Help me quit this lifestyle

[FrankoDorango]

Hello to all, I have a serious problem and hope your advice and or point of view on my situation may help me. I have been abusing drugs of all kinds since age 16, now at age 20, i only use pot and the occasional chemical. However my pot use is totally out of control, and recently i've added alcohol to the equation and I can't seem to stop either.

I have been smoking pot daily (average 1.5 - 2.5 grams daily) in a water pipe, which only makes the effects stronger and quicker for atleast 3 years now, without missing a day. Alcohol has been par of my problem only for about 2 months now, but also part of what worries me the most. I have tried quitting smoking pot many times, but never have enough followthrough to get through more than a day, at most. Substance abuse is in my DNA, as my father is a very heavy drinker and cigarette smoker. I'd like to quit but can't find the will power nor the motivation to do so, however I presume my lack of motivation comes from the pot smoking, which has me in a vicious circle. Only at age 20, I can't imagine how bad these problems can get over time. Im already having financial trouble because of my need for drugs and alcohol, and seriously need to get over my want to get absolutely messed up to the point my brain shutsdown and starts releasing endorphines in my body, which is altumitaly the effect I try to reach every single time.

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[Shayda]

Hey, I just quit smoking weed a few weeks ago. It was easier, i left home so there weren't any temptations, but it was still hard. I smoked the exact same you mentioned every day. It is possible to quit.. I find it helpful to have other outlets to put my addiction into. I started going to the gym everyday, if you like excersise, it's really great. I can go for hours just running hardcore and rocking out to music, and at the end I feel proud, accomplished, a feeling I never had while I was smoking pot.
Another thing is trying to seperate yourself from people who smoke pot or sell, or drink a lot, cause it makes it so much harder to quit. I know it's tough, extremely tough, my best friends all smoke weed. I didn't stop hanging out with them, but I branched out a bit, hanging out with more people. It was good, I felt like I was talking and doing things that were more meaningful than just smoking pot all day.
These suggestions may seem petty, but taking walks in the morning, going to get a cup of coffee, writing in a journal or posting here whenever you feel frustrated.. it really helped me. Everyone here is great, and when you're down posting here the words they say lift you up, giving you the motivation to keep going, and live another day clean and sober.
I hope this helped a bit. And I really hope you can try and do this. Even if you try and fail, don't give up, nothing good comes easy. This will be hard, but you're strong, even if you don't feel like it sometimes.
Good luck to you :)

[catmagnet]

Ditto what others have said. By the time I was 14, I was already institutionalized for drug abuse. I finally got a grip on things when I moved out from my parents' house, although I did a lot of heavy drinking at the time. As I got older, and life got more complicated...BAM>>>>back to drugs. Now I regret everything, but I'm trying my best just to live in the moment and look to the future. Take it from me, get out of the lifestyle while you still can. It only gets worse. GL...cat

[bluespence]

Welcome to the forum...like the others said, you have to want to quit..you can't just say it you have to mean it, from deep within. You also have to quit finding reasons (excuses) why you continue. You mentioned that addiction is in your DNA, but from what the new research suggest is that there is no truth to that. The reasons it seems to run in families is because that is what is learned. Drinking and druggin is a learned behavior and if you are around people who drink to deal with stress or problems then you never see healthy ways to deal. Now I know some will disagree with the DNA comment, but I am in grad school and just finished taking an addiction therory class and this is what the new research states (so please don't kill the messenger)... (LOL). I also believed and was taught that there was a gene, but the research says differently...Regardless, it all comes down to choice, you can choose to drink and get high or you can choose to fight this fight and find new ways to deal with life. It won't be easy but when you are truly ready you will find a way and nothing will get in your way! Good luck...you are worth the fight!

[gizzy32]

Welcome to the forum. I wish when i was your age i realized i had a problem. I started out what i thought was just a good time, but soon it spiraled out of control to a point it`s so hard to turn back.  You just said you can`t find the willpower or motivation to quit so it`s hard to help you. We have to dig deep and WANT to quit. Since you now recognize this problem and posted is a big step. Your so young man, you can fix this now instead of throwing your life away. Drugs are a dead end road and very very painful and lonely existence.

Quitting weed is all mental and although you may struggle with cravings and some anxiety there are no physical wd``s. Do what you have to do to not smoke, get to a meeting if any are in your area, talk to someone that understands, but you have to fight through it. Stick around here and read some posts.  The alcohol will take you down fast man, your too young to throw your life away. Good luck, great support group here.

[Ronnie152]

I don't know much about stopping pot, but if you stay on this form I am sure someone does. Everyone here is great, they are all very helpful. Sorry i can't help but I wish you luck! Please keep posting.