If you’re among the 12% of American adults who regularly use weed products, you’ve likely heard of a tolerance break before. T-breaks are pretty mainstream within the cannabis-loving community, but many new and avid users alike still aren’t completely sure what they are and why they’re critical to enjoying pot to the fullest possible extent.
Here, we’re going to give you the complete run-down of what a T-break is, how long they should be, and what their many benefits are so that you can have better highs in the future. Read on if you want to boost your weed game and start making the most out of each and every high.
What Is a Tolerance Break?
A tolerance break (commonly known as a T-break) is a purposeful halt on the use of marijuana for a given period of time. The idea is that taking a break will reset the body’s tolerance to THC, the part of the cannabis plant that gives you the mental high that you crave.
This is important because both recreational and medical pot smokers inevitably develop a tolerance to its effects over time. When any substance is taken regularly, you’ll need to take much more of it to get the desired effect- this isn’t only the case with cannabis, but also with other drugs like sleeping pills and painkillers.
While scientists still aren’t clear what happens to the mind and body once tolerance is built, they have taken brain scans that yielded some results. These scans found that those with tolerance to THC have fewer sites in their brain that THC can bind to than non-users.
When this happens to you, your highs won’t be anywhere near as intense as they once were. You’ll find yourself getting frustrated because you can smoke pot or take edibles more than ever before without feeling the way that you want to. If you find this to be a problem, you should take a T-break ASAP.
When Do You Need to Take One?
In addition to taking a T-break when you feel like you need to smoke more for even a small high, there are also other signs that you should take a break.
First, those who are experiencing muddled thoughts and memory problems while sober may need a break from cannabis. Marijuana is a drug that can cause short-term memory loss even when sober. This isn’t a problem for most users, but if you find that you’re having trouble focusing on tasks or are losing things more frequently, it might be time for a break so that you can reset your mind.
You should also take a break if you feel like you’re a less creative person when you’re not under the influence. Weed can definitely bolster creativity- that’s one of the best things about the herb!- but it should feel like a bonus boost after you smoke rather than a necessary step towards feeling creative. Take a little break from pot when you feel like you’re not creative while sober. Your creativity will come back to you really quickly.
Finally, you’ll want to take a T-break when you begin to notice the physical effects of smoking too much. Edibles are awesome if you want to avoid a T-break and this is your only current problem. However, since lung pain and shortness of breath tend to come with other issues if you smoke that often, a breather is probably a good idea (no pun intended).
How Long Should a T-Break Be?
Smoking weed is an extremely individualistic experience. One person may get the same effects from smoking only half as much as another person because their tolerance is different. This means it can be tricky to know how long a break should be.
The first thing to consider is what strain of cannabis you’re taking a break from. Most cannabis that you’ll be getting high from is a Delta 9 strain that has extremely potent effects. Experts recommend a 4-5 week break from weed if you’re using Delta 9 products because it gives your CB1 receptors time to resensitize to cannabis bonds.
However, you can avoid taking long T-breaks by smoking a new strain of pot: Delta 8. While it’s only half as potent as Delta 9 flower and edibles, it bonds with two sets of receptors at once rather than one. This means that the bonds to each receptor are much more calm and gentle than Delta 9 bonds would be.
As a result, Delta 8 users only need to take T-breaks for a week or so. If this sounds appealing to you, get some Delta 8 weed and see how it affects you. Many people find that it energizes them and boosts productivity without messing with their active thoughts and memory, so it’s definitely worth giving a go.
What Are the Benefits of Breaks?
Now that you know what a T-break is and when you need to take one, you likely are wondering what the specific benefits of taking a break are. Here, we’re going to discuss the ways that taking a break from cannabis positively affects your mind and body. Read on to learn some facts that will help frame your break as a way of boosting your health rather than as a time of withdrawal.
1. Longer Periods of Mental Clarity
As we brushed on before, cannabis products have the side effect of impairing your short-term memory. This is especially the case when you’re actually under the influence of marijuana. In fact, it’s probably one of the most fun parts of the highs that you love!
While forgetting and having fun is an awesome idea sometimes, you don’t have much time to think clearly between highs if you’re smoking on the daily (or more). Taking a T-break is a great way to make sure that you have a long interval where you can clearly think without the influence of a mind-altering substance.
