Benefits of quitting cannabis

I'm currently on day 8 of my current quit. Started smoking weed at about 14 but it was when I went to college I started smoking consistently. I smoked every day for about 6 years including when I went on holiday. Even not speaking a word of the local language would stop me from getting some weed.

For the last 4 years I've managed to cut down my habit to some extent. I don't smoke everyday but when I do I binge.

I've just had a week off and in that time I managed to smoke and ounce and a half in 9 days. In all that time I only went out of the house once and that was when I ran out of food.

It was when I went back to work on the Monday and could not concentrate on what I was doing and the only thing I could think of was finishing work so that I could have a joint and feel better(one of my friends lives on my route home and always has it) I realised that I could not go back to this life.

This is not my first quit. I managed to have 6 months off about 2 years ago. I have also had many periods where I have had 2 - 4 weeks off, sometimes even 2 months but would always come back to it.  When I start again I might as well write off the next few weeks as they will be spent in a stoned haze.

It is always the same reasons that I start smoking again and that is boredom.

So far this quit has not been too bad. I have not had the usual insomnia. I have gone out running every day and tried to eat more healthily. I do feel like my head is very clouded but I am pretty much used to that so is not bothering me too much.

I was even around people smoking it for all 4 days over the easter break and managed to resist when the joint came my way. I gave up smoking cigarettes 12 weeks ago so I think this has helped me prepare for the cravings and deal with them.

So here I am quitting yet again for what I hope is the final time.

Welcome Ben! - SO GLAD you found us.  Congrats on what is probably day 9 by now!   You're in good company here.  Most of us  have reached the point where we are ready to quit yo-yo -ing back and forth and be done for good.  

An ounce and a half in 9 days! - wow.  toxic!   I though the 1/2 oz a week I used was crazy - not to mention expensive! 

But I do know that the more I thought about quitting, the more I wanted to smoke - and it almost took smoking myself sick to realize how disgusting it had become - how dysfunctional my life was and how much I wanted and needed to be liberated from what was perhaps more 'obsession' than 'addiction' - I'm still sorting that out.

You're brave and wise to try quitting tobacco as well - I mixed them - which didn't cut down pot use one bit - might even have increased it.  And it certainly made quitting a bit more challenging.  Please keep posting how things go for you - it helps us all.

Hugs

Grandma 

Hi Ben , 

Good luck with your quit, you will find many on here in a similar position to you - Me included .

I can only second what grandma said above, quitting the tobacco and the weed was important for me , probably even more so that the tobacco was gone . I'm sure that's what played havoc with my chest.

All the best , check in as often as you need to , we'll all get through this .

CAT

Well done Ben on your 9 days! I am on day 9 too... we can help each other through this - you have come to the right place, we are all supportive of each other here. It is a wonder to me how you have managed to go for months at a time then smoke so much in one go! I would be a big mess on the floor and I have smoked for many, many years!! I have quit a few times before too, in some ways it gets easier but then the more times I have fallen off the wagon the less I think I can do this forever...  at least every time I have gone back to it I have actually managed to smoke less than I did before the quit.

Please keep strong. However much you think you want it just remember it is the drug withdrawal that is making you want it - you don't need it and you probably wont even enjoy it. Just feel guilty and annoyed at yourself. I find it really helpful to read through my old posts on here, especially ones from days when I felt really strong - sometimes I read them and think "did I really say that?" but it helps me get back on focus. I also read the ones when I felt really rubbish and think "do I really want to go through this again?" - we have come to far now Ben to turn back again. Now is the time.

Good luck, and keep posting - let us know how it's going whether good or bad.

love Weedless xx

Thankyou all for your messages of support and I wish everyone the best of luck in their quit. I am now on day 10 and still very determined. It has helped looking at the other posts on the forum and it has made me realise that I am not going through this alone.

I had always tried to convince myself that because I had periods where I didn't smoke weed that I had control over it but I now realise that this was just an illusion. Now that I have admitted to myself that this is an addiction and it has allowed me to face it and try to overcome it. It is always hard to admit to yourself that you are addicted to something but it is the first step to overcoming the addiction.

So far I have been lucky and not had the dreaded insomnia but I still found today I felt like I had no energy and have been suffering from headaches. However I know that this is short term and my energy levels will return and the headaches will disappear.

I am however finding myself looking forward to the start of every new day as it is another step towards to a weed free life.

All the best,

Ben

Hi Ben

So glad your here. You sound really strong and focused and I really believe you will do this. I think I mentioned before that I've tried quitting a few times before and somehow always end up back on the stuff... usually after a few weeks when I think I have 'cracked it' and I'm always so sure at the time that I can control the smoking this time and just do it on weekends or just round friends etc. The number of times I have made these bargains with myself is ridiculous. I actually feel so unhappy when I am smoking but limiting the smoke - you just feel deprived the whole time and think about it far more obsessively than when you just quit it altogether! Part of me would still love to be able to have just one a day, the one at bedtime to help knock me out! Especially now as I am on Day 13 and not slept properly since I quit. But I know this doesn't work (I have NEVER been a one a day smoker, even years ago when I first started - tis all or nothing for me, much like it is for you I think).

