Giving up the gange

Clownyface

I'm 28, smoked my first spliff when I was 11 (eleven) and I started smoking heavy when I was around 15, so basically smoking all day everyday for the last 13 years.

Although it never seemed to affect my life or work much, It's come to the stage that I'm just sick of it, sick of paying 200 euros per week on it, sick of being breathless walking up the stairs.I know they say it's not addictive but I tend to disagree. My few attempts at giving up was a disaster.
Days of complete depression, stress, moodiness and anxiety. I end up drinking pints which is the more evil of the two for me.

Has anyone any similar background that managed to give it up? How do I do this? What do I replace it with and how do I keep the stress and anxiety away? I need help!
Appreciate any genuine replys and please excuse the long post

PistolsAtDawn

Clownyface wrote: »

I'm 28, smoked my first spliff when I was 11 (eleven) and I started smoking heavy when I was around 15, so basically smoking all day everyday for the last 13 years.

Although it never seemed to affect my life or work much, It's come to the stage that I'm just sick of it, sick of paying 200 euros per week on it, sick of being breathless walking up the stairs.I know they say it's not addictive but I tend to disagree. My few attempts at giving up was a disaster.
Days of complete depression, stress, moodiness and anxiety. I end up drinking pints which is the more evil of the two for me.

Has anyone any similar background that managed to give it up? How do I do this? What do I replace it with and how do I keep the stress and anxiety away? I need help!
Appreciate any genuine replys and please excuse the long post

Chill out and have a "spliff" man

deco nate

Clownyface wrote: »

I'm 28, smoked my first spliff when I was 11 (eleven) and I started smoking heavy when I was around 15, so basically smoking all day everyday for the last 13 years.

Although it never seemed to affect my life or work much, It's come to the stage that I'm just sick of it, sick of paying 200 euros per week on it, sick of being breathless walking up the stairs.I know they say it's not addictive but I tend to disagree. My few attempts at giving up was a disaster.
Days of complete depression, stress, moodiness and anxiety. I end up drinking pints which is the more evil of the two for me.

Has anyone any similar background that managed to give it up? How do I do this? What do I replace it with and how do I keep the stress and anxiety away? I need help!
Appreciate any genuine replys and please excuse the long post

Mmm, I think you smoked one too many and did rereg cos you forgot you're password?

sligojoek

deco nate wrote: »

Mmm, I think you smoked one too many and did rereg cos you forgot you're password?

200 a week? You're either very fond of it or there's only one dealer in town.
Sorry. Quoted wrong post

Alcoheda

I know what you mean when you say it's addictive.
I've smoked fairly regularly for years but I tend to go off it for a few months every so often
I've found that the anxiety and longing can be very powerful for anything from a day or two, all the way up to more than a week but after that, I barely think about it.
Tough it out for a while and you'll be grand.

bogwalrus

Used to smoke a fair bit in college. 200 a week seems excessive. It was only 50 for a 1/4oz bag of weed about 10 years ago. That would last me the week. After about 8 years of smoking i decided to stop. Gave up rollies first then eventually stopped the ganja. Moving house made it easy also as i was away from others that smoked alot. What you have to clarify is if you want ro give up tobacco also. That is usually the addictive element.

DrGreenthumb

Next step is heroine

J Mysterio

As above, if you smoked with tobacco its much more difficult to quit. There was a study published recently to that effect.

Will you continue to smoke tobacco without weed?

I too find €200 p/w to be a lot. Assume that is 1/2 oz per week.

A bigger problem may be your social circle - if they smoke it can make it impossible to quit for you without blanking them.

Mint Aero

12k a year on drugs when there's prople on trollies in hospitals?

munster87

DrGreenthumb wrote: »

Next step is heroine

So the OP will become female and do something brave

Jesus.

Mint Aero wrote: »

12k a year on drugs when there's prople on trollies in hospitals?

FFS :rolleyes:

KERSPLAT!

