I only seem to feel like my best self when I’m high on thc as I quit alcohol for the time being. I just feel as happy as a kid when I’m high. I feel very bland when I’m sober. I just can’t see being completely sober from weed too.
I drink alcohol maybe once per year and I’ve never touched weed. I feel joy when I am around people and animals whom I love.
Honestly breaks from instant excitement. Spending some time coding, making soap, fixing up the house. If I spend three days boozing, playing games, watching shows, etc I’ll be fucking wiped and spend some time just feeling like death afterwords.
If I instead stick to things that require some choring to get to the yippy stage I find I’m just more content.
Sport and board games.
Nothing like the adrenaline of sport. Capoeira, fencing, whatever…I think having no power, being completely depleted after doing sport is one of the best feelings.
Boardgames: simply a decent combination of strategy, luck and talking, that keeps you engaged.
Take a month off the chems and exercise regularly during that time
I have never been high and don’t really drink much. I have been mostly depressed since about 2013 but happy maybe here and there. The clean air a few months into lockdown was amazing though.
Was a daily smoker for almost two decades and would defend my usage to anyone who suggested it could be a source of discontent in my life. I kicked the booze habit 10 years ago, kicked nicotine a few years after that, but held onto bud for a long time.
I’m almost 4 months sober now from thc and, while the first 1.5 months were shit cause of sleep issues and general system regulation, I’m so happy to be on the other side of it. It started out as tea break, I had some projects I kept putting off and thought I could reset my tolerance and get some motivation at the same time. But now that I’m several months deep, I’m not going back. My life has improved so much, in both minor and major ways.
Every person is different and it’s not my place to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do regarding substance intake. All I can say is, as someone who was dedicated to a substance supported existence for the majority of my adult life, I am definitely, without a doubt, my best self as a sober human.
Exercise & fresh air & sunshine & nutritious food. As a bonus, it costs nothing! Aside from the cost of food which we all need anyway, so might as well spend our money on healthy food instead of the other options.
If you can’t feel joy with substances that means you’re an addict. You need professional help probably.
But speaking more generally, your issue is you think ‘happiness’ is an emotional high you have to chase. What you don’t get is that happiness isn’t some intense feeling of joy… it isn’t. It’s the ability to self-regulate and to stop chasing the highs and the lows. It’s realizing the ‘bland’ feeling is good. You should be feeling bland.
Well, in this society, I totally understand people needing substances to be honest.
What is there to be happy about in day to day? Maybe when you are a teenager, that girl brings you happiness. But its not a lot of happiness in the daily work routine that goes on for 50 years.
Actually you are meant to be sad so you consume stuff. That bland feeling you mention. Very good, you will buy shit to get out of it temporarily. Icecream, games, phones, movies, you name it.
Your life is probably better than the vast majority of other people. But you choose to fixate on it being crappy for whatever reason.
It’s your choice. But people like you weirdly seem to fixate on that ‘oh if only i had more stuff than my life would be so much better’.
No im happy and I dont need more stuff. But I know what you are saying. Many people want more things.
Sometimes its very valid. If you cant find somewhere to live to start your life, that really sucks. But if you cant buy the latest car, well, not worth being sad about.
Weed gives me anxiety attacks and I’m allergic to alcohol.
Sugar, chocolate, cookies and cakes.
When I take a break from weed, I notice two main things.
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Physically I’m worse. My joints ache. I don’t want to move. Sleep is difficult, especially at first.
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Mentally I feel way more clear. My thoughts come more quickly, and I feel like I can hold more information in my working memory. I remember old things better and store memories for the future better. I can feel the curtain of brain fog lift after a couple of sober days.
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Honestly pretty relatable. I had a bit of a “you’ll shoot your eye out” moment this summer. I got some flower for the first time in a while (it’s mostly a thc drink culture around me) and was smoking daily. For the next couple weeks the thought kept crossing my mind that maybe I should only smoke every other day to keep my tolerance creep slow and prevent what I call “zombie mode.”
I got to meet one of my favorite youtubers whose first video I had watched was this one “On Weed:” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_pcavwJitC4
We talked a little and I asked if he still smokes. His answer? “Yeah, but only every other day.” To hear him echo the exact thing I had been considering internally really got me. I’ve been a lot better about keeping a day or more between getting high, and I have found that it has helped me enjoy being sober more as I have found things to do while sober, and also increased my enjoyment of getting high as I have more time to look forward to it and a lower tolerance that makes it easier to get to the right level.
I highly recommend it.
I don’t even feel joy with alcohol and weed. It just shuts off the constantly simmering rage for a while so I can socialize without being a dick.
Alc and thc in the long term both suppress your ability to be happy without them. Your brain gets so use to them that once they are gone it doesn’t know how to maintain your dopamine levels properly.
My biggest advice. It’s ok to be sad, it’s ok to be bored. Infact it’s good to be bored on occasion. It drives passion and energy. Learn to take care yourself. Be gentle when you’re sad, talk with family, exercises, hand with friends. If you’re bored or sad it’s generally your bodies way of telling you that the environment your in needs a change. Being sad or bored or anxious doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world. It takes practice but it’s achievable. You just need to be vigilant and mindful of your emotions
I never had weed, but I did drink occasionally. I am seldom sad. I may not always be happy, but I am always peaceful. I cannot offer you advice, but I can tell you what makes me persistently joyful are people. Maybe I would help someone carry a bag, or just smile at someone running, reminding them that they can do it. Just small interactions in my beautiful little city with its beautiful people. Makes me feel a strong sense of identity, like I am invested in everyone’s personal success. It also never makes me feel alone, because if I am suffering, I just think of millions of others who are also suffering. Some are facing bigger and some smaller problems than mine.
Try being more kind to strangers, more generous and more empathetic. This alone has led me to so much peace, that I cannot tell you.
I hope you do well, my friend.
