Benefits of being off weed

I'm with you turtle, I just got offered a spliff and was about to automatically take it (my friend didn't know I'm off it)- but I turned it down. It sure is tempting, but the pat on the back I gave myself will do just fine!

Great handle, by the way. Congrats to you for abstaining the Pavlov reflex. I caved so many times by being in that situation. Just reached out and said, "Hey, mighty nice of you to offer me that." Knowing full well, it would jump start the habit again, put me in a position to lie to my spouse and basically give into something i wanted but knew i was better off without.

So, here's to you, Mr. Madeupname.
(Sounds like a good one for one of those Budweiser spots, I love those radio commercials.)

It seems daft replying without much more to say, but the alternative is not to reply and that would be rude! My handle I got from a guy called Victor Lewis Smith, you might find some stuff of his if you search, very funny!

I think my attitude towards MJ/hash has shifted, I used to think of it as my friend but it's just an easy way out from life's problems. If I feel good, I want it to be for a 'real world' reason and turning down that offer felt GOOD! I should thank my friend for doing that, but it would sound quite smug!

Day 9.... Still going strong. I'm trying to decide what to do with the pipes... have a little ceremony and bury them in my back yard, the way a family would bury a dead cat? (Boots was a good cat... uh, he liked cat food and sleeping... this pipe was a good pipe, it liked getting me stoned).

Quitting mary really is like ending a relationship. It made me feel secure and stable, gave me pleasurable feelings, and made me forget about life's problems for a little while. This sounds so sad and pathetic; its a flipping plant we're talking about. If I can get this much out of a plant, I wonder what I can get if I actually try and deepen the relationships I have with real people.

To quote Waking Life (the movie but thanks to the poster for starting this great thread):

"I don't wanna be an ant."


This leads me to the next benefit I've noticed...

The interactions I have with (real) people are less superficial. The people I know well, its more like I'm talking with them rather than to them, and the people I don't know, I'm not just using a variety of stock responses (like a talking pull string doll).

I work two jobs, putting in about 65 hours a week. (I guess you'd say I was a functional smoker). One of the jobs is pizza delivery... one step up from boot licking, and two steps up from prostitution, but I digress. Drawing on the last point, here's one more nice benefit of not smoking:

I think I'm making more money. The past few nights customers are giving more tips, I mean digging in their pockets and saying 'here's an extra buck.'
I really can't say why, but I know my ability to banter and joke with customers has improved. Like I said before, I'm not just pulling canned responses and phrases out of my anus. I could be wrong, some people could still be glowing from the holidays, but its more likely a collective sigh of relief.


More quick benefits:
(Some of these have been mentioned, but I'll reiterate)

-No police paranoia (I can drive a little faster now)
-It doesn't matter if my eyes become red, the worst I'm on is nicotine.
-No need to pack a pipe, bag, paper clip, papers, etc. I get my keys, wallet, cigs, phone, and I'm out the door (I could trim this some too...)
-I feel a little more independent and empowered.
-I have the motivation to list a bunch of junk on ebay and make some $$$
-This is weird, but I fart more.

First, wakinglife, thank you for starting this most excellent topic on this forum! Also for continuing to add your updates and inspirational thoughts. Also thanks to all the rest of you that have shared your most personal struggles and triumphs in your journey to quit smoking weed. I came across this forum yesterday and spent at least 3-4 hours reading through all the posts beginning to end. I feel as though I found a virtual therapy group. I have started compiling my own list of benefits of not smoking pot anymore, and the list is growing long already! I also created a word doc where I cut and pasted sections of posts that are most relevant and inspiration to me personally and named it my “Quitting Bible”. My thought there is that any time I may start feeling pulled back to using again, I will read through it to remind myself of why I made the decision to quit.

Ok, a quick synopsis of my smoking background… first, today is DAY 6 for me. I didn’t start smoking until around 19 years old when I was introduced to the herb by friends after high school. On December 26th, I turned 32 years old and have been a chronic, daily user for at least 99% of the days of my life for the last 13 years. (The 1% for times I may have ran out looking for more) I decided enough is enough and decided to give my self the birthday gift of a clearer mind and better health. I had always been a big pot advocate and considered it my “drug of choice”. Also smoked cigs most of the years, but finally gave that up in the past few years and just kept smoking weed instead. I tried shrooms twice, one of those times with a very hallucinogenic experience, but other than that, no other drugs.

