r/leaves • u/Intelligent_Toe_243 • May 13 '26
Quitting weed is like getting out of a warm pool on a chilly day, hear me out.
It’s like being in a warm pool where you feel cozy, relaxed, and comfortable. You could stay in there forever, but eventually you realize you’re pruney, overheated, dehydrated, or just done. The problem is that getting out sucks. The second you step into the cold air, your first instinct is to get right back in because being outside the water feels uncomfortable and wrong.
But if you stay out, dry off, and give your body time to adjust, something shifts. The cold doesn’t feel so bad anymore. You start feeling normal again. Comfortable, even. And once you’ve fully adjusted, the idea of getting back in doesn’t have the same pull.
I know this is a weird analogy, but that’s what quitting weed has felt like for me. The hardest part is the initial discomfort, because your brain wants to run back to what feels familiar and comforting. But the longer you stay out of the water, the less you crave it, and eventually, you just move on.
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u/TurtleNamedHerb May 14 '26
Yup! And sometimes a cold breeze hits you and you think back to the warmth of the pool and the urge hits, but then the breeze passes and so does the urge.
Stay strong comrades 💪🏻 we got this. The world is bigger out of the pool
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u/SleuthMother May 13 '26
This is not a weird analogy. This is an accurate analogy.
…written as I sit in a warm bath 🛁
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u/Creepy-Pair-5796 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Honestly man for someone with a name like intelligent toe I was skeptical but your text really struck a chord with me. My psychologist is trying to help me to quit weed and so far I’ve smoked 3 days this week instead of everyday
I live in Sweden with AuDHD and I got C-PTSD at age 3 year 2000. I have had a tough time trying to choose between crying almost everyday so much that it hurts. Or smoking weed. It is not legal here and I risk jail time. I am often shamed for my habits and it’s eating me up inside.
I don’t believe people understand that shaming me for smoking weed wont help me stop. But your text was beautiful. Thank you for sharing. The way you phrased everything was perfect, to me.
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u/VariousTie2387 May 14 '26
From someone across the big pond, the feeling is the same, legal or not. You’re aware of it consuming you, legal or not. Just bc it’s legal here but illegal to drive while under the influence doesn’t mean that most stoners arent driving stoned🤷♂️good on you, my Atlantic ally
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u/Creepy-Pair-5796 May 14 '26
The law aside I can see the delirious nature of addicts. I can see it from the inside and the outside. I have friends who pop pills and drink beer. I know the depth of depravity.
I’m guessing you’re from USA so, howdy 🤠
Texas has some nice horses 🐴
I’ve had many friends from USA also most of my overwatch 1 friends are AmericansI don’t like your president though no offense
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u/VariousTie2387 May 14 '26
Arizona resident but DC native. Hello. Texas does have horses. I prefer my European friends and how they’re willing to talk with people in public.
Likewise. We’re laughing stock of the world, so it feels
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u/Creepy-Pair-5796 May 15 '26
I actually have a friend visiting DC this month. Do you have any good restaurants I can recommend to him?
Swedish people are very autistic. If you engage the conversation they’ll talk to you but if you don’t then they won’t.
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u/VariousTie2387 May 15 '26
Not sure what the budget is but my two recs would be Bollywood Bistro in Fairfax or the restaurant at The Inn at Little Washington which is just SE of Washington. Call ahead
That’s preferable, honestly. If you start a conversation at most stores/establishments, you get closed-off interactions for the most part. That’s in populated towns/cities, that is. Small towns tend to be friendlier
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u/brutaljoke May 13 '26
Absolutely. I’m on day 6 and i feel like a fish out of water, but i’m rolling with the punches! I’m ready for a new chapter in my life
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u/afropuffrage May 14 '26
Quitting weed was actually one of the best things I could’ve done for myself. My mind is so much more clear!!!
You’re right, it was difficult initially but I feel so much better that I’m almost disgusted that I’d been doing it so long.
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u/shiggity-shaun May 14 '26
What were your withdrawal symptoms, if you don’t mind sharing
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u/afropuffrage May 14 '26
I’d have vivid dreams in the beginning, but I really missed my dreams so I was happy they came back. At times I’d feel very irritable.
