Sugar, chocolate, cookies and cakes.

Exercise & fresh air & sunshine & nutritious food. As a bonus, it costs nothing! Aside from the cost of food which we all need anyway, so might as well spend our money on healthy food instead of the other options.

If you can’t feel joy with substances that means you’re an addict. You need professional help probably.

But speaking more generally, your issue is you think ‘happiness’ is an emotional high you have to chase. What you don’t get is that happiness isn’t some intense feeling of joy… it isn’t. It’s the ability to self-regulate and to stop chasing the highs and the lows. It’s realizing the ‘bland’ feeling is good. You should be feeling bland.

Weed gives me anxiety attacks and I’m allergic to alcohol.

Was a daily smoker for almost two decades and would defend my usage to anyone who suggested it could be a source of discontent in my life. I kicked the booze habit 10 years ago, kicked nicotine a few years after that, but held onto bud for a long time.

I’m almost 4 months sober now from thc and, while the first 1.5 months were shit cause of sleep issues and general system regulation, I’m so happy to be on the other side of it. It started out as tea break, I had some projects I kept putting off and thought I could reset my tolerance and get some motivation at the same time. But now that I’m several months deep, I’m not going back. My life has improved so much, in both minor and major ways.

Every person is different and it’s not my place to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do regarding substance intake. All I can say is, as someone who was dedicated to a substance supported existence for the majority of my adult life, I am definitely, without a doubt, my best self as a sober human.

I feel joy when I play boardgames or tabletop RPGs. With a good table, lots of banter and shit talking happens and that’s perfect.

Never had weed. When I drink, I get more talkative, but it’s a fine line before I get sleepy and depressed

Honestly pretty relatable. I had a bit of a “you’ll shoot your eye out” moment this summer. I got some flower for the first time in a while (it’s mostly a thc drink culture around me) and was smoking daily. For the next couple weeks the thought kept crossing my mind that maybe I should only smoke every other day to keep my tolerance creep slow and prevent what I call “zombie mode.”

I got to meet one of my favorite youtubers whose first video I had watched was this one “On Weed:” https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_pcavwJitC4

We talked a little and I asked if he still smokes. His answer? “Yeah, but only every other day.” To hear him echo the exact thing I had been considering internally really got me. I’ve been a lot better about keeping a day or more between getting high, and I have found that it has helped me enjoy being sober more as I have found things to do while sober, and also increased my enjoyment of getting high as I have more time to look forward to it and a lower tolerance that makes it easier to get to the right level.

I highly recommend it.

I never had weed, but I did drink occasionally. I am seldom sad. I may not always be happy, but I am always peaceful. I cannot offer you advice, but I can tell you what makes me persistently joyful are people. Maybe I would help someone carry a bag, or just smile at someone running, reminding them that they can do it. Just small interactions in my beautiful little city with its beautiful people. Makes me feel a strong sense of identity, like I am invested in everyone’s personal success. It also never makes me feel alone, because if I am suffering, I just think of millions of others who are also suffering. Some are facing bigger and some smaller problems than mine.

Try being more kind to strangers, more generous and more empathetic. This alone has led me to so much peace, that I cannot tell you.

I hope you do well, my friend.

I don’t even feel joy with alcohol and weed. It just shuts off the constantly simmering rage for a while so I can socialize without being a dick.

Alc and thc in the long term both suppress your ability to be happy without them. Your brain gets so use to them that once they are gone it doesn’t know how to maintain your dopamine levels properly.

My biggest advice. It’s ok to be sad, it’s ok to be bored. Infact it’s good to be bored on occasion. It drives passion and energy. Learn to take care yourself. Be gentle when you’re sad, talk with family, exercises, hand with friends. If you’re bored or sad it’s generally your bodies way of telling you that the environment your in needs a change. Being sad or bored or anxious doesn’t have to feel like the end of the world. It takes practice but it’s achievable. You just need to be vigilant and mindful of your emotions

I am in the same boat as you, but I agree with the other comments that say weed will make you ok with anything. Weed has always seemed like a good option for me due to (multiple sources of) chronic pain, but I can absolutely tell that it has affected me negatively over the years. I need a substantial lifestyle change at some point in the near future… I need to reorganize my entire life, and also need to stop being a fat piece of shit.

I transitioned and now life is mostly kinda acceptable levels of bullshit with some very bright spots so… estrogen injections I guess.

I think that when you “poison” your brain with easy dopamine like candy, fastfood, alcohol, drugs, endless scrolling, etc you will shift the internal goalpost of when something feels good. Compared to these easy sources of “joy”, life just isn’t that interesting. The scale changes to the point that normal things cannot longer provide enough jou to be worth it.

Personally I’ve been trying to constrain myself a bit on these easy sources of “empty happiness”. Things that do give me joy without ruining my brain are, among others: running, music festivals, listening to nice music, looking back at something cool I made, making something cool, playing videogames, chilling with friends (though this usually involves alcohol). These things definitely don’t reliably provide joy, Most of the times they’re just “nice” but definitely not amazing. But every now and then I get hit with that dopamine rush and it’s all worth it.

You probably should take at least one year break from it. You will feel like shit for a time, but trust me when you stop using substances you will regain yourself, and your sense of balance slowly. Being sober is not your main problem…

Cravings and the feeling/thought of “just a little bit…”, “it would help me…” will be present later, you have to learn your triggers and what makes you want to do it in the first place… You have to research the topic.

I can tell that you aren’t happy at all when you are high… You might feel it, and belive it…

I won’t tell you what to do or not, but as someone who came out alone from “addiction” mainly smoking weed, but used harder substances too…

Drugs fuk you up… No matter if you’re using harmreduction practices, or just don’t care…

Trust me there will be no need, even for a little bit of it, when you become sober and change your life truly…

You have to find your own way what works for you. Exercise is a good way to start.

It can be your source of strenght, and you can learn so much from yourself, your brain and substances…

It’s better without it. It will get you nowhere good if you continue to smoke, you will never be satisfied if you think that weed makes you happy…

I mean, I don’t, but I didn’t feel joy with them either.

I guess, sometimes there’s a cat to pat.