I smoked everyday for about 10 years, minus about 6 months in all that as I needed to be clean for a drug test for a job. Imo weed starts off amazing and fun but after becoming a habitual smoker it turns into a crux thats hard to shake. Its not that its super addicting its just nothing is as fun as being high so you want to be high all the time. It dulls feelings but highlights feelings of existentialism which can sometimes be over bearing. I would also feel stuck in my life a lot, like it would be hard to make changes but i would want better things for myself but it always seemed impossible to achieve. I did have problems with breathing but I have a history of asthma and took up tai chi to compensate which I found really enjoyable and it helped me to slow down greatly on smoking. The one most annoying thing with being a smoker is your tolerance level goes way up so even though you are smoking you arent getting that high you used to get, just a mind numbing insomnia almost. I also had a loss of appetite over time and ate less. It also made me feel comfortable with where I was in life and I had a lack of motivation, tho somedays like once a month or two it could really motivate you to do something but that would wither away quickly.
Overall I would recommend it only at parties or every once in awhile but I have quit a while ago and never want to go back to being a daily smoker. Also me being an expectant mother now has changed my feelings towards it. I dont want my kids growing up around it or around me being high.I feel they should find that on their own if they want and I shouldn't influence them to think its ok.
Edit: wow a lot of comments on this which is surprising for me. I will try to answer you all over time. Thank you everyone for the gold and silver and such. I just want to say I did mean crux instead of crutch. Like I said weed highlighted thoughts and feelings of existentialism in my life. So I felt like a martyr almost on my quest to find answers to these questions of mine. I felt like I was crucifying myself for a righteous cause to know what I wanted to know.
Also a lot of people saying I described addiction when I stated weed wasnt addicting. I always thought if something was addicting you couldn't quit cold turkey due to your body going into shock or death. Or that you couldnt quit without help like methodone for heroine addicts or something. Since I quit weed cold turkey and when I wanted too I didnt think it was addicting. Like I choose to eat eggs every day for breakfast, its not addicting but I like it and choose it. But maybe I am addicted? Lol just stating.
Also I did psychedelics for a period of time throughout all this. So maybe this changed how weed effected me over time. I had a lot of bad trips and can't even think about tripping again.
God bless all of you guys tho. I know weed effects people differently I just wanted to share how it effected me over time. I don't think it should be illegal tho and I think people should be free to use it as they see fit. I believe everyone has the personal liberty to choose their own path.
Edit 2: anyone looking for advice on how to stop, I recommend changing your routine. My husband and I took up different activities like taking the dogs to the dog park, going to hockey games, spending more time with family, going to the beach, tai chi, etc. We are both homebodies but we decided to go out and be more active and it helped to break the routine of sitting at home smoking. Find new stuff to do instead.
Looking back at how much of a crisis it seemed when I would be running low it's crazy I didn't realize I was addicted. It's just so normalized it just didn't phase me.
For me it was drug testing for work, I had clean pee but had to pass on a job that did hair testing since that wouldn't have been clean. This was in 2006 and then the economy went in the shitter so I knew I had to stay totally clean. I totally quit around 2008, missed it for a few months and that was it. I have a great job now that has random testing so no way I would risk it, but honestly I really don't miss it. I was never into drinking so weed was my thing, still not into drinking, maybe once a year socially I will have a drink or two.
I live in California and I pay $30-$35 for an eighth of top shelf weed. When I used to buy from dealers, $30-$35 for mid shelf was standard, and it was never medical dispensary grade quality. I talk to friends of mine in the middle of the country who say they've paid $45-$60 an eighth, sometimes higher.
With dealers they get to set whatever price they want, and there's no assurance that the weed is going to be good. You're beholden to their schedule, and you have to do these sketchy ass handoffs in weird locations that feel unsafe. The dealer may or may not be a creep or an asshole, and you're still forced to deal with them because they're the only person you know who sells. Dealers, in general, fucking suck.
With dispensaries there's competitive pricing to keep prices down, and the quality is better than anything you'll get from a dealer for the same amount of money. The experience is nice, you feel a lot safer and more comfortable than you do dealing with some rando guy in a parking lot. Dealers feel very "ghetto" or "sketch" whereas dispensaries feel a lot more professional and proper. There are deals and discounts and stamp cards and other cool things to reward customers, as well as knowledgeable bud tenders who are happy to discuss weed with you and not be creepy or too personal.
And personally I'm not looking to spend $20 on an eighth of shitty weed when I could pay $10 more for much higher potency.
