even harder. This isn’t to say CBD doesn’t have it’s uses for some people, but when I’m on a break, I just want the buzz that I’m used to, and smoking CBD makes me miss it even more. So, I’ll just not even mess around with it. 

Coming Back To Smoking:

So, you’ve made it to the end of your break. What now? Personally, I try to come back smoking as little as possible, to maintain the benefits as long as possible. If I start immediately wake n baking, and smoking all day long, it quickly feels like I never took a break at all. All that effort and time for nothing!

Instead, I like to ease back in to it as much as I possibly can. It doesn’t always work out like I want it to, but ideally when I come back, I’m only smoking in the evenings, after finishing everything in my day. No wake n bakes and much more moderation, so that I can continue to enjoy having a low tolerance and feeling as buzzed as possible off of my herb. 

Conclusion

I get the best results by choosing to dig into life, rather than sit around focusing on how much I want to smoke.