You’ve Decided to Quit Smoking Weed – Cold Turkey or Gradually?
That alone is a reason to celebrate! Take it from me: it’s not easy to admit that your marijuana use has become a problem. Deciding how to quit smoking weed cold turkey or gradually, could very well be one of the most important decisions you ever make. I think that you probably already know that since you’re reading a page about quitting cannabis.
Now comes the hard part: actually quitting.
How do you go about doing this? Should you try quitting weed cold turkey or gradually?
This is a dilemma that many people who want to stop smoking marijuana face. Let’s take a look at each option and explore the pros and cons.
How to Quit Smoking Weed Gradually
If you’re a chronic pot smoker who “wakes and bakes” every morning, steals a few puffs during your lunch break and spends the rest of your evenings stoned out on the couch, going cold turkey is not going to be easy.
You’ve developed a psychological and physical dependence on weed and may be addicted, so giving it up means you’ll be facing some major weed withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms can vary from person to person, but some of the most common ones are:
Restlessness
Anxiety
Insomnia
Loss of appetite
Depression
If you don’t feel up to tackling the full brunt of these symptoms, you can quit weed gradually. But, I must tell you that there are supplements like CBD oil that help a lot in the withdrawals.
Instead of smoking all day, try smoking only at night, before bed. Next, you can try smoking every other night. You can keep reducing the amount of weed you smoke to once a week, once every other week, once a month, etc.
Eventually, you’ll be able to give up weed completely, and you’ll have reduced the severity of your cannabis withdrawal symptoms. This will also help prevent the possibility of a full relapse.
However, this approach requires a lot of self-discipline. You and you alone are responsible for managing your weed intake. It can be tempting to allow yourself to smoke more weed than you’re supposed to, especially when you’re already high to begin with.
People who are using large amounts of weed on a regular basis may really struggle to control the amount they use. Weed is a very powerful drug and gives people when they’re high the illusion that they know what they’re doing and colors judgment bigtime.
Since marijuana goes into the brain and goes to cannabis receptors your brain becomes used to it and does not like it when it isn’t getting the drug. The urge to have just a little is going to be huge. Before you know it you’re where you were before.
How to Quit Smoking Weed Cold Turkey
The upside of going cold turkey is that you don’t have to worry about managing your weed intake. You won’t be smoking once a week or once a month; you’re never smoking again.
This allows you to get the weed out of your system as soon as possible, and you’ll detox more quickly than if you took the gradual approach. Every time you light up you’re reinforcing the habit and addiction and so it will just take that much longer to live a life free of cannabis.
Unfortunately, the withdrawal symptoms will be much more severe. Fortunately, our free complete guide to a life without weed will help every step of the way.
In addition to the complete guide CBD will help reduce the symptoms of weed withdrawal which will give you a much better chance of not relapsing. We’re very excited about the reports we’re receiving about cannabis oil and hemp oil, also known as CBD are helping people through this difficult time. It can help with the depression, insomnia, anger and anxiety that often accompany quitting weed. To find out more about using CBD Oil and other supplements to help with weed withdrawals.
Which Way To Quit Weed Is Best?
If you can’t decide between quitting weed cold turkey or gradually, ask yourself this question: “Am I the kind of person who prefers jumping into a cold pool of water or wading in slowly?”
Some people prefer to go in one step at a time, slowly entering the water, letting each part of themselves get used to the cold. Eventually, they go all the way in. It just takes time.
For other people, this method sounds like pure torture. They’d rather just jump in and get it over with. Sure, it’s going to be really unpleasant at first, but it’ll be over and done with immediately.
Neither way is “right” or “wrong.” It absolutely depends on your own personality and temperament.
Are you the kind of person who likes to chip away at a problem, or do you prefer the “wrecking ball” approach?
Here’s the most important question: is your approach actually helping you quit?
If you’re quitting weed gradually, are you allowing yourself more marijuana than you should be?
If you’re going to quit smoking weed cold turkey, are the withdrawal symptoms too much handle, causing you to relapse again and again?
It may be helpful to try both approaches to see which one works best for you. Our free complete program provides lots of the latest research-based methods to get you off weed permanently. It can also help you cut back if you want to quit gradually.
No matter what approach you try, observe and make notes on your progress. Understand what’s working for you and what isn’t. Get advice and support from other former pot smokers. Arm yourself with powerful tools, such as our complete program and the proper supplements so that you can overcome your dependence on marijuana and take your life back into your own hands, once and for all.
Hello, I´ve been smoking for the last year and a half almost in a daily basis. I know this is a problem and I have admitted it is having a huge impact in my life. I don´t know if it is better to quit gradually or cold turkey. If I go the “cold turkey” method, I am scared of the strong withdrawal symptoms that may occur. I haven´t smoked for 2 days now and I have had anxiety and depression attacks since. On the other hand I am also scared that if I try to quit gradually, my cravings will increase, leading to relapse.
What do you guys think?