Getting stoned used to be fun and relaxing, but in recent years the negative effects – mentally and physically – became apparent and smoking weed turned into something I was “compelled” to do and didn’t feel like a choice any longer. In other words, I felt as if I couldn’t enjoy any activities in life without being stoned. Being stoned was my equilibrium, my status quo, my sustenance. There is food, water, clothing, sex, and weed. Before doing anything, I would think “I need a few hits first” so that I can enjoy this more. I have wanted to quit for a long time now, but just didn’t know how I could function on a daily basis without it. How could I possibly enjoy the things in my life without being stoned? I always saw being stoned as a “fun challenge” to everything.

The biggest health concern I have that has gotten much worse is asthma – self-induced from smoking I am certain. I am on 2 types of asthma medication but it still would only get worse as I continue to smoke. Here was the routine – go smoke a bowl to get my high, then have to use my bronchial inhaler to try to loosen the restriction the smoking caused. I knew that wasn’t the way it should be, but again, felt compelled to smoke in order to maintain my stoned equilibrium.

Now, I realize this forum is intended to be all about the BENEFITS of quitting, so I will now list some that I am already experiencing here by Day 6.

1. My breathing has already improved A LOT!! It feels so awesome to breathe feely!
2. The Dreams! Yes, as many others have noted, my dreams have come back full force and I have been so entertained that I can’t wait to go to bed at night and have some more. I have even started a dreams log doc to keep track of them. Only had 1 nightmarish dream so far on the first night, but the rest have been downright bizarre and hilarious.
3. My mind already feels clearer and more articulate.
4. My energy level and motivation is increased.
5. My house / clothes / breath, etc. don’t smell like smoke.
6. I don’t waste time smoking / being stoned throughout the day.
7. No more pot induced Munchies! This could help my other goal of losing some weight.
8. So many stresses associated with smoking are eliminated. (funny, cuz I always looked at weed as my stress reliever)
a. The stress of running out and having to go see my dealer
b. The stress of getting busted buying or having weed in the car
c. The stress of taking the time to smoke several times a day
d. The stress of feeling paranoid if someone stops by my house unexpectedly and I am stoned and the house may smell like smoke.
e. The stress of emptying my bank of account by a few hundred bucks every time I had to go buy another sack.
f. The stress of my health concerns associated with smoking – asthma, bronchial infections, lung cancer, etc.

I’ll wrap this up now, sorry for the long winded post. I do also want to point out that for the past 2 years, I work out of my house running a business online, so the freedom for me to smoke any time of day is there, and I certainly took advantage of that. I’d be stoned less than an hour after waking up in the morning every day “wake and bake”. A cup of coffee and a bowl went hand in hand. I also want to point out that I still have at least ½ an ounce of it is still in my “pot box” in my basement and that my habit has been about a ¼ a week. I have made the mental decision so strongly to quit that I haven’t even opened that box in these 6 days. I don’t know what to do with it and all my paraphernalia. But I have a sense of mental ease that I still have some – unlike quitting because I simply ran out and can’t find more. I also have a sense of empowerment over it. Rather than it controlling me, I am controlling it by leaving it sit in the corner of my storage room!

Peace to all of you. And Happy New Year! I am SO looking forward to a healthier, happier, and more productive 2007 WEED FREE!!

Hey Weedfree

It strikes me we're about the same age and we've smoked for the same length of time, well done on your escape and I hope the only bong you have from now on is when you walk into a bell

I'm glad that you've found this thread useful as I have, but I reckon you should chuck out your grass or give it away- you might feel strong now but that might change, the further you are from the stuff the better. In a weak moment you will have more time to think if you have to go out for some more, rather than just going downstairs!

And HNY to you too!

I could totally relate to your post. It is those kinds of contributions to this thread that help me stay weed free as well.

Regarding your stash, you might want to give it away. You don't need that kind of temptation so close once the initial high of kicking the habit wears off. Don't let your guard down, and you'll stay off it!

Cheers!

Financial issues…

Gotta focus on money-saving here:

…Been calculating my approximate amount of money (that is, Euros) spent on smoking weed and additional necessities:

Rolling papers and filter tips: 15,-- (low amount, because me and my better half were generally bong-hitters)

Cigarettes: A pack (of 20 cigs) or so every two days, which roughly amount to 50,-- a month (I always bought filter cigarettes because I hated that raw tobacco they sold, if you know what I mean)

Plants: hard to calculate, approximately 10,-- a gram, taking into account most excellent high-quality dutch stuff AND much cheaper outdoor local carinthian stuff. That would approximately amount to about 200,-- a month, possibly still more than that.

Others: time wasted=>incalculable; my (expensive european-taxed) car used for basically nothing=> I really don´t wanna know how much money was wasted on that one;

So summa summarum my weed addiction would usually amount to roughly 250 – 300 Euros a month, possibly even more. Now that’s what I call material motivation for staying put on quitting!!

