Benefits of quitting cannabis

Hope that somebody benifits from reading this, in some way, or gets reassurance...

This is my story:

 I started smoking cannabis at the age of thirteen, I suppose because I thought it was cool, and I loved the way it made me feel care-free and relieved of any worries. It wasn't like the usual “my mates got me into it” story... I wanted it and went to seek it out myself, before dragging my friends down (or up?) with me.

For a while everything was 'groovy' and I loved getting stoned, in fact I loved it so much by the time I was 16 it was the purpose of my everyday – ensuring that I could somehow get a tenner so that I could get some weed, and not feel anxious! I felt that if I left the house without weed then any social situation would be far to awkward and unbearable and I just couldn't do it!

This went on until I was 17, nearly 18 and then I started hearing voices... It wasn't like hearing through my ears, it was inside my head! They would start off with one sentence, one time being “Got you now” quite quietly. However, they would then rapidly repeat themselves and increase in volume, before reaching an abrupt termination of the voices, leaving me in a state of heart-pounding terror. This was not when I was stoned, it was after I had gone a certain amount of time with no weed!

It wasn't just the whole process of hearing voices that scared me it was the feeling that I may be losing control of my mind forever!

Luckily,things were getting better and busier in my life and I had started at a music college that I was really enjoying, found a love interest, soI felt that I no longer needed, or wanted weed in my life at this point and decided to suddenly stop. This came as a shock to everybody as it was what people associated me with!

When quitting I searched constantly online for help, but failed to find much that did, the one thing that did help was a reassurance that in 6 weeks everything would be better, and I would be back to my normal self, of course, having smoked weed since 13 I didn't really know what to expect!

Stopping smoking weed at that point was the best decision I have ever made without a doubt! It was horrible for the first 3 or 4 weeks, I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and the voices continued... but afterthat initial turning point I started to feel euphoric and full of energy, just from walking down the street! Of course after a while the novelty of reality wears off but it is still great to know thatyou are not wasting time getting stoned when you could be doing somuch more! Also, the voices have now stopped.

Two years on now, and I will confess that I do have the occasional spliff, but only when I get the urge, which is very rare, and I could quite happily never have a smoke again, life is too short and time is too precious!

my first day of quitting.any good tips to make it a bit easier?

Good luck guys and ke posting with your updates .

tom g at January 2, 2011 at 3:58 PM

my first day of quitting.any good tips to make it a bit easier?

Hey, sorry late gettin back to you, the one thing that really makes it easier is keeping busy and doing whatever makes you feel good! Also, spending money that you would buy weed with on things like CDs or whatever, just treat urself Good luck! x

Thanks Teapot ur post hsa given me a boost, that feelin bad is only temporary and it can be beaten.

That's what we got to keep reminding ourselves guys - it's only temporary and things do get better -