This is Part #2 of a 4 part series on Reasons to Quit Marijuana.
As stated in Part 1, I believe that it is a great idea to create an inventory of all of the reasons that I want to quit smoking weed. This servers 2 purposes: To clarify the negative effects of marijuana addiction in my life, and to use as a reference guide when I crave smoking pot, and think about relapsing.
The Negative Psychological Effects of Marijuana:
Motivation: Smoking pot heavily makes me super lazy. I struggle to get the most basic tasks, like housework done on time. I was always a procrastinator, but smoking pot and being a procrastinator is a horrible combination. This has been called A-motivational syndrome. I need to focus some research on a motivational syndrome.
Concentration: I can’t get in, and stay in ‘the zone’ very well when I am high on marijuana. I am become easily distracted and struggle to get tasks finished. I used to be able to work for hours without noticing the time go by. I now glance at the clock every few minutes and work feels like more a chore than way I have been sober for a few days or more. Sometimes I fade out when people are talking to me and I begin to daydream, or just shut down altogether. This had never been an issue in the past.
Memory Lapses: I forget things. Wallet, Keys, clothing, important dates, birth dates, names of people I was just introduced to, or the fact that I was just introduced to them. Smoking marijuana seems to affect my ability to transfer thoughts or ideas from short term – to long term memory.
Stress: Forgetting things, being late, falling behind, and being anxious and paranoid all of the time is stressful. I am sure you know what I do to relieve the stress. This really is a vicious cycle. I also have to hide this part of my life from coworkers and family which can cause a of stress as well. There is also the fear of being busted by the police, going to jail, or having to deal with sketchy dealers. I don’t like people to know I am stoned in public, so I stress out if I think they do know.
Mood Swings: There is the joy of scoring, and rolling up a fresh spliff, the anxiety of almost being out of weed, the anger and frustration of not being able to find a hookup and many other rollercoaster rides. There is an emotional high knowing you are going to get high, and a low after you are high, knowing you don’t want to do it anymore. I sometimes feel empty when I can’t find anything and am completely out of pot.
Depression: For me, I feel depressed because I eat terribly, break promises to myself, and am highly stressed when trying to maintain an addiction and normal life. When I fall behind and procrastinate, I feel like shit. Keeping busy is the best way for me to break this mindset. When I eat well, exercise and don’t smoke, I feel great. I am usually a positive person, and make sure that my inner monologue is positive as well.
Anger: I feel angry when I am not in control of when, where, and how I smoke weed. I also feel angry and anxious if I have weed, but am doing an activity other than smoking it. This has been a struggle in relationships when I would rather get out of bed, and get stoned, than cuddle up with someone for the rest of the night. I have resented people for interfering with my addiction.
See Also
Part 1 Physical Reasons to Quit Marijuana
Part 3 Reasons to Quit Marijuana – Relationships
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I’ve been smoking since I was 15 years old, i first smoked with a few buddies and loved it. As time went on, I smoked more and more often at friends houses until i eventually started buying bags. I would take about a month off sometimes when i was broke, still smoke at my friends basement and i really enjoyed it all the time. Life was really good. But ever since my senior year, things took a turn for the worse. I still smoked just as often, actually even more then normally. I started realizing that I did not like the feeling of being high anymore, because every time I smoke I have increased feelings of social anxiety, depression, and realization that I’m going nowhere with this habit. I recently started working at Taco Bell after graduation and I’ve been smoking to deal with how horrible the job is, using the money to buy more bags. But just today I went camping and took Magic Mushies. What an experiance.. I was having a great time. But nearing the end of the trip I got madly depressed and wanted to kill myself, and realized how horrible my life was.. I pulled through and realized that marijuana is not for me at all. We all threw our weed into the fire, smashed our pieces and began a new lifestyle. I came home and found this site and its great to see people with the same problems as myself. I can’t wait to get clean, and start getting reconnected with society.
i am 20. i have been smoking every day since i was 18.
i love marijuana. it makes my life bearable. it makes great things greater and it makes terrible things not so terrible.
i know that according to this and many other websites’ definitions of “marijuana addiction,” i am addicted to it. however, i feel as if i will quit when i have to.
i have a 3.4 GPA at a pretty respectable private college. i play rugby. i have a lot of good friends – some smokers, some non-smokers. life has its ups and downs but overall, it’s alright. it would be a lot easier if weed was legal.
good luck to all of you. i hope you get however straight you want to be and don’t look back. peace.
