How I quit marijuana.

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

hi i read some posts in here and wanted to say that i smoked every day for 27 years. I came here because I wanted to maybe help someone else. I am 45yo man living in Melbourne Australia and had been smoking dope since I was 18. Even though I hated myself smoking constantly like I did (and I do mean constantly), at the same time it was a completely unacceptable situation for me to run out or not have weed. And I would tell myself that I loved it, but at the same time I knew that it had to stop. It seemed impossible it really did. The over whelming desire of not to be with out it even though i would tell myself how bad it was for me and how it has held me back for so very long and a million other reasons not to, my appetite for it was unstoppable. I would go and score it, smoke it, then feel like a weak idiot, and would keep smoking to avoid facing those feelings. Ill quit after the next ounce... yeah right! I had tried to detox a few times over the years but the most I could to was a month here and or a week or 2 there. I would always be counting how many days I had not had it, if i wasn't using it it was still on my mind, and a relapse would start off the same viscous circle. I always came back to the drug and it always welcomed me back with open arms. I went to counseling and even got treated for depression all to no effect because like I said, it was an unacceptable situation to be without a smoke.
Its now around 9 months since I last got stoned and I have absolutely zero interest in it anymore, which I find amazing to say the least. I don't think about it, it does not occupy my thoughts in the least. I feel free for the first time in my adult life. I have now realised that my pot addiction came from my sub-conscious mind and that is why it was so hard for ME to detox because my subconscious is not open to reason or argument - if that makes sense. So if you want to detox and be free from this terrible selfish lifestyle that parts you of your money, self respect and any truly meaningful relationships, then its a 2 pronged attack you need to have, body and mind. Get rid of the toxins that have built up in your system over the years and find a way to literally change your mind.
The first week is hard, i wont lie i found it very difficult. I got some Valium from the doc for sleeping and started a detox - water, lots vit-c, milk thistle, dandelion root tea, passion flower tea and apple cider vinegar and more water. Anything that will help your liver work better is good. The idea is to flush the toxins out of your body as fast as possible to lessen the physical cravings. I listened to a hypnosis cd by Dr Rick Collingwood called Beating Marijuana Addiction and found it to be a MASSIVE help. I would put it on headphones when I was asleep every night for 2 weeks. After this time it I found that it simply wasn't in my head that I needed to smoke, plain and simple. I cant explain it here properly but it was kind of like a switch got flicked and I am just not interested in it. Another thing that helped me was the day I decided enough was enough I sat myself down in front of a mirror and watched myself smoking. I stared into my eyes while I got stoned, watching them go red, feeling that old feeling, and I thought to myself as I stared - this, is who I am .. now that was a dose of heavy reality. It game me resolve and now I can say that was who I was and never will be again.
This is what worked for ME, everyone is different I know that and I am not here to preach anything. I do know that I am free of marijuana and I wont be going back. I don't need a head rush to relax that's for sure! And its so good to go to sleep naturally I cant tell you how good that is. The longer I am without it the more I realise what it really took from me and what a waste it all was, but whats done is done, and I have my life back now. Other things have come into my life now and I spend my free time doing stuff I actually enjoy.
I hope this is a help to someone out there I really do, sorry if I have rambled on. Good luck if you want to detox the drug for real. It can be done and its far from impossible. I am still amazed at how easy it really was because I thought I could never be without it.

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

hi 2 you, great read that was. congratulations u ought 2 feel soooo please with yourself. gives us all hope eh?

[ajh151h]

I agree it is really a two pronged approach, body and mind, and if you manage to detox for long enough, somewhere around 6-10 months, you will not think about the drug in even close to the same way that you did as an addict. They key is really to decide that you HAVE to detox smoking, because the reality is that you are an addict, and that you have ABSOLUTELY NO CHOICE but to stop smoking. The addiction will not magically resolve itself.

