# Just File 13'd My Weed (long) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 17, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010 "2011-08-17T10:07:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BuickGNX1987](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/1 "2011-08-17T10:07:32Z")
After being a smoking for about eight years (about five years heavily) I finally worked up the nerve to throw the stuff out. Here’s why. It started about a week ago. I was at the computer relatively late at night, (high) when i felt a strange pop in the back of my head. The pop made my vision go funny for a split second, kind of like tunnel vision I guess. After that, there was a weird pressure in that spot that was pretty much continuous. It was really light pressure, so I didn’t really worry about it at the time and wound up going to bed. By the next night, the pressure had intensified so I started doing a little research online. I was reading stuff about aneurysms and found that they usually involve a very bad headache, which I didn’t have, so I figured I was OK. I then proceeded to get hit with this weird wave of what I can only describe as nausea, followed by a strong continuous sensation in the chest that was like that feeling you get if you get startled. My vision started getting fuzzy like it does when you’re about to pass out, so I got to the floor and blacked out. This whole process probably took about 10-15 seconds, but was probably the most frightening experience of my life. While it was happening, I thought for sure whatever was in my head was blowing open. I awoke a few seconds/minutes later with a cold sweat and ears ringing like crazy. There was no pain and I don’t have insurance, so amazingly enough I went to bed. The next night, after seeking some advice, I went to the ER to have it all checked out. I was given a CT scan, EKG(?), and spinal tap. I was discharged with a diagnosis of headache and anxiety. The passing out was ruled to be an anxiety attack/panic attack probably due to the pop. The pop was a mystery to the doctor, but as I have seen, anxiety can do some weird things. For the next couple days, I had a sore back in addition to my little pressure spot. I did my best to ignore it, figuring it would finally go away. Which it did. My memory is fuzzier on this part so I can’t remember exactly how the next bunch of stuff started. What I do know is the spot was finally gone, and my back was much improved. I had nothing to worry about. But by that night, I had pretty extreme pressure in my chest (like the startled feeling in my anxiety attack), and this “tightness” in my gut. This was about three or four days ago. Ever since then, this pressure has been there pretty much all the time. It comes in cycles it seems like. At its lowest, there’s just a little bit of pressure. As the cycle goes up, the pressure increases and the feeling in my gut comes back. As the cycle reaches it’s peak, i get lightheaded, waves of heat or cold (very rarely cold) and the occasional thud in the chest. The thudding in the chest only happened one day about two days ago. Since then, the cycle normally peaks at the heat waves, or ,very occasionally, a little lightheadedness. It seems like I go through this cycle maybe two or three times a day. It all seems like symptoms of anxiety, so I’ve tried not to worry about it and have more or less adopted the stance of a very curious observer. And this is where the weed comes back in. It’s important to note that, like a dumbass, I was smoking pretty much throughout this whole thing.:smack: Someone I know suggested that the weed might be doing all this. After a little research, I discovered that it was indeed possible. The DSM-IV has a diagnosis of [substance induced anxiety disorder](http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/s-ianxdis.htm). I have noticed that the symptoms pick up when I smoke, so if weed isn’t causing this, it is at least making it worse. I had thought about quitting a few times before all of this. If anything, I wanted to see if it was doing anything to me, and quitting would be a good way to see if it was. But that never happened, obviously. I should’ve known that it was a problem then, but as usual, nothing seems to motivate me except last minute disaster (an issue even before i started smoking). I hate to sound like an anti-marijuana shrill with all this. I’m not. It’s probably like anything else, OK or maybe even good in moderation, but destructive when taken too far. Plenty of people can apparently smoke to their heart’s content and be just fine. I realize that I am not one of those people. Maybe someone else will have this happen one day and this info will be useful. If anything I feel better just getting it all off my chest. If you actually made it this far without being bored to tears(hell, even if you were bored to tears;)), thanks for reading. ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/2 "2011-08-17T10:55:20Z")
