One of the main problems that people that decide to stop smoking marijuana face is the danger of relapse. Some smokers have been smoking for years before they decided to give it up, and not picking the habit back up can be really hard for them, especially if they are not prepared for life after marijuana.

If you’re in a similar situation to what I described above, these tips will be very helpful to you. Just follow them and there is no reason why you should not be successful in your determination to never smoke weed again.

Stay away from Cannabis!

This might be one of those “oh man! That’s so obvious!” things to you, but it’s very important and that’s why I wanted to talk to you about it anyway. Staying away from marijuana doesn’t just mean that you’re not going to go ahead and buy it. It also means that you’re not going to go to places where you used to smoke it, or where it’s easily accessible to you. You don’t want to be around marijuana. You can’t smoke if there is nothing to smoke!

Think about triggers to relapse.

Every smoker has triggers that cause them want to smoke. Did you usually smoke after a meal? Did you have a puff when you woke up each morning? Did you wear your favorite jacket as you did it? Did you smoke with specific people and in specific places?

The thing is that as soon as you go to those places, see those people, put on those clothes, you’re going to just start remembering that you want to smoke. You will actually feel the desire to do it because a trigger will have gone off in your head. I know this sounds crazy, but you’re going to trust me on this one. Just identify those triggers and by all means avoid them. Don’t hang out with the same people, don’t go to those same places, just avoid anything that might cause you want a smoke and weaken your determination to stop smoking marijuana.

Find new, non smoking friends.

This one goes without saying, right? You need friends, but your old, smoking, friends will have a bad influence on you, so you need to find some new ones to hang out with. It’s actually easier than you think. Just start meeting new people and you’ll find a friend in no time. When you do and you can trust him, tell him about your addiction and let him know that you’re working on quitting. They’ll be helping hands. It doesn’t mean you can’t see your old friends, but you will move on from some friendships that were based on a mutual addiction.

Staying away from the stuff, meeting new people and avoiding all the triggers that make you want to smoke is a great start on your way to stop smoking marijuana. I have no doubt that you’ll be successful if you follow the tips I outlined in this article.

Well… I understand how you feel. You don’t really want to quit, do you? You are having fun with it, right? I know how it is. Been there. Actually what made me quit was the realization that I was ruining my girlfriend’s life with it.

See, she’s not a smoker, so she couldn’t “enjoy” it with me, which actually turned out to be good, because she didn’t have to go through detox. So what happened was when I first started smoking, everything was swell. I was happy, laughing, excited and absorbing my new experiences. It never occurred to me that I should actually quit smoking pot until the day I couldn’t control myself and got into a major argument with someone I love.

I realized then, that smoking pot will not get me anywhere. I knew that if I don’t do something about that, I’d lose her and I’d end up a miserable man.

What did I do then? I decided to quit smoking pot.

I went to the doctor that showed me exactly what I had to do. He said I should go and follow a program that he suggested, which I gladly did. Of course I missed pot at that time. I was really easily irritated and just got mad very quickly at about anyone and anything, but I knew that if I try, I’ll manage to overcome the urge to smoke.

The program I was following was not very easy to get through. The crazy thing was that the things they tought in there were not really revolutionary. I mean, the guys on that tape got me jumping, running, drinking gallons of water and orange juice and eating lots of fresh vegetables. Not too bad for someone who would skip breakfast and have a joint for dinner.

I almost forgot about the withdrawal. Let me tell you, it was pretty nasty. I mean, I was shaking all the time, I was feeling dizzy, I was getting really light headed at times and I would wake up covered in cold sweat a few nights in a row. Not necessarily a good thing, is it?

I guess what I am trying to say is that it did work in the end. It definitely was not easy, but it was more than worth it. Don’t get me wrong, deciding to quit smoking pot was hard, but actually quitting it was even harder.

In the end, I am clean and happy. My girlfriend is doing ok as well and we’re actually thinking about getting married. I still remember the times when I smoked and miss the experiences I had then, but what I have now is much more valuable.

It’s really good to quit. Good luck!

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.

Click Here for the Cannabis Coach Easy Quit Audio Program

Another busy and productive day today, with a good sleep last night. Last night was the first night that I had vivid dreams after quitting marijuana. The majority of the weed addicts that I know don’t recall their dreams, or have fewer dreams than non smokers. I have heard that it is pretty common to have ‘end of the world’ nightmares when quitting weed. In my previous attempts to quit, I have had some crazy nightmares.

This dream was definitely strange – and I got stoned in my dream…This doesn’t count as relapse right . The Dream: So I was outside on the main drag of a town with my colleagues, and a bunch of them were up ahead in a circle. One woman came up to me and said something along the lines of “I smoke, but don’t tell anyone”, and joined the circle. I followed behind her, and next thing I new, I was passed a joint. This was the end of the dream as I remember it. Shitty description, but dreams are hard to describe.

One of the reasons that I wanted to quit is because I didn’t want colleagues to find out about my marijuana habit. I am sure some of them know and don’t say anything to me. Weed made me paranoid so I always wondered if they DID know.

‘Til Tomorrow – which will be double digits sober! Wooohooo!

Another day without smoking pot. Today was a better day. I was extremely busy today, and did not experience any intense cannabis withdrawal symptoms. The anxiety and dread that I was feeling is definitely in recession. I know that I am only 8 days in, but I feel like the worst part of the psychological detox is past me. Now I will need to deal with sobriety on a daily basis. The physical detox will take up to 3 months for all of the fat-soluble thc to be free from my system. Only after 3 months will I consider myself ‘clean’ from weed. Clean is not the same thing as recovered!

Sleep was also better last night – I got 7 hours and only woke up once. When smoking weed, I seemed to wake up a lot more during the night. Sometimes I would even awake, smoke a roach, then head straight back to bed. It appears that marijuana makes sleep come easy, but the quality of sleep is worse than a sober sleep would be. Anyone find the same thing happening to them.

Bucking Faked requested the ability to blog on their progress. I will be configuring and opening a Marijuana Addiction Support Forum this weekend. I don’t know if it will be on this site, or on another domain…I still need to work out the logistics.