im sure this has been a topic before but i didnt see it on the first few pages so here we go. im john, im 20 years old, and ive been a daily smoker for about 3 years now. i know i have that addictive gene that probably has a lot to do with my ADHD. alot of crap has happened in my life as a result of smoking and it still never gave me the dire need to quit until now. i was arrested because of it, im currently on probation, i have had numerous runins with my parents, this tears them up more than it should. and now i have a new girlfriend who i really like who was shocked when she found out i smoke "a couple times a week" imagine if i had told her the truth. i feel like ive just gotten to the point where its time to grow up and leave this garbage all behind. its time to break free so to speak. however, i am very nervous of the next few days. i tried to quit once before and i lasted about 5 days and they were the worst 5 days of my life. i know i will not sleep, ill be depressed, and so on and so on. if anyone could shed any insight on this to help please do, especially if you have gone through something similiar yourself. oh boy, here we go - john

John, do you take medication for your ADHD? Do you have a proper diagnosis so you can? Have you seen a doctor in recent years?

Mary, yes i have seen a doctor and i have tried all of the common ADD drugs without much success. i am currently on vyvanse but i only take it once or twice a week because when im coming down from it i get uncontrollable anger, of which in the past ive used marijuana to equal out.

ok.. thanks for clarifying that. Have you tried drinking a tall glass of water as you come off? .. many are saying it helps with that rebound effect

Or as I recently posted elsewhere... tryptophan, which is found in turkey... helps with sertonin levels.. it may help as you're meds wear off... to eat a turkey sandwich, or drink a glass of milk. It's worth a try at least.

Keep us posted on your quitting progress, too. I'm interested.

Keep trying. it takes practice.

Mostly what it takes to quit is your own will. All these other things (meds, groups, therapy) are just icing on the cake however helpful they are.

I used and abused for years. Jr. high through college. Trust me. It F*'d me up.

thanks for the tips guys, i appreciate it!

Be prepared for vivid dreams. Irritabilty and the desire to use.

Do you have any support groups or friends that you can call on when you feel the urge to use? For some people NA/AA/MA meetings are vital during the initial stage of becoming sober. Others become involved with church or religious organization. There is no one size fits all sobriety method. You will have to find what works for you.

Thank you for sharing your desire to change your life and for taking the first steps. We are here for you. Keep us posted and I will keep you in my thoughts.

Something you may find useful:
"Marijuana withdraw symptoms include, irritability, anger, depressed mood, headaches, restlessness, lack of appetite, and cravings for marijuana. Symptoms of marijuana withdrawal first appear in serious habitual users within the first 8 hours and are the most noticeable during the first 10 days, but withdrawal symptoms may last as long as 45 days The withdrawal from marijuana is identifiable by behavioral and emotional distress."

You're definitely making the right decision. Keep on making the right decision and you'll start to find out that AWESOME things start happening in your life. Things that you thought were impossibilities.

more information you may find useful

"For some of the milder detoxing symptoms, a few home remedies have proven to be useful:

* Hot soaking baths can help the emotions as well as the body.
* Drink plenty of water and clear liquids, just like for the flu.
* Cranberry juice has been used effectively for years by recovery houses to help purify and cleanse the body.
* Really excessive sweating can deplete the body of potassium, a necessary mineral. A few foods high in potassium are: melons, bananas, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, and tomatoes.
* Eliminate fat from the diet until digestion is better.
* Greatly reduce or eliminate caffeine until the sleep pattern is more normal or the shakes are gone.
* The old fashioned remedy for insomnia, a glass of warm milk before bedtime, helps some people.
*Exercise not only helps depression and other unpleasant emotions, it helps the body speed up the healing process."

Good for you johnebgoode8!!! You can do it and it is worth it. I also second the great advice yOOch and Zoie gave you. You will not regret it. I am not proud or ashamed of it but you figured it out 15 times quicker than I did. Good luck!

Hi,

I think that depression is something alot of people can expect small amounts of when they quit buds. I think to understand this you have to understand why you first started smoking as much in the first place. I think weed helps to pass by time in a different way, and you do have to question why you would want it to pass by in a different way in the first place. I think part of giving up is facing up to what ever it was that started you off smoking so much in the first place.

I went to a naturopath and told him that I had stopped smoking on a regular basis and that I was having difficulty sleeping. He gave me a mix of Gotu Kola, St Johns Wart and Passionflower. I found that this has helped with falling asleep. I'm not on any other meds. It may be wise to ask your doctor before taking anything else.

It's pretty amasing when your dreams start to become more vivid again :-)

I'm also really enjoying my ability to be more sociable around people who I was paranoid around before because I thought that they would judge me for being stoned.

I'm enjoying going to work in the morning and having a clear head.

Good luck with your journey.

I got off weed with amino acids, l-tyrosine (day time) 5-htp (bed time), from health shops. Helps alot. Still use them, helps ADD symptoms for me, more for the mood/anxiety side, a little improvement in attention etc.