Sounds like you had a really scary experience. Will you be monitored by a doctor during your withdrawl? I hope you will be documenting the process. Best of luck! ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/3 "2011-08-17T13:03:05Z")
Well, are you feeling better now? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/4 "2011-08-17T13:31:53Z")
[mod]Moved MPSIMS --\> IMHO, where medical and related stuff goes.[/mod] [nonmod]Good for you. Help is available, should you feel like you need it going forward.[/nonmod] ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/5 "2011-08-17T13:55:28Z")
If you did not grow it yourself, perhaps it’s been stepped on with something. ---
**Author:** ![Hbns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hbns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hbns)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/6 "2011-08-17T14:28:15Z")
> [@BuickGNX1987](#): > > I had thought about quitting a few times before all of this. Congratulations on getting the monkey off your back. Best wishes going forward. Hope you feel better. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/7 "2011-08-17T14:34:05Z")
Good luck, stay strong, eat well, get exercise, learn to say no thanks. Soon the tokes will no longer come your way, and it’s cool. ---
**Author:** ![BuickGNX1987](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/8 "2011-08-18T01:49:12Z")
Thank you for the well-wishes. **longPath** , I will most likely not be seeing a doctor for withdrawal, unless the symptoms really pick up or I start passing out again. **Al Bundy** , I do not grow my own, so I guess it’s possible that it had something else in it. I was smoking out of that same bag for a week or so, maybe more, before it all started. Not being able to answer for sure if it was laced is probably another good reason to give it up. I had considered growing for a little while, but the risks involved were too high. Not only would the consequences have affected me, but they could also affect who I live with. I wasn’t prepared to take that risk i guess. I woke up today with moderate pressure in the chest, but it has faded to almost nothing at the moment. Still there though. The little “heat-waves” still come about every now and then. I have to fight the occasional urge to fire one up, but it hasn’t been too bad. I notice I’m a little more irritable than usual today, but I just tell myself that’s withdrawal. When something does piss me off, that’s when I get the urge to go garbage-picking, so to speak. It’s weird how even now, some part of my brain still wants the stuff. I have a pretty low appetite at the moment (just ate one hot-dog and am full), but that’s kind of been going on throughout this whole ordeal so I’m unsure whether to chalk that up to withdrawal or anxiety. Other than that, everything else seems to be fine and I seem to be doing better. I know the urge to smoke is probably going to get worse before it gets better, but hopefully I can stick to it this time. ---
**Author:** ![Orr\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ee59a6/32.png) [@Orr\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orr_G)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/9 "2011-08-18T03:22:08Z")
Congratulations on a sound decision, and best of luck to you in staying clean and healthy! I went through somewhat similar experiences with anxiety and weed, and was motivated to finally put the pipe away for similar reasons as you. There were a few times where I fell of the wagon, so to speak, where it had been long enough that I would downplay the degree of discomfort and could rationalize starting up again. But the symptoms came back and renewed my resolve to quit and stay quit. Other than those few times, it hasn’t actually been difficult to stay away from it, not nearly as much as I’d feared. Plus, it’s really nice to be able to get out and go do whatever, whenever, without worrying that I was too stoned to be around strangers who might not be “cool”. Please do follow up with a doctor, especially about the chest pressure. It could be just the anxiety, but that’s serious enough that you want to at least rule out more dire possibilities. Do you, by chance, suffer from GERD or similar digestive ailment? Some of the symptoms you describe are ones that I have dealt with, where I wasn’t sure if it was just my GERD acting up, or if I was having some sort of cardiac issue. A number of tests and medication changes later, I’m pretty confident that it was indeed just the GERD, but it was pretty scary for a while. And the weed definitely exacerbated the issue. Anyway, I just thought it might be worth looking into, if it applies. ---
