It has been a long journey since November 2008 when I hit the point where I knew I had to stop smoking weed. The “Why I Quit Smoking Weed” goes into all of the detail there!
I scoured the internet, forums, books, and magazines try to make sense of what I was going through and what to expect next. 7 Years ago, there was almost NO information about how to quit online.
Through my research over the last 10 years I’ve gained some very valuable information about how to quit smoking marijuana much easier.
Here are 3 key pieces you need to quit for 30 days, or forever.
You Must Maintain the Desire to Quit Smoking Weed
We are all going to face roadblocks and setbacks when we try something new, learning to how to stop smoking weed is no different. The key word here is desire. You need to know you want to quit so badly that you won’t let anything get in your way. This was the biggest difference for me between why I thought about quitting and took steps to quit. In November 2008, I promised myself that I would quit smoking weed, as you can see from my previous blog posts, I made some mistakes along the way, but I always kept trying and kept learning.
I didn’t want to stay stuck where I was. I felt like a dumb stoner, with low self esteem, no ambition, and poor health. I knew I had to keep going, because the alternatives were far worse.
Evaluate your Relationships 
If you have been a pot smoker for a long period of time, like I had, you probably know a lot of people who smoke, and who don’t want you to quit. Many people have discussed how hard it is to quit because that is all their friends do is smoke and drink.
I had to step away from some friendships that were based on marijuana and nothing else. For a while, I forced myself to avoid situations where marijuana was around so that I couldn’t be tempted. Some people were very supportive of my decision, and some tried to sabotage my success and put my down for quitting weed. I lost some people who I thought were my friends, but a relationship built solely around marijuana smoking is not a true friendship at all.
Since I quit have reconnected with a number of old friends and made some new ones. I still see a fair number of the people that I used to smoke with. It’s different, but I enjoy the mental clarity, and good conversations WAY MORE than sitting around stoned in a dark room watching TV. When you quit weed, you have more money and energy to do more interesting things!
You need a Plan
Planning is half the battle. The other half is executing the plan.
Once you have the desire to stop smoking marijuana, you need to take that desire and harness it into action! When I first started quitting, I knew I had the desire, but I was missing the plan.
It took me months and months of trial and error, but I finally found a system that worked for me. I broke everything down and analyzed all of my failures. In the process I discovered a couple secrets and techniques that got me over being stuck when I tried to quit in the past.
Before I learned these techniques, my mind was still stuck in “marijuana addict” mode even though I was on the bandwagon and sober. I could identify the thoughts and feelings that were a part of my “marijuana addict” mode and interrupt and replace them with new ideas!
I know that this sounds strange and its hard to explain, but it really did do the trick for me. It’s almost like when you are about to catch a puppy doing something bad, but instead you distract and redirect him to a better activity.
You Can Learn How to Stop Smoking Weed
If you have tried to quit weed before and failed, or you don’t even know where to begin, here what you need to do:
Get started with The Quit Marijuana Action Plan. The Action Plan is a step-by-step system for learning how to stop smoking weed and getting on with you life. It includes all of the secrets and techniques that have been proven to work over the last 7 years. The plan works for everyone.
We’ve currently got a waiting list for the next session. We keep the groups small to ensure everyone is gets the attention and support they need.
25 replies to "Desires, Relationships & Plans – Keys to Quitting"
hi, my name is Leo. at the moment am going through rough times. also, am addictied to mary jane. as a result i feel that everything i ever built is falling down, while me sitting, watching and getting high. i feel that this drug replaced my drive of living throught day. and what drives me crazy is that am aware of it. i have huge responsabilities to fullfill, and even thought it doesnt require much to fullfill them ,yet, i dont. am a smart man and very fast learning but my filthy habbit have put a cage around my brain.
i realised that i have very good plans but no execution. its all in my head, i keep hours and hours thinking and the fact that i live alone doent help. i have lost alomost all my frinds because of my unstable attidute and emotions. am on my final year in university, this ean alot to me.
i travel half way around the world and am here in my final year, yet, am not doing well in my studies. i dont have diffeculties learning, accually am quite smart and i love what am studying (marketing)but whats the point i don’t actually sit down and study. i fully support my familly, and they cant wait for me to graduate and go back home.. and that master pice, i just broke up with ma girl, we,ve lived together for nearly 2 years. she has gone back to her country, taking my heart with her.
i know that i might sound confused, indeed i am. am living in foriegn country totaly messed up. even though i know that the key to the door to get out of this confusion is to quite smoking weed, i dont seem able to quite. i dont know what to do, and am alone. i mean really alone.. talking to family about it is not an option. can some one help?
