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.
Sounds like you should be sober from weed too.
If your default state is high, you’re never sober. You’re just experiencing the hangover state between highs. Think of it as the weed version of delerium to an alchoholic. It’s not a physical hangover, so it’s not as obvious.
Stay sober for a few weeks. It’ll drag at first, but it’ll go away after a bit. You’ll even out your neurotransmitters and feel like yourself again. Then getting high on occasion will be an event, not a medication.
Anecdotally, people I’ve known who smoke everyday tend to be okay with things they shouldn’t be. The chemical joy seems to make them content with having a kind of shitty life and never actually doing anything. High activities just became their only activities when weed changed from weekends to everyday. I’m not saying this is true of everyone, but I’ve seen it happen more often than not to daily smokers.
Drugs and alcohol should be occasional modifiers to your life, not the default state. Give your chemistry a rest.
Anecdotally, people I’ve known who smoke everyday tend to be okay with things they shouldn’t be. The chemical joy seems to make them content with having a kind of shitty life and never actually doing anything.
I believe that’s a feature, not a bug.
I haven’t met anyone that got high consistently (even tobacco) this didn’t apply to. You nailed it.
Off the top of my head, here are a few of the things that gave me joy this week…
OMG kitty!
Hey, it’s my awesome wife!
Yay, video games!
This burger tastes amazing!
Damn this chair is comfy.
Boobies!!!
I made someone smile today!
It’s a beautiful day for a bike ride!
Did I mention the kitty?
Farts are funny, I didn’t care how old I am.
I made friends with my new neighbors dog!If you getting at least a little bit of joy from life, you probably need to see someone about depression.
This list reminds me of the “reasons my wife cried” list, lol.
But seriously I love this list and think it’s great to find joy in the small things like this. And if you don’t/can’t, it’s ok to seek out help for your mental health.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better. But it’s worth it.
The problem with asking others how the heck they regulate without drugs is that they’re not you. They don’t have your brain or your hormones.
No solution from someone without the problem is likely to work and most people with the problem do not have a solution.
If i can find a sweet spot where i’m challenged but succeeding in an environment free of selfish unethical people, then i can get through the day without a toke. At the moment its bong-a-fucking-clock.
The most common way for me is with music, sometimes a song hits just right and it’s amazing. Doesn’t have to be a happy song to make me feel happy, just has to be the right song.
Amen. Music is my drug. I take it frequently, and in heavy doses to get my fix. When that harmonic change hits and I get frisson along with the bass frequencies moving my body, brother, I’m in heaven. Usually goes something like 🙂🙂☺️☺️😯🫨🫨🫨🫨😄😁
I’ll echo what others have said. Try laying it off for a few weeks, then the occasional time will be more effective and special. Speaking from experience, I guarantee you that you will find clarity and discover new things that bring you happiness, if you give it a chance.
- Long walks, daily. This literally changed my life.
- Spending time with people I love. Quality time I mean, and really being together and appreciate it aka not sitting one next to the other while wasting our time in front of the TV or doom scrolling.
- Reading great books, writing. That helps too.
- Most important: be ok with things not being perfect or exactly as one wants them to be. And being ok with shit happening, be it around us or with us.
I feel like I must add to this, that what works can vary depending on who you are. Books my work for many, music for some, gaming for others.
It’s about finding what does.
Lastly, even healthy (both physical and mentally) solutions can become unhealthy if overused
100% agree with you, but the question was what helps each one of us feel better, I just shared what works for me ;)
I’m not your parent, and I don’t want to take any substance away from you without your consent.
That said, feeling like you can’t experience joy while being sober and lucid is extremely sad. And I say that as someone who has experimented with substances! Without any judgement, I think a therapist will help you far more than the effects of any drug…
When I was young, I had no money to get drunk or high, or smoke. Saw people getting hooked on that shit, sick, and dying, and decided that this is not the way for me.
Can’t say I’m unhappy with that choice, and my life.
I hear you. I’m a little different these days, but can totally relate. I drink beer usually one night each weekend, and get nicely drunk (pretty wasted). I feel shit the next day and my working week starts grouchy and tired. Fucks up my sleep pattern as well as wrecking my “health goals” (ie being less fat). However, mid week I’m fine and come Friday I’m excited for it.
Rince and repeat for the last 15 years. Before that I was drunk 3-4 nights a week. So I guess that’s progress…
You need a comprehensive detox. Both those substances are depressants. When you’re off the drugs, you’re not so much sober as hung over. It takes a while for the effects to wear off. The hangover is a bad time but it takes a lot longer than a day for your body to fully recover.
“Dissociative drugs make me happy.” Perhaps you have anxiety, depression, etc. Yeah, life sucks right now too. But always being high isn’t really a solution. Therapy, antidepressants, friends, and family can help but I can’t begin to guess what your situation is.
Yeah, taking like a month or two off would be a good plan. If they can. Might discover dependency, and then that month will be very difficult to achieve
Brain normalizes pretty much everything. Keep the happy sources small, and sometimes really small things can give a big hit.
My most recent hit? A rosary popped out of a treadmill.
lol “joy”
By wearing myself out physically or behind engrossed in a project (s). Both seem to work. I also see a direct correlation of social media and feeling hopeless, even on the decentralized sites. I try to limit my use and try to have them focused on my personal interests and block\filter the doomers. I can always go find the daily shit-news when I feel like it.
Without drugs your body moderates moods and emotions naturally based more or less on what is beneficial or harmful (good things might be connecting with friends, succeeding at a challenge, good food, a comfortable or beautiful environment). Thinking positively is incredibly helpful too.
With drugs though, your feeling of good and happiness is skewed out of balance so only drugs will give you that feeling.
Drugs artificially elevate mood by flooding the brain with neurotransmitters such as dopamine, distorting your sense of well-being and preventing your body from producing these feelings naturally.
It might not be easy but your body will return to normal rythms and emotions with time and healthy habits.
Never smoked weed or had a drop of alcohol here!
Honestly, your question is somewhat unsettling, as I’m not sure it is exactly healthy to only feel joy while under the influence of chemicals, so that might be something you should ask a medical professional about.
That said, surely you experienced joy as a child before using weed/alcohol at some point in your life, right? I guess in a lot of ways, I still feel that same spark of happiness or excitement I did when I was a kid. The things that sparked it may have changed somewhat, but the same feeling is there.
Scarier when you realize there’s more like him.
Yeah…that definitely isn’t a nice thought :(