For some people gradually works. IMO it’s best to quit cold turkey and use supplements like CBD to help with the sleep, anxiety and depression that happens when you quit. https://www.howtoquitsmokingweedhelp.com/using-cbd-oil-to-help-with-quitting-weed/
Great article, has put my mind to rest a bit as at least i know im not the only one!! I have smoked for about 6 years everyday and have not smoked now for a week but literally have slept less than 10 hours since I stopped, have started losing weight rapidly and am getting real bad chest pains. I’m thinking to smoke a joint just to get a decent nights sleep, or should I just keep going? Any advice is massively appreciated!!
Thanks for the kind words. Please don’t smoke a joint since that can start the whole weed habit all over again. I suggest that you try CBD oil to help with the sleeplessness. It’s helped many people through the withdrawal process. It might help with some of your other symptoms too. These withdrawal symptoms will go away, but not sleeping is just about intolerable. Looks like you’re in the UK and I’m not sure CBD is available there, I hope it is. If you can’t get CBD try l-theanine, it can help a lot too. https://www.howtoquitsmokingweedhelp.com/using-cbd-oil-to-help-with-quitting-weed/ and https://www.howtoquitsmokingweedhelp.com/supplements-that-help-weed-withdrawals/ Lots of good luck! You will get through this.
As someone who has successfully quit smoking weed and cigarettes I found this info useful in strenthing my beliefs on why I quit. I read this often to remind myself why I’m doing what I’m doing.
Great content man. Your doing great work!
Thanks Saad! I really appreciate your kind comments.
Thanks for quick reply Rick I really appreciate it. You do make some good points there. My craving are actually gone nd ur right having another teaser will just trigger more craving.. its just the symptoms that’s haunting me now. I woke up today feeling better and I can definitely understand that going back is more of being weak as my brain is telling me it’s ok just once more huh and I can see what’s going on here. My brain is tricking me so I will challenge it. And see how far I will go. The strongest reason why I wanna quit as you asked is that I don’t accept that I need it. If I want it then it’s a different scenario but now I feel that I need it. And I don’t belive my body should need anything else other than water food and oxygen. Thanks again Rick am glad to have found this post hope someone else benefits of this convo too. Tomorrow is always a new better day.
Thanks for this article. I wanna share my experience and maybe get a better understanding as to what am going through and how am. Dealing with it.
I’ve been a Marijuana smooker for over 15 years now on and off between these years. I usually travel alot and once am not at home and I change surroundings I found that it was easy to forget about it. But here is the catch am. Not a drinker I’d usually drink once a month with friends or have that 1 beer after work as a reward with my joint. Any now my last trip to Thailand I stopped smoking cold turkey but I started drinking on daily basis beers in the morning in the afternoon and somthing stronger to end the night and looked at it as part of my holiday vibe. Last trip I traveled with a friend that knows me for a long period of time and he one day flipped on me. He said your not normal what did you take what’s wrong with you and I didn’t click to what he was talking about as I had been drinking with him till 6am but only. Managed to sleep 3 hours afterwards and woke up with my eyes wide open like an owl. He then went on with how moody and easy i flip on little things and not my normal self. He then suddenly said I think your having weed withdrawals. Somthing I never knew existed not to the extent that I would have to worry about it. But after some research on the net he was right. I had crazy night sweats I’ve been emotionally unstable arguing with my partner everyday and I was very moody and Insomnia was an everyday thing as it was a short holiday I brushed it off and got back to my habit as soon as I landed back home. Now am. On another trip to Thailand and man am. Struggling big time. I don’t want to accept that this thing is controlling me I was happy with the idea that I will have it when am home to deal with some minor depression issues and panic attacks. It might not be the place to say this but I want to keep smoking weed but in a controlled level once or twice a week at max for a start atleast not the usual 4 or 6 times a day (my opinion might be influenced by my current withdrawal situation) but thats how I feel about Marijuana. If it’s abused then it’s harmful if it’s controlled than it is medication specially with panic attacks and depression as I prefer it over antidepressants. Now I’ve been clean for 3 weeks cold turkey. My alcohole consumption is high up the roof my insomnia is crazy my digestive problems are becoming worther that my hemorrhoids that I only experienced once 10 years ago has came back my relationship with my partner is in an emotional mess am up and down moody and unstable emotionaly. And now am thinking I should smoke again but in a controlled manner. My partner is very supportive and is happy to monitor such use to bare these symptoms. And she has made it clear that she will control my consumption untill am gradually not dependent on it and be a casual not a regular. What is your opinion on this. Please advice and sorry for the longest post on this page I just feel I need help from someone who knows what they talking about and what am dealing with rather than the typical you should quite it’s bad for you un experienced opinion.
My personal opinion is that for someone who has had issues with quitting weed or any other substance(alcohol included) that in order to get clean they need to not use the substance at all. Your brain is very accustomed to the chemicals in weed and it needs to adjust to not having these chemicals. My concern would be that if you smoke at all it will trigger the process of craving all over again. Going from weed to alcohol is not a good thing either. Have thought about your reasons for wanting to quit? How important are they to you? In order to quit you need very strong motivation and that can come from not being happy with what weed is doing to your life.