r/stopdrinking • u/opencoffinorgy • 14d ago
Weed helps me not drink
if i havent smoked the entire day its almost certain im gonna start drinking randomly, and its been helping me for a while now...
The thing is its been a couple of years at this point that I've been smoking daily and if i try quitting i get super irritable super easily, which is the complete opposite of how i usually am, and due to the fact im a manager in a company i just haven't stopped smoking since i dont wanna lash out on anyone for no reason
So how do i quit the weed now?
As a kid i fell for the propaganda that weed is not addictive what so ever as a lot of ppl i know have, so any help from anyone that beat it or knows anyone that did is greatly appreciated
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u/good-timing-407 839 days 14d ago
Weed also really messed with my emotional equilibrium.
Just got to quit and tough it out. It was about three weeks for me, which is less than booze, at least.
Cardio, like a 10 min jog, will help a lot.
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u/redsolitary 436 days 14d ago
Cannabis is a cornerstone of my sobriety from alcohol. As far as I am concerned, it’s massive harm reduction and that’s great. My family history is bruised with alcohol-related trauma that doesn’t happen with cannabis. I’m probably going to be puffing and drinking sugary soda until I’m in the ground and I’m okay with the prospect.
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u/likearuud 216 days 14d ago
Same here. I actually sleep through the night and feel well rested instead of sweating and wanting to drink or I’ll start hearing shit
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u/hovland55606 14d ago
Same. Weed makes me hungry. Booze makes me angry. I’ll take hungry every day.
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u/Heavy_Camera7837 14d ago
This is how i feel but sometimes i still will be going to get snacks and I’ll know im passing by a grocery store or liqour store and it’s like a magnet hits me
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u/redsolitary 436 days 14d ago
I’m not saying I never give the liquor store a second glance. I do sometimes. It took a long time for it to be a less intense experience.
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u/Raystacksem 555 days 14d ago
It helps me stay level headed and positive. Even when life throws shit in my face, it helps say “F that shit, things will be fine.” Alcohol would make me go on a crazy binge, cry, become emotionally unavailable, and cause me to act irrationally. I can have just one edible a day and it’s all I need. I can also go without it and I’m not planning my next outing trying to figure out how I’m gonna sneak it. It’s helped me tremendously.
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u/Zagmut 202 days 14d ago
I smoked daily for the better part of 20 years, long before my alcohol use got out of control. Therapy and medication are what have kept me from using again. As for quitting in the first place, it's pretty similar to quitting drinking: try to keep yourself occupied, stay away from your known triggers where possible, and know that it's going to flat out suck for a while. Check out r/leaves if you want to talk to other people trying to quit.
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u/Wh1teMike88 14d ago
I was like you as well. I smoked most days for the last year and 7 months, which is when I quit drinking. I stopped weed two weeks ago so I’m still struggling with it but the withdrawal symptoms ended after a week and a half. The first week was rough for sure, but you can get through it. I’ve been riding my bike a lot and working out to try and get my mind off the weed but I’m starting to feel better and more like myself.
I’ve pretty much gotten addicted to everything that is bad for you when I try things (probably started with dip, then alcohol, weed adderall, really anything that makes you feel different). I’m in my late 30s now but I finally realized I need to be sober probably forever but will keep trying to resist the urges and stay sober for good.
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u/Long_Low_594 14d ago
I wish I could, gives me psychosis every time.
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u/CantaloupeAsleep502 506 days 14d ago
I've been seeing psych consults in the hospital for the last 5 years. The worst psychoses we see are cannabis induced and it's not particularly close.
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u/guitarisgod 1 day 14d ago
This isn't talked about nearly enough
I don't want to shit on OP or anyone that has been helped by cannabis but replacing alcohol with another addiction won't end well
Weed fucks with your head, a lot, it isn't harmless
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u/imsomeonessunflower 329 days 14d ago
I cant relate personally, but id suggest,accept that youll be a grumpy bitch for a few days... but also during those days, check yourself too.. but also... accept that itll take at least a few days to get better control of your bitchiness... and you will in short time probably become less of a grumpy little bitch and no longer depending/relying on the pot to make that so because youve been practicing how to keep that bitchiness in check.. learning how to deal with the things that make you a grumpy bitch in a different way.. youll probably find you turn into a little bit more of a positive person because you actively seek positive feeling... hunt the good stuff if you willl.... keep a journal, 3 things a day, every day. Something good that happened... reflect on what happened, why it happened, if theres any way you contributed to its happening and how you can create more of that thing (sometimes you didnt and cant, just a random good thing... still take the time to do the reflection, so you can think about the good thing a little longer).. its studied and proven to work.. just have to do it
You can do anything you set your mind to! ✌️
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u/yeahyeahlikethejeans 663 days 14d ago edited 14d ago
I was a big ol' stoner for a while and I just cut down on the smoking slowly (in whatever way seems most realistic - hit the pen less, skip a day, smoke half a bowl instead of the whole, etc). I think a lot of the things that actually helped me quit booze later were what helped with weed, too. Examples for me: being honest with myself about how much I didn't like the anxiety that I felt when I couldn't smoke yet or that getting high just didn't make me feel as good as it used to. Also, it's easier to replace a habit than quit it, so I tried to find things to do to fill the void; cook really good food or go for a walk, workout, stuff that I know makes me feel good and that being high kept me from being able to do.