I'm glad you told us that 11 meant eleven, I've spent 29 (twenty nine) years thinking it meant something else

Fleawuss

KERSPLAT! wrote: »

I'm glad you told us that 11 meant eleven, I've spent 29 (twenty nine) years thinking it meant something else

Well 420 doesn't mean four hundred and twenty anymore.

Optimalprimerib

munster87 wrote: »

So the OP will become female and do something brave

If your a mom your a heroine, or so facebook tells me.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Mint Aero wrote: »

12k a year on drugs when there's prople on trollies in hospitals?

Yeah OP you should give your drugs to the sick people on trollers in hospitals, they need it more to relieve the boredom.

DEFTLEFTHAND

It's a proper demotivator, it was fun for a while in college but it's not something I'd engage in much anymore. I've known a few including somebody quite close to me who went down the loser route with it. 27 year old chap, never graduated and working in the local Tesco

It's not harmless smoking it either, it's just as bad as fags. Cannabis is listed as a carcinogen by both the British and American Lung Foundations.

Winterlong

It's your dealer I feel sorry for. A longstanding client giving up the gear is bad for business.

Mint Aero

Mint Aero wrote: »

12k a year on drugs when there's prople on trollies in hospitals?

Lulz at you

SEPT 23 1989

Just stop it dead the biggest withdrawl issue is you won't sleep properly for a few days but that's about it

It will take a few months for your mind and body to adapt to the unstoned life just be patient

No happy clappy lectures about the amount of money you will save you will probably blow that on something else

You will look back in a few years time and wonder what the hell you were doing

Best of luck

LeBash

Didn't smoke as long as the op but like the op for about 5 years.

I don't think it's addictive but I had a hard time coming off it. For me, I had a habit for 5 years and everything changed. There was a drought on and I got through the contents of my rolling box then had no choice. I had 1 or 2 sleepless nights because I used joint to send me to sleep.

I think it's a case of breaking habits.

Shortly after I joined a band to give me something to do in the evening and made some great mates out of it. Maybe get involved in some club or whatever you want to do where smoking a joint isn't an option.

Bongalongherb

Cannabis is not addictive, it is the habit that is hard to break as you say that you smoked it every day of the week, so you are just used to it, but it's only the habit that makes you think it's addictive when it's not.

I've got the other problem now but with alcohol, I love a beer, many beers but I cannot ever drink alcohol again for the remainder of my life. I'm really going to miss having a nice cool beer. One nice thing though is waking up with no hangover anymore. So it will be a few nice joints from here on out.

suicide_circus

200 per week? That's frankly ridiculous, seriously. For that money you could be doing coke.

Bongalongherb

OP, you are smoking way too much of it, no wonder it's starting to affect you, €200 is crazy. You should at least cut right down if you are having problems cutting it out totally.

Smondie

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

It's a proper demotivator, it was fun for a while in college but it's not something I'd engage in much anymore. I've known a few including somebody quite close to me who went down the loser route with it. 27 year old chap, never graduated and working in the local Tesco

It's not harmless smoking it either, it's just as bad as fags. Cannabis is listed as a carcinogen by both the British and American Lung Foundations.

imagine working in tesco's the big loser. He should have just joined the dole que and took up drinking as well. Maybe the college course wasn't for him. Maybe he didn't like the people in his class?

gigantic09

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I've known a few including somebody quite close to me who went down the loser route with it. 27 year old chap, never graduated and working in the local Tesco

Bit harsh maybe?.I know plenty people who work there or somewhere similar.Wouldn't consider any of them loosers.We cant all be Gordon Gecko's.

s4uv3

If nobody worked in Tesco/Dunnes/Aldi/Lidl, we'd all be a bit fcuked, wouldn't we?
A lot moreso than if nobody worked as an accountant for example

scamalert

nice description loser working in tesco with no degree.Id imagine you never head retail experience of any sort,since for many its proper job,what about college students that do their 4 years just to realize theres no jobs for them,then you have people shuffling to get anything just to work.

