Did you ever feel like that strain that used to send you straight to Narnia with a single puff now barely gets you high anymore? If you've experienced this it's probably because you've developed a tolerance to THC... congratulations?
In today's article we tell you why this happens and how to recover those powerful highs that made us laugh so much.
Why does this happen?
There are many factors that mark our tolerance to THC, for example, biology of the person, amounts and frequency of smoking, percentage of THC in the strains consumed, among others... but why does this happen?
A reduction in the number of endocannabinoid system (ECS) receptors, or CB1 receptors to be more precise, is to blame for the fact that we become more tolerant to THC.
When we smoke, THC binds to CB1 receptors in the brain, increasing dopamine and giving the characteristic high of cannabis. The problem is that with constant exposure to THC, the endocannabinoid system begins to reduce the number of receptors available in response.
A frequent user of THC generally builds up his tolerance faster than a sporadic user and will therefore get more benefit from the break in use, but will need to take a longer break to reduce his tolerance. The sporadic user will also build up tolerance over time, so we always recommend a tolerance break for all types of THC users.
What is a tolerance pause?
Well, it is exactly what it sounds like, it is pausing our consumption of THC to let the endocannabinoid system off guard. By not exposing the SEC to THC, we give it a rest and in this way our tolerance to THC will gradually decrease.
How long?
As mentioned above, there are several factors that will define when and for how long we should take a tolerance break. To list a few, biology of the person, amounts and frequency of consumption, methods of consumption, etc.
As a general rule, a sporadic user will take less time to lower his tolerance while someone who uses constantly will take a few days longer. Our recommendation for any cannabis user who wants to take a tolerance break is to start with one week.
If you are a daily cannabis user we recommend that you continue for another week or two, as it is likely that you will have built up a higher tolerance and your SEC will need a little more rest. Also, the hardest days are usually the first few and by the time the first week is over the following weeks will be a piece of cake!
It is difficult for me...
We know it can be difficult to make the decision to take a break and even more difficult to maintain it once you do, that's why we give you some tips that help us every time we do it.
Freeing the house of marijuana should be the first step if we are easily tempted, it will help us not to give in during those difficult moments.
Exercise is key to keep us active and in a good mood. If you are used to smoking daily, you are likely to experience moodiness due to abstinence and exercising releases all kinds of hormones that are our allies to fight it.
Getting a good night's sleep, getting outside and socializing will also keep us healthy and distracted, which is great if we are experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Talk about it with your friends, you can even do it in pairs and support each other!
It is a good time to know oneself, to see when we really enjoy THC and when we do it by inertia, in which activities it benefits us and in which ones it hinders us... and with this knowledge, to return to having a responsible consumption of THC that benefits and gratifies us even more!
You can also take the opportunity to try CBD, this will not interrupt our tolerance pause and will help us to calm withdrawal symptoms and anxiety. We leave you this note if you want to know more about CBD.
Now it is up to you to gather your courage and make the decision to take a tolerance break... From Hollyweed Barcelona we can only tell you that if you do it... you won't regret it!
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