Hi all, Im 33… and a chronic smoker for ..hmmmm since 16… A habit that lost me a beautiful x-wife, friends, and alot of ppl who ever meant anything to me…. It all started when I was under-age partying at a pub in Bangkok, a waiter offer to share a spliff and that was that……because of what my folks does, we had to travel extensively around the globe ever since I was born, but this did not deter my pot habits to say the least. Everywhere I lived there was either weed or hash…(USA, AUSTRALIA, ISRAEL, ITALY, THAILAND, BAHRAIN, INDIA, etc. etc) and some countries with zero tolerance on drugs : (even had to smuggle the shit btw my butt cheeks coz I was too afraid I couldnt get stoned in the Middle East for the week that I was there!!) How dumb was that?!?!>>>I’d could have been jailed for years, but that didnt stop my fear of not being able to function properly if I was sober… what a loser!!!
Today, If ppl would have to judged me from the outside, they would say that I have everything a 33 yrs old man could ever want with all the trimmings… only if they knew how freakin miserable i feel inside….Im still smoking.. resenting but still smoking… I have all the symptoms you all have but whats the remedy??? I want a quick fix, but I know I will take alot of courage and dedication… something I’ve lost a long long time ago… good luck to all (Great motivational site)
I’m 21 , Work full time and go to Comunnity College at night.
I took my first hit at 14 and begun heavily (0.5 grams least) on the daily
Since 18. Iv tried quittin many times but my theory of “Cutting Back” slowly
Eventually failed me.
I now stand with my last Gram of kush and a serious attempt to end it there.
I have delt with all these symptoms from isolation to the anxiety attacks
And even feel as if I lost a bit of respect I once held fro my peers as
I eventually grew to include weed in every social event we held.
Its like every thing I did made it a reason to smoke. I’d wake up and
Knowing I had a stash at work just waiting for me would motivate me to
Get gowing..my walk to the train station would call for a little splif.
And the idea of class for 2hrs would mean a couple bowls to “concentrate”.
Speaking freely..I feel ugly now..I have bags for Two years now..my face looks sucked from losing
Weight out of choosing to spend that time getting stoned insteaD..
I can’t be creatively artiststic as I once used too..I’m just in that faze
Were I ask my self ” Why am I stiLl smoking?” after taking that first hit
From a long desired blunt..
I will post my daily symptom as of today..its lunch time at work and
I am goin to go pack a bowl..this is now my help to quit weed smoking.
Stay tuned to True Life in Effect..Ace Boogie Quits Kush..My documentary..
So I just smoked 0.5 g..3 bowls on a peach:mrgreen:
I feel mentally high for the moment..I expect it to last
at least 15 mins. After Which ill begin to experience
Cotton mouth..luckily I have A coca coal next to me..
So due to the time ScAle I couldn’t afford to some the
Remaining half grAm..
WhAt to do…?
First up what a great site. I can relate to most of what is spoken about in the pyscological effects section as a matter a fact in all four sections (except for the improved night vision).
Im 28, smoked for 10 years, 7 of which have been chronic daily use. Only the past few months have I looked to the Internet for advice and blogs and this has been the best website to date.
I find it tough to quit for alot of the same reasons stated by admin, however, I set a date for 30 years old but hey I have broken that many promises to myself this may not happen. One thing is for sure, my lungs are being punished. I thought in my 20s I couod do just about anything and recover in my 30s… a dangerous way to think but fair? In saying this my life is coming to a point now where I need to learn the art of moderation quickly or ill be forced to give up something I reall really enjoy.
Looking into the future and making choices now before anything gets worse is very hard for me to do.
Hello there. Been smoking weed for years on end (7 to be exact). Cycles of marijuana never seem to end or change. I really want to quit and will attend some MA meetings soon.
I wanted to talk about another psychological aspect not mentioned here. That is MENTAL IMBALANCE. Without the aid of a drug, we can usually go about our day with an air of confidence and somewhat concentration (average human concentration span is STILL 6 sec though heh) BUT, I have noticed that with the aid of MJ that thought patterns seem to be more emotional and negative at times. Sure you can easily have fun, but I find that being angry, when given different situations, can be blown out of proportion. It has almost ruined all of my relationships. I never used to get so angry.
I believe these habits lead to miserliness because when we are not high, our negative habits and emotional states are still guided by marijuana and the personality it has built for us. It just seems more and more that I look at everything with a “glass half empty” type mindset.
Also, just one more idea to through out there (sry, I like discussing this and have a lack of ppl to do so).
