Hello everyone, I quit smoking pot.
It has been a long time since my last blog update, although have been dropping in and posting on the forums. It has been close to 1o months since I began my voyage to rid myself of my marijuana addiction, and it has been quite a ride. I haven’t smoked anything in the last 3 months and am beginning to experience a new feeling of freedom and confidence.
I’ll be honest folks, I really struggled when I first tried to quit smoking. I knew that if I persisted, I would be succesfull. I don’t think that I can define success in the long run – just that each day that I choose not to smoke is a positive one.
I have kept myself very busy during the last 3 months – one of the things that I spent a huge amount of time on was researching marijuana addiction, withdrawal, and struggles facing people like you and I. I will continue to update the site with the best knowledge, help and guidance I can find.
When I started, I didn’t really have a map to help me through the quitting process. Each hiccup along the way was unexpected and stressful. I truly believe that making a plan is a key step to the quitting process. I was lucky enough to stumble upon Gary Evans, the Cannabis Coach and his audio series “The Easy Quit Marijuana Audio Program”. This audio set gave me the plan and motivation to follow through with my goal and remain “weed free” for 3 months now. The first day that I quit, I set the day aside to listen to the entire program, and for a week after, I would listen to it in my car, and when walking in the evening (I highly recommend rigorous exercise in the first few days of quitting). I continue to listen to some sections of the program, like the 6 step method, to reinforce my resolve and behavior.
Stop Smoking Weed Tips
Many people who decided they want to stop smoking weed have no idea where to begin. I want to share with you some of the techniques and tricks that helped me when I got really serious about quitting marijuana. I’ll be honest with you, it can take some work, and some mental strength, but the end result is totally worth it. You may have seen this advice elsewhere on the net….people keep copying the stuff I write on my blog….but this is from the horses mouth!
Set a Date to Stop Smoking Pot.
You need to set a quit date. This is to allow yourself to get totally prepared to quit smoking marijuana. Your quit date should be an actual date. It should not be when your stash runs out, or roughly a week before the next semester of school starts, or next month. It is important to nail down the date. In my personal experience, before I learned to set a date that I would stop, I used to smoke my stash as quickly as possible. I did this because I convinced myself that each bag was my last bag. When my bag ran out, I would buy another one, and smoke it just as quickly, convincing myself that it was also the last bag. Does this sound familiar? I recommend setting your quit date, within one month of the current date. If you wait any longer, you are less likely to follow through with your goal. It is a great idea to set your quit date just before a vacation begins, or other major event. Quitting Marijuana is a lifestyle change. If you attach it to another lifestyle change, you are more likely to be successful.
Understand Why You Are Addicted.
Marijuana addiction is a controversial topic because people fail to differentiate between a physical addiction and a psychological addiction. While marijuana has physical withdrawal symptoms similar to that of cigarettes, it is the psychological aspect of the addiction but most users struggle with. Long-term marijuana smokers are in the habit of smoking pot every day and are used to being in a stoned mindset. While you do not have a physical need for marijuana, you do have a mental need to get high. that’s the tricky thing about it. It’s not that you’re addicted to marijuana, it’s that your mentally addicted to being high. the more we smoke, the more our brains get used to being high, and the more we crave that state of mind. he will go through a mental battle when you stop smoking weed. You need to prepare for battle.
Stop Smoking Weed by Getting Rid of Your Gear
Marijuana smokers have lots of great gadgets. You may want to give all of your supplies to friends, or you may wish to throw them away or break them as a symbol of your resolve to stop smoking weed. Whatever you do, clean your environment so that there is no trace of marijuana or of marijuana related equipment. Cravings are easier to resist when there is nothing immediately in front of you. People will do some strange things to get stoned, including smoking pipe resin, checking the cushions for weed crumbs and roaches, or even digging through the trash to find the last scraps they threw away. I will admit, I have done all of these things in the past.
Be prepared for withdrawal.
Not being prepared for marijuana withdrawal is the number one reason that people fail to quit smoking. If you’ve got a quit date set, you’re already ahead of the game, because you know when you will be going through withdrawal, and you’ll be prepared. Anxiety is very common in the first stages of withdrawal. For example, you have probably been through a time when you just run out of pot and have made plans to get more but it didn’t work out. You are on edge and jittery until you can secure a new supply, or at least get stoned. Multiply this by 10 times, you will have an idea of what the anxiety can be like if you are unprepared to quit for good. Insomnia and loss of appetite are also common in the first week of quitting. Do your research on what withdrawal will be like so that you can be mentally prepared to face these problems when they arise after you quit smoking weed.
