Long gone are the days when a stimulating sativa gave you the energy to stay up all night or an indica helped your body relax and feel warm. Now, all you are left with are several opened bags of cannabis flower, a few pennies, and a tingling sensation you can barely perceive.
When you smoke cannabis regularly, a time may come when its effects stop being as strong as before. The reason is that you have developed tolerance to THC, and its once potent properties now take several tokes to manifest. If that is the case, learn how to lower your weed tolerance and successfully get your body back on track.
What is a Tolerance Break?
A cannabis tolerance break, also called a t-break, is the temporary cessation of weed consumption to restore your body’s natural response to THC and other cannabinoids. Whether you consume recreational or medical cannabis, you will develop a higher tolerance to THC if you consume it regularly.
THC binds to the CB1 receptor on the brain of our endocannabinoid system (ECS). When you ingest this cannabinoid often, receptors tend to reduce in number. Thus, when the ECS notices an overwhelming dosage of THC, it develops a response to become less sensitive.
Fortunately, studies show that CB1 receptors can recover over time and return to their initial levels. Although there are several methods to prevent tolerance buildup, like microdosing or changing your smoking routine, a weed tolerance break is better if you are looking for a complete reversion of the tolerance your body has generated.
Moreover, the length and thoroughness of your t-break will depend on your consumption patterns and your body, so you must be willing to be patient and trust the process.
Why is a Tolerance Break Important?
Although it is not an extremely harmful drug, cannabis can still create dependence. We all know that too much of a good thing doesn’t end up being that great, and even if cannabis makes you feel good, you shouldn’t abuse it.
Your ECS maintains balance within your body. After all, it is responsible for regulating essential functions such as sleep, pain, stress, and appetite. Thus, it is important to consume THC to improve this system instead of causing dysfunction.
When smoking weed frequently, users can increase their risk of developing cannabis use disorder (CUD) and cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS). But even if you aren’t likely to develop these conditions, it is still important to listen to your body and understand that, sometimes, it needs a break to embrace the effects of your flower later again.
When to Take a Tolerance Break
How do you know when to take a tolerance break? If you are not hunting for a job or have to comply with court orders and other legal issues, the signs that it is time to take a marijuana tolerance break might not be easy to detect. But don’t worry, we have gathered some of the most common indicators that you need a t-break:
You spend more money than usual on cannabis: While we all like to buy luxurious cannabis experiences from time to time, it might not be as fun when the amount of money you spend on weed goes to a few grams of flower, concentrates, and edibles. If you don’t like the look of your bank account, we are sorry to inform you that your body needs more cannabis than usual to receive its effects.
You rely too much on it: Sure, cannabis can sometimes enhance our talents, help us sleep better, or help us focus more on tasks. However, you can’t totally rely on weed to achieve your goals or create a better sleeping schedule. If your “healthy lifestyle” results from excessive cannabis consumption, it isn’t as healthy as you think.
Your favorite strain doesn’t work as it used to: An indica with 30% THC can send anyone to bed except you. Most users who need to take a cannabis tolerance break often notice their favorite strain, which used to work wonders before, isn’t that marvelous now. No, it is not your vendor’s fault; your body is simply too used to THC.
You forget your priorities: Do you cancel plans, procrastinate, or feel guilty because you want to smoke? Many smokers develop a dependency that takes over their responsibilities, creating unhealthy habits that hinder them from establishing a fun social life, achieving their goals, or simply knowing when to walk away from their dab r ig.
How to Tell if Your Weed Tolerance is High
The human body is incredibly resilient and flexible, making it possible for heavy smokers to take several 10mg doses to feel THC working on their bodies. After smoking several times a day, you may notice that the potent buzz or relaxing high that cannabis used to give you is barely strong now.
To tell if your weed tolerance is high, you have to analyze how a single smoking session works on your body and compare it to how it was some time ago. Do you need to smoke more than half a joint to feel symptom relief or calm? Have you started to buy high-THC products? If the answer is yes, you have a high weed tolerance.
Tolerance Break Length
There isn’t a consensus on the ideal tolerance break length. Some people say 2 weeks is enough, and others say 4 weeks is the best period. However, the best cannabis tolerance break length depends on you, your body, and your smoking patterns.
Because we know this might be a hard journey to explore alone, we will outline the essential characteristics of different weed T-breaks to help you find a length that works for you. Nevertheless, you have to be completely honest with yourself during this process. Don’t make decisions based on how much you miss smoking, and instead, focus on returning your body to a state where it can fully enjoy the effects of cannabis.
3-Day Tolerance Break
As we previously mentioned, everybody works differently. Hence, the length of your t-break will vary according to your needs and smoking pattern.
A 2015 study shows that your endocannabinoid receptors reset after about 48 hours. In fact, anecdotal evidence proves that users manage to better experience the effects of cannabis after a 3-day tolerance break. Moreover, this time frame works perfectly for medical marijuana patients, as a long weed tolerance break could significantly impact their well-being.
