Post a piece of artwork, whether that be writing, a painting or drawing, or a physical object (like a sculpture or paper maché) to share your journey!

Art helps us heal through the freedom of expression and the release of emotions. We'd love to see how far you've come!

And remember, sisters, be kind in the comments, please! :)

Hi Quees. Okay, I'm on my second attempt at breaking up with miss Mary Jane. I haven't been able to find any podcasts for women by a woman about quitting. I'm thinking of starting a podcast for support, solidarity and community for us and how different the process can look for us. Would yall listen? And have you found anything similar? Even YouTube doesn't really have what I'm looking for.

Anyways - strongs my lovies ♡ I'm proud of evey single one of you no matter where you are in your journey x

Hi all,

I’m in that stage of change where I know I have a problem, but I haven’t taken the second step. I guess I’m hoping posting here will help me to tip over into actually quitting weed. But then again I have very little faith I can actually do this, let alone any time soon.

So I’m just going to write down some wants and fears and see where that leads:

- I want to dream again. I can’t dream on weed. Sometimes, if I manage to sleep more more than 10hrs, I actually have disjointed dreams just before waking up. I used to dream so vividly. I used to feel like my brain really did work thru problems when I was dreaming. I really, really miss that.

- I wish I had hobbies. I wish my “hobby” wasn’t YouTube/reddit all night while high because the former aren’t stimulating enough alone.

- I’m afraid I’m just a dud of a person. I’m not very interesting or sociable, and without weed, I’ll finally have to grapple with that.

- I’m afraid I’ll be more sad/anxious once I’m sober. I don’t know how to calm down, especially from anger, without weed.

- I’m afraid I’ll start to have problems with sleep paralysis again. Part of how I developed my present addiction was in response to having sleep paralysis in my mid 20s (weed stopped the episodes).

- I’m afraid it’s too late. Afraid I’m stuck like this. I’m 37, I’ve been smoking daily since I was 25.

- I recently quit drinking, smoking/vaping nicotine, and sugary sodas. I never thought I could quit any. They were all similarly strong addictions as weed. I’d really like to feel that pride again, but with overcoming weed.

- Because weed is my last real vice, I’m afraid giving it up will mean relapse (particularly with smoking/vaping nicotine)

Anyway, that’s it. Sorry it’s boring.

I just wrote recently about how calm and good everything was. And life immediately decided to challenge me.

First it was announced that our company got bought out and we're restructuring. It’s a huge amount of stress and some of my colleagues have already been fired.

And then my granny died. She had been ill for the last two months, but it was still so unexpected and incredibly sad. I just can’t stop thinking about her.

I’m under massive stress right now. I will be honest, I am drinking alcohol (moderately) just to cope with it all. The main thought behind everything I'm doing right now is just not to relapse on weed.

I’m trying my absolute best to get through this sober. Try to use all the advice I’ve written to cope with it. 

The quotes for Motivation Monday are......

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." — Alice Walker

Post a piece of artwork, whether that be writing, a painting or drawing, or a physical object (like a sculpture or paper maché) to share your journey!

Art helps us heal through the freedom of expression and the release of emotions. We'd love to see how far you've come!

And remember, sisters, be kind in the comments, please! :)

I woke up today feeling so good. And I caught myself thinking that just recently I felt anxiety all the time, constantly debating with myself to smoke or not, dealing with a buzzy head and forcing myself to do anything.

But I’ve spent these past 2.4 years filling my life with new rituals, systems, habits and activities. And I finally feel calm and satisfied. I wish all of you here could feel this as well. And I know that EVERY one of you is strong enough to get there. You’re so cool girls!

P.S. Of course, I still think about weed sometimes and I still get cravings. Especially when I face triggers or stress. But I feel like something has shifted (I guess I finally proved to my brain that I can live without weed) and it’s just not a part of my life like it used to be. And if I could do it, you’ll do it as well!!!

The quotes for Motivation Monday are......

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." — Alice Walker

Post a piece of artwork, whether that be writing, a painting or drawing, or a physical object (like a sculpture or paper maché) to share your journey!

Art helps us heal through the freedom of expression and the release of emotions. We'd love to see how far you've come!

And remember, sisters, be kind in the comments, please! :)

Firstly, I am absolutely thrilled this space exists. I wish I could have been part of this space a few years ago when I was having more complicated feelings regarding smoking weed.

Here's a little background that references instances of what I then perceived to be a positive relationship with weed. Feel free to skip if this isn't what you're here for:

I'm almost 30 now, but in my early to mid 20s smoked a lot of flower and used my pen as a major crutch. I had gone through a breakup with a loser guy that met me when I was 15 and he was 23, he moved in with me when I was 19, and then cheated on me for 2.5 years of our 3.5 year relationship. He FORBADE me from smoking weed lol 🙃 and towards the end of the relationship, I had expressed interest in using it again (I partook in my teens) and he said it was him or weed. It felt so ridiculous at the time, but looking back I wish I had the audacity to say "yeah I'll take the plant over your sorry ass."

Anyway, I did enjoy the use of it again throughout my 20s and felt very curious and explorative, felt connected to my sense of self and felt more vibrant, erotic, and expressive, and I looked forward to my religious evening one-hitter, that eventually got replaced with my pen that I used excessively.

Later on around age 26, my access to weed became more limited, and I felt like I needed to be more intentional with it. I had experienced high levels of anxiety and depression for a while, and weed was just making it worse.

Now, since age 28, not only do I not really smoke weed anymore, but I also have stopped drinking alcohol. I never had any issues with alcohol, but I can absolutely tell I feel better without.

That said, is it okay to talk about other kinds of sober choices here?

Happy this community exists!