**Author:** ![punch\_line\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e7dd6/32.png) [@punch\_line\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/punch_line_loser)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/10 "2011-08-18T03:30:27Z")
A lot of really intense potheads I know love to put forth the argument that weed isn’t addictive, so I’m curious. Were you addicted to weed, mentally or physically, by any definition? Are you experiencing physical and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms, or are you suffering from the aftereffects of a really nasty weed experience? \*Just to avoid being misunderstood, I’m not in any way questioning the veracity of your story at any point. I’m looking for some hard evidence in the event that I need to convince a friend to scale it back. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/11 "2011-08-18T05:13:48Z")
> [@BuickGNX1987](#): > > I was at the computer relatively late at night, (high) when i felt a strange pop in the back of my head. The pop made my vision go funny for a split second, kind of like tunnel vision I guess. […] The pop was a mystery to the doctor, but as I have seen, anxiety can do some weird things. Perhaps it’s [Exploding Head Syndrome?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome) ---
**Author:** ![BuickGNX1987](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/12 "2011-08-18T06:20:17Z")
> [@Orr](#): > > …where it had been long enough that I would downplay the degree of discomfort and could rationalize starting up again. I’m glad I’m not the only one this has happened to. Pretty much every time I tried to give it up, this is how “they’d pull me back in.” (sorry, just finished the Sopranos a few weeks ago. Had to do it. :D) Even now, my brain is trying to do this. It’s helpful to hear from someone who has been there and has beaten it though. As far as the GERD, I used to have some pretty wicked heartburn. Tums were my friend. But since this spring, I cut back significantly on drinking alcohol. I went from the typical “weekend alcoholic” to about once a month or so and the heartburn just went away. I haven’t had a drop since the 4th of July. So far, that appears to be the only symptom of GERD that I have so I’m not sure. I still occasionally get the heartburn but this pressure is different. If this stuff doesn’t go away, I’ll be going back to the doctor though. > [@punch line loser](#): > > A lot of really intense potheads I know love to put forth the argument that weed isn’t addictive, so I’m curious. Were you addicted to weed, mentally or physically, by any definition? Are you experiencing physical and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms, or are you suffering from the aftereffects of a really nasty weed experience? Yes, I would say that I am addicted to weed. I’m not sure whether it’s physical or psychological. According to the DSM-IV’s definition of [Other (or Unknown) Substance Dependence](http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevisions/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=351#) I am. (click on the DSM-IV tab for this one). I hope this is coherent but just kind of go down the list with me here. 1: a. yes b. yes 2: a. (see below) yes b. yes 3: not sure, to be fair, I’ll say no 4: yes 5: not sure, again I’ll say no 6: yes 7: I kept smoking for a couple days after the last batch of symptoms came up even though I knew it was making it worse so, yes. I needed three out of seven, and got four. Also, since I said yes to 1 and 2, that adds the “with physiological dependence.” Now for 2a (withdrawal). [Cannabis Withdrawal](http://www.dsm5.org/ProposedRevision/Pages/proposedrevision.aspx?rid=430#). Yes, I know this one isn’t official yet, but it’s probably as close as I can get. A: Obviously B: 1. yes 2. kinda 3. big time 4. decreased appetite 5. somewhat 6. yes 7. hmm, not sure about this one, maybe headaches. Not sure about C or D either, but yeah, I’d say I have withdrawal symptoms, especially insomnia. I know that a lot of pot-heads say that it isn’t addictive, and before I made serious attempts at giving it up, I was one of them. One of my friends always said that, but a few months ago when I told him that I was going to quit (this was a failed attempt) he said something like, “Yeah, I try to quit too, but a few days later I wind up giving in,” or something to that effect. There was a time where, for about a week or two, I couldn’t find ANYTHING. It was horrible. All I could do is think about scoring some weed. I couldn’t even bring myself to do anything fun because my mind was consumed by wanting to get high. Not trying to be a dick here but, if your friends are heavy users (smoking something like 27 of the last 30 days is a definition of “heavy” that I found), and if they were to try and put their weed away for a week or so (not because of having to pass a drug test or some other consequence, but just for the hell of it), I think they may be surprised at the result. I’m not saying throw it out, just put it away. I’m pretty sure I would’ve failed this test around day 1 or 2. But, then again, who knows. There does seem to be people that can do it all day, every day, with little to no apparent negative consequences. It’s hard to tell if they are full of shit or not. In my case though, I think the answer is pretty obvious. I know this paragraph sounds kind of snarky. This is not my intent. The weed that I threw out was relatively low quality, so I don’t think its all because I just smoked some really strong weed or anything. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/13 "2011-08-18T06:27:54Z")
