First Week
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Gold Coast
Posts: 2
First Week
Hey everyone i'll tell a bit about my story, i'm currently 18 i've been smoking cannabis since i was 16. Before Cannabis came into my life i was self conscious and not a very happy guy, most of the time i was angry or upset at life and my situation. My family life wasn't/isn't very good either i live at home with just my mum. When i first started cannabis i did it just for something to do with mates, i didn't do it every time we chilled just sometimes. Then i started to realise it helped me get away from reality and made me happier like i was when i was a little kid. I kind of relied on it to help me in life. I wasn't addicted i stopped for periods ( most was a month ) just because i didn't need to. I still don't need to and i know i can stop whenever i want. What drew me back is that my mate wanted to grill so i said yes why not. I lost one of my mates due to Cannabis in the past 2 weeks and it was a sign that i have to stop. I feel that it holds me back as well and doesn't let me reach my full potential. I've been seeing councillors since i was 14 years old ( before pot ) and nothing much really changed... Only when i started using i became happier, i also had insomia which cannabis helped. It helped me get through lots of bad situations in the past years but as i said it holds me back, people always tell me im a bright person and could do well for myself but yeah... It's been a week since i've stopped, i have horrible insomnia, i'm moody and uncertain in life. I'm not angry or upset just questionable. Also i feel i've lost inspiration for my creativity since i stopped pot. Which i dislike...
I just want to know will things get better, im still at school as well in my last year with no plans for my future. i don't know if i should stop pot or continue, although i don't really want to keep doing it...
I'm new here so please no negative comments, i don't even know if this was the right place to post this thread.
I just want to know will things get better, im still at school as well in my last year with no plans for my future. i don't know if i should stop pot or continue, although i don't really want to keep doing it...
I'm new here so please no negative comments, i don't even know if this was the right place to post this thread.
Sober since 10th April 2012
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Perth, Western Australia
Posts: 6,047
Hi Bowdowi, this isn't my area (mine was wine) but I just wanted to welcome you to SR. What I do know from my own experience is that early days of withdrawal are not the way it's going to be forever. It's understandable your body is re-adjusting. Have you done any research on the internet or elsewhere?
I'm sure others with more experience will give you some guidance. I hope you can work through this.
I'm sure others with more experience will give you some guidance. I hope you can work through this.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 306
Hi B, welcome to SR. This is a great forum. You state that you feel pot is preventing you from reaching your full potential and that you don't really want to keep on doing it? So why not stop? You are still young and have a full life in front of you should you choose to embrace it.
The withdrawal symptoms you mention are normal and will pass very quickly. It is important NOT to use cannabis again, however.
You can do this and coming here for support is a positive step. Do you have any friends who don't use cannabis? Try surrounding yourself with people who don't smoke.
Best wishes to you.
The withdrawal symptoms you mention are normal and will pass very quickly. It is important NOT to use cannabis again, however.
You can do this and coming here for support is a positive step. Do you have any friends who don't use cannabis? Try surrounding yourself with people who don't smoke.
Best wishes to you.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 468
Hey, Bowdowi, welcome to SR! 
Some quick thoughts:
Your current funk is probably just pot withdrawal and your body readjusting, as mentioned above. Also, pot smoking depletes some important vitamins -- you can do a web search on that topic. Eat well, get some exercise, get your rest even if you can't sleep, and take your vitamins.
If you are still in a funk three or four weeks from now, please check with a doctor to see whether you might have some kind of depression.
Beware of substituting another way to get high (e.g., alcohol) -- that could end up being a very bad road.
I would suggest learning how to meditate for two reasons: as a way to stimulate creativity (e.g., see David Lynch's "Catching the Big Fish" book) and also as a way to accept various feelings and let them come and go. Often it's the clench of resistance that keeps a bad feeling lingering past its time.
Also, when it comes to creativity, sometimes you have to prime the pump yourself before the inspiration will come, i.e., by just starting to work on scraps of stuff without any expectations, or by filling your head with new music, art, a bookstore browse or whatever might stir the kettle.
Also, you could check with your guidance counselor at school to get an idea of your strengths and possible career paths, and also maybe to talk over some of the life issues you mentioned in your post.
Maybe also look for a positive-thinking book or two, such as "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen.
Best wishes!
