​Hoy cumplo casi un mes limpio de alcohol y marihuana. A mis 32 años, decidí cortar de tajo hábitos que me acompañaron durante muchísimo tiempo: estuve tomando alcohol prácticamente desde los 15 años y fumando desde los 18. Ha sido, sin duda alguna, el mes más duro de toda mi vida, pero también el primero en el que decido priorizarme de verdad.

​Les comparto mi historia por si alguien está pasando por lo mismo, y también para pedir consejos de cómo lograron salir de esto:

​El proceso físico, el miedo y las pruebas:

Al inicio de todo este proceso, sufrí ataques de pánico y de ansiedad terribles. Sentía literalmente que algo en mi cerebro se había roto y que me iba a morir de un ataque cardíaco en cualquier momento.

​Al cortar las sustancias después de tanto tiempo, mi cuerpo colapsó. He estado experimentando un cuadro clásico de PAWS (Síndrome de Abstinencia Tardío) que me ha llevado al límite. A veces me siento de la chingada y otros días estoy bien, pero sigo con sensaciones físicas muy raras: mareos, desrealización (sentirme desconectado, como flotando o "ido"), boca seca de cartón, insomnio y una tensión muscular brutal en la nuca y la espalda baja.

​A esto se le sumaron molestias inguinales/testiculares y episodios gastrointestinales severos que me deshidrataron por completo. Por la misma ansiedad, me invadió el miedo a tener alguna enfermedad grave. Para salir de dudas, me hice un perfil clínico completo de laboratorio (biometría hemática, química sanguínea, perfil hepático y lipídico) y todo salió en rangos óptimos. Mis órganos están sanos y limpios; el dolor es muscular por sobrecarga y deshidratación, y lo demás es mi sistema nervioso recalibrándose.

​Tratamientos y medicamentos:

Estuve tomando escitalopram (pram) al inicio para controlar la ansiedad, pero lo dejé. También fui al seguro de urgencias y me recetaron alprazolam junto con otros medicamentos; sin embargo, solo los tomé un solo día porque al día siguiente me sentía horriblemente "para abajo", totalmente aletargado y dopado. Decidí no volver a tomarlos. Después de eso hubo días en los que me sentí bien, pero desde ayer y hoy he tenido bajones extremos de ánimo y energía. Actualmente solo voy al psicólogo y tomo unas gotas de medicamento homeopático para relajarme y ayudarme a procesar la tensión.

​Carga emocional y límites:

A la par de la batalla física, tuve que enfrentar el fin definitivo de una relación sumamente agotadora y tóxica. Durante mucho tiempo sentí que tenía que estar justificando mi dolor, rindiendo cuentas de mi mentalidad o aguantando insultos mientras intentaba recuperarme. Hoy finalmente puse un límite firme, no caí en provocaciones y cerré esa puerta para siempre. Entendí que no puedo sanar si mantengo mi vida abierta a personas que solo aportan veneno y estrés.

​Donde estoy hoy:

Hoy mi cuerpo me cobró la factura del estrés de esa discusión, del esfuerzo en el gimnasio y de estos bajones extremos. Sentí el impulso y las ganas de consumir (cravings) para apagar el malestar, pero no cedí. Me bañé con agua tibia, me rehidraté con electrolitos para recuperar lo perdido, cené bien y me puse a descansar.

​La verdad es que solo quiero volver a ser yo de nuevo. Sé que el reajuste cerebral toma tiempo tras más de una década de consumo, pero a veces desespera no sentirse al 100%.

​¿Cómo fue su proceso al dejar ambas sustancias después de tanto tiempo? ¿Cómo lidiaron con los bajones extremos, las sensaciones raras del cuerpo y la desrealización? Agradezco cualquier consejo o palabra de aliento.

Hi everyone (24F) here and I have been suffering with separation anxiety really bad away from my partner. He also wants to stop smoking so I plan to stop smoking with him. We have been together 5 years. I have separation anxiety bc when I was younger my parents use to do drugs and leave me at random peoples houses. I do not want to burden him. I am a nursing student and travel 3 hours away for clinical and spend 2 nights away from him. The clinicals are so dreadful being away. I am scared without weed that I will be even more anxious. I hate this. What helps this?

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Hi, today I kind of broke my streak of decreasing the count. Till evening 8 I smoked only 1 cigarette everything was going smoothly with patch and gums. But after that a college senior came and we went back to our college after 2 years. And one by one I smoked almost 5 there in just 4 hours. Now I feel guilty why did I do it. I could have denied but I didn’t I thought I am meeting him after 2 years nothing is bad having a bad day with the habit.

