bigsombrero

It's been a year since I smoked weed - I'm not sure of the exact quit date, but I know it was in August of 2013. When I quit booze the year before, the addictive centers in my brain immediately scrambled to "find something else", and marijuana was an easy choice. I had plenty of experience with weed: In college, I'd smoked every day until I was kicked out of school. I also grew the stuff as a hobby back then and at one point considered myself an expert. I really hadn't smoked much in "adulthood", and I thought maybe I'd get some joy out of the experience this time around. Strange how I thought things would be different as an adult...

While weed didn't almost kill me like alcohol, it certainly had terrible side effects. Lethargy and paranoia were the main issues. For someone dealing with depression after quitting alcohol, these symptoms were terrible. I was also unemployed - that didn't help anything. Yet I continued to seek out marijuana, that little voice my head told me I "needed something" and it was more powerful than any desire to clear my head. Finding the stuff was easy, but it put me in terrible situations. I remember going to my dealer's Chicago apartment. There were 3 pitbulls running around wildly, and there was a strange man sleeping on a mattress on the floor of the living room. I also sought out marijuana while living abroad, sometimes buying from strangers in dark alleys in Central America. Folks, this is NOT a healthy environment for a recovering addict. There's nothing romantic or cool about going to jail in Honduras.

I had some withdrawals upon quitting, but they were gone in a week. The only other side effect of quitting weed: I got my life together. Big time. I got a job within a couple of months, and have had great success. I moved to a new home. I have FRIENDS now. My social life without marijuana is 10x as active. I've been able to tackle my anxiety with medical professionals and peer support.

Life is way more vibrant without marijuana. I'm not the first recovering alcoholic to struggle with marijuana after getting clean, and I'm not the first to kick the habit either. For everyone trying to get marijuana out of your life - you're making a great decision. Trust me.

happycampers

Congratulations and thanks for coming back and letting us newbie quitters get a glimpse of the positives that come down the road!

FatallyUncool

Congratulations on a year clean and turning things around big time. That is a huge accomplishment and this stuff is no joke.

Dee74

Thanks for sharing that BigS - and congratulations!

D

Croissant

Congrats on being completely clean for a year, that's awesome.

Glad you are enjoying life now.

PurpleKnight

Fantastic stuff BigS!!

wackybunny

Boudicca

Thank you for sharing some very profound insights. Congratulations to you and it sounds as though you are really enjoying your life.

I couldn't agree more with everything you wrote......thank you for the reminder that what I remember about marijuana doesn't really jibe with how it actually WAS!

I am so glad I quit.

B

SoberLeigh

Congratulations, bigsombrero; nicely done.

Nocturnal

Thats great man! Im about 2 mo. Off weed and your absolutely right I feel way better .

Gilmer

Life certainly sounds dramatically improved now! You are in a great place, BigS!

mrnewbrunswick

That was a motivating story. I'm currently trying with all I've got to stop thinking about sending the dealer a text to spot me 25$ more. I already owe him 400$ and another about 700$. I'm sick of this life and need a drastic change for me and my loved ones. Wish me luck with this.

NoJimmy

Pot always seemed pretty benign to me, but maybe it was a bigger problem for me than I thought. Almost a year sober, and I have not smoked in that time. My thought wasn't so much that weed was harmful, I've just wanted to keep a clear head.
Weed was never my drug of choice, but it's fair to say that booze & weed together was my preference.

Thanks for raising my awareness Sombrero

kyle84

I find nothing better than congratulating you on your great recovery as well as success. I also agree with you that living without marijuana or something like that will be more of a helpful lifestyle than a frustrating indication.

I appreciate your inspiration for all people who are struggling with their habit. I hope those people will soon recover and meet success like the way you did.

kyle84

Hello,

That's correct. It is always good when you are free of anything like marijuana, alcohol, weed or LSD. I hope your story would be marked as an inspiration for those struggling for a few days or months.

You do not have to make people trust you. All you did with this post is, I think, quite motivating and full of practicalities. Thanks a lot.

IEpiphany

Congrats!