Do you know in today’s world smoking weed has become quite common and people are even turning to it for just socializing? Whether you are at a university campus or some social gathering, you will mostly find someone smoking weed.

Do you think smoking weed can help you relax? Is smoking weed more of an addiction to you also? Do you know the harmful effects smoking weed can have on your health including cognitive impairment, respiratory issues, and heart problems? Are you worried about quitting smoking weed and looking for alternative healthy ways to relax?

Estimated reading time: 13 minutes

In this article, we will help you with this problem and make life healthier and happier for you and your loved ones. We will share with you some practical tips, support, and guidance that you can follow if you are interested in breaking this habit of yours or someone you love. 

Let’s First Understand What Is This Issue of Weed Addiction

Some people think that smoking weed is not addictive but it is not the case. Weed addiction or cannabis use disorder is real, especially with the modern potent cannabis strains that are more addictive and have the potential for adverse effects.

Weed addiction is the excessive or harmful use of cannabis irrespective of its negative impacts. This addiction is like addiction to other drugs where you feel a persistent and uncontrollable urge to use that drug and if you stop its use, you may have withdrawal symptoms which makes it difficult for you to quit it. 

Several reasons can be behind anyone falling prey to this addiction. Some common ones include:

Having Stress Or Anxiety

You may turn to smoking weed to escape from the harsh realities of life and reduce the stress you are feeling because of the challenges of your life. Some people even think of it as a medication for their depression or PTSD. And some even just go for it when they are feeling bored.

Getting Influenced From Peers

As smoking weed is becoming common in social settings, many people get involved in it just to fit in their social circle. 

You Are Curious

Curiosity is very hard to stop until you get an experience of the thing about which you are curious. The same applies here too. Some individuals just start using it to experience the euphoric effects they have heard from others and later get addicted to it. 

When you know why you are turning to smoking weed, you are more capable of quitting it by working on that reason.

Smoking weed can make you vulnerable to a range of negative physical and mental health issues if you are doing it regularly, excessively, and for the long term. Read on to find out how your health will be disturbed badly if you keep smoking weed and know how serious this matter is.

Gives You Poor Heart Health

Smoking weed can give you increased heart rate and high blood pressure which can disturb your heart health increasing the risk of stroke or heart attack. 

Impairs The Cognitive Function

If smoking weed regularly and in high doses, the psychoactive compounds in it such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol can decrease your memory and concentration. It also reduces your judgement, reaction time, and coordination which makes it hard for you to drive as there is an increased risk of accidents because of it. 

Makes You More Stressed

People mostly think that smoking weed is helping them relax and reducing their stress but it has the potential to make them anxious, depressed, and psychotic if they are already predisposed to these disorders. Especially young people are more likely to have these mental health issues and their overall psychological well-being is compromised. 

Causes Respiratory Troubles

Smoking weed can give you cough, wheezing, and chronic bronchitis because of the lung and airway irritation associated with it. Smoking weed for the long term can even make you more vulnerable to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a respiratory infection. 

How Can You Find Out That You Are Addicted To Smoking Weed?

First of all, you have to find out about your excessive weed smoking or addiction. For that, you need to know what signs and symptoms in you show this. Some such indicators that can help you in recognizing this are: 

• You need large amounts to get your desired results.

• You feel anxious, and irritable when you try to quit it or reduce it. Also, your appetite is lost and you have sleep disturbances. Because of this, you even fail to control this habit despite trying many times. 

• You are so much into smoking weed that you neglect your school, work, or relationships because of it. 

• You continually keep on smoking weed although you see its negative impacts on your finances, health, and personal life. 

What Is Your Motivation To Quitting Smoking Weed?

You must have enough motivation to quit smoking weed as this is necessary to keep you steadfast in this journey and help you achieve your goals. Some of the motivations can be:

• Enhancing your health

• Getting control over your life

• Developing stronger relationships

• Improving your work or studies 

• Achieving a healthy drug-free lifestyle

What Are Some Strategies That Can Help You Quit Smoking Weed?

Here are mentioned some strategies that can help you quit your habit of weed smoking. You just need to follow them, be patient, and keep going. Let’s learn about them first.  

Be Practical And Set Realistic Goals

Sometimes when you become too motivated to quit, you set very unrealistic goals. When you are not able to achieve them, you have a huge setback that you stop all your efforts completely. This leads to your failure. Set small goals such as preventing weed smoking for a certain period or reducing its specified percentage within a week or month. 

Choose Your Approach Wisely

Based on your motivation to quit, addiction level, and preferences, choose whether you want to go for gradual reduction where your body and mind adjust slowly or you want to go for a cold turkey approach where you have to quickly at once stop smoking weed. 

Work on Your Environment

Our surroundings have a huge influence on us. When you have decided to stop smoking weed, you must stay away from any triggers that are pushing you to do it again. You must throw away weed paraphernalia, and don’t go to gatherings where there is a chance of smoking weed. 

Seek Support

If you wish to quit, it will be hard to do it alone. So get help from your friends, family, and support groups. They make you feel heard and understood, keep you motivated, and do regular checks on your performance. You can learn from other people’s experiences through communities and get your queries resolved too. 

Go For Healthy Activities

When you are quitting something, which you do to reduce your boredom or feel relaxed, you must have some alternative to it too. Find your joy in healthy activities such as art, exercise, walking in nature, or meditation.

How to Better Deal With Withdrawal Symptoms?

