If you’re using marijuana regularly, doing some research on detox methods is essential. It won’t be easy without professional help, but you can recover and feel better; it just takes time.

The first step is stopping the use of marijuana. Throw away all your stash or share with a friend if you don’t want to throw it out—remember those high THC levels? You want someone else to take responsibility for now so you are free from temptation. The next step is sticking to busy activities like running errands or getting back into school to keep yourself occupied and not dwelling on withdrawal symptoms.

The next step is to plan for the marijuana detox process. There are many ways to get through this, including taking medications such as phenobarbital, but none are fun, and most are hard on the liver. The ones that people usually take are benzodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan), which tranquilize the mind while they leave the body intact. These typically require a higher dosage or more prolonged use to be effective. You may be able to get off one if you take it long enough beforehand and get off of it right away afterward. It could also be that you can’t get off of Valium or Xanax, but you should at least try to keep from using them because they are addictive and will leave your body in terrible shape if you don’t use them.

The next step is to drink a maximum of about two gallons a week. This can be difficult for someone with an addiction to alcohol or food because it may increase the desire for alcohol or junk foods, so it’s best to stay away from these things until after detox has been completed. Plan ahead if you’re going out with friends and want to imbibe before detox! Seek help from family members if you can’t make it through the day without partaking in some liquid comfort.

You should keep a journal or diary of how you feel throughout the process. This means that even while using. You can record how strong or weak you feel, how many times you get up in the night, how much your appetite changes, and even how many times per day you urinate. If this seems too hard of a task, just write down what is going on in your head—how do you feel? Happy? Depressed? Angry? Frustrated? What are your thoughts about using it again? Be specific.

The next step is to stay busy because this is when thoughts about addiction invade the psyche the most. Just keep yourself occupied with things that don’t involve drugs or alcohol.