Remember me? Nearly 2 years through MJ PAWS, now doing GREAT

Hi Johnrlivngston, I remember you and I've read through some of your post which I have related to and found inspiration from. It's good to read you're doing well and living life the way you want to, being you.

Thats great to hear man, for me its getting better. But still deprsseed and having some anxiety issues etc.

John your quit journal was by far the biggest thing that kept me moving forward when things got tough. I'm happy to say that I'm over 7 months clean now. I think I was posting in your group when I was in the brutal early stages of my quit around 2-3 months.

Things have gotten significantly better for me. I feel as if after month 6 I made a turn for the better. PAWS symptoms still come and go but they don't last long and I recognize them now.

Glad to hear you are doing well, you're an inspiration for a lot of people!

The fact my story impacted y'all in some positive way makes me joyful beyond words. I remember all of you and your stories (Lifechanging may have come after me - my apologies for being a little fuzzy on the details). For me (and so many others) OlSchoolRu, BiggieSize, Janet (her real name, can't remember her screen name) were the ones who kept me going those long, long, long months when I felt hope was lost. That's the beauty of this site and the people populating it... each generation of success stories exists to inspire the next.

Imcbride... very glad to see you're still kicking butt, and 7 months is one heck of an achievement. If you're able to keep your head above water at 7 months, by the 1-year mark you're going to feel like a completely different person. I promise you that. Not saying it probably won't suck up to that point & beyond, but for me, the 1 year mark was when I finally started seeing enough progress to know that one day I would be made whole again. I'm still amazed by how much damage can be caused by this plant, and how insanely long the healing process can take. But it is what it is. The way I see it, we're on the bleeding edge of human understanding. Eventually medical science will come to understand what we're going through. For now, we're on our own. The only guides we have are each other.

So many people have said 2 years is about how long it takes to get back close to normal, and while there are many factors that may influence this timeline from person to person, it appears that's pretty close to what I needed to get right again. I still have very minor issues, but I'm definitely out of the thick of it, and for the most part good to go. To put it another way, if absolutely nothing changed from this point on, I'd be perfectly happy in my life. But I still think the tiny issues that remain will iron themselves out. I'm at 90%... heading for 100

In the next couple days I'll try to post a summary of what I believe I did to help myself recover (aside from the obvious - not smoking). Unfortunately it's impossible to say what worked & what didn't. But it all boils down to nothing more than taking good care of yourself - physically & emotionally - and tending to your needs. I cant say for sure whether I would have recovered just waiting for my mind to heal, but in my heart I don't feel I would have. Exercise, diet, recreation, meditation, and carefully chosen social activities were ,to me, all key ingredients to getting better.

Anyway, thanks for remembering me. I remember you, and I'm so very happy to hear y'all are still plugging away. I know how insanely tough this can be. When you make it through, there won't be anything in life that can stop you. You'll be better for the experience so long as you believe you can be.

Hi John, think it'll have been me you remembered??
Yes of course I remember you. It's so good to hear that you're doing so well & that anything I've written down has helped you. Likewise I'm absolutely sure you will have inspired many in their quest of quitting weed. It's hell at first isn't it but then when you look back, time passes - I can't believe i'll be 4 yrs clean next month.

Jannette

Yes, Netty! Sorry... for some reason I never could remember your screen name, and apparently I failed remembering how to spell your real one. D'oh! My apologies. But yes, your strength has been such an amazing influence in my life, and I thank you so much for it. Every time I felt like giving up on myself, I'd think of what you were going through in addition to PAWS. That usually put to rest any 'poor me' feeling sorry for myself BS in short order.

4 years - fantastic!!!!

I pray all is well with your family. Thanks so much for being the person you are.

Aww thanks that's a lovely thing to say. Always great to know I've helped in some way, it's great to be able to give back - I too got so much help from people on this forum.

I'm fine thanks, still going to the gym & swimming, still find it really helps as does meditation.
Jannette

Hello John, sorry to say but I don' remember you. All I would like to say is CONGRATULATIONS! Good to know you've selected a good path and keep walking in this path. Don't forget to encourage others to walk with you in this path as well.

I just read this thread for the umpteenth time as well as your post history, John. My symptoms and problems most closely line up with yours, so I find this post hugely inspirational. I'm not doing so well at 14 months and occasionally fear being permanently messed up. I really hope I become 100% normal again!

leavepawsbehind wrote:I just read this thread for the umpteenth time as well as your post history, John. My symptoms and problems most closely line up with yours, so I find this post hugely inspirational. I'm not doing so well at 14 months and occasionally fear being permanently messed up. I really hope I become 100% normal again!

Im going through the same
Im ~17 months clean. Anxiety is the worst.
Im also hoping it s gone be ok one day.

Hi fam. Everyday is a battle for me. It's been a year seven months up to date bit the suffering stop has a hold on me.

Most symptoms are gone. I struggle with head pressure and crippling insomnia. Sometimes I just want to give but their is so much at stake.

This thing restricts me from my full potential. I'm often restricted and pinned down my bed. I quit my job and don't pursue my freelancing side hustle as often as I did.

Anyone still going through head pressure, scalp pressure, headaches after a year in six months?

hello john_livingston I have a question where did you have the twitching ?

Hi Gekie- I also had twitches so I hope you don’t mind if I respond even though you asked john about his twitches. From what I can see, it looks like john has not been here in a while and I hope it is because he has recovered from PAWS. My twitches were all over, but they were especially bad in my legs and toes. They were constant. They were so bad that I could not stand to sit still because then I would notice them a lot more and it freaked me out. I dreaded going to bed because all I would notice were the twitches. I convinced myself that I had ALS or some other neurological disease. That lasted for several months. When I did have to sit still I would wiggle my legs or bounce my legs to distract myself from the twitches. I am now about 5 and 1/2 months into cannabis withdrawal and they are significantly better- really, now that I think about it, they are almost gone, but I do still have them I am also 18 months alcohol free so I have had withdrawal symptoms from both and they have overlapped. I know that just because mine have faded it does not mean that yours will in the same timeline because we all heal at different rates and in a non-linear fashion. I also remember seeing other people post that they had twitches and that they eased and disappeared over time. However, if yours continue or worsen it might ease your mind to be checked by a doctor. But, it does seem to be something that many of us go through in this process. I hope that helps you.

hello I have been examined by my doctor he said that everything was good that I mainly suffer from anxiety I have muscle twitching all around my body suffer from my tongue and stuff the doctor said that I am very scared I also always think of scary diseases and so I have used for 7 years and never had any complaints and now 3 months and 20 days clean and a strange feeling on the left side of my head behind my ear and muscle tremors also around my body