Have a Plan to Stop Smoking Weed
Most people can’t quit because they don’t know what to expect, or don’t have a plan. If you want to be fully prepared and successful when you stop smoking weed
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Hi Everyone,
Smoking Marijuana used to be a lot of fun for me, I am not going to lie. But it was a bit of a slippery slope. I don’t know exactly when it happened, but the side effects of smoking marijuana started to become worse than the ‘high’.
I started smoking heavily while I was in university, at around 18 years old. I was able to keep up my grades, and social expectations, but still enjoy a regular smoke…..for a while. Gradually, I started to puff more often, until I was smoking 1/4 oz of fine herb every 4 or 5 days. I would wake and bake, then smoke a cigarette (I wasn’t a cigarette smoker…but I thought it got me more high) first thing in the morning. Then I would chase the high all day.
I carried on like this for YEARS…I was really stuck in a rut.. The marijuana side effects were way worse for my life than the short feeling of the high, and I knew I had to stop smoking weed…When you think about side effects, you probably think about coughing, red eyes, and the munchies…but what about the larger lifestyle side effects of smoking weed?
For me, there was always some anxiety about people finding out I smoked, or being stoned in public. There was also the anxiety of running out. I used to run around my apartment looking for scraps in the cracks of the coffee table, couch cushions, and on the floor. There was also the $20,000 or so dollars I spent smoking weed. That’s a down payment on house….or a brand new car. My health suffered, partly from smoking, partly from being lazy, because that’s what happened when I got high.
I have gained some perspective in the last 6 months. I don’t really identify with the ‘the person I was’ when I was such a heavy smoker. Don’t get me wrong, I know that was me, but I am kinda embarassed about it. I have friends from that point in my life who only know me as a stoner, and that’s a label no one wants. To my close friends, I have made some apologies, because I wasn’t holding up my side of the friendship like I do now…luckily they have given me the opportunity to prove it. Who would have thought that long term marijuana side effects would be losing friends….it happens.
If you can relate to this, and are still smoking, there are a few things I want to tell you. First off. You CAN do it! Second, think of the weed side effects that you have…and don’t think of just the red eyes and stuff…think of your lifestyle, and if this is the lifestyle you want to keep on living. Personally, I needed to quit weed if I wanted to progress as an individual. I know it sounds a little corny….but it’s truth.
One thing that I recommend is the ‘Cannabis Coach‘. It’s a 5 part audio program that can helped me clear out some of the mental chatter in my head, and really commit to quitting weed. I was pretty private about my addiction, so it was listening to the program helped to keep me accountable.
Leave me some comments if you have specific questions. I do my best to answer them.
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Welcome to the Marijuana Addiction Recovery Website. This site is here to help YOU quit smoking marijuana!
Do you want have a New Years resolution to quit weed in 2009? Keep Reading!
I started this site in November 2007 as a tool to help me learn how to quit smoking weed and overcome my addiction to marijuana. When I started this blog, I had NO IDEA that there were so many people out there that were going through the same situation that I was….stuck with an addiction that snuck up on them and without anywhere to turn or anyone to talk to. Let’s face it, most people don’t believe that marijuana is addictive, because for them it isn’t. The truth is, marijuana CAN BE ADDICTIVE. It can and does wreck peoples lives. It put my life in a stoned holding pattern for close to 10 years! If you are struggling with an addiction to weed, want to quit, or want to help someone, this site is for you!
I have quit smoking weed for good! I am very proud of this accomplishment and feel like I am finally getting my life together. I can’t be a casual smoker. If I had pot, I would be stoned until it was gone…..and I could always find more. My addiction to weed cost me more than $20,000 in 9 years that I was a daily smoker. That’s a lot of cash. More importantly though, I lost friends, opportunites, self respect and self control. It’s been a long journey, but I am getting to know the old ‘ME’ again, and I like it!
As of January 2009, the focus of this site has changed from me blogging about quitting marijuana to helping people learn how to quit smoking weed. When I decided I wanted to quit smoking weed, I was lost. If you read my old blog post from the beginning, you will see that I failed a bunch of times before I was able to quit. It was an emotional rollercoaster…but I was committed. I never gave up…even when I had smoking marijuana relapses.