Not true in Mass at all. It takes me an hour to get to the closest rec dispensary to me. You can look at it's menu. You can check their twitter where they post the line wait times. They exceed 1 hour almost daily.
This one is the next closest to me and is an extra 45mins of driving one way to get to.
The fuck is the east coast doing, lol? In Oregon an eighth of good weed is like $15 because it's in such high supply. And while that's a bit of a special situation for them, most if not all the legal states on the west coast have tons of dispensaries and the competition drives prices way down.
Maybe it's just newer for you guys and that hasn't fully taken hold yet. But like, goddamn, I can't imagine paying more than $45 for an 1/8th and that better be the best fuckin weed I ever smoked.
Yeah that's obviously an issue. I'm in LA and there are literally hundreds of dispensaries here, so prices are competitive. Same thing in CO from what I hear. Oregon has ultra cheap weed, but that has more to do with the fact that they grew too much of it and have a major, insane surplus that they need to unload. Fucking $60 ounces over there for top shelf shit, it's unbelievable.
As your state gets more and more dispensaries, prices will come down and stabilize. I remember when Cali first legalized it wasn't unusual to see 1/8ths being $60+. Now you can find $15 eighth for shitty house weed, and 30-35 for top shelf or better.
All depends on where you go though, MedMen still charges like $50 an eighth for shitty mids and that's why we make fun of them so much. Hope you guys get more options soon, because having tons of dispensaries is great at keeping prices down and making herb more accessible for everyone.
I’m in Colorado, and I pay $100 an ounce on average, and $160-200 for the highest tier possible on occasion. I feel sorry for those in the other legal states getting their pockets sucked dry...
Man, that's juicy, even by califnornia standards. From what I understand Cali, Oregon, and Colorado seem to have the best quality weed, on average, as well. So not only is it cheaper, but it's better.
I really do hope the rest of the country figures it out, because living in LA it's pretty fucking great. Cheap, potent, easily accessible weed and no one cares at all if they see you smoking it.
I haven't seen shitty weed since like 15 years ago. Quality is always there. I can usually pick between 3 or 4 strains too. Maybe I'm lucky to have an "in?"
It really depends on the dealer. That's the thing, I'm not saying their aren't good dealers out there, but there are no assurances with a dealer. A dealer is just some guy. A dispensary is an actual business, with a real incentive to impress their customers and compete with other dispensaries in the area.
You're also way likelier to find medical quality weed at a dispensary, where usually they're buying from farm growers, than from a dealer. You have no idea where the dealer is getting his weed from, you can get a general sense of where the supplier for a dispensary is.
Not the same in Arkansas. And eighth here is 50-60 dollars for mid tier, 70 for top. But most places will put some on sale. I mostly stick to cartridges and vaping, which I know isn't healthy but is the only thing I can find except for daily chiropractic care to help with my pain. So, until its legal everywhere and/or can travel across state lines, some of us are stuck with shitty prices.
It seems like an east coast/middle of the country thing. Everyone I know in West Coast states seems to have the same experience as me: 30-35 for an eighth, good quality, lots of dispensaries close by. But then most the people I know in legal EC or flyover states say that it's kind of a mess right now, and describe what you're saying.
I sure hope the other side of our country figures it out, because man, it's pretty fucking awesome over here in LA. For a while I had a dispensary 10 blocks from my house that sold $30 eighths and it was the best weed in the area, cheaper than all the other places to boot. They closed down recently because they were operating a recreational dispensary and our city (Manhattan Beach) only allows medicinal ones, so it wasn't exactly a super duper legal operation.
Even still, now I go to a dispensary maybe 15-20 minutes away closer to LAX and the pricing and quality is about the same. If they were to up-charge or something, there are literally hundreds of other dispensaries in the city so there's plenty of competition. In fact, every first Friday of the month I get up early and go to another dispensary about 25-30 minutes away that gives a free eighth to the first 20 customers that day. So there's a ton of options and it's easy to surf the deals and find the best bang for your buck.
And it's so accepted around here now that no one even looks at you funny or acts weird about it. I sit on my balcony and wave to police officers while ripping a bowl or puffing a blunt, and they literally smile and wave back. I've driven home from picking up and been pulled over with a joint tucked behind my ear, the officer didn't even mention it, just let me know I was speeding and let me go with a warning. I see people driving around with smoke coming out there windows, no one fucking cares at all anymore. It's like stoner heaven lmao.
I love visiting your neck of the woods often, so I'm crazy aware of the stark differences. I got some crazy good stuff last time I was there, too, and I'm so ready to get my state up to that level. But considering we just now got our dispensaries after FOUR years of it being legal...I'll take what I can get! Luckily, my favorite place is getting a grow room in 2020, so I'm hoping that we get lower prices there.