Well good luck and keep going with it. Keep us updated too pls, good or bad, I wanna know how you are doing.

love Weedless

Hi Ben!

I joined at the beginning of April as I was just into week 5 of my quit and things weren't getting any better... it's the dreams and wierd sleep stuff that kill me off!  However, I have lapsed again - that wasn't the first time i've tried to crack this bloody thing! Just getting motivated and ready to try again... never give up giving up??!!!  Reading your post made me recall a previous attempt where things were a lot easier - i was doing a lot of exercise at the time in preparation for my wedding... Think i need to approach this again in a more holistic way and concentrate not only on giving up but on taking better care of myself as a whole! Cheers for the reminder!  Hope you're still doing good and keep it up!

sd x

sd - welcome and thanks for posting.  We have ALL been THAT movie = and it's why we're here.  I'm determine to keep quitting until I get it right - and it is getting easier.  I quit ( for the last time) in September.  I had a relapse about a month ago, but instead of going back to a mental attitude of 'starting over', I decided to just chalk it up to experience and the process.  Of course, that's just a mental trick I've played on myself and probably a total 'cheat' - but it seems to have helped with the not kicking myself over it.  And I don't feel I really lost the benefits I gained from the previous months.  Keep on quitting!! - glad to have you here.

Grandma

Hi All

Thought I would check in on day 16. So far doing ok. Got insomnia towards the end of last week but for the last 3 nights I've been doing simple breathing exercises and meditation for 20 mins before going to bed and that seems to help. Apart from that just keeping busy.

I think that Weedless is completely correct. I always make the mistake of thinking I can control the smoking but just end up thinking about it more. In the end I start smoking as much as, if not more than I did previously. Btw I hope your quit is going ok. You should be on day 17 by now? Hope the insomnia is getting better!

I also know mental attitude has so much to play in this. I have had a couple of cigarettes whilst on nights out drinking (Quit cigarettes 14 weeks ago) but as Grandma said I have just chalked this up to experience rather than starting back at day one.  I always found that the guilt of smoking after a period of abstinence (whether it be weed or cigarettes) and the annoyance of going back to day one would often start me going again. Just thinking of it as a relapse and not as a failure helps me to keep focused on the goal rather than dwelling on the failure.

SD i know what you are saying about the dreams and weird sleep. Mine have been so vivid at the moment, a lot of them almost on the verge of nightmares. But at least it makes a change from no dreams at all. I wish you the best of luck on your next quit!!!

It's strange I always start these posts not knowing what to say and then end up writing an essay. Writing my thoughts down does seem like a good therapy though.

Anyway hope everyone is well!

All the best,

Ben

Ben!!!

Good to see you back and still going strong. I think you should forgive yourself about the cigarettes - no big deal. At least they weren't spliffs. I know you are pretty much over the tobacco but just incase you still ever feel the urge, I would recommend buying Allen Carr, Easyway to Stop Smoking if you haven't already. It turned me off cigs and even after I quit (smoked more than 20 per day) I managed to use tobacco in my spliffs and not feel compelled to smoke cigs in the day or when I ran out of weed, despite the fact that I must have been physically addicted still. So it really does counter the psychological aspects of smoking. I actually apply a lot of his theories on addiction and psychological tools to my cannabis addiction (could probably apply it to any addiction really) and this has helped loads. I also bought a hypnosis CD to help with the withdrawal pangs - and if you like meditation, this will come quite naturally to do. Worth a go - this only cost about a tenner from Waterstones. A worthwhile investment.

Anyways keep up the good work mate, and I will catch you soon.

love Weedless xx

BEN - so glad you are still with us!  Tobacco has been a huge problem for me, as well - but only because I've mixed it (it's an Amsterdam thing I picked up and could never shake).   My hat goes out to those of you who've been able to quit both of those -

Thanks for posting - it really does help to know that people are out there doing well.

Hugs,

Grandma

Well I'm now on day 34 of my quit. The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a rollercoaster, one minute feeling great and really positive and the next minute feeling really down and depressed. Although the last few days my moods don't seem to have been so extreme.

Repaired my mountain bike last weekend and managed to do a 12 mile cross country ride. Found that without the cigarettes and weed I could cycle for a lot longer than in the past when I would stop for a cigarette/weed break during the ride.

My friends have now got to the point where they have accepted I don't smoke and don't even try to pass the joint to me when passing one around. In fact they don't bother asking me if I want any when they are going to get weed. I have now found that being around people getting stoned puts me off smoking rather than making me want a joint.

