Quitting Cannabis

[buzz_efc]

Hi my name is Andrew I'm 24 and live in the UK. I've been smoking weed since the age of 18 when me and a couple mates used the drug on rare occasions as a bit of a laugh. Back then I was a very outgoing character and always the centre of attention at parties etc. Since I was about 19 this has went from a bit of fun to a daily routine. Coming home from work, driving to pick my mates up finding somewhere and smoking it on a daily basis and it's now sort of a routine that we have ourselves in. I have two mates which do this with me daily but they aren't interested in packing in and whenever I mention trying to quit the temptation when I'm with them is unreal and I always end up joining in and failing at quitting. I'm not sure if it's related but over the past 3/4 years I've became really depressed and anxious and I currently have a girlfriend and a baby boy on the way in just 3 months time! I really want to quit but with my mates happy smoking it as they are and the temptation to just come in from work and smoke it and forget about any problems in my life is really making it hard for me to stop. I need some advice, I want my son to grow up being proud of his father and not think of me as a useless dad which I think I probably will be in the routine I'm in at the moment and the laziness that cannabis seems to cause me. Any help would be awesome

Thanks in advance

 

[thujone]

the temptation to just come in from work and smoke it and forget about any problems in my life is really making it hard for me to stop.

Well, there you have it. If you are so unhappy with your life that you toke to escape it, then your problem is not herb but rather your life. Change starts within and spreads outwards. If you want a life where you have the power to choose whether you want to toke or not, then you have to start by empowering yourself. I don't envy you, if you're just 24 and have a pregnant GF then things are going to get worse before they get better. I can understand why you are desperate to quit, but remember that quitting herb will not magically fix the problems that drive you to toking in the first place.

 

[DaLambsbread]

Hey

I am in a similar situation to you minus having a kid. I had been smoking for about 7-8 years with not much of a break during that time period. I started getting similar feelings within the last year. Cloudy in the head, anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, emotions all over the place. Fortunately I managed to stop smoking and i am so happy I did. I will tell you this - it was not easy for me at first. You have to want to quit - not because your friends or family say to quit but because YOU want it for yourself. It might be hard getting used to no herb for a week or 2 but after that its cake - helps to find a new or hobby or get into an old hobby to keep your mind occupied (and throw away the herb accessories). To be honest quitting smoking did not solve any of my problems HOWEVER it has made dealing with those problems so much easier and I am proud of losing that habit. If you want it bad enough you can do it. Your friends may not understand but they are not you - yes it can be selfish but all we can do sometimes is take care of ourselves. You can do it brutha

 

[Hotdish]

I've been a daily smoker for nearly 10 years myself. I've been experiencing chronic side effects as well. Morning nausea, sever heartburn, anxiety, overall decrease in appetite.


The anxiety is especially unpleasant during long sober stretches. I've noticed that I've been having more and more difficulty keeping weight on.

I notice my tolerance increase slowly over months of continuous use and these side effects seem to track with. I feel like if I went on a forced 30 day break, maybe continuing use afterwords will be less troublesome.

Have you considered just taking a break?

Honestly, the idea of going even a single day without getting high is terrifying to me.

 

[Dnoe]

Hi, if you want to give up cannabis , just do it
I have smoked cannabis for 25 years with no side effects what so ever , it has been proven to be less toxic than alcohol,

Think you need to take responsibility for your life and stop trying to blame cannabis for all the things that are going wrong,

 

[Billard]

