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I can confirm many of the observations contained in some of the replies to this post. Marijuana is not physically addictive like opiates or tobacco, but is mentally addictive for those that smoke or otherwise consume it for long periods of time. Smoke it for long enough and the brain becomes so accustomed to its effects that you won't feel 'normal' without it being recently absorbed into your blood stream and brain. For me it got to the point where I felt like I couldn't enjoy any activity, whether it be eating or watching a movie or playing video games or having sex or driving around or going on a hike... unless I got high first. After almost exactly a decade of continued, nearly every day (multiple times a day) of use I stopped 'cold turkey' exactly 70 days ago, for many reasons, including its consumption of energy, time, work ethic and motivation and its contributing negatively to poor diet, exercise and general health habits and complications, among other reasons. Since I stopped the symptoms have been severe, and very hard to deal with. I felt relatively normal for about the first 3 weeks after quitting while the cannabanoids lingered in my system but after that I felt the onset of rather severe depression and constant mental haziness. While the depression has lessened (because marijuana dependency alters the brain's 'feel good chemical' workings etc.) I still feel like I'm in a fog most of the time, like all my thoughts are hampered and subdued, and my memory is a total wreck, though I sense that, given enough time, I will recover the mental acuity and alacrity that I once possessed. It literally seems as though my brain is rewiring itself - like it's remaking itself back to the way it functioned when I was younger without the marijuana's alteration of blood-flow and synaptic response within the brain. It took a heavy toll. My brain simply adapted to functioning with marijuana's cannabinoids always passing through it, and now it has to adapt back. Marijuana, like all mind-altering substances, takes its toll and comes with side-effects. Nothing is free, not the effects achieved by this drug, by antidepressants, by opiates, by alcohol or any other unnecessary substance, especially if consumed consistently over long periods of time. Don't believe them when they tell you a drug's harmless; there is a trade-off to every perceived gain. But we will recover - I sense I am very gradually recovering - work on diet and exercise (LOTS of fruits and veggies) and eliminating unnatural aspects of your lifestyle (especially poor dietary intake and drug/alcohol use), and you can achieve good health and full capacity again! Giving up is the only way to lose this battle. Have discipline and stay focused on positive self-improvement.
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