Back to OP that seems a lot 800+euro a month ,i know many claim its not addictive,but known person who would do joint here and there and when trying to quit eventually went back on,now its not the worst drug there is,but think after prolonged use there are few symptoms,that makes going clean difficult.maybe cut down and think better ways of what you could do with close to grand each month.

corner of hells

Grow your own and live in a bungalow, milf may and lungs saved.

evolving_doors

Fair play OP, you only realise it's an addiction when you try and stop.

You had 1 main question.. What to replace it with!

1. Try and get out ASAP and DO Something... Not a fancy hobby or anything, just go for walk /run/swim.

2. Consider the €200.. Buy a cheap weekend Ryanair flight to foreign capital and go see a gig (so you'll have a focus).. Go meet people whilst staying in a hostel

3. Keep busy.

4. Do easy night course...

5. Keep busy.

Nonoperational

Bongalongherb wrote: »

Cannabis is not addictive, it is the habit that is hard to break as you say that you smoked it every day of the week, so you are just used to it, but it's only the habit that makes you think it's addictive when it's not.

I've got the other problem now but with alcohol, I love a beer, many beers but I cannot ever drink alcohol again for the remainder of my life. I'm really going to miss having a nice cool beer. One nice thing though is waking up with no hangover anymore. So it will be a few nice joints from here on out.

If something is habit forming thats an addiction in itself. It's nonsense to say that something isn't addictive but at the same time you're addicted to the habit of using it every day!

The main danger with it is smoking it with tobacco. You're getting all the ill effects of tobacco too. And whatever about the debate about cannabis, tobacco smoking really ****s you up. The amount of people in hospital who can't walk 10m or can't survive without air being forced down their lounge... its depressing.

Sir Osis of Liver.

I gave it up in my early thirtys(30's),when children came on the scene.

I went from half an ounce per week to nothing.Overnight.

Became more energetic and motivated almost immediately.

I'm forty four(44) now and don't miss it.A few drinks is good enough for me now.

Microdot

200e a week? you must be smoking pure green Op to spend that much. Just go back to smoking soapbar and start from there,
you will soon get sick of it.

Jesus.

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I've known a few including somebody quite close to me who went down the loser route with it. 27 year old chap, never graduated and working in the local Tesco

Hmm. Don't think I'd agree with you there old boy.

Somebody who goes out to work all day and pays their way in this World is not a loser in my book.

biko

Switch to oregano, same thing.

IamtheWalrus

I guess you smoke so much to numb your mind / avoid facing your issues. See a psychotherapist. You deserve a better life than this.

Saipanne

Bongalongherb wrote: »

Cannabis is not addictive, it is the habit that is hard to break as you say that you smoked it every day of the week, so you are just used to it, but it's only the habit that makes you think it's addictive when it's not.

I've got the other problem now but with alcohol, I love a beer, many beers but I cannot ever drink alcohol again for the remainder of my life. I'm really going to miss having a nice cool beer. One nice thing though is waking up with no hangover anymore. So it will be a few nice joints from here on out.

Yeah, cannabis isn't addictive, man. It's just really really really really hard to stop. And when you do, there are symptoms of withdrawal, man. Totally not addictive, man.

IamtheWalrus

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

See a psychotherapist.

Better still, see a professional.

Loveinapril

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

Just stop it dead the biggest withdrawl issue is you won't sleep properly for a few days but that's about it

It will take a few months for your mind and body to adapt to the unstoned life

I completely agree with this. I did it a few years ago after about 8 years of smoking most days. I was in a sh!t mood for a couple of weeks and slept badly, but then things settled. I gave up caffeine because of the anxiety which works for me!

Stasi 2.0

Clownyface wrote: »

sick of being breathless walking up the stairs

Get thyself a vapouriser

Seriously Ive never understood people who justify* smoking cannabis by saying its safer than alcohol/tobacco etc only to mix the stuff with tobacco Makes about as much sense as buying the finest champagne and serving it in a cocktail with antifreeze,

Clownyface wrote: »

sick of paying 200 euros per week on it,

This might sound like an AH answer but you're clearly doing it wrong.

