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  • TDS Moderators: AlphaMethylPhenyl | paranoid android

Friend addicted to weed

T

Thick_as_a_Planck

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
366
Location
Italy
OK so I know weed isn't the most addictive of drugs, but it still doesn't do you any good long term and my friend is living proof of that. I was introduced briefly to this girl a year or so ago through a friend but then didn't see her for a long time cos I was away. I recently returned to my home town and I've started hanging out with her more and more. She's a nice girl and I like her - platonically, don't get any ideas - but in the year I've been away I can see the difference smoking has made to her. She recently turned 21 and has been smoking since the age of sixteen or seventeen. From 19 she has smoked every single day. She told me she can't remember a single day without it for the last two years. She is becoming increasingly paranoid and agoraphobic. She told me she now can't even go shopping without near panic attacks.

After talking it through one night - over a joint - she agreed that it would be good for her to take a rest. I suggested just one day to start. So, the big day rolled around (pun not initially intended but noticed on revision, and kept). We chose a work day so she'd only have to do the evening. The first two hours were fine, we were all just talking and though she was a little anxious, she was OK. Then we started watching TV. I could see she was getting more and more restless as the program went on, but after about an hour she literally couldn't sit still. She was pacing constantly, flapping her hands, walking from place to place with no reason. Finally I made her a cup of tea but she was so damn nervous that she spilled most of it.

I had to leave the house about eleven and she was pretty much hyperactive by then. She said she was going to try to sleep but I wasn't optimistic about her chances. Sure enough, the next day on FB she told me she had given up almost as soon as I left and smoked.

Really, what can I do for her? I'm a fairly heavy smoker myself and I know full well how difficult it can be to go without green after a month or so of daily usage. But every day for two fucking years?! How can she stop? I genuinely think she wants to stop at this point - she's told me so several times. But her body is just so dependent on the stuff that she can barely function without it. Anybody here who has smoked this amount and managed to quit, or at least seriously cut down? How did you do it, and was there anything that made it more bearable? What should I say to her?
 
First of all you sound like a good friend for talking to and helping her. Not many people would actually stick around as long as possible to help her through an extended period without any weed.

Secondly, the truth is that there's not a whole lot you can do other than stand beside her and offer encouragement. I don't wanna beat a dead horse but she really has to reach a point where she wants to quit. Have her write down a list of pros and cons when it comes to smoking. From what you've said it sounds like there are A LOT more cons. Tell her to put this list up somewhere in her house where she'll see it constantly so she can easily be reminded that smoking is not benefiting her in the long run. The problems she is experiencing will only suffocate her more and more until something HAS to change (which is pretty much the same with any addiction).

For now just continue being a good friend. Hopefully with your support she can become stronger. Progress is slow with addiction but it can be made. Be sure to remind her of this!
 
I smoked weed every and I mean EVERY Day for probably ten years, and pretty much every day for another five years.

Believe it or not the way I quit was completely unintentional and fairly painless, I went to NYC for a couple weeks and stayed with a friend who didn't smoke weed, I did drink quite a bit though... anyway, I noticed after a few days that I felt clearer in my head even with all the alcohol. By the time I came back I didn't enjoy weed the way I used to.

I've ended up addicted to other things since then so I didn't exactly cure myself of addiction, I basically went through a period where I was traveling a lot and in and out of airports alot and weed was just too inconvenient, the traveling was a good distraction. I don't miss weed much since it only gives me anxiety attacks these days.

Try and help her see the benefits of quitting or moderating now because I used it for too long in my opinion.

At the same time I have to say I know people who smoke weed all the time and seem to live life very fully and it doesn't seem to hurt them in any way I can see.

To each their own, to sum up my experience I just decided to travel to NYC for a couple weeks and was so consumed with that city that I forgot about weed completely. After that trip I just didn't find weed appealing anymore. Still used it occasionally but very rarely, these days I don't use it at all.
 
Sounds like she has a very addictive personality, and maybe some personal problems. Lots of people use drugs to cope or forget about something else. Probably getting out of the house and doing something distracting would be easier than sitting around the house watching TV, which is when most of us want to kick back and have a few drinks and a smoke anyway. I'd say, if she has a "normal" work schedule Friday night would probably be the best. Go out and do something, have a few drinks, then try for the rest of the weekend. If you have something to work on that's good too. Also cold turkey may not be the best. Try just smoking in the evenings for a while, and then cut out a few evenings a week. Once she's used to being sober it probably won't suck so bad.
 
i quit weed out of necessity to buy other drugs , her personality she has to not only want it but be willing to sacrifice against every urge she has, which is fucking not fun.
 
The "withdraws" from weed are simple things that can be cured with other supplements. Its not like o shit im hot ahh now im soo colddd sweating your ass off and shitting on yourself.

