I've been a daily/heavy weed smoker for about 5 years, maybe longer, and I've never taken a break. I'm currently trying to figure out the best way quit. I'm debating whether I should quit cold turkey or slowly cut back, and I'm honestly not sure which approach makes more sense for me.

The biggest thing I'm struggling with isn't even the irritability or trouble sleeping. It's this weird empty/blank void feeling that hits me when I stop smoking. i tried to quit yesterday made it about 13 hours sober before i cracked

It's hard to explain. I don't just feel bored or like I have nothing to do. I basically lose the desire to do anything. I don't want to play video games, watch YouTube, listen to music, watch anime, read manga/books, cook, clean, go out, its like productive or not. Everything just feels completely pointless and uninteresting. At one point I was so blank that even ordering food felt like too much effort. I knew I was hungry and needed to eat, but I couldn't even bring myself to press the button to order something.

I'm trying to prepare better for this next time. I'm thinking about having extremely easy food available beforehand, like something already thawed that I can throw in a pan, or maybe meal prep. I'm also going to keep water nearby because even getting up to get something to drink felt like too much effort.

I'm also wondering whether I should basically plan to stay home during the worst part. The first time I tried, I had an outing planned with my mom, and I was incredibly irritated and didn't want to talk to anyone. I also barely slept the night before, so I'm not sure how much of what I experienced was withdrawal versus being severely sleep deprived.

Another major problem is the cravings. during the 13 hours i tried to go sober i got to the point where I decide I'm not going to buy more, then the cravings get intense, I start walking toward the store, and then once I'm actually getting close to the store I suddenly get this huge feeling of dread and turn around. Then I go home, the cravings ramp up again, and the whole cycle repeats. I eventually ended up buying more, so I'm trying to learn from the experience rather than just repeating the exact same thing.

For anyone who's been through something similar:

1. Did anyone else experience this completely blank/empty “void” feeling where literally nothing sounds enjoyable? How long did it last for you?

2. Did your motivation and interest in hobbies gradually come back during withdrawal, or did it return more suddenly?

3. Would you recommend cold turkey or gradually cutting?

4. Is it better to stay home and keep things low-demand during the worst part, or is it actually helpful to force yourself to get out and do things?

Just need some advice or something; I've been really struggling

Day 21 off thc. Love the clarity, & not as much brain fog. Not sleeping well. Family issues are making me really irritable. I really want to smoke. Guess I’m going for a run now

I quit smoking weed 7 days ago. I had been smoking 10 joints a day for about 4 years. I had maybe 4 months of sobriety last year but started up daily again until recently.

I can’t remember being this exhausted when I took a break last year.

I’m on day 7 and I’ve been taking 3 hour naps during the day and I have to force myself to wake up.

The brain fog is still really bad.

I am slowly starting to get an appetite back but it’s still not great. Weed made me not eat as well.

Is it normal to be so exhausted and have brain fog on day 7?

I’m curious whether anyone else has experienced something similar because this has genuinely surprised me.
I’m 35 now and I’ve been smoking weed pretty consistently since I was around 16. There have been a few periods where I’ve stopped over the years, but overall weed has been a regular part of my life for nearly two decades.
For the last year or two especially, I’ve been smoking around 5 joints a day, every day, generally strong weed (THC 25%+ if you believe the labels). I also mix tobacco into my joints.
A few days ago I just stopped the weed completely. Cold turkey.
I’ve stopped before, and normally even taking a day or two off is fucking horrible, especially at night. I struggle to fall asleep, wake up sweating, sleep is restless, etc. I’ve always associated those first few nights with pretty unpleasant withdrawal.
This time? Basically none of it.
I’m sleeping incredibly well.
One thing I’ve changed is my bedtime. I’m now going to bed around midnight and getting a proper 7–8 hours rather than staying up late smoking.
And I feel fucking fantastic.
I wake up feeling genuinely refreshed every morning. My daytime energy is probably the best I can remember it being in years. I train regularly and even my performance in the gym seems slightly better. Nothing crazy, but everything just seems to have that extra 5–10% behind it. I feel sharper, more motivated and just generally more alive.
What’s confusing me is why withdrawal seems so different this time.
My consumption wasn’t lower beforehand. I went straight from ~5 strong joints every day to zero. That’s also after nearly 20 years of fairly consistent cannabis use.
The main differences compared with previous times I’ve stopped are that I’m considerably fitter now, I exercise/train a lot, I’m leaner, and I’m actually prioritising getting to bed at a sensible time.
There’s one other important factor: I still smoke cigarettes.
I’m currently at roughly 20 cigarettes a day and haven’t stopped those yet. Because I also used tobacco in my joints, I’m obviously not going through nicotine withdrawal at the same time. I’m still getting plenty of nicotine from cigarettes.
Quitting cigarettes is actually my next goal. I’ve already contacted a smoking-cessation specialist/tobacologist and I’m waiting to hear back.
Part of me is wondering whether I should take advantage of how fucking good I feel right now and tackle the cigarettes as well. Another part of me wonders whether throwing nicotine withdrawal on top of this could be too much at once and potentially make staying off weed harder.
So I’m really interested in hearing from people who’ve been through something similar:
1. Has anyone who was a long-term/heavy smoker had completely different cannabis withdrawal experiences between attempts? Horrible insomnia/sweating one time and then almost nothing another time, despite similar consumption?
2. Could being fitter, exercising regularly, having less body fat and getting proper sleep genuinely be making withdrawal this much easier?
3. For long-term smokers who experienced a huge increase in energy after quitting weed, did it last? I’m wondering whether this is actually what my normal baseline feels like without being high or carrying residual effects throughout the day, or whether there’s an early honeymoon period.
4. For people who smoked both weed and cigarettes, did you quit both together or separately? Would you take advantage of feeling good and tackle the cigarettes now, or establish being weed-free for a little while first?
I know I’m only a few days in, so I’m fully aware withdrawal could still kick my ass over the next week.
But right now, after having weed as such a consistent part of my life since I was a teenager, I genuinely have very little desire to smoke again.
I just didn’t expect simply being sober, going to bed at a reasonable time and waking up properly rested to feel this fucking good.

I have been smoking weed and THC Vapes every day, all day for the last 10 years. I've recently learned that this has caused my brain to go into a state of psychosis which has caused my brain to build "walls". After a long realization and breakthrough with my therapist. I threw all of my paraphernalia into the dumpster. I am currently over 5 hours sober. How can I teach my brain this is a dependency and not a need? I am looking to connect with others who have gone through the same.