Avoidant Struggling to Quit Weed

Hi all,

I'm 22/male and I very recently discovered that I was an avoidant (which has been a massive revelation - I feel as though I understand much more about myself now) and have been trying to make lifestyle changes to minimise the degree of the disorder.

I've been smoking weed recreationally for many years but in the past my use was very casual and unproblematic. For about a year now I've been abusing weed and I now realise the extent to which it's encouraged reclusive behaviour and derailed my studies (I have to repeat this year of uni as I didn't attend at all for the second half of the year and didn't complete requisite coursework while previously I've excelled academically). I also deactivated my facebook at some point this year and have gone from having a degree of contact with over 500 people to minimal contact with anyone at all. I would like to think I dealt relatively well with this problem in the past and that it was the lack of awareness that meant I was unable to detect or avert my destructive behaviour this year. On the other hand I fear that my age might have something to do with the onset of more severe symptoms.

Anyway I can finally see the degree to which I've been self-medicating. I had my first sober day in a while yesterday and I felt anguish and intense restlessness, making me totally unable to just relax and zone out / watch tv. The worst part of it is I've been experiencing uncontrollable violent bursts of anger. It's this I want to eradicate most of all.

So, I'm really asking for any tips at all to help make the transition from being numb and stoned on a daily basis. Recommended lifestyle changes or natural supplements preferably but I'd also consider synthetic drugs (although I'm in the UK so more limited options than the US, I don't take any other drugs at the moment). I've already decided to develop a weights/cardio routine as it's a good distraction which might help me get the weed out of my system sooner, plus I have a big body image complex so feeling good about my appearance helps me feel able to get out there into the world.

It's currently summer holiday and my self-imposed isolation combined with the absence of any extra curricular activities is making this extra tough. Obviously the best remedy of all would surely be to go get a summer job or find a new hobby but I'm sure you all can understand why I struggle to pursue those options. As a result I'm really just focusing on the above as the first steps to improving my life. I've also been instilled with a determination to learn to drive as a result of this discovery which I know will be a major step. First things first though

I have never done drugs but I know people who have been into them heavily. They say that when you stop using you start having to deal with emotions that have been numbed for a long time and that is difficult. It's not something that you learn overnight but it is something that you can learn with time. I would definitely NOT recommend more drugs - even something you might get from a shrink. I knew a guy in school who had to deal with what you are going through. He is now on a rollercoaster of taking SSRIs, going off them, going back o them.. It will never end for him. He had been taking stuff like LSD in addition to pot.

You need to clear your brain of all the chemicals for a time. A long time. Omega 3 fatty acids may help a bit. Niacinamide helps some people. Cognitive behavioral therapy will help you learn to deal with emotions.

Cheers for the response. That's exactly how I've been feeling, it took a long time to connect the dots but I can see how I ended up in this catch-22. Smoking weed to write papers kept me calm but made me inefficient and in the long term it was a massive flop. Yet when I took a break from the weed to try and focus I just lost it and could not sit at a desk reading books. Luckily I've got a couple of months before university starts so I can phase this out in a timely fashion.

I'm intrigued by Niacinamide, will definitely be looking into that option. With the fish oil do you know if I'd be better off taking DHA or EPA supplements? I thought both would be good but now I'm wondering if the DHA was such a great purchase.. It is marketed as pre-natal and there's lots of contradictory information online. Appreciate the cautionary tale as well, it basically confirms my fears - more drugs are not the answer for me, natural and non-addictive is best.

I'm trying self help at the moment but therapy is a frequent consideration. I had a little look and couldn't find any AvPD specialists in the area though so if I went for a local option I'm not sure they would be any better informed than I am. I had therapy when I was a kid (I think I was throwing tantrums as I wanted to skip school - go figure) but it was entirely unhelpful.

Crystalships wrote:

Anyway I can finally see the degree to which I've been self-medicating. I had my first sober day in a while yesterday and I felt anguish and intense restlessness, making me totally unable to just relax and zone out / watch tv. The worst part of it is I've been experiencing uncontrollable violent bursts of anger. It's this I want to eradicate most of all.

So, I'm really asking for any tips at all to help make the transition from being numb and stoned on a daily basis.

Well, smoking dope is something I know something about. I'm 63 and smoked it for 29 years. I've been clean 14 years as of September. I'm the only drug user I know who never got past pot (except for alcohol which I had tried first and was not my "drug of choice.") I never tried another kind of drug, legal or illegal (unless it was a pain killer after getting a tooth pulled and I don't even like using those).

But I was talking to a friend once who said he stopped smoking dope and drinking for three months and "everything seemed so flat." I noticed the same thing the times I would quit (probably the longest I ever managed that was a month.) Then years later, I read a story in the New York Times that the brain naturally produces endorphins, which makes long distance runners feel good. But when we do drugs, the brain stops manufacturing endorphins so when we quit doing drugs, we feel worse.

Something people never tell you about quitting drugs or booze---it gets harder AFTER you do it.
As I heard in AA once, "you can sober up a drunken horse thief but you've still got a horse thief."
You've still got all the problems you had while using but you now don't have the drug smoke covering it up.

Don't let anyone convince you that it's "only" marijuana. You don't have to snort or inject something for it to be addicting. Hang in there and give it up if you can. It can only make an avoidant problems worse.

Looked this up in a detailed article in psychology today http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/in- ... pa-and-dha:

"This is why all the work on depression, ADHD, brain trauma, etc. have demonstrated EPA to be superior to DHA."

[ Martins JG. “EPA but not DHA appears to be responsible for the efficacy of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in depression: evidence from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” J Am Coll Nutr 28:525-542 (2009)]

I heard about niacinamide from a naturopath - it was for my father who was had alzheimers and was getting agitated. I have never tried it. A naturopath named Jonathan E. Prousky is really big on the stuff. Here is an article he wrote : http://www.helpyourselfcommunity.org/fe ... ase-report

I am skeptical about the benefits of suppliments and orthomolecular therapy, but if the suppliments are not harmful they might be worth a try. I gave up the vitamin E a few years back when a series of three meta-analyses reported that vitamin E supplementation is associated with an increased risk of death. Also note that massive doses of niacinimide may cause liver problems. Milk thistle can protect your liver.