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

I am trying to do this too. Two days so far. I got five days this past summer, but that included two hospital visits. I dont want to die. I have been smoking pot since 1982 and for the last five years or so it has been daily, pretty much all day, everyday. I feel like sh*t, my life would be runied if I got busted, (oh yeah, its still illegal!) and I don't want to live this way anymore. The kicker came just this week; I wanted to register my son for an elite winter baseball program that cost 700 dollars. I knew I didnt have the money for the weed AND his baseball, and I knew I couldnt choose the weed. I am putting my faith in my love for son and my willingness to put him first. And I want to be alive when he(and his brother, and my wife) needs me. I lost my dad when I was 10 (Lung cancer, go figure). I don't want to go that way. My goal is to compete in a bodybuilding competition before I am 50. (47 and counting)

Thank u 4 ur free tips it"s my #2 day free of hash  

I have smoked everyday for the past 15 years. I find it lame to quite for saving money purposes (I mean why be a cheap ass and aren't blessings from god) anyways I want to quit because my weed keeps getting laced by biomedical researchers not that this has slowed me down in the past but I find it lame to keep getting poisoned all the time. If I get clean weed I'll probaly never quit or even if the researchers keep lacing it I will not quite. Anyways I am a college grad and a successful writer. But life sucks anyways so why not spice it up with a joint. So I wil never quit and will not use money as an excuse to quit. I am about Thirty and am in excellent physical condition ( thanks to the puking from the poisoned weed) and have managed to stay disease free all my life. I live in San Antonio, tx ( the lamest place to live if you are a casear) and my social life ( what social life) I smoke alone most days usually averaging an eighth a day of dro. I look good though but I think weed made me antisocial but doesnt that also keep me out of trouble.

     I appreciate your advice, because knowing that I must quit is scary.  Many years ago I was introduced to the love of my life, MaryJane.  Though a 'functioning addict' and holding down a full time job for the past 32 years, I have not been a completely present parent and for that the guilt runs deep.  If you have been a moderate to heavy user for many years, you know that your selfishness has affected those you love in life, maybe those you are responsible for in life, AAGH.  Not to mention what I could have done, all the great meals I'd planned to make for my beloved family, all the family parties I missed, theater tickets never picked up at the window, sending pitance to my favorite charities instead of volunteering;  I have always been on the perimiter, peeking in, choosing instead, the seduction of sweet, heady Maryjane and her escape.

    All this will change, I am planning, armed with good advice by generous people such as yourself,  to rid myself of the desire to smoke marijuana.  I am wondering if laser therapy will work, as it has for my pals' nicotene addiction, these women were cig smokers since puberty!  But here, it is the sedative that allows you to completely ignore the things that make you upset, but also, the things that make you live fully and be all that you can be!  Sure, I feel creative when high, but that does not last, unfortunatley for me, the lethargy lasts, I veg out, making excuses to myself for not living my life after 5:00p.m.   Soon I will no longer have the financial resource to justify buying mother nature.  It is sad that it took this (oh yeah, and a few bouts will respiratory scares where I would stop for a month or so)  fact to make me plan to stop.  I adore my family, and now I will also become more present in their lives, and that will surely be a 'present' to me.  Although terribly remoreseful to my family, and also god, goddess, Buddha  and the universe, I will begin to forgive myself when I am taking the journey of recovery and giving of myself to those who need me.   THANK YOU once again, for your input!

This post made me well up with tears, and I could've written it myself. It's way past time for us to stop, so why do I choose it to the point of nearly losing my mind? I was supposed to be the one who could take it or leave it, and somehow I'm now spending nearly $500 a month to smoke almost always by myself trying to figure out what to do now that I've also lost my job. My husband will keep buying it as long as I'll keep smoking it, so it's all on me to stop this madness. I mean, it's all on God, His timing... I know he is probably using me in some way, or protecting me, but the guilt is overwhelming and my life is wasting away.