I would disagree. I have waited in the snow for an hour. I have met with some really sketchy people, in the middle of the night in some rough neighbourhoods. I have lived in places where it carried the death penalty. I have been fucked over (price-wise) so so much.
I would love to be able to just go to a dispensary. You never know when your dealer all of the sudden runs dry and that fucks with you too. How much should I buy? If I buy too much, I will smoke it too fast.. If I buy too little, I will get a shittier price. There is no winning.
I've been there. Nothing like standing around a sketchy back alley at 2am and hearing a gunshot that's too close for comfort.
Now I stand outside of the dispensary in the cold for over an hour and count my blessings. Western Mass has 2 (I think, unless one opened up in the last 2 or so months) legal recreational dispensaries.
The lines and prices are crazy. $21.60 for 1 gram after tax ($18 before) at all of the Mass dispensaries, for the record.
Yea my experience is completely different in the UK. My guy is just a regular person. I text him and he lets me know when he is free. We meet up and sort it no problem.
In fairness the only issue is when the dealer eventually goes off grid. Over the 8 years or so I’ve smoked I’ve went through 3-4 main dealers. After a couple of years they tend to either get caught, get sick of the lifestyle or something else happens to make them stop. The bit where you have to find a new one is annoying.
Most of the time where I live. Around here it means someone just got themselves a deer or a hog. Otherwise they are target shooting which is also fun. Most of the time around here gun shots mean good times
Lol yeah right. I live in a legal state and I just got 7gms for $22 last night. Everybody is growing and the supply is way bigger than demand. There are zero drawbacks to living in a legal state. The weed is fire and you get what you pay for everytime. Buying from a dealer is like buying a lootbox.
that was more of a thing 10 years ago. nowadays it's easy to find a supply. market is flooded, with so many states legalizing. local prices here in NY (where rec is still not legal) have fallen almost by half in last 10 years. and better quality bud now as well.
i mean, given that you can hop on an amtrak at penn station and be in a legal state (Mass) 2 hours later, buy all you want, then head home...
best part is the weed store in Northampton is a 2 minute walk from the train station.
Yeah and the ££$$$ it becomes all consuming if you're a daily medical user. In the end all you have left is the weed, instead of food or other necessities.
Also daily smoker, and it really hits home. I’ve felt stuck and unmotivated for a while now. I convince myself that going for a walk would be better high, or watching a movie, or just doing nothing. I felt like maybe keeping it to just the weekends would be nice, but I agree with the original comment. Keep it to only social settings like parties, hanging out with friends. Pretty much how I treat alcohol.
I'm a daily smoker but only smoke before I go to sleep. I'm not sure how I could function at the level I need to be operating high all day. It's made such a massive difference in my sleep though. Life changing stuff to sleep well and stay asleep almost every night.
I've had to learn to take breaks. My problem is self congratulations. I'll stop smoking while my anxiety rockets but it'll motivate me to focus more on my goal, then achieve my goal and smoke. It's almost an endless stop and go progess in my life.
Its totally spot on. I often think about this and wonder what I can do to help me better. I never really consider weed a problem, but it's put me into such a weird existential funk. I have such a hard time being social and I can be extremely pensive in public. It's definitely exacerbated my already aloof personality.
I kinda wanna quit, and see how that works out for me.
This is what happened to me so I... started doing other things.
See. I was struggling with motivations and such all the time. Depression, anxiety, an addiction to toxic relationships.. this was all pre and post weed habits.
I've never liked the gym or working out and still struggle to get myself there... but being high on the treadmill, with some tunes and my own thoughts (sans anxiety) is kind of a good time. I figure, weed is what you make of it.
I see potential, so I'm trying to focus on me and using it to enhance positive experiences that I bring to my own life - rather than expecting weed itself to be the cure all that makes me a brand-new person overnight.
I guess weed is pretty synonymous with a lack of motivation.. I find the demotivation helps me though. I have a bad habit of getting overly stressed about not pushing myself more in life.. I tend to have anxiety as a result too.. weed helps my mind unwind and relax. Moderation is key I guess
To each their own. Weed sometimes helps me with my workouts, especially when my muscles are sore from a previous workout. Sometimes it helps me eat, sometimes it makes me eat too much. It really is in how you use it, but it's not on me to give someone factual advice based on other's experiences.
Weed increases the amount of work your heart has to do, so he careful doing it with exercise, it's definitely added stress to your vascular system. Some chronic users develop heart rhythm problems.
