How to quit weed: what the first two weeks feel like and how to get through them

By the PromptLeadz editorial team. Last reviewed 20 September 2026. General information, not medical advice.

Smoking weed every night started as a way to unwind. Now you can't sleep without it, you're foggy in the mornings, and the stash money adds up. Stopping is very doable, but the first two weeks are rougher than people expect. Knowing what's coming is half of it.

What the first two weeks feel like

If you've been using daily, many people notice withdrawal starting a day or two after stopping. It's uncomfortable but not dangerous:

• Trouble sleeping, and very vivid dreams once you do sleep.
• Irritability, restlessness, feeling anxious or flat.
• Low appetite for a few days.

It tends to be worst in the first week and ease over the second. Sleep can take a bit longer to settle. Every rough night is one step closer to the other side.

Step 1: Pick your goal

Stop completely for 30 days, then decide. Or cut back to set days (weekends only, never before 9pm). If you've tried cutting back before and it always creeps up, choose the 30 days.

Step 2: Clear it out

The night before, get rid of everything: weed, grinder, papers, bongs, vape pens, the dealer's number. Having it in the house means you'll negotiate with yourself at 11pm, and you'll lose.

Step 3: Rebuild the evening

For most people, weed is the wind-down. You need a new one, planned in advance:

• A fixed routine: shower, tea, dim the lights, the same show or book.
• Exercise earlier in the day. Tired bodies sleep better.
• No screens in bed for the first two weeks.
• If you wake at 3am, get up, go to another room, read something boring, go back when sleepy.

Step 4: Plan for the people and places

Friends who smoke, certain rooms, games nights, the end of the week. For the first month, see friends somewhere you can't smoke, or tell them you're taking a break. Most will be fine with it.

Step 5: Urges and slips

When the urge hits, give it 15 minutes, move rooms, drink something cold, text someone. If you slip, don't write off the month. Ask what happened just before, change one thing, and keep going. Count clean days out of the last 30, not just the streak.

When to get help

If you use weed to handle anxiety, low mood or pain, talk to a doctor so the thing underneath gets help too. And if stopping keeps not happening, free, confidential services exist: Drogues Info Service 0 800 23 13 13 in France, FRANK 0300 123 6600 in the UK, SAMHSA 1-800-662-4357 in the US. Marijuana Anonymous runs meetings online.

Sources and further reading

• Talk to FRANK: cannabis (UK)
• Drogues Info Service (France)
• SAMHSA National Helpline (US)