NOT NORMAL –
July 14, 2026 – One week after stopping daily cannabis use, a recovering physician looked at me with obvious frustration, saying, “I thought I’d feel better by now.” He was no longer intoxicated, but he wasn’t sleeping well. Food wasn’t appealing to him. Sex wasn’t enjoyable. His motivation was low,.. his attention wandered, and very few things in his life seemed rewarding. Even though he was a physician, like many patients, he wondered whether he had permanently damaged his brain.
Many patients feel worse during the first weeks of abstinence than they expected. They often assume that since cannabis has left their body, recovery should be complete, but often they have insomnia, irritability, reduced appetite, poor concentration, and diminished pleasure. These symptoms reflect the mismatch between a brain that has adapted to THC and a brain that is now learning to function without it.
