Post: #1

I started smoking weed at 14 and have been smoking ever since (I'm 31 now). In spite of my weed habit, I did everything my parents/ society requested (aka go to college, get a job, etc.).
Now, I started to notice that it's affecting me somewhat negatively and want to do something about it.

I usually smoke after work/ gym and hence, I spend most of my nights high and I also go to bed high.
This means that I won't read at night, because I can't read properly when high. Also, it makes me more lethargic and lazy in general, which never is a good thing.

I love weed, I love getting high and everything about it, but I want to reduce my consumption. I tried to do so in the past and was successfull at first, but then always relapsed and within a matter of weeks, I was smoking everyday again.

Has anyone of you gone from longterm stoner to "responsible" once-a-while-smoker? If so, how did you do it?

Post: #2

I stopped buying weed and went from long-term 7 years to only occasionally just from refusing to buy. Its been three.months and now I don't feel the urge to.get high whenever I want. Which was usually in the same settings or similar ones as yourself.

Now that its no longer a habit, I can keep a fair amount in my posession and it'll last for quite some time because I'm not burning nearly everyday.

It all started when one day I said to myself, " how can I free up some extra cash from my main income..

I've always been a high energy stoner so lethargy and listlessness was never a problem. There was an increase in anxiety this past year and switching to the occasional toker has calmed it down.

If you love it so much then motivate yourself to do what you want to do and do it high. Its not weed that's the problem, its your attitude
And in all honesty, it doesn't exactly help.the motivational process.

Goodluck

Post: #3

I stopped smoking weed completely 6 years ago. If you ask me, rather then smoke once in a while, you should quit completely. Just a random opinion.

I do have to say, glad its not readily available, as in you can't just pop over to a shop and buy it. If it was lots more folk would be doing it.

I do have a probllem with smoking normal cigs. I can go 2 weeks without it and then boom back on it smoking it for 4/5 days on the trot.

I am using NLP to quit tobacco. I use visions of how it'd be like being in pain further down the line which help me at times to lay off it.

NLP can help with all sorts of addictions and problems so it can do the trick depending on the individual.

Post: #4

If you love something, I'd imagine it would be difficult to stop. If on the other, you hate something its easier. But even then, that comfort makes it difficult for some folk to leave it all behind.

Got a work acquaintance who is into hard drugs. He hates it but still does it at times because that is what he is comfortable with and knows best. He has been doing it for the best part of 2 decades.

Post: #5

(07-23-2014 08:14 AM)BoiBoi Wrote:  I started smoking weed at 14 and have been smoking ever since (I'm 31 now). In spite of my weed habit, I did everything my parents/ society requested (aka go to college, get a job, etc.).
Now, I started to notice that it's affecting me somewhat negatively and want to do something about it.

I usually smoke after work/ gym and hence, I spend most of my nights high and I also go to bed high.
This means that I won't read at night, because I can't read properly when high. Also, it makes me more lethargic and lazy in general, which never is a good thing.

I love weed, I love getting high and everything about it, but I want to reduce my consumption. I tried to do so in the past and was successfull at first, but then always relapsed and within a matter of weeks, I was smoking everyday again.

Has anyone of you gone from longterm stoner to "responsible" once-a-while-smoker? If so, how did you do it?

What are some of the other problems you are having beyond being lazy and lethargic?

I've been contemplating doing an extended detox, but since there is rarely any consistency from the strains the effects can be all over the place from couch lock to high energy.

Post: #6

I smoked a ton in high school, stopped cold for 2 years while I was working after I graduated. Started up again in university and smoked heavily for those five years. Stopped cold again while I was working at the mine because they tested. Now, I'm in grad school (in a very difficult program) and I'm smoking again almost daily.

Personally, I find that it makes zero difference in how healthy I feel, how much work I get done, my motivation, my mood etc. Like you, I've always waited until my duties for the day are finished before smoking a bowl.

I've never been able to casually smoke weed. Each time I've quit, it's been cold; going from smoking once a day to never. Every time I've started back up, it's maybe taken two weeks until I'm back at it daily.

Post: #7

(07-23-2014 11:17 AM)Heathree Wrote:  I stopped smoking weed completely 6 years ago. If you ask me, rather then smoke once in a while, you should quit completely. Just a random opinion.

Thing is, I really like smoking weed and get high, so I don't want to quit it completely. Instead, I'd rather want to smoke weed like I drink booze, maybe 1-2 times a week, sometimes even less.