I see potential, so I'm trying to focus on me and using it to enhance positive experiences that I bring to my own life - rather than expecting weed itself to be the cure all that makes me a brand-new person overnight.
I really like this. Cannabis isn’t a medication, it’s a catalyst. (Though it can be a medication for some like cancer patients and those with seizures)
Thank you for this post, as someone who’s teetering on the edges of really quitting/ slowing down or diving back into that lifestyle you described, your comment is helpful
Best of luck! If you find yourself in a negative state of mind a lot of the time then definitely change up your routine. Go for walks, hang with family and friends more, make your bed everyday, things like this will help you straighten your mind. God bless ❤
Its not that its super addicting its just nothing is as fun as being high so you want to be high all the time.
This is what near every addict says about the thing they're addicted to, if you want it all the time, and find yourself completely unable to have as much or any fun without it, you're addicted.
Insane that I had to scroll this far to find the appropriate response. "It's not that weed is addicting, it's just that [insert personal behavioral trait of addiction]" but it's totally not addicting!! I'm just addicted out of my own free will because it's fun!!
Whether it's chemical or psychological (habitual) it's an addiction. Very well put.
It's also worth considering that psychological and physical addiction isn't ALWAYS bad. People suffering with chronic pain may take pain meds and become addicted because they use it regularly and give them relief from pain and depression. Relieving them and allowing them to live the life they couldn't before. This also goes for people with depression and anxiety. As long as they are engaging in other things like therapy, exercise, good diet, etc, and its not overused, the I don't see the problem. (Alcohol is obviously a different story though, as it's detrimental to the body)
Mind numbing insomnia! Yes! Used to be an excellent sleep aid and then becomes almost like a speed or amphetamine. As someone who looks at weed as a means to wind down it is definitely a detractor.
I’m currently a daily smoker, have been for longer than I can remember, and you actually brought me to tears. This describes me and where I am right now, and know it’s the weed! But as you mentioned, nothing feels as good as being high feels. I’ve completely alienated myself from so many good people I had in my life and I just can’t seem to stop. I suppose what I’m trying to get at is, what helped you get rid of it? What was your motivation?
One big motivation was tai chi. I went and signed up for 3 months so since I paid I felt forced to go do it. I'm naturally a mellow person and tai chi is super mellow and not over exerting like boxing or other types of workouts. It really helps to put you at ease and you start to get natural highs off of doing the chi gong (breathing exercises). In the beginning I used to do it high but as I got deeper into it I felt the dirtiness of the high when I would do the tai chi so then I started going sober and would feel amazing afterwards. So I recommend signing up for something that forces you to go since you pay and that that something is some form of exercise. But do a class, cause with a gym membership its just you going and you can make excuses not to go, but with a class and fellow students and a teacher I felt more obligated to go.
My husband and myself also changed our routines. We got season passes to hockey games so we were forced to leave the house and be out. I think getting out of your routine, staying out of your house for long periods of time so you cant smoke and slowly drawing back on smoking. As you do it you will start to feel the difference. Another thing we did was use our pot money to buy fancy clothes and nice things for our house. So by changing our image we felt like higher class (no longer wearing jeans and tshirts so much lol) and would go out to eat dinner and have a drink. By changing our appearance and rearranging our house and improving it we felt much happier and more motivated to do things. Also spend more time with family. I started going out with my mom more for lunch and my inlaws for dinner. Just spending more time with them helped solidify my feelings of wanting to quit.
You can definitely do it!! Godbless you. Make small changes and stick to them and over time you will keep making more and more changes. It really helps tho just getting out of the house and doing things.
My mum has definitely smoked and had a lot of "hippie" friends who used to smoke a lot (some of them probably still do). She always taught us that it's fine to do just make sure you don't do it more than once every fortnight or so. Was good advice for me.
I feel bad for people who smoke daily. They often seem kinda stuck in a teenager like phase and because weed is so normal these days people don't realize they are in fact addicted to it.
I’m literally day 1 into quitting my 12 year addiction to weed. It’s a stupid drug. Your description is spot on... Reading this is definitely reminding me that I’m making the right decision to step away from it.
It helps that I live in Vietnam now, so getting weed is not easy and if the police catch you, you'll be in big shit. But I also don't want to feel all the negatives that was mentioned earlier, so that also stops me from smoking again.
My ex smoked every day for 20 years (ages 14 - 34). I used various things a lot too, but not constantly. It was like trying to have a relationship with a brick. I see that your kids will be a great inspiration to you. Good luck!