When you start avoiding smoking weed, you are prone to have withdrawal symptoms such as:

• Feeling irritable

• Having mood swings

• Becoming anxious and restless

• Having disturbed sleep

• Getting chills and sweating

• Not feeling hungry

• Losing weight

• Feeling aches in the body 

You must have some strategies in hand that you can apply whenever you start your withdrawal to keep continuing on your journey. A simple thing to say here is that you must maintain a healthy lifestyle for successfully quitting smoking weed. Read here what you can do. 

Keep Your Fluids Intake High

Staying hydrated detoxifies and energizes your body and decreases the chance of fatigue or headaches.

Exercise and Meditate

This is to keep you relaxed without smoking weed. Exercise releases feel-good hormones and endorphins which keep your mood good. You can also go for deep breathing, yoga, or other mindfulness techniques.

Have A Healthy Diet

Having a well-balanced meal always your health and well-being good. It is crucial for keeping your mood, energy levels, and weight managed. 

Do Everything For A Good Night’s Sleep

Rest not only keeps your mental health good but it lets you heal and rejuvenate which is needed for coming out of the effects of weed addiction.

Keep Yourself Distracted

This is something repetitive but we are doing it because of its significance. You have to keep yourself engaged in other healthy activities or chores that you don’t even have time to think about smoking weed. You can start a small business, do volunteer work, or join a course that gives you a real task to achieve, and you have no time for this.

Set Your Boundaries

If you don’t have to go somewhere, you never have to. Don’t go under peer pressure. Your health is more important than your peers.

Be Kind And Patient With Your Self

Don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t let a slight failure or relapse de-tract you. It is part of this game. Come on your track again, keep moving. You can do it. When you learn what is triggering you, you are better prepared next time and know your strategy to deal with that trigger. You can achieve your goal, just work a little harder.

Go For Professional Help

If you are having too many withdrawal symptoms or relapse issues that you find hard to manage yourself, you must consult a professional.

Celebrate Your Success

Set some goals and whenever you achieve that milestone, no matter how small it is, reward yourself. You can give yourself a treat. This gives you a happy feel and motivates you to progress more. Even when you overcome a challenge or deal better with a relapse, you must celebrate that day as a day of achievement. This is necessary to make you more confident and determined to carry on with your journey.

Your Mental Health Holds the Same Significance As Your Physical Health

We are talking so much about quitting smoking weed and we know that sometimes people start it because of stress in their life. Now when we see the negative impacts weed smoking has on our health, we become motivated and committed to quitting it. But that underlying issue that is causing us stress will still be there even after quitting. 

So, if you have any emotional or psychological issues such as past traumas or experiences which prevent you from becoming a valuable member of your society, you must promptly, seek therapy or counseling. This will help you process your thoughts and emotions and let you become a better person in society. You learn how to cope with the challenges of life positively. You then don’t even have to start smoking weed in the first place.

FAQs

1. What is weed addiction and is it real?

Weed addiction, also known as cannabis use disorder, is a genuine condition characterized by excessive or harmful use of cannabis despite its negative impacts. Modern potent cannabis strains are more addictive and can lead to adverse effects.

2. What are some common reasons people start smoking weed?

People may start smoking weed due to stress, anxiety, boredom, peer pressure, or curiosity about its euphoric effects.

3. What are the health risks associated with smoking weed?

Smoking weed can lead to cognitive impairment, respiratory issues, heart problems, increased risk of mental health disorders, and poor overall psychological well-being.

4. How can I tell if I’m addicted to smoking weed?

Signs of weed addiction include needing larger amounts to achieve desired effects, experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety and irritability when trying to quit, neglecting responsibilities, and continuing use despite negative consequences.

5. What should be my motivation for quitting smoking weed?

Motivations for quitting can include improving health, gaining control over your life, enhancing relationships, improving work or study performance, and achieving a drug-free lifestyle.

6. What strategies can help me quit smoking weed?

Strategies include setting realistic goals, choosing a suitable approach (gradual reduction or cold turkey), altering your environment to avoid triggers, seeking support from friends, family, or support groups, and engaging in healthy activities.

7. How do I deal with withdrawal symptoms when quitting weed?

To manage withdrawal symptoms, maintain hydration, engage in physical exercise and meditation, follow a healthy diet, ensure good sleep, keep yourself distracted with healthy activities, and set clear boundaries.

8. Should I seek professional help for quitting weed?

If you’re experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms or relapse issues that are difficult to manage on your own, consulting a professional for support and guidance can be beneficial.

9. How can I celebrate my successes in quitting weed?

Celebrate milestones, no matter how small, by treating yourself or acknowledging your achievements. This can boost your motivation and confidence to continue your journey.

10. Why is addressing underlying mental health issues important when quitting weed?

Addressing emotional or psychological issues is crucial because the stressors that led to weed smoking may still be present after quitting. Therapy or counseling can help process these issues, promoting a healthier and more positive coping strategy.

Conclusion

Smoking weed is a common issue in today’s society and this occasional habit can very soon turn into an addiction. You can start smoking weed for multiple reasons including escaping from stress, boredom, peer pressure, or just because of curiosity. When you become addicted to smoking weed and have long-term, excessive use of it, you can have physical and mental health issues including poor heart health, respiratory problems, cognitive impairment, and even feeling more stressed. 

Getting the awareness, exploring the symptoms of weed addiction in you, and becoming motivated to quit smoking weed is the first step of this journey. You can quit smoking weed and manage withdrawal symptoms successfully by following some strategies mentioned in this article. Stay motivated, have strong support systems, and show perseverance. You are good to overcome any obstacles and recover well. Here’s to a healthy, happy, and empowered life, cheers!