First thing you gotta do is be willing to actulay wanna quit. Then when you deep down inside wanna stop, you have to cut off all cannabis related things in ur life for the time being. Toss ur pipes, tell ur connects ur done for now n not to hit you up anymore, tell ur friends ur done and dont wanna be around the stuff anymore.. But its gonna def take some getting use to. I was smoking for 13 years high thc strains daily and when i stopped for the 3 months i did i became a nervous wreck for the first month and a half. Couldnt eat, couldnt sleep, was freaking out/tripping out, extra vivid dreams, hot flashes/cold sweats and feeling like i was gonna pass out cause i was over aware of everything now and i was adjusting back to reality. What ur gonna wanna do is prob get some xanax from your doc to help you sleep for the first 2 weeks if your okay with those but dont over do it take like .25-.5mg a day/night to combat the anxiety and sleep probs cause ull def have those. Get a full time job, find a hobby, get out n enjoy nature just anything you gotta do to stay busy. I know it seems impossible but once you get thru the first 1-2 weeks your half way there give it another week or two and you wont even want it anymore although you still might be a lil bit anxious and weirded out by life and trust me its gonna take some time to adjust back to reality/normal.. But the key is you gotta actullay wanna quit. Dont even waste your time if your just gonna pick it right back up.. Plus you got a kid coming just tell urself ur doing it for him. Trust me ur gonna need all the extra money you can get for the baby so thats another good reason to stop. Also its best to establish some control over your body while ur still young, you dont wanna become dependent on anything cause the more you do it and older you get, the harder and more stressfull its become to quit.. But yeah main thing is cut off all cannabis related things and keep yourself busy busy busy alll day til the point you come home n just wanna pass out and also alot of exercise will help tons. Or you could do what i did too and start building something in your free time lol everytime i wanted to get high the first couple weeks i just turned on some tunes went to my garage and started building shit. Ended up with a pretty sweet mini bike i built from scratch in the first 4 weeks.. You can def do it man, if i could stop, and im somebody who spent like 100 bucks a week on bud n lived for it, craved it all day, loved it to death, and never thought id quit, can actullay quit, i know you can..

 

[manboychef]

to OP: I don't think your kid will be ashamed of you for smoking pot. All you need is to be there, and show him what a good male role model is. Smoking pot and being a good dad are not mutually exclusive. Be kind to the missus, I know it gets tough during these last months (they can get a little cranky at times) and always bare in mind that she is the mother of your child (even if you don't stay together)

If you want to stop, then do so. Your problems will still be there though. I suggest maybe taking a break and see how that does you. During that time, write down a list of the problems in your life, and break them down into smaller goals. Work on one each day. Problems don't seem so bad when your actually making headway. If your potsmoking is getting in the way of completely goals then it is time to quit.

 

[buzz_efc]

Well, there you have it. If you are so unhappy with your life that you toke to escape it, then your problem is not herb but rather your life. Change starts within and spreads outwards. If you want a life where you have the power to choose whether you want to toke or not, then you have to start by empowering yourself. I don't envy you, if you're just 24 and have a pregnant GF then things are going to get worse before they get better. I can understand why you are desperate to quit, but remember that quitting herb will not magically fix the problems that drive you to toking in the first place.

Yeah I maybe didn't word this right. I feel fine in my life in general, I've got a full time job, lovely girlfriend. Baby on the way. All is good and I have no explination as to why I feel anxious or depressed but I just mean when you've had a long day at work or perhaps something makes you angry during the day. A joint when you come back in just makes you forget all about it and all that tension goes. But yeah I do want to quit for the baby and to hopefully fulfil my potential which I can't with how lazy cannabis makes me.

 

[buzz_efc]

to OP: I don't think your kid will be ashamed of you for smoking pot. All you need is to be there, and show him what a good male role model is. Smoking pot and being a good dad are not mutually exclusive. Be kind to the missus, I know it gets tough during these last months (they can get a little cranky at times) and always bare in mind that she is the mother of your child (even if you don't stay together)

If you want to stop, then do so. Your problems will still be there though. I suggest maybe taking a break and see how that does you. During that time, write down a list of the problems in your life, and break them down into smaller goals. Work on one each day. Problems don't seem so bad when your actually making headway. If your potsmoking is getting in the way of completely goals then it is time to quit.

