Hello everyone,
I have smoked now for about 4 years without really a break although I did once go three days when I couldnt get any. I hold down a full time job, have a nice house, a nice car and loving family but cannabis particulary of the resin variety I have now realised has a hold on my life and I want that to chnage. I have always smoked just for the fun of it and initially started using it to help me sleep. I may sound desparate now but to imagine a world without it would be awful but I keep thinking back to when I was clean and to be honest things werent any different. Ideally I have for about the past year wanted to become a social smoker of it e.g. just once a month or maybe weekends but realise this doesnt work. Im asking for any help or advice anyone can offer me. My biggest fear is sleeping. Im really bad when I have no sleep and to imagaine going to sleep without that "high" well its unimaginable. The other fear is boredom. To some extent I realise that if I was clean I know I would just do the same things but sober but to me that just seems boring and pointless. There is of course the other side to me which thinks well I dont drink or take any other drugs, eat healthy , exercise and look after myself so what harm can a joint a day do? Do I really want to get to my retirement and look back and think Ive lived a really boring life. I hope this makes sense to someone but putting this down on "paper" kinda helps.
Any advise - please?
Leggy
Hey, welcome to the board! I smoked for over 34 years, and thought that I was okay while i was smoking. Living the clean life isn't all that bad, it makes you less selfish and loving. I quit for about 12 years and went back, then went on a descent to the madness of Cocaine. Smoking weed is NOT good for you, it's not good for your family, or your job. It is illegal for a reason. I quit smoking to pay for my Cocaine habit...not a good thing....now I have realized that smoking will lead me straight back to Cocaine. There are many other things that you can do if you have trouble sleeping, Melatonin is one of the substances that they gave to the Addicts in rehab....you may have the world on a string right now, but it will eventually bring you to hell. Reconsider what you are doing.
I will be quite happy to hit retirement clean and sober, at least I will remember the years before
I will be quite happy to hit retirement clean and sober, at least I will remember the years before
Leggy,
After reading the posts on this board, I'm more than convinced that smoking pot regularly is never a good thing. Once a day, three times a day, it's all the same thing.
I've decided to quit and today is day number one of sober me. I'm anxious to see what "symptoms" etc. I'll experience and I'm excited to be sober and healthy for my future children.
I've found my motivation, what's yours?
After reading the posts on this board, I'm more than convinced that smoking pot regularly is never a good thing. Once a day, three times a day, it's all the same thing.
I've decided to quit and today is day number one of sober me. I'm anxious to see what "symptoms" etc. I'll experience and I'm excited to be sober and healthy for my future children.
I've found my motivation, what's yours?
Hi Leggy, welcome to the board. Glad you are here. I use to feel the same way about pot, then i started doing many other drugs. I believe that pot was a gateway drug for me. I understand that may not be the case for you. You say you exercise, eat healthy and take care of yourself. Did you know that 1 joint equals about a pack of cigarettes? I use to think that a joint did less damage than a cig does. It is just something to think about. When i try to remember all the exciting things i did when i was getting high and wasted, i honestly can't say that i remember all that much. Do you remember the past 4 years very clearly? That is also something to think about... when you are 70 do you want to remember the fat joint you smoked or the good times you spent clean and sober with your family? I want to remember as much as I can. It saddens me to think that i will never have many memories, other than the partying i did back when i was just out of highschool. These are just a few things to think about... oh, and one more thing... do you want to die of lung cancer all bc you thought sobriety was boring? I hope this stuff is not coming out too harsh... it is just reality... i really care and please keep posting and let us know how you are doing... you are in my thoughts and prayers...
Love and God Bless,
briana :)
Love and God Bless,
briana :)
Leggy welcome to the board, i can relate to your post, went thru all those same thoughts and feelings for YEARS. I am only 5 mo. clean for the first time in a million years. I couldnt imagine what i would do at night or on weekends or at those gatherings with friends. I would be so bored with life. I had tried other drugs in college never really liked them. Drank some, but really wasnt my thing. didnt smoke cigs anymore. so what was the big deal with a little pot. I too was successful in my career, two kids, married, looked like the perfect life.
But....I had no motivation, bad memory, asthma with scar tissue, my kids were strangers (which i wouldnt have admitted back then), I isolated often again a denial, much avoidance. things i really didnt notice until i got clean for awhile. I cant really tell you why you need to get clean, but it was a good choice for me. You can go to the mariju. anonomous page and answer some questions that might help you decide if you are dependent or abusing. The fact you are concerned might just be an indicator. if you do quit be prepared for sleeplessness, grumpiness, etc. but it will go away!!! in a few weeks the boards come in handy during that time. good luck
But....I had no motivation, bad memory, asthma with scar tissue, my kids were strangers (which i wouldnt have admitted back then), I isolated often again a denial, much avoidance. things i really didnt notice until i got clean for awhile. I cant really tell you why you need to get clean, but it was a good choice for me. You can go to the mariju. anonomous page and answer some questions that might help you decide if you are dependent or abusing. The fact you are concerned might just be an indicator. if you do quit be prepared for sleeplessness, grumpiness, etc. but it will go away!!! in a few weeks the boards come in handy during that time. good luck
I didn't consider pot my DOC, but my bf and I smoked 200 rolling papers every 2 weeks! I went to every other drug you can imagine of the opiate variety...ending with heroin and it could have ended with heroin if you know what I mean. I thought being 100% sober would be the most boring thing in the world, it is not...you finally realize all the things you could have done besides get high. The sleep will be an issue, but not for long and don't let that be the deciding factor. Don't take sleeping pills AT ALL, they are the worst and cause rebound insomnia...like you'll NEVER sleep again without them. Melatonin is good and there is a company www.neurogenesis.com that makes supplements to help you with pot wds....they will help your brain return to normal WAY faster. Check them out. I feel like I keep posting this site about these supplements, but your brain can't make neurotransmitters out of air and that is what is messed up when you stop drugs, so please look into it. They have helped me and my bf SO MUCH! He had a 20 year pot habit and I had a 13 year one and we are not craving any drugs at all and we don't see how that is possible except for these supplements and not doing ANY drugs at all, not even sugar....so that is what I have to say for now...off to make some organic, veggie burgers...not boring, but really tasty! CAS.
