Anyone successfully sober up and maintain/improve as a trader?

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Overthehillsntrails

Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask this. I've been trading my own book successfully for about 10 years. Started my day, every day around 5 am with a nice fat bowl of MJ and would re-hit multiple times during work. Now I am trying to sober up, and I am really enjoying it in all but one area: trading.

While I enjoy being more lucid, reconnecting with friends, feeling emotions, what have you outside of work, during trading hours it's horrible. I'm used to taking my feelings and emotions out back and shooting them every morning. It was sooo much easier to trade when everything was numb. I had the patience of a monk. Being able to spot and exploit where people got stuck, through charts or retail sentiment in chat rooms, was second nature to spot and act upon. Now, I'm left with this unfocused, hypersenstive, lack of self control mess I call a brain that likes to chase highs, nervously adds to position in anticipation before the move confirms, and gets shaken out of the lows. Sobriety = I'm the market's *****.

So I guess my question is...it is even possible to sober up and still do this successfully? Has anyone here been able to do so? Or does the brain just change so much that I'm going to have to choose between sobriety and some soul sucking 9-5, or trading and be stoned forever? Any advice or prior experience would be super helpful :)

PS: I'm well-aware aware that with a newly sober brain, my trades, flows are absolute GOLD to fade right now, so don't even think about that approach :p:D
 
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I had to search for "a nice fat bowl of MJ", just to be on the same page. Trading is a business. You need to be focused while working, but also have downtime and get sleep. Best to have hobbies away from your bowl of MJ and trading.
 
Overthehillsntrails said:
Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask this. I've been trading my own book successfully for about 10 years. Started my day, every day around 5 am with a nice fat bowl of MJ and would re-hit multiple times during work. Now I am trying to sober up, and I am really enjoying it in all but one area: trading.

While I enjoy being more lucid, reconnecting with friends, feeling emotions, what have you outside of work, during trading hours it's horrible. I'm used to taking my feelings and emotions out back and shooting them every morning. It was sooo much easier to trade when everything was numb. I had the patience of a monk. Being able to spot and exploit where people got stuck, through charts or retail sentiment in chat rooms, was second nature to spot and act upon. Now, I'm left with this unfocused, hypersenstive, lack of self control mess I call a brain that likes to chase highs, nervously adds to position in anticipation before the move confirms, and gets shaken out of the lows. Sobriety = I'm the market's *****.

So I guess my question is...it is even possible to sober up and still do this successfully? Has anyone here been able to do so? Or does the brain just change so much that I'm going to have to choose between sobriety and some soul sucking 9-5, or trading and be stoned forever? Any advice or prior experience would be super helpful :)

PS: I'm well-aware aware that with a newly sober brain, my trades, flows are absolute GOLD to fade right now, so don't even think about that approach :p:D
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Get a Muse, start meditating daily. Regular sauna’s/cold plunges support the effort.

You have to rewire your dopamine reward system.

I used to self-medicate regularly with cannabis for decades and grew commercially - at some point the costs outweighed the benefits.

Atomic Habits and the concept of identity based change started the process of transfiguration for me. That plus an inspired desire to have a better quality of life. One of the “beliefs” I had to reframe was that _____ was better/more fun when high.

Lucidity is the best high of all, it provides more durable value. It’s a you-with-you experience, without the ménage a’trois of cannabis as necessary to feel unity.
 
Sprout said:
Get a Muse, start meditating daily. Regular sauna’s/cold plunges support the effort.

You have to rewire your dopamine reward system.

I used to self-medicate regularly with cannabis for decades and grew commercially - at some point the costs outweighed the benefits.

Atomic Habits and the concept of identity based change started the process of transfiguration for me. That plus an inspired desire to have a better quality of life. One of the “beliefs” I had to reframe was that _____ was better/more fun when high.

Lucidity is the best high of all, it provides more durable value. It’s a you-with-you experience, without the ménage a’trois of cannabis as necessary to feel unity.
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I appreciate your understanding and experienced response :strong: If I may ask, how long did the dopamine rewiring take for you? Did you take time off trading during this process, or did you gut through it?
 
I find it hard to believe.

Anyway... giving the benefit of the doubt, time might help.
Let your body detox and your brain produce all the natural dopamine that were suppressed by thc.

I appreciate thc in a medical way, like a natural sleeping aid. Are you sleeping well now?

But I do find it hard to believe that your trading was better when dumbed down with hits at 5am...

It sounds like luck, not enough time to sample and proof the difference, or just straight piss taking.
 
%%
I'm hyper sensitive also;
that's why i seldom do more than 2 or 3 cups of coffee.
Its an honor to get a frank reply; you cant really blame MJ or hypersensitivity.
But I do like 2-3 cups coffee, so that most likely helps.
Chase HIGHs in SEPT ??''[Do NOT keep doing that unless you like max max pain]
Add Stock Traders Almanac book to your book case .
To avid more pain than any would\ want NEVER chase SEPT Highs LOL.:caution::caution:
A real good 4th quarter tech trend [NOT SEPT usually] /hard to buy too high ;
with a lot of trend study. I like walking trails also, keep walking + reading.
 
Overthehillsntrails said:
Apologies if this is the wrong place to ask this. I've been trading my own book successfully for about 10 years. Started my day, every day around 5 am with a nice fat bowl of MJ and would re-hit multiple times during work. Now I am trying to sober up, and I am really enjoying it in all but one area: trading.

While I enjoy being more lucid, reconnecting with friends, feeling emotions, what have you outside of work, during trading hours it's horrible. I'm used to taking my feelings and emotions out back and shooting them every morning. It was sooo much easier to trade when everything was numb. I had the patience of a monk. Being able to spot and exploit where people got stuck, through charts or retail sentiment in chat rooms, was second nature to spot and act upon. Now, I'm left with this unfocused, hypersenstive, lack of self control mess I call a brain that likes to chase highs, nervously adds to position in anticipation before the move confirms, and gets shaken out of the lows. Sobriety = I'm the market's *****.

So I guess my question is...it is even possible to sober up and still do this successfully? Has anyone here been able to do so? Or does the brain just change so much that I'm going to have to choose between sobriety and some soul sucking 9-5, or trading and be stoned forever? Any advice or prior experience would be super helpful :)

PS: I'm well-aware aware that with a newly sober brain, my trades, flows are absolute GOLD to fade right now, so don't even think about that approach :p:D
More...

yes.

with commitment and discipline you can do anything. (Even if no one posts an example of someone else doing it)
 
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