> [@punch\_line\_loser](#): > > A lot of really intense potheads I know love to put forth the argument that weed isn’t addictive, so I’m curious. Were you addicted to weed, mentally or physically, by any definition? Are you experiencing physical and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms, or are you suffering from the aftereffects of a really nasty weed experience? > > \*Just to avoid being misunderstood, I’m not in any way questioning the veracity of your story at any point. I’m looking for some hard evidence in the event that I need to convince a friend to scale it back. You can be mentally addicted to anything, (cake, sex, popping bubblewrap, coffee or weed) but no, there’s no physical addiction to weed. If all your friends are potheads too social pressure can keep you on it when you may not necessarily want to keep doing it as much. I’d look up cites, but I’m at work so I won’t be doing that! ---
**Author:** ![BuickGNX1987](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/14 "2011-08-18T06:37:56Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Perhaps it’s [Exploding Head Syndrome?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome) I’ve had this happen once when I was about to fall asleep a few years ago. It was more like a loud scream though. This most recent “pop” (only time this has happened) was pretty “quiet.” I put quiet in quotes because I’m still not sure whether to even describe it as a sound or as a sensation. Weird, huh? I was wide awake for this “pop” as well, but I see that the exploding head thing can sometimes happen when wide awake so. I’ve never had a pop like that before or since so who knows. Your source says it’s harmless so I guess that’s a good thing! ---
**Author:** ![BuickGNX1987](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/15 "2011-08-18T08:14:53Z")
> [@EvilTOJ](#): > > You can be mentally addicted to anything, (cake, sex, popping bubblewrap, coffee or weed) but no, there’s no physical addiction to weed. … I’d look up cites… Allow me. [Physical Dependence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_dependence#Drugs_that_cause_physical_dependence) > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Physical dependence refers to a state resulting from chronic use of a drug that has produced tolerance and where negative physical symptoms[1] of withdrawal result from abrupt discontinuation or dosage reduction.[2] I know that further down in the entry, it says cannabis is one of the drugs that doesn’t cause physical dependence. It also says “citation needed.” [Heavy pot use can cause physical dependence](http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20001127/heavy-pot-use-can-cause-physical-dependence) > [@Aron Lichtman](#): > > A few years ago, it was widely believed that marijuana does not cause any kind of physical dependence, but now that has pretty much been debunked. Studies like this one and the ones we have done show that physical dependence does exist. > [@WebMD](#): > > In the Harvard study, researchers recruited 60 active marijuana users between the ages of 30 and 55 who reported smoking at least five times a week for an average of 11 years. Half of the participants agreed to stop using pot for 30 days, and the other 30 served as controls. In addition to the daily urine tests to evaluate compliance, participants filled out a 14-item daily diary designed to track changes in mood and physical symptoms. They were also tested for anxiety and depression levels before the study began, and again on days 1, 7, and 28 of the study period. … During the abstinence period, the participants reported increases in anxiety, irritability, physical tension, depression, and loss of appetite. The symptoms were most pronounced during the initial 10 days of withdrawal, but two of the symptoms – irritability and physical tension – remained high during the entire study period. [http://healthyhorns.utexas.edu/marijuana.html](http://healthyhorns.utexas.edu/marijuana.html) > [@healtyhorns.utexas.edu](#): > > Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance in the world today. It was once considered a non-addictive substance, but current research shows that use of the drug by **some people** can lead to both psychological and **physical** dependence. Many heavy marijuana users who quit using experience physical withdrawal symptoms that are similar to, though usually milder than, those suffered by cigarette smokers who quit smoking. (bolding mine) [www.canadamedicalmarijuana.com](http://www.canadamedicalmarijuana.com/medical-use-of-marijuana.html) > [@canadamedicalmarijuana.com](#): > > Is marijuana addictive? It may be. It’s important to know that inappropriate use of marijuana can lead to physical dependence and addiction. [Go Ask Alice](http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0509.html) Is this like a poor man’s