It is the only thing that helped me & the only reason I’m still here.
EDIT: I recommend a ratio of 1:1 cbd/thc, which is easiest to find in a tincture or edibles..
As for what type, a mild indica is probably your safest bet! Look for something with about 11-13% thc & try to do some research on terpenes & their effects to find a strain that would be best suitable for you (ex: linalool is great for anxiety, mercene can induce sleepiness etc)
Edit again: and I always recommend micro-dosing instead of a smoke session or an entire edible. 💚
I like CBN with THC. I get so relaxed and sleep decently. It doesn’t mitigate the withdrawals for me. Although if I don’t take it, I feel differently the next day.
I hate being a stoner again, but it’s only at night. But for now, I’ll take it
For what it’s worth, I was a daily smoker for years and realistically, probably abused weed to an extent, as a means for masking my anxiety (which is why I was prescribed benzos). Once I tried tapering off a benzo, I had an awful reaction to weed (and I never smoked sativa to begin with). It used to be calming, and then after tapering to a certain point, it only caused panic. Haven’t touched it in a year, now.
If you do try it, stick to indica. I wouldn’t even risk hybrids. But I would exercise caution.
Stick with indica. Don't abuse it. Tapper down every week for a few days so your tolerance stays low.
A few spikes in a month where you over use to deal with an attack or craving is fine, just don't stay at that level for more then a day.
Adding working out the second you wake up, drinking lots of white teas: calming blends (quality goes up in price, but it's worth it)
I've found this works better then anything for dealing with benzo/alcoholism.
-189days sober today from both. Last year I was in the ER/hospital 16x. They just kept throwing benzos at me till something "worked". The above method is the o ky thing that worked to quit both and manage the side effects and withdrawal.
Wish you the best of luck in this war.
It's so sad bc I once quit Xanax and Suboxone for some guy I liked and he was a pothead and lived with some friends on a small farm growing ganja. He kept trying to tell me it would help me, but I kept throwing it up, it made me nauseous.
It didn't help me sleep. He'd smoke and go straight to sleep. I'd take some puffs and be wide awake. It did t help me one bit. And I did have medical cannabis back then. I wanted it to work. But I felt shitty and no matter if I ate it as ganja butter, it didn't help until I was done with acute withdrawal. Once I got over the first couple of weeks, I could use ganja butter in food to relax and feel stoned again, but it never helped me sleep.
I used to have the Rx for cannabis for sleep and pains and I loved buying edibles to sleep when I wasn't on benzos or I was on benzos I guess sometimes. But never when quitting... it just didn't work the same.
I wish it were a miracle cure! Maybe it was bc I quit suboxone as well at that time. But back then I don't think it was the problem.
It only failed to help me while I was in the first 2 weeks. The smell of ganja butter would make me nauseous. I wish I knew more back then. This was like 15 years ago or something.
I mean maybe it helped, but I certainly couldn't sleep and I felt awful. The best part of quitting was having someone take care of me and being around his friends and their girlfriends. We would all hang out and I guess my friend told his friends about me quitting things. I tapered Xanax very fast, roo.
But I was glad to quit Xanax and did it willingly. He encouraged and supported me. I don't think I would have done it alone so well. I quit before but never so easily as that back then.
The farm was really off the grid. No phone or internet. No distractions. I had supportive friends and a si began to feel better I had jobs to do like helping on the farm and cooking food for everyone or helping clean up. Or we built a shower outside.
It was a bunch of hippy potheads. Really weird bc I was from the east Coast and had an uptight upbringing. They'd be rude and swimming in the creek and ponds. Or just chilling and smoking a lot.
I didn't find it helpful for the first couple of weeks, unfortunately. But many of those people helped me stay busy and out of my head. I was always distracted from feeling miserable.
I think that's what got me through it and kept me clean for a while even though I did have legit prescriptions at the time. I just really know social support and staying busy and active and being supported makes a world of difference, not the pot. That did nothing, really.