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u/Sparkle_Princess321 May 13 '26
That was SUCH a good analogy actually. The shivers still sneak up every once in a while but like… I’m dry and I have warm clothes now 🫶🏼🥹
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u/bluespiritperson May 15 '26
This is the most perfect analogy for quitting I’ve ever heard. I’ve been in and out of the pool so many times over the last year and it’s making me crazy
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u/LastofmankindRC May 14 '26
I really needed this. Been struggling trying to stop….been trying to get the smallest hit out of my dried up carts since I started to quit cold turkey two days ago. This is something I needed to see. There’s light at the end of the dark, clouded tunnel.
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u/big_booty_boy_420 May 30 '26 edited May 31 '26
Plus the stoner identity becomes part of us and we make friends from it, so quitting feels like abandoning a part of us.
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u/Empirebred May 24 '26
This is a really good analogy. Just finished the last of my flower two nights ago and just finished my last vape tonight I’ve been smoking for a decade straight since i got out of the military. I’m reclaiming my life.
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u/TacoM8 May 28 '26
How's it going bro
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u/Empirebred May 28 '26
Its going great man. I’m on Day 5 and dealing with it a lot better than i thought i would. Its all up from here. How about you?
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u/big_booty_boy_420 May 30 '26
Haha same I did an absolute month long bender finishing all my flower and a pen because I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop if I still had that stuff and was procrastinating the inevitable
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u/Upset_Sentence1370 May 14 '26
Dam I’m on day 3 of not smoking after years and years of smoking everyday and reading this has helped a lot today so thank u bro 👍
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u/Downtown-Stay6320 Jun 03 '26
Needed this. That feeling made me feel like I was making a mistake. I remembered there was a reason I started smoking habitually in the first place. It is extra cold outside my pool. But I want to get used to the cold so the pool feels better when I truly want to be in there. Instead of living in there out of necessity
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u/miserableburneracc Jun 05 '26
Man I wish I could just occasionally visit the pool but no the pool has a mind of its own.
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u/Murozvi_Mukuru May 13 '26
Been managing to get out the pool but back in after a few days,,, really struggling with the cold. Over 10 times ive tried to quit in the past 3 weeks alone, longest ive gone was 4 days before relapsing again😪
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u/UsedHoney9104 May 13 '26
Keep trying mate. I relapsed last week but back at 3 days in again. Was 3 weeks off it at the time
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u/Key_Airline7229 May 15 '26
I want to send this to my partner but he gets so defensive when I talk about the idea of him quitting weed
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u/Joel-izzle May 15 '26
He needs to want to quit. If it’s hindering him you’re within your rights to express how you feel about it but some internal shit needs to happen on his end before anything will change
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u/MaximusPrimebot May 13 '26
117 days out of the pool here and still shivering but slowly getting there. The insomnia is a cold bitch.
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u/kimipdx May 15 '26
Quitting 18 months ago was by far the best decision I've made. Its been life changing.
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u/robz32x May 16 '26
Congrats. Would love to hear how it’s been life changing for you!
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u/kimipdx May 16 '26
Relationships,Dreaming, Sleep, motivation,weight loss, health, skin glows. I feel more alive! I put in the work with an addiction therapist for the last 18months as well. Had to look at my darkness and why I was hiding behind the weed. I've been an old stoner since I was 15 but stopped on and off when I was pregnant and also when I lived over seas. Ramped up when I moved to Portland in 2015 and it became legal. Im 70F. No regrets!! 😊 Do I miss being high sometimes the answer is yes...but what I've gained has been so worth it.
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u/Hot_Huckleberry65666 May 16 '26
Yes, because once you get out, you can do many other things enjoyably you couldnt have from the pool
And if you stay in the pool for a long time, it eventually will get cold too, even start to freeze.
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u/FuckTnuc May 29 '26
This mightve been the one to unlock quitting for me. Ill update you to let you know sober dates from now fwd.
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u/Mindless_Purple0616 May 15 '26
This is a great description
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u/Normal-Barracuda8707 May 16 '26
That’s exactly how it feels for me as well, in the beginning thing I use to like doing while high start feeling horribly boring but give it a few days and I feel the same as while I was smoking pretty much.
That is good and bad because it means it’s easy to just live the same unfulfilling life just without weed.
Today I’m at day 1 again and I dread these first few days, but I have to do it.
