“Should I quit weed?”

If you’re asking yourself if you should quit weed, you might want to consider how well weed is serving you and your needs, especially if you go from using weed as an occasional recreational activity to a habit you depend on to get you through life. For me, I used weed as a social activity to bond with my friends and family, but it slowly became an addiction that isolated me. Weed can have its benefits to some but not so much to others. Consider alcohol. A glass of wine over dinner with a loved one or a few beers with your friends at trivia night. For some, drinking might enhance the experience, making it more enjoyable. But for others, this could lead to a dangerous slope down a cycle of alcoholism. Weed may have the same effect on people. For some, the relationship they have with mind-altering substances can have its benefits in moderation. But for others, these substances might prevent us from living up to our fullest potential and down a path of addiction. It may be worth it to stop and reflect on how weed is serving you, what reasons you might feel the need to quit, and what you can do next. 

Using weed as a crutch

Some of us are anxious. Some of us are hyper-vigilant and always feel “on edge”. Some of us have addictive personalities. Some of us may use weed as a way to alleviate and/or suppress negative emotions that stem from childhood traumas and other negative past experiences. Personally, my personality describes all of the above. I grew up in an unstable and abusive environment. In my teens and early 20s, I felt like I always had a dark cloud hanging above me. When I first discovered weed, I finally felt “normal” and “happy” for the first time in my life. I felt warm, fuzzy, calm, and relaxed. For the first time, it seemed like my jaw was finally unclenched, and my shoulders relaxed. Some of us may use weed as a pacifier to calm ourselves down and help us finally feel those good feelings we needed to think about during our vulnerable years in childhood. 

Distracting yourself with harmful substances

If you’re asking yourself if you’re smoking too much weed, you might also be asking yourself why you’re smoking so much weed. One reason might be your inability or unwillingness to face yourself and your inner thoughts. If this is your experience, go easy on yourself. There is probably a valid reason why. I’m an anxious person. I found that weed would put me in a haze but would magnify feelings of anxiety. Especially if there were external worries I had going on in my life. I tried to curb those feelings by smoking more weed. I told myself, “If I smoke more, the less I’ll feel bad, and the more I’ll feel good.” Instead, I began to lose myself and lose track of my ability to reflect on my decisions. My internal dialogue stopped. When I was high, I was in an anxious haze. When I wasn’t, I was anxious to get high.

Normalizing your weed habit

Someone once told me, “If you’re asking yourself if you’re smoking too much, you probably are.” The thing is, the first few years of smoking seemed like a typical stage of my life. At that time, I didn’t see anything wrong with it. As a young adult, some of my closest, hard-working, smartest, and most successful friends smoked, and weed made every experience more pleasurable. Growing up, I watched my dad smoke weed almost daily. It was typical for our small apartment and old car to smell like a burning joint. It also became less stigmatized over the years and has slowly become widely accepted in my environment. In the college town I lived in, it was typical for people to spark up a joint on the sidewalk in front of a police officer. It was normalized, and nobody gave it much thought. So, when I began smoking, it didn’t feel problematic; it felt like a typical step into the next stage in adulthood. I thought to myself, “I’m old enough to go to a bar AND grab a few pre-rolls from the many dispensaries. This is what adults do.” Unfortunately, I started depending on weed to help me navigate life. I smoked weed to be social, I smoked weed to be more creative, I smoked weed to enjoy small moments in life, and I smoked weed to fall asleep. Weed became a crutch. If weed becomes a crutch to lean on and/or a distraction, it begins to feel less typical and normal. You may notice that more people from your social circle move on from this stage of life instead of focusing on adult responsibilities, career pursuits, and exchanging weed for healthier habits. Where does this leave you? 

Moving forward

Imagine what your life would be like if things stayed how they are. Is that someone you’d be comfortable living as in 5, 10, or 15 years? I asked myself the same questions. I grew tired of looking at myself in the mirror. The person I thought I would be in my 30s wasn’t there. Decide what kind of person you want to be going forward. 

Begin the healing process. Without a crutch, it’s okay to fall a few times. When I decided to stop smoking weed, it took MANY attempts to leave it in the past for good. It’s okay to “fall off the wagon” a few times. You most likely will, and that’s okay. 

Learn how to sit idle with yourself. We live in a world where constant distractions are easily and readily available. If you are trying to run from yourself, it’s very easy in our modern world. Make a conscious effort to take time out for yourself, even for a few moments. On social media, there are clips of Millennials and Gen Z adults who nostalgically reminisce about a time when the world felt more peaceful. I think it’s because we didn’t have virtually unlimited access to on-demand entertainment back then. Sometimes, it’s okay to remove yourself from all those distractions, even temporarily. 

Find out your “why?”

Do you want to keep avoiding yourself? Or do you want to learn who you are? 

Do you want to keep distracting yourself? Or do you want to learn how to sit with your thoughts? 

Do you want to watch life pass you by? Or do you want to begin taking steps forward? 

Do you want to find peace with yourself? Or do you want to continue to ask yourself if you have a problem? 

It’s tough to leave your comfort zone. But growth happens when you step into the unknown and uncertain. Continue to develop your “why” and use it to empower you to pursue meaning, happiness, and peace without weed. If weed is stopping you from living up to your fullest potential, you may want to consider how it is negatively impacting you, consider quitting, and explore alternatives that work better for you.