(07-23-2014 08:30 AM)jayyrod1 Wrote:  I stopped buying weed and went from long-term 7 years to only occasionally just from refusing to buy. Its been three.months and now I don't feel the urge to.get high whenever I want. Which was usually in the same settings or similar ones as yourself.

Now that its no longer a habit, I can keep a fair amount in my posession and it'll last for quite some time because I'm not burning nearly everyday.

That's where I want to be, but for some reason, I lack impulse control when weed is around (same goes for pussy) and all my good intentions go out of the window.

(07-23-2014 11:40 AM)frenchie Wrote:  What are some of the other problems you are having beyond being lazy and lethargic?

Nothing really. I mean there is always room for improvement, but overall, I get my important shit done. I work, I go to the gym regularly, play bball, eat good and usually get pussy if I need it.

Post: #8

For a while I had to discipline myself and made the rule not to buy any for my own and only smoke socially.

Now that I don't enjoy it as much (still love to have a joint when going fishing or surfing) I just keep a small stash in my apartment to offer girls.

Post: #9

Herb is, chemically, non-addictive.

You may addicted psychologically though . I know that when I quit smoking cigarettes, I had to have something to do with my hands to imitate my smoking habit. I.e., drinking water - the motion of having something in my hand and putting it to my mouth and then back down helped alleviate the psychological part of my habit.

Much of drug use carries a ritual in the way of preperation. Cutting your blow in to lines, melting your smack in a spoon or grinding and rolling your herb in to a doober.

The underlying measure however is your lack of impulse control.

I bet if you could get past the impulse decision then you would have no problem reaching your goal.

I attend NA meetings when I really feel down and out and want to use . (Im an Ex opiate user)
My suggestion to you would.be to attend a meeting and find an accountability partner. Of course you could use anyone but I suggest someone whose really made a commitment to not use hard drugs and this is the place to find them.
Its simple really...

Someone you can call whenever you feel like getting high and talk to about it. Ex users know how to do this best.but friends and family can help. Just make sure it is someone who is serious about wanting you to help yourself and not the buddy whose gonna say do what you want its your life.
Once you've passed the impulse you should be fine for a couple hours, the evening or even the rest of the day. Vocalizing your problems and goals is a great way to acknowledge and get over/achieve them

Post: #10

I used to smoke a lot of weed. A lot.

One day it occurred to me that it was just fucking up my life and I wanted to stop.

The next day I realised I was actually addicted to the nicotine not the weed like I thought. That and the physical pleasure I got from building awesome spliffs.

Just do it and be happier; I promise you will be.

Post: #11

(07-23-2014 05:01 PM)jayyrod1 Wrote:  Herb is, chemically, non-addictive.

You may addicted psychologically though . I know that when I quit smoking cigarettes, I had to have something to do with my hands to imitate my smoking habit. I.e., drinking water - the motion of having something in my hand and putting it to my mouth and then back down helped alleviate the psychological part of my habit.

Much of drug use carries a ritual in the way of preperation. Cutting your blow in to lines, melting your smack in a spoon or grinding and rolling your herb in to a doober.

The underlying measure however is your lack of impulse control.

I bet if you could get past the impulse decision then you would have no problem reaching your goal.

I attend NA meetings when I really feel down and out and want to use . (Im an Ex opiate user)
My suggestion to you would.be to attend a meeting and find an accountability partner. Of course you could use anyone but I suggest someone whose really made a commitment to not use hard drugs and this is the place to find them.
Its simple really...

Someone you can call whenever you feel like getting high and talk to about it. Ex users know how to do this best.but friends and family can help. Just make sure it is someone who is serious about wanting you to help yourself and not the buddy whose gonna say do what you want its your life.
Once you've passed the impulse you should be fine for a couple hours, the evening or even the rest of the day. Vocalizing your problems and goals is a great way to acknowledge and get over/achieve them

Thanks for the input! You are right, the lack of impulse control is the driving factor here, as well as the ritual of preperation. However, quitting weed for good is not yet an option for me. I just love to get high too much and it helps me to relax and wind down after a long day.

I'll try to change my consumption patterns and I think to buy any for myself is a good way to start. If I don't have weed at home, I can't react to the impulse and as you said, once I'm over the impulse, I might be good for the rest of the day. Let's see...

Post: #12

I think your ability to quit or cut back depends a lot on your environment.