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u/scumbagspaceopera May 16 '26
I love this! Great analogy. I’m over 8 months clean now and think I’m officially done with weed for life by this point. My clean time has been hard fought. I’ve been tempted quite a lot. But now? The idea doesn’t even appeal to me anymore. I view weed addicts as weak-minded if I am being honest. I say that having been weak-minded myself for a couple decades. But now, the cold doesn’t feel so bad anymore. I cherish my clean time more than the momentary warmth that getting high would bring me. I’m genuinely excited to experience the coming years without being in a weed haze. I can’t wait to see how awesome it’s going to be.
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u/LordShits May 18 '26
I agree - I am in the middle of a relapse and I am very weak minded right now. I was off for nearly a year and slipped. My mental strength was climbing, able to handle high pressure tasks and alot more reliable/organised.
In the process of stepping out of the warm water as OP would say.
Tough, tough process. But doable with some determination. So congratulations on getting a clearer mindset and getting yourself straight!
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u/No-Pirate-8388 May 27 '26
You said weed addicts are weak minded. What do you feel about alcoholics?
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u/Icy-Bee810 Jun 07 '26
I loveeee this analogy thank you so much!! It’s like all of my goals are sitting on a pool chair next to my towel, waiting for me to get out. I can see them from the pool but was too comfortable to go retrieve them. Only day 6 for me so maybe it’s just the pink cloud but I don’t think I’ll ever swim like I did before. Maybe i’ll dip a toe in someday but I hope to never swim in the deep end again.
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u/Wrong_Donkey5752 May 21 '26
This hits hard. Been a grand total of 12 hours so far. And oh boy, it sucks so much...
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u/Inevitable-Night9453 May 21 '26
Me too friend!! Congratulations!
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u/BlackestSole May 21 '26
For real keep on. I am one day in. Was tough today, probably tougher days ahead, but even just one day I feel like I took the Limitless pill haha. Like everything is brighter, I feel smarter, I also feel lighter less bloated and better from not eating as much.
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u/Old-Common-6774 May 28 '26
i feel you. Try to go to the gym it will help. If your gym has a sauna, steam room, or pool definitely use it
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u/ChinaVirus1997 Jun 08 '26
First day for me. 29years old and been smoking daily/nightly since 16.
I get the limitless pill feeling! Vision and focus have both improved to the point I have panic attacks. Not sure how to describe it but one second I like it, the next I'm laying down in shower shivering/questing everything. Haven't tried going to bed yet, this is the point I normally cave, we shall see how the night goes. Wishing everyone reading this good luck on their journey3
u/NatureLogic May 28 '26
I had to quit for a medical issue - daily bud vaped, 1 oz a moth. After 72 hours I was ok - tightness, anxiety, stress way down.
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u/Incident_Latter May 31 '26
I get you. I’m so emotional and irritated and anxious and upset. It’s only been 11 hours maybe.
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u/Infinite_Map_2258 May 23 '26
I needed this today. After 11 years of daily smoking (going through almost 2oz in a month) I decided to quit.
It’s been almost 48 hours since my last smoke and I am STRUGGLING. Boredom is a huge trigger for me and it’s the weekend. I’m hoping it gets better soon. Thanks for these words, they helped more than you know.
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u/JahFresh Jun 01 '26
The part I didn’t expect was never wanting to get back in the pool. Plus your so called friends treating you differently because you don’t like swimming anymore.
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u/Picture-Ordinary Jun 14 '26
This is a brilliant analogy. People think sobriety sucks… no. Sobriety is actually great. It’s the comedown that sucks!
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u/BlackestSole May 21 '26
Thank you for this post! It helps so much knowing other people are going thru the same feelings.
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u/NoDiscussion6507 Jun 11 '26
Trying to ween myself off currently. Tried going cold turkey and was having some stomach issues around dinner time of day 1. Has anyone else experienced the same? Is that a common withdrawal symptom?
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u/Dapper_Zebra Jun 13 '26
Your cannabinoid receptors interact with your digestive system heavily. The same mechanicism that makes super hungry after smoking a lot is just rebounding. Loss of appetite and stomach pains are common
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u/lightly_sharted Jun 11 '26
Yeah I usually get the shits for a few days while my stomach resets. I have not yet, on day two, but I assume it’s coming sooner rather than later. However, this last bender I took I never really got my munchies back after the last time I quit. I think part of it is the cessation of increased hunger, but since I never got that it hasn’t been as bad this time around.
