How to Fight Marijuana Addiction

Marijuana is so popular these days, especially with adults aged 16 to 28 (students in high school and college), that often all the negatives of using it are forgotten. Marijuana addiction affects those who want an easy way out of depression or want something stronger than alcohol. To stop the addiction, whether you are addicted or know someone who is, is a tough process. Yet it also has rewards.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Early warning signs of peer pressure
• 12-Step meetings
• Books on addiction can help.

1. Look at the health affects. The amount of tar in one joint or blunt (terms used to describe how marijuana is smoked) is worse than even in cigarettes. Actually, we are talking ten times or more tar and other chemicals than one cigarette. Here is an important quote from Wikipedia, based upon a Canadian study. “Whilst some studies and tests have proven inconclusive, a recent study by the Canadian government found cannabis contained more toxic substances than tobacco smoke. It contained 20 times more ammonia, (a carcinogen) and five times more of hydrogen cyanide (which can cause heart disease) and of nitrogen oxides, (which can cause lung damage) than tobacco smoke.” Next, we have the affects on the mind, where marijuana can be used much like an anti-depressant. I quit using Marijuana almost 3 years ago, and still feel the affects of things like paranoia, a common problem for drug addicts.
2. See how it destroys others' lives. Beyond the basic physical and mental health issues, we can see that drugs destroy lives. The old story in Narcotics Anonymous (a group which will be studied here) is that one drug leads to another. Even marijuana can destroy lives, leave someone in prison and cause mental collapses. Another old story is that it causes a lack of drive, most noted in college students who use.
3. Think of the money and time you save. When I was buying drugs, it was a minimum $20 habit per day. I spent most of the day doing drugs, and paramount was marijuana. So I was spending all my time smoking marijuana, spending money on drugs and doing other stupid things. I had no job. I tried to get jobs, and many good ones have drug tests. When I stopped using marijuana, I was able to successfully work a job, pay for my education and managed my time better than ever.
4. Meet friends who don’t use drugs. One problem in trying to quit any marijuana addiction is that many of your friends will be drug addicts. One day, you decide to quit. A few cell phone calls later from friends and you are back smoking joints. How can this be stopped? This is a tough proposition: you need all new friends. You need a new phone. You need a new life. The only way to stay clean off marijuana is to cut off the friends who you use with.
5. Go to NA meetings. Another crucial step, and one that helps with inevitable loneliness, is going to the drug addiction meeting like Narcotics Anonymous. You can make friends here while battling your addiction. The basics of Narcotics Anonymous are similar to working Alcoholics Anonymous. An addict learns the ways to combat addiction with something bigger than any article, that of personal experience.
6. Seek outside help. I found that mental illness came after doing drugs for many years. I needed more than meetings, more than new friends and more than a good job. A professional can help you. And there are thousands of certified drug-treatment therapists. Many insurance programs will actually pay for the visits; some as many as the first 20.

Tips & Warnings

• Peer pressure is the old story for drug use. Most people will be surprised that Marijuana has contains 20 times more ammonia. When they pass a joint, one should state filling lungs with ammonia sounds like a bad idea.
• Drug addiction is popular and can make you seem “cool” but can also break the law. While the crimes for marijuana possession are lower than others like cocaine, they often lead to more serious drugs with more serious penalties.