Benefits of being off weed

hey easily scared and stelow
well done to 2 weeks, i found after 2 weeks its still at the difficult part so it may take over a month to feel comfortable with socialising with others that dont know the possition you are in, im on 10 weeks now and if im truthfull the best benefits have only come to light the past 3 to 4 weeks, dont let that put you off tho it takes time for you to work through your roblems before you notice the benefits

to walkinglife and jettach
about not worrying about spending time with familly when you would usually be thinking of sneaking out for a spliff, it felt great yesterday i had to go early to visit some familly then up to my dads for dinner and stayed there for drinks with the rest of the familly all evening, in total 18 hours i sent with them and felt good not having to worry about getting high,
the other thing is when everyone had left and it was just me and my stepmum the conversation got on to weed and she explained i hadnt kept it as well hidden as i thought, in other words they knew what i had been up to the whole time because my house and clothes used to reek of it, without going into too much detail i just explained it was in the past and i wouldnt be getting myself in that position again, then she explained she got herself into the same position about 20 years ago, for a few months,
i now ralise theres no point in feeling guilty for the mess i got myself in just to take it as a learning experience and move on to the next chapter in my life,
its great to start a new year knowing this addiction is in the past, good luck all take care

Love the thread.....question....I have been having really freaky dreams since I have been off the weed. (smoked daily for 20+ years). I am almost afraid to go to bed at night!!!

Help!!

Yeah man, the nightmares are part of it. I'm 22 days clean at the moment. And the nightmares have somewhat tappered off the past 5 days or so. I heard 5-HTP can help make the dreams more pleasant, but I recommend just riding it out (I haven't tried 5-HTP). Try filling your mind with peaceful thoughts and images before you dose off. I have found that to help. Nevertheless, the nightmares will go away in time when your mind gains some stability.

Peace.

hey davidhhi rise above is right
i found that it took me over a week to be able to get my sleep pattern back and aprox 2 weeks for the nightmares to calm down, it seems to be a common side effect of quitting but its well worth it, its not natural to have your dreams blacked out when you smoke
what day are you on anyway, well done for quitting you just need to ride it out for about a month and you will see plenty of benefits, take care

Hey there quitter dudes and gals!

I'm 36, been at the puff since 21. Have now decided to quit - not smoked for a whole 5 days now (woot woot).

I was looking for some tips and inspiration (googled for 'staying off weed') and I found this thread. Very inspirational it is! [Why I'm speaking like Yoda now I don't know... ]

The thing is, _ALL_ my friends are stoners. All of them. This is not good, as I can see now. So I've gone hermit on them, turned my phone off, and am planning to not chill with them until I feel I have the strength to say no. And if they can't dig the new me, then I'll just have to find some new pals. Some new pals that like things like getting up in the morning, and actually doing stuff rather than sitting around talking about it all night.

Oh and I'm already getting the vivid dreaming thing. Quite odd it is. I won't go into details but last night I experienced a disturbing narrative involving scrotums and axes (!).

So anyway, 3 days ago, in a moment of sober clarity, it struck me as a good idea to throw my pipes/bongs/other-stoner-crap out, which I did. Seemed like a step in the right direction.

At this stage I still can't see weed as the enemy. It is associated with many positive things in my mind, but then, I used to smoke cigarettes, and I remember thinking they too were my friend, so rationally I know it's just how the damn thing has re-wired my brain to it's advantage.

I know this thread is supposed to be about positive experiences from quitting, but I'm not far enough along yet to be able to report any. When they happen (and they will, I really mean to kick this, for myself, for my wife, and for my 2 year old son) I'll be sure to let you guys know!

Merry christmas and a happy new year, and good luck with your new weed-free lives.

SpoonBanger

hey soonbanger, well done to 5 days
i was in a simillar position to you regarding the stoner mates, i still see them aprox once a week, but not nearly as much as i used to, they should respect your decision to quit if they try to drag you back into it they are not true mates, it took me about a month to start seeing some proper benefits,
although the dreams freaked me out a bit i was glad to get them back after not being able to remember them for aprox 7 years
it was a big challenge for me to stick to it but well worth it, best decission ive made all year,
this site has been a big part in my recovery, when it gets tough just log in here and there is always someone here to give support
well done so far and wishing you a happy weed free new year, all the best

Hello soonbanger, Good job on the 5 days quit.

Hi Stelow and Fresh Start, thanks for the kind words! <<smile>>

6 days now, yeehaa

Hey All!