If you consume medicinal cannabis, please take your 3-day tolerance break under the guidance of your physician.
The best way to start a cannabis tolerance break is by picking a start and end date. Make sure your T-break happens during a calm time in your life, like a week where you don’t have much going on. That way, you will be able to observe your body and mind and better deal with some withdrawal symptoms that may appear.
Still, whatever date you choose, make it now and avoid procrastinating. In addition, don’t increase your THC consumption before your t-break. Hide all your stash and paraphernalia to tell your pals that you are taking a T-break. That way, they will support you and try to help you stick to the plan.
5-Day T-Break
If you want to give your body more time to reset and better enjoy cannabis afterward, a 5-day t-break is a great alternative, too. The rules are the same: place your stash and smoking devices in a place where you can easily ignore them and communicate with your friends or family.
Smokers like to take a 5-day t-break during the weekdays so that they can fully relax and enjoy weed on the weekend. Doesn’t it sound like a good plan? If you aren’t a heavy smoker but still have a tolerance buildup, this cannabis tolerance break length is perfect for you.
However, you must become aware of some withdrawal symptoms. These aren’t as intense as withdrawal from alcohol and other substances, but they can still make you uncomfortable. Some cannabis tolerance break withdrawal symptoms are:
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Appetite loss
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Vivid dreams
- Mood swings
To ease these symptoms, hydrate well, exercise, and use over-the-counter medications to deal with your headaches and nausea. Moreover, these conditions might make you crave cannabis, but you must keep yourself accountable and push harder.
The good news is that these withdrawal symptoms only last for the first three days of your weed tolerance break. After this, your body will start to process the situation and adapt to it.
1-Month T-Break
If 72 hours is just enough to get your ECS back to where it used to be before you indulged in cannabis, why would anyone want to go on a 1-month T-break?
Well, some users take this weed tolerance break to flush THC out of their system completely, but remember that it will stay in your hair for about 90 days. This is because they are heavy smokers who have entirely forgotten what it felt like to be high or at least enjoy cannabis’ beneficial effects on their bodies.
As expected, once smokers come back from their 1-month t-break, they experience cannabis’ effects as if it were their first time. Moreover, some report that they better understand how their body works and even realize that weed has become, quite sadly, their only coping mechanism.
Preventing Tolerance Buildup
So you have successfully survived your weed tolerance break, but what now? How to lower weed tolerance after a complete t-break? You can follow a few tips to prevent tolerance buildup:
- Use CBD: If you are using THC to cope with pain, anxiety, and other medical issues, you can try to switch to CBD and see how it goes. However, CBD doesn’t have some of THC's benefits, so it is essential to talk to your doctor.
- Use a lower dosage: After doing a weed tolerance break, it is important to restart your intake at 50% of the dose you used to consume back when it was effective for you. Each day or dose, increase little by little the amount or potency of your intake until you feel like it is enough for you.
- Use lower-THC products: using high CBD, low THC products, or less-than-average THC strains will help you better train your body to receive THC more healthily.
Does Vitamin C Lower Tolerance
There’s this common belief that taking vitamin C lowers tolerance to cannabis. Moreover, some people think it can neutralize the high. However, there is no scientific evidence that shows that vitamin C can affect how THC interacts with your body.
Tolerance Break Supplements
We know that doing a t-break sounds difficult and, for some, scary. However, certain supplements and compounds can help you better deal with your cannabis tolerance break (or even make it unnecessary to take one).
First, you have the old and reliable CBD. If you want to regulate your THC intake, buying CBD products with minimal to no traces of Delta 9 is one of the best ways to find relaxation and pain relief without a high. In addition, research shows that popping some ibuprofen can de-intensify a cannabis high, making it possible for you to reduce the psychoactive effects of THC and helping your body better control its reaction to it.
However, if you are looking for one of the best T-break supplements, Better High is your best bet. This supplement aims to rebalance your ECS so that you can take advantage of a lower THC tolerance without having to stick to a lengthy T-break. This special blend contains Matcha green tea, ginger root, flaxseed, clove, and other herbs and spices that bring your body balance along with regulated THC consumption. Learn more about it on their website.
Weed Tolerance Break Chart
If you still need help regarding the length of your t-break, this weed tolerance break chart will guide you through it, depending on how much you consume on a daily basis. Remember to be honest with yourself to achieve the best results.
| Average Daily Consumption Before T-Break | T-Break Length |
| 3+ Grams | 3 months |
| 1 - 2 Grams | 2 months |
| 0.5 - 1 g a day | 1 month |
| 0.3 - 0.5 g a day | 3 days - 21 days |
| 0.2 g a day | No t-break needed |
Check out this insightful video on this person's experience with a T-Break.
