As a cannabis enthusiast living in the West Kootenays of British Columbia for the past decade, I recognize how fortunate I am to be surrounded by a level of cannabis acceptance, awareness and advocacy that is unheard of in most areas North of the 49th Parallel.

The laid-back and left-leaning atmosphere coupled with the remote location of my little slice of Pacific Northwest paradise is home to an ideal environmental and social climate that encourages an abundance of both legal and not-so-legal, indoor and outdoor cannabis production, distribution and consumption.

Long before grey-market dispensaries populated almost every small community in the Kootenay Boundary, high quality (as well as questionable quality) cannabis seemed readily available no matter where you wandered.

Like many things I am enthusiastic about that also happen to be easily accessible, such as superb coffee, delicious raw chocolate and titillating Instagram feeds, it becomes challenging to define the line between a healthy balance and blatant overuse. (The definition of which varies from person to person)

While I personally consume cannabis for a myriad of ever evolving reasons, these days, I primarily use it to enhance my daily physical fitness and movement routines. Cannabis helps me to focus on engaging specific muscle groups during yoga practice or weight training and its ability to cultivate breath awareness and consistency is incredible.

Beyond that, it works as a tool for heightened appreciation of my external surroundings, acceptance of my internal environment and brings a deeper level of enjoyment to both long slow distance (LSD) trail running and cycling as well as high intensity interval training (HIIT), that can be hard to muster up on my own accord.

I could probably go on forever, but in short, I think cannabis is the cats meow.

So, can too much of a good thing can actually stand in the way of truly appreciating its benefits?

A Brief Intro to the Endocannabinoid System & How it Works.

Within your body exists the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) responsible for modulating your movement, hormones, sleep, appetite, anxiety, cognition and so much more that we don’t even know about yet!

The ECS contains a multitude of receptor site; places in which cannabinoids that are created internally (endo) or from plants (phyto) can bind. So far, scientists have only been able to clearly identify two main types of receptor sites : CB1r and CB2r.

CB1 receptor sites are located throughout your brain, central nervous system (CNS), connective tissues, glands, gonads and associated organs. Whereas, your CB2 receptor sites are predominantly located within the immune system and the tissues of your spleen, tonsils and thymus gland as well as your gastrointestinal system. CB2r sites also exist in your brain, but to a much lesser extent and on different cells than CB1r sites.

Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, is the principle cannabinoid responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis. THC has the ability to bind to and activate both CB1 and CB2 receptor sites with an exceptional binding affinity to CB1r sites.

As THC binds to CB1 receptor sites in the brain and central nervous system (CNS) it alters your subjective experience of reality, creating the famous feeling of being “high”. Mmm.

However, research shows that with continued, daily use of cannabis, the bodies receptor sites can become dulled and desensitized to the THC molecule. In the scientific field, this is referred to as downregulation.

As the receptor sites become less sensitive, you need to consume more cannabis to have the same effect that less cannabis used to have. This is called building tolerance.

Cannabis Tolerance

Cannabis tolerance is not necessarily a bad thing. The more comfortable you get consuming cannabis, the less the at-first-adverse effects can have on you. For many people this means that the anxiety, memory impairment and lack of coordination that cannabis can sometimes create in the beginning, starts to subside with continued use.

This can be beneficial for medical cannabis patients who rely on the therapeutic effects of cannabis use to moderate and mitigate their symptoms and dis-ease. Cannabis tolerance has other positive repercussions as well, but that’s for another time.

For me, as an almost daily cannabis consumer with a more recreational agenda, an increase in my tolerance means that the efficacy and euphoric effects that I enjoy at the dose that I prefer to maintain, becomes harder and harder to achieve.

Increasing my intake is not only hard on my bank account, but like many other ingestibles, I find it to be taxing on my internal environment to constantly have to metabolize more and more and more cannabis and cannabis infused products.

Thus, every few months I like to take a cannabis tolerance break (aka cannabreak, cannabis break, tolerance break or t-break).

Cannabis Breaks or Cannabis Tolerance Breaks

This article is not intended to be used as medical advice! For those using marijuana as a medical treatment, seek the help and opinion of a trusted medical professional

A cannabis tolerance break is a great way to reset your tolerance and resensitize your receptor sites.

Studies have shown that as little as two days of cannabis abstinence can help upregulate your receptor sites and that even after twenty eight days off, you are still gaining receptor sensitivity. I usually set my sights on anywhere from seven to twenty-one days of refrain, depending on how long it’s been since my last herbal hiatus.

A main reason I love to take cannabreaks is to prove to myself that I can. While there is much debate over the addictive nature of cannabis, I find for myself that I can begin to develop a feeling of psychological dependence, especially during intense emotional upheaval. While cannabis can be a positive tool to help shift perspectives, if I find myself reaching for it as an escape mechanism to the discomfort, this usually signals a good time for me to take a break.

I’m intrigued by the concepts of self mastery and self discipline. Since beginning my personal transformation a few years back, I’m less and less keen on the feeling of reliance on any substances, besides air and water, in order to survive and thrive. Thus, extended and sporadic single-day cannabreaks are an important opportunity for me to exercise some self discipline and reinforce that I will not lose my shit if unforeseen circumstances dictate a forced break.

Short of being a monk, maintaining a state of homeostasis can be hard as fuck. But that doesn't mean you can’t shoot for the stars once in a while. Abstaining from some of the additives we humans ingest on the regular like cannabis, alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and sugar as well as social media, music and mystery meat can give the system a much needed break. Even if it's just for a short stint, the idea of checking in with my unadulterated self has become something to look forward to. How else will I know how far I’ve come?

Besides pain and inflammation regulation during my menses, I mainly use cannabis as an enhancement to my life's adventures. Having experiences and adventures free of cannabis infusion gives me an opportunity to appreciate life as it is and instills a sense of respect, gratitude and profound enjoyment for when I consciously reintroduce cannabis into my lifestyle.

It’s important to note that when you reintroduce cannabis into your system, your tolerance has been affected and less is more. Start slow and low.

Check @triplonger for "How to Plan & Execute a Successful Cannabreak" https://steemit.com/life/@triplonger/how-to-plan-and-execute-a-successful-cannabis-break

Stay Rad,

Ali B