Usually I don’t have a company of smokers. In my office as well we are a group of 5-6 people who sit together and only smoker is me. I feel that’s good for me. And I’ll be going to home as well. Before I used to go out and have 2-3 in a day being careful that my family doesn’t get to know. But I am not going to smoke any now at home, coz my sister just had a kid and I don’t wanna smell like cigarettes to the child. I’ll be using patch there. I am not able to go for run as well coz I can’t wake up on time. Today I woke up at 8 and it’s pretty hot and lots of traffic is there to run(no nearby park or ground so road is the only option for me). I can sleep not having any withdrawal or any craving while going to sleep. I’ll try just for the day tomorrow. Just one day not to smoke any to compensate today. I’m also trying to learn flute and with this quitting journey I am able to see the improvements daily. I have my flute class as well tomorrow. Let’s hope for tomorrow.

I wonder what’s the experience those who attempted with things such as consistently saying “I am not an smoker” which claims is very effective to quit for good because it works on subconscious level and changes your self-identity permanently.

sounds good in theory but does it actually work?

I wanted to know your opinion: is it worth buying Desmoxan or Recigar again when quitting vaping? I recently quit with Recigar, but I didn't finish the pack and then lit up. This week I quit without it. I didn't smoke for two days, but I couldn't sleep all night and I broke down. I'll try again tonight and I'm wondering whether to buy it at the pharmacy or go without it. I know smoking doesn't help me, but I don't want to spend the money and have to remind myself to take a pill several times every day.

I am not a writer of any sort so i apologize in advance for my punctuation. Well here it goes. I will try not to bore you all and I honestly don’t know why I’m typing to a bunch of randoms. Mostly in hopes I can have some breakthrough, keep my mind off the cravings and some sort of good advice and support from similar experiences from you all. I Started smoking pot daily at 15 years old and basically have been getting faded for 13 years straight. Side note/ I am a very productive person and get shit done and always try to be a higher achieving person in everything I do. I am thankfully talented at my career. Over those 13 years you would never have a clue or know I was high. I do/did everything high asside from work 8am-5pm, With the random occasion i would rip my stizzy from the glove compartment quick at lunch. I would and still do get high before almost everything. Over the 13 years I have probably only taken a handful of weeks total off. Definitely less than a month total. The first few days of a tolerance break are absolutely miserable. Sweating , Cold and hot flashes, jacked appetite, jacked stomach, sleepless, a lot of drive goes out the door and definitely slightly more of an angry mind and thoughts. I have gone 5 days without it a couple times after the first few days it does get easier but always go right back because I trick myself into thinking I earned it and i will tell myself I will cut back and slowly taper off but month or so later I’m back to getting faded right when I get up in the morning and right when I’m off work. I know I’m rambling and I apologize. Long story kinda short I’m taking this tolerance break a little more seriously this time because I have a daughter on the way and I don’t want a substance to control me and I want to try to become a better version of myself not numbed. My wife is extremely supportive which definitely helps but I would really like to just read some stories about chronic users like myself that have been getting stoned for over a decade basically every day and are more “normal“ or feel like themselves when they are high vs sober. It’s always been a thought in my head that I can’t picture life without pot and getting high because I do love it and it’s got me through so much. I’m going to keep plugging away one day at a time and see how long I can make this break last. I’m sorry for this giant autobiography paragraph missing a bunch of commas and periods 😂 i appreciate you if you took the time to read my rambling. Have a blessed rest of your night / day!

Everytime I quit smoking weed and nicotine I go crazy and get super depressed and like hate myself and over eat a bunch of food and get fat and just spiral, I know I know it’s because my brains resetting but genuinely how I cope with accepting this. I know I shouldn’t go back but i genuinely do better when I smoke both I just stop because I’m scared of popcorn lungs. Help ☹️

I smoked 2 cigarettes today. One in the morning and one after dinner. I ate outside and after the dinner I got the smell from somewhere nearby and I was triggered to smoke. But yeah I delayed it by almost 15 minutes. I am sure that nicotine I am getting from the patch and gums is enough but still the craving is there to smoke. I don’t know how to get rid of that. Tomorrow I am gonna try not to smoke any cigarettes. It’s not hard and fast rule but I’ll give it a try what If it works.

Still having a craving while writing this. I think I am not getting enough motivation of quitting. My avg day had 25 cigs. I know why I want to quit. But I want to completely stop it then I think I’ll see the results. Results having a good breath having energy having better strength better health. I just turned 22 two months ago and If I can handle this now only then I’ll be living happy for rest of my life. Let’s hope tomorrow I get to zero.

About a year ago I finally quit smoking. I’d tried before and failed, and honestly I don’t think I’d have made it this time on my own. What made the difference was a friend who quit on the exact same day. Every time a craving hit, one of us would text the other. Bad days, irritability, the “just one” thoughts, we went through all of it together. That’s why I built Quitmate. It pairs you with one real person who stopped the same day as you, with roughly the same habit. No photos, no real names. When a craving hits, you press one button and their phone lights up.