It seems that in the world where all our feelings and choices are subjective that when we use MJ we automatically take that moment as being euphoric, if only maybe for 15 minutes. This high only seems to decrease joy in all other activities because if there is a high, there is definitely a low. Because there is nothing but weed that can bring your physical and mental existence into such a state of euphoria, all other activities that don’t contribute to that shortstate of happy-feeling get sidelined. I can make a personal list here: school, school work, friends, studying abroad, bettering myself, meditating, reading, progressing…
It just seems to me very interesting this mental phenomenon of smoking and how in this world of polar opposites, good and bad, happy and sad, that marijuana creates such a wide gap between happy and sad that there is no middle ground to do something new.
I realized this when I broke down the other day crying. Nothing special, just days on end of smoking, negative states arising, than a breakdown realizing that I felt so crappy, “low,” because of all those times of feeling “high” with the aid of MJ. If only I remove MJ out of the equation, will I begin to see everything in a more calm and emotionally stable way.
very good stories on this site.. it seems that marijuana totally has different effects on people.. for instance, in my 15 years of chronic smoking i have learned that if a person is gloomier than your average feel good Joe, the weed will bring him further into his own personal hell. because that’s what it did to me for so long.. its like i was addicted to my pain.. on the other hand when i see happier people that smoke weed, they get all goofy and giggly.. this never happens to me…
This is me….. I will smoke weed and focus on everything negative in the world and how everything works in harmony to achieve misery.. its like an uncontrollable obsession.. i read between the lines far too much when high and I’m somehow gravitated towards the negative that can be found in everything (if you look hard enough).. its not that i particularly like hating the world and everyone in it, but when I’m high that’s what happens.
Anger is another big issue.. not so much that weed will make you hulk out and tear someones limbs off… its more like a self loathing sensation for doing the same thing over and over even though it is far from the ideal feeling… also great guilt for all the times i have ditched people to stay in my safe home and smoke weed like a ambitionless dead beat that found it hard to be happy for anyone..
Anxiety is the most crippling side effect i have experienced.. i can have plans for a week in advance but then cancel them in a second if i smoke before its time to go.. its partly due to the laziness that weed gives, and also the lack of interest to go out and try to be happy with people, when im not. especially when high… hardly anyone i know is really happy, but for me weed makes it impossible to even fake it..
it would be smart to consider psychosomatic effects associated with weed too.. the mind is very powerful no doubt.. positive thinking can really change your life almost instantly.. so imagine what years of intense negative thinking can do, how it could change you.. think about stress related hair loss, or ulcers due to stress.. these are psychosomatic effects… if you’re always stoned, anxious, avoidant and negative, nothing good will become of you. you will have the scowl of bitterness on your face and most people read that well.. especially women and it makes it very easy for them to cancel you out off the bat.
anyways, i have quit weed in the past and saw incredible benefits in my life.. more social, easy going, generally happier and motivated to be active.. and open to love… i fell in a rut and turned to weed when i shouldn’t have.. been smoking for six months again and my life has gotten almost unbearable. I’m feeling all the feelings i mentioned above again.. and its 100% due to weed..
my advice to anyone trying to quit is, go buy a quarter of weed and smoke it all as fast as you can.. you will make yourself sick of it and you will feel the need to purge your body from it.
FOR ME
===============================================WHEN I SMOKE
#spend less money in total,(just for pot)
#smoke less cigarettes
#rarely drink alcohol
#watch more TV
#dont read books
i#ts hard to get things done
#all people seem stupid and i dont even bother talking to them(except fellow potheads)
#live an “adventure”with your mates every time u go to buy it
#watch more porn
#sleep like a brick
#unable to wake up early
#enjoy food more
#lose weight(because i skip meals(too high to get up and make something to eat))
#psycholigical problems
#everything is harder to do and takes more time(try connecting the cables behind ur computer under ur desk while stoned)
dont care about shit
===============================================WHEN I QUIT
#spend more money (on alcohol,going out,going to the movies,buying stupid shit…..)
#smoke more cigarettes(every time i think of smoking pot)
#increased alcohol consumption
#cant watch TV(it seems comletely retarted)
#read books
#its hard to sit around doing nothing
#socialize with more ppl
#more chances of getting a girl
#see dreams(mostly horrifying nightmares)
#gain weight(3meals a day,alcohol etc)
#psycholigical problems
#easier to do things and get things done
#care about everything too much
well where do i start, im 23 yrs old and ive been smoking since 15, and ive been fired from every job ive had in my whole life cause of weed( NO BULLSHIT). Im looking for a job now AGAIN and i think that now im finally quiting for good cause im just sick and tired of my lifestyle. Im married with no kids and all the money i can find daily goes to weed just to cope with my stress. And then finally when i get a job interview i call my homeboi up to get some clean piss for the test, i get there and they saliva test me. when that happened my whole world came crashing down (ONCE AGAIN). I dont know how im going to do this but im going to quit smoking one way or the other. theres just alot easier roads to take to get somewhere then just the rocky road just because its funnier. I hope ive help someone with this because weed cures alot of things but not the things you WANT internal. This is coming from a guy thats means no harm to this world, but a guy that learned how to be happy in MY OWN WORLD.
