Hey all, I'm new here and this is my first post. I'm 26, and was a pot smoker, 24/7, over an ounce a week (just myself) for nearly 8 years. On August 2nd, I finally quit and it stuck. I haven't had a toke in 6 weeks, today.
I still haven't seen many "benefits" of being clean, aside from having more money, and not eating so much. My motivation is still pretty low, and I'm having problems making social connections, due to my old ones all being stoners as well. I'm involved in a lot of things, but pot was always my way of making friends, so without that, I'm kind of struggling, socially.
Anyway, I'll be around this forum for the forseeable future, but I have a question - is it abnormal to still be unmotivated, or should I be seeing improvements by now? It isn't easy, but I have quit for good. Is it possible I killed my motivation, or will it eventually come back?
Thanks for having me...
J
Hey
Good on you being clean! The rewards of recovery will soon show. Make sure you look for them though. Some are so small you can't see them, but when you do, they can make the biggest changes in your life. It's amazing. Don't worry bout the social side of things. It will come right, and yes, it does take time. It took me months before I integrated back into the 'real' world : ) But it's worth the wait...
Keep us posted on how u doin
Keep well, angie
Good on you being clean! The rewards of recovery will soon show. Make sure you look for them though. Some are so small you can't see them, but when you do, they can make the biggest changes in your life. It's amazing. Don't worry bout the social side of things. It will come right, and yes, it does take time. It took me months before I integrated back into the 'real' world : ) But it's worth the wait...
Keep us posted on how u doin
Keep well, angie
Thanks for the support. I haven't bought pot in 6 weeks (or smoked) and today, I found a bud in the corner of my living room. I looked at it for about a minute, then I threw it out. Strange.
Anyway, I'm hoping to see some benefits from quitting in the near future. I'll be around, talk at ya soon!
J
Anyway, I'm hoping to see some benefits from quitting in the near future. I'll be around, talk at ya soon!
J
hey justj and welcome... 6 weeks good for you!
wow,
i have still to do... please keep on motivating me...
peace-
jane
wow,
i have still to do... please keep on motivating me...
peace-
jane
JustJ, I wrote you a nice post and just as I was ready to send it, my computer crashed. Thanks Ivan! Congrats on your commitment to get off the stuff. As long as you do not take the first hit, you will not have to worry about the rest.
I am no Dr but I understand that pot tends to leave deposits in fatty tissue, including some areas of the brain. For this reason it does not clear out of our systems as fast as other drugs. I was told that on average it takes a month for each year we used for those deposits to clear out. In my case, I think it actually took longer.
There is another aspect to abusing pot that you should also be mindful of. You have spent 8 of your formative years leading the life of a stoner. A lot of patterns of thought and social interaction developed during that time and to some extent, that is what you inherit when you get off the stuff. I was an odd case, in that I used the pot to help me get through school and as a coping mechanism for high pressure work. When I got off the stuff, I looked around and said, whoa! Why am I doing this? I wound up leaving my job for self employment, and also quit pursuing yet another graduate degree that I was working on. For me, those turned out to be good decisions, because life began to look different to me as I came out of the fog. Instead of working myself so hard, I took up athletics and travel, and spent about 15 years really enjoying life, while building up a modest business that supports me well.
The point of this is that in a very real sense, you are starting your life afresh by quitting the pot, and you might consider thinking about how you might open yourself up to new opportunities and experiences. While I certainly did not ditch my old friends, I did start exploring new activities, and eventually my social circle widened quite a bit. I would urge you to not wait for the pot to completely clear out of your system before giving some thought to what new things you can bring into your life. If you were not interested in school previously, perhaps you will be now. Likewise for any number of other activities. If you try several, a few might not pan out but one or two might stick. All of this should help in a couple of ways. First, it might pull you out of the anti-motivational syndrome that you feel stuck in. Second, it might reaffirm your commitment to doing things differently and that might come in handy should you be tempted to take a toke down the road at some point.
Good luck and keep up the good work!
August
PS: I got in my head that I might be able to flush the pot out of my system faster if I exercised. I do not know if it worked or not, but I do know that I got in great shape and that paid a lot of dividends later on.
