Benefits of being off weed

[Rikagain]

ONE YEAR TODAY!!!

It is thanks to this thread and the many wonderful people who contribute to it that today I have reached this major milestone.
When I look back at the early days of my quit I wondered if I could possibly make it to one month!

The benefits just keep coming and include,
Close, loving relationships with my friends and family,
Clear, positive thinking,
Very little agitation,
Amazing vivid dreams,
Social liberation,
Hearing and feeling every note when I play guitar/piano,
Patience,
Empathy,
Genuine optimism for the future,
Very little regrets for the past,
More spare money,
Awakening to the beauty of nature

There are many more, like I said they just keep coming. If anyone is thinking of quitting my advice is DO IT! Please give it a try, you really won't regret it, I smoked weed/cannabis for 30 years and I don't miss it at all...if I can do it so can you!

Thankyou uncommon forum members, for your openness, honesty and constant support.
Much peace and love to you all,

Rik.

[wakinglife]

I'm glad that I made it through another 4/20 Day (Apr 20) without giving in to cravings. It's not my place to judge how others choose to use cannabis. I am happy with my choice, for myself. So many positive benefits have arisen from breaking my 20 year habit. A few that come to mind this morning:

+Closer relationships with my family
+Healthier lungs
+Sharper memory
+Confidence to try new things
+Stable moods
+Confidence
+A deeper inner sense of self-acceptance

It's always a pleasure to read those positive updates, like Rikagain's just above this, so please keep 'em coming. Stay on the track that helps you live your best life!

WL

[HDog455]

I'm glad that I made it through another 4/20 Day (Apr 20) without giving in to cravings. It's not my place to judge how others choose to use cannabis. I am happy with my choice, for myself. So many positive benefits have arisen from breaking my 20 year habit. A few that come to mind this morning:

+Closer relationships with my family
+Healthier lungs
+Sharper memory
+Confidence to try new things
+Stable moods
+Confidence
+A deeper inner sense of self-acceptance

It's always a pleasure to read those positive updates, like Rikagain's just above this, so please keep 'em coming. Stay on the track that helps you live your best life!

WL

At this point, it's worth noting that this thread was created more than a decade ago and is approaching one million views with thousands of contributions. wakinglife, those are amazing stats and it's even more spectacular when you consider the many addicts who have benefited from sharing all of the associated knowledge and experience.

[jage]

31 days off again. This is the thread that got me off the first time almost 11 years ago.....WHAT??? Where'd the time go? I stayed off the weed for 5 years and eventually stopped visiting here but I eased back into my bad habits and started again full force the last 2. The first 30 days were easy. I'm now remembering what it was like the second month. Anxiety has me up at 2am. sigh. Glad to see this thread is still active. I have some catching up to do.....

[reckoning]

welcome back jage. Keep reading, keep posting. Sounds like you know the deal and we are all still here for you. It's a worthwhile trip to take. I've done it many times on and then off. But this time I've got it for good. I'm reading and posting and I just keep plugging away at it. Counting the days and weeks, gives me a good kick along. And when the going gets tough I have learnt from others here that you just have to push through. You've done it before you can do it again. I've made some major changes this time that will enable, and empower me, to keep going without weed. The maintenance is such a big deal for me. Anyway I'm 19 weeks in and things are definitely changing for the better. Keep going. 31 days is a great amount to have under your belt.

[Anxious_mary_420]

Wow this is amazing 10 years and people still posting..well done to waking life and everyone els who's having a go. I'm feeling very low today really struggling with my emotions and anxiety. 6 weeks 2 days done but like I say having a horrible time. this thread is inspiring x

[Rikagain]

Keep going Mary, you're doing amazing, 6 weeks is a great achievement. Try some mindfulness meditation, I find it really helps.

Much peace to you,

Rik

[jage]

Thanks for the welcome and kind words, Reckoning. Its tough to admit I failed but this place is always helpful and non-judgemental. Admitting we have a problem is the first step. Just goes to prove that this drug is seductive and addictive even after 5 years of being clean. I wish I didn’t live in a state where it is so widely used and shared! Congrats to you on 19 weeks. That is huge! I’ve started testing for thc with the strips. Last time it took 3 months for the negative test result. I wish I could fast forward to where you are. Anyways, can’t say I’m glad to be here because of what it implies but I guess I am glad this forum exists!