THIS IS MY TESTIMONY
and as of right now im weed free.
I never got into MJ very much, just smoked sometimes with friends, maybe 20 times in my life I dont know exactly. I want to say that it is a good thing to post your experiences here online, because I know how it is to get high on that stuff, and sometimes when life seems low one thinks “yeah, that will make me happy”, but then I realise, “no”.
I think that the best drugs in our life are the natural ones, like making sport to the point there you feel realy great. Having a wonderful relationship, just holding a girl in your arms and feeling that love. I also feel that food can change your mood, and I dont feel like condemening any drugs, the problem with them is, they all have negative sideeffects. I laugh hard then I am stoned (but at some points it felt unnatural and forced), but I laughed the same hard when I wasnt (and never took it before), all I needed was to be loved and to have a better lifestyle. Also from what I read and experienced, its like having a good time without having done something for it. I think that if it wouldnt have negative sideeffects and the high would just be there to help to cope with negativity it would be great, the evil thing is, it seems its just an illusion.
I have been smoking for about 28 years,
more than half my life.
I have recently started to have phisical issues as a result, I think, or that’s my peranoia maybe. The fact is I hate it but I can’t stop it seems. I buy it then I flush it. I never in my life thought it would be the ruler of me but yet i look in the mirror and see an addict, I have ask my god to intervine, to give me the power to help me stop this madness. They say it’s not addicting, they say that is has no lng term health effects, BULL ____! This is my first time I have reached out to anything or anyone to say HELP, I WANT IT TO COME TO AN END. Its time for me to put away childish things and grow up. I had my college days and it’s over, it’s time for my duties as a provider, boss, partner, husband and FATHER to be first and formost in my life and those around me. It;s half time in the big game and POT has put me down 500K to ZERO!. With the power of God and the determination that is deep inside me I can still win, be the person the people around me think I am, the person i want to be. Im waking up in the morning to a new day, a new me, and new way to look at life and where I am and where i want to go and how Im going to get there
To god I give you me, to all others, take the POT and smoke it yourself, I don;t want it any more!
excellent site. it’s obvious the stories are from the heart, i can relate to many of them. have been weed-free for 3 years but lately, due to some tough circumstances, i have been wanting to smoke. but 3 yrs ago, i left notes on my dealers doors and cars saying if they sell to me again, i will call the cops on their illegal activity. i know that sounds awful, but the stuff was killing me. and anyway, it’s illegal, so i didn’t really do anything wrong. it’s like telling someone if you murder me, i will take steps beforehand to ensure you are caught. or something like that. can you tell the weed kinda fried my already small and feeble brain? anyway, i have read the site thru and thru and there’s so much to relate to. i totally understand the folks talking about needing to smoke before every little thing, about quitting and then looking for grains of weed in the carpet, spending everything on it, being a recluse, paranoid, depression, the whole shebang. was there and did it all and now 3 yrs later, i still miss it. the thing is, if you smoke a blunt after a years-long absence which i recall doing now and then in the nineties and later, the high is mind-blowing. but then the second blunt a few hrs later, is like soooooo much less amazing, though still good. but then after seven more days of that crap, it’s back to the usual “smokin just to feel normal, and not good”. anyway, thanks so much for the site, it’s a real treasure and i’ll use to continue my sobriety journey from year 3 where i am now into a permanent, weed-free existence and hopefully happy life. i just wish life weren’t so damn boring. i ain’t got shit going on in my life, that’s the problem.
Hello reader, like myself you’ve probably attempted to quit mary-jane with desperation so deep as to surf the web for answers.
I quit smoking pot 2 years ago. After 3 or 4 half-hearted attempts I made up my mind to DO it this time. No more ‘picking up pamphlets on the long-term physical and psychological effects’ that I would skim through and hide in my dresser. No more complaints to friends (who were running around in the same circles) that I hated smoking it but wished I could quit. I’d been smoking it since grade 11, then daily since my 20th year on this planet. I stopped the cycle the year I turned 42-that’s 22 years of lighting up. The ‘fun’ was long gone. I couldn’t laugh without coughing and always had ‘colds’. Psychologically, I was a mess most of the time- anxious, depressed, distant, irritable, confused, forgetful. I took my pipe almost everywhere- even to Europe in ’92, back-packing -on a plane and through security, how stupid was THAT? I remember having my packed pipe in one hand, my lighter in the other, a bottle of beer at my crotch and driving with my elbows on a country road. Then I flipped the car and landed right-side up in the ditch on the opposite side of the road. Very intelligent. It was another 9 years before I stood up to myself and got my life back. For those of you who are wondering if it really is worth quitting : IT IS! I may be a stranger to you but I speak the truth. I got it all back : my memory, my sense of humour, my health, my self-respect, my quiet strength. Now I’m there for the people I care about, in the mirror I can look myself in the eye, I’m (my cynical, old self would laugh at this) Happy.