I joint does not equal a pack of cigs. That fact is WRONG. Im not saying smoking weed is good, because it is NOT, but it is a whole hell of alot less harmful than cigs!
Guest... i will research that and get back to you since it offended you so bad... so verrrry sorry.
Marijuana affects your lungs. There are more than 400 known chemicals in marijuana. A single joint contains four times as much cancer-causing tar as a filtered cigarette. (got this off a website from the us dept of health)
It's hard to know the truth about pot, bc i still believe it's not as harmful as the govt says, BUT i do think it can cause lung cancer. I don't have anything against it, i use to be the biggest freakin' pothead around. Hell, i even smoked cigs like a chimney. But, you can't deny that it doesn't cause some sort of lung damage.
Like I said, didn't mean to anger you or anything. When i was a big pothead, i seriously defended pot like no other. Just passing on what i have read... and trying to help a fellow addict who asked for help. Have a great day...
Love,
Bri :)
It's hard to know the truth about pot, bc i still believe it's not as harmful as the govt says, BUT i do think it can cause lung cancer. I don't have anything against it, i use to be the biggest freakin' pothead around. Hell, i even smoked cigs like a chimney. But, you can't deny that it doesn't cause some sort of lung damage.
Like I said, didn't mean to anger you or anything. When i was a big pothead, i seriously defended pot like no other. Just passing on what i have read... and trying to help a fellow addict who asked for help. Have a great day...
Love,
Bri :)
Pot not being as dangerous as cigarettes, i quit cigs 12 years ago, have smoked pot since a teen. If it isnt as dangerous, please tell that to the big clump of scar tissue in my lung that was located on my most recent CT scan! MJ even makes your bronchi expand so you can get more smoke into your lungs and blood stream. I am much more allergic to cig smoke and would have to leave a smokey room. I hate cigarettes. But i would have to agree 1 joint is equal to a hell of a lot of something, not good! My lungs for sure didnt get better.
Jamv, is it ok if i tell that to my husband? he swears it helps his asthma.
joy, go right ahead and tell him, there is a school of thought that says it helps asthma, and I think, dont quote this but maybe I read in american indian medicine to use it for asthma. Anyway i am not positive of where it came from and when i was trying to JUSTIFY my using i found millions of places that does say it helps. Well it does dialate the bronchial tubes, making it FEEL like you can breath better for the moment. However, what is happening is you are sucking down much more smoke into sick lungs. (Cigs dont open up your tubes of course you still get the smoke in.) I think that is where they get the comparison of 1 joint vs. a pack. I dont know all about that comparison, or the carcinogen factor, but I am living and HALF breathing proof that it is horrible for asthma, since i have quit i have not had to use my fast acting inhaler more than say 8 times over 5 months, no nebulizer treatments AT ALL. NO attacks. Now i am going into my bad season and normally smoking i would get pnuemonia between now and February, so we will see.
Last Feb. I was dx for the third year in a row. my oxygen dropped and iwent to the er, was off work for 2 weeks. as soon as i was able to get off the nebulizer for less than every 2 hours and walk across the floor i started firing up again. It was at that time the light bulb went off, brick fell on my head, or whatever, that hummmm, do you think this could be addictive. ha. Think I might have a problem with this $hit. Still took me till april to stop.
By that point we found a mass in my lung. Luckily it was ONLY scar tissue.
Last Feb. I was dx for the third year in a row. my oxygen dropped and iwent to the er, was off work for 2 weeks. as soon as i was able to get off the nebulizer for less than every 2 hours and walk across the floor i started firing up again. It was at that time the light bulb went off, brick fell on my head, or whatever, that hummmm, do you think this could be addictive. ha. Think I might have a problem with this $hit. Still took me till april to stop.
By that point we found a mass in my lung. Luckily it was ONLY scar tissue.
once you are sick with lung cancer...that will make you quit...please dont wait that long and if youve smoked that long chances are your lungs and brain are deteriating...i know...im there and also my grand kids are a great inspiration...as i want to see my great grand kids!
one more thing...using for sleep...try using kava kava...or passion flower herbs..or skullcap...all of these will help you sleep really good...with no groggyness, no side effects...and not addictive...good luck
