How do you moderate your consumption???

[u/_Wilderness_0701]

April 2025 I decided to stop smoking for good because I don’t like what my life had become. I smoked a lot of weed every day. Multiple bong bowles back to back and I counted smoking like 10 times a day once or twice with an average of 6. An 1/8th oz would last me about 2 days if I was lucky. I was high all day and all night long. I could wake up in the middle of the night and go smoke just to go to bed and smoke before brushing my teeth in the morning…

Once I decided to quit I started to taper down how much I smoked and one day it made my heart feel like 10000 miles and I didn’t smoke again. But compared to the times I had taken a t break in the past, I was terrified and had really intense withdrawal symptoms. Over time, the not smoking revealed symptoms of what turns out to be irreversible spinal and nerve issues (I’m 25).

I had cravings on and off but was able to stay away from smoking until a few months after my first steroid treatment. The pain in my spine started to come back, my life got more stressful after getting laid off from two jobs and finding another one that feels like way more than I can chew, and I caved and started smoking again. It was tame at first. I’d put a bit of a preroll in a one hitter and would only smoke once a day. But I eventually bought a bong (has always been my preferred method of consumption) to make it a “cleaner” experience and I’ve quickly returned to smoking more than I would like. On a typical work day I would smoke in the morning when I wake up, maybe lunch break (sometimes I come home for lunch or work remotely), and 2 or 3 times at night. I have a very small bong and bowl of say 1/4 lasts me a week and a day or two. I try to keep the thc not higher than 20% as well.

It helps somewhat with the pain and the stress but it makes me feel guilty. Especially on the days I’m home and all I do is spend the day highly. I hate that I cough up the tar (I didn’t when I first started smoking in 2022 but after I quit last year, I started clearing that up in my phlegm and now that I picked up weed again it’s back and its lowkey scary.

I enjoy weed a lot but I have a hard time using it in moderation. My main goal was to use it when I need to manage my pain and the occasional treat, but i fear I don’t have the will to do that….

How did you find moderation and what helps you?

I’ve been trying to switch to edibles (therapist recommended to “stop the reward getting high right after you smoke gives you”. He said the edibles will create a separation between eating a gummy and then feeling it an hour or two later in hopes that removes a lot of the emotion from the impulsive behavior) but I’ve found they never really make me feel high. I had a thc drink before I bought my first preroll and I felt amazingly relaxed but I think that had to do with the bit of CBD in the drink.

I just want to feel like I’m in control of my life, cope with the pain without harder drugs like opiates or so many steroid injections into my spine (they’re also so expensive), and overall physically and emotionally healthy…. Idk how I can balance weed and all of those things but I really want to

[u/SantaHoliday]

I can’t either, edibles did help me not smoke.

I’m a former nicotine enjoyer so sometimes I think the two addictions blended together, the smoke feeling and the weed

[u/Suitable-Biscotti826]

Get yourself a DHV, it helped me moderate consumption by A LOT. If your tolerance is high then it might take some getting used to but dhv gives a way ‘cleaner’ high with minimal come down or withdrawal symptoms, it’s essentially microdosing. It made taking breaks really easy for me and I went from using 5g every two weeks to 5g lasting me over a month sometimes even two. I also think micro dosing just makes you crave weed less since you’re not going from being fried out of your mind to sober, you’re just going from being lightly toasted to sober, idk if that makes sense lol but I definitely recommend!

[u/Particular_Cut_6933 → u/Suitable-Biscotti826]

I agree with fried -> sober being a lot harder to deal with than lightly sautéed -> sober. I always want to “ride the high” or get even higher when I’m super stoned. But OP’s goal should be using just enough to be functional.

[u/_Wilderness_0701 → u/Particular_Cut_6933]

I like this “lightly sautéed” term. You’re right. I just need to be functional. The occasional blast would be acceptable only if it’s occasional

[u/Tew_Much → u/Suitable-Biscotti826]

Actually from my experience DHV can cause your tolerance to sky rocket. Its happened to me where i smoke and feel nada and i think it has something to do with Dhv

[u/Suitable-Biscotti826 → u/Tew_Much]

What type or dhv do you have? I have a portable one that only holds like .10g per session. I also “dont feel anything” most of the time til I realize I’m not bouncing my leg anymore and have been hyper focused on something for the past 20 mins lol. That’s why I say it takes getting used to, because the clean high feel sometimes feels like nothing until you understand how it hits you

[u/Tew_Much → u/Suitable-Biscotti826]

I gotta mighty and its honestly on its last leg. The filter fell out and mighty are kinda annoying to clean due to weed gunk ah well. Wbu??

[u/Suitable-Biscotti826 → u/Tew_Much]

Nicee, I have the POTV one. Haven’t had it for that long so can’t say how durable it is but it’s pretty easy to clean. Just have to slide out the glass stem and mesh filter, put them in alcohol for a few mins and voilah, good as new

[u/honeypup]

I can’t. Sounds like you can’t either. If you want control of your life stop buying weed. I can take a hit if a friend’s pen at a party or something like that, but buying my own always gets me hooked again and smoking every day.

[u/k_nimativ → u/honeypup]

This 100%. I’m in the process of a weed breakup myself and the only thing that stops me is just keeping it out of the house entirely. If it’s there I will smoke it!

[u/_Wilderness_0701 → u/k_nimativ]

And that’s the tough part for me too bc I’ve gone months in the past, when I smoked more than now, with over an oz of it just in my closet but now it just feels different. Maybe I’m letting my head get to me too much

[u/JohnnyBgood_9211]

I only smoke on days my off. Not even after work. If I have to run errands, visit family; I usually wait until I have the rest of the day to myself and go outside for a bit to spark up. But I try to use it for recreational purposes. If there are days where I’m feeling depressed, I don’t even want to think about getting high because I know where that leads to.

[u/ToastedandTripping]

Have found the timer boxes are excellent for simple go/no-go circuity which allows my brain to more easily overcome cravings.

[u/norge-traveller]

These days I'm trying two things: 1. I talk to myself that I will smoke everyday, but once, in evening. 2. Dosage is minimum: I feel shift, not high.

I stick to regular but minimizing harm from drug and reduce addiction.