In most cases, the discomfort of weed withdrawal symptoms lasts only around three weeks, sometimes a little less. The first days and weeks after quitting marijuana can be a rollercoaster of thoughts, physical symptoms, and emotions. Though we provide a general timeline of typical withdrawal symptoms, everyone is different. Your experience with withdrawal is influenced by how much and how long you’ve used as well as a host of biological and psychosocial factors that make your experience wholly unique.
How Long Does Marijuana (Weed) Stay in Your System?
When withdrawing from marijuana, you might feel extra edgy and irritable, have trouble sleeping and eating, and may even get a stomachache or headache. Some people compare it to the feeling you get when trying to quit caffeine. But for those who do, these headaches can be very intense, especially during the first few days after quitting. These feelings can often be used to bring about the positive changes you want to make in your life.
While many people use weed a without experiencing withdrawal effects, regular use can develop into cannabis use disorder. Different drug tests for cannabis have different detection windows. In general, detection time will be longer with a higher dose and more frequent cannabis use. Urine and hair samples may show evidence of cannabis use several months after the fact. Although regular marijuana famous people who died from alcoholism smokers may not believe that they’re addicted to the drug, experiencing cravings is a hallmark of addiction. This is true whether the addiction is to other substances such as heroin or alcohol, or activities like gambling, shopping, or sex.
- Regular cannabis users may have elevated THC levels even after a period of abstinence.
- According to some sources, the average adult who seeks treatment for cannabis use disorder has used cannabis nearly daily for the past 10 years and has tried to quit at least six times.
- Once the brain and body have adjusted to not having THC, the physical withdrawal symptoms will stop.
- However, there are some cannabis withdrawal symptoms that are more common, the severity of which depends on a host of factors, including frequency of use and overall health.
Why does marijuana cause withdrawal symptoms?
People who struggle with an addiction should seek out a rehabilitation program or some form of therapy to help them recover. Importantly, persistent physical pain, nausea, vomiting or weight loss that interferes with your ability to function is concerning and should be brought to the attention of a healthcare provider. These may represent symptoms of another condition, as typical marijuana withdrawal symptoms should be self-limited, and not so severe. After one month of successful abstinence, you’ve essentially scaled the mountain of withdrawal, and the majority of withdrawal symptoms will have subsided by now. The worst and darkest times are now behind you, and it might be around now that you are starting to see all the ways in which quitting marijuana use has already begun to alter your life for the better. Perhaps you’ve replaced some of your previous habits with health-promoting activities like exercise.
Marijuana Withdrawal Timeline
Most urine tests can detect marijuana several days after you have last had it. However, if you are a heavy marijuana user, marijuana may still show up in your urine even after several weeks. While withdrawing from marijuana use can present challenges, remember that what you are going through will pass. Making life changes is always challenging, but with the right support, they can be transformative.
Perhaps addiction art therapy ideas you’ve started to wake up feeling more positive or even gotten more accustomed to seeing things in a positive light. When a craving strikes, employ that method or healthy distraction you’ve practiced again and again. You’re finally on the road to the new, cleaner you, and there’s no reason to look back. Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal typically begin within the first three days of stopping. In the first few days, you can expect to experience difficulty sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and irritability or anxiety. You may also find that you have abdominal pains, nausea or vomiting, shakiness or headaches.
How Long Does Marijuana Stay in Blood?
So, use this as a general outline to mentally prepare yourself for what’s to come, but don’t addiction recovery group activities be alarmed if your experience is a little different. Generally, symptoms of withdrawal begin within the first 24 hours of abstinence, peak by day three and can last for up to two to three weeks or longer. But even those who reported using marijuana less than once a week experienced weed withdrawal symptoms of moderate intensity. In many cases, the symptoms of weed withdrawal will dissipate with time and can be treated without medical attention.
In recent years, more states have legalized the recreational and medicinal use of weed. However, based on a 2018 survey from Washington State, legalization does not seem to have significantly increased use. Using cannabis during pregnancy can negatively affect fetal growth and development. Once THC has entered your system, your body needs time to break it down. Exercising, eating a balanced diet, and staying hydrated may help, but not drastically.