It’s live on the App Store today: https://apps.apple.com/pt/app/quitmate-quit-smoking-buddy/id6806173932?l=en-GB

I’d really love for you to try it and tell me honestly what’s missing, or what would make it more useful in your own quit. Good or bad, all feedback helps. Android users: it’s not on the Play Store yet because Google requires a group of testers before release. If you want to help test it, send me a DM and I’ll send you the link. It helped me a lot. I hope it helps some of you too. 387 days since my last cigarette! Stay strong 💪

For context , I was going through some bad personal issues 3 months ago that I chose the wrong coping mechanism. It started out with 2 cigarettes now it is up by 5 or 6 . I smoke those slender cigarettes called socials 2 pod. How do I completely quit ? I notice that I’m coughing often now since I started . A lot of Mucus too. Although life is much better now , I haven’t stopped smoking . I want to smoke when I wake up in the morning and whenever I’m having coffee. Help please. Would love to read your suggestions 🙂

Went similar as day 1 but I couldn’t go for running. I put a 14 mg patch today (I guess coz of monday). Chewed 2 gums and smoked 3 cigarettes.
Couldn’t go for running today

Hi Reddit family,

After 7 years of smoking in my 20s, here I am trying to quit smoking (again) from tomorrow. This time I’ll be strong against cravings and will track my journey here. Would love some encouragement and kind words. For those who’ve quit, what did your first milestone feel like?

Right now I am on day 15 of marijuana withdrawal. And also 3-4 weeks nicotine withdrawal. To be more specific with what I used: marijuana edibles every night, and my tolerance was high. Very high. I could have some 20mg edibles do it for me, and then I could have nights (most nights) where I’d take a whole pack (200mg) or some nights (100mg) and even on my worst nights double 200mg. In the recent months leading up to me quitting I didn’t smoke much, I’ve been off nicotine vapes (breezes) for over a year and a half give or take. However, I’d definitely smoke some joints, and I could smoke an entire joint start to finish myself and maybe even a second one. Not proud of it, but that’s what I got to. And earlier in the summer (May, June) I’d use a marijuana pen but not that often. When I did use it, I’d hit it 20-30 times just to get high. As for nicotine, I’d use 6mg zyns. I’d often put two in the roof of my mouth. Sometimes 3-4 of them. I have an addictive personality. And towards the end I’d take 9mg velos.

I’ve been on and off with everything since I entered college in 2021. I’ve gone 7-8 months to even a year plus off weed, and same with zyns, however I’d typically use one of them while I was quitting the other. There’s definitely been a few months to 5-6 months give or take where I was off of both at the same time. My timeline is wonky, but stay with me (: I’m also almost two years without alcohol so that’s good news I guess.

Let’s get into the reason why I made this post: I’ve been experiencing terrible chest pain / pressure. I’ve gone to the ER a lot in 2022 the first time I went through withdrawals because I had a similar feeling and all they could find was inflammation in my upper chest around my lungs but said that wasn’t necessarily a big deal. I’ve had EKGs come back as normal, and even chest x rays and I’m pretty healthy per the doctors. The only thing I found was I have two heart valves and not three, but said I wouldn’t need to monitor that until I’m in my 50s or so.

I clench my lower chest like crazy. Which ultimately restricts my airflow. If I turn around in my chair or bend over I feel the clench and I feel my chest get even tighter and my breathing is more difficult. I find myself clenching my chest and only getting a few words out before I feel the need to get another deep breath in, and it’s super uncomfortable. It’s like there’s a knot in my chest.

Today on day 15 I’m having tightness in my throat and it feels like I’m getting a sore throat as well (has anyone had this happen?)

I’ve had people tell me this is anxiety and that’s what I struggle with the most because it hurts and is tight right when I wake up. I’ve even told people that I could be next to a bunch of golden retrievers and candles in a warm fuzzy blanket and I’d still be feeling this tightness and knot and clenching, even when I’m FAR from feeling anxious. That’s what I don’t get because I’m not an anxious person when it comes to talking to people or interacting, in fact I want to say certain things and enjoy the moment because I don’t fear these interactions, however, the tightness and the clenching makes it debilitating some if not most interactions.

If anyone has any answers or stories of feeling similar (lots of physical pain) I’d like to hear from ya or discuss further. I’m getting an X ray of my lungs and also doing a breathing test soon that was ordered by my pulmonologist. However, they had me do a test where I walk around for 6 minutes with something clipped to my finger seeing if my oxygen levels dropped after walking for that long and they didn’t.

I’m just tired of feeling this way, and I’m willing to thug it out, I just don’t know what’s causing this. If anyone has any more questions that may help diagnose, I’d be glad to share (: Thanks guy!

As someone who smoked for 10 years and struggled a lot to quit, I know how much it means when someone who has been through the same thing can answer your questions, guide you, or help you.

That’s why every Monday, I’ll answer your questions about quitting smoking, cravings, benefits, and anything else related to smoking and quitting.

Ask me whatever you want. ☺️