Recommendations on how to stop smoking marijuana and what symptoms to watch for

and before anyone says, yes i know weed does have some phsyical withdrawal symptoms but its mainly a psychological addiction (like cocaine) when compared to heavily physically addictive drugs like heroin or opiates.

so you feel worse and are experiencing worse withdrawal symptoms from ganja than you did heroin? you are getting the uncontrollable shakes, the twitching, the itching all over, the heavy sweats running nose and watering eyes, the muscle cramps and locked joints, the cravings, the anxiety, the heavy depression, the heavy vomiting and sickness usually associated with heroin addiction withdrawal and more from just ganja? worse than all of that?

ive been smoking since 14 years old.started as a once a week thing wit my buddies then moved on 2 everyday a year later.most recently i smoke bout more then i can remember in one day i know for most people its hard to smoke as much as they want as it is pricy for good sh*t lol but i got buddies who almost give me this sh*t free and thats what makes it so hard for me to stop.i have quit more then 100 times since 21 years old as i am 25 years old now.i know i do better with out weed i mean a night and day diffrence but i always find my self picking my volcano bag up to toke up im such a loser for smoking when i know im such a usefull person for this world when im sober this weed addiction is crazy hope all of us quit one day but to be honest we all might just take this to the grave with us smh

hey everyone thanks for sharing your stories and experiences, now i feel responsible to share my experience with weed...

 

i started smoking when i was 13 years old and am now 25 years old. there's so many people you can blame for starting, your friends, your family, but the only person you can really blame is yourself. i think from time to time, "where would i be, if i hadn't started smoking weed?" I quit many times in life, but as soon as life started to get hard or when you decide to become involved with lots of people, going out and what not, it's always there.

i was an on off smoker throughout high school, quitting here and there, but always became enslaved to it. I was fortunate to know good people who didn't smoke, but also liked having fun and getting high with the people i knew who did smoke. i pretty much ruined my potential to get into any university. i wanted to leave my home state. i attended the local community college and thats when things got worse. i smoked everyday, multiple times a day, ran myself broke. i eventually dropped out of because i thought school was garbage. eventually i got into harder drugs and started drinking and smoking cigarettes. i hated drinking before and all of sudden i liked it. i started experimenting with hallucinogens and amphetamines which also started to become more regular and often turned to those drugs when i couldn't my good ol' high off of pot. 

and then i met someone, someone who i became close with, someone who i decided to share my life with for a while, all of a sudden smoking and doing drugs wasn't important to me anymore, and she became my focus. it was good and all for a while, but it wasn't long before my old habits started to creep back in, i caved and rattled my first serious relationship. i decided to keep it a secret(at this time i was only smoking weed and drinking). eventually she got into doing some of the things i did. somehow i managed to get it together with college, and we got accepted into the same university. it was awesome to finally be out of state, to be on my own (sort of) and be out of my parents house. university life was great, i had a direction. but it wasn't long before i started smoking weed again, cause everything was dandy and fine, and figured "hey, why not?" "i'm finally going to finish school, nothing can get in my way..." boy, was i wrong-really wrong. as if some portal from hell reopened, i suddenly became aware of the availability of all kinds of drugs and was sucked into the student druggy lifestyle again. eventually i couldn't take it anymore, and needed to quit. i began to see a shrink and was put on meds. which helped for a bit but eventually i started to develop other symptoms. i acquired debt and was in no position to take on being a student and came back home. again i detoxed from every drug i had taken, didn't work, didn't go to school.

it was a rude awakening when i couldn't find a job, i decided to go back to school, and the cycle started again. i have come to realize this cycle later. when i met another wonderful person who had helped me see what i was doing to myself and everyone around me. i don't want to ruin anything with her and want everything to work out for the better. i have a future to think about.  it was weed always weed that led me off the path i wanted to take. i quit again for a few months now, but i find myself wanting to go back, craving it, needing it, i have come to associate it with something spiritual, like i'm meant to do it, but no ones is meant to be caught up in cyclical self destruction or are they? in the most recent months i began to coincide my use of drugs with something spiritual. something divine led me to it, can this be true? i'm sure to an extent, but rationality would indicate to me that the use of drugs had altered my perception of what divinity really is. i have had studies with buddhism and christianity, i try to read the bible when i can but its so hard when the voice inside your head tells you to just smoke weed to feel bliss, to be connected with the divine.  i've been sober for a while now, but i'm starting to get those feelings again, to just smoke and everything will be alright.