Like any drug weed is fine in its place but one shouldnt let it rule ones life.

* Insofsr as any justification is actually required

IamtheWalrus

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

Better still, see a professional.

I'd avoid a doctor who loves prescribing pills.

IamtheWalrus

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

I'd avoid a doctor who loves prescribing pills.

That's a decision that can be made later. The anti-medication/ anti-psychiatry brigade are not only anti-scientific, they are as extremist in their views as the brigade who insist that medication is the only solution (personally, I've never met anyone who advanced that opinion)

Anti-psychiatry has swung too far, and it's time to return to the centre ground.

Personally, I place a lot more trust in a modern, accredited psychiatric specialist or consultant psychiatrist, with the full battery of treatments available to them (from counselling to medication) than I would in some psychotherapist quack, of which there are many, and many of whom have no qualifications.

we'llallhavetea

i'm not at the stage where i want to quit but the money i spend on it per week (€100) fcuking galls me. havent got a vaporiser though, keep meaning to get one.
not shocked you spend 200 at all, i only smoke at night time and spend half that. used to be only a nifty a week but i can't decide if its the quality of the weed or if i've built up a resistance thats made the amount double in the last few months.

Bongalongherb

Saipanne wrote: »

Yeah, cannabis isn't addictive, man. It's just really really really really hard to stop. And when you do, there are symptoms of withdrawal, man. Totally not addictive, man.

How many times do I have to say this... Cannabis is not addictive, do your research. I can't stop eating apples, does that make me addicted to apples, No, I just like apples too much. If you want to get off the weed just stop smoking it, but more than likely it's the tobacco you are mixing with it OP that makes you think you are addicted to the cannabis but it's the tobacco you're addicted to.

Addicted to cannabis, I heard it all now, absolute rubbish.

J Mysterio

Weed is definitely mentally addictive, if not physically addictive. It affects our brain chemistry so can create a dependency in that way.

I understand your argument but ive smoked regularly for 10+ years and am not for shifting from that position.

Im actually currently debating whether or not I should get a bit. Difficult.

Stasi 2.0

Bongalongherb wrote: »

How many times do I have to say this... Cannabis is not addictive, do your research.

While not addictive in the same way as alcohol/tobacco I doubt if anyone can realistically claim its 100% non-addictive.

Any substance/behaviour is potentially addictive if one has an addictive personality.

Aongus Von Bismarck

My brother was a habitual cannabis smoker for around 10 years. It took some tough love from me to knock him into shape, and he assured me only this weekend that he hasn't touched the stuff in almost a year. He certainly looks healthier and is far more motivated. I'm glad that my actions had such a positive impact. I'll never trust the chap, but our relationship is now one of sibling cordiality.

Alas, his 'bong buddies' haven't yet seen the light. I was with my brother in one of the pubs in the town I grew up in on Friday, and a number of them were present. They still had that slow and lumbering gait, eyes sunk back into the head, and that sickly grey colour on the face - the classic hallmarks of the heavy cannabis user. There is also a propensity towards wearing ancient converse runners, heavy metal t-shirts, and having unhygienic looking facial hair.

I made small talk with one of them and asked him if he thought Galway would win on Sunday (today, they did, comprehensively). He didn't even know it was on. It wasn't long before he was ranting to me about my job as a banker, how the Jews and the Rothschilds were controlling everything, and how fluoride in the water was making people placid and stupid. I resisted the urge to quip that smoking huge amounts of weed was a much more likely cause of stupor.

IamtheWalrus

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

That's a decision that can be made later. The anti-medication/ anti-psychiatry brigade are not only anti-scientific, they are as extremist in their views as the brigade who insist that medication is the only solution (personally, I've never met anyone who advanced that opinion)

Anti-psychiatry has swung too far, and it's time to return to the centre ground.

Personally, I place a lot more trust in a modern, accredited psychiatric specialist or consultant psychiatrist, with the full battery of treatments available to them (from counselling to medication) than I would in some psychotherapist quack, of which there are many, and many of whom have no qualifications.

