Self-medicating

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While I know it could be much worse....I have a marijuana smoking habit that I'm finding hard to give up. When I don't smoke my mind gets stuck on things. Like yesterday, I had a scenario running through my head all day it was all I contemplated and it's not even a practical scenario or situation that I can tamper with or evolve. So there's no reason in me thinking about it. But anyway, I'll be stuck on thoughts so what do I do? I take a nice big inhale and exhale of that smokey green. It changes my thoughts for a little bit but at this point in my life I end up (after smoking) guilt tripping myself inside of my mind. Being like, "Why did you do that? Now you're HERE again. Now you you'll have to wait EVEN LONGER to get a job! You fool!" So, it's like I'm stuck in one world. Then I'm stuck in another. The burning of the smoke inside my lungs is like a release of energy for me. I also noticed that when I'm cold, instead of putting on more clothes, I will smoke. Instead of removing myself from the current activity and doing something about how cold or hungry I am. I'll smoke. I have a hard time with my apetite. For some people when they smoke, they get munchies. But it doesn't change that for me. It just makes me think about how I'm hungry and how there's nothing in the house that I want to eat and I have no money to buy my own food and dread sets in even more so cause I'm hungry. Sorry, I'm rambling now. But you get the point; I need to quit smoking. It scatters my brain more and is making everything worse. It makes even more apathetic towards daily life.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom when it comes to a habit such as this?

The reasons your smoking can lead to heavy dependence. It sounds like you have a little obsessive thinking going on that could benefit from some cognitive reframing. I know that pot really helps with that but it sounds also like you are not getting the relief and it's pushing you further into obsessive thinking (the guilt you mentioned). Marijuana when used is a 'set/setting' drug, as in, you are amplifying current moods and feelings by smoking. All I know is that I smoke daily, small amounts, but without it, I have crazy inflammation (I have an autoimmune disease), my blood sugar is wacky and my moods are all over. Not to mention anxiety to the point of making me physically sick.

I get it on the appetite part too; it's acting the opposite for me and is helping me control my weight.

As far as quitting, why do you want to quit other than the negative effects on your thinking and your job prospects? I'm not challenging you, I just think it's important to think about why you want to quit so that you can build motivation to do it. I would suggest finding the smallest amount that you can get effects from and see if you can use marijuana as medicine instead of a drug-- it helps more in small doses, from my experience (I have a prescription).

Back when I smoked weed frequently, I just found that if it wasn't around (usually because I couldn't afford it), I lived without it. No withdrawal, no jonesing, I just got on with my life. So the only recommendation I can make is, if it's a problem for you - and clearly it is if it's preventing you from seeking employment - then don't have it around.

That said, if I could get it by prescription where I live, I would. I refuse to use Big Pharma antidepressants and sleep aids and it's a great natural anxiety med.


But I'm past having to worry about job hunting and always worked in a field where drug use was common and if not acceptable, at least tolerated, as long as it didn't prevent you from doing your job.

Well, how about his for a starter?

Take a certain manageable cut in your dope intake, by spending less money on it.

Use the spare money to buy food and drink instead, so that you'll always have a stocked cupboard if you get hungry.

Learn to make the smaller amount of dope last longer.

That way, you'll be improving your physical state by eating regularly and cutting your dope consumption at the same time.

I don't know how much you spend on dope each week, so I can't really propose any firm figures.

But I think taking a ten per cent hit to your dope budget sounds like a reasonable start (even though I'm not sure how much food that would buy you, possibly not very much, but it would be an improvement on none. Anyway, take the ten per cent and spend it on food immediately, so you can't possibly spend it elsewhere).

You'd still be smoking 90 per cent of the dope you were before, which is hardly a great adjustment. It probably comes down to taking an extra 30 minutes between each joint you smoke, across the course of a week.

Once you've managed to adjust to that -- and it is a very modest proposal indeed -- you could perhaps think about cutting your dope consumption down to 80 per cent of what it was (spending the money on more food than before, and perhaps nicer items) at some point in the future when you feel confident enough to try it.

You might later feel sufficiently empowered to cut your dope budget even further -- but that's way off at present.

I'm not anti-dope, so I'm not proposing that you aim to ultimately reduce your smoking habit to zero. You don't have to put it aside for the rest of your life. Smoking dope is not incompatible with holding down a job and generally leading a happy adult life.

But at the moment, the dope-smoking is way out of control, and even you recognise this.

I think my suggestion of a ten per cent budget cut -- and commensurately-increased food spending -- would be a good start, would increase your nutritional standards, and would not be too painful to adjust to.

Good luck with whatever path you choose.

I wish I lived in a medical state
when I smoke weed I breath better and think more clearly. I have quit a few times, my biggest problem with quitting is the change in routine mostly after about a week I get over it. there are a lot worse vices you could have like drinking or smoking cigarettes

I have unpredictable reactions to weed, but they tend overwhelming toward the negative (severe paranoia, panic attacks, etc), so I just don't even bother with it these days, it's not worth the risk.

That said, the minority of times when I've reacted positively to weed, I've felt so fantastic that I've been convinced it's God's greatest gift to humankind. So I can understand the attraction of a life spent stoned, if your usual reaction is like that,

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