FreedomSought

Hey SR Forums,

"Quit" for ~60 days 3 times before. Confronted by a member of Marijuana Anonymous this time around. Are you just taking a break, or are you quitting marijuana?

Do I have a desire to stop smoking marijuana?

As I see it, here are my options:

[ ] I want to smoke marijuana.
[ ] I don't want to smoke marijuana.
[ ] I want to smoke marijuana, BUT I wish I didn't want to.
[ ] I don't want to smoke marijuana, BUT I wish I would want to.

All I know is I haven't smoked in 9 days. Just been reading sober-recovery, exercising and feeling alright. Wondering to myself how much damage my marijuana smoking has really done to my body and brain, if any? Identifying with some of the powerlessness & unmanageability as expressed by others on SR and in meetings, but still on Step 1 myself.

Can someone help me with this question? How do I know if I'm just taking a break or if I'm quitting? What is the difference? Because depending what I name it now, depends on what I consider success or failure in the future. And what's the difference between quitting entirely, taking a break, and not smoking one day at a time?

FreedomSought

Bump, please help me..

BoozeFree

I think that's a decision only you can make. With my own sobriety I just take it a day at a time

ScottFromWI

Actually you are the only one who can answer that question. Is your plan to quit forever or just quit for a while?

Regarding the damage to your body, a doctor could potentially help with assessing that if you have specific concerns.

Personally, I view sobriety as a way of life, where the simple act of quitting drinking/smoking is just the start of that process. It's up to you do define which one you are doing.

amandanicole55

You need to make a choice in your life witch it sounds like you have if u want to give the Mary j up, if it has been effecting you in negitive ways then you need to take it day by day, I am 30 days clean of maujunana and alcohal both my drug of choice and used them every day and I asked my self the same question "am I taking a brake" or is this going to be forever, honestly you can't over whelm yourself with that big of a decision because we are not even promised tommorrow, all you can do is live for today, stay sober for today! And what you were saying about how marjuna effects the brain, and if it even does, I went to my doctor and asked the same question and it does just as any other drug does. Just because every one else smokes it doesn't mean you have to, for myself, I have to be 100% sober meaning I might not have a problem with marjuna, but I am a alcoholic and if I do smoke it something in me gets triggered and might lead me to drink, a drugs a drug. So my advice to you is keep going to meetings and stay sober! Nothing good comes out of maujunana!! In my oppion and I used to love it!! One day at a time, and if all of us addicts ask the same question you did "is this a break or forever" I don't think ONE of us would have the answer, your NOT alone!

doggonecarl

I was a 10 year all-day-every-day pot smoker. I tried quitting I don't know how many times. And I thought I was sincere each time. Only to cave the second someone asked me if I wanted to get high.

Until the last time. The last time I decided to quit, it was like a switch clicked in my head. I knew, without a doubt, that I was done. And I was.

So in my opinion, if you have to ask, it means you aren't sure. Which means it won't take much to make you smoke again.

DorianLastname

The difference is in your decision. It is all in your head. Did you decide to quit permanently? Or wasn't it a solid decision?

You have the answer to this question. If someone asked you "Did you quit entirely or not?" what would be your honest answer?

Dee74

To be honest I didn't know the answer to that question when I quit pot, or when I quit alcohol later.

I knew I wanted a change tho.

When I quit pot I didn't make many changes - I didn't want to change my life, just not smoke...so I took up drinking....eventually that ideal became not smoke as much....

so...I eventually went back to smoking pot - not as much but that was mostly financial reasons.

when I quit alcohol and pot (again) a decade on...even tho a part of me didn;t want to, I knew I had to.

I knew I wanted something different - I made a lot of changes in my life - my recovery stuck.

D

FreedomSought

The FIRST time I "quit" pot I made a "solid decision". That shows how far a "solid decision" got me. My honest answer would be... I don't know... But today I'm happy just to have ran a mile, biked a few miles, mediated for 30 minutes and finished The Inferno feeling like a relatively healthy person.

Here's an example. Let's say Geoff is addicted to Valiums, among other things. He gets sober for 30 years. One day, his doc prescribes him Valium just due to complications at old age. However, Geoff used to be active on Valium. He's right back at it, without even realizing. He didn't use Valium (among other drugs) one-day-at-a-time for 10,950 days.

Another example. Gillian and Thomas get married. They vow to love each other for ever and ever. In that moment, they solemly swear that their love is true. Over the years, life happens, they meet new people, and the marriage breaks up.

A "solid decision" about forever gets me nowhere. I can't make a "solid decision" about forever. But I'm not high now. And I could see not smoking working just fine tomorrow, too.

FreedomSought

Thanks D means a lot coming from you.