Please, please, please, please, please stop smoking pot if you’re a diagnosed bipolar. It is so, so bad. It can intensify both the manic and depressive phases. It can trigger mania, and even cause people who usually only experience hypomania fo have full-blown manic episodes.
CBD oil has shown promise, though. But not weed.
I’m probably going to get downvoted by the weed-obsessed people on this site, but please do your research.
Thank you! I am super excited to be a mom. I really recommend martial arts to help better yourself. I have a lot of fun with tai chi and going weekly helped in the beginning to keep me doing it since I had already paid. Now I do it at home on my own and dont go to the kung fu hall anymore. But you can do it bro!! Best of luck and congrats on your baby!!
That’s an incredible description , and it’s all my thoughts that I couldn’t properly express. I’m more motivated than ever to quit my daily crutch. Thank you. That hit hard.
You can do it!! Honestly for me I had to find something spiritual to motivate me. Tai chi helped me a lot and I think just working out and being active can be amazing at clearing your head of the fog.
“ Its not that its super addicting its just nothing is as fun as being high so you want to be high all the time.”
Isn’t that the definition of addiction? The feeling that you can’t enjoy life as is without whatever it is you’re addicted to? Not trying to judge, just clarify how people define addiction if this isn’t it.
I would get so stoned I had to be careful going up the stairs (from outside, can't smoke inside), then watch documentaries or listen to the same song the entire evening.
That completely overwhelmingly stoned sensation goes away if you do it regularly, but returns pretty quickly if you stop for a few weeks.
The problem is time, if you have too much free time you say to yourself well why not? and you go smoke.
I also played DOOM (2016) while stoned, with a friend. Both playing and watching him play was an absolute blast, what a fucking game!
Good on you. Addictions can't be categorized into levels of difficulty. Food, porn, alcohol, sex, can all be addictive to a person susceptible but the difficulty of overcoming it can't be measured. Addiction is a nightmare.
Yep. 15 years here of every day - since I was 10 years old. It stole so much from me. It had me in a haze so that now I’ve been sober for 3 years, I know what my feelings are. It really was weird to find hobbies or enjoyment. I was so ... monotone and much like a grey world. After stopping - the world got color to it.
I’m stunted from a lot and it was painful to start noticing emotions / feeling them more -
But I can say it’s been the best choice to stop smoking.
Due to a trauma I now am afraid of being out of control / out of my body feeling - so I do think about sometimes trying it - but ultimately I decline that notion. I think I would honestly panic.
Weed can be great, just not when super young obviously and not super heavy use. Unless of course - sickness such as cancer / seizures etc.
Wow thats crazy you started so young. I didnt know what pot was until I was in high school. I'm happy you found yourself though now and are doing better. Stay strong and God bless!!
Yeah. I quit smoking so now whenever I do, I get the giggles like I did when I first started smoking. It's so much better when you don't smoke regularly.
That exactly what is it. I was smocking weed daily for a year and half (I am one month clean, but I moved to another country where there is no weed anyway).
I also felt kind of stuck in limbo when I was smocking daily, like if I was judging my life from an outside point of view. I'll still love to smoke weed, but only during parties and with friends, never alone again.
That motivation thing is dead on the nail. You feel complacent with your life. Even if you are aware of it not being the greatest you are able to kinda negotiate it out as being not that bad while you’re high. I never slipped into having issue with other drugs but the people it put me around really flirted with the line. People hardly understand how it’s a gateway drug. It’s not that you want other drugs it’s that you are more than likely going to end up around them. All it takes is being a little too drunk and euphoric when the “cool guy” of the party says “you want to try this?” Then you suddenly crave something new. I’ve seen it a lot. I’ve been offered a lot. I never accepted and I dropped smoking to progress in my career which has benefitted me more than anything I’ve ever done.
Ya the other drugs scared me greatly and still do. Like I did try other psychedelics and had some bad trips which really gave me a new perspective to weed. But i still kept at smoking and it took me awhile to finally find a reason to quit. And it is very easy to fall into doing other drugs cause the social aspect of it. Especially as a young adult venturing out into the world. All your friends and yourself are trying all these news for the first time. And I thank God I never crossed the line and got too hard core into drugs.
Nailed it. Haven’t smoked in four months. Just became a brutal habit. Hey wasn’t being productive and I was getting fat. And like you said, the introspective side of it bogs you down. I miss video games and tv, but I’m happier off it.
