Originally Posted by
Windytown4 
What have you guys used to replace pot in your life, to fill the space it leaves? And how long did it take till you found that thing? I have no idea, at this point. I just know at first when I quit there is kind of an excitement of feeling proud and healthier. I am in that now. but eventually it settles and then I get a bored and empty feeling, and that causes relapse for me. What can I do to give me the good things pot gaveme ( excitement, not being bored, feeling connected to spirit) without using the pot? thanks
First of all, at the end of my using, there was no more excitement, or connection I got from it. My life smoking was the most boring thing I could imagine. It was mostly me home alone, watching home shopping network and trying to smoke my brains out.
In my early recovery, I worked hard to find things to fill that hole. Keep in mind these are just temporary substitutes for the real peace and serenity I needed to stay clean over the long haul. Here are some of them:
free karate class, reading,
volunteering, hiking,
NA meetings, running, green smoothies, little kindnesses to myself, cooking,
this forum. I tried to take risks and learn new things and grow to replace some of that bored empty feeling.
Over time, I learned that things I thought were fun and rewarding (chasing the high) weren't fun anymore and I had to redefine what gets me off and what is fun, exciting and rewarding in life. That sense of fun, rebelliousness, and spirituality I thought I was getting from getting and staying messed up was just artificial BS anyway.
Congratulations on your clean time. It gets better, I promise you.