I smoked pot from 14 years old till last august (I'm 43)
.......basically, you tuff it out....after a week, you stop thinking about it so much..
and the dreams you have in the first week are awsome, and in technicolor
...your subconscience busts open.
you also have "using dreams" like your car is full of pot and stuff like that.

...I miss mary jane, but it was making me more of a flake.
and when you get to be my age, bring on the panic attacks.

So is it a total myth that it helps with one's anxiety? I do find the opposite, it does make it worse over time it seems, but that could be my cognitive behaviour... plus its just too damn happy producing to care about that. Kind of like people that say they'd rather be on an anti-depressant and have no sex drive than have a powerful sex drive and be depressed.

Kind of like people that say they'd rather be on an anti-depressant and have no sex drive than have a powerful sex drive and be depressed.


*looks at feet*

LMAO! .....that's meeee!
.....I did'nt have a low sex drive...I got "thump, page can't be displayed" instead of orgasm.

it kinda HURT too...I was afraid to try for awhile when I finally quit.
.......but really the evil chemical voice was what threw me.
I got a NEW voice in my head, that hated my guts on lexipro.

helps anxiety? yes, in small doses, after a certain age.

....it makes you forget what you were upset about, and with ADHD..
it's a natural built in thing anyway to skip around.

im sure this has been a topic before but i didnt see it on the first few pages so here we go. im john, im 20 years old, and ive been a daily smoker for about 3 years now. i know i have that addictive gene that probably has a lot to do with my ADHD. alot of crap has happened in my life as a result of smoking and it still never gave me the dire need to quit until now. i was arrested because of it, im currently on probation, i have had numerous runins with my parents, this tears them up more than it should. and now i have a new girlfriend who i really like who was shocked when she found out i smoke "a couple times a week" imagine if i had told her the truth. i feel like ive just gotten to the point where its time to grow up and leave this garbage all behind. its time to break free so to speak. however, i am very nervous of the next few days. i tried to quit once before and i lasted about 5 days and they were the worst 5 days of my life. i know i will not sleep, ill be depressed, and so on and so on. if anyone could shed any insight on this to help please do, especially if you have gone through something similiar yourself. oh boy, here we go - john

Smoking heavy really does bog your life down, and when we aint smokin we are cravin, lol. When i had to quit or cut down considerably to (1 joint a day) i used to chew that sugar free gum **** all the time. And when it was time to get high id chew some gum and most of the time id would forget about getting high.

Other then that the only thing i can say about it is to make a smoking scheduale and slowly reduce the amount you smoke over the course of the weeks, me i will save my only joint for the day 3 hours b4 i crash.

so far im given in twice just so i could sleep, im glad ive been able to cut it down to that but still got plenty of work to do....thanks for all the words of wisdom guys.

So is it a total myth that it helps with one's anxiety? I do find the opposite, it does make it worse over time it seems, but that could be my cognitive behaviour... plus its just too damn happy producing to care about that. Kind of like people that say they'd rather be on an anti-depressant and have no sex drive than have a powerful sex drive and be depressed.

Yeh, I've heard that it helps with anxiety also. But, in the end I was really feeling like it was even less present in the moment than when I wasn't blazed. I guess zoning out is something I am quite conscious about. When I am with good people I don't want to be in the past or in the present or on another planet I would just like to be with them and enjoy the present moment with them as much as is possible. My social anxiety is less now that I have stopped smoking as much...or taken more control over my smoking at least ;-)

Why quit????? haha...Hell yeah, i also wanna quit but the worst is its pulling me back, that i can't even sleep at night, i always think of getting high. wooh! im kinda weird right? well hope you guys can help me quit my addiction...

______________
Marvin

Suffering from an addiction. This website has a lot of great resources and treatment centers. http://www.treatmentcenters.org

Why quit????? haha...Hell yeah, i also wanna quit but the worst is its pulling me back, that i can't even sleep at night, i always think of getting high. wooh! im kinda weird right? well hope you guys can help me quit my addiction...

______________
Marvin

Suffering from an addiction. This website has a lot of great resources and treatment centers. http://www.treatmentcenters.org

You have to want to stop yourself. Other people can't make you do anything.

With that said, if you don't want to stop thats totally up to you also.

Who is who to say what it right and what is wrong, it's up to you to decide that for yourself.

wooh!


the fact that your "wooing" like that is evidence of psychological neurosis. I believe its called Scrambled Brains Disorder.

For reals tho. Quit that mess and stop deluding yourself.

Wow. Quitting drugs.

Imagine how much your brain function will improve.

QUOTE:

well hope you guys can help me quit my addiction...

______________
Marvin

Suffering from an addiction. This website has a lot of great resources and treatment centers. http://www.treatmentcenters.org[/QUOTE]



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I really do not recommend that website.

It is a commercial link for a profit drug treatment centre clearing house.

Those RAPID DETOX places don't really treat addiction and the procedures have been deadly to a number of people.

e.g. removing the drug from the body does not remove cravings, addictions or address the reasons why people DO USE chemicals.