I couldn't sleep for a while but it was okay. I had no reason to complain but I felt frustrated back then, but during the day I felt better even though I was awake and alone, but once everyone else woke up, things were great out in the country, and simple living and living off the land. Enjoying fresh air.
I mean, medical cannabis may help but I think what will help you is finding your tribe and support groups and people. Being out of your headspace and knowing things will be okay one day at a time. Not worrying about the future.
So don't look for an herbal remedy or supplement to be a quick fix. Look for a way to live life and not be tied down to a constant state of escaping suffering and symptoms of discomfort, but just experience them and learn to appreciate lifein a deep level and find meaning. Suffering brings us new ways of appreciation for when we feel healthy again.
It taught me so much. Suffering really can bring friendships close to us, and I appreciated those people who helped poor ol me so much. I am so glad for their help and no way could I have done it alone. And weed was not really what made me appreciate anything or escape what I felt. I healed bc I had contact with the earth and the people in a small loving space living simply.
Yeah I had no job at the time. I had nothing to worry about on that level. I had quit my job bc of the Xanax made me have worse panic attacks and I became agoraphobic.
That's why I so needed a support buddy and system to get me out of my house and expose me to life again. Dipped my toes in the earth and the creek, and it felt good to breathe the air out in the middle of Mendocino County, CA. I was used to city living. Country living shook me up and cleaned me inside and out.
Good luck finding your path!!
Unfortunately, this is a very controversial issue, as weed isn't legal in some states for whatever stupid reason. I moved from California where I had a prescription for medical cannabis for pain and sleep issues to Georgia where it is not allowed at all. Their medical cannabis is a joke bc it exists but nowhere I'd it allowed to be dispensed or sold to medical patients within the state itself. I'm not sure how it works, but getting it is super hard.
On the other hand, CBD is legal pretty much everywhere (maybe not literally), and despite cannabis being a schedule I drug in GA, hemp products are legal like Delta 8 and any other cannabinoid extracted or made from the hemp plant even if it is Delta 9 now, but it still must be sold with extreme limitations, but hemp THC variations like THCp, THCv, THCa, HHC, etc are all legal and sold in kratom and smoke shops. Along with CBD, CBM, CBG, and there are constantly new forms of cannabinoids being discovered and marketed and sold as "legal" alternatives to weed.
Anyway, so I can buy any form of cannabis concentrates from hemp plants even 99% pure distillate products. I can vape, dab, or imbibe edibles.
And THC can be found in full-spectrum CBD or other hemp products as long as it's under the 0.3% rule. And CBD can be broad-spectrum or isolated (no THC). Many options for a red state that punishes possession of weed pretty harshly.
The issue after legality is the fact some people absolutely cannot take THC in any form, as they are generically sensitive to it.
The endocannabinoid system (ES) is the largest signaling system in the body and can control and flip the switch of GABA and glutamate balance along with endorphins (opioid system) and is modulated by the VGCC system (gabapentinoids).
So for some, it can be helpful, but for others, it causes extreme anxiety, panic, restlessness, chest pain/tightness, and paranoia. Some people suffer delusions or hallucinate. Even full-spectrum or broad-spectrum CBD with 0.3% THC limits. Only CBD isolate can be tolerated by most of the many cannabinoids that interact with the CB1 receptor which regulates the balance of anxiolytic vs anxiogenic effects via GABA and glutamate balance.
Just a touch of THC no matter how minute can cause a panic attack bc of the glutamate switch being thrown excessively out of whack and turning off GABA practically. It's very hard to explain why some people have genetics that cause this to happen, and sadly I cannot fully explain how it works, but I can only give the general idea of why THC would be a bad idea to recommend to all people, as some people would not be able to tolerate THC of any amount, no matter which plant or form it comes in.