Leo…you are not alone…how are you doing….did you make it?
Im on day 5. Struggling. Im the ultimate functional stoner but it makes me feel enslaved and guilty. Any support and encouragement would be appreciated. When does it get easier? Im so numb without it…although Im also numb with it….
Leo, going through the same things…i’ve been trying to quit for 2 weeks now. (mainly b/c i’m going to have a to take a drug test for a job) but i also want to try to quit for good. Marijuana takes over your life, it changes who you are and who you want to be. I’ve decided to make this sunday my quit day, so I have some weed on me and a couple days left, then the hard times begin. Hopefully i can get through it with the support of friends and this site. I am looking forward to this immense challenge in my life, it will probably be the hardest thing i’ll ever have to do. Also, i have already quit smoking cigarettes while i was in highschool, i’m not sure why, but that wasn’t nearly as hard for me to quit as marijuana is.
maybe it’s because i wasnt doing it for quite as long, or maybe i just like the effects of weed much more. At the same time i’m also trying to quit doing dip (which i’ve been addicted to for about 4 years now, i haven’t had a dip in about a month, still get cravings but can usually ignore them), i’ve quit soda just for my physical health as smoking so much pot as caused me to be physically out of shape and since while i do smoke pot i am too lazy to go to the gym, i decided i needed to find another way to lose some weight. I haven’t had soda in over two months with the exception of one special occasion. So now that i am about to add marijuana to the list of things to quit, this is going to be quite difficult for me. Hopefully i can get through it. If i need to relapse, hopefully i can relapse on one of the other two things, since i really can’t afford to relapse on marijuana after this weekend.
How have you been making out? Ive struggled for years. Thinking about giving it another try
Hi Leo and Ryan. I totally understand how you feel. I started smoking weed when I was 17 and am 25 now and still haven’t stopped. Don’t get me wrong in between I have stopped. Most time I haven’t smoked was probably 6 months. I really want to quote and think with this site and talking to people who are going through the same thing is what we need. My life is pretty much messed right now. I have constant issues and like Leo you said stopping smoking weed is the key. So let’s sharpen our keys with the right tools and open the door together.
I’ve been thinking about quitting smoking weed alot lately, I’m 25 been smoking since I was 14 and I know its not helping,I become agitated when I don’t smoke and thats a problem it helps relieve stress but when I don’t have it I deal with it anyways I’m going to really try in the next few weeks to cut back then cut it out id really like some self control back because weeds made me feel secure when I’m definitely not
Leo, Ryan, Norshi, and also Adam;
I am in the same condition (great ideas no drive, dependent on green to brave this world, responsibility to kindred) man, damn.
I’ll struggle with you all if I can quit this.. this… bond.