It's hard to quit smoking when you have weed on hand all the time.

When I lived in San Francisco I had a medical card and smoked a ton of herb. I used to get blazed and run day game in the Mission. That shit was intense haha.

But when I first came to Thailand, there was rarely any weed around me.

And really, I had bigger fish to fry (like not starving to death).

Plus I didn't know the lay of the land and I didn't want to be caught dead with drugs in a country that deals with drug charges so heavy-handedly.

Nowadays when I'm down in the islands and every Reggae bar in town sells bud, I'll buy a few jays and blaze at night an hour or two before bed.

So my take is that if the weed is there available for you, you'll fucking smoke it. If it isn't, you won't.

One thing I don't like about pot is how it confuses your social reflexes. You just aren't socially sharp when you're high. Shit people say fucks with your head and you get nervous and start overthinking little insignificant things.

But if you've got a sexy regular who likes to smoke...holy fucking mind melting sex batman!

Post: #13

Like a lot of you guys, I was an every day smoker

Bowl, hitter, blunt, papers

I did it "socially" like people who drink socially; never was a big drinker so I smoked. Seemed like it enhanced EVERYTHING; Sex, Food, and Experiences. Not to mention it takes your "cool" to another level

On the real -that was the crux of my former addiction. The resulting good times/memories

Started out with guys who smoked daily, but once I stopped hanging with them - the urges started to wane

Lately the only smokers I've been around are chicks. Hard for me to resist the sex & drugs mix it's potent

But when I'm by myself again - I'm cool

Post: #14

(07-29-2014 01:36 PM)VincentVinturi Wrote:  But if you've got a sexy regular who likes to smoke...holy fucking mind melting sex batman!

Matter of fact, I'm banging a sexy half-malian chick at the moment who likes to smoke and indeed, fucking while high is one of life's greatest pleasures.

Post: #15

Smoked a lot in high school, for a while every day for a year. Then I decided to cut back along with friends, just decided only to smoke in weekends. Then quit completely. Your problem is likely that you smoke alone. It would be easier with some backup from others. My guess is that you feel some fear of quitting, because it has been a part of your life for so long. You may worry about what you're going to fill your time with. I suggest you get into some sort of team activity, perhaps team sports, where you can't be high. Go for a long run when you feel the urge. Keep busy in the evenings. If you can't quit completely, limit it to wednesday and weekends to begin with, then skip wednesdays after a while. In fact, begin today/tonight and just don't smoke. Just take the first step and build some self-control.

Post: #16

I loved getting high and did it for over 10 years, I completely stopped and don't even touch it when offered now. I believe it held me back during daygame.

Post: #17

Like some others here, I used to smoke daily, but after realizing how much time I was spending stoned that could've been better utilized, I quit cold turkey. I likely only managed it because I had to move to a different city for work where I didn't know anyone and thus had no way to acquire it.

If you know of a time in the near future where you'll be making any big changes, such as a move, a new job, etc., try bundling not smoking or any other new habits along with it. It seems to be easier psychologically to change ingrained habits when your typical routine is disrupted.

If that's not the case, try filling in the time you would have been smoking with a new hobby, like an instrument or language. You don't want a big block of time just sitting there empty.

I'd at first try limiting smoking to a particular time during the week (say, Tu/Thu weeknights when you've got nothing going on after work, or on weekends, or only workout days, etc.). That way your self-control only has to last a short duration before you can indulge again.

Also, anything that makes it more difficult to blaze up will help. I used to smoke with a vaporizer that took several minutes to heat up and five minutes to thoroughly clean afterwards. It was easier to resist than say, something like a pre-rolled joint that's just sitting there begging you to smoke it.

Post: #18

I smoked daily, heavy for about six years, sold for a few of them too.

I have no idea in honesty how I quit, but I figure it had something to do with living in a house with people in University (after I stopped chopping) and having people - always the SAME people - rolling by, every day, at the same time, to blaze a joint and then sit around doing jack shit with their lives but play video games and eat shitty fast food, to make me think 'Why am I still doing this?'

I still enjoy the odd jay here and there (think < once a month), and I love blazing one before sex, but every single time I buy weed, I'm excited, then I pack the pipe or roll a joint and light it and smoke, then when I'm finished I think 'What did I just spend my money on?' The best way of putting it? I just outgrew it, I got bored of it. Since you seem to love the high it doesn't really pertain heavily to your specific situation, but that's how it happened for me.