I am no Dr but I understand that pot tends to leave deposits in fatty tissue, including some areas of the brain. For this reason it does not clear out of our systems as fast as other drugs. I was told that on average it takes a month for each year we used for those deposits to clear out. In my case, I think it actually took longer.
There is another aspect to abusing pot that you should also be mindful of. You have spent 8 of your formative years leading the life of a stoner. A lot of patterns of thought and social interaction developed during that time and to some extent, that is what you inherit when you get off the stuff. I was an odd case, in that I used the pot to help me get through school and as a coping mechanism for high pressure work. When I got off the stuff, I looked around and said, whoa! Why am I doing this? I wound up leaving my job for self employment, and also quit pursuing yet another graduate degree that I was working on. For me, those turned out to be good decisions, because life began to look different to me as I came out of the fog. Instead of working myself so hard, I took up athletics and travel, and spent about 15 years really enjoying life, while building up a modest business that supports me well.
The point of this is that in a very real sense, you are starting your life afresh by quitting the pot, and you might consider thinking about how you might open yourself up to new opportunities and experiences. While I certainly did not ditch my old friends, I did start exploring new activities, and eventually my social circle widened quite a bit. I would urge you to not wait for the pot to completely clear out of your system before giving some thought to what new things you can bring into your life. If you were not interested in school previously, perhaps you will be now. Likewise for any number of other activities. If you try several, a few might not pan out but one or two might stick. All of this should help in a couple of ways. First, it might pull you out of the anti-motivational syndrome that you feel stuck in. Second, it might reaffirm your commitment to doing things differently and that might come in handy should you be tempted to take a toke down the road at some point.
Good luck and keep up the good work!
August
PS: I got in my head that I might be able to flush the pot out of my system faster if I exercised. I do not know if it worked or not, but I do know that I got in great shape and that paid a lot of dividends later on.
Well, I certainly hope Ivan spared you of the worst of his fury! Hopefully the fact that you're able to post would indiciate you're ok. My prayers are certainly with everyone in his path.
A little about me: I'm 26, and a college student. I started smoking at 18, and then when I turned 22, I got together with a girl who also like pot. Then, on one terrible day in September of 2001, her brother was killed in the WTC. We coped by smoking...and smoking, and smoking, and smoking. It got to the point where between the two of us, we would go through 2 ounces a week. And this wasn't crappy pot. It was high quality Canadian or Vermont bud. Anyway, 6 months ago, we went our seperate ways, and I continued to smoke (and believe she did as well). It was at possibly the lowest point of my life that I decided to quit, August 2nd, 2004.
Anyway, a little more about myself. I play semi-pro football, am a fulltime college student, I moonlight as a bouncer, and am getting my EMT certification in my spare time. Though I am in college, I'm hoping to become a firefighter with our local station - just waiting for them to hire, I'm currently on the newest list, and have a good chance. A clean drug test will aid in that effort.
I'm glad that the pot isn't clear of my system yet, simply because, I hope to feel better than I do right now when it is completely out. So it's good to know that a lot of what I feel could still be attributed to pot.
The exercise is a good idea. Even though I play football, there's still room in my life for some more exercise, particularly cardio, so I will attempt to get going with that.
Anyway, thanks for the post, it was very inspiring, and I will be hanging out here for the forseeable. Thanks for the welcome, and I'll talk to you soon.
J
A little about me: I'm 26, and a college student. I started smoking at 18, and then when I turned 22, I got together with a girl who also like pot. Then, on one terrible day in September of 2001, her brother was killed in the WTC. We coped by smoking...and smoking, and smoking, and smoking. It got to the point where between the two of us, we would go through 2 ounces a week. And this wasn't crappy pot. It was high quality Canadian or Vermont bud. Anyway, 6 months ago, we went our seperate ways, and I continued to smoke (and believe she did as well). It was at possibly the lowest point of my life that I decided to quit, August 2nd, 2004.
Anyway, a little more about myself. I play semi-pro football, am a fulltime college student, I moonlight as a bouncer, and am getting my EMT certification in my spare time. Though I am in college, I'm hoping to become a firefighter with our local station - just waiting for them to hire, I'm currently on the newest list, and have a good chance. A clean drug test will aid in that effort.