Once you make this decision, there are many ways to make the detox less painful that have been listed throughout this site. I found a combination of exercise and theanine to be the best thing for me, but I would recommend trying a number of different things to see what works for you. The best way to lessen the symptoms I think is clearly exercise, but as the poster mentioned there are a number of different chemicals that help as well.

It is unbelievable how much marijuana warps your thinking, and this is what makes it so difficult to quit, and to stay off of the drug while your thinking goes back to normal. Your mind will eventually reset itself, but the process of going through that resetting faze can be extremely difficult. In a way I think that this faze comes down to relearning how to cope with reality, because once you are off marijuana you will become very sensitive to reality and be unable to deal with it.

I know that for a long time while I was smoking and while I was going through the detox I wondered how people who didn't smoke could possibly cope with reality. I think this is because when I started smoking I was just a kid, and I hadn't yet learned how to deal with anything because I was too young at that point to understand anything, let alone need to deal with it. When I quit smoking, I was all of a sudden forced to cope with the reality of adult life. I seemed hopelessly lost at this point, and I felt that rehabilitation was absolutely impossible.

However, I eventually found out that the subconscious simply does not give up; it will use trial and error until you are finally back to a normal state of mind. I probably went through thirty to forty different methods of coping before I found one that worked. You WILL eventually learn to cope. It just takes time. How well you learn to live is sort of up to you, and I would suggest trying to develop the best habits as possible during your recovery, because many of them will stick with you.

To make a complete rehabilitation this is very important, because habits are not dependent on the subconscious. The best example of this that I can think of is that if you became lazy while you were smoking, you will not suddenly become a hard worker.

Great post, this is another example of how simple but difficult freeing yourself from marijuana addiction is.

[Vixsin]

I can definitely relate to that story. I also thought I would never survive without weed. I am now on day 29 and it hasn't been easy but it's been educational and eye opening. To say the least. I often find myself thinking that I could go back for "just one more smoke." I am learning that those thoughts are the addict part of my brain trying to regain control. I am so proud of myself for making it this long and I am learning who I really am...without the weed.

I commend all of you out there who have decided to quit. It's not an easy road but it does get easier the longer we are on that road. I also commend all of you that are thinking of quitting. I'm glad it brought you to this cannabis rehab site and I hope you stay and read awhile.

Be free.

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

i have been trying to detox again.. and now i find it very hard .. before when i had quit it was simple, i guess getting arrested for it and being ashamed kind of helped me quit for 2 years... but as i graduated college, and took some time off from my job.. i have found myself smoking more and more, thus making my addiction heavier.. i think the real problem for me is just being bored.. if i am bored, i'll light one up, and again and again .. the days i do try to detox i find myself very irritable and vulgar to people that have done nothing to deserve it . i find myself to the point that if i get low on green, i get very anxious to find my next batch yet at the same time, i know i shouldn't. i don't know, i felt the need to ramble. reading stories from CannabisRehab.org has been somewhat making me stronger and becoming more informative about my problem. i would like to applaud everyone who has quit and is now leading a clean sober life. i hope i can join you soon ! XD

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Hi and welcome.

Well done on not smoking for 9 months that’s a great achievement! Thank you so much for posting I am sure your post will be of help to others.

All the best

[Roam]

That was a great read, thank you! I can relate to some point...I'm 46. Hope you're around when I post an important question that you may have insight on. I'm new...still trying to navigate around this site....very good, by the way.

[Detoxer]

Hi, that was a good post

it must of been such a tough ride quitting after so long. I smoked everyday for ten years, end of next week i'll be 4 months clean. can't believe how much better life can be without weed

i'm amazed i allowed myself to be stoned for so long, it just shows when you're in the addiction the mind can't work/think rationally

smoking the drug just makes life harder than it needs to be - but you can't be told or forced to quit, you can only do it when you personally decide the time is right.

[Vixsin]

Amen Hummer!!! I couldn't have said it any better myself. Strength to all that have quit and to all that are thinking of quitting.