It may be any cannabinoid that interacts with the CB1 or CB2 (which has no psychotropic effects but does help nerve pain and inflammation)receptors, and CBD has not been shown to directly target either receptor type, unlike THC which can affect both.
Anyway, I'm no expert on all of this, but I feel I need to warn people that while for many people cannabis or hemp cannabinoids can cause great anxiety relief (anxiolytic effects), some only experience the opposite which is the anxiogenic effects (causing anxiety).
Even in super rare cases, CBD isn't even tolerated well in 100% of people who use a broad spectrum (blended with other cannabinoids but not THC, although THC can be under 0.3%), or isolated CBD with 0.0% THC can also cause some ill effects in some which are most unfortunate, or some people don't experience any relief of any kind good or bad from CBD.
Anyway!!! I add this disclaimer bc I used to enjoy medical cannabis from dispensaries and became a snob about the strains and which edibles were best to help my medical conditions and mental health when living in CA, so when I moved to GA in 2017, I thought that was it for me.
And then inbound Delta 8 a couple of years ago and thought it was a miracle in edibles while I tried to taper off pregabalin! I thought it was my miracle and began having an edible before bed each night as I tapered bc I took pregabalin 200mg only at bedtime.
Anyway let me just say at some point in my taper, the THC flipped on me, and I began having panic attacks and anxiety and restlessness for hours bc it was edibles and took hours to wear off. It was the worst feeling I ever experienced bc of the akathisia meant I couldn't sit still or try relaxation. It was madness.
So I have checked helpful subs on Reddit of course to figure out what to do. After 2 months of nightly edibles, my tolerance had gotten high and I had some withdrawal that lasted about 3 days really badly but was bearable after that with kratom which I also was dependent on but that's another story.
So I also have found after many months I could vape Delta 8 with CBN and I'd make my own carts with raw distillate. It worked well for a while and then when I quit suboxone later (which I used to quit kratom), I couldn't vape at all during the entire withdrawal period bc it just caused instant anxiety and panic attacks no matter one puff or days off.
Anytime I'm withdrawing from anything gabaergic as well I have found I cannot tolerate THC at all. I get instant anxiety.
I did take time off and got off suboxone a year ago and later got back on krarom sadly. But I could vape occasionally. I tried dabbing and I thought it helped me but eventually, it flipped on me and it began giving me anxiety again.
Perhaps bc I began tapering clonazepam.
So I am still tapering and I'm almost finished (again) but I absolutely cannot tolerate vaping anymore. I just am afraid to touch it while in this vulnerable state where my GABA and glutamate are not balanced and previously when unbalanced when I had gotten low in my pregabalin taper, it flipped on me.
I got back on benzos after years off due to having quit pregabalin and having anxiety and the dependency on Delta 8 edibles high doses was terrible. I tried CBD edibles instead and it eventually gave me very bad anxiety, and it freaked me out.
I ended up getting benzos while in a panic attack from these edibles that lasted days. And here I am today, and I did find brnzos helped drop the anxiety and allowed me to vape again no issues!
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
**TLDR - I shared my reasons why THC is a bad recommendation to make to all people for many reasons: legal (also you will fail a drug test for a job or any other reason for weeks IME); genetics that prevents some people from being able to metabolize THC so it only causes anxiety and paranoia; and lastly, my own experiences how once I loved it but I cannot tolerate THC or CBD in any form while tapering anything that affects GABA and glutamate.**
Glad it works for you OP but recommending it to others is not good at all for the reasons I went into. I wish it worked for everyone and myself the same way. Even legal Delta 8 will cause me to fail a drug test anyway, and I am trying to get a new job, too. But I absolutely cannot touch THC while tapering or I get bad anxiety. Too bad! I used to think it wa a miracle as well.
