Need a T-Break?
When you consume mind or body altering products for a long time (alcohol, caffeine, cannabis), the effectiveness decreases with each use at a certain point. This is due to the human body's incredible ability to adapt. It is a similar experience when you start exercising - at first, your body will be exhausted and sore. However, as you build up strength (or tolerance) you become stronger and your body does not tire as easily. Most long term marijuana users have taken a tolerance (or THC) break at some point and know the benefits that can come with it. However, new users may not have the same understanding or even know when to take a tolerance break! That is where we come in.
What is THC Tolerance? When it comes to THC, your body can develop a tolerance (or adaptation) to the effects, meaning that THC becomes less effective over time. Your tolerance is influenced by a variety of factors from your age to cannabis usage to your metabolism and even method of ingestion. These factors mean that you will develop tolerance at a different rate than someone else. When you consume THC, it is absorbed into the body and works to activate the CB1 receptors in the brain. Exposure of THC to these receptors increases activity within the cells, which is what causes the coveted “high� that most users are after. This is great and all, but the brain likes to run a particular way. This means that with repeated THC use, the brain will actually begin to push back in order to preserve normal CB1 levels. As a result, the brain will reduce the number of CB1 receptors available, which can dampen the effects of THC. Less receptors to bind to, results in less activity and requires more THC to achieve the same effects. This is where a t-break comes in!
How Will I Know To Take a T-Break? Whether you are a long-time smoker or a beginner, knowing when to take a t-break is important to ensure that you are getting the most out of your cannabis. This is not only important to save you from breaking the bank (higher tolerance means you need more THC), but it can also help the THC to work more effectively in the body when you take a break now and again. So how do you know if you need a break? Well, the first hint is if you are finding yourself upping your dosage. Do you now need 50 mg edibles instead of 25 mg? Are you going through your vape pen cartridges faster than before? Are you going through bud quicker than you used to? If you find any of these things are true, it might be time to take a t-break!
Benefits of a THC Break
Cannabis is unique in the sense that it is one of few mind-altering compounds that your brain can recover so quickly from using - which goes to show just how safe marijuana really is. While other recreational compounds such as cigarettes, alcohol and caffeine can take a long time for your brain to recover from (or lose addiction to) cannabis is very unique in the way it works with the brain and the lasting effects. For one, cannabis is a non-addictive substance. According to a 1994 study, it was found that approximately 15% of alcohol users become dependant drinkers. In addition, this study showed that 90% of cigarette smokers are daily users and 55% of whom become dependant1. In fact, nicotine is still considered to be one of the most-addictive substances followed by heroin, cocaine, alcohol and caffeine. Marijuana, while it can be habit-forming, is not nearly as “addictive� as we have been led to believe. This is especially positive when compared to the effects of alcohol, which almost never results in full recovery and can leave residual damage even years after quitting! When it comes to cannabis, one study2 found that a cannabis break can result in CB1 receptors reverting back to normal levels in as little as two-weeks! This, of course, depends on how much 1 http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Henningfield_Benowitz.html 2 https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201182
and how often you use cannabis, but it is very promising data when reviewing any long-term effects of cannabis on the brain and with managing personal tolerance.
Alternatives to a T-Break
If you cannot go without cannabis due to a medical condition or other reason, there are some alternatives to a complete t-break, which many patients might find beneficial. One of the most tried and true is to simply switch the method of ingestion. For customers that are regular cannabis smokers, they ingest the THC through the bloodstream and build their tolerances based on that. If you are a primary edibles consumer, these are processed through the liver and you build your tolerance accordingly. If you are in need of a THC break and are a regular smoker, you can try switching to edibles or distillates for a few weeks. While if you are a regular edibles patient, you can try vaping or smoking as an alternative. As both methods are broken down differently in the body, it can sometimes be enough to improve the effectiveness by changing ingestion methods for a while. If you are a smoker who changes to edibles, you not only give you lungs a break, but your body moves to convert the THC through your liver instead - which can “trick� your body into thinking it is a new substance since the liver converts THC into THC-9, which is more potent. After a few weeks, you can switch back and you should notice an improvement (or rather, decrease) in your tolerance levels. In addition, another alternative to managing the effects of THC is to supplement with CBD, which is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis. While both CBD and THC bind to receptors in the brain, they do so in different ways and seem to have opposing effects on the other. As a result, swapping to CBD for a couple weeks can be a great tool for boosting THC tolerance while still providing much-needed relief.
Buy Marijuana Online FairCannaCare is an online cannabis dispensary that stocks a wide range of marijuana products from flower starting at $2 per gram to shatter starting at $15 per gram, as well as edibles, hash, distillates, CBD and more! FairCannaCare makes it easy to buy marijuana online and provides an affordable alternative to costly cannabis prices. Shop today at www.faircannacare.com Sources: https://www.leafly.com/news/science-tech/thc-tolerance-heres-why-t-breaks-work-so-quickly
https://www.nature.com/articles/mp201182 http://whyquit.com/whyquit/A_Henningfield_Benowitz.html