OCD making weed withdrawals unbearable

Hello everyone, I’m 25 and I’ve been smoking pretty much constantly since late 2022 for a mixture of issues, and up until recently it was very helpful. I noticed that it was doing more harm than good lately, and so I decided to quit. I have cold turkey’d so it’s been ROUGH. Turns out my use was so heavy that I now have cannabis withdrawal syndrome and I’m really struggling. I’m on day 5 now, and I’m awake for over 20 hours at a time and I sleep about 4 hours. My ocd is telling me that sleep deprivation is going to send me insane, that I’ll flip out or lose control or something, and because of the withdrawal symptoms, it doesn’t feel that far fetched. I’m SO irritated and angry, but mostly I’m just really scared. There is not much risk of a relapse as I genuinely long to feel sober and clear, and also I have just moved house so I physically can’t buy any, but I really need advice. If anyone has any experience coming off weed, I’d love to know what helped you with the anxiety, and if it’s normal for ocd to make this worse. Any tips, info, or direction to other services are greatly appreciated! 💜

Anonymous

Date posted: 5d

I’m currently 84 days sober after 10 years of daily use. Do your best to get outside, move your body, and stay hydrated. You're almost done with the hardest part! Take it a day at a time, and you'll see significant improvement in your mood in days 10-15. You got this.

Anonymous

Date posted: 5d

@Anonymous Thank you 😭😭 It helps to know I’m through the worst of it, and I’ll try to move more! The only reason I haven’t is because I haven’t been able to eat much so I don’t have any energy, but I did manage to eat today, so maybe tomorrow will be different ☺️

Anonymous

Date posted: 5d

@Anonymous Try to eat something small like a banana when you first wake up, that will help your appetite throughout the day. Also, I suggest Magnesium (Glycinate) for sleep! Around 300mg.

Anonymous

Date posted: 5d

@Anonymous Tbf I’m pretty sure I’m low on magnesium so it’s a win win 😂😂 I’ll look into it and buy some bananas

tofutartare

Date posted: 5d

Hi! I am 26 and in recovery with 4 years sober. I also quit cold turkey, which also made my health anxiety spiral like crazy. Unfortunately, there is really no advice anyone could give you right now that would fully relieve your anxiety. Which definitely sounds so horrible and disheartening, I felt really bad typing that out, but honestly the only thing you can do is ride the withdrawal wave for a few weeks. If you were smoking to help you sleep, your brain might be having difficulty trying to adjust to make sleep chemicals naturally, but it's also likely that your anxiety about the sleep is making it more difficult for you to get to sleep. This sounds kind of corny, but the only way out is through. One day, you will wake up and realize you just slept for 7 hours unassisted. Sometimes you will completely forget about recovery milestones and realize you're 6 months and 10 days cannabis free, and you'll be shocked that that much time has passed. Congratulations on 5 days! Every day is genuinely a huge accomplishment. Just getting through the day can feel like an absolutely Herculean task sometimes, but every clean day is proof that you can handle the day ahead of you. Good luck!

Anonymous

Date posted: 5d

@tofutartare I’ve really been struggling with the health anxiety. I’ve had it since I was a teen so I know it well, but this has really taken it to a new level, so it helps to know that it isn’t just me who’s experienced this. I was smoking for sleep and anxiety, so naturally they are both wack right now, and no amount of self awareness is saving me lmao Thank you for the encouragement, it means a lot ☺️

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