[Bim1er]

So I'm 17, going to turn 18 and I stopped smoking weed about 2 weeks ago. The only withdrawal symptom I have had is probably difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep or insomnia but I'm still not sure if it actually is. I previously stopped before exams around last year December but it was worse then. I'd have anxiety from exam stress and it would give me butterflies in my stomach like this nervous feeling before I would fall asleep. So what I did was smoke only in the night to help me sleep. And after exams I chose to stop but still those nervous feelings were there. About a month of not smoking I would get sleep but it's like my body was afraid of falling asleep. Sleep became a challenge. I never had cravings or what not and the day it became of month of not smoking for no reason at all I smoked again. And now we come to today. The nervous feelings I get are like when you're going to go on stage before a large crowd. The thing is they're not always there and sometimes not even before sleeping. I tried about 3mg of melatonin and it didn't really help me stay asleep as sleeping pills do. I don't want to take sleeping pills or melatonin. I just want to sleep normal and get these feelings away. Oh and during the month I didn't smoke there were some nights I could sleep fine and others with 5 to 6 hours of sleep only. So I have smoked continuously for 4 months this time so what do I do?

[Fr_Chuck]

Well of course, everyone has a different sleep clock, 5 or 6 hours sleep is my normal, I almost never sleep more than 6 hours a night, and have not for years.

But yes, depending on your drug usage, anxiety and lack of sleep are normal withdrawal. So just stay off it, and your body will clean out over time.

[talaniman]

I don't know what your daily routine is like, but adding more physical, or mentally challenging activities to it instead of DRUGS would help you get back to a more normal and refreshing sleep cycle. Often people mistake the body/mind signal of preparing for a task as anxiety, and stifle it with dope and fear, instead of using it to perform often difficult tasks.

Waking up at odd hours, or after so many hours isn't to hard if you have a task at hand, like a good book, to funnel the energy into. In time the body resets it's own clock. You just have to pay attention and help it naturally. I think this is all about learning to deal with your own body and mind in positive ways and having a positive drug free routine that benefits and not hurts you is where you are now, as well a detoxing the body and the MIND of substances and old ways of thinking are what you are going through.

Relax, and replace those bad habits with good ones. Keep a log of your daily activities and review them and you will see the bad patterns that require adjustments, or elimination. It's part of the growing/learning process we all go through. Be patient it's a PROCESS and works best in it's own time, it's own way. Takes time to shed a habit once it's learned but you will.....be patient with yourself.

[Bim1er]

Well thank you both. The last time I stopped I think the anxiety took almost a month to stop decreasing. Let's see what happens this time.

[joypulv]

Most people can smoke pot and not be dependent in any way at all. Some do get dependent, in varying degrees, and you seem to have a mild tendency to need it and have a period of withdrawal. Hey, I'm going through the same thing with sugar, after 50 years of too much of it. Found a study of sugar in rats that showed that they will binge on it given a chance, and that their dopamine receptors decrease and their opioid receptors increase as a result. I crave sugar horribly and get very irritable without it, and often fall off the wagon.
Sugar, alcohol, pot, some people can use in moderation, some can't stop when they want.

NOT comparing pot to hard drugs AT ALL. Wish I had some to help me sleep and deal with pain.