janecollective

So i ve been sober for nearly a year (10/31/2011). I smoked weed all day everyday for six years straight until life happened and i had to make a choice. I have wanted to get high everyday since i quit, especially during stress. Im just wondering when i'll quit wanting it? Never? Eventually? I started smoking in college to relieve stress, but i kept smoking after college, and now i dont know how to relieve this stress and anxiety. I wont go the prescription way ( i gave up the healthiest option, why would i do something worse?)

When do the cravings stop?

Anna

Hi Jane,

Congratulations on your sobriety!

I would ask you what changes have you made in your life since you stopped using drugs? When I stopped drinking, I had to remove a few people from my life, change places and activities. For me, as I changed, the cravings stopped.

zanzibar

IMO there is no preset time when the cravings will stop, there's a lot of factors involved which is what makes us individuals. The only thing I would advize is to maybe see a medical proffesional to see what can be done about the cravings. You never mentioned if you are in a recovery program so I assume you're not, that may help as well. Others with more will probably be along soon. And listen to Anna, she's a pretty smart cookie.

2granddaughters

For me, getting sober was just the tip of the iceberg...... living sober was the problem.

I committed to the program of Alcoholics Anonymous to address my living problems.

All the best.

Bob R

FreeFall

Congrats on almost a year-very well done! Sounds like you need to focus on diminishing the anxiety and maybe that will curb the cravings. Exercise? Music? Journaling? Anything that will make you feel more peaceful may help...

Natom

Congrats on your year. Its a complete change of circumstances that stopped me craving stuff as much. I removed myself from every situation where I would.

Dee74

Hi Jane
welcome to SR

I agree with Anna - I needed to do more than just quit.

I needed to look for healthier ways to solve problems, and reduce stress, and I needed to make some pretty major changes in my life.

My old life was all about getting wasted. That life had nothing to offer me in recovery.

The way I looked at it, I was not just getting sober, I was trying to grow as a person..

by my second year I no longer wanted to get wasted or high - getting high was my escape from life...and I liked my life now. I had nothing to escape from anymore.

If you've done all this and you're still struggling, I dunno - whats your support network like, jc?

D

turt

I quit using weed in February and still think about it daily. I find myself missing the way it opened my mind and how it seemed things were more interesting when I was high. But then I think about the depression and paranoia it caused. I also remember the binge eating that left me bloated and feeling horrible. I also remember the times I would just sit on the couch stoned and not go out into the world and actually live. Pot made me lazy, fat, and secluded from the world. It's definetely not worth all that for the few moments of "enlightenment" I thought I was experiencing. Being sober has allowed me to trust my thoughts again, to know they are my own and not the thoughts of a brain saturated in THC. I also remember my thoughts now which was always hit and miss when high. Pot was as bad or worse then alcohol when it came to my memory. It isn't as innocent of a drug as many make it out to be. Trust me, you are better off without it. And those cravings will go away, especially if you distract yourself with something productive. Nothing makes one crave something worse than dwelling on it.

krispy87

Part of my recovery includes no more smoking pot for me. I have always been able to go weeks without smoking no problem, but I tended to go back to it for my own false beliefs of how it made me feel.

I loved smoking. I have horrible anxiety and I thought it made me overcome it. I loved believing that it made me some sort of spiritual hippie. But I have realized that the only thing it did was make me feel secluded, lazy, unintelligent, anti-social, and actually more anxious than I was when I wasn't high.

When I do get anxious or stressed, instead of turning to it I have reached for other things like exercise or reading or music or writing. Even if it is only for 15 or 30 minutes I have realized the craving does go away and I can carry on.

Now if only I could get in this mindset with alcohol.

janecollective

Thanks for all the great responses. Sorry if i sound like im rambling here but i havent opened up about this to anyone.

Marijuana was a little bit different for me- it gave me the motivation to do things i am usually too anxious to do. I could take a couple hits and go grocery shopping without feeling like all eyes were on me, judging me, or maybe it just helped me to not care. I had more motivation to clean, and i was more relaxed as a mom and wife. All i had to do was go into the garage and take a couple hits then return to whatever was stressing me out and handle it with patience. I removed myself from the group of friends that smoked, but my siblings and my parents smoke so theyre not much of a support group. My husband quit when i quit so we got through it together but he doesnt struggle the way i do with the cravings.
This is going to sound horrible but im being honest- my kids cause the most stress. We go to the store and they want to touch everything, and im not that mom that just turns her back and pretends my kids and whatever theyre doing isnt there. I dont let them get out of my reach but believe me they try. By the time im done dealing with a situation with them i just want to die but i dont have time to even do that because its time to make dinner, give them a bath, clean something, etc.

After i quit i gained twenty pounds because the time i used to spend smoking turned into time i spent eating so after a couple of months i quit drinking energy drinks and coffee. I started eating healthy, cut out simple carbs, and started exersicing every morning. I try to get enough water, but it seems all these things cause me to stress out more and raise my anxiety level. I have lost thrity pounds, though.


Another problem is that im too ashamed to tell anyone who didnt know about my marijuana use. I guess thats why i dont have good support. The people who know dont care, and the people who might care dont know.

After reading all that i realize i just need to accept that im a mom and im not doing anything other moms arent doing, and they dont need drugs.

MIRecovery

There are a ton of AA/NA slogans that come to mind,

• Putting the plug in the jug is only the beginning
• The same man will drink again
• You only have to change one thing, "Everything"
• It is 90% thinking and 10% drinking.

All of these say the same thing. We have to change at a fundamental level. Will power just is not enough. IMO this can only be accomplished by working the steps of a 12 step program. It worked for me