Learn the Secrets of How to Quit Marijuana! The first secret is to totally committed to Quit Smoking Marijuana. NEVER GIVE UP IN YOUR MIND. Each time I smoked, or went back to my old ways, I learned a little bit about my addiction, and about myself. I have fallen into all the traps. Through research, trial and error, and a lot of help from Cannabis Coach Audio Program, I was able to put it all behind me. I wish I had the program in the beginning, it would have made things WAY easier for me. With it, I finally learned How to Quit Smoking Marijuana. The Cannabis Coach program was a savior for me. With it, I finally cracked the code and learned how to quit smoking weed for good!
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Are you trying to quit and going through Marijuana withdrawal?
You are not alone. Many heavy weed smokers go through some form of withdrawal when they haven’t smoked recently. This page describes the physical and psychological symptoms of withdrawal from marijuana. I should know – I smoked weed for close to 10 years before I learned how to kick my addiction to marijuana. Knowing what to expect will help you succeed!
How Long Does Marijuana Withdrawal Take?
Most people who experience marijuana withdrawal symptoms get them between the second and tenth day of quitting weed. Symptoms can last for up to a month in some people. The most intense withdrawal period will be the first week to ten days after you quit smoking marijuana. Different symptoms will resolve themselves at different rates.
Remember that each day the negative symptoms will decrease until you are physically and mentally free from THC! When you know what to expect, you will be well equipped to deal with it!
Marijuana Withdrawal Anxiety
The most common symptom of withdrawal is a low grade anxiety. Although not severe, this feeling is not easily remedied by through distraction or just thinking happy thoughts. In my opinion, the anxiety felt when detoxing from weed is a combination of fear of being sober, and desire to return to a stoned state of mind. It’s almost like your mind is saying “Things aren’t normal, I don’t like this new state”. As you become accustomed to not smoking and the new state of mind, the anxiety will fade.\
Insomnia, Sleeping, and Dreaming
Whenever I quit smoking weed, I would always have disturbances in my sleep. In the beginning the insomnia can be quite severe. The worst for me was about 4 hours sleep in 60 hours. I have heard of some people sleeping less than 5 hours every night, but the worst of the insomnia symptoms tend to disappear about a week after quitting.
The dreams that you experience during marijuana withdrawal can be very intense and vivid, and many people (myself included) have had crazy end-of-the-world nightmares. When you smoke a lot of pot, you tend not to dream as much, or at least not remember them, so getting used to dreaming and interpreting dreams takes some time. I have found that my dreams stabilize after about a month, and the bad dreams subside within the first couple weeks.
Change of Appetite and Weight Loss
Another common marijuana detox symptom is the lack of an appetite. I have met a couple people who need to smoke before they eat. When they quit smoking, they don’t have the desire to eat. It’s almost like they needed the munchies to eat food.Let’s face it, marijuana withdrawal stresses the body out, and when you get stressed, you can lose your appetite and lose weight. The weight loss has got to be the best benefit of detox!
Cures for Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms
The best cure for Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms is time and patience. Having a plan to get through the withdrawal and avoid relapse is also one the keys in learning how to quit smoking marijuana. One thing that really helped me get through the withdrawal and cravings was the Cannabis Coach Easy Quit Audio series by Gary Evans. It guided me through first couple of weeks and gave me exercises to remove some of the stress from quitting.
Hello,
Its been a couple weeks since I posted, things are going fine, I was on vacation, and have been busy with work / business projects. I will be back the blog this week as time allows. For times like this, I created the forums so that everyone could interact, please check them out. You can register for the forums by registering for the blog or by clicking here.
Because I am sure you all are wondering, I have smoked 3 times in the past two weeks, and haven’t smoked since Friday. Haven’t bought it at all!
<h1>How Do I stop smoking weed?</h1>
I slipped up again and smoked last night. This was the first relapse in a long time —-more than 3 weeks. Over the last week I had been drinking more than I normally do – well more than normal when I was smoking pot multiple times per day. I ended up having about 5 beers last night, then smoking a bowl.
I knew I didn’t *want* to smoke weed, but I decided to follow everyone out. I knew I didn’t want to smoke, but I joined the circle. I knew I didn’t want to smoke weed, but I lit up and took a puff, and held that smoke down for what felt like an eternity. The act of smoking was so a release, almost like peeing after holding it too long. For a few brief moments, I enjoyed myself.
Reality hit pretty hard, I had just broken a great sober streak, and now I felt like shit. I was stoned, paranoid, and depressed, so I went home and sat alone and stared at the wall for about an hour. When I tried to stop smoking weed in the past, every time I slipped up, I felt like it was the end of the world, sunk into a depression, and got ridiculously stoned for weeks. When I hit rock bottom, I would try to quit again.