Charleston, S.C
Marijuana has taken my life by storm. I got a football scholarship 2 years ago to a university in Northern California that is known for being the Pot capital of at least California. Anyways, I hadn’t smoke until I got up their, but once I took the first hit there has been no going back, I loved it. But, it’s effectively ruined my life, i failed the NCAA drug test several times, I lost the burning passion I had for football. My Hygiene went to hell, and I don’t feel as bright as I used to be. Also, I get really bad diaherra and Nasuea when I try to quit. When I came home from college I stayed in my room and never spent time with my mom or my family, I didn’t want to go anywhere, I just wanted to smoke. If I had weed and left the house, all I could think About was getting back to the house to smoke. Basically everything that you have put in these articles I have experienced. It’s real, I shed a couple tears after reading this. I always say I’m about to quit, “this is the last bag” I tell myself, but there’s always another bag after that. If I fail this last drug test I have to move back home. So it’s now or never. -Jason
I know I’m addicted to MJ because of how agitated I get without it. I understand stepping sway from weed based friendships but I find it particularly hard to quit because my parents are both equally if not more addicted. My boyfriend is also an advid smoker. I notice I dont smoke as much when I’m alone , however before work and during breaks I puff down as much as I can just to get thru the rest of the day. Lately it feels as if my tolerance is to high and I dont want to spend the money anymore. I dont know if I want to quit completely or just cut back, or do a cleanse and then cut back but I need to do something. When I feel I’m about to smoke (weed or cigs) and I either dont want to or I’m trying to make it last I clean, I try and clean a lot and keep my mind distracted on something positive. Sometimes while I’m at work ill push off my break just to wait longer before I know I’m inevitably going to go smoke because f I come back from my breaks without smoking I’m a bitch and its all I think about.
Hi guys, just writing here because I’m having abit of a struggle but I am going to win!!
I’ve been smoking weed for about 6 years, pretty much everyday, I used to love it until the other day it hit me, why am I doing this?
Quite literally there was no plan, I just quit. I’m currently on day 5 and it has been a struggle, the hardest part for me if the lifestyle change, literally 90% of my good friends smoke it all day everyday. I guess I’m what you would call a functioning addict as I still work 5 days a week and start at 5am, so sleep has been a big problem also!
I sometimes sit at home feeling lonely and depressed because I feel like I have no friends left but I keep telling myself I WILL change my life around, I’ve lost 1st in weight already due to having no appetite and probably look worse (I’m quite skinny anyway) but you HAVE to think about the end result, I’m probably £50-£100 a week better off and my mind is slowly starting to lose the cloudy feeling which stays when you smoke.
Just want to tell you all that you CAN do it, but you really have to want it, the best tips I can give are to keep yourself as busy as you can and for me eating ice lollys every time I feel like smoking a joint takes the need away for a short while.
I’m interested to see how you guys are getting on also, so please let me know!! Together we can beat the filthy habit!
Good luck guys, please believe in yourselfs because that’s the key. You CAN overcome addiction!
dear friends ive.been smoking for ever about 23 years now. in fact I smoked so much that I’ll make Bob marley look like a boy scout. I smoked every day at leaSt 4 times. im in day 10 now and feeling like shit. I kind of organized my whole life around smoking it. I feel this hole like there’s no purpose. don’t know if I can pull this one off. cranky sleepless depressed. I did quit tobacco some 10 years ago now.
this is way tougher.
how you getting on bro im now on day 10,not sleeping,sweats,guilts realising overwhelming misttakes in life,
Hello to all,
I’m a 33 user of thc since age 13. Let’s just say it’s a family tradition. All my life I have felt like I haven’t lived up to my true potential. I’ve adjusted my whole life style to my habits. It’s been fun but I want to be free of it for a while see where it could take me. See what else I can do, if anything else is out there better for my future. I love life and people make me smile, family friends and life. Living smoke free is a dream I’m going to work hard to obtain. I’ve done it a few times before but only for a year and it was right back at it. I want my mind to be clear, my judgement not clouded. This is hard but tomorrow is my quit day. If anyone wants to journey along with me for support and friendship that would be great. Everyone who is already on the this journey. Stay strong, be agressive with yourself, and follow what your heart truly wants not the addict inside us all. Good luck to everyone I already read about here and all future ones.
People. Do not give up. You can do it. In 56 and have smoked weed for over 40 years. I have now been clean for almost 3 months. All those other times I “quit” were bullshit. You cannot quit until you really want to. I was subjected to random drug tests for my jobs for the last 20 years. I passed every one of them by deception. That is until my plan failed on the last one. There I was, 56 years old and facing the possibility of losing my career because of weed. I quit cold turkey. Not the best choice but so far so good. Although I feel better now than I have in years the first week or two were no fun. The reason I found this forum is because I still suffer from insomnia and was looking for help with that. Wish I’d have found you sooner. But anyway folks, keep the faith. It is possible to leave the evil weed behind you. I see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s not firing up a bowl. Ask for help if you need it. You are not alone. God bless.