 

you people are crazy!'iv had a long and loving relationship with weed'

'its a spiritual connection'

'its harder to give up than heroin'

'our love for eachother keeps bringing us back together''I went to my doc he gave me meds, they didnt work'...are you kidding? you went to the docs and got put on drugs that were probably more harmful an addictive to give up a drug that is hardly addictive? how does that make sense?

its a bloody herb you smoke to feel nice, if you dont like it dont bloody do it! its less addictive than heroin, crack, alcohol, nicotine, opiates, its one of the least addictive drugs out there!going on about how its ruined relationships got you kicked out of uni etc...frikin grow up! YOU stuffed up the relationship, YOU quit uni the moment it got too hard, you would have been a drop out if you smoked or not...you are a weak personjust about everyone on my course at uni smoked and the only ones who dropped out were the ones who shouldnt have been there in the 1st place! infact we had a lower drop out rate than most other courses!bunch of nuttas! think you guys needed serious psycological help before you even started! to be coming out with crackhead comments like those!weak minded people will be weak when it comes to drugs, and other thing in life like uni, simple as that, frikin grow sum balls n give it up if you really wana, its not hard!!! and to supposedly still be getting physical cravings 6 months after giving up...dont you mean psychological ITS IMPOSSIBLE TO HAVE PHYSICAL CRAVINGS 6 MONTHS LATER, ITS COMPLETELY OUUT OF YOUR SYSTEM WELL BEFORE THEN! ITS ALL PSYCHOLOGICAL AT THAT POINT! like i said...weak minded people

bollox...harder to give up than heroin...my arse!

think we have a billy BS here lol harder than smack, please...this is too much, i cant stop laughing!

hello i am 24 years old, been using pretty much since i can remember first picked up a joint at 11 years old. i have smoked every single day for at least 7-8 years, and in recent years my use has escalated from a joint everyday to 3 - 4 even 5 or 6 joints a day, i feel as though i need joint to sleep, maybe even 2.  not only have my close family realised changes in my behaviour, such as staying at home by myself most the time, keeping myself to myself and not really showing any emotion over anything, almost like a zombie. i must spent a good 100 quid a week on weed !!!  probly the fact that smokin the stuff since such young age has caused it to become routine in my life,

i have been in denial about my addiction and the fact that weed is a addictive  drug for years, but bein 24 now and having missed out on my best years between 16 - 24 being lost in a haze, has made me realise wow, sh*t is real. 

i have almost completely isolated myself from the outside world, and find the first question i ask anyone who invites me round ''you got weed?'' or ''can u get anything'' as all my friends and associates are weedsmokers, it seems i cannot escape the temptation, plus i am not the most strongwilled person in the world lol. 

 

tonight is night 1 of my mission to beat cannabis, its 04.43 and not even tired. definately not looking forward to weeks coming, as i havent been a night without weed since at least 2007. to be honest i dont even know why im posting here, guess its just to keep my mind focused on the task, and to help keep my mind ocupied through the night lol. i couldnt imagine my life now without ganja. so its going to be a very interesting experience, so f it bring it on

your stories are all very helpfull and i aam relieved to find that its not just me that feels so entirely trapped and enslaved by this plant !!!! 