[wakinglife]

1,000,000 views!

Wow!

Thank you everybody who has viewed and contributed to this thread. It's been a privilege to be a party of your journeys into your new lives.

I had been trying (unsuccessfully) to regulate and reduce my cannabis consumption for the last 10 years that I was a smoker. Looking back now, the main difference between all those failed attempts was that I found Uncommon Knowledge forum in the summer of 2006. All of the heartfelt, brutally honest stories and advice people were offering on this forum helped me see my weed use for what it actually was: a life-limiting addiction. Through your words, your emotional support, and our collective wisdom, I can now proudly announce that I am no longer addicted to marijuana.

Thank you, my UncommonForum family!

WL

[wakinglife]

Today marks 11 years, 11 months cannabis free! I can’t believe that in one month I’ll have made it to twelve years. I feel fortunate to have built up this amount of time, so I won’t be tempted to go back to it when weed becomes legal across Canada in a few months.

Admittedly, since my dad’s sudden death six months ago, there have been times I’ve loosely contemplated what it would be like to mask the emotional pain with a cloud of weed smoke. In those rare instances I force myself to play out the scenario in my mind— how that one brief moment of hazy respite will be inevitably followed by a feeling of exhaustion, scattered thinking, and an urge to get high the next time I’m having a tough day.

No. I tell myself. Look at what is truly driving you to consider slipping back into old patterns. Find a different way to alter your state of mind. One that doesn’t involve ingesting substances. In those instances, I just need to take a walk, pick up an instrument (or a pen), and find a more productive way to work through the emotions.

I know I’m making the right decision to stay off the pot: my relationships (friends, family, colleagues, my self) are so much deeper and more fulfilling now.

Glad I’ve made it this far. I wish you well on your own journey!

[Cali-Detroit]

Wow, that's got to be the record. That's amazing, really nice work. At nearly 3 months after 20 years, I can't fathom the resolve it must take to do that. It's so bizarre to me to be quitting in this time of mass acceptance and legalization. Actually, it's completely in character for me to have to quit something after it's become too popular and mainstream. Hey pot really DOES arrest your development doesn't it? I'm so looking forward to becoming a proper grown up at 40. Good times!

All kidding aside, well done and thank you for sharing

[Rikagain]

Hey Wakinglife, congratulations on your up coming 12 year milestone.
As ever, your resolve and wise words continue to inspire
Many, many thanks.
Much peace to you,

Rik

[wakinglife]

Thanks, Cali-Detroit and Rik!

Cali-Detroit, congrats on making it to 3 months. Like you, I also smoked for around 20 years. I’m going to share a secret with you, and it might sound sort of counter-intuitive: getting to 3 months is equally hard as getting to 1 year (and beyond). Actually, the first 3 months might even be the hardest part of overcoming an addiction (especially when you’ve been using for a long time).

Whatever it is you’ve done to make it to 3 months, keep doing that. You will continue to have cravings, and things will trigger you every now and again. But as time passes you’ll find new ways of coping, new ways of regulating your mind and emotions.

You’ve got this!

Rik, your kindness is evident in your posts. Your support helps me continue along this path of personal growth!

[Cali-Detroit]

Thanks WL for the kind words! Im so glad to hear that insight...3 months seems like a real uphill battle, so it's good to know it is not just me. The benefits at this point seems to start and and stop with: not smoking weed. The end. I keep waiting for the heavens to open, and beams of golden light to shine down upon me, and it just ain't happening. But I'm going to continue to do what I've been doing, which is push through through sheer force of will.

A few other benefits:

-Recently started biking and doing push-ups
Lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks, feel stronger

-Less emotional about EVERYTHING

-Better memory

-Slightly, very slightly easier to be in crowds and in public in general

It's a short list for me at this point, but it's something. One year, here I come!

[Rikagain]

Thanks Wakinglife, I'm always here to support you and others my friend.

Cali-Detroit, you're doing so well, will power is our greatest tool in kicking the habit, sounds like yours is particularly strong.
Keep going, beams of golden light coming your way!

Much peace,

Rik