I'm glad that the pot isn't clear of my system yet, simply because, I hope to feel better than I do right now when it is completely out. So it's good to know that a lot of what I feel could still be attributed to pot.
The exercise is a good idea. Even though I play football, there's still room in my life for some more exercise, particularly cardio, so I will attempt to get going with that.
Anyway, thanks for the post, it was very inspiring, and I will be hanging out here for the forseeable. Thanks for the welcome, and I'll talk to you soon.
J
J, it sounds like you have quite a bit going on in your life. It may be that we are similar in that we were able to put together a pretty active life despite our using. My hat is off to you. I did not quit until I was 34, so you have a few years up on me. My sense is that you have enough going on to be able to discern what will and will not work for you.
You might consider looking at some new places for social interactionI am not much of a churchgoer myself but it works for some folks. Others go to 12 step meetings, and still others get involved with charitable organizations. All of these have at their heart the same underlying themethey can help us look outside of our own world and to focus on others rather than ourselves. That in turn can open more doors. Dont know if you have time or the inclination to look at any of these avenues with everything else that is going on, but if you find yourself getting antsy for a smoke, it might be worth considering.
Like I said, I quit when I was a little older. I had finished most of my school and for me the objective was to establish balance in my lifework and study was too heavily weighed at that time. For you, the objectives might be different, but the overall goal of balance is the one that we pot heads seem to have trouble with. We are used to looking to the pot to balance out the other aspects of our life, and when we quit, it can create a void, one that we must replace one way or another.
Sounds like you have quite a bit on the ball athletically, but if you want a good cardio sport, get a mountain bike and head to your nearest trail. It certainly worked for meAt age 45 I was dusting a lot of guys your age until about a year or two ago when I was diagnosed with cancer.
Good luck and stay in touch. Let me know if there is anything I can do to lend support.
August
You might consider looking at some new places for social interactionI am not much of a churchgoer myself but it works for some folks. Others go to 12 step meetings, and still others get involved with charitable organizations. All of these have at their heart the same underlying themethey can help us look outside of our own world and to focus on others rather than ourselves. That in turn can open more doors. Dont know if you have time or the inclination to look at any of these avenues with everything else that is going on, but if you find yourself getting antsy for a smoke, it might be worth considering.
Like I said, I quit when I was a little older. I had finished most of my school and for me the objective was to establish balance in my lifework and study was too heavily weighed at that time. For you, the objectives might be different, but the overall goal of balance is the one that we pot heads seem to have trouble with. We are used to looking to the pot to balance out the other aspects of our life, and when we quit, it can create a void, one that we must replace one way or another.
Sounds like you have quite a bit on the ball athletically, but if you want a good cardio sport, get a mountain bike and head to your nearest trail. It certainly worked for meAt age 45 I was dusting a lot of guys your age until about a year or two ago when I was diagnosed with cancer.
Good luck and stay in touch. Let me know if there is anything I can do to lend support.
August
I'm sorry to hear that you've been diagnosed with cancer, I hope and pray that you'll kick it's a**!
I left out one detail of my decision to quit. I've been battling depression on and off for the last 8 years, and a very serious case for the last 7 months. Although I always felt better when I smoked, the life time of my depression does seem to coincide (although somewhat loosely) with the timeline of my pot smoking. Both have been significant parts of the last 8 years of my life.
I'm hoping that as the marijuana leaves my system, the depression will subside as well. And the depression isn't just a passing thing, I've been in treatment for it for years. I'm hoping the pot will take the depression with it as it leaves.
I left out one detail of my decision to quit. I've been battling depression on and off for the last 8 years, and a very serious case for the last 7 months. Although I always felt better when I smoked, the life time of my depression does seem to coincide (although somewhat loosely) with the timeline of my pot smoking. Both have been significant parts of the last 8 years of my life.
I'm hoping that as the marijuana leaves my system, the depression will subside as well. And the depression isn't just a passing thing, I've been in treatment for it for years. I'm hoping the pot will take the depression with it as it leaves.
