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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 5
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Just because you arent physically addicted to a substancedoesnt mean you arent addicted and doesnt mean its not a problem.
my stoner friends laugh at me when i say i am addicted to weed, yet it is the first thing they do in the morning, at lunch during work, first thing they do when they get home, before church, they cant eat sleep do anything without it. are you kidding me? i used to get high every couple of months or so. then my dad got really sick and i was working two jobs. i found myself smoking alone after work to destress. now im smoking almost every day. never before work. But when im not high i feel nauseous, because i cant eat, because im not high. so i dont eat to the point im so hungry im naseous, working a 13 hour shift, on my feet all night long. I barley ever drink anymore, but i used to abuse alcohol, about 2-3 times per week. Before I became a pothead. I used to drink to the point of blacking out, drink to get drunk, ect. but this is actually encouraged by my family. my friends the stoners encourage the weed, my family encourages getting drunk. I equally make bad decisions doing either weed or alcohol. Just one is a little blurry (high hook ups) and one I almost completely dont remember. When im high i dont care about the consequences,i do what feels good, when im drunk i dont think about things im on auto, blacked out. I am neither physically addicted to either of them, but I am mentally. I just switched my addiction to weed.
And honestly whose to say what came first the chicken or the egg? is weed the gateway drug, because I drank first and then drinking around a fire I tried weed the first time. So maybe alcohol is the gateway drug. Either way im sick of the arguing over which is worse, i think anything you abuse, is just abuse, to your own body and soul. I am high right now.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,442
Hi and welcome to the forum somegirlnamed 
I smoked daily for 30 years or so. It wasn't easy to quit but it wasn;t impossible either
You'll find a lot of support here if you want to leave pot behind
D
I smoked daily for 30 years or so. It wasn't easy to quit but it wasn;t impossible either
You'll find a lot of support here if you want to leave pot behind
D
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 466
Nobody here's laughing. Addiction isn't funny. Your story resonates with me a lot.
I personally don't buy the whole gateway theory. It might be relevant in some cases, but in mine, weed was my heroin. I've done plenty of other drugs that would be considered "harder" than weed, and none of them have even come close to causing problems in my life the way weed has. Gateway or not, here you are.
I think weed's physically addictive, but to a much lesser extent than some other drugs. You won't be convulsing during a pot detox, but many other physical symptoms can arise. I've personally experienced loss of appetite, insomnia, profuse sweating (especially at night when asleep), and headaches. These are all physical symptoms, but they'll dissipate relatively quick. You seem to realize that it's psychologically addictive. It absolutely is, and the psychological aspects of quitting are far tougher to deal with than the physical ones IMO. Anxiety, depression, feeling like something's missing, the whole nine yards.
I'll tell you right now that if you want to quit successfully (the fact that you're here makes me believe that at least part of you does), you have to ditch your stoner friends who don't think their weed addictions are addictions at all. They're just going to drag you down. Misery loves company. You have to change your thinking and life. Your old playgrounds, playmates, and play things have to go. In active addiction, our lives are centered around addiction. Now our lives have to be centered around recovery. I highly recommend support groups and/or professional help.
I sense a bit of hopelessness/despair in your post. While your situation might seem overwhelming right now, it really isn't. This is the psychological aspect of your addicted brain trying to convince you to keep giving it its fix. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once you put the crap down and decide you're done, you might be surprised to find that it actually seems more manageable than you thought.
Do you have plans to quit? Easiest way to do it is to just put it down. Flush the stash, smash the paraphernalia, delete dealers numbers. Make it very hard for yourself to go back. Post here as much as you need to. At the end of the day, you're quitting a drug and it's going to suck. You'll never have to do it again though, and you'll be free to live life on your terms rather than those of your addiction. One thing I'll tell you for sure is that this won't get better on its own. This is something that takes active work. I wish you the best and welcome!
I personally don't buy the whole gateway theory. It might be relevant in some cases, but in mine, weed was my heroin. I've done plenty of other drugs that would be considered "harder" than weed, and none of them have even come close to causing problems in my life the way weed has. Gateway or not, here you are.
I think weed's physically addictive, but to a much lesser extent than some other drugs. You won't be convulsing during a pot detox, but many other physical symptoms can arise. I've personally experienced loss of appetite, insomnia, profuse sweating (especially at night when asleep), and headaches. These are all physical symptoms, but they'll dissipate relatively quick. You seem to realize that it's psychologically addictive. It absolutely is, and the psychological aspects of quitting are far tougher to deal with than the physical ones IMO. Anxiety, depression, feeling like something's missing, the whole nine yards.