Moving far away and losing most of my social circle (and therefore, connections) probably helped me out a lot as well.

Post: #19

“That shit will rob you of your ambition.” (Samuel L. Jackson said in Jackie Brown)

Post: #20

I'm one month sober after smoking on and off for the past 7 years. But consistently getting high daily and going to bed high every night for the past two years. It took me moving out of my last apartment where I was in a comfort zone and could smoke with impunity. I now live in a nicer place by the ocean but share the apartment with a Hispanic woman who would boot me out if she even suspected I was getting high.

Also I had been wanting to stop for a while, it was effecting my life and I started getting bloody noses more often, but never would have been able to quit if I stayed at my last place (I relapsed many times as well). Now after being sober my head is much clearer, the flem from my throat is finally out, more lung capacity for soccer, and I wake up with much more energy and have been remembering many more of my dreams. The first 2 days was the hardest, and had one serious craving that I managed to stave off without relapsing.

If you're in a comfort zone I think it's nearly impossible to quit anything. Changing my environment was the key to changing my habbits

Post: #21

I smoke daily but I won't smoke til after 9 at night and after all my work and cores are done. It's basically something I do as I'm laying down to go to bed, smoke a bowl and watc an episode of Sopranos or something as I drift to sleep. If you want to be more active I'd recommend switching from Indicas to Sativas. They are more the smoke and clean your house uppity buzz vs the couch lock. You never really know what your getting when getting a bag but if you get an open or something like that you can buy strain specific, a little pen no mess, no smell and you know what kinda buzz your gonna get. Every couple months I'll take a week orr just to lose the tolerance and prove to myself I can. I dont think it negatively affects me, if anything it relaxes me so I can be more productive but if I ever saw it cutting into my life I'd cut it out. One thing I would think is negative is I wake up a bit cloudier smoking than not smoking but after a shower and morning coffee I feel back to normal.

Post: #22

I smoked almost every day for most of high school and undergrad. The thing that helped me cut down was when I had my appendectomy. I couldn't really smoke for a little while after so I took a long break and then when I started up again I didn't do it as often. Now I smoke a few times per year.

Benefits
1. My personality changed for the better. When I was smoking daily, even when I wasn't high I was much nicer, more of a pushover. Now I'm more assertive than I was when I was huge pothead.
2. When I smoke now, I actually get the rush of creative energy that some people say drugs give you. This only works if I haven't been smoking in a while.

Post: #23

I was smoking so much this year I ended up just not giving a fuck about anything, and I went for long periods of time not working (or working half-assedly) towards my goals. I decided to quit a few days ago, and I'm already starting to notice positive changes: More energy, less hunger, more focus, less paranoia, among other things. It's worth it.

Post: #24

(07-30-2014 12:25 AM)urbannomad Wrote:  “That shit will rob you of your ambition.” (Samuel L. Jackson said in Jackie Brown)

Dunno man. I can perform a lot of tasks very well when I'm stoned. I'm the type of stoner who plans his future, cleans his house, makes assignments etc. high on weed. Most stoners just do nothing when high.

Smoked from age 16 until now (23) almost everyday. It's so easy when you live in an area full of coffee shops.

I think about quitting it now, just to be able to feel that in 7 years or so, when I'm 30, that I don't have to say that I smoked all my life.

Just want to smoke a bit with a girl from time to time or something.

I went some weeks without weed this year and quitting had a positive effect on game, I think.

This works in three ways, when high/stoned:

1: I look more fucked up (red little eyes).
2: Socially less sharp.
3: Another important one: towards the end of the night I get more focussed on getting weed then on getting a girl. So in the end what Samuel L. Jackson said in Jackie Brown might be right (at least game wise).

I just love weed, but I should convince myself that I love other things more. And I see myself smoking again when I'm old and grey .

Post: #25

I was a daily smoker from the time I was 18 until I was 22. I didn't get shit done while I was on it, and it's only because I've joined the military that I've finally been able to cut it out completely..

If I was actually productive on it then it wouldn't be so bad. So if you don't feel like it's negatively affecting you in any way, I don't see too much harm. But I'll wager that it is affecting you negatively, and you'll notice the difference once you stop. It's a bit rough for 2 or 3 days but in comparison to giving up other drugs it has to be amongst the easiest. 11 months after quitting its no doubt been a blessing for me.