While the debate over marijuana, legality, health benefits and negatives rages on there are many people who are in strife who care little for all these arguments because they are addicted to weed and what the masses decided about the drug matters little when your own personal life is falling apart due to addiction which is a separate point completely to all the others. If you are one of these people and are looking for tips on how to quit smoking weed then first I encourage you to shut out all of the pro and anti marijuana campaigners because your struggle is a personal one not just with marijuana but with a psychological addiction which only has tenuous links to the particular thing you are addicted to.
This does not mean that there are not specific things you need to know about marijuana in this but it all must center around your personal struggle and not all the side bullshit that goes on to do with pot. To quickly summarize what you may need to know about cannabis is this:
- Marijuana is not physically addictive like other drugs that have chemicals in them that you can become dependant on, while you can suffer from withdrawal symptoms such as insomnia, vivid dreams, irritability, mild nausea and so forth by scientific measures pot is not a drug you can be physically dependant on.
- Addiction is a mental disease that makes you believe you need something whether it be a drug or a behavior like gambling or sex. With Marijuana the mixed messages about the drug confuse people on what is addiction and what is dependence, if you are struggling to quit smoking weed you are addicted.
- To confuse matters more many people who are dependant on a drug like heroin are also psychologically addicted in a double whammy that is terrible. This leads to a perception that pot is the same when it should be treated quite differently.
What this boils down to is that you CAN quit smoking weed but only if you treat this as a personal addiction that you can overcome by changing yourself and not blaming the drug first and foremost. This is not to lessen the deep pain, anxiety and helplessness that may come from living with an addiction at all nor is it to trivialize the task of climbing out of this pit of despair either as the demons of the mind are the cruelest and most punishing of all. These tips on how to quit smoking weed are just a way to set a framework you can use to realign the way you think which aids in the all important aspect of willpower which is the only real way to move beyond an addictive habit.
Quitting Smoking Pot is a Choice
Sounds obvious doesn't it? However by choice what I mean is a carefully considered choice, a choice based on the knowledge of the benefits of quitting weed and the negatives of continuing to smoking pot. This is not a whim, a quickly drawn line in the sand or a spontaneous vow based on anger or fear or a whole host of emotions that have led to your initial acceptance that smoking marijuana is becoming hurtful to you. Choice is saying "I choose not to smoke pot" rather than saying "I love pot but I need to quit". This may sound like a whole lot of useless semantics to many however it is a proven psychological technique that the WAY we say things and the WAY we think of things effects the outcomes because language dictates more than a simple meaning but a whole host of other desires, excuses, fears and connotations when structured poorly. So make a choice to quit smoking weed and make it an informed choice.
Action Vs Reaction
The writer Rita Mae Brown once said "A life of reaction is a life of slavery, intellectually and spiritually. One must fight for a life of action, not reaction." and this should be a quote written down and emblazoned in your memory because this is not only good advice for life but also in the case of addiction. How often do you take action to smoke a bowl compared to as a reaction? How often is the ritual of smoking pot coming from a reaction to something: A bad day, a fight with your partner, an inconsolable sadness or rage. How often does it come from a seeming NEED to get high and zone out, a compulsion brought on my troubles or by habit compared to perhaps what it was like early on when it was exciting and fun. Those that tally up way more on the reaction scale may find the reason behind the need for their addiction from the troubles that beset them and realize that the drug is just an escape and the problems behind it are what really needs to be solved. Some may find it easier to work on the reason behind the need first and others may take heart that a deeper understanding of your personal demons can give you the strength to quit smoking weed which will allow you to face those challenges with a clearer head and more success. This is action, control of your own life rather than a reaction to compulsion and external influences which is reaction and as the quote said makes you a slave to it and to marijuana in turn.
Plan
As you may have guessed I am a fan of the written word and the practical application of words on paper may be paramount here. The choice to actively seek a solution to your problems and a change in your life to quit smoking pot will propel you forward but how to do this comes down to planning, goals and motivation. The catch 22 of this is that when you are an addict sticking with a plan and keeping motivation and goals can be difficult and a single bad day can feel mix up all of this in your head and suddenly a single smoke does not seem so evil, then another and suddenly a week has gone before you realize it and the self loathing sets in. STOP! That is the direction you do not want to take and you know it! This is where ink can be a help if not your salvation because a psychological addiction is something in your mind, if you keep all your plans in your mind it is bounds to be influences by the negative thoughts that will plague you so why would you want the pure and good new ideas being corrupted there. My advice is to write things down, write down all the bad things about smoking pot, write down all the good things that will come from being weed free, write down you plan of attack whether it be quitting cold turkey or gradually limiting your smoking down to none at all. Write it down and keep it because those words do not change no matter how much your demands mess with your mind your pledge taken at your most insightful and enlightened point will always be there to set you back on the track you know you want to be on.
Persistence Outweighs Performance
Some people may have an easy time when quitting a marijuana habit but others may not, there are so many variables in this mix it is impossible to predict but there is one truth to it and that is that the end outcome of being free of your addiction is worth more than any failures you have along the way. Most people who try to quit any addictive behavior do not do so on their first try, nor their second and many more beyond that often. This is disheartening and depressing but it does not need to be if you do not want it to be. Every time you fall, every time you give in, every time you blunder on your goal to giving up weed you learn something new about yourself and about the world and each of those experiences is ammunition for the next fight. Victory goes to those who persist and learn and adapt and survive so when you call your performance on quitting into question remember it is not how easy it is, it is if you make it in the end and if you maintain the drive despite the pitfalls that will ensure your success.
For more tips on how to quit smoking weed from a guy who has kicked the habit himself and knows what it takes click below.
Marijuana Addiction Treatment
