Experience From a Three Month THC Break
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated August 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
From the dates of August 20th, 2020 to November 14th, 2020 I took a break from all cannabis containing THC, a psychoactive cannabinoid. During this time I did consume small amounts (5-15 mg) of CBD here or there via gummies, and there was one CBD pre-roll I enjoyed, but I did not experience the effects of any psychoactive THC during this time. Having used THC regularly for the past few years, and then abstaining completely for 3 months, was a very enlightening experience.
Before I share what I learned from taking a 3 month THC tolerance break, I will share what I learned after four years of cannabis usage.
Four Years of Cannabis Experience
I first started experimenting with plant medicine around the age of 25. Before this I had never used cannabis or any other plant medicine because of the knowledge of how the brain is still developing until the age of 25. The brain still exhibits plasticity and the ability to change beyond 25, but most of the large structural changes are made from -9 months to 25 years of age.
At first I only consumed cannabis infrequently when with friends, and we burned our bud. Within a few months, I decided to pursue my understanding of cannabis further by purchasing a small oil vaporizer, which gives pre-measured doses of 2.5 mg and then shuts off. The quality wasn’t good like cannabis flower, but the ability to measure how different amounts like 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 mg made me feel was interesting and useful for a new user like myself.
Once that ran out, I began to consume cannabis more regularly. Knowing the benefits of vaporization over combustion I purchased some vaporizers from Healthy Rips, starting with the Fierce and then followed by the Fury Edge, both products I highly recommend. At times, I was consuming cannabis daily, sometimes many times a day, though never with huge amounts. I only used flower with my vaporizers, and dry herb vaporizers are so efficient at cannabinoid extraction that even with sometimes daily usage I never used more than 1 gram a week. I only purchased top shelf flower (the quality of which varies more than you’d expect), and as I learned the benefits of CBD I began to almost exclusively vaporize THC:CBD blends, from 4:1 to 1:4.
Exploring cannabis plant medicine and learning how to use it was a game changer for me for many reasons, and there were also some drawbacks.
Cannabis for Gut Health
When I first started using cannabis, I had serious gut health problems that I was actively working on healing. I had IBS, leaky gut, many food intolerances (with gluten being the worst), and a fructose intolerance. The anti-inflammatory effects of cannabis helped to soothe my gut issues and improved my digestion. Cannabis didn’t heal my gut…I was able to do that with a combination of mindfulness, dietary changes, fasting, and digestive supplements, but it did help to reduce uncomfortable symptoms and this allowed me to better address the bigger issues at hand (damaged intestinal tight junctions, pathogenic microbiome, inadequate vegetable intake).
Cannabis and Alcohol
Cannabis dramatically reduced my consumption of alcohol. Cannabis is stimulating and energizing for me, and I enjoy these effects much more than the depressing effects of alcohol. For social engagements, I began to use alcohol much less, instead using cannabis via dry vaporization. Removing alcohol from my life except in very rare circumstances has improved my mental health and has also dramatically helped with my gut health.
Cannabis opens the Third Eye
Cannabis opened my third eye and what was once a very slow spiritual progression began to increase exponentially. Pairing cannabis with meditation and yoga broadened my awareness, helped me to look inwards and discover my self. When used responsibly and with intention, cannabis can raise your consciousness.
Cannabis and Shadow Work
Cannabis opens spiritual “doors”, not only upwards but also downwards, and when I was using cannabis the most heavily, a light was shined on some inner work I need to do. This is often referred to as shadow work. Emotional trauma, dark truths about yourself, pain, fear, anxiety…all of this and more is hidden in our shadow selves. To become whole and fully aware of yourself, good and bad, and therefore to have more conscious awareness of your actions through life, it is important to explore both the light and dark inside. Shadow work cannot be ignored forever, and for the best healing results it needs to be done in a safe supportive environment.
Cannabis, specifically THC, can expose the shadow to the light, and if unaware or unprepared for this, it can be overwhelming, causing its own trauma and suffering. If I could go back in time I would caution my younger self to be aware of these effects and to use cannabis more responsibly and only in safe supportive environments.
Cannabis and Lung Health
For lung health, smoking cannabis flower is much worse than vaporizing it, but the inhalation of hot air below combustion temperatures (440 F) still can impact the health and function of the lungs. When consuming cannabis 4+ times a week, I coughed more and I had increased mucus production in the nasals. Vaporizing cannabis was therapeutic in that it was often the only time (before I started meditating frequently) I would take long deep breaths and enjoy that corresponding sense of calm, but vaporizing cannabis flower isn’t a zero impact event. It’s very important to have a regular breathing practice independent of any tobacco or cannabis usage.
Cannabis and Depression/Anxiety
Depending on your internal belief system, cannabis can make you more prone to be depressed or anxious. Because of its effects on time, using cannabis brings stronger awareness to the past and/or the future if the mind wanders there, and thinking about the future can be an anxious endeavor. Using cannabis daily definitely increased my anxiety, but it also made me more aware that I had anxiety, whereas before I was unaware of my anxiety and how I subconsciously changed my actions in order to avoid situations that made me anxious.
How cannabis is grown has an impact on the physical, mental, or emotional effects you experience. Outdoor, sun grown, biodynamic bud will tune you to a pleasing frequency as the plant itself experienced a pleasing life. Consume cannabis from a plant that had a stressful life under artificial lights, pesticides, and disconnected from the Earth, and your high may be stressful too.
Cannabis and Earth/Plant/Animal Connection
Using cannabis expands your awareness into the greater sphere of consciousness. Using cannabis over the past few years has made me more aware of the Earth and the fellow creatures we inhabit our beautiful planet with. All of us share and depend on the same resources. I now better understand the needs of plants, animals, and other humans and have grown much more empathetic.