I am always learning and learned a lot from my previous attempts to kick the habit. Somewhere in my mind, at some point, last night, I made a decision to smoke pot. I am still thinking heavily on this to see if I can find the exact point, so that I can identify and avoid it in the future. Did I get drunk to have an excuse to smoke, did I drink because I couldn’t smoke. Did I go out with friends, with the knowledge that weed would be around, and I might stumble upon it? I am still on the bandwagon, and my resolve has not changed. Last night may have made it even stronger. The guilt I felt from smoking completely ruined the experience, and I don’t want to go through all the negative feelings I get when I smoke weed.
How do I quit smoking weed? One step at a time. I had some clarity last night (amazing despite the beer and weed), it made me realize that this is a major process to undertake - and will take time. I can’t just quit smoking weed, I have to change my entire lifestyle to be substance free if I really want to succeed.
For the first timers at the site, a guest has been posting with some excellent and insightful comments and questions. He / She goes by “anonymous.”
Anonymous had an excellent comment on my last post:
__________________________
I’m not a psychologist or therapist, but…
To the casual observer, it appears that you’re swapping one mind-altering substance for another.
Having worked in the addiction recovery field, it’s quite common.
At least you realize the folly of avoiding booze, or at least drunkenness. Honestly, if you’re trying to get life on track, I firmly believe that a period of unaltered consciousness (i.e. NO mind-altering substances whatsoever. If you stay 100% clean for a period of time, you can have mental and emotional clarity to deal with whatever issues you have in life that bring about the need or desire to “get f***d up”.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, meth, PCP, LSD, Valium, or cough syrup. They all tweak your mind in some way, shape or form. Stay away from them all in order to get your life on track. At some point, perhaps you will be able to apply some moderation and enjoy a temporary altered state of consciousness.
Perhaps not.
I have a couple questions, though…
In your eyes, is drinking acceptable and smoking marijuana not acceptable simply because of the legal status of one over the other?
Why did you choose to quit smoking pot and not quit drinking?
Have you truly analyzed the unmanagibility in your life and traces it back specifically to marijuana? How are you so certain it’s not alcohol bringing these ills to fruition in your life?
————————————————————
Yes there have been long periods of time where I didn’t drink, but still smoked pot. I smoked pot on a regular basis, before I ever drank on a regular basis. I would say I have never ‘craved’ drinking like weed.
Drinking is acceptable, within moderation.
Smoking pot is acceptable within moderation.
Consuming or doing X is acceptable within moderation.
Failing the ability to moderate is the problem….it has shown up with marijuana…and truthfully, to a lesser extent alcohol.
With alcohol, I can flip a switch and stop for the evening, or for the year…..marijuana has eluded me in that fashion…but I am working on it.
The unmanagability is due to the long term stoner mindset that aquired, rather than the need to go drinking.
Hey Y’all,
I have been really busy in the last week. I am working on the site almost everyday, but many of the changes, you just can’t see! The week has been good – I have stuck to not smoking pot, but have drank quite a bit of booze this week, and I haven’t gone to the gym. Drinking became a reason for relapse thelast time I quit, so I need to stick away from getting drunk, and that whole bar scene.
Now that I haven’t smoked in a while, I can see clearly what my life has become, and how I am unhappy about it. I feel like I have a HUGE amount of work to do in order to achieve the life I want to live. Dope always held me back, but now I feel like I have about 10 years of work to do in 2 or 3! I haven’t had a girlfriend in about a year, don’t have a lot of friends outside of the bar, and am broke! This is better than rock bottom though, I am rising up…..and I have a girl in mind.
In reading the comments on this blog, many people have different ideas as to what Marijuana addiction means on a personal, and cultural level.
Many people here are personally affected by marijuana addiction and abuse. Some suffer themselves, and others suffer indirectly through family members or friends abusing cannabis.
Culturally, we seem to express marijuana addiction as a “lesser addiction” than many of the “hard drugs” like cocaine, heroin, or pcp. Because of the different symptoms and behaviors compared to other addictions, the hazardous effect of marijuana is sometimes downplayed. Many believe that marijuana addiction simply doesn’t exist – it certainly causes backlash and disbelief.
I would like to get everyones personal view of marijuana addiction. This topic is currently being discussed in the Marijuana Support Forums. You can go directly to Defining Marijuana Addiction. OR
Click Here to Register for the Forums
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