K
Some quick thoughts:
Your current funk is probably just pot withdrawal and your body readjusting, as mentioned above. Also, pot smoking depletes some important vitamins -- you can do a web search on that topic. Eat well, get some exercise, get your rest even if you can't sleep, and take your vitamins.
If you are still in a funk three or four weeks from now, please check with a doctor to see whether you might have some kind of depression.
Beware of substituting another way to get high (e.g., alcohol) -- that could end up being a very bad road.
I would suggest learning how to meditate for two reasons: as a way to stimulate creativity (e.g., see David Lynch's "Catching the Big Fish" book) and also as a way to accept various feelings and let them come and go. Often it's the clench of resistance that keeps a bad feeling lingering past its time.
Also, when it comes to creativity, sometimes you have to prime the pump yourself before the inspiration will come, i.e., by just starting to work on scraps of stuff without any expectations, or by filling your head with new music, art, a bookstore browse or whatever might stir the kettle.
Also, you could check with your guidance counselor at school to get an idea of your strengths and possible career paths, and also maybe to talk over some of the life issues you mentioned in your post.
Maybe also look for a positive-thinking book or two, such as "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen.
Best wishes!
K
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,429
Hi Bowdowi
I started smoking weed at 15 and it was the best part of 30 years before I stopped.
For all the irritability the insomnia and mild depression, you're making a great choice to stop now.
I wasted decades - I've seen guys waste their entire lives.
I think, like you, I felt *better* on weed. Trouble was that eventually, slowly and imperceptibly, I was chasing that 'perfect' feeling pretty much 24/7.
But, like the lab rat who's continually pushing that button to get high, it gets old...
any creative benefits or metaphysical insights I felt I got from weed were eventually reduced right down to simply needing to feel 'out of it'...
the amotivational thing really kicked in, and kicked in HARD after a few years...effort, any effort, beyond toking, became simply too hard...
I started off using the drug, but in the end it just used me....weed became bigger than anything else in my life. I ended up near catatonic, on my couch, all day everyday.
Take this observation from an old bonger - with the perspective of hindsight I can see now I wasn't smarter, happier, more insightful, or more creative on weed at all.
It just *felt* that way - it's the illusion that keeps you coming back again and again for a hit - that illusion of the perfect high, or even the perfect me....but it *is* an illusion.
I know now there's nothing I couldn't do, no song I couldn't write, no epiphany I couldn't experience, no joy that I can't experience straight.
I really hope you'll stick with this - you'll look back and be glad.
Here are some links that might help right now:
MARIJUANA – A Guide to Quitting
https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/...from-marijuana
Quitting Marijuana a 30 Day Self Help Guide // OADE // University of Notre Dame
Quitting Cannabis
Welcome aboard
D
I started smoking weed at 15 and it was the best part of 30 years before I stopped.
For all the irritability the insomnia and mild depression, you're making a great choice to stop now.
I wasted decades - I've seen guys waste their entire lives.
I think, like you, I felt *better* on weed. Trouble was that eventually, slowly and imperceptibly, I was chasing that 'perfect' feeling pretty much 24/7.
But, like the lab rat who's continually pushing that button to get high, it gets old...
any creative benefits or metaphysical insights I felt I got from weed were eventually reduced right down to simply needing to feel 'out of it'...
the amotivational thing really kicked in, and kicked in HARD after a few years...effort, any effort, beyond toking, became simply too hard...
I started off using the drug, but in the end it just used me....weed became bigger than anything else in my life. I ended up near catatonic, on my couch, all day everyday.
Take this observation from an old bonger - with the perspective of hindsight I can see now I wasn't smarter, happier, more insightful, or more creative on weed at all.
It just *felt* that way - it's the illusion that keeps you coming back again and again for a hit - that illusion of the perfect high, or even the perfect me....but it *is* an illusion.
I know now there's nothing I couldn't do, no song I couldn't write, no epiphany I couldn't experience, no joy that I can't experience straight.
I really hope you'll stick with this - you'll look back and be glad.
Here are some links that might help right now:
MARIJUANA – A Guide to Quitting
https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/...from-marijuana
Quitting Marijuana a 30 Day Self Help Guide // OADE // University of Notre Dame
Quitting Cannabis
Welcome aboard
D
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