I'm so thankful to have found this article

Hey guys,

It was a really nice read but it didn't help me with my condition. I've been smoking weed since I was 16 years old and started college. I used to bong the block kind with tobacco with my college friends. Did this for about 2 years then decided to quit cold turkey. I felt very rough and sick for about a weekend but come the first day of the week I was back to normal. Then I started smoking pure skunk from a pipe straight into my system with no form of a filtering system. Now I've been smoking on and off forlarge amounts of time. I'm going to be turning 30 in April and I quit about 2 months ago, at first I had loads of energy whilst feeling hung over. Now it feels like I wake up stoned. My body feels rough with constant fatigue. For those that don't smoke it's like I feel hung over like I've been drinking heavily every night. My body shakes all day but it's mild. I toss and turn, I can't get comfortable at night and wake up easily. I've got no motivation because when I stand up still all my body wants to do is sit back down or lay down. I've been following suggestions online like drinking plenty of water, taking vitamin pills and excersising a lot. None of this is making me feel better, I'm feeling worse and worse. At the moment I feel a pressure all over my body, this is the main thing I can't seem to shake. I'm also starting to feel very sick in my stomach like I am always wanting to throw up. I'm started to get scared because it's been so long sinse I quit and it's not showing any signs of getting better. Excersising is very hard when all you want to do whilst stood up is to sit down again. Today I burped hard and puke went into my mouth. I've made posts on other websites and all I get are conflicting replies, it would be so nice to get some solid advice from someone else who has been through the same thing as me and could help me from personal experience. Please help, it feels like my body is shutting down and I'm going to die. Oh! I've been having mild form of paranoia like when I go running I feel like someone is going to jump me and stab me to death. So scared right now.

I feel the same. THC is fat soluble, it remains stored in your fat cells and takes a long time to leave your system. And when i say a long time i´m talking about a LONG time for heavy smokers like me...more than 10 years of high grade...i´m cutting down during 3 years now....used to smoke 4 OZ in a month. High grade always, i was just smoking mids when i couldn´t get the best. Went from more than 100g direct to 30g during 2 years...now i´m in 15g. I can tell it´s hell....always sick but after almost 3 years i don´t feel pains in the body anymore, i don´t feel sick, apetite is low but much much better....i don´t puke anymore, no more nausea but i still feel insomnia, tachicardia, paranoia and panic attacks that comes and goes and seems that all my nerves are always trambling... it was much worse in the past. Depression too. Conclusion, all the body goes crazy. Can´t talk to people, racing thoughts, nightmares when i finally sleep. My life is a complety emptyness, lonellyness and insanity but i´m reborning smoked everyday since 15. Now 26 and discovering what is life. I can tell you that you are doing great quitting this stuff. Your symptoms are the same as mine. The stomach sickness is very normal too. Maybe you will feel cold sweats and hot flashes and everything comes and goes in waves, a mix of no energy with a lot of energy. Mind racing but no motivation....can´t stop talking, or walking but at the same time no motivation, no focus.

I think you gonna feel better with time, but it takes time but i repeat: i´m no doctor, go to a therapist, a natural one i think is the best because there is no fast way to get rid of THC. No magic.

Good luck to you, to me and for all that are trying to quit.

As I read this thread, I am on my fifth day of quitting. Most of the posts I've read here are inspirational, so many thanks there...

I am 28, and I was a mj smoker for 10 years, high all day, every day. Zero exceptions. The only days I didn't smoke green was when the bag was empty and I was in between getting hooked up. When I didn't have green, I would scrape my pipe for resin. Horrible tasting but it did the trick.

Quitting has been difficult because, when I smoked, I never experienced the same loss of motivation. I was a straight-A student as a smoker. My interest in reading, performing basic tasks, and attention to minute detail was heightened by smoking, and now I am experiencing a loss of motivation because I do not smoke. My reason for quitting is that the degree program I have been preparing for for 2 years now requires a drug test. Due to my diligent preparation for this program, I am taking zero risk of failing the urinalysis. As I was extremely functional as a daily smoker, being sober seems very foreign to me. And scary.

I haven't lost my appetite much, as others here have mentioned, but I have cold sweats and shivers at night. My dreams are extremely vivid but not enjoyable; two nights ago I dreamt I was in a shouting argument with buddies I haven't seen since high school. These are the same friends that I began smoking with. That dream is definintely NOT a coincidence! Furthermore, my anxiety after quitting is currrently through the roof. My partner still smokes, but is very supportive of my decision. She keeps the pot out of sight and steps outside to smoke. She has been supportive amidst my anxiety and irritabilty, so I hardly consider her an obstacle to achieving my goal.

Gradually smoking less seems to be the choice for some on this thread, however cold turkey was my decision. I quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey over 4 years ago, so I know my willpower can get me through this. I suppose what is most difficult about quitting is that, unlike others on this site, my relationships and performance did not decline. That may seem like denial, but my performance at school, work, and home support that assertion. Quiting ciggs for me was much easier than quitting mj...crazy.

In the end, after this drug test in three months, I am not certain if I will continue to not smoke. That uncertainty makes this time in my life difficult, because my productivity has sharply declined since quitting. Logic tells me that I will be back to my old self after my body and mind have grown used to the absence of THC, but my heart isn't so sure. I guess I'll just have to keep the faith, and know that quitting pot to begin training for a new career is much more important than meeting my immediate, self-centered needs.

Thanks to all who have taken the time to share their experience in quitting or considering it.

I want to start by thanking everyone for their insightful responses.

