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The Tea on T-Breaks: Do They Work? Are They Worth It?

It’s okay to be a quitter (at least for a little while).

Image by RDNE Stock Project on Pexels

After using cannabis for long enough, you’ll need more, more, more to get the same high you used to. It’s called building a tolerance. A decent THC tolerance (whether Delta-8, 9, or 10) is great for trying stronger products, but not so great when it becomes impossible for you to get high. That’s where T-breaks fly in to the rescue. Let’s talk about what a T-break is and why people take them. 

What Is a T-Break?

T-break” is shorthand for a tolerance break, meaning abstaining from cannabis for a while. There are several reasons people take T-breaks, and they can last anywhere from a day to several months. 

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How Long Are T-Breaks?

It can vary, but if you’re trying to reset your tolerance, a minimum of 30 days is recommended. That’s about how long it takes for cannabinoids to leave your system. But that depends on how much and often you consume cannabis. If I needed to pass a drug test, I suspect it would take me at least two months to clear my system if I kept a steady diet of cranberry juice. 

Other people might only take a day or two off from weed. This could be enough to partially reset your tolerance, or at least give you some perspective on your cannabis use. Experts often recommend a minimum of 21 days for best results.

Your T-break length depends on your goals, which I’ll discuss next. 

Top Reasons to Take a T-Break

Alrighty, here are the most common reasons people take a tolerance break:

  • To save money
  • To lower your THC tolerance
  • To reassess cannabis use
  • To clear brain fog
  • To stop an addiction

If you’re trying to save money, be sure not to replace one habit with another. If you’re going to replace your evening THC drink with a beer, you probably won’t save much. 

To lower your tolerance, the break needs to be long enough. Like I said, heavy users should take at least a month off. If you’re not a heavy user, a week might be enough. 

The other reasons have to do with changing your relationship with weed. Some heavy users experience constant brain fog, which is not good. Others feel like they can’t live without weed. Also not good. 

How to Take a T-Break

You don’t really need my instructions to take a T-break, but what you might not realize is that cold turkey is not the only option. Here are some other ways you can take an effective T-break:

No More Smoking: If it’s the smoking aspect that you need to step back from, you can switch to only THC gummies, THC drinks, cannabis topicals, and similar products for a while.

Slow and Steady: You can also start your T-break slowly, cutting back a little day by day until you can go a whole 24 hours without it. Try to take lower and lower doses.

CBD Only: For many T-breakers, it’s THC they’re trying to step back from. Consuming only CBD products, like CBD gummies or CBD flower, can help you take a break without breaking your routine.

Ditch the Tobacco: Spliffing, fronting, rolling with Backwoods, or smoking blunts all mean you’re consuming tobacco. If it’s the brown plant you’re tired of, not the green, just switch to an all-cannabis diet.

My T-Break Experience

I’ve been a daily user for longer than I’d like to admit. There were many, many years where I used cannabis every single day, and would feel panicked if I didn’t have access to it (That’s called addiction, kids).

After college, I was feeling uneasy about this dependency. So I took that dreaded T-break. For me, it wasn’t about lowering my tolerance or saving money. It was about proving to myself that I could live without it. I vowed not to touch any form of cannabis for a full week. Gasp!

Well, it ended up being a whole month. Thirty-one days to be exact. After the first week, I was still craving cannabis, and I felt like I hadn’t proved anything. But after the 10-day mark, I could feel myself moving on, like after a sad breakup. 

The cannabis user who started that T-break is not the cannabis user typing this. That one T-break completely changed my relationship with weed — definitely for the better. I love bud, and I use it most days. But I don’t need to. It’s a choice every time, not a compulsion. 

If I go on vacation, I’m not obsessive about finding weed. If I run out of flower, it’s no big deal; I’ll go to the dispensary when I get around to it. And I don’t need to be high for every activity. That T-break merely reaffirmed my love for cannabis, while helping me take a step back and put my habits in a healthy perspective. 

Is it Time for a T-Break?

If you want to save money or reset your tolerance, take a T-break. It’ll likely work, and you can enjoy some savings and a sky-high experience when you start back up again. Trust me, tolerance breaks work if you stick with them.

If you’re contemplating a T-break because you feel like you’re using weed too much or relying on it heavily, please, please, please do it. Maybe you’ll never go back. Maybe you’ll be like me and return with healthier habits. 

I have friends who have been “meaning to take a T-break” for years, but also swear they can stop whenever they want and don’t need it. If that’s you, prove it. Take a brief break. And if/when you come back, get uber-high with these products:

For those returning with a lower tolerance, this Lemonchello THC Seltzer is sure to get you fully baked, with 10mg Delta-9 THC for a breezy, hazy high.

The Dr. Endo Strawberry Rhubarb Gummies contain 20mg Delta-9 THC and 10mg CBG for a well-balanced high that makes you feel like you’re floating.

If you want to get back to smoking after your T-break, this Lemon Cake Sativa Disposable Vape is loaded with THCa to deliver a potent high.