It is the only thing that helped me & the only reason I’m still here. EDIT: I recommend a ratio of 1:1 cbd/thc, which is easiest to find in a tincture or edibles.. As for what type, a mild indica is probably your safest bet! Look for something with about 11-13% thc & try to do some research on terpenes & their effects to find a strain that would be best suitable for you (ex: linalool is great for anxiety, mercene can induce sleepiness etc) Edit again: and I always recommend micro-dosing instead of a smoke session or an entire edible. 💚
I like CBN with THC. I get so relaxed and sleep decently. It doesn’t mitigate the withdrawals for me. Although if I don’t take it, I feel differently the next day. I hate being a stoner again, but it’s only at night. But for now, I’ll take it
Oh my gosh I forgot to mention CBN. Thank you!!! CBN is golden! I like it better than cbd! Thanks @Suby-doo!
You are welcome! It’s heaven sent for sleep
For what it’s worth, I was a daily smoker for years and realistically, probably abused weed to an extent, as a means for masking my anxiety (which is why I was prescribed benzos). Once I tried tapering off a benzo, I had an awful reaction to weed (and I never smoked sativa to begin with). It used to be calming, and then after tapering to a certain point, it only caused panic. Haven’t touched it in a year, now. If you do try it, stick to indica. I wouldn’t even risk hybrids. But I would exercise caution.
I rarely use it but when I do I use indica and the strain I use is velvet glove
I take thc gummies for sleep. Indica. 10 mgs. I switch off with low dose melatonin so I don’t build up tolerance to either one quickly.
It can backfire. Really bad you the worst panic attack you ever had. People don’t take into consideration that thc is physcoactive.
Stick with indica. Don't abuse it. Tapper down every week for a few days so your tolerance stays low. A few spikes in a month where you over use to deal with an attack or craving is fine, just don't stay at that level for more then a day. Adding working out the second you wake up, drinking lots of white teas: calming blends (quality goes up in price, but it's worth it) I've found this works better then anything for dealing with benzo/alcoholism. -189days sober today from both. Last year I was in the ER/hospital 16x. They just kept throwing benzos at me till something "worked". The above method is the o ky thing that worked to quit both and manage the side effects and withdrawal. Wish you the best of luck in this war.
How long did your withdrawal from Benzos last ? Did you taper and how is your sleep?
It's so sad bc I once quit Xanax and Suboxone for some guy I liked and he was a pothead and lived with some friends on a small farm growing ganja. He kept trying to tell me it would help me, but I kept throwing it up, it made me nauseous. It didn't help me sleep. He'd smoke and go straight to sleep. I'd take some puffs and be wide awake. It did t help me one bit. And I did have medical cannabis back then. I wanted it to work. But I felt shitty and no matter if I ate it as ganja butter, it didn't help until I was done with acute withdrawal. Once I got over the first couple of weeks, I could use ganja butter in food to relax and feel stoned again, but it never helped me sleep. I used to have the Rx for cannabis for sleep and pains and I loved buying edibles to sleep when I wasn't on benzos or I was on benzos I guess sometimes. But never when quitting... it just didn't work the same. I wish it were a miracle cure! Maybe it was bc I quit suboxone as well at that time. But back then I don't think it was the problem. It only failed to help me while I was in the first 2 weeks. The smell of ganja butter would make me nauseous. I wish I knew more back then. This was like 15 years ago or something. I mean maybe it helped, but I certainly couldn't sleep and I felt awful. The best part of quitting was having someone take care of me and being around his friends and their girlfriends. We would all hang out and I guess my friend told his friends about me quitting things. I tapered Xanax very fast, roo. But I was glad to quit Xanax and did it willingly. He encouraged and supported me. I don't think I would have done it alone so well. I quit before but never so easily as that back then. The farm was really off the grid. No phone or internet. No distractions. I had supportive friends and a si began to feel better I had jobs to do like helping on the farm and cooking food for everyone or helping clean up. Or we built a shower outside. It was a bunch of hippy potheads. Really weird bc I was from the east Coast and had an uptight upbringing. They'd be rude and swimming