My friends and I discovered marijuana in early middle school--age 14-15. I am now 21, and preparing to apply to a nursing program. Urine testing is a common occurrence in any medical field, especially nursing. This puts me in a predicament. Should I quit smoking marijuana? Or, should I consider other academic avenues? The answer is simple, and firmly based on the fact that this world requires money to revolve; I gotta quit the dope. That aside, marijuana drastically affects my short term memory and work ethic. Which brings me to my point, I've thoroughly read all of your comments and have compiled my own list of recommendations that I will personally adhere to.

#1. Avoid tempting situations. I think this point should be priority. This doesn't mean permanently isolating yourself. Explain your intentions and leave it at that; a good friend can appreciate your situation. If time and differing interests separate you, so be it. It's ultimately for the best. 

#2. Find healthy alternatives. Once you quit smoking, you'll realize how much time marijuana consumes. Fill this time with exercise, as Quantum recommended, or anything else that interests you and is also healthy. 

#3. Encouragement. Quitting smoking can be arduous at times. Avoid relapsing by creating a support system that works for you. This doesn't necessarily mean friends or family, though they're probably ideal. Post-it notes and other friendly reminders all help to push you in the right direction. 

I'm keeping my list short and to the point, as I find the simplicity easier to follow. 

Much luck,

Me

So this was my last day of smoking. This is my first time actually posting something. So I just ran out and have none left. I really have no money at all because I'm separated from my husband right now and doing everything on my own . So anyways I have been smoking since I was in 7th grade and now I'm 28. So it's been a while. For the past 3 years I've smoked every single day except for when I got pregnant. As soon as I took that pregnancy test I didn't smoke anymore. I didn't even want it and the smell was disgusting when I usually love the smell. So after I have the baby of course I waited a couple months and then slowly started smoking again. My husband and I have spent so much money over the years it's crazy. I'm always tired and have severe anxiety problems. I will get rid of everything that has to do with smoking so I don't see it anymore. I have a daughter now and I am sick of always doing it! I feel the same as some other people on here about being at work all day and not thinking about. Then you get home and smoke like crazy because you're bored or don't have anything to do. I smoke the most on the weekends too. I already feel angry and some anxiety. Not sure how I will sleep without it tonight but hey this is the only way I will stop. I had to run out and be broke to finally stop. I did text my guy and wanted to trade some of the last pieces I had for a last 40 but he never texted back so I told myself if he doesn't text me back then I am finally done with it! So wish me luck it's finally time to get my life back and have money! Good luck to everyone on here we can do it!! :)

hello...this site is very motivational..i have to say thanx to you all and good luck on your journey..i have been smoking marijuana for almost a year...i started it when i was 21 at collage after a very bad experience and a bad mood,i was never a daily smoker.half days i was going to the gym and other days i was smoking,some times i  passed the limits i set and i was smoking in daily basis, but after that i was desiding to quit it 2-3 times,never quitted it. i totally smoke around 100g-150g my entire life..but at the last month i ingrese marijuana alot and i started to be heavy smoker(for a month) and i notisted i start getting paranoid.And my grads in univercitywas below average...now when i came back to my country for holidays i have problems with my parents because of my bad grades in univercity...i havent been smoke for almost a week now...and i desided to quit it cold turkey...so i get my life back and my motivation for the gym and my nutrision......i deleded all the phone numbers of people who is smoking ,almost all my friends...i am going to start a new life... my question is how much time i need to fully recover from this??? sorry for my bad english..

your right on ive been smokin heavy 34 yrs it helps to talk about itm I got a dui on weed also made me clinically depressed and high anxiaty i know i must quit now its my ony addiction if u can belive that god bless you for sharing your story

thanks im 20 years old ima going to school for DA and quiting smoking has taken a toll on my personality my life and relationships with family i live in a very stressfull enviroment so its becomeing impossible to me :(

thanks for posting everyone.  i am quitting.  it has been 8 days, but i have had 2 lapses, one just now.  i didnt get rid of my gear so i took two resin hits and feel worse after them.  is this shame?  ive never felt it before.  i have been all day every day for 15 years.  i was way depressed for  the first three days, but i am slowly coming back to normal.  i got my appatite back yeasterday, but f*** i eat nothing now.  i have lost 5 pounds in days.   i just stomped on my bowl and threw the shards into the trash.  i should have done this before but i was weak.

i am on vacation now.  i did not want to quit while on the job.  i am woried about working sober.  it has been a long time.  i have friends who have never seen me sober.  most people would ask if i was high when i wasn't.  no one ever called me on being backed.  ever.  even my wife couldn't tell unless my breath stunk. 

i miss the "f**k its" that being backed gave me a bit.  now my fuse seems short.  i hope it grows out with time.  good luck everyone.  i need some too.  stay strong.