I’ll start by being honest: I love weed. Always have, and always will. I’m a long-time supporter of its legalization, its medicinal benefits, and its potential to inspire and soothe. But like all good things, too much of it can become, well, not so good.
It’s not just about getting high, but the whole culture, the shared experience, and the feeling of freedom and relaxation it brings. From the moment I took my first hit as a teenager, I knew I’d found something special.
I started smoking weed when I was around 13 or 14. A few puffs here and there quickly snowballed into a full-blown daily habit. For years, getting high was all I cared about. Every moment was a race to the next joint, the next puff, the next blissful cloud of smoke that would make my worries disappear.
What started as a fun pastime soon turned into a daily necessity. At first, it was a few puffs with friends after school, but soon, I was lighting up every chance I got. My world revolved around that next hit, the next high, the next escape. It’s easy to see the appeal – it was my way of shutting out the world, and forgetting my problems, even if only for a little while.
But while I was lost in my smoky haze, I was changing, and not for the better. It’s hard to see the damage when you’re caught in the thick of it, but daily weed consumption was taking a toll on me, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
It’s funny how you don’t notice the changes when they’re happening. It’s only when you step back that you see the full picture. And the truth is, my constant weed use was hurting me. Physically, I wasn’t as fit as I could be. Mentally, I wasn’t as sharp as I could be. Emotionally, I couldn’t handle high amounts of stress. I was so caught up in my routine of getting high, I didn’t realize the damage it was causing.
It’s a tough pill to swallow, realizing that something you love, that’s been a constant in your life, is actually hurting you. But that was the reality I was facing. I knew I had to make a change, but the thought of giving up weed was daunting. I had a lot of good times with it, a lot of memories. But at the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me. I had to say goodbye to my old friend.
Denial, and How Addiction Hides in Plain Sight
One of the trickiest aspects of addiction, especially when it comes to weed, is that it often hides in plain sight. It’s a tricky thing, subtly creeping into your life and taking hold before you even realize what’s happening. One of the main reasons for this is denial – a powerful tool our brains use to convince us that what we’re doing is okay, even when it’s clearly not.
Many stoners will tell you they don’t have a problem. They’ll say things like “weed isn’t addictive” or “I can quit anytime I want.” But when you look closer, you’ll often find that these same individuals are the ones lighting up first thing in the morning, or after work, spending their hard-earned cash on their next bag, and organizing their entire lives around their next smoke session. They’ve convinced themselves it’s a lifestyle, not an addiction.
This denial extends even further with the increasing social acceptance and legalization of weed. We constantly hear messages about how weed is a ‘natural herb’, how it’s not as bad as alcohol or other drugs, and even how it’s used for medicinal purposes. This is all true, to an extent, but it can make it even harder for people to recognize when their use has crossed over into unhealthy territory.
Another common justification is that weed has become a part of who they are. They can’t imagine life without it – it’s a part of their identity. This thought can be terrifying, leading them to continue their use, despite the negative effects it may be having on their life.
Recognizing this form of denial is the first step toward overcoming addiction. It’s about being honest with yourself, about challenging the beliefs you hold about your use, and about being willing to make a change, even when it’s hard. Because the truth is, you’re more than your addiction. You’re more than the smoke, the high, the lifestyle. You’re a whole person, with hopes, dreams, and the power to change. And that’s something to embrace, not to hide from.
The Dark Side of Green
The narrative around cannabis has shifted dramatically in recent years, from a demonized drug to a celebrated miracle plant. While its benefits cannot be overstated, the flip side of the coin is often swept under the rug. We don’t talk enough about the negative side effects of chronic, heavy cannabis use.
Here’s what happens when you light up daily:
- You’ll cough up a lot of crap
- Your oxygen intake decreases because you smoke
- Your energy is naturally lower because weed acts as a depressant, and also lowers oxygen levels in the brain and blood
- Your mental dexterity is decreased
- Your mood transitions are much more abrupt
- Your short-term memory goes to crap
- Your stress tolerance is much lower than someone who doesn’t smoke, and you often need weed to help you deal with stress or relax. When in reality, you can do it just fine without weed if you relearn this skill you had years ago
- Your emotional intelligence is decreased. You find it harder to deal with emotions and your personal growth actually slows down significantly because you’re constantly medicated. Your development is literally halted in this state
- You lose a ton of free time by spending most of it getting high, being high and lazy, and doing stoner activities
- Your diet suffers because you constantly have the munchies
- Your confidence decreases because you’re constantly anxious about being high, or worried about getting caught and breaking the law, or getting caught being high around your family. Or similar situations like that.