Although saying that I just have to endure the part of me saying "go on have a joint, you've been 5 weeks and proved you can do it, just have one". I know this is all part of the quitting process so just have to live with it.

Hope everyone's quit is going well!!!

All the best,

Ben

Wow Ben, congratulations! You have got the first month out of the way, that is a huge achievement. It is always nice when someone reports good news. I have come on today for inspiration as I am currently going through another relapse phase. I genuinely dont know how you can be around it and not do it! What is your secret? Do you use some kind of mental technique to get through it? This has been my undoing - being around other smokers - every time I have failed.

Well keep up the good work and stick it out - dont listen to the little devil in your head when he tells you one smoke isn't the end of the world. It only takes one toke to turn you back in to a full blown pothead again. So be strong and JUST SAY NO!!

love Weedless xx

Hi Ben,

Congratulations on your success, 34 days is a long time, really well done.  It isn't easy.  I was fortunate in that I was often able to avoid being in the company of people who were smoking.

It's good that your friends have accepted your decision to quit, that must help a lot.

But please, please, please don't ever "just have one".  The thought of "just have one" undemines a huge number of people who are trying to quit, I quit tobacco for a few weeks last year and then thought I could have "just one" and it ruined it for me.

There never is just one, it always ends up being more.  "just one" becomes, "well, I've had one, so another won't matter".  And then (in my experience) you think "well I've had those two now, so I might as well smoke a few more, get really nicely stoned and enjoy it, because it'll just be for one night".  The next day it becomes "just one week" or "just one eighth" and onwards.

You probably know all that, because you're managing to resist, but don't ever give in!!

Congrats Ben! - and what James said.  Having 'just one' is a huge trick this addiction plays on you.  It isn't harmless -that's why you came here in the first place.   It's why we're all here.

Hi Weedless, James & Grandma

Thanks for the support.

Weedless I'm not exactly sure how I can be around people smoking and not smoke it. Usually I would hide away from it then give in as soon as I found myself around it but this time I thought I might as well get used to it early when I am more determined.

The first couple of times where hard but now I am starting to get used to it. I think giving up smoking cigarettes helped because it taught me to deal with the cravings. However bad the craving for a joint is I have found personally that it is not as bad as the cravings I got for cigarettes when I quit them. Also pride helps. I told people I was quitting and got the usual thing of people not believing it so I am determined to prove them wrong.

I have also found that when I am with stoned people just watching them reminds me of the reasons that I want to give up weed in the first place. Watching them eating lots of junkfood, watching the same reruns on TV and the lack of conversation just reinforces the reason to quit. Usually I am with a mix of people that smoke and people that don't so I just hang out with the people not smoking.

I am sorry to hear that you are in a relapse at the moment but I found that quitting was a gradual process and found that each time I relapsed I would learn something from the quit and gradually found what quitting techniques worked for me and what didn't.

James and Grandma you are completely correct. I started smoking cigarettes again in 2009 after not smoking for a year and a half because I thought I would just have the one. All that happened was I had to quit again.

I have now come to realise that complete abstinence from weed is the only way I can deal with it. I would love to be one of those people that can just have a joint and then leave it months and months but I know I can't. My use always gradually gets more and more until I am smoking every day again. I know I have an addictive personality so the easiest think is just to not touch it.

I agree with the "just one" mindset as James explains it. I have personally started smoking tobacco again many times because of that very mindset. At this point I have not been off the weed long enough to even try and trick myself into having "just one".

From reading this forum I know better when that tricky urge surfaces in my future. Good advice!

There is no such thing as just one spliff! Or  just one cigarette for that matter. Somehow I managed to beat the cigs many years ago and I never fantasize about smoking again. I don't miss them at all, even though I am addicted to nicotine as I put tobacco in my spliffs. For me, letting go of the weed is proving much harder than the cigs. But we are all different. I am living proof of the no such thing as one rule. Every time I've relapsed it has been with the proviso of  'just this one spliff' or 'just  one night' and it always, inevitably escalates. I hope I have learnt the lesson this time because I am sick of going round in circles, I need to get over this and move on with my life. That can only happen if I get rid of the weed. Learn it from me peeps, dont make the same mistake. Repeat after me:

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ONE SPLIFF!!

love Weedless xx

Well to keep me not smoking ciggies I say i'm a puff away from a pack a day....I know i couldn't have one spliff.....never ever....if i want to stay quit, and i do, my 2 young adult kids quit last yr and they know i'm chronic, i called and told them both i have quit, i want to make it hard to restart if  i get the urge....

Its been nearly 7 weeks now but I can feel my willpower starting to fade. This is always the bit where I end up smoking again.

Joined the reduceyouruse program and hopefully it will help me to get through this period.