In need of advice about weed

[ScareCrow]

Hey mates, Im 23 yr old man I think I may have a problem with weed. Basically I been smoking for about 5 years now but in the last 6 months this has ramped up, probably due to stress (although that may be a cop out excuse) and also due to becoming friends with a dealer so Ive never had a problem getting it.
Every morning I get up in a daze, drive to work in a daze, spend my day miserable and grumpy and constantly thinking about when I finish my day at work and can go home and smoke weed. Ive pretty much stopped my hobbies and whilst I make an effort to see my friends on a weekly basis, Ive become detached from my family. My life consists of going to work, coming home, smoking all night and watching films/playing games. Ive put weight on, stopped exercising and started eating crisps and anything that doesnt require effort to make. Im in the worst physical state Ive ever been in and I hate myself and that only increases my using!
In the last 2 or 3 weeks Ive started becoming paranoid and am having these thoughts about maybe my mind is backwards or that I was born faulty and that everybody knows this and its some huge cover up where everybody pretends Im normal.
Has anybody else had experiences like this? Ive spent the last 2 years lost in a stoned world of books and television and I gotta stop this. Im starting to even lose track of what is real and what is imagined, agh!
Can anybody offer me some advice on this?
Is it best to go cold turkey or to wind down?
Should I take time off work when I quit or will that make it harder?
Sorry for the mega post lol, and thanks for any help.

[Roam]

Nicely worded. Could be an advertisement
I'm new to this forum. But I am not new to the "other world" as you and so many others know. Can you give me an idea about the you 5 years ago and the you now ie: sports, music, hobbies, interests, work. I'm just wanting to see mutual common ground so I can give you some of my own personal advise. And hold on....there will be some other great advise coming. I've noticed that there are some pretty smart and compassionate people on this site.

[program jb3]

In the last 2 or 3 weeks Ive started becoming paranoid and am having these thoughts about maybe my mind is backwards or that I was born faulty and that everybody knows this and its some huge cover up where everybody pretends Im normal.
Has anybody else had experiences like this? Ive spent the last 2 years lost in a stoned world of books and television and I gotta stop this. Im starting to even lose track of what is real and what is imagined, agh!
Can anybody offer me some advice on this?

That is exactly what I started noticing. If you are stoned all the time, you live in an alternate reality, and to me, that is the scariest thing about being an addict. I was so screwed up these past years that I thought all my friends were pissed off at me, so I was pissed at them (secretly). I now see how distorted things were, but the worst part is, I talked my wife into moving halfway across the country because nobody liked me enough (untrue). Now we are stuck in a house in a sketchier neighborhood with a mortgage 3x what it used to be. No friends, no family. I'm ashamed to say that at least %50 of the reason we are here is because of legal medical marijuana. I wish I had never left, but until I win the lotto, we are stuck.

My advice is to detox right now, before you do something stupid. Also, it may be just a coincidence, but my mental health really took a turn for the worse around 23. You should be clean so you can see if it's just the weed, or maybe something worse like Bipolar or Schizophrenia. I'm not a doctor (just bipolar), but it sounds like you are experiencing psychosis. Do a Google search for "symptoms of psychosis", it is an eye opener.

Is it best to go cold turkey or to wind down?

I can't speak for everyone, but for me, cold turkey was the only way. If your worried about withdrawals, I can tell you that mine are very easy to handle (4 days in). If you think about it, at the end of cutting back, you still have to have the "LAST ONE". And in my opinion, fully accepting that a particular bowl or spliff was the "LAST ONE" will be just as hard next month as it will be tomorrow.

Should I take time off work when I quit or will that make it harder?

I'd definitely say take time off and go somewhere. Work stress is probably more of a trigger to use than boredom. And if boredom is a biggger trigger, go somewhere fun where you couldn't use even if you wanted to.

Good luck, I hope we can all do it.

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Hi ScareCrow and welcome to the forum.

I think many of us here can identify with your story, it’s sad how the drug can take over your life and make you leave behind all those other things that make life worth living. Many of us here have also experienced the anxiety and paranoia and thought we were losing our minds I know I certainly did, but this can all be part of the effects of the drug and do get better after stopping for a while. It’s hard to say which is better when it comes to gradually cutting back first before you quit or going cold turkey, I am not really sure which is better personally I did tapper off first but many here say that they find it’s cold turkey or nothing, perhaps it depends on the individual, have you tried cutting back , do you find it is something you are able to do? In terms of taking time off work some people may find that they need to do that, but many do successfully quit without doing so not everybody finds it that bad, again which is best may depend on you as a individual and how you are reacting, you can always see how you get on I suppose and if you are able to perhaps take some emergency holiday if you feel you need to do so, although if that is not possible then it may be a good idea to take some time off. Sorry I can’t be of more help, but from what I can tell different people seem to have such different experiences that personally I think you just have to suck it and see and take action based on how you are reacting. Feel free to lean on us whenever you need to do so.

Take care, thanks for posting and please continue to keep us posted.

All the best

[ScareCrow]

Day 2....I failed

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Never mind mate, you can always get back on the wagon.

[In Treatment]

Dont worry about it. I've done the same a few times. still working on it.

It all depends on you. What do you feel you can do to get pass it? Winding down is sometimes good but it can be easy to make excuses why you can/should smoke again and again. Cold turkey can be tough if you get serious withdrawl. Id have to suggest the latter and see how it goes. Start exercising, as its great for releaving stress and energy.

If i worked out during the same period where i would normally smoke, i'd be fit as a fiddle. soon enough .

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

I was hoping he would have answered you

I would have like to have seen your advise to this guy. It sounds like you may know a thing or two.

Nicely worded. Could be an advertisement
I'm new to this forum. But I am not new to the "other world" as you and so many others know. Can you give me an idea about the you 5 years ago and the you now ie: sports, music, hobbies, interests, work. I'm just wanting to see mutual common ground so I can give you some of my own personal advise. And hold on....there will be some other great advise coming. I've noticed that there are some pretty smart and compassionate people on this site.

[Freedom]

Day 2....I failed

Hi ScareCrow welcome to the site. I was just wonderin why u failed. What wer you feelin at the time of smoking that joint?