- You fumble your words a lot, and you talk like a “stoner”. This is a real phenomenon.
- Your life results suffer dramatically. Weed makes you comfortable with life the way it is. That sense of urgency seems to disappear when you are a stoner. Nothing really matters, and life is fine the way it is. You don’t see a need to change anything about your life, and you constantly make excuses not to make changes.
- Your creativity suffers. Yes, drugs can make you temporarily more creative, but they are not the source of creativity You stop enjoying the simple pleasures of life. Your senses are dulled from constantly being high and experiencing dopamine surges on a daily basis. This is not healthy for your brain’s reward system.
- Your risk of health problems like lung conditions or metabolic dysfunction increases
- Your relationships with your friends, family, and coworkers suffer because you’re not as present in the moment.
- Your ability to save and make money becomes hindered because you’re constantly intoxicated and making poor decisions. If you didn’t smoke, you wouldn’t be buying all that weed, and you wouldn’t be buying the dumb things that it compels you to buy.
- Your desire to improve vanishes. Sure, you may want to improve here and there on some things. But stoners are notoriously complacent and don’t have that drive or urgency non-stoners have. It’s clear as day when you look at them and how they operate in daily life.
- Your ability to be witty diminishes
- You become less popular by being a stoner. You relate to a smaller group of people and tend to only hangout with that type of crowd.
- You’re constantly paranoid or anxious
- You experience personal insecurities more often and may even develop some more because of your habit
- You age worse when you smoke, have less oxygen in the blood, eat worse, have poor sleep, not exercising as much.
- You don’t feel as happy and as healthy as someone who doesn’t smoke
- Your presence actually decreases. Have you ever “come to” when high and realize “Wow I’ve been staring into space for 2 minutes”? That sort of thing doesn’t happen when you’re off the weed.
- You become less aligned with your spirit
- Your problem-solving abilities suffer dramatically
- When you quit you gain your self-respect back
- Your ability to persuade others suffers when you’re a stoner
- When you’re sober you can attract more sex. Add up all these deterrents and limitations and you become infinitely more attractive and capable as a human being
- You’re sick more frequently when you smoke all the time
- You care less about what others think when you quit
- You no longer are reliant on a substance to keep you hungry, help you sleep, or keep you satisfied with basic tasks like spending time with family, and friends. going out, traveling, or taking a vacation.
- Your concentration drastically improves when you quit weed
- Your serotonin and dopamine levels return to normal when you quit. They’ve been subject to the whims of THC all this time, and that’s not healthy for any brain. Developed or not
- Your happiness will increase and your alignment with your passion and purpose will also increase when you quit smoking
- You become more reliable when you quit. No more falling asleep at crazy hours, or getting into strange situations
- You no longer need to hide your habit when you quit
- Forgotten memories come back when you quit
- Your sex drive and ability to perform at sex increases when you quit
- Your sense of smell improves drastically when you quit smoking
- Your sense of hearing improves when you quit smoking
- Your reticular activating system improves when you quit smoking
- You stop making BS excuses when you quit smoking
- You start dreaming way more when you quit smoking (REM Sleep increases)
- The risk of psychosis increases dramatically with chronic use
And the list goes on.
Challenging Complacency
One often-overlooked consequence of chronic cannabis use is a silent killer lurking in the shadows – complacency. The stereotype of the lazy stoner is something I can personally attest to, and it’s an identity I owned for a huge period of my life. As the haze of smoke surrounded me, my growth – mentally, physically, and emotionally – was stunted, leaving me stuck in a cycle of not giving a shit.
Complacency might seem harmless, a simple quirk of personality or lifestyle. Yet, it’s a silent destroyer of potential, ambition, and progression. My life was in a perpetual fog, in which ambition and determination became something I was not familiar with.
But when I broke free from chronic cannabis use, a shift took place. An unexpected, yet welcome rush of energy overtook me. Suddenly, time – previously lost in a cloud of smoke – was abundant. The realization hit me: I now had the opportunity, and the responsibility, to channel this energy and time into avenues that would be beneficial to my life.
This newfound freedom ignited an upward spiral. I became more active, utilizing my excess energy to embrace physical fitness, which in turn boosted my health and confidence. With clear thoughts and newfound determination, I began making strides in my career, leading to improved financial stability. My intellectual capabilities, previously dulled, sharpened, leading me down a path of constant learning and mental growth.
I noticed a dramatic change in my social interactions too. My conversations were now richer, more engaging, and I found myself building meaningful relationships. And perhaps most importantly, I reconnected with my family on a deeper level, healing old wounds and forging stronger bonds.
