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Replacing Weed

M

meg818

Greenlighter
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
11
Hey everyone,

I am a recovering drug addict/alcoholic but i still smoke weed. I smoke about a half ounce a week. I want to stop for numerous reasons and have heard that if you want to stop a bad habit then you best shot is replacing it with another habit. I read about this in the book "the power of habit". It says you need to identify your cues that make you want to smoke and just change the routine (smoking weed) to something else. I realized that my cues to smoke are boredom and an uneasy/anxiety type of feeling. I really cant think of anything that could replace smoking weed and still give me the same reward which is relaxation and sometimes escape from being bored. Thanks!
 
working out is the most easy and best one I can think of lifting weights... for example
 
Lifting ^ its what i do. Also increase your cig smoking if needed. Now that i live an active life i have no desire to use any drugs at all.
 
Sports/playing an instrument/more cigarettes if you already smoke/you could also eat but then you may have another problem.
 
I would highly recommend not increasing the amount of tobacco you smoke in lieu of smoking Cannabis.
There isn't any specific answer we can give you other than for you to work it out for yourself.
Hobbies are subjective, and the pleasure derived varies greatly.
 
meg818 said:
Hey everyone,

I am a recovering drug addict/alcoholic but i still smoke weed. I smoke about a half ounce a week. I want to stop for numerous reasons and have heard that if you want to stop a bad habit then you best shot is replacing it with another habit. I read about this in the book "the power of habit". It says you need to identify your cues that make you want to smoke and just change the routine (smoking weed) to something else. I realized that my cues to smoke are boredom and an uneasy/anxiety type of feeling. I really cant think of anything that could replace smoking weed and still give me the same reward which is relaxation and sometimes escape from being bored. Thanks!
Click to expand...

we are in the same boat my friend. its harder then people think
 
Thanks for all the responses guys. Regarding lifting weights...I am considering doing a working out in the morning which also includes some cardio on top of weights so i can get rid of any excess energy.

Tobacco is counterproductive to me because it increases the uneasy/anxiety feeling which is the reason i smoke weed in the first place.

beengerman...i know right....i used to laugh at people who would complain at stuff like this. I realized all the other times i quit weed was in rehab when i was also on benzos which they give you and slowly ween you off. Obviously im not going to do that but i am considering drinking valerian/kava tea instead of coffee the first few days. I realized when i drink caffeine it makes it much harder to resist smoking.
 
michael said:
when i am tempted to get high anymore i walk the dog instead. the dog is the real winner in this situation, but that's ok because she is totally awesome.
Click to expand...

See if i had a dog and wanted to walk it. I would for sure want to smoke before i do it. I need to rewire my whole brain. aghhh!!!
 
OK guys thanks to all your awesome suggestions and some other stuff i have manged to quit for 4 days now. I decided to come back here and share it for the other people who mentioned they were trying to quit.

  • I changed the routine i use to relax from smoking weed to self-hypnosis/meditation. I ended up trying a self-hypnosis i found on youtube and it really relaxed me so i figured that could be the missing link i need to quit weed (and it was).
  • I started attending a free meditation class (Buddhist based) at the local YMCA
  • Also i have stomach problems and i get indigestion after the smallest meal. I used to use weed to cure this but now i take a 20 minute walk.
  • Also, i run a mile a day (in about 10 minutes or so) to get rid of extra energy and help me sleep at night.
  • Also, I am taking L-Theanine, L-Glutamine, Cod Liver Oil (Omega3),B-Complex, Magnesium, Calcium and a Multi-vitamin daily. Many of those increase GABA (the thing that keeps you calm) in your brain or do other stuff that calms you.

Even though i did all this stuff, its still not a magic bullet. I still feel some anxiety and my appetite is nearly non-existent. That being said, it has been easier to quit than other times. I haven't been getting into as many petty arguments as previous times. You may say "Just buck up and quit, don't be a pussy" but don't underestimate how addicted you can get to weed if you smoke large amounts of it for a long time. Plus, im a firm beleiver that if you quit harder drugs then your brains responds to quitting softer drugs with a harsher withdrawal. I tried quitting cigarettes recently and it reminded me EXACTLY of quitting benzos and alcohol back in 2009.

Thanks!
 