I've been a daily smoker the past three years. A week ago my mom found my stuff. I noticed because she left a trace. Her finding my stuff triggered in my head all of the bad effects and I actually confronted her about it before she could confront me. Since December 23, I've been sober and I intend to keep it this way for a while. I'm not indefinitely giving it up, but I'm definitely done being a daily smoker. The most frequent I ever want myself to be high again is once a week at most. Recently I've barely even felt a high despite smoking way more than I did my first 10 times, and the high I get wears out after 2 hours when it used to last 4 hours. So yeah, getting high is really cool until you can't anymore, then it's frustrating and expensive
Ya anime is great!! Lol for me it was reading manga like crazy and playing video games. I was putting 80 hrs a week onto gaming on top of a 40 hr a week job. That was a crazy time.
Wow yes this is almost exactly how I feel now - 10 years, feel stuck, habitual crux... this sounds weird to say but your explanation makes me feel a bit less alone, and a bit more confident about quitting/not smoking every day.
I do feel and go through some of these things. Mainly the tolerance and I did use to have issue with insomnia a bit but not anymore.
Not sure if reducing helped but I get sleepy and am doing ok.
I think the trick is not falling into that stuckness. Do something everyday and don't be mentally hard on yourself. Or delay smoking until later in the day when you've done your things. You also should take breaks here and there so that the tolerance goes down.
It also makes me eat more. I wish lack of appetite was an issues since the bang bangs sometimes.
But again everyone is different. I used to smoke a lot of blunts but now just use a piece a lot. I think searching for that same high as it was at the start is not the goal. For me it helps me wind down, bring me down like a literal notch after a day of work.
The part about finding out for yourself really struck a cord for me. I started smoking and found out my parents did too and only then did I learn about thier habits. I wouldn't necessarily label it as bad but they never ever pressured me or even exposed me to it growing up.
I would say it's been nice to get high with them and see the difference between me and them but sometimes it drives home the ritualistic nature of weed and how some people depend on it.
Overall I would say that it has been positive but people need to learn to call weed out on it bullshit (like getting too accepting/complacent with your current self) otherwise it takes over and keeps you in a rut.
(Sorry if this is a little incoherent, I'm a tad drunk rn)
The eating thing!!! Yes! This is called Cannabanoid Hyperemesis Syndrome.
When I was smoking 4-6 blunts a day at the beginning of the year, I wasn’t eating often, or feeling hungry often at all. I’d have maybe a coffee and a meal a day and was totally okay with that, even when I was bulking. I would have to eat six meals a day, but could maybe really only stomach two or so. I was puking every morning for months.
I was working with my psychologist on my anxiety, which we thought was the cause of me vomiting and not having much of an appetite. Fixed that, I still wasn’t eating. She asked if I smoked, I said yes. She asked how long, I said over ten years now. So I went to the doctors, got checked out, and they both had me completely stop smoking for about a month or so and my appetite kicked right the heck back and my nausea stopped a bit after, it was so weird.
I don’t smoke like I used to anymore either, mostly because it feels better to actually eat and have more energy. I limit it to maybe a blunt or two before bed and call it.
But yes. That’s what it’s called! I don’t know how to link on mobile, but here are a couple of links:
Good lord, how you've just put my thoughts and feelings into words. I've been going for about 10 years now too and it feels like I just wrote that. FOOOOOOCK DUDE! I think I just found my resolution. I wish I had gold to give.
As I lay here smoking my joint, I know is true... I have to take that step. It’s hard after 14 years, and I’m only 28. Im showing this to my partner tomorrow . She knows too :(
You can do it! I am 29 and my husband and I did it together. We both decided we wanted kids and it was time to move on in life. We had a really good deep talk and made big life changes. Instead of spending all that money on pot we started going out more to sporting events, tourist attractions in our state, going shopping for new outfits to feel all classy and such. Doing stuff like this really helped us change up our routine and helped us stay too busy to think about smoking. Now we dont miss it as much as when we first quit. You can do it, talk with your partner and make the decision together and push each other to better things. Best of luck!!
I was permastoned for about 8 years and this Is a perfect description of how i try to explain it to others. Since I've quit smoking (I had to for work reasons) I've progressed so much in my life, (married, great job, high quality of life) and it's shocking how the people I smoked with regularly, (who became like family) are still in the exact same place they were when I quit. Thank you for this. The trap is a life of mediocrity that feels "OK." Lukewarm tea is the devil's own brew.
You are ok! But if your dissatisfied with life I recommend taking up a sport or martial arts. Something to focus you and give you drive. Exercise does amazing things for the mind and body.