In retrospect, these changes may seem like a natural progression, but to me, they are the victories of my battle against complacency. They are the tangible proof that sobriety from chronic cannabis use doesn’t merely mean abstaining, it means embracing life with all its challenges and opportunities. It’s about breaking away from the mundane and daring to soar. It’s about taking charge of your life and steering it towards a better tomorrow.
The Lingering Fog
If you’ve ever smoked weed, you might know about “the high” – the giggles, the relaxation, the bliss. What you might not know about is “the fog.” This is the sneaky side effect of chronic weed use that can keep you stuck, even when you’re not high.
The fog is like a mental cloudiness that sticks around even after the high has faded. It’s a state of mental and emotional numbness, making everything seem just a bit duller, slower, and less exciting. It’s a stealthy effect that doesn’t get talked about much, but it can have a big impact on your life.
Think of it this way: when you’re in a fog, you can’t see far ahead. You can’t make out the details of what’s around you. You’re just kind of stuck in this cloud. That’s what the fog does to your mind. It dims your creativity, blurs your focus, and mutes your motivation. It makes it harder to dream, plan, or even care much about your future.
Most chronic weed users don’t even know they’re in the fog because it sets in so slowly and subtly. It’s like having your brightness turned down bit by bit every day. You get used to the dimness without realizing that your world has become less vibrant.
The tricky part is that you might not even notice the fog until you’ve decided to quit weed for good. Once you’ve purged your body of this habit, the fog begins to lift. Suddenly, you start to see things clearly. You can focus better, think sharper, and feel more. It’s like waking up from a long, numbing sleep.
The fog is another reason why quitting weed can be such a game-changer. Once it’s gone, you get to experience life with your full senses, emotions, and mental clarity. You’re no longer content with being complacent. Instead, you’re motivated to pursue your goals, explore your interests, and live your life to the fullest.
Remember, weed itself isn’t evil. But being aware of its effects, like the fog, can help you make better decisions about your use. If you’re in the fog, know that it’s not permanent. Once you decide to step out of it, you’ll find a world that’s brighter, clearer, and more fulfilling.
Dealing with Loss
Quitting weed wasn’t just about the gains. It was also about experiencing loss. I can’t deny that there was a certain charm to the rituals of getting high, the nostalgia tied to those moments. I felt a void when those moments were no longer a part of my life.
Then there were friends, the ones I thought would stick by me no matter what. When I decided to quit, they didn’t understand. They thought I was changing, not for the better, but becoming someone they couldn’t relate to. So, they drifted away, and I felt the sting of their absence.
There was the loss of ignorance’s bliss, the safety of being unaware, unbothered, tucked comfortably in my comfort zone. I missed the unique sensations of being high, the altered perceptions and experiences. But this was a part of the trade-off I chose to accept.
However, the beauty of this whole journey was what came after these losses. The rewards were beyond anything I had imagined. After quitting weed, I was more in touch with my emotions. I could cry again, feel deeply, and experience life in its raw, unfiltered glory. I wasn’t shrouded by the haze of weed anymore.
The loss of old friends led to the discovery of new ones – people who accepted me for who I was, whether I smoked or not. I found new interests, and new comforts that filled the void left by weed. I found new ways to feel good, to find that natural high.
But the most important thing I found was love. Love for people around me – new friends, a caring girlfriend, and my family who stood by me throughout. I also found a newfound love for my work, my job, and my passions that once felt unreachable.
In short, the losses were real. They were hard. But the gains, the transformation, the love, and the life I discovered on the other side, made it all worth it.
Summary
This story is about a love for weed that turned into a daily habit and then a problem. It shows how weed, while fun and relaxing, can also change you in ways you might not notice until it’s too late. It talks about how easy it is to convince yourself that there’s no problem, even when weed starts to control your life.
The story also reveals the negative effects of smoking weed every day. It affects your health, your mind, your mood, and your life in general. But the biggest problem might be that it makes you okay with doing nothing, and that can stop you from reaching your full potential.
Choosing to quit wasn’t easy and there were losses along the way, like missing the good times and losing some friends. But in the end, there were many benefits. After quitting weed, emotions felt more real, new friendships were made, passions were rediscovered, and life was experienced in a fresh, new way.
This isn’t about hating on weed. It’s about understanding that too much of it can be harmful and that it’s important to have control over your own life. The decision to quit weed led to a better life, proving that sometimes, it’s good to choose a different path. It’s about finding a balance and discovering that when you least expect it, the grass truly is greener on the other side 😉.
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