Hey. Thanks I think you nailed it correctly, I'm wanting to stop because of the anxiety and depression as well as becoming a good role model (here in the UK cannabis is illigal, as it is in some parts of the U.S. I believe. I think quitting will stand me in a better state of mind to get up and get the help for the depression and anxiety

 

[buzz_efc]

Hey

I am in a similar situation to you minus having a kid. I had been smoking for about 7-8 years with not much of a break during that time period. I started getting similar feelings within the last year. Cloudy in the head, anxiety, depression, lack of motivation, emotions all over the place. Fortunately I managed to stop smoking and i am so happy I did. I will tell you this - it was not easy for me at first. You have to want to quit - not because your friends or family say to quit but because YOU want it for yourself. It might be hard getting used to no herb for a week or 2 but after that its cake - helps to find a new or hobby or get into an old hobby to keep your mind occupied (and throw away the herb accessories). To be honest quitting smoking did not solve any of my problems HOWEVER it has made dealing with those problems so much easier and I am proud of losing that habit. If you want it bad enough you can do it. Your friends may not understand but they are not you - yes it can be selfish but all we can do sometimes is take care of ourselves. You can do it brutha

Hey, thanks for the reply. Yeah the only thing I will find hard is not smoking it when my mates are. Basically when I was 16-18 I used to hang around with anywhere up to 10 friends at one time, we used to be in big groups going partying, the moment me and my 2 mates I have left now started smoking a weed, we lost interest in going out to we lost touch will our other mates and for the past 6 years we've spent the everyday blazing it up. But your story of quitting right there is what I'm looking for. People who have been there and done from similar situations and how they have got through it. Thanks again for the reply man

 

[buzz_efc]

I've been a daily smoker for nearly 10 years myself. I've been experiencing chronic side effects as well. Morning nausea, sever heartburn, anxiety, overall decrease in appetite.


The anxiety is especially unpleasant during long sober stretches. I've noticed that I've been having more and more difficulty keeping weight on.

I notice my tolerance increase slowly over months of continuous use and these side effects seem to track with. I feel like if I went on a forced 30 day break, maybe continuing use afterwords will be less troublesome.

Have you considered just taking a break?

Honestly, the idea of going even a single day without getting high is terrifying to me.

Yeah tried a break once. Lasted 8 days haha! I love the weed don't get me wrong but it's just holding me back so much in life I need to get off it bro

 

[buzz_efc]

Hi, if you want to give up cannabis , just do it
I have smoked cannabis for 25 years with no side effects what so ever , it has been proven to be less toxic than alcohol,

Think you need to take responsibility for your life and stop trying to blame cannabis for all the things that are going wrong,

That's the thing, I know all these facts I used to tell my mum dad in day out how little she has to worry about my cannabis addiction however I believe continued cannabis usage over a long period of time can highlight a problem that was possibly already there from even childhood and make it a lot harder to deal with. I'm not blaming cannabis I love the plant but I feel I need to quit to give me a clearer mind to find out why/where the depression and anxiety comes from because I do lead a normal happy life. I've explained in another reply that by me saying "coming home from work and forgetting my problems" I just mean if I've had a long day at work or if something has upset me or made me angry, coming home and blazing up helps me in that way

 

[buzz_efc]

First thing you gotta do is be willing to actulay wanna quit. Then when you deep down inside wanna stop, you have to cut off all cannabis related things in ur life for the time being. Toss ur pipes, tell ur connects ur done for now n not to hit you up anymore, tell ur friends ur done and dont wanna be around the stuff anymore.. But its gonna def take some getting use to. I was smoking for 13 years high thc strains daily and when i stopped for the 3 months i did i became a nervous wreck for the first month and a half. Couldnt eat, couldnt sleep, was freaking out/tripping out, extra vivid dreams, hot flashes/cold sweats and feeling like i was gonna pass out cause i was over aware of everything now and i was adjusting back to reality. What ur gonna wanna do is prob get some xanax from your doc to help you sleep for the first 2 weeks if your okay with those but dont over do it take like .25-.5mg a day/night to combat the anxiety and sleep probs cause ull def have those. Get a full time job, find a hobby, get out n enjoy nature just anything you gotta do to stay busy. I know it seems impossible but once you get thru the first 1-2 weeks your half way there give it another week or two and you wont even want it anymore although you still might be a lil bit anxious and weirded out by life and trust me its gonna take some time to adjust back to reality/normal.. But the key is you gotta actullay wanna quit. Dont even waste your time if your just gonna pick it right back up.. Plus you got a kid coming just tell urself ur doing it for him. Trust me ur gonna need all the extra money you can get for the baby so thats another good reason to stop. Also its best to establish some control over your body while ur still young, you dont wanna become dependent on anything cause the more you do it and older you get, the harder and more stressfull its become to quit.. But yeah main thing is cut off all cannabis related things and keep yourself busy busy busy alll day til the point you come home n just wanna pass out and also alot of exercise will help tons. Or you could do what i did too and start building something in your free time lol everytime i wanted to get high the first couple weeks i just turned on some tunes went to my garage and started building shit. Ended up with a pretty sweet mini bike i built from scratch in the first 4 weeks.. You can def do it man, if i could stop, and im somebody who spent like 100 bucks a week on bud n lived for it, craved it all day, loved it to death, and never thought id quit, can actullay quit, i know you can..

