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From user to addict to recreational user. Can I complete this journey.

Paddi

GanjaGrower
Veteran
Hi good ICMag-friends :wave:

My story:

I first smoked hash when I was 18 years old. It happened at a music festival. Next time was for a jam night with other amateur musicians. I played bass, which I still do.

For the next 5-10 years, I smoked hash/cannabis about once a week. It was a good period. I could get laugh flips, go far into music and movies. And sex was a really good pleasure.

Pretty much from the start, I grew cannabis in my backyard. At first the yield was low, but I got better and better at cultivating.
My cannabis/hash consumption got bigger.

During periods when I did not have my home-grown cannabis, I bought 10 grams of hash weekly from my local pusher. My tolerance got higher and higher, while my laugh flips became rarer. I got red eyes, some days already from the morning.

Various circumstances meant that I had to stop growing cannabis in my backyard - but then I bought a tent or two, some MVH and HPS lamps, good seeds and fertilizer.
The result was high-potency tasty cannabis that I smoked in my pipe - the last few years in my PAX vaporizer

And what now:
I dropped tobacco when I was in my early fifties (I smoked cigarettes from I was 12, but switched to smoking pipe tobacco when I was 18).

My alcohol consumption is very low now (I was drunk the first time when I was 13. From I was 40 I drank alcohol daily, but a few years ago I stopped my alcohol (abuse) completely). Now I am a recreational user of alcohol (Italian red wine). I only drink a few glasses every month.

Now I also want to reduce my cannabis consumption from 3-7 grams daily to about 2 grams per. month.

I did not use nicotine patches, acupuncture or the like when I dropped the tobacco.
I stopped drinking without the help of antabus.

I hope I can lower my hash consumption without help.

In this thread you can follow my efforts to become a true recreational user.

P
 

'Boogieman'

Well-known member
I quit smoking cigs and switched to nicotine gum 4m which was stronger than a cig. I only chewed a piece or two a day towards the end. I quit chewing gum after a few boxes never felt better.
 

CosmicGiggle

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
Good news paddi, same boat here, you'll feel a lil 'shakey' for awhile but you're tolerance will go way down and you'll actually be able to get high for a change, more bang for your buck!:flowers2:
 

moose eater

Well-known member
I cut way back a long time ago; now the most common thought, even after setting some aside for extract medicine, is, "What am I going to do with all of this weed??!!"

Per the Merck Manual 1999 Golden Anniversary Edition, only about 1:10 suffer form the psychological addiction to cannabis (typically after chronic use).

Piece of cake. Just don't focus on it all the time (pick up a hobby that holds your interest), or it becomes like the dieting person who constantly thinks about eating/not eating, and ends up making more trips to the refrigerator than they would've otherwise.
 

Subu

Active member
The first thing to identify is it's very likely you have some form of disorder or pain you're attempting to address with excess cannabis usage. Whether that be as simple as a bit of anxiety or something worse...
 

Chi13

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
I stopped completely a while ago to pass a urine test. Went from nightly vaping, only about half to a gram, down to nothing. It was remarkably easy. The only thing I noticed was that it was harder to fall asleep the first night or two.

If you mix tobacco in with your hash it will be a lot harder as you will be addicted to nicotine. I personally never do this but I know it is common in many parts of the world.

I found meditation helped. There are plenty of good meditation apps. Also exercise helped. I went for a long walk every evening, which I still do. Reading at night helped too.

I am back using cannabis, but not every day. Using less and enjoying it more.

Edit: I just want to add, I don't believe anyone is really addicted to cannabis, but many people think they are.

Good luck.
 
Last edited:
M

member 505892

Good luck on your mission.... you can do it.

I'm trying to lower my usage from most days to maybe once a week or once a fortnight, or something like that.
I don't want to COMPLETELY stop, but i don't want it to be 'the norm' to get high at night.... i want to have vivid dreams as my 'norm' and to feel like getting high is just something i treat myself to every now and then.

:ying:
 

HempKat

Just A Simple Old Dirt Farmer
Veteran
I've never quit using before just because I decided to but there have been several times that circumstances forced me to go without for months sometimes years at a time. Each time I stopped using the first week or two were a little tough, not because of any withdraw or anything but just because I wanted to get high and resented that things beyond my control made that impossible. During those times what I found very useful in getting past the first week or two was to just keep my mind busy with puzzles, computer games, whatever I could find that I enjoyed and kept my mind off of wishing I could get high. Once you get past that first week or so you start to notice things coming back that you didn't necessarily realize you were missing, the most common examples being dreams, creativity, and drive. When you start noticing those things coming back it should be all downhill from there. Currently I haven't had any cannabis in any form for about 3-4 years maybe a bit longer as I stopped keeping track a while ago. Now if someone can by and offered me some I'd be like "Hell Yeah!" but that's not happening right now and I don't really care. You got this if you want it.
 

Cuddles

Well-known member
well done quitting backy. I really want to stop fags but haven´t managed yet myself.
Good job not trying acupuncture btw. It saved you a lot of money because it doesn´t work for those kind of purposes ;)
 

St. Phatty

Active member
Avoid American "health care" like the Plague, or you vastly increase your chances of ending up with Iatrogenic Pain - pain caused by "Medical Treatment" in the US.
 

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