I quit smoking weed and now my throat hurts! What should I do?

Quitting smoking weed is not as simple as it sounds. Just like any other addictive substances, heavy usage of marijuana puts the user in a greater risk of withdrawal when they stop. Although it is not as strong as other drugs, recovering marijuana users still reported withdrawal symptoms. You may experience these for the first couple of weeks after quitting. They also tend to vary depending on the person’s level of dependency.

Withdrawal symptoms are accompanied by flu-like symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is sore throat. Some even have horrible cough and phlegm which lasts for a few months. Heavy weed smoking may cause lung problems and even get you saliva strain. This is because your lungs are trying to clean itself.

If you have been smoking marijuana for a long time, your respiratory system could also be damaged in some way. Our lungs contain small hair-like structures called cilia. These are in charge of sweeping out particles out of a person’s wind pipe. Smoking damages the lungs and disrupts the cilia from doing its work. When you start quitting smoking, only then will the cilia start functioning properly again.

This symptom may go on and off for a couple of weeks, but will eventually stop and you’ll start feeling better. If you are really determined to quit smoking weed, try to bear with it. There are some interventions that you may use to somehow lessen the sore throat or speed up the healing process.

For home remedies, you can try to gargle with honey and salt water alternately. Herbal teas are also great for relieving these symptoms. You may also consult a doctor if your home remedies did not work. They might prescribe you with antibiotics for sore throat, or a mild antibiotic spray that would help ease the pain.

No matter how much you struggle, make sure that you do not go back to smoking at all. It may feel you better, but it would definitely not help in your recovery process. Also, do not drink alcohol.

Here are a few more tips you can try:

To boost recovery, you need to get proper rest during the early stages of quitting your smoking habit. Rest as much as you can while you undergo the healing process. Warm herbal teas can also help your relax. You also need to eat quality and micro nutrient foods. Nutritional food will give you the right building blocks to help accelerate the process. It would good if you eat more fruits, vegetables and less processed foods.

Another helpful thing to do is exercise. This can help lessen the symptoms and clean out the lungs. Exercise promotes healthy lung function and it also boosts the cleaning process. You can start trying simple exercises such as fast-paced morning or afternoon walks.

If you are really willing to quit smoking weed, stay patient and stick with it. Imagine the change that you can make for yourself. Your body is just trying to detoxify. You will have to go through this in order to get healthier lungs. But through this, you will relieve your sore throat and horrible phlegm and coughing. It is normal to feel worse in order to get better.