4 ms·

"and not numbing my stress with any substance has greatly helped as well." What do you do instead now? I don't love my current amount of consumption but It's o

"and not numbing my stress with any substance has greatly helped as well." What do you do instead now? I don't love my current amount of consumption but It's one of the few ways I can quiet my head at the end of a long day.

zolthrowaway 8y ago
Do you exercise? I used to use ridiculous amounts of cannabis just so I could sleep at night. When I was quitting, tiring myself out to the point of exhaustion at the gym was about the only thing that worked. Another big thing that has contributed to my overall sleep was weaning myself off caffeine. Also, possibly consider talking to a therapist about anxiety disorders. The self medication and your description of going to bed really resonated with me. Doing drugs just turned all that "off". I'm not a mental health professional, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. But anxiety was definitely a reason why I personally was self medicating so much. Either way, good luck on your journey.
- Taylor_OD 8y ago
  Yup. I exercise an hour a day during lunch most days of the week. Wrestled in high school and college and worked out much more and while that is helpful sometimes I'm often physically tired but my brain is charged. In fact, I feel like working out helps recharge my brain. Got off caffeine fully a year ago and that has helped some. I've got a few diagnosed anxiety disorders. Those certainly contribute. I'm hesitant to try any actual medication though as I've seen it change friends significantly in the past.
clydethefrog 8y ago
As the other person says, exercise in the form of lifting weights has helped me. I always thought it was not for me, but lifting something heavy several times until you're tired makes me feel good. I also focus on finding the source of my stress symptoms and resolving them. That's of course easier said than done. I decided to not pursue an advanced degree and currently work not a high amount of hours. I notice I am becoming less anxious without alcohol as well after being sober for a year.

zolthrowaway 8y ago

Do you exercise? I used to use ridiculous amounts of cannabis just so I could sleep at night. When I was quitting, tiring myself out to the point of exhaustion at the gym was about the only thing that worked. Another big thing that has contributed to my overall sleep was weaning myself off caffeine. Also, possibly consider talking to a therapist about anxiety disorders. The self medication and your description of going to bed really resonated with me. Doing drugs just turned all that "off". I'm not a mental health professional, so take what I'm saying with a grain of salt. But anxiety was definitely a reason why I personally was self medicating so much. Either way, good luck on your journey.

Taylor_OD 8y ago
Yup. I exercise an hour a day during lunch most days of the week. Wrestled in high school and college and worked out much more and while that is helpful sometimes I'm often physically tired but my brain is charged. In fact, I feel like working out helps recharge my brain. Got off caffeine fully a year ago and that has helped some. I've got a few diagnosed anxiety disorders. Those certainly contribute. I'm hesitant to try any actual medication though as I've seen it change friends significantly in the past.

clydethefrog 8y ago

As the other person says, exercise in the form of lifting weights has helped me. I always thought it was not for me, but lifting something heavy several times until you're tired makes me feel good. I also focus on finding the source of my stress symptoms and resolving them. That's of course easier said than done. I decided to not pursue an advanced degree and currently work not a high amount of hours. I notice I am becoming less anxious without alcohol as well after being sober for a year.