Personal Battle

[ruthless]

hi guys,

this is a personal battle, i'm contemplating or trying to quit

 

in my teens i was on anti-depressants then i substituted it with smoking marijuana. I have been smoking for 9 yrs since 12 i did quit for a year a year and a half ago it was one of most difficult struggles of my life. I couldn't sleep at all only way to sleep was if i go to bed watch repeats twice of a tv shows i downloaded. After a few weeks of my personal struggle i was clean for about a year then i got back into it after a night out.

 

Lately i've been trying to quit i said last quarter that this would be my last and by lowering the amount i smoked would help. Well that didn't work, so fast forward ahead i'm on my last last quarter down to scraping the resin out of my bong.

 

my problem i can't concentrate whole heartedly as my work requires me to do so (passion) without a smoke. It's like i'm dazed there's no ambition and motivation. At the same time smoking is getting expensive, some of you might be familiar with Parkinsons law.

 

If you bring $200 for a night out you will spend $200. Same as a quarter.

 

I'm contemplating seeing help and going back on to meds to keep me in a good state of mind. It's been a very along time since i had meds prescribed and even then i was smoking as well. But at the same time i know marijuana is good at what it does and also helps me to sleep as i have always had a hard time sleeping.

 

right now i'm actually smoking the resin out of my bong... i know a sad reality. Smoking cigarettes is not even close to a substitute and i don't normally smoke them unless drinking.

 

My situation:

My main dealers moved who i've been getting off for yrs.

options:My friends mate that i don't hang with can get it but it's a hassle as he doesn't smoke and he has to pick his mate.

options:I can go see my old time school friends who i used to smoke with but everyones grown up and its been 5 years.

 

What's the difference between prescribed meds and Marijuana? like instant effect, differences, side effects, cost of prescribed meds etc..

 

What do you do to cut down smoking? for me i try to reward myself~

Do you guys ever ask yourself can i smoke forever?

if worse comes to worse i'll see my friend and try get introduced so i can pick up myself.

Edited December 31, 2007 by ruthless

[sunnycoaststoner]

grow your own mate. for round 200 bucks you could set yourself up for life, never to buy from scum sucking dealers ever again, hehe. i kid you not , give it a go. you'll wonder why its taken you so long.

[ruthless]

i wish i could i've been renting and sharing accommodation i have some of the nice strains like ak47, hindukush and blueberry crosses that are 4 years old now. I'm still young can't afford a secure place for myself yet but hope that day comes soon.

 

Right now i'm thinking of prescribed meds as a serious option

Edited December 31, 2007 by ruthless

[DrDee]

Ruthless,

You seem quite troubled about this and understandably. Nobody likes to be dependant or addicted to anything. I hate to see kids start smoking pot. The adolescent brain isn't mature and reacts differently to it. It's called amotivational syndrome and adult smokers don't have quite the same problem. You were 12 when you started so you'll have an uphill struggle here for awhile, but I think you should quit. Establish your health as a priority. Then later if you miss marijuana (and hoefully you'll have your own space by them) start a little garden and grow sativas. Sats are actually used for depression and anxiety.

 

I'm almost 60. I didn't start smoking pot till I was 19 years old. The last time I got stoned was three days ago and I'm going to do it today too. I do have some aches and pains from aging but I'm not really a medical user. I like to get high and I always have. I've got three college degrees and had a full career. So, yes it's possible to be a pot user all your life. I hope to be stoned when I die. I mean that seriously. I think it would be a great way to go out of the world.

 

Regarding medication. If you're seriously depressed and especially if you're having any thoughts of self harm (suicide), please do see your Doctor who likely will start you on an anti-depressant and hook you up with a Psychiatrist or Psychologist for monitoring. There also are some herbals that might be effective. St Johns Wort is one that people use for depression and I've heard that it helps with mild depression. Double the amount they recommend. Avoid alcohol, exercise, get a good night's sleep every night, and try and cleanse your body as you're quitting. Drink lots of water and eat fresh fruits and veggies and avoid heavy meat meals and fast food. Sort of a body cleansing thing. The accumulated little things all work together and hopefully you'll be feeling better.

 

You're young and have many many good years ahead. You just got started on a wrong path and it's not too late to change that.

 

Peace,

Dee

[freddie]

DrDee gives some great advice. Read his post and let it sink in.

 

A couple of things I'd like to add. If you are mixing pot and tobacco then you may be addicted to tobacco.

 

You are expecting to have problems giving up. Try and change this way of thinking. There are plenty of heavy cannabis smokers who have little problem stopping. Obviously not everyones the same. I find it easy although I do have a couple of sleepless nights (and some great dreams once I do get to sleep).