Hi, I hope you are doing well. Really liked your post and today is day one for me
Hello,
Hearing all these stories lets me know, I’m not alone. I’ve been smoking for 8 years now on a daily basis every since I was 19. At first, it was just social thing smoking with friends, but over time it turned into a selfish habitual habit that has turned my life down the wrong path. I was a bright intellectual caring human being (and still am deep down) but weed has seemed to slowly turn me into a strun dark person. For the last 3 or 4 years my decision making skills have suffered, my motivation to achieve my goals have disappeared and my physic has disappeared. People always used that quote “weed isn’t addictive” so I was embarrassed to let anyone know I was addicted but after reading all these stories I know that it is addictive and affects millions of people. Today is my last day….starting tomorrow I’m kicking this habit and picking up some fresh lemons and grapefruit to start my detox to a better life.
Hi everyone. Tryst you all are well. I’m Haley and I am addict too. It was life that changed… now I find myself smoking non stop.I lost my mom 5 years ago and I lost dad at the beginning of the year. I’m the only child… I feel so alone…. therefore I am such an addict. I smoke to forget my pain of being an orphan and remembering mom n dad. I don’t dream at all… How I wish I could see my parents in a dream… just a hug or one last time to tell him both how much I miss them Thanks to the Almighty I am still alive. I just lost hope in life. I am afraid of the future. I don’t want to be alone. Anyone can suggest a way forward for me?
Please keep me in your prayers as I really want to quit but just don’t have that kind of willpower at this time.
God bless..
Haley…
Hey Haley, Sorry to hear about your parents I know life IS hard. God is always and weed itself is not a demon. SEE the sunshine and Dance in the rain always, Life is tooo short. With Love Frankie.
Hello everyone, I’m 23 and I’ve been smoking since 19. I forget things so much it’s embarrassing, I’ve lost meaningful Friends, all replaced by Strangers that add nothing to my life who would rather smoke all day. I smoke all 7 days a week, I’m actively aware of its influence on my being, no passion or drive, I tried quiting a couple times the longest being a 3 month break, I have no control over it but I know I have to stop my bad habit. It was a great escape for me and I loved the fact that I meet pretty cool guys who smoke too. I want to quit for good, I’ve too many secrets I’m hiding from my parents and sister. I have great ideas sometimes but they just as soon disappear and I hate the fact that my resolve to quit is non existent. I feel enslaved to it.
Hi,
I dont know where to start…lets start from the beginning. I was 14 yrs old, in middle school, on the way home for lunch. My “friend” and a few of his friends approached me and asked me to get high. I wasnt very popular at school so I agreed. We smoked down a back alley and i remember getting so high i couldnt stop laughing. I thought it was cool and it was fun at first. I went back to school and i was soo high i couldnt even talk to the teacher. Fortunate for me the school i was going to wasnt too used to recognizing stoned students so i got away with it. I started sneaking around to get high. Id go to a friends house get high then try to stay there till my high went away but my mom could always tell. I was grounded all the time but that didnt stop me. Id smoke it in high school but i was getting caught alot because they knew about kids getting stoned so they recognized it alot easier. I eventually got expelled and started gojng to an alternate school. I was so unmotivated that i couldnt even finish school. My mind was dulled and i wasnt thinking ahead. I wasnt thinking of my future. I quit school and got a minimum wage job.. i had college paid for and couldve became whatever i wanted…but i didnt care about that. My mind was soo fixated on weed and video games. I started partying and smoking weed. I wasnt a big drinker i woukd just bring a lot of doobs and just smoke weed. I got kicked out had to move with friends. I met a girl and we moved together and had a kid and i promised myself id quit but i couldnt even last a few days before the withdrawls would kick in. Irritability, no sleep, no eat, feeling sick all the time. My girlfriend started smoking with me and now we’re both addicted. Smoking an eigth or more a day easily. Its a financial burden for sure. Over $600 a month on weed. Even if i cant afford the stuff i can always get it anyways. Dealers will cuff out…
another few years down the road and we have 2 daughters now and i cant even keep a job. Gone through 10 different jobs with no push for anything except getting home to get stoned. Thats all my mind was thinking about. My daughters dont even know me for who i really am. Theyve never seen me off of weed. I didnt care though because i smoked soo much weed my mind was dulled all the time. All my friends from high school are doing awesome and im stuck here at the bottom like a mindless zombie going day after day not caring about anything. Few years later my brother got diagnosed with lukemia. He always told me “you gotta quit bro, you got your life ahead of you and you cant keep letting weed bring you down”. The cancer got worse till he was on his deathbed and my family circled around him all crying and he looked over squeezed my hand and smiled then died shortly after. I promised myself id quit everything smoking cigs, weed and drinking. Its been over a month and i still get th3 odd craving but its a hard thing to quit. I wish i could go back and not smoke it but i cant. 14 years of my life wasted on it. Thanks for hearing my story and i hope this helps anyone that is tryung to quit. Dont waste your life away.