In 2022 I stepped away from cannabis quite notably and have cut back my usage dramatically. Now I use CBD cream for the occasional pain and inflammation sore spot, or I enjoy some THC cannabis if i’m guided to it and it is of a high quality. I wrote my thoughts on why I’ve created more space in my relationship with the plant which I know many habitual users of cannabis will find useful.
My Experience with a Three Month THC Break
I decided to take a long duration THC tolerance break for a few reasons. First, I was traveling to a state where cannabis is legal only medically, so instead of getting a medical card I saw the move as an opportunity to clear my system. I took a long step back from THC cannabis so I could more clearly see how it was effecting me physiologically, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was also curious to see how fast cannabis cleared my system.
About a week after I stopped using cannabis, I took a five level THC pee test that showed that all THC had cleared from my system, which I was very surprised by. Since then I have taken other THC pee tests at various points during cannabis usage and after stopping usage and have noticed the following:
I clear cannabis from my system quickly, for others this may not be true
Vaporizing cannabis allows it to clear your system quicker as it’s not inhaled along with tars produced by smoke
Five faint lines meant I was below the detectable THC limit of 15ng/ml within a week of stopped usage. A previous test during regular cannabis usage placed me in the 50-100 ng/ml range.
For the first few weeks into the t-break, I noticed that while cannabis isn’t addictive like nicotine or sugar (and I didn’t experience any withdrawal symptoms), there was a longing for the state of mind it used to put me into. I had clearly created a groove in my brain by cannabis that I liked, and while these urges were never strong, there were there. Occasionally seeing cannabis related content didn’t help, though after a few weeks it didn’t trigger me any which way. This “longing” effect lasted 4-6 weeks, and for this reason a t-break shorter than a month won’t experience as strongly the benefits I am about to describe.
About six weeks in, I felt that I reached a point of complete desensitization to THC. I no longer missed cannabis in the way that I did prior, and I felt more strongly rooted in the present. I had a CBD pre-roll at the halfway point which contained no THC, and overall the pre-roll was a fun and calming experience, though a little hard on the lungs. It didn’t affect my t-break in any way I could tell.
The biggest benefit to going through a long THC break was that it improved my ability to be present and in the moment. While drifting into future possibilities can be fun and enlightening, and THC consumption makes this easier for me, no longer did these future possibilities create a sense of anxiety. My mind was less distracted and worried and I was better able to clear my mind and fully utilize all my senses to be more receptive to what is happening around me. Overall I’m happier! Consistent cannabis usage for me created a sense of tunnel vision, and while this can be used to increase focus, enter into a flow state, and get a lot of work done, it clouds your peripheral vision. There are many many things I missed when I used cannabis more regularly than if I had been in a more balanced state.
After not using THC for nearly 3 months, I discovered I am much more confident and no longer have any anxiety. I began meditating almost daily during this time, so the effects of this are partially due to my meditation practice. My period of cannabis sobriety made me more aware of the importance of eye contact and the confidence behind it, and now I enjoy direct and long lasting eye contact with others as it lets us understand each other’s mental and emotional state better. I can form stronger connections with people faster than before.
If struggling to break usage of THC or cannabis in general, then using a dry vaporizer to vaporize other herbs can ease the transition. The habit of smoking or vaporizing isn’t broken but cannabis is no longer used. Herbs good for vaporizing independent of cannabis include peppermint, chamomile, green tea, among many others.
Reintroducing Cannabis
After 3 months of not using any cannabis containing THC, I dry vaporized about 0.2 grams of a 2:1 CBD:THC blend using the Fury 2 by Healthy Rips. I vaporized this small bowl of cannabis flower twice, once at 365 F and again at 385 F. The first bowl I didn’t feel the effects of, and after the second higher temperature run I experienced a subtle psychoactive effect.
I was watching Hamilton (which is absolutely excellent), and I found I was better able to empathize with the characters and understand their struggles as if I was actually there. Using cannabis took me out of my present surroundings and immersed me into the late 1700’s. I also found myself relating that history and those experiences to the future and I was exploring the parallels of life across the ages. It was fun!
Overall I found my reintroduction to THC to be thought-provoking and enjoyable. It did cause me to completely lose track of time and I lost a lot of my awareness for the present, which can be good or bad depending on the situation. I don’t think this is purely a drawback as sometimes it is good to disconnect; it all depends on the frequency of usage. I also think that if used less frequently, the ratio of CBD:THC can be increased while still experiencing a similar psychoactive effect. This should cause less negative interactions.
The Fury 2 is Healthy Rips entry level herb vaporizer. It can heat herb from 320 to 430 F using convection and conduction technology. It has a stainless steel chamber and glass vapor path.
Overall I am very glad to have done an extended THC break, I found the whole process to be very illuminating and I have a much clearer understanding of how cannabis effects me physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Going forward, I am going to be much more intentional with my cannabis usage, saving it for purposeful explorations of spirituality, time spent in nature, or for healing activities like cannabis yoga. While I won’t impose upon myself a strict schedule of when I can use and can’t use cannabis, I don’t see myself using cannabis daily going forward. I want each experience to be maximally potent while also not being frequent enough for any long term effects such as brain chemistry changes or general haziness to develop.
A THC-break is just one way of incorporating discipline into ones life. Practicing abstinence builds emotional maturity, whether you are temporarily abstaining from alcohol, sex, cannabis, sugar, technology, or much more.
If you are currently a heavy user of cannabis, or you’ve never taken a long t-break after you first began using cannabis, I highly recommend you take a long THC fast, record your experiences, and reflect on what you learn from it all. Remember cannabis is a powerful plant medicine best used responsibly and not by anyone under the age of 25.
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