Hi all, this is a really great site and i have read through alot of posts thinking 'thats me' thats me'. However I was meant to quit today.New year and all that. However by 3pmI had a joint in my hand.

Please help...I am 27, have smoked for 10 years and smoke about 10 joints a day. First thing in the morning, last thing at night in bed. I want to quit but I am scared

gottoquit2007-

I can relate to how you feel, it took a drought to get me off it at first!

You're most of the way there as you say that you want to quit, that's a big admission to make to yourself! Don't worry about the date too much, you can always try again. What are you scared of? Is it possible cravings, or the idea of not fitting in with your peer group for instance?

Welcome to the site, another good choice that you have made! Nobody here is going to judge you as you probably know..

gottoquit2007 -

I was struck by your last line "I want to quit but I am scared". I think that really sums up how we all feel about the thought of quitting, initially. I felt the same way, so day after day I chose to keep smoking so I didn't have to face my fears.

So I ask - what is it you are scared of? I think that most of all you are afraid of losing a huge part of your self-identity, and of losing your friend Mary Jane. After so many years of smoking daily, it does become a huge part of who you are - both to you and those who know you. But you have to ask, do you really want your main identity to be as a stoner?

There is just so much to gain from quitting! Better health, more money, more energy, etc etc.

Today is Day 7 for me. Sure I have had cravings, but I have been working on training my mind to think differently when I feel that way. Turn those negative thoughts into something positive instead and find new activities to take your mind off it. It helps, and I know it will get easier in time.

Ten joints a day? I think it would be pretty hard to go from that to nothing. Try smoking fewer joints, start later in the day, break your routine - get outside, take a walk. I've read other people say this on this site - if you don't give in to the craving immediately, it will pass after a short while. You have to give yourself the opportunity for some small success in cutting back. The sense of achievement you'll get will help you move forward. You need to prove to yourself that pot doesn't have to be part of your daily life.

I just finished day 9. It gets easier each day, and luckily the benefits come pretty quickly.

The support you'll get and give to the contributors to this website will help immeasurably. I couldn't have gone this far without it.

WeedFree wrote: I also created a word doc where I cut and pasted sections of posts that are most relevant and inspiration to me personally and named it my “Quitting Bible”. My thought there is that any time I may start feeling pulled back to using again, I will read through it to remind myself of why I made the decision to quit.WEED FREE!!

Great idea!! i just may steal this one.

I have already talked about how I tried previously to quit smoking cannabis on numerous occasions. Each time I would psyche myself up, set the goal, and then give in after a few days or weeks. (Good friends bearing the 'gift' of good bud were always my trigger). It would start with a 'slip', which would gradually build into a slide, leading me back to chronic use. When you make a promise to yourself, and then go back on your word, who are you lying to? Who is to blame? (Not the friends, in my opinion). Who is ultimately responsible for whether we smoke of not?

This time I was seriously sick and tired of being dependent on a plant for my good moods. I set out with the goal of going 2 days (the weekend) without smoking. After that I decided to go for a week. After 3 weeks off it I found this site, which really offered the support I needed. Knowing that I was not alone, that I was not some weakling who had gotten addicted to a "non-addictive substance" made me stronger.

It has been nearly 6 months now. I do still count the days because it reminds me of how far I have come. I did not quit for anyone else; I quit for myself. I am committed to keeping my word. I now trust that I will accomplish my goals and maintain my integrity. This is one of the personal benefits I am enjoying the most: I once again have faith in myself.

Hi Wakinglife.
I've been smoking hardcore for ten years and this is my first day of quitting. You list for quitting is very inspiring.I've actually copied, pasted it and printed it out to inspire me in moments of weakness.
I've tried so many times to quit to no avail. It doesn't help that some of my closest friends are smokers with no intention of quitting. Everyday I have to find the strength to say no which is really really hard.
I think you've covered pretty much all the benefits of quitting.I think one of the main reasons for my quitting is to increase relations with my family which have become very strained over the years. My personality has been stolen by the evil herb. I've had pretty had pyschosis over the years and have at some points thought I was bordering on schizophrenia. If thats not a reason to quit I don't know what is. I 've had serious mental problems all caused by the weed. One of the issues I find hard to deal with is my friends constant denial of how bad it is for them. When they are in constant denial you start to believe it yourself.
Everytime we buy cannabis we are funding the drugs trade.We are making the situation worse. We are actually feeding the drugs industry were people are being exploited daily. Its a vicious vicious circle. Anyway lets hope I can be successful this time.
I do not want to be weak willed.
I do not want to be controlled by a weed.