Anxiety n dullness/slight depression is prolly going to be the worse symptoms. Fish oil, L-theanine, 5htp are all great supplements that i have had success with.

Sleep will also prolly be a problem. Melatonin is good for this and the safest. Stronger stuff like doxylamine if she really needs it will do the trick.

Have her start taking these everyday maybe multiple times a day (but make sure its everyday).

She can even continue to smoke while supplementing with these and then just taper from weed which should not be hard at all to do.

Then one day she will go all day without smoking and not even be bothered.

For me the biggest problem was jsut bordeom which im sure is part of what she is going through.

Instead of going from work to sitting on the couch and watching tv where all she can think about is weed go workout or enjoy a hobby yea?
 
I would be most worried about boredom and the sleep issue. The thing I've noticed about weed is it makes even the most boring things much, much less boring. It even makes bad music okay to listen to and bad TV funny. That's something that can be fixed with a hobby, or spending time with another person who doesn't smoke weed, or doesn't smoke weed all the time, at least.

Eating right, the vitamin/mineral/5HTP supplements that have been mentioned help a great deal, and sleep will return to a normal schedule much quicker than you would think.

Weed has very mild withdrawal symptoms compared to pretty much any other drug, opiates, alcohol, benzos, even caffeine and nicotine withdrawal are much worse.
 
this girl has to realize that she is smoking weed, not crack. i quit smoking weed after smoking everyday for 6 years because I realized that I was just foggy all the time and just more dull than I should be. Unless you want to stop and see the benefits of not smoking weed you are not going to, but there is NO reason she should be shaking or pacing back and forth. yes, she is going to have much more energy, but isn't that a good thing? I like what the first poster said about the pros and cons. all I did was think about the pros and cons but it was enough for me to stop. the only real post acute withdrawal symptoms she is going to notice is going to be maybe boredom if she loves smoking weed that much (although I did not notice this) and insomnia, which I experienced a lot of and it took a good 5 weeks for me to begin sleeping through the full night.
 
I think your friend has an underlying anxiety issue. She is likely using cannabis to self-medicate to varying degrees of success. The best way for her to quit is to get rid of all her current marijuana and stay away from friends/people who will give/sell her more. As well, she can try to deal with the issues that are causing her to have anxiety/panic attacks in the first place.

Remind her that quitting is not as hard as she may think. The most successful ways to quit involve lifestyle changes. It will be more difficult if everything you do reminds you of getting high. If anxiety is really her problem then quitting should give her some relief, which is better than being high and anxious all the time.
 
I have a cousin that 55 & he has been smoking weed every day since he was 18. He did wake & bake for 12 years but had to quit that because of his new job. good luck getting her to quit.....its possible but she will have to occupy her mind with other things. People tend to relapse with drugs because they get bored so she needs to occupy her time.
 
Wow! Lots of useful replies, thanks guys. I'm gonna see her tonight so we'll have another go at it. Mind you I was kind of hoping to smoke myself...
 
ive been smoking for 6 years, and like 4 years pretty much everyday. I have few days brake every now and then and the only problem for me is that its really hard to fall asleep. Its hard to stop but I have a friend whos smoked almost as much as me and hes quit completely. Mb she should go for few weeks to the country without weed to quit(thats how I quite tobacco). Its all about mental strength imo.
 
WEED IS HARD TO QUIT IVE been smoking for about 10 years everyday 5 times a day i have stopped for months at a time (jail) im a recovering heroin addict so to me weeds simple i wish u and ur friends the best jus b happy its weed noT crack or dope . ,,,,,,,,,,,peace........................................................................... eupho..........................................................i mis read what u can do to help her is take her pipes and stuff and benzos really help BUT THAT ADDICTION IS FARRRRRRRRRRRRR WORSE THAN ANY WEED TRUST ME BUT IF U GIVE HER SAY A VALIUM HERE AND THERE IT WILL CALM HER IF U DECIDE TO GO THIS ROUTE PLEASE PLEASE BE VERY CAREFUL BENZO ADDICTION IS HELL!!!
 
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Been smoking for 40 years on and off, mostly on.

It's hard to get decent smoke where I live.

I get pissed off when I can't get any, start to get annoyed at politicians for keeping me from my favourite hobby.


Appetite loss is very noticeable, first few days.
Sleeping is difficult.

But, it only seems to last about 3 days, after that I have to admit I feel clearer and richer(obviously).

I like it though, so as soon as an opportunity to get some arises I do.

After abstinance, it hits me like a train.

Thinks thats the about the extent of it for me.

It's slightly addictive in this sense, but more of a habbit than a must have addiction.
 
When I quit smoking weed, I had cold sweats for a week. It's been 2 months now. I actually feel drug free, even though I do get high legally on other things. I just grew really dependent on it. I have never been good at doing things occasionally. Everything I do always has to turn into an everyday obsession.
 