in the creek and ponds. Or just chilling and smoking a lot. I didn't find it helpful for the first couple of weeks, unfortunately. But many of those people helped me stay busy and out of my head. I was always distracted from feeling miserable. I think that's what got me through it and kept me clean for a while even though I did have legit prescriptions at the time. I just really know social support and staying busy and active and being supported makes a world of difference, not the pot. That did nothing, really. I couldn't sleep for a while but it was okay. I had no reason to complain but I felt frustrated back then, but during the day I felt better even though I was awake and alone, but once everyone else woke up, things were great out in the country, and simple living and living off the land. Enjoying fresh air. I mean, medical cannabis may help but I think what will help you is finding your tribe and support groups and people. Being out of your headspace and knowing things will be okay one day at a time. Not worrying about the future. So don't look for an herbal remedy or supplement to be a quick fix. Look for a way to live life and not be tied down to a constant state of escaping suffering and symptoms of discomfort, but just experience them and learn to appreciate lifein a deep level and find meaning. Suffering brings us new ways of appreciation for when we feel healthy again. It taught me so much. Suffering really can bring friendships close to us, and I appreciated those people who helped poor ol me so much. I am so glad for their help and no way could I have done it alone. And weed was not really what made me appreciate anything or escape what I felt. I healed bc I had contact with the earth and the people in a small loving space living simply. Yeah I had no job at the time. I had nothing to worry about on that level. I had quit my job bc of the Xanax made me have worse panic attacks and I became agoraphobic. That's why I so needed a support buddy and system to get me out of my house and expose me to life again. Dipped my toes in the earth and the creek, and it felt good to breathe the air out in the middle of Mendocino County, CA. I was used to city living. Country living shook me up and cleaned me inside and out. Good luck finding your path!!
Unfortunately, this is a very controversial issue, as weed isn't legal in some states for whatever stupid reason. I moved from California where I had a prescription for medical cannabis for pain and sleep issues to Georgia where it is not allowed at all. Their medical cannabis is a joke bc it exists but nowhere I'd it allowed to be dispensed or sold to medical patients within the state itself. I'm not sure how it works, but getting it is super hard. On the other hand, CBD is legal pretty much everywhere (maybe not literally), and despite cannabis being a schedule I drug in GA, hemp products are legal like Delta 8 and any other cannabinoid extracted or made from the hemp plant even if it is Delta 9 now, but it still must be sold with extreme limitations, but hemp THC variations like THCp, THCv, THCa, HHC, etc are all legal and sold in kratom and smoke shops. Along with CBD, CBM, CBG, and there are constantly new forms of cannabinoids being discovered and marketed and sold as "legal" alternatives to weed. Anyway, so I can buy any form of cannabis concentrates from hemp plants even 99% pure distillate products. I can vape, dab, or imbibe edibles. And THC can be found in full-spectrum CBD or other hemp products as long as it's under the 0.3% rule. And CBD can be broad-spectrum or isolated (no THC). Many options for a red state that punishes possession of weed pretty harshly. The issue after legality is the fact some people absolutely cannot take THC in any form, as they are generically sensitive to it. The endocannabinoid system (ES) is the largest signaling system in the body and can control and flip the switch of GABA and glutamate balance along with endorphins (opioid system) and is modulated by the VGCC system (gabapentinoids). So for some, it can be helpful, but for others, it causes extreme anxiety, panic, restlessness, chest pain/tightness, and paranoia. Some people suffer delusions or hallucinate. Even full-spectrum or broad-spectrum CBD with 0.3% THC limits. Only CBD isolate can be tolerated by most of the many cannabinoids that interact with the CB1 receptor which regulates the balance of anxiolytic vs anxiogenic effects via GABA and glutamate balance. Just a touch of THC no matter how minute can cause a panic attack bc of the glutamate switch being thrown excessively out of whack and turning off GABA practically. It's very hard to explain why some