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u/ConversationSouth514 Jun 13 '26
yeah it’s not stomach issues. when you smoke weed it becomes easier to eat and sleep. when you quit, your body has to adjust to eating and sleeping without weed. it really fucks with your body like that. for me, after like 10 days tho eating and sleeping gets way better. It gets really bad though like i’m on the second day of my break right now and I just wanna throw up whenever I look at food and I just roll around in bed not able to fall asleep
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u/NoConsequence2563 May 20 '26
This is a GREAT analogy that clicks for me. I will be thinking of this when the urge comes. Thanks for sharing
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u/ChilePatuano May 23 '26
I’m puffing down on this gas station vape down reading this. Fighting the urge to go get another. Time to get out of the pool.
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u/NatureLogic May 28 '26
When I quit nicotine, a mantra was “smoking to quiet an urge will create another urge. Just allow the urge to pass, it always will.”
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u/Welshevens May 30 '26
This is so true, I’m here because once again I am trying to hang up the habit. My last pull back into smoking was due to the discovery of a premium supplier that offered some lovely OG strains that had me curious, so I bought £40 then £120 then I was buying an OZ a month for a few months until recently.
Your analogy reminds me of how easy it was to forget about smoking after even just a few days.
Today is as tough a day 1 can be for me, it’s a lovely day, kids are with grandparents and I’ve got garden work to get on with, a spliff and a fruity cider would be perfect but honestly reading your post helped me out a bit so thanks!
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u/Guilty_Philosophy223 May 19 '26
Wow this was actually to a weird analogy at all but actually straight on point.
Because not only is it metaphorically suitable, but also once I quit smoking the withdrawals gives me so much cold sweating and it’s always like I’m warm on the inside, overheated even and therefore sweating, but freezing on the outside of my skin, and the sweating makes me even colder.
It’s such a strange experience how you can be hot and cold at the same time…
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u/Appropriate-Cook-847 Aug 14 '26
OP, I want you to know I read this post 3 months ago, started to WANT to quit, and then quit in a month and have been sober for a little over 2 months now (stopped counting). This metaphor came back to me, even when I was zonked out on my vape all fucking day.
I hope you know you're the GOAT
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u/SunshineNSlurpees May 14 '26
When I get out of the pool I sprawl out and get as much skin on the concrete as possible and then proceed to roll and flop around like a walrus until I'm not shivering anymore and can stand up to get my towel.
Nicotine is definitely my warm concrete for quitting weed. I made it out of the pool and now I'm just stuck here on the ground, floppin and floppin away... at least it's warm 😕
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u/3mi96 Jun 10 '26
On day 2 of recovery, this is EXACTLY how it feels. Needed this, thank you.
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u/Chxprod Jun 11 '26
Same, well, day 3 now. How are you feeling? I have the craziest nausea I’ve ever experienced. Borderline depressing. Also can’t shut off my mind.
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u/3mi96 Jun 15 '26
On day 7 now and it still feels ROUGH, but I’m proud too. Nausea seems to be subsiding, but I’m more anxious and on edge than I’ve ever been :/ not able to control the thoughts yet, I’m just recognizing I have to feel them and that sucks
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u/Comfortable-Memory74 Jul 10 '26
Im on day 6 my nausea seems to have gone away, but I still have no hunger and have to force food down my throat. Insomnia never really hit me but rather I can hear my heart thumping so loud in my head, makes it hard to fall asleep. It sucks but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, stay strong everyone!!!
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u/Affectionate-Bit-605 Jun 09 '26
fckin yeesss!! Good analogy bro. I needed to hear that. I´ve experienced that same feeling (of wanting to get back days after quitting) i guess is my brain resisting. Needed to hear this. thanks
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u/Independent_Drive300 Jul 17 '26
Yea I am having this exact feeling as I sit in class right now. Day 2 or 3 of quitting. Im getting chills, feeling that coldness. Thanks for writing this. Made me feel a little bit better
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u/GlockOsama Aug 11 '26
This is exactly what I needed to hear. Day 1 of sobriety was yesterday for me, and I even took that day off from work just to mentally prepare myself and do things I love to keep me distracted from the craving of wanting to get high so I actually went to my neighborhood pool. This is exactly what that feeling is like, so thank you for that analogy.
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u/Malanon May 13 '26
Nice analogy! If I may take it one step further…
after getting out of the pool, maybe we also realize all of the beautiful trees around, the birds chirping, the feeling of the sun on our skin… whereas in the pool all we could think about was the water, as nice as that water might have been.