I don't want to sound like a deuche but I've been a chronic smoker for years and it's really not to hard to stop smoking weed, especially if u want to. There no major withdrawal and there is minimal cravings especially if your friend is experiencing such negative effects from her smoking habit.
 
Dopy opy said:
I don't want to sound like a deuche but I've been a chronic smoker for years and it's really not to hard to stop smoking weed, especially if u want to. There no major withdrawal and there is minimal cravings especially if your friend is experiencing such negative effects from her smoking habit.
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Agreed. It was very easy to quit smoking weed. For me, the withdrawals were not so great, though. I had some serious cold sweats, depression, and anxiety for about a week, but now, it is extremely easy for me to stay quit. I want to stay quit for my newborn son and drug testing because I am looking for work. I don't want to be a pothead dad for the rest of my life. When I am around others that are smoking weed, it is extremely easy for me to turn it down, especially since there are ways that you can get high legally. Granted, they might not be as good as illegal highs, but it is enough to keep me satisfied. The first week was the hardest for me to quit because I had a lot of urges, but nothing I couldn't handle.
 
Growing up from the age of 14-20, I smoked up whenever it was around. That might be several times a week, or not at all. Unlike my friends and cousins, I could always take or leave it. Whereas everyone around me seemed to be on this perpetual quest to score weed. I never really cared, but I'd always throw in a few bucks because that was the thing to do. I only went through a short period with hash, where I felt like being high was actually a preferred state of mind. It was just a phase though. Shortly after that, I went through a period where I couldn't smoke weed at all due to a mental breakdown from taking pipe/speed bombs, thinking they were MDMA.

After that, taking just about everything scared the crap out of me. Even nicotine gave me anxiety. I was a complete mess. Needless to say, I didn't touch weed for about 3 years.

After my head started to settle down (and yes, it actually took years) I would smoke it occasionally if I was feeling anxiety-free. Other times, I would feel too edgy and couldn't handle it. I always smoked in tiny puffs. I would get teased for not doing these Snoop Dogg tokes, with smoke creaming all over the place.

The past couple years (I'm 30 now) and I can finally smoke weed somewhat normally without freaking out. This is partially due to me finally starting on a low dose of benzodiazepines, after almost a decade of resisting meds. I suspect I was pretty much back to baseline anyways, but the benzos help centre me.

Nowadays I smoke probably the equivalent to a joint a week. I get high off a few puffs when I'm drinking (and I drink about 3x a week) and otherwise, I can take or leave it. I'll puff, puff, put it out and save it for later.

I still don't really like being high, and given the choice, I'd crush up about 25mg oxy and enjoy that buzz with a few beers.

So where am I today?

I am trying to cut my drinking back to twice a week, because otherwise I get irritating withdrawal symptoms, and bad TMJ. I love me some oxy when I can get my hands on it, and I'm otherwise drug free. I don't touch bathtub meds, including coke, and I quit smoking cigs 5 years ago. I'm hanging in there.

What's your story?
 
Part of me thinks it's no big deal, it's just weed. But if she's truly self medicating anxiety without any other kind of help and not addressing the issue that's causing the anxiety it's going to cause more and more problems.

She probably needs to get help for the anxiety, maybe use less weed because it's better than getting hooked on xanax or something if it helps her.

I live in California and it seems like every other person I know has a prescription for it these days! It's crazy, when I was fifteen weed was much more "illegal" and frowned upon... though not much.


Maybe the weed isn't the biggest part of the problem, tell her she needs help for her anxiety and needs to smoke LESS weed. That would be a good first step. Of all the drugs out there to be hooked on weed is one of the least harmful.
 
Success! Last night we had a whole night without it. Basically we were all together and doing that annoying thing where you keep mentioning it to each other until somebody cracks and calls the dealer, but curiously (and happily) the conversation took a turn towards discussing the bad things about weed and we ended up not calling. We did finally lose the willpower about two in the morning - I admit - but by then it was too late, everyone we tried said it was too late, call tomorrow etc. So no smoking! Not that amazing for me, I hadn't smoked for like five days before that anyway, but good for her eh? I was proud of her. I know she's gonna smoke tonight, but... baby steps.

Regarding the most recent replies: a few of you have said that weed isn't that hard to quit, a few have said I should talk to her about other underlying problems instead.

First up, I am aware how 'soft' weed is - I did say that first thing in my original post. But it's like anything you do daily for so long, it just becomes ingrained. It's not about the physical w/d symptoms, more the empty space it leaves, that's what she finds so hard. That leads nicely to the second point - I really don't think she has that many underlying things that make her smoke, but she's a pretty shy girl and doesn't have that many close friends, so she started smoking just to pass the time, essentially.

Anyway, the girl done good.
 
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