J, I suppose none of us wakes up one morning, with the sun shining, the birds singing, a song on our lips, and says "Gee, I feel great! I think I will quit smoking pot!"
When I was coming up, no one really considered pot to be a depressant. I used it more as a psychedelic nyself. The fact is, however, that it is a very strong depressant, and regular use will eventually result in the user getting depressed. While anti depressants are probably appropriate in some instances (they get prescribed like candy these days) using them to treat the depression while continuing with the dope smoking makes no sense at all and no physician would agree with that approach if they were aware of what the patient was doing.
I think there is a good chance that in time your depression will lift. In the meantime, there is an old saying "Act as if." What this means is that it is easier to act one's way into sober thinking than to think one's way into sober acting. Thus, even if you feel lousy, it is important to get up and do things and take interest in things other than yourself. If you act as if you are not depressed, this will send messages to your brain and sooner or later your brain will follow.
Good luck.
August
PS: another thing that you might be forewarned about. As the depressive aspects of the pot lift, you may find that your are reacting rather strongly to certain types of situations. For most of us guys, this means that our tempers get shorter. Be aware of this, J. I am a big guy like you, and it is not a good combination for a big guy to have a short fuse. You are probably used to seeing a lot of stupid behaviour in your job as a bouncer and are probably good at not letting it get to you too badly. Be aware that you might be a little on edge in the coming weeks. A batttery charge and a night in jail will not help your job prospects.
When I was coming up, no one really considered pot to be a depressant. I used it more as a psychedelic nyself. The fact is, however, that it is a very strong depressant, and regular use will eventually result in the user getting depressed. While anti depressants are probably appropriate in some instances (they get prescribed like candy these days) using them to treat the depression while continuing with the dope smoking makes no sense at all and no physician would agree with that approach if they were aware of what the patient was doing.
I think there is a good chance that in time your depression will lift. In the meantime, there is an old saying "Act as if." What this means is that it is easier to act one's way into sober thinking than to think one's way into sober acting. Thus, even if you feel lousy, it is important to get up and do things and take interest in things other than yourself. If you act as if you are not depressed, this will send messages to your brain and sooner or later your brain will follow.
Good luck.
August
PS: another thing that you might be forewarned about. As the depressive aspects of the pot lift, you may find that your are reacting rather strongly to certain types of situations. For most of us guys, this means that our tempers get shorter. Be aware of this, J. I am a big guy like you, and it is not a good combination for a big guy to have a short fuse. You are probably used to seeing a lot of stupid behaviour in your job as a bouncer and are probably good at not letting it get to you too badly. Be aware that you might be a little on edge in the coming weeks. A batttery charge and a night in jail will not help your job prospects.
Have to disagree with this advice you have been given,tellingsomeone to act likethey are not depressed is just plain ignornace. Antidepressants will help you beat this, more so then you think. Talk with your doc about this and get some good advice. insed of this dripple.
m
m
Well, unsung, we are all entitled to your opinions. I am not sure that your's is any better than the next persons just because you choose to call someone a dripple, whatever that is.
Well, I think you both have valid points, though I'm not sure what a dripple is either. While depression isn't something you can wish yourself out of, there is scientific proof to back up that getting up, getting out, exercising and socializing can have positive effects on depression.
Well, now that it is past midnite, it is Tuesday... which marks 7 weeks exactly without the ganja. I'm not going to act like I don't miss it, but I have to keep moving forward. I'll never get anywhere if I go back to puffing, so I have to continue to not smoke, and look forward to a brighter day - they must be coming soon!
Well, now that it is past midnite, it is Tuesday... which marks 7 weeks exactly without the ganja. I'm not going to act like I don't miss it, but I have to keep moving forward. I'll never get anywhere if I go back to puffing, so I have to continue to not smoke, and look forward to a brighter day - they must be coming soon!