I should say that I didn’t just snap my fingers and quit the damned pot, I got help. 22 years is a lo-ong time to subject one’s self to something like that. I knew there were psychological, if not physical, aspects that needed to be addressed. In New Brunswick, Canada, we have a new and excellent Substance Abuse program- no praying, no daytime talk show-type blatting, no drama. Just sensible reason. Check it out in your city or town. Or use the ‘net to keep yourself inspired should you decide to put using behind you. Peace.
Right now I’m considering quitting pot. I watched the movie “the Union”, I know it’s not all bad. But I admit I abuse it. I smoke it daily. The first thing I think of when I wake up is when will I get high? 12.. 2.. later tonight,.. maybe all three? My mind is obsessed with smoking it, I’m never quite satisfied doing anything unless I’m high. I’m less productive when I’m high, versus times when I am not high.
I quit smoking over four years ago after smoking for ten years. That wasn’t too bad, because tobacco is useless and the only reason you smoke it is that addiction. But cannabis always had a different ring to it. It’s grown organically, it gets you high, relaxes you, number of medical benefits and a list of side effects that seems to be narrowing as more research is done.
But anything that you abuse is not a good thing. Marijuana is hardly a problem for 75% of those who smoke it. For the other 25%, it tends to lead into daily smoking and changing your life so it satisifies the drug. Now for a good chunk of regular users, they like it, and they are ok with it which is fine. But for others, who admit to addiction, it’s not ok.
I’m not here to blame marijuana, rather than just blame myself. I changed my life so much that my baseline state (my sober life) is so boring, that I must run out and smoke so that party can start. This cycle can only repeat and reinforce itself going forward.
I don’t think I could be a partial user of cannabis. Maybe in a year or in a few, it certainly wouldn’t worry me like cigarettes. But right now, if I have weed around I smoke it. It’s on my mind, so that hours can feel like I’ve waited days if abstaining from it.
I am going to quit. It’s been eight years of steady use, but I’ve been days and weeks without in between purchases etc. It’s telling yourself no when you wake up. NO, today you won’t smoke it. NO, today you won’t buy more. Telling yourself no, because you don’t want to, makes the withdrawal disappear.
I have been smoking for a good 3 years now, a full year non- stop pretty much. I can think of maybe a week total out of this WHOLE year when I have not been high. It was just a part of my day all the time, I could work, go to school and do everything high. Then anxiety got a hold of me. My heart would race and I would constantly be freaking out that something was wrong with me. It has been almost a week now of no smoking and I feel no desire to smoke, but still have side effects?? My eating is weird.. I almost don’t really want to eat at all. My anxiety seems to still be there, even though I know its all in my head. I do NOT want medication to help with the anxiety, as it will only lead to being dependent on that. I have weird dreams every night and are relieved to wake up, but still tired because it seems the dreams keep me up at night. They are nothing related to my life just weird. I just want to hear from someone if they have had my same symptoms and how long they take to go away? I feel like I need a reason to every different or weird feeling my body experiences. Its not like I was doing any other drugs or using alcohol, just smoking weed everyday.. all day. Just seems kind of intense to go through this, seems almost like withdrawals?? but at the same time not really. What is a good home remedy to get over the anxiety and come to peace with myself and feel “normal” again.
I am 47 and I started smoking weed at age 14. I have decided to quit. It just does not get me as high as I use to and I am sick of the maintenance and trying to score it. Although it has only been one sober day, I feel good and I am going to stick to my regiment. But I do not put down pot smokers and will still hang with the same crowd.
Hello,
I was inspired to write on here because of Chris up above who shared so many common things that I have went through as a full time smoker.
I have been smoking weed since I was 13 and been smoking full time for around 4-5 years now (currently 28). Plain and simple..Marijuana can very well destroy a majority of things around you if you are not careful. I watched a video where a woman explained it as a ‘dream like’ state and how can you do anything properly when you are dreaming a majority of the time.