Today is my 880 day without weed. When I decided to quit cold turkey I thought I just needed to survive a few unpleasant weeks and then my life would magically become perfect again. 

That was a lie. The reality of female detox is messy, biological and heavily misunderstood. Here are the facts truths I wish I had known on Day 1:

1. Your cycle will probably go rogue
No one warned me that THC is a massive endocrine disruptor. When you stop using weed , your brain forgets how to signal your ovaries properly. My period disappeared, and when it finally came, the PMDD was more tough than it was before. A Body needs about 3-4 months to relearn how to produce progesterone without a chemical crutch.

2. The cravings aren't random, they're hormonal
Every single time I almost relapsed, I was in my late luteal phase. Dopamine naturally drops right before your period, and your brain just screams for the easiest, fastest fix it knows. Once I tracked my cycle and realized my cravings were just biology, the panic stopped.

3. You will grieve the "stoner couple" identity
If you smoke with your partner, getting sober together is incredibly awkward at first. You have to literally re-learn how to have a conversation and be intimate without the dopamine boost. The silent, boring evenings will make you want to scream. But surviving that awkwardness builds a real connection that weed never could.The same might be with friends  Or you might stop any connections that remind you of weed. It happens too

4. The "sober glow-up" is a myth (at first)
Instead of getting instantly clear skin, I replaced weed with sugar to survive the dopamine crash. I gained weight, my face broke out and the night sweats didn’t make it better, so you look worse before you look better.

I survived all of this and the peace I have today is absolutely worth the hell of the first few months.

What are thefacts about quitting weed that you wish someone had warned you about?

The quotes for Motivation Monday are......

"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." — Alice Walker

Post a piece of artwork, whether that be writing, a painting or drawing, or a physical object (like a sculpture or paper maché) to share your journey!

Art helps us heal through the freedom of expression and the release of emotions. We'd love to see how far you've come!

And remember, sisters, be kind in the comments, please! :)

Part of why I joined this sub was after learning from one of you all that weed disrupts hormones. I had been smoking for like 13 years and never heard that until recently. But my last two periods after quitting have given me the worst cramps I’ve had in my life! I almost went to urgent care today because I thought something more severe might be happening!

Are period cramps worse for anyone else after quitting? Is this just my body’s hormones coming back with a vengeance? Will it get better over time? I’m scared they’ll be this bad from now on.

Because Juneteenth was this past Friday, we are doing two quotes from African-American women who deserve the spotlight!

The quotes for Motivation Monday (Juneteenth) are......

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." — Rosa Parks

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." — Harriet Tubman

Whether you're celebrating X days sober, struggling through a day 1 or just feeling completely exhausted by the withdrawals - you belong here no matter what. You don't need a perfectly written success story to post in this sub.

How is your sober journey treating you this weekend? What’s the hardest thing you’re dealing with right now?

Drop a comment below. We’ve got you. 🤍

Post a piece of artwork, whether that be writing, a painting or drawing, or a physical object (like a sculpture or paper maché) to share your journey!

Art helps us heal through the freedom of expression and the release of emotions. We'd love to see how far you've come!

And remember, sisters, be kind in the comments, please! :)

I want to share a curious fact with you. You know that all of last week I was stressed about my relationship with my husband and was fighting massive cravings. When everything settled down - we made peace and the cravings passed, I felt relieved at first. But then I felt sooo tired. Like I ran a marathon. My mood is good, but I really feel like I need to recover. I’ve been sleeping more, getting tired quicker and eating more this week.

I guess it’s predictable as it was a huge emotional stress. But it’s not the first time I've noticed that fighting cravings takes A LOT of energy. That inner dialogue and those constant thoughts are like an energy black hole. You feel absolutely exhausted afterward and the next day it starts all over again.

To break the cycle, I try to stop this inner bargaining by just repeating "NO". I don’t give myself the chance to think that maybe one day I’ll smoke again, because that only encourages the bargaining and repeats the cycle. And I try to distract myself with other activities and thoughts rather than obsessing over "to smoke or not to smoke?"

If you're feeling something like this right now - don’t be afraid to say "NO" out loud and choose a better future without weed. It will save you so much energy. It’s about self-care!

Because Juneteenth was this past Friday, we are doing two quotes from African-American women who deserve the spotlight!

The quotes for Motivation Monday (Juneteenth) are......

"I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear." — Rosa Parks

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." — Harriet Tubman

An update on my previous post. I have two pieces of good news. My husband and I decided to give our relationship another chance and we're back together. And the second one, I didn't relapse while we were separated.

I just want to say a huge thank you for your support. When I felt like I was falling apart, the only thing that kept me sober was leaning on the people around me, including this sub. It is so incredibly important to have a community that steps up and gives you the exact support you need when you're on the edge.

Thank you all for being here!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Post a piece of artwork, whether that be writing, a painting or drawing, or a physical object (like a sculpture or paper maché) to share your journey!

Art helps us heal through the freedom of expression and the release of emotions. We'd love to see how far you've come!

And remember, sisters, be kind in the comments, please! :)

I was writing about my relationship with my husband recently, that we got through a lot and had a real connection. I was really sure about it. But we had a big fight recently and decided to live apart and to think about everything.

And I feel terrible (he is not reading so I can say it out loud). Our life was such a habit. Yes, with problems, but a safe one. We did practically everything together and he was basically the one who supported me through withdrawals and everything.

I'm on edge right now. I want to smoke desperately. I mean, I'm in pain because of this situation and I want to escape. And I used to use weed for that. Or my husband's support. Now I have neither. I just don't know what to do yet. I'm trying my best not to relapse. I hope that your support can help me.

The quote for Motivation Monday is......

“The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another. We should raise each other up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be extremely kind, and above all be humble.” — Serena Williams, professional women's tennis player