On the contrary, I'm not anti-scientific at all. To clarify my point; I've seen many cases where doctors have put friends on anti-depressives after a 10 minute consultation. Who am I to question their training, but to me that's too reactionary. Folk who self-medicate are avoiding something painful. Yes, in the short term, medication can make one feel better I think getting to the route of the problem is surely a must.

In reference to the OP, an over-reliance on cannabis to help with anxiety tells me he/she would be best facing their issue, understanding it and then seeing what options are out there. In my view a good psychotherapist can aid this.

Alcoheda

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

They still had that slow and lumbering gait, eyes sunk back into the head, and that sickly grey colour on the face - the classic hallmarks of the heavy cannabis user. There is also a propensity towards wearing ancient converse runners, heavy metal t-shirts, and having unhygienic looking facial hair.

That's ridiculous.

J Mysterio

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

On the contrary, I'm not anti-scientific at all. To clarify my point; I've seen many cases where doctors have put friends on anti-depressives after a 10 minute consultation. Who am I to question their training, but to me that's too reactionary. Folk who self-medicate are avoiding something painful. Yes, in the short term, medication can make one feel better I think getting to the route of the problem is surely a must.

In reference to the OP, an over-reliance on cannabis to help with anxiety tells me he/she would be best facing their issue, understanding it and then seeing what options are out there. In my view a good psychotherapist can aid this.

I agree.

Also, for people who have gone through serious trauma in their lives, it can be of huge benefit.

evolving_doors

Bongalongherb wrote: »

How many times do I have to say this... Cannabis is not addictive, do your research. I can't stop eating apples, does that make me addicted to apples, No, I just like apples too much. If you want to get off the weed just stop smoking it, but more than likely it's the tobacco you are mixing with it OP that makes you think you are addicted to the cannabis but it's the tobacco you're addicted to.

Addicted to cannabis, I heard it all now, absolute rubbish.

Have you ever tried to stop eating apples?
If not then you don't know if you're addicted or not.
Although the fact that you said you like them 'too much ' would indicate that you are an addict. Otherwise it wouldn't be too much. Ever hear about the alcoholic who always drank 'enough '?

Clampdown

Aongus Von Bismarck wrote: »

My brother was a habitual cannabis smoker for around 10 years. It took some tough love from me to knock him into shape, and he assured me only this weekend that he hasn't touched the stuff in almost a year. He certainly looks healthier and is far more motivated. I'm glad that my actions had such a positive impact. I'll never trust the chap, but our relationship is now one of sibling cordiality.

Alas, his 'bong buddies' haven't yet seen the light. I was with my brother in one of the pubs in the town I grew up in on Friday, and a number of them were present. They still had that slow and lumbering gait, eyes sunk back into the head, and that sickly grey colour on the face - the classic hallmarks of the heavy cannabis user. There is also a propensity towards wearing ancient converse runners, heavy metal t-shirts, and having unhygienic looking facial hair.

I made small talk with one of them and asked him if he thought Galway would win on Sunday (today, they did, comprehensively). He didn't even know it was on. It wasn't long before he was ranting to me about my job as a banker, how the Jews and the Rothschilds were controlling everything, and how fluoride in the water was making people placid and stupid. I resisted the urge to quip that smoking huge amounts of weed was a much more likely cause of stupor.

1st paragraph: You take credit for him quitting with your tough love and positive actions. Well done you.

2nd paragraph is like something out of those old 'Reefer Madness' propaganda films. (Oh no, you'll end up wearing dirty runners!) You know how many successful people use herb? Most likely the creator of the device you are using to access boards, for a start.

3rd paragraph: well, he may be a 'doper' but he is kinda right. You don't need to be a conspiracy theorist to see that bankers have done a ridiculous amount of harm all over the world.

Anyway I just got upaer because you insulted Converse. I quit ages ago but I still love wearing ancient converse. They look better the more beat up they are. I actually get sad when they become totally unusable and I have to get new ones.The only thing would make me sadder would be to work in a bank and think that my money gives me the right to look down on people.