No matter what kind of arguments you come up with to "take one hit off that J being passed around you," always remember that you're staying sober. I've found that if your heart's really set on changing your life then that little mantra is the most helpful thing you've got going for you, and if your heart's not into it then it was just a matter of time before you used again and you might as well not have wasted your time lying to yourself in the first place.
The hardest times after you quit smoking pot daily are the first 1-2 weeks after you stop, and when you hang around the friends and people that you used to consider smoking buddies. The first one can be hell on earth for someone not used to a sober life, but it only lasts a week and a few days and you should balance yourself back out.
The second will happen to you time-and-time-again unless you completely change your group of friends. If you put yourself in situations with them where you're around pot, it's going to be a lot more difficult to change your habits but it's still manageable.
... that 3-month break felt like years to me.... It was a trip unto itself, and I amazed myself every day of it when I would have arguments with myself to try and rationalize smoking "just a little bit" and I actively chose not to.
Wow i can really relate to that. I've been smoking more and more frequently since 2007, and have only recently realised that i fit the definition of someone who has a dependence. For the last few months i've smoked up once every couple of days on average.
It may not seem that often, but i very rarely buy pot. If i have weed, i'll smoke it, and if i don't, i never seem to have a problem finding a way to get high - getting a freebie from mates, heading over to their place for sessions when i'm bored and sitting around at home, scraping out a pipe or bong, keeping a roach from a joint etc... It's fucked, and it's often at these times, when i'm going to such lengths to get high that i reflect on whether i might have a problem. It's pretty obvious that i do.
That leads to a negative state of mind, generally i become introspective and reflective, then disappointed with myself after smoking. Particularly when i'm on my own.
Having just gone back to uni (1st March) to start an MSc, i have decided to take a break for a month, just to prove to myself i can do it. It would be over a year, possibly longer since i've gone that long without smoking.
I am already anticipating how difficult it will be because i use it to fill the void of boredom (and other than shit tv and internet, there ain't a hell of a lot to do round my house).
But i really need to make it through. I think once i've made it though, i'll be more outgoing, happy and productive, with no more staying up late for no reason and 10am weekday wake ups haha. A lot of the social anxiety i've dealt with over the past few years (although so mild now compared to how it was even 3 months ago) will leave me, and i'll have self respect for sticking it out. I may choose to stop smoking altogether once the month is up.
I'll be more active too, i'm replacing boredom and smoking with bmxing, weights and running. And an assload of uni work too.
Anywho, just thought i'd post up my own take and experience on taking a break from the smoke
Cheers
And OP, congrats for quitting :D