Cecil Adams? > [@Go Ask Alice](#): > > …scientific understanding about the nature of pot addiction lags far behind research about other drugs. For now, there is no clear-cut diagnosis for marijuana addiction, but mounting evidence from both animal and human studies points to physical and psychological dependence stemming from pot use. … Heavy pot smokers may quickly build a tolerance to marijuana, possibly needing up to eight times the dose to get the same high as infrequent users. Increased tolerance is a sign of physical dependence and changes in brain chemistry. [www.cannacenters.com](http://www.cannacenters.com/blog/New+Study+Explains+Marijuana+Tolerance) > [@National Institute of Mental Health via cannacenters.com](#): > > A new study from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains the mechanism of action for tolerance and dependence with marijuana use. … Previous studies in rats showed that with repeated exposure to marijuana, the number of cannabinoid receptors in the brain was reduced. If the cannabinoid has no place to bind, no reaction can take place, and therefore no effect of marijuana is felt. … No one had studied this in humans until just recently. The NIMH study, published online July 12, 2011, used PET scans to demonstrate that humans who chronically smoke marijuana had a reversible reduction in the number of CB1 receptors that were available to bind the cannabinoids. This reduction was found to be correlated with years of marijuana smoking (meaning the longer you smoked, the less receptors available) and it was also found to be correlated to one location in the brain (the cortex). … Tolerance and dependence with marijuana does not occur as often as many other drugs…but it can become a problem with chronic overuse. Ok, so someone is probably not going to become physically dependent after one bong hit. It doesn’t seem like this issue is completely resolved, but the all-encompassing statement, “marijuana is not physically addictive” is false, at least for now. It would appear that at least some heavy users do, in fact, develop a physical dependence (defined by increased tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms upon quitting). This lie that weed isn’t physically addictive is one that had me fooled for a long time. On a board whose goal is fighting ignorance, I can’t just let a statement like that go unchallenged, even if it means I sound kind of like a jerk while challenging it. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/16 "2011-08-18T08:17:57Z")
Good luck! What are you going to do with the extra money you’ll have, now that you’re not spending it on pot? ---
**Author:** ![BuickGNX1987](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/17 "2011-08-18T08:25:43Z")
**sandra\_nz** , thanks. I really haven’t thought about that one, but its another good reason to give it up. I’ll probably catch up on some bills first, but now you’ve given me something to think about. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/18 "2011-08-18T08:46:19Z")
> [@BuickGNX1987](#): > > **sandra\_nz** , thanks. I really haven’t thought about that one, but its another good reason to give it up. I’ll probably catch up on some bills first, but now you’ve given me something to think about. 🙂 Catching up on bills is good, but yeah, maybe find something to save up for, a reward to yourself! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/19 "2011-08-18T09:03:59Z")
I smoked every day for about 10 years. I wouldn’t call my cessation of THC use “quitting” because one day I just stopped. I still hung out with smokers but just refused the joint as it went round. It was pretty damn easy and the cravings only lasted a few days. What were weird were the dreams I got. It almost felt like you’ve been saving those dreams up for years and they all come tumbling out of you (which is not what it actually is, I know). Pet theory on what happened to you: the “pop” was something benign (e.g. ‘exploding head syndrome’); all other symptoms since then have been anxiety-related due to paranoia about the pop and your excessive marijuana use. And once anxiety kicks in, it’s exacerbated by the marijuana, as I found. You’ll be fine. And your life will seem simpler after. ---
**Author:** ![BuickGNX1987](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@BuickGNX1987](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuickGNX1987)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010/20 "2011-08-18T09:44:17Z")
**jjimm** , thanks for the insight. I’ve already noticed the dreaming thing from my previous attempts at quitting, plus the times where I was unable to get a bag. It hasn’t started happening yet, but I’m sure it will. Not that I think its bad or anything. It might actually be kind of cool. Again, reading the experiences of those who have quit seems to help strengthen my resolve on this issue. I appreciate it. More updates to follow, but I had better get some rest. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-file-13d-my-weed-long/593010.md?page=2)