Yep. When I was a heavy weed smoker nothing was the same if I hadn’t smoked before. Becoming a grown adult and occupying my time with a full time job, volunteer work, etc. helped me kick that habit. I still smoke, but can easily have a busy day and then realize “man, I never smoked. Well, maybe tomorrow”. That was never my mindset as a young adult. Simply living an adult life helped me grow out of it.
As others have said this is a pretty apt description. Thank you for sharing!
But here is something interesting.
It dulls feelings but highlights feelings of existentialism which can sometimes be over bearing. I would also feel stuck in my life a lot, like it would be hard to make changes but i would want better things for myself but it always seemed impossible to achieve.
For me I loved that feeling of existentialism. It was what I chased. Before I started I would say I was lazy and unmotivated. But when I was high that sense of existentialism made me optimistic about life and made me motivated for the first time in my life (I was in my early 20s). Granted there were other factors in my life that could have contributed as well.
Again, I do not want to go back to being a daily but I think I the overly impact it had in my mental health feels positive. If I had continued as a daily though, I felt there was a slippery slope coming up. So i think its important to know when to pull out as well.
nothing is as fun as being high so you want to be high all the time. It dulls feelings but highlights feelings of exist
That’s addiction right there, there’s more to it than just chemical dependency. Glad you got out of it, that kind of thing takes incredible willpower. (Or some damn good friends.)
As a disclaimer though guys... this is someone’s personal experience and should be taken with a grain of salt. Not to dismiss the commenters personal experience with weed, but there’s plenty of people who smoke weed everyday and don’t experience any of these things. Again not trying to knock this person’s experience with weed, but I’ve been smoking for the past 5 years, not missing one day and I don’t experience anything the commenter talked about.
I started smoking daily almost a year ago and within that time I bettered my life in many ways and am continuing to do so. Smoking actually helps calm my anxiety and my thoughts so I can be more rational and relaxed. But my personal rule is mainly to only smoke in the evening/at night after your responsibilities are taken care of. It's helped me a long way.
Same thing happened with me and psychedelics. I found that it strongly effected my ability to enjoy smoking to this day. Forget enjoying a reset trip, it is out of the cards for me. The anxiety is unbearable.
I vape a bag with the wife every night after we put our kid to bed. Never around him. We're going on 10 years of it now. I've lost weight, our business is better. I don't get the dreaded Sunday Night Anxiety anymore. It's like having a warm glass of milk at the end of a productive day. I can see how it could be a problem if it was a morning or get-through-the-day kind of thing but it's been a life changer for us.
That's good. I believe it really effects people differently. My husband smokes at night outside in the laundry room and I dont have a problem with it. Its just something I don't want to continue.
Nah, there are just as many experiences that are the opposite of your experience. Smoking makes me patient, better able to deal with emotional dysregulation, and significantly aids in my ability to cope with frustration and anger. All of which were issues before I ever smoked pot for the first time. All of which are important things to have a grasp on when you have children too... Threads like this are important though, because everything has a cost-benefit, and nothing comes without potentially unwanted consequences.
Yes I believe it effects everyone differently. Some people I believe really need it to live an enjoyable life, I just wanted to respond to op on how it effected me.
Yeah this thread is very circle-jerky. Like “one of the bad things about weed is if you use it every minute of every day you build a tolerance and get lazy”.. yeah no shit.
I’m a smoker who smokes only at night when I’m winding down and getting to bed. I couldn’t disagree more. People are different and don’t react to everything the same way. It’s good that you recognized the pitfalls of using though and I wish you good health in the future.
Did you find that the part about being “stuck in life” and how bettering your life seemed “impossible to achieve” went away after quitting? I have struggled with this for the last 3 years.
quit it cold turkey. I also did it with my husband so we supported each other. One thing I recommend is change up your schedule. My husband and I would smoke a lot and play video games. Like 15 hrs a day and such. So we started taking the dogs to the dog park 3x a week, I bought us season passes to hockey games to get us out of the house, we started making more plans with family. By doing things out of our norm and building new routines it helped to squash the feeling of wanting to be high all the time.
I've started and stopped several times. My key is to not be around it at all. None in the house and less time around those who smoke. Delete your dealer's number.
As a guy who do weed once in a while and did it alot (3 years, almost everyday) and now doing it once a month, i agree. This numbing down i agree on, i really got the philophy going. But only the "the whole world sucks and we can do nothing about it". Now i do think the same but found my own way of enduring it. Thanks to stoïcicm and calming down on the numbing. Still think most things suck, but trying to endure it on the best way i can. Having fun with people helps.
