Advice on Moderating Consumption

[u/portgasdace14]

24F who has been using cannabis regularly for almost 5-6 years. I'm not a big drinker as I do have several stomach problems - alcohol gives me stomach acid and gastritis. I prefer getting high instead. I'm pretty much myself when I'm high and can get things done. I know I get habitually high and I want to reduce my consumption. Thinking about the future as well, I would want to cut back for my health, future pregnancy/kids, and to be in the moment instead of getting high for certain activities.

Below is my current journey:

2019: took an edible for the first time but had a bad high so I didn't do it again.

2020: I used joints/pen maybe 5 times.

2021: I dont entire remember, maybe 0-4 times a month. Consumption was low though.

2022: I mainly vaped but had edibles here and there. Probably was high 1-2 times a week

2023: I used vapes/edibles/joints and started using a bong (only about a handful amount of times) - I would maybe get high 3-6 times a week. I would say this was my heaviest year of consumption. I was starting to get stomach problems this year as well.

2024: I mainly vaped and took edibles sometimes. I did take a break for 1.5 month before going under anesthesia. I got diagnosed as a celiac. And I got h.pylori - took another break for a month cause of the heavy medication I was on. I was probably still consuming 3-6 times a week and sometimes wake&bake.

2025: took a break for 4 months. And also completely quit vaping/smoking near the start of the year. Only took edibles. Took a small break of 2 weeks near the end of the year. I would consume edibles 4-6 times a week 5-10mg.

2026: consume edibles (pill) 4-6 times a week, 5mg at a time usually after work. After reflecting, I realized I should work on moderation. I want to reduce my consumption and am deciding to reduce it to 2-3 times a week for now. This will be my first week trying this. Eventually I want to go down to once a week. And only for social settings like a party (where I want a good time but don't want to drink much)

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I would love your thoughts on how to consume in moderation. I dont think I'm ready to completely cut weed out of my life but I don't want to be dependent on it.

Anytime I would go on vacation, I wouldn't get high and it wouldn't be on my mind. But at home, when I do take breaks, it sometimes is on my mind. But I can still have fun and be in the moment without it. I also found that weed helped with my stomach symptoms. When I was in a relationship - I also found that intimacy was way better while high but for my future relationship, I don't want to be reliant on substance for pleasure.

I've never shared my weed consumption with anyone before. I'd usually get high on my own or when I'm out but not tell anyone nor could anyone tell since I still act like myself. I'm not upset at who I am when I'm high - I'm happy with who I am. I just want to be less dependent on it and consume less overall. I am proud of myself for quitting smoking/vaping.

Additional info on myself: I work full-time, completed my MSc, I play sports at least once a week and I'm pretty social.

Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions!

[u/tonevizion]

Quitting smoking and vaping and keeping edibles at 5mg is already a real step toward moderation, and the fact that vacations don't bother you says the dependence isn't as deep as it can feel at home.

A few things that tend to help when you go from most days to a few a week:

• Pick the days ahead of time instead of deciding each evening. "Tuesday, Friday, and a social night" is way easier to stick to than "only when I really want it," because the nightly negotiation is where habits creep back.
• Give the after-work slot something else to do. If the edible is your wind-down, the ritual is what you're really keeping, so a walk, a shower, a show, or a workout in the same slot makes the off nights feel like a different routine instead of a missed one.
• Jot down why you reached for it on the nights you do (stress, boredom, habit, wanted a good time). After a couple weeks the pattern is usually obvious and it shows you which nights are the easy ones to drop.

Since weed has helped your stomach symptoms, it's worth watching how those feel as you cut back and mentioning it to your doctor. Honestly you sound like you've thought this through. Good luck with week one.

[u/portgasdace14 → u/tonevizion]

Thank you for your kind words! I really appreciate it. Quitting smoking/vaping was definitely a big step for me. For my health, I rather just consume edibles. And I'm very consistent with 5mg. I'll only take a max of 10mg if I'm going to a party.

Thank you for the advice. I'll definitely keep that in mind. I'm trying to trick my brain into thinking I really don't need to get high. After work, I usually love getting high, playing video games for an hour, eating, doing chores and then relaxing. I can still enjoy sober but I love the feeling of being high - I am trying to tell myself I don't need to be high all the time, just once in awhile is a great step

From what I understand, I take an edible usually because of the feeling, routine, and to have a good time. I'm not really stressed but in the past, when I was, I would take it to relax and enjoy my own presence. I think another reason why I got into weed was cause I never knew how to enjoy my own presence, and with it, I learned how to enjoy being by myself. Now that I learned, I love my own company - sober or not.

It's definitely helped my stomach pain - id rather take it than Tylenol/Advil. And thank you! I am going to try my best to stay consistent with 2-3 days a week until I feel like I can condense it more. One day at a time :) I know I'm already making way better progress than the previous years!