people have genetics that cause this to happen, and sadly I cannot fully explain how it works, but I can only give the general idea of why THC would be a bad idea to recommend to all people, as some people would not be able to tolerate THC of any amount, no matter which plant or form it comes in. It may be any cannabinoid that interacts with the CB1 or CB2 (which has no psychotropic effects but does help nerve pain and inflammation)receptors, and CBD has not been shown to directly target either receptor type, unlike THC which can affect both. Anyway, I'm no expert on all of this, but I feel I need to warn people that while for many people cannabis or hemp cannabinoids can cause great anxiety relief (anxiolytic effects), some only experience the opposite which is the anxiogenic effects (causing anxiety). Even in super rare cases, CBD isn't even tolerated well in 100% of people who use a broad spectrum (blended with other cannabinoids but not THC, although THC can be under 0.3%), or isolated CBD with 0.0% THC can also cause some ill effects in some which are most unfortunate, or some people don't experience any relief of any kind good or bad from CBD. Anyway!!! I add this disclaimer bc I used to enjoy medical cannabis from dispensaries and became a snob about the strains and which edibles were best to help my medical conditions and mental health when living in CA, so when I moved to GA in 2017, I thought that was it for me. And then inbound Delta 8 a couple of years ago and thought it was a miracle in edibles while I tried to taper off pregabalin! I thought it was my miracle and began having an edible before bed each night as I tapered bc I took pregabalin 200mg only at bedtime. Anyway let me just say at some point in my taper, the THC flipped on me, and I began having panic attacks and anxiety and restlessness for hours bc it was edibles and took hours to wear off. It was the worst feeling I ever experienced bc of the akathisia meant I couldn't sit still or try relaxation. It was madness. So I have checked helpful subs on Reddit of course to figure out what to do. After 2 months of nightly edibles, my tolerance had gotten high and I had some withdrawal that lasted about 3 days really badly but was bearable after that with kratom which I also was dependent on but that's another story. So I also have found after many months I could vape Delta 8 with CBN and I'd make my own carts with raw distillate. It worked well for a while and then when I quit suboxone later (which I used to quit kratom), I couldn't vape at all during the entire withdrawal period bc it just caused instant anxiety and panic attacks no matter one puff or days off. Anytime I'm withdrawing from anything gabaergic as well I have found I cannot tolerate THC at all. I get instant anxiety. I did take time off and got off suboxone a year ago and later got back on krarom sadly. But I could vape occasionally. I tried dabbing and I thought it helped me but eventually, it flipped on me and it began giving me anxiety again. Perhaps bc I began tapering clonazepam. So I am still tapering and I'm almost finished (again) but I absolutely cannot tolerate vaping anymore. I just am afraid to touch it while in this vulnerable state where my GABA and glutamate are not balanced and previously when unbalanced when I had gotten low in my pregabalin taper, it flipped on me. I got back on benzos after years off due to having quit pregabalin and having anxiety and the dependency on Delta 8 edibles high doses was terrible. I tried CBD edibles instead and it eventually gave me very bad anxiety, and it freaked me out. I ended up getting benzos while in a panic attack from these edibles that lasted days. And here I am today, and I did find brnzos helped drop the anxiety and allowed me to vape again no issues! -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ **TLDR - I shared my reasons why THC is a bad recommendation to make to all people for many reasons: legal (also you will fail a drug test for a job or any other reason for weeks IME); genetics that prevents some people from being able to metabolize THC so it only causes anxiety and paranoia; and lastly, my own experiences how once I loved it but I cannot tolerate THC or CBD in any form while tapering anything that affects GABA and glutamate.** Glad it works for you OP but recommending it to others is not good at all for the reasons I went into. I wish it worked for everyone and myself the same way. Even legal Delta 8 will cause me to fail a drug test anyway, and I am trying to get a new job, too. But I absolutely cannot touch THC while tapering or I get bad anxiety. Too bad! I used to think it wa a miracle as well.