Thanks that was really helpful and exactly what I was after, someone who's been there and done it with some advice to go with it. Thanks very much. But yeh I do have a full time job and I'm also spending £20 a day on cannabis which I think in U.S. Is just over $30 a day and I'd much rather be spending that type of money on my child. After putting gas in my car and paying car insurances and finance on the car with my daily weed amount I'm left with very little money as it is

 

[Akbar Rabbitowitz]

First, ditch your "mates". They do not have a baby on the way.

Next, don't spend so much on cannabis. By yourself after work you only need a few hits. Maybe 0.15 to 0.20 of a gram per day, about a gram per week. Use a pipe instead of a blunt.

Now, about using cannabis to forget your problems. That idea is bunk! The problems are in your mind. You need to find a sativa that won't couch lock you or some mids.Take one hit after work, then do something productive. Quit procrastinating. Don't overthink it.

It is not cannabis causing your problems. Give your child the support, you are 50 percent. Ditch your buddies. They owe you big time. Get a cheaper supplier. Chin up and carry on. Good luck.

 

[poledriver]

Hi my name is Andrew I'm 24 and live in the UK. I've been smoking weed since the age of 18 when me and a couple mates used the drug on rare occasions as a bit of a laugh. Back then I was a very outgoing character and always the centre of attention at parties etc. Since I was about 19 this has went from a bit of fun to a daily routine. Coming home from work, driving to pick my mates up finding somewhere and smoking it on a daily basis and it's now sort of a routine that we have ourselves in. I have two mates which do this with me daily but they aren't interested in packing in and whenever I mention trying to quit the temptation when I'm with them is unreal and I always end up joining in and failing at quitting. I'm not sure if it's related but over the past 3/4 years I've became really depressed and anxious and I currently have a girlfriend and a baby boy on the way in just 3 months time! I really want to quit but with my mates happy smoking it as they are and the temptation to just come in from work and smoke it and forget about any problems in my life is really making it hard for me to stop. I need some advice, I want my son to grow up being proud of his father and not think of me as a useless dad which I think I probably will be in the routine I'm in at the moment and the laziness that cannabis seems to cause me. Any help would be awesome

Thanks in advance

Ditch your friends, hang with your GF and baby boy (when born) and find new things to do at home, watch more shows, play vid games, exercise, listen to music loads, whatever you wont basically. Re invest the money you would have been spending on weed on other things, like your GF and future son and things for you.

You can always go back to being a 'rare' smoker later. You will be the bigger person for quitting for a while. It's possible if you really try. Do you wont to be 34 and still doing the same shit?

ps) I didn't read any of the comments and now that my comment posted I see it is very similar to the user above me lol

 

[KitC]

If you can use it in moderation, realize you have a problem and avoid it completely.

 

[christhefish]

What ur gonna wanna do is prob get some xanax from your doc to help you sleep for the first 2 weeks

Unfortunately, Xanax (Alprazolam) isn't easy to get hold of here in the UK, our doctors don't hand out anti anxiety meds quite as easily in the US.

OP - one question I haven't seen come up elsewhere - do you smoke joints with tobacco? And do you smoke cigarettes without cannabis? I've just posted something very similar to this in this same forum, but when I tried to quit I think I had a nicotine addiction which I mistook for a cannabis addiction. I switched from smoking joints to smoking cigarettes and found it remarkably easy to quit the weed.

Obviously smoking cigarettes is a terrible idea, but if you're smoking tobacco joints, you're already smoking cigarettes. Try giving up one thing at a time.

I hope that helps, good luck to you.