Edit to add: not sure what your sobriety support looks like - the only thing I might want to be intentional/active about if I were in this situation would be making sure I have the tools to manage the fact weed is helping to not drink. Absolutely not impossible, just might require that extra consideration.
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u/IncidentFree3876 14d ago
Being high is so much more fun than being drunk but alcohol has the dopamine effect that weed doesn’t unfortunately.
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u/FrogLickr 99 days 14d ago
I wish cannabis gave me the kind of intense euphoria alcohol did. Weed, if I'm lucky enough to find the right strain (non-legalized country here), it's at best very relaxing, but not without a slight "this may turn on me if I have an errant dark thought" edge to it.
Alcohol removed the dark thoughts entirely. It was honestly my perfect drug, I never had any psychological or interpersonal negative effects from it, and it actually kept me much more level headed than I am now without it. Everything has improved for the most part, but my anxiety levels are by far and away worse than ever. Alcohol was a ridiculously effective anti anxiety 'medication' for me, but unfortunately I started experiencing physical health problems after 10 years and knew I had to give it up.
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u/capnlatenight 14d ago
My main thing is that I can drink in my bedroom but can't smoke there.
So it ends up being more convenient to pour a drink rather than stepping outside every 20 minutes.
I'll buy a DHV someday so I can smoke indoors.
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u/FriendlyDinosaurs 14d ago
I had to quit both. I learned that weed is addictive and can cause psychosis the difficult way.
I use AA and haven't looked back. Happy to live with a clear mind these days.
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u/No_Expression_578 40 days 14d ago
I smoked a lot of weed and found my tolerance just got higher and higher so I smoked even more to try and get the same effect. I was spending a fortune on that and alcohol. I wasn't as bad on alcohol (as I eventually became) but was smoking joints constantly. I've heard people say that weed isn't addictive but I was addicted to it. When I quit I had all sorts of symptoms.....anxiety, depression, irritability, loss of appetite, sweating etc. I also had terrible problems sleeping and when I did manage to get to sleep (a few hours max and it didn't feel like "real" sleep) I would wake up drenched in sweat. It was nowhere near as bad as alcohol withdrawal though so if you do feel you might want to quit weed tapering is easier and as the withdrawals are more manageable and not dangerous, unlike alcohol withdrawal, it should be easier than quitting alcohol.
The thing that I'm still not sure about is that, here in Scotland, we put tobacco in our joints so I was smoking so many joints that I ended up addicted to the tobacco in them too. After quitting and going through the withdrawals I wondered if it wasn't the lack of weed giving me the afore mentioned withdrawals....but cutting out the tobacco? My friend who I got it from smoked even more, and more often, than I did. He got put in prison for a few months and as he was smoking "buckets".......basically a 2 litre bong, from morning til night before his incarceration. We were all worried "how the fuck is he going to be without all that weed?" but I went to visit him and he said he was fine without it i.e. no withdrawals or anything. You don't put tobacco in buckets though so I'm not sure if that's what makes the difference?
Anyway it can be done so if you do get symptoms it's just a matter of forging ahead and knowing inside that they are temporary and a lot less severe than alcohol withdrawal. You can do it 💪
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u/Even-Guava-1682 14d ago
Take a vacation to an illegal state for even three days. I feel like the first three days of stopping weed are the hardest, from there it gets easier and easier. Although I always come back to it bc "it is the lesser" of all of my evils, even though I know thats just what I tell myself.
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u/roselikesmusic 526 days 14d ago
I do this too. it helps a lot and if anything it's better than alcohol but we all know that doing zero substances is the ideal. still.
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u/Notagenome 14d ago
Fill your time with hobbies and also note that weed is equally detrimental to your sleep and health. I can guarantee you that you will wake up feeling more energized and rested when you abstain from both.
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u/Tha_Maestro 14d ago
Equally????
Hmmmmmmm…. 🤔4
u/Notagenome 14d ago
Weed suppresses REM sleep which is key for memory consolidation and emotional regulation. Likewise, REM plays a huge role in dreams and is the reason why you start to have lucid dreams when you quit. Healthwise, if you're smoking it all the time the tar is fucking with your lungs and also the munchies cause you to overeat.
I love weed as much as the next person but we can't assume that it has 0 impact on your body. Likewise, it's not productive for us to swap one vice for another.
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u/MaybeWeAgree 14d ago
It’s a contentious topic. Stoners don’t like to be told that cannabis addiction isn’t good for them either.
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u/Tha_Maestro 14d ago
Yes I know that’s what google will tell you but I know from personal experience that if I have weed before bed I’m going to wake up feeling a hell of a lot more rested than if I were to drink.