If you have a feeling of self doubt, anxiety, depression, common thoughts of failing, the depression causes you to view your physical self in such a negative light, that little gut looks like a fat mans gut…these are all common things that I and a majority of people I know ‘secretly’ go through. Different personalities get different results. It is not even something that targets people with a lack of confidence. My confidence is huge. My love life is great. My career has the potential to be amazing..but we put the dagger into ourselves. We limit the potential that our minds is trying to jump out and accomplish.
Today was my last day to smoke. I am going to give it another try and my first steps are removing any and everything that is included with your smoke session (even the classic grinder). I have a white eraser board that I write on it “DWW” (Days Without Weed) and I chalk up a tick every day that passes until you get to so many days that you are tired of ticking on your board. Delete the dealers number as well. I grow accustomed to never remembering a contact. Just a name in the cell phone.
Lets hope this time is successful. Good luck guys
I am 18 and have been smoking weed since I was about 13/14. Probably using daily since about 16. I live in Bristol, England, a city whose culture is filled to the brim with sticky, smelly, high grade kush! I am an A-level student and have recently achieved two B’s and an A in Media, English language and English literature. I have two jobs, am not fat (LOL) and like to think of myself as pretty popular. I intend to go to university and achieve a well paid, creative carreer. (Although I am in constant doubt that this is possible alongside a cannabis habit).
I smoke around 2 spliffs a day, sometimes less, sometimes more (on average a ten bag lasts me two-ish days), and mostly in the evenings. I know why I began to smoke. My father was an alcoholic, and died in 2010, but was lost long before that, I had a pretty troubled childhood and was the eldest of 2 siblings so also had to put on a brave face for them, which is ongoing as my mother has been permanently changed by these events. I am fully aware I used and still do use weed as a crutch, and do not regret my actions whatsoever as I feel I could have been led down a much more dangerous path than a bit of puff!
I do believe it has helped me to cope with very strong feelings of depression and stress and has given me a much wider outlook on life – giving me hope for the future – which is ironically what it takes away from many of you. I have always had a very positive reaction to cannabis – I do not have feelings of paranoia and am comfortable to be stoned in social situations and still be more outgoing and confident than many of my friends – although I openly admit I smoke weed when possible, which probably helps. I am NOT lazy. It has obviously not affected my education very much – but then again I have always been very academic. I have a 2 year strong, loving relationship with my boyfriend and although my family is very small, we are all very close. This in a way, is what is so dangerous about cannabis. I can find no reason to quit as it has never given me reason to – infact, in my eyes, it has only ever helped me get over what has happened to me – as silly as it sounds!!!
I have always been a firm believer in the positive effects of cannabis, and do still believe it is one of the most harmless drugs out there (illegal, prescription and most definitely alcohol – this fact having been made so much clearer to me in watching my father’s decline). I will not even begin the alcohol vs. weed debate because I will get very angry, and besides, you are not the people who need to be convinced! Just download ‘The Streets – The Irony Of It All’ and have a laugh.
HOWEVER, I am not stupid, I understand the negative effects of cannabis and understand it can catch up with you later in life. I also understand that a harmless habit can turn into a phycological addiction and take over your life. I am at a point in my life where for the first time I am doubting my beloved Mary Jane and considering quitting. I havn’t smoked today and it’s been pretty easy so far (but I havn’t finished work yet). The real problem will arise when I’m really stressed or upset and something has gone tits up. Even if I delete all the dealers from my phone, I could go to work and ask my boss, cross the road and ask my neighbour, walk to the shop and ask the shop keeper, walk down stapleton road and smell the sweet scent within seconds! It is SO hard to get away from for me.
So here is my dillemma. How do I fill a void created by the loss of my father, refilled with cannabis, and emptied again? This is the only way i will conquer my emotional dependancy with weed – and this probably goes for a lot of you lot too. It is not necessarily the weed you must address – but the reasons you began smoking.
but don’t beat yourself up about it too much guys, a bit of weed is okay, just like everything is in moderation. Just be careful and make sure it is just a part of your life, not your whole life.
