Does anyone have any advice for supporting and coping with someone going through withdrawal? My husband is trying to quit his weed addiction and he has been irritable and mean since he quit. His mood is erratic and he is constantly annoyed w me. I don't even know how to bring this up without setting him off. Just feel like I'm walking on eggshells and I'm emotionally exhausted at this point. Is there anything I can do to help him? Is there anything I can do to help myself cope?
Bowl Leader
The best thing is to talk to folks who have experienced the same thing (or to listen to their stories). Addiction can make us feel so alone and helpless (whether we’re the addict or the significant other); connection is what helps us find freedom.
This might be a good read: https://www.steppingstonecenter.com/addiction-blog/how-can-i-help-someone-who-is-going-through-withdrawal/
And it doesn’t matter if it’s weed, booze, heroin or meth, withdrawal does the same thing to the person:
- We’re in physical, emotional, and mental pain (and probably spiritual pain without even realizing it)
- We can no longer “take the edge” off of life, so everything seems more difficult, more annoying, and more pointless.
- We’ve been separated from our safety blanket, either by choice or by force, so in all reality we’re scared; we’re filled with fear, but encrusted with denial and self pity
- We’re selfish AF; literally King Baby who fusses whenever we don’t get exactly what we want, how we want it, when we want it
You’re not responsible for your BF’s feelings. You also can’t control his feeling or emotions or behaviors. What you can do, is set boundaries, communicate what upsets you, and work on doing what’s best for you. You care about him and want to help, but you can’t fix what’s wrong on the inside for him.
Bowl Leader
See if you can find some Al Anon speaker recordings on YouTube. Those are great too.
I am in the process of quitting weed too. And while I don’t have cravings at all like I did when quitting booze, I am def more irritable. I noticed also my blood pressure went up quite a bit like it was 135/100. The 2 go hand in hand…blood pressure and irritability. Maybe kindly suggest he check is BP and if it’s high he can get meds to lower it. He can do this at a walk-in clinic and not even have to mention the weed. I upped my BP meds and felt worlds better.
Not sure if this helps but maybe he needs to change his mindset a bit…. See Man On Fire male connection. There are some videos there that may help him relook at what’s important and how to change his mindset on this.
Are you suggesting that blood pressure meds are healthier that cannabis? Perhaps moderation could work, or using it mindfully without smoking/vaping.
Yes plus having high blood pressure is dangerous it is a precursor to heart attack