A Brief History
On January 1, 2013, the first marijuana “club” for private marijuana smoking (no buying or selling, however) was allowed for the first time in Colorado.
Digging Deeper
There is no such thing as a typical weed smoker. Every single one has their own personal story of how and why they ever started, and unique motivations for maintaining the habit; however, those who decide to quit smoking weed for good can all benefit from these useful tips to help make the journey to recovery and freedom a one way trip.
- Get real
During these lazy, hazy, smoke fueled days and nights it is easy to kid yourself that smoking weed is a harmless pastime. It is not dangerous to health and relationships like alcohol is, or sugar – with its tooth rooting, fat gaining evils. Acknowledging that weed is a different, but equally damaging, mind-altering substance is essential to successfully give it up completely.
- Learn to want your life back
Addiction is a powerful word, and one which many weed smokers avoid applying to themselves. However, the truth is if you need a joint to get going in the morning, to truly relax at any time, or as an incentive to simply get through the day, then you are not free. Quitting weed for good cannot happen unless you want to be free more than you want a joint.
- Get to know yourself again
Long term or heavy weed smokers are likely to find their thoughts, emotions and personality have been masked, or dulled by their addiction. Quitting could well involve learning how to navigate feelings and attitudes which feel quite unfamiliar, so making time to get to know and like the non-smoking you is crucial to make this huge life change a permanent thing.
- Set bite-size goals
Forever is a long time, so if the thought of never smoking weed ever, ever, again triggers stress and anxiety rather than liberation break it down to weeks days, or even hours. Do not forget to reward yourself as you pass each milestone too.
- Commit to exercise
There is plenty of exciting evidence around that claims the bit of the brain drugs affect respond just as well to consistent physical movement. So whether you fancy a bit of zumba or a round of golf it is possible to get a natural high and improve your fitness at the same time.
- Feed your soul
Many weed smokers are looking to fill a gap in their lives, so quitting and then actually staying away for it forever is much easier if you explore other ways to nurture your inner self. Things like painting and drawing, yoga, or any kind of musical activity are good examples of helpful activities.
- Create new networks
If smoking weed is something you do only with your closest friends it is tricky, but not impossible to quit forever, especially if you smoke casually and they are understanding people. If it is the main thing you share then success probably depends on you moving on.
There is no magic spell that can guarantee success, but with support, motivation and determination it is possible to quit smoking weed forever. If you would like to check out an in depth guide and how Kevin was able figure out how to stop smoking weed, then check out this blog.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Wallace, Michaela. How to Quit Smoking Marijuana: Your Step By Step Guide To Quitting Smoking Weed. HowExpert.com, 2016.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by ashton of a young woman smoking a joint (cannabis cigarette), is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. This image, which was originally posted to Flickr, was uploaded to Commons using Flickr upload bot on by Bleff. On that date, it was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the license indicated.