August and Just J,
I have to say you both posted to me on my thread, and were very helpful, and the more I read your other posts, the more I learn. The depression thing, especially. My son's psychologist (who knows of his pot use) wanted his peditrician to prescribe an anti-depressant. I had a problem with that because I feel as August does. Everyone and their brother is on an anti-depressant these days..........doctor's are prescribing it like candy. Anyway, the peditrician refused. I guess that's a good thing. My son says he smokes pot to relax, and succeed in school, too. Wow, August, the two of you DO sound alike. I think I read in another post, on another board, that you are an attorney? If I am remembering correctly, that gives me great hope. You have made yourself very successful. I just worry about my son getting through his senior year. He doesn't have any idea what he wants to be "when he grows up". His 17th birthday is Tuesday, but his constant argument with me is he is almost a man....almost........
Anyway, I am going to keep reading and learning. I am going to hang tough to the rules. There is absoulotely no way I can turn the other cheek and allow him to continue along this path. I think we will look for an Alateen meeting in our area, too.
Thanks agan!
I have to say you both posted to me on my thread, and were very helpful, and the more I read your other posts, the more I learn. The depression thing, especially. My son's psychologist (who knows of his pot use) wanted his peditrician to prescribe an anti-depressant. I had a problem with that because I feel as August does. Everyone and their brother is on an anti-depressant these days..........doctor's are prescribing it like candy. Anyway, the peditrician refused. I guess that's a good thing. My son says he smokes pot to relax, and succeed in school, too. Wow, August, the two of you DO sound alike. I think I read in another post, on another board, that you are an attorney? If I am remembering correctly, that gives me great hope. You have made yourself very successful. I just worry about my son getting through his senior year. He doesn't have any idea what he wants to be "when he grows up". His 17th birthday is Tuesday, but his constant argument with me is he is almost a man....almost........
Anyway, I am going to keep reading and learning. I am going to hang tough to the rules. There is absoulotely no way I can turn the other cheek and allow him to continue along this path. I think we will look for an Alateen meeting in our area, too.
Thanks agan!
Dutchie, I noted your post on the other thread and it sounds like you are taking some good steps. Believe me, I would not be an attorney today had I been enabled. I went to law school for all the wrong reasons (the money) and I made it that far simply because I decided that if I had to work for a living, I wanted to make a lot of money doing it. For every one like me there are hundreds if not thousands that drop out of college, for want of attending to their studies. I did not have that luxury because I had no safety net.
These days, when I spot an attorney who uses pot, I smile to myself because I know I am looking at an easy mark. This stuff screws up thier judgment and that makes it all that much easier for me to lure them into a trap and slam the iron door behind them when the time is right.
There are competing views on use of anti-depressants. The one that I respect the most is to allow the dope to clear out of the system before addressing the issues of underlying depression.
Also, just to speak briefly to the not on the other board, most people who have had to live with a pot addict do not think it is a harmless drug. Those who come home in the evening to their pot are doing their families a disservice. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
August
PS JustJ, glad you are sticking with your program. Keep up the good work!
These days, when I spot an attorney who uses pot, I smile to myself because I know I am looking at an easy mark. This stuff screws up thier judgment and that makes it all that much easier for me to lure them into a trap and slam the iron door behind them when the time is right.
There are competing views on use of anti-depressants. The one that I respect the most is to allow the dope to clear out of the system before addressing the issues of underlying depression.
Also, just to speak briefly to the not on the other board, most people who have had to live with a pot addict do not think it is a harmless drug. Those who come home in the evening to their pot are doing their families a disservice. Denial is not just a river in Egypt.
August
PS JustJ, glad you are sticking with your program. Keep up the good work!
August,first of all Hi to you,Ive read a lot of your postings and in the beginning I thought hes just too full of it for me,BUT I have really come to admire you and your knowledge,allright now that Ive said that,I think that you were referring above to what I posted to Dutchie over in the other forum about some mates of mine working hard and coming home,getting their stuff done and then sitting back and enjoying a reefer,look some people dont have problems with addictions and are able to actually enjoy having a smoke,do you know what I mean,it doesnt dominate their life and they are really good productive people.