I’ve been smoking weed now for 20 years, the last 7 being extremely chronic smoking. I don’t think snoop dogg could keep up with me if he tried. I’m ashamed of how much i smoke, how much money i spend on it, and it cuts into everything i do…. I can relate to so much everyone is sharing on here…. I smoke an eighth to a quarter every day, i smoke it in blunt form, so i know its killing my lungs, it’s changed my voice, my skin, the way i breathe…. I can’t even eat unless i’ve smoked first. I can’t lay down and go to bed without smoking first…. I have to smoke first thing in the morning so i don’t get what i call ‘the hurks’ (the noise i make when i’m dry heaving)… I’ve tried quitting so many times, all unsuccessfully… It’s difficult dealing with the hurks… Not wanting to eat, the abdominal cramps, the super irritibility causes such a rift in my relationships that i feel like people can’t stand me unless i’m high…. This is day 2 of my attempting to quit with some real integrity. The emotions i’ve perpetually numbed over the years are breaking through and are exceedingly difficult to deal with, the money i’ve spent on it should be enough for me to live well, but i live like a hobo, because it’s more important for me to buy an O than it is for me to pay my bills, do my laundry, or even just call people who miss me and care about me… I can’t breathe anymore. I can’t laugh without coughing… I feel pain in my chest after smoking, and i still can’t tear myself away from it…
This feels like one of the harder things i’ve had to deal with, and at first i wanted to just quit this for a year or so and come back to it after i’ve dried out a little bit…. But after really getting to see what i’m using it to hold me back from, i feel like if i go back to it, i’ll never really live my potential, or worse, die.
Thanks for the ideas Chris and Mike! This is my last night before I give quiting an honest go tomorrow morning!!
Wish me luck, and the same goes to all of you!!
I am 45 and been smoking for 30 years.I have tried to quit before and always started back with the friends saying come on just one doobie and then the habit turned to be daily again.
I’ve had trouble resolving verbal conflicts with someone close to me.It seems like weed and the habit are taking way too much time and making it hard to communicate effectively. Quit for a few days now and feel like this could be forever. I am reading a book I started on the first day READ IT!! “outwitting the devil” please get a copy . It will tell you why it’s hard to quit. The book will tell you what you need to do. Whenever you get the urge read it!!!!!!!!!!
I suffer migraine headaches and as a result, when my friends go to a club or bar or just hang out with movies / music and drinks, I feel left out. Smoking something (even the terrible “legal” pot alternatives which are now illegal here) gave me a sense of relaxation and allowed me to drop my tension, relax and laugh with friends. It allowed me to unwind in a responsible setting but the cost, the health problems and now the law are all against me. I need to find something to bring my life joy again. I have been having very scary thoughts since quitting and I have a wife and kids. Is there life after addiction?
Hello fellow Smokers. Let me first say I love Cannabis as a scientific emblem. However I am an ADDICT! my reasons to quit althoug I love SMOKING CANNABIS are as follow:
lost motivation
Worsening of temporary memory lost
WASTED time around the table listening to music
Im a chef n I dnt cook at home anymore
I barely leave so my social life is shot
One must be mature and mentally in control if they are to take part in ENJOYING! CANNABIS. Smokers need to become educated financially stable most of all… PSYCHOLOGICALY DISCIPLINED to be able to Respect Marijuana. People this Plant is just like WINE. Their are Cannabis shows for growers around the world who take their time and money to grow these beautiful potent psychoactive plants. Learn how to grow the stuff get educated and get disciplined. Then and only then will you be able the balance the secret truth of knowing you want to quit but not because you really do enjoy being HIGH… I MEAN WE ALL DO LETS BE REAL. BUT IF YOU COULD QUIT, then get educated, then get disciplined, Obtain SOME RESPECT OF THE PLANT. THEN I am sure people could enjoy a perfectly sober life “respecting” cannabis like these Rich ass Proper people in suites go to parties to tasete wine.
GET EDUCATED!
So..Day one..I’m not high right now because my “weed Man” Is out and I’m Broke…Im Broke because in the past 3 months I’ve spent 2800 Dollars that I dont have on what?Hydro Thats what-I feel like a waste of Damn space-Last night I didn’t sleep-Today im so Wired and Angry I could take out TWO Football teams single handedly and ask for more punishment just to make this Hate in my brain chill out-I’ve been sitting in the dark and just staring at things and hearing voices not because of and drug I will further explain this.I have been smoking at least 20-30 Blunts a day since i was 14 years old This state of mind is NOT what I am Used too.I’ve puked once and I keep chain Smoking Cigarets and screaming for no reason and I think I’ve been plotting homicides subconsciously- I am a diagnosed Type B Paranoid Schizophrenic Bipolar Sociopath….When im high..im none of these things…I dont necessarily accredit all this “recovery” From smoking Bud but at the end of the day it seems the pills dont work and Liqueur makes things worse so….Smoke a blunt…or 27 of them if possible…I don’t know why im writing this…I will probably get high tonight and feel like a S*hit bag for it..Where i’m going with this I do not know but I am glad there is somewhere I can get this off my chest-I hope the God’s bless every one of you with Strength and courage..because I apparently am Lacking in such-
Mr.Morbid
Well I’ve been smoking for almost four years now three of which I have been a chronic user. I mean like every morning I wake up the second I get out of school or any time I wasn’t home. (all the time). Even at work. It’s been such an important part of my life for a long time. I feel like its time for bud to stop controlling my life. Ive always used it to solve my problems or stressfully things in my life. As I grow older I can only see myself becoming an addict or something if I don’t stop this soon. I sit here and read this website soaking up all the things it say realizing that this is going to be one of the hardest things ive ever done. I can only hope we beat this bitch.
