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How do you quit when weed has become such a big part of your life? (self.leaves)

submitted ago by JrdnRgrs

I'm 18 and I've been smoking everyday for about 2 years now. It used to be just at night, then maybe once in the afternoon, then every morning, and now I smoke before everything I do.

Smoking has become so heavily engrained into my daily routine that, when I am in a situation where I can't smoke, it has become a problem.

The main thing is my appetite. I feel like the only time I can eat, is after I smoke. Leading me to not be able to eat any other time. If I try to eat and I haven't smoked, I can't even do it, all food just tastes wrong and I have to force myself to swallow.

This summer I went on a weeklong vacation with my parents and I couldn't bring any bud. During the day I felt fine (and didn't eat a thing) but at night time I would get very sad, depressed, and anxious. It was a horrible week, and it showed me how much of a problem I really had.

What makes it even harder is that my parents are totally okay with me smoking. They weren't at first, but now it's gotten to the point where my dad has bought me bongs and regularly gives me money for weed.

Plus, all my friends are regular smokers too, just not as much as me.

On top of it all, as much as I don't want to say it, it definitely effects my grades, but only because I live in dorms this year and I had constant stress on how I was going to keep up my smoking habit, leading to more smoking and less studying.

I want to quit, or at least lighten up, only because of this strong dependence I have, but I honestly don't know how. I want to be able to go places, without thinking about how I'm going to bring weed with me to soothe my habit.

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[–]Serps450 5 points6 points ago

I feel on this one. You need to find an activity you can enjoy that you cant smoke weed at. Working out and talking to girls helped me quit, but its gotta be something for you.

[–]MBSquared 14 points15 points ago*

You quit by stopping.

Anything else that's blocking your understanding of this needs to be pushed aside. If you want to stop, take everything you have and throw it in a dumpster. Now, do something else with the time. If you always sit around and do nothing while high, then go out, skateboard, bike ride, go somewhere with friends.

You ate before you smoked weed so don't fool yourself into thinking you need weed to help you eat, or for anything. You've slept fine before you smoked weed. Don't do it simply because your parents are okay with it, this is your life and your situation. If you don't want it in your life, then make it so. It's that easy. Any attraction you have to it after you quit smoking should just be ignored. If you find yourself wanting to smoke, do something else, or take control of your brain and say "No dude, I'm done." It's all about control, take control. ;)

[–]IBFT 2 points3 points ago

You've slept fine before you smoked weed.

This was definitely not true for me. I absolutely slept better and had lower general levels of anxiety and stress when I smoked.

The key for me has been to find other ways to control my sleep and stress, mainly eating better and exercising more. These are inarguably better solutions that smoking weed, but you're not doing the OP any favors by suggesting that weed has no benefits.

[–]MBSquared 1 point2 points ago

So when you were 5 you couldn't sleep without weed? And 10, and so on and so forth before you started smoking.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points ago

Seriously. People who can't sleep, for any circumstances, need to address those problems. You have other problems that are causing that. Normal, healthy people are able to get to sleep just find. Everyone I've known whose regularly taken sleeping pills has had many other problems as well.

[–]Triassic_Bark -2 points-1 points ago

Either you are someone who has never smoked, or you simply know nothing about smoking the reefer.

[–]MBSquared 2 points3 points ago

I smoke every day.

The point that you missed is that weed doesn't change your chemical make-up. It doesn't suddenly cause you to NEED it in order to sleep or eat. It's not a chemically addictive substance. YOU made that error in yourself, by using it habitually to either sleep or eat. If you lay off it for a day or two those problems would cease to be. I know this because I've smoked weed for a good 5 years and have had many "Quitting" moments. You are fooling yourself if you think you NEED it. That's absolute bullshit with plenty of scientific research backing it up.

[–]Triassic_Bark -1 points0 points ago

Whoa, slow down there sailor. I never said or implied anything in your above post. I didn't claim to need weed to sleep or eat. I smoke every day too, and have for almost every day of the past 10 years. It's easy to not smoke for a day or two if there is none around, and sleep and eatting is no different than when I am high. That being said, for YOU to assume that the above Redditor has the exact same chemical make-up as when they were 5 or 10 is absurd. IBFT was making the point that weed is used by many people to deal with issues such as insomnia and eating disorders, and that this is perfectly legit. The reefer is not all bad, in other words. Perhaps OP with sleep and eating problems would have those same problems if he never smoked weed before. Frankly, we just don't know either way. So is it fair to compare OP at 5 and 10 with OP now? No, I don't think so. Lots of medical issues could have potentially affected his sleep and eating habits. I'm not saying it definitely isn't weed, I'm just saying it could certainly be other issues.

[–]MBSquared 2 points3 points ago

Dude how can you miss my point by such a far margin?

The ONLY REASON I mentioned being 5 or 10 is to prove a point that before you started smoking weed, you could sleep, now by smoking weed you trick yourself into thinking that you NEED weed to sleep. It's absolutely not true. That's the only point I was trying to make. I didn't say a single thing about our chemical make-up being the same as when we were 5 or 10, I was saying that weed is not needed in order to eat or sleep.

You replied implying that I know nothing about smoking weed based on my reply which was stating that you don't need weed in order to sleep and now your saying you never implied anything in the above post.

Yes, many potential medical issues could be the reason he can't sleep, my point is it's not weed doing it.

[–]Triassic_Bark -2 points-1 points ago

No, I understood your point, and I disagree with it. It is just as plausible that the weed actually does help with sleep or eating issues that were not present at 5 or 10 years old. You are trying to claim absolute knowledge about the medical issues of someone you have never met, simply because he says the weed helps him. Just because he didn't 'need' weed to sleep or eat at 5 or 10, does not mean that it doesn't help him now with sleep/eating problems (which may, or may not, be related to his weed habit).