 

Maybe you would feel better if you did give up cannabis at least for a while, if not permanently. Feeling that something is controlling you is no way to live, especially if you think it is effecting your motivation and is consuming much of your day. Also if you are using pot to treat depression then you need the right varieties and you aren't likely to get them from your local dealer. I can't comment on medication as I haven't used it.

 

To cut down try to restrict yourself to just smoking in the evening. If your in the habit of consuming the entire quantity of what you buy then try and divide it up into nightly rations, hide them away and stick to it. Exercise well and eat good food. Don't replace pot with alcohol although the odd drink may help.

 

I'll probably use cannabis on and off most of my life but I use it quite differently now then when I was younger. I use it much less and appreciate it much more. I take frequent breaks. Health is important to me so I try to stay fit, keep my mind active, study,use a vapouriser e.t.c.

 

If you have real problems please get professional help and best of luck with it.

[sunnycoaststoner]

St Johns Wort is one that people use for depression and I've heard that it helps with mild depression. Double the amount they recommend.

 

 

even have to watch the amount of herbals that you take too. some react with others.

[Dragonfan]

Gotta add my two bobs worth here . . . I personally would never replace Marijuana with ANY chemically created licit drugs . . . but that's me . . . I have allergies etc and in the past two years have tried to remove as many chemicals from my system as possible, and believe me, it's helped a hell of a lot! Not just foodstuffs though, unless you use truly all natural/organic products like shampoos, moisturisers, soaps, other cleansers, toothpastes etc etc you're putting so many chemicals into your system as well [many are also carcinogenic] . . . and there's no truth in labelling, you really need to research that sorta thing [as I had to].

Having said that though, I kinda agree that if you've been mixing your green with tobacco you're probably more than likely undergoing nicotine withdrawal as opposed to Marijuana withdrawal, as Marijuana is not very addictive [unless you're one of the few who is prone to addiction in the first place].

I'd love to be able to 'dose' myself with Marijuana for the many medical problems I have and once I have my partner back in this country I fully intend to start down that track, for his benefit too [he's Diabetic]. I just wish some right minded Pollie could get Medical Marijuana fully on the agenda in this country, it's such a waste to NOT use Marijuana to it's full capacity in assisting the oh so many afflictions it is efficacious for.

[ruthless]

i smoke it straight so its not the nicotine. I don't have a addiction i've done the heavier stuff but never been addicted, only stick to the green & hardly drink. I just want to compensate the same effects of mj with meds.

 

thx 4 the advice

[DrDee]

Ruthless, you posted the following...

"this is a personal battle, i'm contemplating or trying to quit"

"I have been smoking for 9 yrs since 12 i did quit for a year a year and a half ago it was one of most difficult struggles of my life."

"Lately i've been trying to quit i said last quarter that this would be my last and by lowering the amount i smoked would help. Well that didn't work, so fast forward ahead i'm on my last last quarter down to scraping the resin out of my bong."

 

I know nobody really likes to admit to an addiction, it seems like a weakness (but it's not) Your own words tell us what the truth is. When you can recognise and admit that, you'll be farther along in your road to recovery. Some people get a true addiction to pot, and you, my young friend, look to be one of those.

 

It's either that or you're using the pot as a self-medication for depression and anxiety. You need to seek professional help and not random advice from a pot Forum.

 

DrDee

[ruthless]

thanks Dr Dee your right about i'm using it a self-medication which in turn i guess relates to addiction but not the source.

 

 

you've been a great help

[mull]

Hey ruthless, it sounds like cannabis is your best med.

 

Except for the high price, unavailability and the risk involved buying and possessing it. Thanks to prohibition.

 

However, you are a young fella. Why not try a break for a month while you scout some. Have a good flush out.

You know the symptoms of cannabis withdrawal up close by now? Push thro it mate.

After a couple of weeks your appetite will return, sleep will be longer and with less vivid dreams and so on. Your work passion is still in you, it wasn't only the smoko

 

With the plants, we can't over feed them all the time, they need to flush out. Like a detox in us, or a reboot for a computer.

 

The meds you had as a teen, did they work? Consider why you stopped them.

 

To medicate for depression or anxiety, the docs will have you fully accept those pills for the long term, perhaps life. Addiction, self medication, attempting to balance.. what is the difference to growing your own (when ready) and substituting the right strain of cannabis, for endless years of pharmaceutical ssri's or maoi's (that can have nasty physical side effects which aren't fake like the cannabis propaganda )

 

Be well mate.