Getting Sober From Weed - How To Do It
Why Getting Sober From Weed is So Tough
Getting sober from weed is something more and more people are looking to do these days. It might be because more people are smoking it, it might be because there's stronger stuff out there than ever, and it might be that the views of it being "not addictive" are finally changing. It could be all of the above.The bottom line is that more people these days are having trouble getting sober from weed than ever before. At least, more people are being honest about it and seeking help. Marijuana is an incredibly addictive drug for a few reasons.For one, it feels good. For some people, it feels really, really good. These tend to be the ones that become addicted. For a lot of people, it is far more pleasurable than alcohol. In addition, it can temporarily help with physical symptoms like stomach upset, anxiety, and (some say) pain.Secondly, weed is very socially acceptable in today's world. Now that it is recreationally legal in many states, attitudes about it have shifted towards being even more tolerant. It's not uncommon to hear people speak about marijuana as though it is a miracle drug that does nothing but good for the world.And finally, weed doesn't create devastating consequences in people's lives very quickly. Sure, it can over time, but it usually ebbs away slowly at a person's life until they realize that they are not the person they want to be. A good friend of mine used to equate marijuana's impact on lives to being kicked to death by a rabbit. It's slow, barely noticeable, but it will eventually happen. The fact that we don't usually see people resorting to extreme measures to get high leads us to believe that weed isn't a problem and therefore can be used without consequence.So, how do you get sober from weed? My advice is to follow my 12-step program outlined in my book (for obvious reasons). However, if you want to start small, follow these simple (but not easy) steps.
Five Steps for Getting Sober From Weed
1. Make a Commitment
First things first. Make a promise to yourself that you are going to stop using weed in all its forms. Start this process by determining the "why" for getting sober. What problems has it caused you? How has it made your life worse? How will your life be better when you stop? Keep all of these things in mind, or better yet, write them down in a journal or on a dry erase board in your room. Remember why you are doing this and commit to it fully. Unfortunately, a commitment alone is usually not enough to get sober. Concrete actions need to be taken.
2. Get Rid of It
You can't stop smoking weed if it's constantly in your face. If you're determined to stop, it's not going to do you any good to have your bongs, vaporizers, and edibles sitting around your home calling your name. You may think you can will yourself to not use weed that is right in front of you, but I'd wager that's a lot more difficult than you might think. For some, it's impossible.
3. Get Support
This means getting to a 12-step meeting or someplace where people are sober and supporting each other. This means not hanging out at house parties or anywhere else where people are getting blitzed. If you have friends that don't use marijuana, contact them and tell them what you are trying to do. Set up some time to hang out with them and do fun things. If you sit at home hoping you don't get an urge to get high, you're going to be miserable, which will eventually lead to you getting high.
4. Take Care of Yourself
Do other things that release dopamine in your brain. Engage in hobbies, exercise, drink a lot of water, eat good food (with an occasional treat if you'd like), socialize with fun (sober) people, travel, try something new, etc. If you take crappy care of yourself, you're going to feel even more like crap than you probably already do without your weed. This doesn't help anyone. Feeling lousy only drives people to seek pleasure, and since weed has recently been one of your easiest and most accessible form of pleasure, you will gravitate back towards it.
5. Make a Long-Term Plan
Make a plan for how to stay sober. What are you going to do if you're at a get-together and someone whips out a blunt or joint? What are you going to do if sketchy uncle Bob comes into town and offers you a few hits of his vape pen? Having a relapse prevention plan is essential if you want to stay sober from weed for a long period of time. All that being said, take the process one day at a time. Try not to think about how terrible you imagine it'll be to never smoke weed again. Instead, just get through one day. This is an especially useful tool in the early days of sobriety.So there you have it, a quick-and-dirty plan for getting sober from weed. If you try this and it doesn't work, you'll need to whip out the bigger guns. There are support networks like Marijuana Anonymous that have meetings around the country. There are even phone meetings that are listed at www.ma-phone.org. You may even need to consider an intensive outpatient or inpatient program if it's that difficult to quit (and it really is for a lot of people).Weed is a serious drug these days. It is powerful, addictive, and extremely accessible. If you think it's damaging your life, don't waste another day. Getting sober from weed needs to be your number one priority so you can fully function again.