Reading these entries is both inspiring and depressing.
What happens when all the information compiled to ‘help’ you stop blazin’ only makes you want it more.
I don’t want to quit and that is precisely why I feel I need to. Just reading this makes me THINK of weed and now I want to go on that typical three hour search to find some. To make things more pathetic, I don’t even have money! I know so many people who smoke weed and I am naturally social. It has never been a challenge to get some even if I have to front it. How can I quit when I’ve never had to tell myself no. I’m extremely irritable and angry right now. I cannot smoke immediately and I am reaching the height of what feels like “Nic-fitting.” I quit smoking cigarettes over two years ago cold turkey. Part of the motivation to was that I would at least still have weed. I’ve convinced myself all these years that there is nothing wrong with smoking weed. I know this isn’t true. In moderation or occasionally is the only acceptable relationship because consistent weed smoking has serious psychological affects. I recognize the ways that I have changed. I was sure to document them so that I never loose sight of the true nature of this habit. Now I suffer from depression that results from my constant lack of motivation in the face of being inspired. I love music and am currently attending a private Arts college in Portland, OR. I am broke and my girlfriend pretty much sponsors my living. I am ashamed. I would like to know that the advice I read about actually works. Exposing myself to the subject of weed does not curb my appetite for it even if the material is suggesting or demanding I change my smoking habits.
Ultimately, I came here because I am desperate. Yet, everything that I read stresses me out because I still desire what I am trying to resist and in order to suppress that stress I will most definitely be looking to smoke.
Sincerely,
Sighs.
It’s amazing how you described everything I’m going through – confirmation that it’s time to stop.
After reading all the posts by you guys i think i can do this- QUIT.
What started as a method to escape my problems with my dad’s gambling and alcohol addiction ended up with ME being VERY ADDICTED to MJ. Its been 2 days ive quit after smoking green everyday for 4 YEARS NON-STOP. I know exactly how you guys feel.
ive lost jobs, had to quit my education, lost great friends, lovely girlfriends, lost my wit, cerebral sharpness- memory etc, blown alot of money on weed (same ole weed stories
) TBH i was LIVING IN DENIAL and at the same time justified my addiction to a string of events that i wanted to block out.
am going to spend more time exercising, socialising, job searching lol, travelling etc
I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN OVERCOMING THIS.
Brilliant site, keep up the good work
If you’re still there I’d be interested in writing about my marijuana addiction for your site.
Reading these sections on reasons to quit sounds exactly like my life. My life is actually pretty good as I’ve been able to somehow keep earning lots of money as a software engineer at a major internet company while being a pothead who smokes multiple times a day. What you said (more than once because it applies to so many things) about the pothead lifestyle being too “comfortable” to really do anything about really rang true for me. When I stop to think about it, I would like to do more exciting things in my life, not be so lazy about cleaning my house, get out of the house more and be more active, exercise, and generally not sit around the house pigging out and watching tv and smoking…but the pot keeps me from really DOING anything about it. I still have more to read, but I’m hoping your site will help me finally quit for good.
I’ve been smoking since I was about 15, have been smoking daily and usually multiple times a day since I was about 18 or 19, and am now 27. It’s been hard for me to quit because there really are a lot of great things about my life, namely that I’ve been one of the lucky ones in this economy. But there’s a lot that’s not great too, like my poor health, lack of physical activity, lack of any motivation to the point that I let my apartment become a total pigsty until I finally can’t take it any more and go on a ten-hour adderall-fueled cleaning binge because I’m literally too embarrassed to let anyone come over. I eat delivery food just about every night, hardly ever go to the grocery store, and spend some weekends without leaving the house at all, despite having several active friends. But my life doesn’t completely suck and smoking pot is so comfy that it’s so hard to quit. When I think logically I’m like “yes I want to quit because I want to remember things and not be lazy and be more active and clean the house and be more smart and stop eating junk,” but when it comes down to it…it’s just so easy to put it off and just keep smoking. It’s like weed has made me lazy about quitting weed!
I have no idea where I’m going with this. Anyway I hope your site helps me out.
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