I have been away from the computer (visiting family) for a few days, and I was glad to see some new activity. I'm guessing we'll see a whole lot of new posts once the new year starts. For those struggling with being around family, vivid dreams, withdrawals, etc. I have to repeat that all those things improve in time. Have a bit of faith that life can be great without inhaling smoke. It was hard at first for me too. I have had some times during my time off weed where I seriously wanted to smoke. Thanks to people who post their experiences when they 'slip' I realize that I probably would not enjoy it much if I had gone back to it. I would make new year's resolutions each year to cut back on weed (or quit) and I always went back to daily smoking. This time it's different. I know part of my success is due to the people on this forum. Without a support network, you're really only left with your own willpower. Together we are stronger, and starting to get our lives headed in a direction where we can be happy without constantly trying to get high.

Thank you everyone on this forum. You are helping me in my personal journey to become a better person!

Well put <wakinglife>. It cant be stressed enough how important it is to easily have references handy how bad a slip in willpower can be... There are those times when I just seem not to function properly un-stoned. There are probably a million excuses I created again and again and again for smoking "just another bong" while at the same time having problems partially caused simply by the complete revolving of my day to day life about weed.

Until a short time ago, I just never found a place where the truly addictive potential of mj is recognized and not ridiculed (both in real and virtual life). It is great and empowering to see people on this forum who succed and share their experiences - it certainly is of great help for me (and others in the same position) - thank you!!

Happy time off, everyone!

I just wanted to wish you all the best and share with you that I am on day 75 without weed and feeling good. I visited my gf's family for ten days and boy was it nice to not have to constantly think about when I could slip out to smoke and how I would cover up the scent of weed.

Another benefit- my memory. I could barely remember our last visit to her family, but the last 75 days are clearer than any memories I've had in years.

This site is a rare gem. Keep fighting the good fight, friends.

After smoking daily since I was in high school (I'm 48 now), I finally realized that I was delusional to think that pot was making my life easier. I quit completely 4 days ago. The first 3 days were very hard physically and mentally, but today I felt great. This website is invaluable. I looked for meetings to go to, but the whole thing was very intimidating. When I read through the posts I feel like I am at a meeting!

I admitted my previous (!) drug use to a close friend of mine who doesn't smoke. He had no idea (I hid it well), and he couldn't have been more supportive. It reinforced how much of myself I have been hiding from people that are close to me.

I got rid of my stash tonight - new stuff as well as hundreds of roaches, some of which I had been saving for years in case I ever ran out. How pathetic.

Anyway, I am very proud of all of us on this site. The one theme I see consistently in the posts is how quitting dramatically improves self-esteem. That alone is reason enough to stop.

I cut and pasted the many lists of benefits of quitting. I am going to refer to them often.

I still can't sleep and my appetite stinks, but I know that while these conditions are temporary, the benefits will be permanent. I am especially glad that I don't have to run outside to take another hit when I am crashing. I have 4 children 12 and under, and while we have always been very close (I'm a stay-at-home father), I can already see how much closer we are becoming now that I'm not so irritable and distracted by my habit.

Keep up the good work!

congrates turtle1, just out of curiousity, how much were you smoking per day?

I got rid of my stash tonight - new stuff as well as hundreds of roaches, some of which I had been saving for years in case I ever ran out. How pathetic.

i did the exact same thing! i even had a super emergency stash of ashes that still had some bits of unburned weed in them.

Hey everyone, I've been lurking for a while (months). Thought I'd finally introduce myself and join this thread. I'm 26, been chronic (daily) for seven years. I've never been a heavy smoker, but always a daily smoker. I'm on day 7. This was an accidental quit. I spent a whole day with my gf (she doesn't smoke). At the end of the day, I said to myself, 'dude, I just went a day without burning...nice.'

I've tried to quit at least ten times, and each time I say "just one hit won't hurt," then I'm back to chronic status. I'm so tired of it...But, this thread isn't for all that, this thread is for benefits, so here's mine:

I can dream again!

I'm not scared to write (as evinced by my participation on this thread). This is very important, as I was an english major with literary ambitions.

I have laughed more this week than I have in five years. Really. I've been rolling out of my chair, literally on the floor (ROFL right?) and out of breath.

I've talked to so many old friends, people I haven't talked to for years. The weird thing is, half of them have called me.

Music sounds better. On separate and several occasions, I've gotten chills, had my fist in the air, or have been overwhelmed by a sense of promise and hope.


Sure, I've had some insomnia, moodiness, sadness, but this has been pretty painless. I hope my good fortune doesn't discourage anyone. Its different for everyone.
Now I've gotta figure out to do with my stash... I could make some bucks of a few brownies...

Good going man... Your on the right track now. I'm sure you have already read/know how easy it is to relapse (even 2 months later). So, do your best to stay on your guard (especially for the 1st month). Continue to check in. I really enjoyed your post.

Blessings.