During this interval, you can more accurately consider major aspects of your life. Are you happy with where you are? Do you feel fulfilled in your job, relationship, and physical location? While you may not be able to think about these things for long while high, you can consider them during a long period of sobriety.
2. Time to Readjust and Reevaluate
Being able to think about these things at length can set you on a clearer path towards happiness. Not only will you be able to better identify when you’re dissatisfied with your current life, but you also will have time to think about how you can solve your problems. A clear and focused mind can consider career changes, new relationships, and geographical moves better than a high mind can.
You also will have the ability to assess your maijuana use. While pot is an awesome pastime and hobby and a completely unaddictive drug, you can definitely let it spiral out of control. Make sure that you’re using weed because you want to and it’s fun for you rather than trying to cover up some sort of stress or pain.
If this isn’t the case, you can rest assured that your highs are happening for all the right reasons! If it isn’t, though, it will still be good that you took this break because you’ll know that you need to talk to a therapist or psychiatrist (while still smoking recreationally, of course).
3. You’ll Have More Vivid Dreams
Did you know that one of the signs of marijuana tolerance is a lack of dreams?
When you first began using the herb, you likely were in awe by the vivid dreams that you had after smoking. You would see bright colors, interesting images, and fun scenarios, all while feeling that what you were experiencing was 100% real. Over time, though, when your brain got used to marijuana, you likely stopped having these dreams… and then stopped dreaming altogether.
This is unfortunate for a lot of reasons. Dreams can be a lot of fun. They also can tell us things about ourselves that can help us in our waking lives. The consolidate memories and process emotions so that you can make sense of your life.
When you take a T-break, you reset your brain so that it begins to produce dreams again. Even better, when you start to toke up again, you’ll get the same vivid dreams that you once got again. It’s a win-win situation!
4. You’ll Save Some Money
Taking a T-break and lowering your tolerance also has huge financial benefits for marijuana users. Those who have built up a tolerance to pot may need take two (or even three) times as much of it to achieve the same high that they once did. Since cannabis is pretty expensive, this will put a dent in your wallet that’s 2-3 times larger than necessary.
Most people find the break to be completely worth it because it can save them a lot of cash. This money can be used for tons of purposes and stop you from experiencing financial stress. You also can invest it in weed products if you have any left over. Some Delta 8 gummies, a new bong, or some hybrid pre-rolls will be a good treat for the end of your T-break.
Also, because you won’t be purchasing any weed for about a month, you’ll be able to save some money during that time. You don’t need to buy any weed while you’re detoxing and can invest in other hobbies.
5. Higher Effects After Your Break
When your break is complete, you’ll basically be able to start afresh as a new marijuana user. By this, we mean that you’re going to get the same effects as you initially did when you began to spoke or eat your favorite edibles.
This naturally means that you’ll have better highs after a T-break. You’ll get a huge rush of euphoria and have an amazing time if you’re getting high with friends or loved ones. You also will be able to relax and unwind during a solo smoke session as you would have in the days before you built up a tolerance.
In addition to having a more fun time when smoking, you’ll get the better sleep that comes with marijuana use again. This probably will have gone away over time as your tolerance increased, but it’s also one of the first things that you’ll get back. If you want to sleep like a rock again and feel extremely refreshed when you wake up, a T-break might be just what you need.
Many people use marijuana to relieve chronic pain. This is the case for a lot of recreational users as well as those with medical cards. When you take a break from smoking and come back to it later, you’rll get higher-impact pain relief from smoking than you would if you continued to have a high tolerance.
Learn More About Your Next High
Once you decide to take a T-break to get the many benefits of re-introducing both Delta 9 and Delta 8 flower later, it’s time to get more ideas on how you can stay entertained and establish mental clarity during your break. Luckily, there are tons of ways that you can do this. From meditation to mindfulness activities to reading good books, you’ll find tons of ways to pass the time during your T-break.
Check out the ‘mind’ tab on our home page to learn some strategies for focusing, relaxing, and boosting your mental health while sober. This is a great way to make the most out of your break before going back to having fun highs, so do your research and have the best T-break possible!
