If you’re a regular smoker, and have been smoking cannabis on a daily basis for at least a few months or years, then you’ve probably noticed that you’ve developed a bit of a tolerance for it, and its main compounds.
If you feel like it takes more to get you high, and you don’t get as high as you used to get, then it’s probably time to take a tolerance break.
Let’s see what that is, how it works and when you need to take it.
What is a Tolerance Break and When Do You Need to Take It?
A tolerance break is simply a break from consuming Marijuana in order for your body to regulate itself and reduce the need for high amounts of THC.
The reason why this break is necessary is because as you get used to consuming Marijuana on a daily basis, your body adjusts to those amounts of THC and after some time it starts to require higher amounts of this cannabinoid in order to achieve the same effects. That’s because your body builds up a tolerance to THC and your cannabinoid system takes longer to respond to it.
Once you notice that you can’t achieve the same effects you used to get from it, it’s time to cut cannabis out of your system and go on a tolerance break.
The important thing you need to note about tolerance breaks is that they are typically tailored according to each individual person. Some can achieve their wanted results by quitting marijuana for just a week or two, while some need to go on a month-long break so they can truly cleanse their body from THC.
The good thing about these breaks is that you can make and follow your own plan. You don’t have to quit cold turkey. If you feel like you couldn’t achieve that, you can simply try to ease yourself into this change. And if you start feeling the jitters you can use CBD for a change, which unlike THC cannot lead to tolerance, but can help you keep your entire system in balance and help run the whole process a lot smoother.
If you’re using cannabis as medicine, be sure to consult with your doctor before you make any alterations to your prescribed dosage or make any other changes.
Pros and Cons of Taking a Break from Marijuana
Taking a tolerance break is necessary every once and a while.
Some of its main benefits include:
- Giving your receptors time to regenerate
- Giving your brain time to “recover” as well, and
- Saving a few bucks by not buying cannabis
Although taking a tolerance break is beneficial both to you and your relationship with the herb, there are some negative side effects that you may experience as a result from your break.
Those include:
- Moodiness
- Irritability, and
- Other similar signs of withdrawal
The experience will be similar to quitting coffee or cigarettes, so the best advice that we can give you during that time is to be active, go on walks, or work out, in order for your body to release endorphins, which are beneficial in reining in these negative effects.