 

good luck everyones

thank you so much man , this really has helped me quit! another symptom i found was i woke up a couple of times sweating my nuts off but really have benefited from this. THANK YOU, proves it can be done

I am not a big weed smoker, but I like smoking weed. From September to December I did not smoke anything because I wanted to do well in school. I felt really good about myself because i felt a lot of energy in me and no cravings after 2 weeks of not smoking. Then I had my exams and I anted to smoke to celebrate my victory over mind. It's February now and I have been smoking every here and then. I don't have school or a job, so I feel like if I don't smoke, I would not be able to enjoy myself. But I really want to stop because I don't want to feel lazy and be able to wake up early. because I am usually up till 4 in the morning, I end up waking up pretty late because I don't feel like getting up. But I think enough is enough, I have done ti before and I can do it again forever. Today is day 1, let's see how it goes. Thanks for all of you and the page creator for sharing such useful information. cheers!

I smoked weed for 12 years straight and I quit cold turkey about 5 months ago and I wish I had been smart enough to quit a long time ago.  My mind is much clearer, I feel much smarter, more organized and quicker at work which lead to a recent raise and in my life in general.  The first month sucked but as the months passed by, it got much easier coping without Mary Jane.  I realize now that yeah, maybe I had some fun but the feeling of being able to think clear far outweighs how weed made me feel.  I also got into trouble in my mid twenties with the harder stuff which if you smoke weed, you have probably seen or been offered.  It's just not worth it to rot your brain.  There are so many opportunities that open up when you smarten up and think clear.  I also had anxiety like crazy, but now after being sober from weed, it disappeared because i feel more confident and clear.  I recommend to at least give it a real try for at least 3 months just so you can compare the two feelings and i bet you'll agree with me.  What do you have to lose?  Money?  No, cuz you"ll save a bunch from quitting.  Experiences?  No, cuz you'll have the energy to accomplish all the daydreams that you had when you were high and not just sit on the couch and vegitate.  Energy?  No, cuz you'll have plenty more than when ur hittin the bong.  Sex? No, cuz it's actually better when you're sober, trust me.  Just try it and good luck to all. Cold turkey is the way to go. Sell the weed you have on you, grow the f**k up and start now. Right now.  I wish i could've read my own advice a long time ago!

I jus wanna start off saying thanks for all the post they meant alot after reading a bunch of them which makes not feel alone. I am 27 years old been smoking weed for about 9 years every day I stay high all day even at work. I suffer from paranoia,.horrible mood swings, and anxiety and depression so I have always used weed as a excuse to stay high all day. Now that im married have a 3 year old im starting to focus more on family and my job and want more in life than a buzz. So im writing this to make a promise to myself and family to stop using for good no matter how bad I have the want im gonna say no from here on out! Good luck everone thats is starting there paths to recovery and many prayers!!!!

ho is

First of I just want to say thank you to everyone. I have never thought I would be replying to any post never mind about dope. I have been smoking dope for years, at first is was all fun and then my sister got ill and that was when i got very hooked on it. there were so many things going on in my life that i could handle. i just wanted to escape  to a better place and keep my mind busy. then it ended becoming an addiction that i would admit to it (first that i admitted that it was an addiction) i was the most fun person you could be around and when i became a dope head i didn't want to anything but get high, my friends circle changed and all of the sudden everyone in my life was a dope smoker. I would smoke about 10joints a day or even more sometimes. My whole life became dominated by getting high. I have lost loads of weight and my lips are black as hell. every night before i go to sleep i promise myself that it would be the last and than went on for about a year.

5 days ago i stopped smoking and since then i have been having a very severe headaches and my whole body is sore. i wake up in sweat and cant stopped crying. i have all kind of weird thoughts running through my mind and for the first time in years i started to dream again. I have used dope to suppress the hurt that i was feeling and now i am all over the place. I want to get my life back, i am only 24 years old and all have missed some of the most important years of my life. this is properly of the hardest thing i had to do because i felt as if dope was my one and only friend. knowing that there are people out there going through similar situation as I, is very reassuring that also reading that they have over come their addiction gives me more courage and strength. I know the road a head of me is very long but I just want to say thank you to everyone who took the time to share, I don't feel alone anymore even writing this now i am getting very emotional. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First off i want to start by thanking everyone involved in this board.