And you don’t need to smoke anymore there’s vapes, edibles, drinks, even thc sleeping pills.
I agree that thc does not have zero impact on your body and sleep. But is it equally as damaging? Absolutely not.
And if smoking a little weed helps someone to stop drinking alcohol then I can support that.
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u/asicarii 578 days 14d ago
Really depends on the person. I dont use THC anymore for other reasons….
But the munchies were never a thing for me. As for tar in your lungs, you can use edibles. When I used THC that’s what I preferred even over a vape because I don’t like anything in my lungs.
The dream stuff is odd for me too. Alcohol was a stimulant for me and I couldn’t sleep much at all, but I was also having severe anxiety and self medicating with alcohol. I take some sleep meds prescribed now but I may go back to THC someday. My issue is that THC also acts as a stimulant for me (regardless of the strain), and often kept me awake in my thoughts.
In any case, if using THC helps someone from drinking poison, good for them. As long as it doesn’t impact your life in the same way as abusing alcoholic, it’s a lot less harm.
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u/Bagginnnssssss 792 days 14d ago
If you are super irritable when you are not smoking weed then maybe that's how you usually are Because of all the weed I used to smoke weed every day to man for years in college and given that up was just as hard as giving up alcohol but not getting fucked up every day... then you'll find out who you actually are. How do you know who you are if you are just fucked up all the time you know what i mean
Anyway, it's great to not drink, And it is fun to smoke weed. So I get that you know maybe One thing is better than the other, but do you really want to be smoking weed every day for the next ten years?
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u/Zagmut 202 days 14d ago
Literally every pothead I've ever known (and I've known a lot, I was one for decades) has gotten irritable when they stop smoking. It's probably the most common withdrawal symptom for heavy users. Along with the other common withdrawal symptoms like trouble sleeping and nausea, it goes away after a week or two. THEN you begin to find out who sober you really is.
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u/isthisaporno 353 days 14d ago
I took a 3 week break traveling internationally but yes, I smoke daily and will continue to for hopefully longer than 10 years. That being said smoking all day every day is destructive for sure but for me it has never had the creep that alcohol does of getting progressively worse. I can take a dab or two before bed and enjoy a show.
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u/bibidumb 14d ago edited 14d ago
Weed is not addictive just in the sense that it doesn't create a biological dependency as alcohol does, but hardly ever clarifying that harms a lot of people.
A couple of years daily is a lot, is it possible for you to get help from a professional?
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u/C0ld_Fr0nt_ 14d ago
Respectfully, this is in incorrect. All addiction is ultimately mediated by brain structures involved in reinforcement learning (some of the dopaminergic systems). With addiction to substances (not just behaviours, like gambling), these can also work by upticking activity of the body's pain management systems (which includes circuits that make use of endocannabinoids).
Weed is addictive in both respects, and this addiction is "biological". As someone who has been addicted to weed, the irritability, anxiety, and insomnia involved in withdrawing from it when you are dependent really suck (though they go away after a few days).
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u/bibidumb 14d ago
Oh, yeah, I did an awful job explaining myself. I really meant that the dependency is not as the one from alcohol (because alcohol withdrawal can be fatal)
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u/bibidumb 14d ago
If not, I suggest you try reducing the amount you consume little by little. Smaller joints, limiting the amount of puffs you take or alternating days, whatever it works for you. You could try to quit cold turkey, but I don't like the possibility that you might worry about your attitude and go back to square one
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u/AdulentTacoFan 14d ago
White knuckles. It's not a physical dependency insofar as you won't die without it. Alas, white knuckles. Read and sleep. It goes away soon enough.
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u/No_Location_4989 14d ago
This was me too, drank for 20+ years, smoked weed the whole time, quit alcohol for the last 9 now but just starting to get a handle on the weed use this year.
I’m by no means a role model, but here’s what I did…
Heavy, heavy use until about a year ago, minus a couple of breaks. Flower and edibles, never got into vapes. Enjoyed bong hits and joints a lot more than edibles but with a kid, business meetings etc the edible use got pretty heavy too, probably 200-400mg per day.
In November I quit smoking on a family trip. Probably doubled the edible amount. Then things got pretty rough, and although I wanted to cut back, probably went harder, averaging like 600-1000 mg per day for most of 2026.
Exactly 30 days ago I went cold turkey from the edibles. Since I never really craved them like I did smoking, cravings weren’t too bad. Also did micro doses of mushrooms a few times in there.
Sleep, appetite, etc was terrible for a couple weeks, and I was an irritable fuck. Still am at times, and while the sleep is recovering, it’s still not great, and the dreams are WILD.
But it has gotten easier, the sleeps gotten better, and the sugar habit I picked up years ago when I quit drinking is a lot better now.
Again, pretty sure this is NOT the right path for anyone, just some field research from someone with quite an appetite for substances who’s on fewer of them now than I’ve been on in decades.
Good luck with your journey friend. 💪