Wow, its good to see you knuckling down with this, dude.
Best of luck!
Just keep trying to achieve your daily goals, and remember that eventually your anxiety and other withdrawing type feelings will pass.
Quitting weed is always the hardest thing for me to achieve. It's a really rewarding feeling once conquered !
 
meg818 said:
See if i had a dog and wanted to walk it. I would for sure want to smoke before i do it. I need to rewire my whole brain. aghhh!!!
Click to expand...

learning to live your life without your DOC is one of the hardest parts of recovery...in a full blown addiction your life revolves around your DOC. You're right in that you need to rewire your brain. You just need to do something else when you get the craving to smoke. Do you have any hobbies?
 
tripnotyzm said:
Wow, its good to see you knuckling down with this, dude.
Best of luck!
Just keep trying to achieve your daily goals, and remember that eventually your anxiety and other withdrawing type feelings will pass.
Quitting weed is always the hardest thing for me to achieve. It's a really rewarding feeling once conquered !
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words. Today i started questioning if this slight anxiety is going to go away or not and your post helped.

rules said:
learning to live your life without your DOC is one of the hardest parts of recovery...in a full blown addiction your life revolves around your DOC. You're right in that you need to rewire your brain. You just need to do something else when you get the craving to smoke. Do you have any hobbies?
Click to expand...

I dont really have any hobbies. Im an Internet Marketer, so that's my hobby/job/life. I know...pathetic. I have been reading a lot of books about personal development. Also, im just getting into pickup or PUA as an actual hobby.

You are right, thats the hardest part for sure.
 
meg818 said:
Thanks for the kind words. Today i started questioning if this slight anxiety is going to go away or not and your post helped.



I dont really have any hobbies. Im an Internet Marketer, so that's my hobby/job/life. I know...pathetic. I have been reading a lot of books about personal development. Also, im just getting into pickup or PUA as an actual hobby.

You are right, thats the hardest part for sure.
Click to expand...

i wish you luck in your attempt. i know i was definitely addicted to smoking like a year ago...5-7 blunts a day...not anymore though. i've moved on to bigger and badder drugs...which will hopefully also come to a close soon. again, good luck. just remember, a lot of people have it way worst than you with a physical and not just psychological addiction. yours is easier to stop IMO.
 
meg818 said:
OK guys thanks to all your awesome suggestions and some other stuff i have manged to quit for 4 days now. I decided to come back here and share it for the other people who mentioned they were trying to quit.

  • I changed the routine i use to relax from smoking weed to self-hypnosis/meditation. I ended up trying a self-hypnosis i found on youtube and it really relaxed me so i figured that could be the missing link i need to quit weed (and it was).
  • I started attending a free meditation class (Buddhist based) at the local YMCA
  • Also i have stomach problems and i get indigestion after the smallest meal. I used to use weed to cure this but now i take a 20 minute walk.
  • Also, i run a mile a day (in about 10 minutes or so) to get rid of extra energy and help me sleep at night.
  • Also, I am taking L-Theanine, L-Glutamine, Cod Liver Oil (Omega3),B-Complex, Magnesium, Calcium and a Multi-vitamin daily. Many of those increase GABA (the thing that keeps you calm) in your brain or do other stuff that calms you.

Even though i did all this stuff, its still not a magic bullet. I still feel some anxiety and my appetite is nearly non-existent. That being said, it has been easier to quit than other times. I haven't been getting into as many petty arguments as previous times. You may say "Just buck up and quit, don't be a pussy" but don't underestimate how addicted you can get to weed if you smoke large amounts of it for a long time. Plus, im a firm beleiver that if you quit harder drugs then your brains responds to quitting softer drugs with a harsher withdrawal. I tried quitting cigarettes recently and it reminded me EXACTLY of quitting benzos and alcohol back in 2009.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Wow, that is inspiring! This is the kind of proactive approach that will affect your life in way more areas than you are even trying to change. Amazing.<3
 
After reading this the only thing that came to mind were cigarettes. Maybe just try to taper down on weed a bit?
 
If you are going to do nicotine, do e-cigarettes. Not all of the e-cigarettes are good... I have never smoked actual cigarettes, but some people have tried mine and said it was just as good as the real thing.

http://www.joyetech.com/product/eGoC.php

MXE has a lot in common with weed, I often combine them, this allows me to buy less weed...not sure if that's the kind of advice you are looking for, though.
 
advising someone to take mxe to replace weed is an dumb idea...

meg818 could you post the self-hypnosis video you use

this is my meditation video that works
 
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