I'll tell you right now that if you want to quit successfully (the fact that you're here makes me believe that at least part of you does), you have to ditch your stoner friends who don't think their weed addictions are addictions at all. They're just going to drag you down. Misery loves company. You have to change your thinking and life. Your old playgrounds, playmates, and play things have to go. In active addiction, our lives are centered around addiction. Now our lives have to be centered around recovery. I highly recommend support groups and/or professional help.
I sense a bit of hopelessness/despair in your post. While your situation might seem overwhelming right now, it really isn't. This is the psychological aspect of your addicted brain trying to convince you to keep giving it its fix. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once you put the crap down and decide you're done, you might be surprised to find that it actually seems more manageable than you thought.
Do you have plans to quit? Easiest way to do it is to just put it down. Flush the stash, smash the paraphernalia, delete dealers numbers. Make it very hard for yourself to go back. Post here as much as you need to. At the end of the day, you're quitting a drug and it's going to suck. You'll never have to do it again though, and you'll be free to live life on your terms rather than those of your addiction. One thing I'll tell you for sure is that this won't get better on its own. This is something that takes active work. I wish you the best and welcome!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 962
Originally Posted by Dee74 
... I smoked daily for 30 years or so. It wasn't easy to quit but it wasn't impossible either ...
You'll find a lot of support here if you want to leave pot behind
D
...You'll find a lot of support here if you want to leave pot behind
D
I smoked pot for 30+ years also. I smoked pot before I drank, but like you said who cares what came 1st?
Just like drinking was for me, it started out, and continued for a long time as fun and relaxing and ... then it all (drugs incl alcohol) 'turned on me' and I was in the grips of addictions that continually led to ...
Pitiful & Incomprehensible Demoralization.
RDBplus3 ... NOW Happy, Joyous and FREE ... from the ADDICTION that pot had in me, and all the drugs incl alcohol
Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Colchester, England
Posts: 104
I'm a recovering pot addict...I switched to pot when my drinking was out of control and ended up a total stoner...first thing in the morning, last thing at night. And when I had trouble finding weed when I moved to San Francisco, I switched back to the bottle, which is what brought me to my knees. That was almost 18 years ago and I've not had a toke nor a drink since thanks to the programme, fellowship & 12 steps of AA. If you want recovery from your pot addiction, somegirlnamed, there is a solution and there is recovery.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 5
@racingthoughts id like to write more, but right now i dont have time!
But thank you for your insight, i find it very helpful!
I have not smoked since tuesday! I was in arizona though on vacation, and it wasnt readily available for me. I am home now, so we will see if I can have some will power! But I am ready to quit and feel very much that I can do it. I will write back later and keep you updated! Thanks!!
But thank you for your insight, i find it very helpful!
I have not smoked since tuesday! I was in arizona though on vacation, and it wasnt readily available for me. I am home now, so we will see if I can have some will power! But I am ready to quit and feel very much that I can do it. I will write back later and keep you updated! Thanks!!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 466
Great to hear that you have quit plans.
A little advice I'll give you is that this isn't really a willpower thing. Maybe initially a bit, but it's more about reinventing yourself. You have to change your thinking and lifestyle to the point where you don't want/need to smoke anymore. I've read things about willpower and about how we have a reserve of it in our brain so to speak. The problem is that this reserve eventually gets depleted. It's why strict dieting doesn't work but adopting a lifestyle of healthy eating can for someone who wants to lose weight. See what I mean. Maybe I'm rambling, but I translate willpower into not doing something you want to do. Like a punishment. Recovery is not a punishment. You do have to take active action though. I sense some passivity in your voice. You gotta smash your pieces and delete your dealer's number. Scary but necessary.
I wish you the best.
A little advice I'll give you is that this isn't really a willpower thing. Maybe initially a bit, but it's more about reinventing yourself. You have to change your thinking and lifestyle to the point where you don't want/need to smoke anymore. I've read things about willpower and about how we have a reserve of it in our brain so to speak. The problem is that this reserve eventually gets depleted. It's why strict dieting doesn't work but adopting a lifestyle of healthy eating can for someone who wants to lose weight. See what I mean. Maybe I'm rambling, but I translate willpower into not doing something you want to do. Like a punishment. Recovery is not a punishment. You do have to take active action though. I sense some passivity in your voice. You gotta smash your pieces and delete your dealer's number. Scary but necessary.
I wish you the best.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Southern Oregon U.S.
Posts: 1,023
I can totally relate. I used to think I'd never stop smoking. I had to make myself eat meals when I first quit and was able to fight the nausea with good breakfasts and smoothies and by not going too long without food but it was hard cuz I wasn't a breakfast eater. Sounds like you're ready for a change. Give it a go!
-Ted
-Ted
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