I am a 31 yr old male who smoked mj for the first time at the age of 14. It was not a problem in my early life, I had already gone from a great student in grade school, participating in and even placing in Odessey of the Mind contests, to an avg student in middle school. I come from a broken home and was raised by a single mother in austin. I had always held a lot of resentment towards my mother because my grandparents lived in a cul de sac in wellesely mass and my grandfather was a banker and CC member. while all of my mothers other siblings went on to do great things my mother didnt even go to college and ran off to be a f**k up. Then came me. So I guess when I got to middle school was the first time that I became aware of my family situation and how it related to that of my friends, I was poor and had no dad, and I was pissed. I went from excelling to avg in my grades. and became rebellious in many ways but nothing to crazy. Still I was lucky that girls loved me and guys wanted to be my friends because of my looks and athleticism  I was getting away with being a shithead. In Texas, we drank alot. I got into a good school but not a great school like i could have if i had work at it. I had to take a break from college because my partying was so out of hand and I ended up in rehab for alcohol. In rehab I told them about my smoking but downplayed it subcutaneously i think. Drinking had gotten me arrested numerous times, fights, dwi all types of dumb stuff that truely was ruining my life in a very clear way. My best friend picked me up from rehab and just like I had asked he had a blunt waiting for me. This was in 2002. I didnt drink for 6 months and this is when I started smoking more heavily, always telling myself it was good because it kept me from going out and being crazy and causing trouble. Now i see i just switch one addiction for another. I have experienced all the symptoms mentioned in this thread. Cold sweats. anxiety. clammy hands and feet. depression. low confidence. MJ went from a fun addition to a night of binge drinking to a crutch. I have wasted years of my life due to dependency. I now deliver mj in ny, and after having finished a 2 yr drama conservatory instead of going out and auditioning like I should have been I spent the last 7 months stoned off my ass doing jack sh*t! I have been told repeatedly by my well respected teacher and others in the industry that my voice alone could make me a comfortable living even if I wasnt ever to become a brilliant actor like I aspire to be, yet I continued to destroy my lungs and throat with smoking, closing up my airways, hacking up black in my unhealthily thick mucus that destroys my voice. I have pushed almost all of my friends away along with any hopes of landing a quality woman, which are pretty much all that I would need to be happy. The only think keeping me from getting what I want is the mj. This is day 4 for me and I cannot sleep it is terrible, but thanks to this thread I know that this is normal and will pass as long as I have the will power to stay away. We can achieve the better life we seek, but this is life, and nothing that does not require hard work is worth anything. or in other words, no pain no gain. Good luck to all, and by the way there are marijuana anonymous meeting across the country just like for alcohol  I am considering attending one for the first time tomorrow, but in the mean time this threat has given me strength in moments of weakness, and for that I thank you all

Thanks to all who have shared. Congrats to all who hatve quit. Good luck to those who want to. I am a 28 yr old female. Been smoking steady for about 8 yrs real heavy for about 3 yrs. so many of these posts have been like reading my own story..Wanting to quit ... Smoke... Feel anxious why did I do that?? Repeat... I thought I was the only one who smokes daily but have wanted to quit for about 5 years. Never thought weed was addictive but lemme tell ya IT IS! Maybe not so much physically but nonetheless. When I smoke it makes me have negative thoughts, feel very anxious, and just like a zombie. I don't know why I want it when it makes me feel like sh*t. I got a B.S . In accounting smoking daily. Looking back i see that it changes your life in many ways. I don't really associate with anyone whdown sent smoke (buzzkill lofriend the people that you hang out with are chosen based upon whether or not they get high. Don't get me wrong I have friends who don't smoke but let's face it birds of a feather..  I wonder what kind of friends I would have had I not been a pothead in college. I have some good stoner friends but it does limit new non smoking friends to some extent. Day # 2 not smoking ( obviously not my first rodeo trying) doesn't help that husbands dad grows the good good and sees nothing wrong with his kids smoking.my mom is an occasional smoker but tells me its bad stuff. I will check in in a couple days and let y'all know what's up ! Good luck. Keep sharing it helps!!