Hi Just J,
I just found this site and have to congratulate you. I have never been addicted to alcohol or pot, but am dealing with a dear friend who is. I can't even respond to whether or not your continuing lack of motivation is normal, but I would venture to say you will eventually find a new groove. I'm curious....what prompted you to finally quit? My friend is adamant in not seeing what his addiction does to himself and his relationships. Anyway, hang in there and stay clean. Have you tried physical activity to fill the void? I just became a runner a couple of years ago - not really to overcome addiction but to add some depth to my life and make friends. I'm hooked and feel motivated and great nearly every morning I jump out of bed. Just a thought. Best of luck to you!!!!
M
I just found this site and have to congratulate you. I have never been addicted to alcohol or pot, but am dealing with a dear friend who is. I can't even respond to whether or not your continuing lack of motivation is normal, but I would venture to say you will eventually find a new groove. I'm curious....what prompted you to finally quit? My friend is adamant in not seeing what his addiction does to himself and his relationships. Anyway, hang in there and stay clean. Have you tried physical activity to fill the void? I just became a runner a couple of years ago - not really to overcome addiction but to add some depth to my life and make friends. I'm hooked and feel motivated and great nearly every morning I jump out of bed. Just a thought. Best of luck to you!!!!
M
What finally prompted me to quit? Long story.
I was with a girl for almost 5 years. After we were together for around 2 years, her brother was killed on Sept 11th. Though we were already pretty regular smokers, from that day on, we smoked all day every day, until February 29th of 2004. She went on a vacation that day, and never came home. Turns out she went to NYC, and decided to start over fresh. I never saw her again. I was already dealing with depression, and this swung me into a downward spiral that I couldn't pull myself out of. (and still haven't). On August 1st, I was ready to die. I didn't so much want to die, but I just couldn't live with the pain anymore. I was now smoking all day everyday, mostly alone, sometimes with friends. My mother was aware of my habits and begged me to quit. So I told her I would, as a last ditch effort. I smoked myself into the floor the night of August 1st, and on August 2nd, I flushed the rest, and walked away from pot.
So far, I really haven't achieved what I hope to. The depression remains, the anxiety remains... I won't start smoking again, for a variety of reasons, most importantly, I told my mother I wouldn't. I feel as though pretty much everything I lived for over the last 5 years is gone - my ex and weed. Everything else was secondary. I'm trying very hard to fill that void with other things, college, work, football, becoming and EMT... but the depression remains.
There's the long version. That's why I quit.
I was with a girl for almost 5 years. After we were together for around 2 years, her brother was killed on Sept 11th. Though we were already pretty regular smokers, from that day on, we smoked all day every day, until February 29th of 2004. She went on a vacation that day, and never came home. Turns out she went to NYC, and decided to start over fresh. I never saw her again. I was already dealing with depression, and this swung me into a downward spiral that I couldn't pull myself out of. (and still haven't). On August 1st, I was ready to die. I didn't so much want to die, but I just couldn't live with the pain anymore. I was now smoking all day everyday, mostly alone, sometimes with friends. My mother was aware of my habits and begged me to quit. So I told her I would, as a last ditch effort. I smoked myself into the floor the night of August 1st, and on August 2nd, I flushed the rest, and walked away from pot.
So far, I really haven't achieved what I hope to. The depression remains, the anxiety remains... I won't start smoking again, for a variety of reasons, most importantly, I told my mother I wouldn't. I feel as though pretty much everything I lived for over the last 5 years is gone - my ex and weed. Everything else was secondary. I'm trying very hard to fill that void with other things, college, work, football, becoming and EMT... but the depression remains.
There's the long version. That's why I quit.
hey im a teen im young and im curious.what did it feel like well your body feel like when u stopped all of a sudden smokin marijuana?do u miss it?
For the most part, I did not have any physical effects when I stopped, ie I felt nothing different in my body. Howvever, I craved getting high, more than that, I craved smoking. Even though smoking is such a passive activity, it was "doing something". When the smoking was gone, but my motivation didn't/hasn't come back, it left me feeling like I didn't have a lot going on in my life.
It's not easy to quit. But I'm hoping that soon, I will find that it's worth it.
It's not easy to quit. But I'm hoping that soon, I will find that it's worth it.
It's after midnite! 8 weeks clean!!!!