Wow bro. That hits so close to home for me. How are you doing? Ive been struggling since i started at 15 and now im 35. I have 2 little girls 2 and 4 that i want to quit for. Ive tried many times bit when i fail am discouraged for a few months before even consodering trying to quit again. My wife and i smoke a half ounce every 4 to 5 days and i cant afford it. Also my self confidence has been pretty low for a long time and get anxiety more now than ever. All my high school buds are still chronic smokers like me and dont think anything is wrong with it. Im afraid to lose the only friends ive got but my family means so much more to me know. I hope you’re doing well amd sorry to hear about your brother. If it didnt work this time for you please dont stop trying. I wont give up and hopefully one of these days it will stick for us!
I’m scared to stop smoking pot. I started years ago as I found I was accepted. I was bullied as a kid a lot and weed made me feel confident. I feel weed take you away from living. Sick days from work because I want to smoke. I mostly smoke at night only. One night a only had a little left and noticed I was less stressed with smoking less. Anyway it’s impacting every part of my life. I’m going overseas for two weeks and won’t smoke. I’m going to use that time to recover. I accept I can’t smoke while I’m away and that makes it easier. The issue will be returning home. I’m glad I joined the program. I know most of the stuff but this helps you apply the knowledge. Good luck everyone
am 24year i started smoking at 20 nd am now willing 2 quit smoking weed bcus i think it make me poor n senseless in people eye. on the race to stop
Hey all, just happened on this page and couldn’t help but be moved by your stories. Wanted to leave a post to do my small part to inspire and help.
Tomorrow will mark 13 months since my last smoke after an addiction that lasted more than 30 years. I just want to tell you all that life is better, so much more real, and that it is so worth pushing on and putting weed behind you, however hard it may feel. Every clean day you put behind you it gets easier.
So key is the idea of taking your life in a new direction. You know you are a different person without weed, why think you can do the same things, hang out with the same people and be satisfied? Get out and do things you wouldn’t have before. Set goals and reward yourself. Explore what life has to offer when you’re not stoned all the time. You will go through a time, longer than you would like, of loneliness and difficulty as you go through the transition. That is totally normal and necessary. Think of it like the great journeys of the old sailing ships. You need to lose sight of the land you know and endure a journey before arriving at a wonderful new world. Trust me, if I can do it you can too.
I see as well many people who post once on here, about to quit or with a few days or weeks under their belts. I presume many of them have fallen back on old habits. Just want to say if that happens to you don’t be too hard on yourself. I know and understand how that can make you feel like you have failed and will never succeed. It can be a huge blow and make you scared to try again. You are trying to make a massive change in your life, maybe bigger than you realise, and it is not easy. My best advice is to get help. Find someone in your area who offers counselling specifically related to quitting cannabis – and I mean specific not just someone who offers drug counselling as part of a bunch of other options. There are amazing people out there who know their shit and can help, even if that just means getting you back up on the horse every time you fall off.
Don’t give up giving up!
Peace.
thanks for the post Shawn I appreciated it. I have been smoking/vaping everyday now for 15 years. Its day one for me