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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I started smoking when i was 18 years old because i had never tried it and wanted to be rebellious and in about half of a year it got old. Now I see it as an escape from reality. i used to get stoned for 3+hours a day and now i just don’t think that it is worth it.
….neways with self control everyone would be better off because i believe too much of a good thing is an addiction.
it started when i first met my husband and weed was finally introduced to my life like never before. i had only heard about it and was a good girl and stayed away from drugs. he started smoking at 15 years old and used to be a huge stoner and it was hard to try and convince him to stop what he was doing. yes marijuana is natural, but is also a drug; yes marijuana is good for illness, but is also for the most part abused. i would not say i am addicted and never really was but i can say that i did not like what i was doing, enough to change. time to change. my husband and i still smoke but RESTRICT it to times when our stomachs hurt, or get headaches, or plain out just need to calm down from stress; and not everyday like we used to. but even then i see it is a bit of a struggle for him. its like when you open a bag of cookies and just cant have one or two you want them all. i notice that the more often he smokes the more irritable he is until the next time. it is like he just cannot deal with his own stress. i am not saying its the same for everyone and don’t get me wrong i like a HIT of marijuana when i NEED it and love the smell, and actually think i love the smell more than anything
Go bitch at the methheads! THEYRE 500X WORSE. Stoners are usually friendly. I get the best weed all day, everyday! Never gotta pay. Don’t listen to what them haters say. Attending college and them bills I pay. Cannabis doesnt make you lazy. Lazy people just love cannabis. I will die happily without anxiety or depression.
Wow, you all, thanks for sharing your stories. I must say, I have been able to relate to most of you in some way or another ( and not just because we are all either stoners or ex stoners).
Here’s my story…I am 29 and have been smoking heavily for the last 3 years. Prior to that, I smoked on the weekends for about 3 years. I tried my 1st joint at a party and felt quite paranoid but once I got over that I quite enjoyed it. It took a few years for me to become a “heavy” user ( that is, use it every day) and even now most days I don’t light up till 5pm. Back to the story, I hold a Bachelor Degree in Business and have been successful in working in my industry . I am now a mum of a beautiful 2 year old and am feeling that it is time to quit. Why do I feel like it is time to give it up?Because I too wake up so worried, when I smoke no problem seems so big or scary but the anxiety waits for me every morning…I am scared of setting a bad example for my lovely offspring even though she has never seen me smoke. I developed post natal depression after giving birth and I wonder how much of that is due to smoking. My friends and family have no idea I smoke, it’s just my husband and I who know and 2 other friends as they are smokers too. My husband smokes too and has on and off for a long time but he seems to be able to take it or leave it. I want to go out in the workplace and work again after having my baby. But I feel so unmotivated. I don’t want to spend the next 30 years of my life sitting in some stinky office staring at a computer screen! I am feeling like I am in the wrong profession so I smoke pot to cover up my unhappiness.There, I said it!!! At the moment I am job seeking and have been for the past 18 months. I found 2 jobs, one wasn’t what I signed up for and the other I really wanted but got fired when my boss found out that I have “embelished” my experience on my resume. Was this all due to pot? Or am I just in the wrong profession? I am not sure but I am questioning it all. I feel paranoid that I am not getting ahead in life as fast as I’d like due to pot so that is enough of a reason to stop, right? But then why is it so hard to stop? I have tried to give it up in the past and have even gone 3 weeks without it. I then slipped back into it, had a joint thinking I won’t have one tomorrow but that did not work. Marijuana is a miracle herb of our time but I think I have f***** it up for myself by having so much of it.Today is day 1 of the detox. I have made a pledge with myself to go clean for AT LEAST 30 days and then see how I feel about it . I just think if there’s anything you have to have everyday, it is best to try and go without it even if it is coffee, bread, chocolate…Our minds can be a dangeruous thing, it can latch onto things and develop addictions out of seemingly innocent things. In the past, when I have stopped smoking I would experience lack of appetite, vivid dreams and general jumpiness and anxiety like I cannot keep still. I feel ashamed of my habit. This is the worst part about it. I feel constant guilt about it. And I am sick of spending my money on weed. I want to be able to go back to enjoying it couple of times a year without my mind obsessing over it and wanting it more and more. I have successfully quit cigarettes 4 years ago and have not looked back. I want to see if I will get any clarity back and finally decide what I want to do with my career. It is time to start being honest with myself!!!
It’s day 2 and I feel like shit.Teary.Irritable.Sweating. Angry. Jittery. Worth mentioning that I also got my periods yesterday which does not help. Am wondering if I am doing the right thing. Well, if I want/need it soooo much then it is probably time to quit it. I keep reminding myself that there are worse things in life and that this is really pretty minor in the scheme of things. I’ve been throuhg some pretty hairy things in my life, like living through a war, coming to a new country with no knowledge of it or any perceived security. But I rose above it all. And you know what? I’ll get through this too!! AND SO WILL ALL OF YOU IF YOU KEEP ON TOP OF THE MONSTER THAT IS OUR MINDS!!
To all of you out there going through the same things, I wish you all the success in the world and I will send my positive energy to each and every one of you. Thank you all for sharing your experiences, they’ve made me cry and laugh but most of all even more determined to prove to myself that I can stop.
Love to all xx
you all sound like a bunch of pussies that are blaming something else for your own problems, man the fuck up and become a productive person and find a way to be fulfilled and stop blaming a harmless plant for your shitty lives. If you smoke too much, cut back, it’s not addictive, it’s you being a weak minded person with an addictive personality.
weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed is very good for u. its fun getting high because u do stupid ish u get hungry as a nigga but its worth it.
Hello. I don’t personally smoke weed, but my friend has just started and I’m worried this will get out of hand. What should I do for him?
11 days in now and doing great! keep you heads up everyone, you just gotta keep your attitude right. Shit I still have a bag and just up and quit. You can quit anytime, just do it!
Hello. My name is Kelly and i’m 31 years old, 32 in a couple of months. I’ve been smoking weed since I was 13. I’m on day 3 of quitting- and i’d love some cones… NOW. But i’m not going to. I am a Personal Trainer and drugs have always been a part of my life. I don’t get high of the shit anymore I just don’t feel normal till i’ve had a smoke. Usually as soon as I wake up and my feet hit the floor. I smoke up to a 1/4 of an oz a day. i’m sick of the laziness and the munchie and of spending all my cash on the shit. I feel clear headed right now and that is NEW for me. I also have no appetite and wake easily in the mornings. Oh and my depression has gone by Day 3 of stopping. I smoke because i’m depressed, i’m depressed BECAUSE i smoke! I’ll keep you posted. Good luck xoxo
I am 22, graduating college in a month, and have been smoking almost every day since I was 16. While I have been able to graduate from a good university and get a job offer before graduating, I still ponder the idea of whether or not I smoke too much. I do not smoke in the mornings, only when I get all of my tasks done for the day – this makes smoking weed more enjoyable and ultimately can lead to having less anxiety. I smoke around a gram per day, usually smoking more on the weekends.
In my opinion smoking can be what/how you make it to be. I may be too young to speak over those who have been smoking longer than me, however I feel that with a positive mindset smoking isn’t the worst thing. Just get your shit done before you smoke and stay motivated.
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