I don't need weed to help me sleep. You don't need weed to help you sleep. That doesn't mean that no one has a sleeping disorder that could be helped by smoking weed.

I think you need to re-read the above posts. My only point is that the weed could be helping a legitimate sleeping disorder, and it might not be all in his head, which your original post implied.

I think if we just got together and smoked a tasty bowl we could come to a greater understanding of each other's position on this issue ;)

[–]MBSquared 0 points1 point ago

It can help, yes but as you constantly use weed to sleep, you become dependent on it. That's your fault, not weed.

You are so off the point that I just can't reply anymore to these after this.

[–]Triassic_Bark -1 points0 points ago

I'm not off the point at all. You are assuming that OP's sleep has become dependent on smoking. My only point, for this entire thread, is that you are making an assumption about what is causing OP's sleep problems. That is all.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

What an ignorant response.

[–]Triassic_Bark -2 points-1 points ago

Go on....

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points ago

What an ignorant response.

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]kefs 4 points5 points ago

All you need is your determination.

Absolutely right... The mind is a powerful thing. OP, it sounds like your parents are pretty supportive of your smoking, and a good support system never hurts... so why not tell them how you feel, and maybe they'll help with you getting it under control. Good luck.

[–]Cman759 3 points4 points ago

weed can be a great thing, mainly because of how amazing everything tastes, and how easy and good your sleep afterwords is. But quitting can be very hard. I feel like the easiest way is to replace your smoking with exercising. You burn calories which helps drive your hunger, and tire you out, so sleep comes easier. Also, it takes some of the loss of motivation that comes with pot, and turns it into a driving force that makes you feel like you can do anything. Exercise is a great motivator.

[–]musca3210 1 point2 points ago

Im in nearly the exact same situation as you. It sucks because all the friends I made my first semester at college are huge stoners too. Im going to try to make new friends that dont smoke and join a club (triathlon or something like that) that makes it beneficial not to smoke.

[–]Protoss7 1 point2 points ago

I was in this situation. I smoked it for so long that the only people I ever spoken to also smoked weed, so I thought if I quit then I was going to lose my entire social life. In the end, it just took my failing grades to make me realise that if I keep smoking weed I could fuck the rest of my life up.

You've got to find yourself a reason to quit, and realise that there will be people there for you. When I was quitting, people I hadn't really talked to in months were there to support me and I'm sure it would be the same for you.

[–]sturm09 1 point2 points ago

I have the same problem but I'm 24. I smoke everyday and do absolutly nothing without smoking weed before. I smoke since about 6 years now, not so much at the beginning, but since about 3 years I smoke during the whole day. I want to quit too, but it is not easy. I don't know what i should do when I'm bored, there is no fun for me withoud weed. But I have to do this now, or I will fail at life.

[–]JrdnRgrs[S] 3 points4 points ago

exactly how i feel dude.

[–]johnpisme 3 points4 points ago

Try this: quit for like one day. Then the next day smoke only one hit at a time. Only enough to get the basic high feeling. Do not smoke more than one hit no matter what. You can smoke one hit per hour tops, no cheating. Do not increase this rate for any purpose. Soon you will be able to stop if you want, or you will be able to smoke just occasionally when you want. It worked for me and I'm 27 and smoked since I was 18, all day everyday for years straight. I started doing this like 2 years ago now it's all good, I can enjoy weed when I want to and I can not smoke for long periods of time if I have to or a lot of the time I don't because I just don't feel like it. The hardest part is to not oversmoke and start sliding back into the old habits, but thats only at first. No more than one hit at a time!

[–]onlive 2 points3 points ago

You're so dramatic, man. Fail at life, come on now, we all fail at life in the end.
Anyway, what worked for me was changing my social circle, throwing out everything I had related to smoking (pipes, bongs, papers etc) and taking up new healthy activities such as going to the gym, drawing and video games. You're brain is addicted to the stuff right now, just give yourself 30 days. Say for 30 days, no smoking weed what so ever. Not one single puff. After 30 days your brain will have re-wired itself out of the habit and it will be easier to stay quit. Just tell your friends if they pressure you that you're doing a 30 day quit. The first 3 days will be crucial, so be open to other things to just take your mind off the stuff.
Good luck, you can do it :)

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

It's more like 6 mos IMO

[–]235711 1 point2 points ago

What does it mean to fail at life? What are the goals?

[–]sturm09 1 point2 points ago

I started college last year and smoking weed has started to affect my grades. I think if I want to pass this, i have to stop smoking or at least reduce it a lot. There are also other things, for example i can't invite a girl over because i live in a messy fucked up stoner flat. I have become a social akward penguin because of beeing high every time. Anyway, thanks for the advice guys I'm doing this now and I'm sober since yesterday.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago

The main thing is my appetite. I feel like the only time I can eat, is after I smoke. Leading me to not be able to eat any other time. If I try to eat and I haven't smoked, I can't even do it, all food just tastes wrong and I have to force myself to swallow.

This is a huge fucking problem. Seriously man? That's a giant sign of addiction and the potential that marijuana has to negatively affect the brain. Geez, if for no other reason THIS should lead you to quit. If you want to reset your brain, you probably need about 6 months sobe; that's what worked for me. Now how you're going to do that, that's up to you.

[–]cakesale 1 point2 points ago

You're still young and in school, rather leave it for when you're working man. You're seriously too worried about getting a smoke. Rather find something to do and keep you busy instead. Peace

[–]lovewillsetmefree 0 points1 point ago

force yourself to eat all 5 food groups 3 times a day if you take another break

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