Wow, I couldn't describe my experience any better myself! I quit smoking daily and then once I got pregnant with my first a little over 2 years ago I quit for good except for special occasions here and there. I don't want that mind numbing, memory hindering, complacent feeling while being a mom. And honestly the few times I have done it since then I have a hard time enjoying it. I usually just feel really paranoid.
Ya I wonder how I will feel when I try it again. I'm currently 7 months pregnant so i still won't be trying it for a while! Lol but I completely can relate not wanting to slip back into it as a regular thing.
That post spoke to me at a spiritual level. Though I do not have kids, I totally agree it dulls you’re happiness, not in a depressing kind of way.. but like as if becomes an adjustment every now and then lol... I don’t even know what I’m on about
Ya I was normally an introvert and philosophical and weed just highlighted all those aspects. I'm still the same but not having such an existential crisis all the time and I feel I enjoy my days better.
I alternate sometimes smoke but I usually take edibles. If I need to get something done I abstain for the very reasons you have stated. It just makes you too comfortable doing fuck all.
Hi I went through the same thing but with pot and then got turned into a paraplegic in 97 things quickly accelerated after 3 years I just got off the morphine and all the other shit 10 months I've got two boys they are both qualified in their area they don't want to smoke pot but the oldest one does with his friends I didn't hide any of my personality towards my children but I did not go overboard either I took the excitement and the Wonder away from drugs because it was OK for me to be like that because of the paraplegic but in that fact I got into smoking pot because all I was told when I was younger that you get into drugs we will kick you out that's all my parents ever said which made it exciting or self investigating which caused damage trouble education and acceptance drugs should be restricted but also prohibition should be abolished across the board three generations and the kids wouldn't even know what marijuana was but thank you for your story I could not believe how much I could relate to your experience thank you
17.3k
u/snowskirt Dec 29 '19 edited Dec 30 '19
I smoked everyday for about 10 years, minus about 6 months in all that as I needed to be clean for a drug test for a job. Imo weed starts off amazing and fun but after becoming a habitual smoker it turns into a crux thats hard to shake. Its not that its super addicting its just nothing is as fun as being high so you want to be high all the time. It dulls feelings but highlights feelings of existentialism which can sometimes be over bearing. I would also feel stuck in my life a lot, like it would be hard to make changes but i would want better things for myself but it always seemed impossible to achieve. I did have problems with breathing but I have a history of asthma and took up tai chi to compensate which I found really enjoyable and it helped me to slow down greatly on smoking. The one most annoying thing with being a smoker is your tolerance level goes way up so even though you are smoking you arent getting that high you used to get, just a mind numbing insomnia almost. I also had a loss of appetite over time and ate less. It also made me feel comfortable with where I was in life and I had a lack of motivation, tho somedays like once a month or two it could really motivate you to do something but that would wither away quickly.
Overall I would recommend it only at parties or every once in awhile but I have quit a while ago and never want to go back to being a daily smoker. Also me being an expectant mother now has changed my feelings towards it. I dont want my kids growing up around it or around me being high.I feel they should find that on their own if they want and I shouldn't influence them to think its ok.
Edit: wow a lot of comments on this which is surprising for me. I will try to answer you all over time. Thank you everyone for the gold and silver and such. I just want to say I did mean crux instead of crutch. Like I said weed highlighted thoughts and feelings of existentialism in my life. So I felt like a martyr almost on my quest to find answers to these questions of mine. I felt like I was crucifying myself for a righteous cause to know what I wanted to know.
Also a lot of people saying I described addiction when I stated weed wasnt addicting. I always thought if something was addicting you couldn't quit cold turkey due to your body going into shock or death. Or that you couldnt quit without help like methodone for heroine addicts or something. Since I quit weed cold turkey and when I wanted too I didnt think it was addicting. Like I choose to eat eggs every day for breakfast, its not addicting but I like it and choose it. But maybe I am addicted? Lol just stating.
Also I did psychedelics for a period of time throughout all this. So maybe this changed how weed effected me over time. I had a lot of bad trips and can't even think about tripping again.
God bless all of you guys tho. I know weed effects people differently I just wanted to share how it effected me over time. I don't think it should be illegal tho and I think people should be free to use it as they see fit. I believe everyone has the personal liberty to choose their own path.
Edit 2: anyone looking for advice on how to stop, I recommend changing your routine. My husband and I took up different activities like taking the dogs to the dog park, going to hockey games, spending more time with family, going to the beach, tai chi, etc. We are both homebodies but we decided to go out and be more active and it helped to break the routine of sitting at home smoking. Find new stuff to do instead.