"The Best Preparation For Tomorrow Is Doing Your Best Today."

H.Jackson Brown Jr.

Learn Great Preparation Tips to Help You Quit Weed

Pre. Preparation

Yeah I know, preparation sounds a bit much but this is a big one, truly you're working on something that will offer you positive benefits for years to come. So let's start by confirming why you want to make this positive change to your relationship with Cannabis.

Questions To Ask Yourself.

You can find plenty of longer questionnaires about your Cannabis use. How much? How often? How it affects you? But for now we can narrow everything down to these simple questions.

Do You Smoke or Use Cannabis Every Day?
Do You Mainly Smoke or Use Cannabis by Yourself?
Is Cannabis Your Primary or Only Way of Relaxing?
Are Your Constantly Trying & Failing to Cut Down or Quit?
Do You Often Feel Disconnected With Reality. Feel Frustrated & Unhappy About Life's Opportunities?
Are You Smoking or Using Cannabis to Suppress Uncomfortable Feelings & Emotions?
Are You Smoking or Using Cannabis to Avoid Dealing With Problems?
Are You Smoking or Using Cannabis to Avoid Dealing With Life?
Do You Still Enjoy Smoking or Using Cannabis?

This is not a questionnaire just a snapshot as to why your Cannabis use might be controlling you to the point where it's is no longer adding positivity or enjoyment to your life. Nobody likes to be controlled, right?

Starting to Stop: #1 Acceptance & Motivation

Acceptance: If not now, when?

Let's be straight, if you've come this far I'd suggest that your answers confirm that you're serious about quitting or at least gaining some control and you're looking for some ideas, some guidance and support.

"So I guess this means accepting that something has to change"

Acceptance is an incredibly important part of any challenging change-process, it means that however scary or difficult you think the path ahead will be, you're accepting you don't really have much of a choice. Yes you could carry on as before but you're accepting that the path you're currently walking is not working for you. You're accepting that for now Cannabis is more of a problem for you than a benefit. You're accepting that keeping things the way they are is going to keep you stuck, you're accepting that if now is not the time for change then it might never be. In other words... If Not Now, When?

Motivation: What do you want? What do you really, really want?

Now is the time to be clear and honest about the things in life that weed is getting in the way of. The best way to do this is to write them down. For example you may write something like this.

I want to stop smoking weed because
It’s bad for my health.
It’s a waste of money.
I feel guilty because I know I should be stopping.
It makes me anti-social, so I miss out on stuff.
It’s hard to focus when I’m stoned, etc.

Or This.

It’s shit.
It makes me crazy.
It gives me mood swings.
It steals my energy.
It makes me paranoid, etc.

Others might write something like this:

I’m married to dope. This causes ongoing relationship problems. The continual cycle of getting stoned and trying to quit is driving me crazy. I want to know the truth about who I am and what I think about things, etc.

Now is the time for you to write your motivation.

Make this an ongoing process over a few days. Don’t be surprised if some of your strongest motivations for change

come to you when you’re stoned. Just write them all down, day or night, starting like this: I want to stop smoking cannabis because …

After two or three days you should have quite a list. It doesn’t matter if they’re small reasons or if you see them as being highly significant, they all go toward creating a whole, a picture of what led you to this point. When you have written as much as you think you are ever going to write, copy your motivations down one more time on a brand new piece of paper, either typed or in your best handwriting.

Why do I need to write it out again? I’ve already done it once!

This information is important. Treat it with respect. These are not just words on paper, this is real. This is the reality of your life. It’s a reality that you probably haven’t shared much with others, if ever. In fact, it’s probably one of the most important bits of paper you may ever have in your possession. The act of writing it again allows you to examine, one more time, your commitment to these changes.

Next, based on what you have already written, write a short positive visualisation of how your life might be in 12 months’ time, having not smoked weed for this period. Your visualisation might look something like this:

It is now … (Today’ date + one year ahead).

"I haven’t smoked weed for 12 months, life is now different because …I come home and feel comfortable in my

surroundings. I am stable and confident and not led by my emotions. I can see more clearly, I’m more in control, more centred, less moody. I can have fun and now enjoy life to the full, without the need to smoke maintaining the illusion that I am making everything better all of the time".

Or it could look something like this …

"I am not so scared anymore. I am happier, and less anxious about people and situations. I am actually proud to be the

person I am again. I have drive and motivation back in my life".

Or this …

"I am more sociable. I visit friends more often, or go out for drinks with people at work, rather than rushing home to get stoned by myself all of the time. I no longer feel detached from what is going on around me. I am now enjoying

natural sleep and feel much less tired".

Again write or type this carefully on a clean piece of paper, you're going to use it again later.

Starting to Stop #1: Setting a Quit Date

I'm going to level with you, perhaps you're thinking that you can cut down to a manageable level and stick to it. I'm not saying this isn't possible but for those who have smoked or used weed every day for a number of years it can be very dispiriting to try over and over again and keep slipping back to where you were, which is why I recommend an initial clean break.

This might be for a few months or a few years, or it could be forever. The important thing is to get to a position where you are free to make some real choices around your Cannabis use, and in my experience you can only do this when your mind and body are feeling the benefits of being weed free for a prolonged period of time. A minimum of six months

I think I'm ready to stop now without cutting down

Some readers will be so ready, so inspired or desperate that they will feel they want to quit right now whilst others will be more comfortable cutting down first.

Those of us with the addictive gene tend to be how should I put it... a bit impulsive.

Inspiration is important but so is preparation. But maybe you've tried cutting down before and it didn't work. So if you feel ready to stop without tapering this is absolutely fine. Set your quit date and go for it. However I would suggest reading the rest of this article before going on to the next section as there are still some important first things first things to consider including finding some support and preparing your mental health.

I want to try cutting down (first)

If you're more comfortable cutting down first you also need to set a quit date.

Obviously the temptation is to leave it a good few weeks but I would suggest between seven and ten days is plenty long enough or it could be that you make a commitment not to buy any more when your current supply runs out, providing that is within ten days.

Starting to Stop #2: Monitoring Your Use.

So the first step is to get really conscious and reflect on when and how much you are using and perhaps even why.

Let me say at this point that when I was blazing I'd start the day by lighting up the half spliff that I'd left myself from the night before and along with two cups of coffee that would be breakfast. After that I'd just carry on smoking throughout the day - every day.

However I've also helped people who could not get to sleep without smoking one strong spliff before bed. A habit that they desperately wanted to quit because the affects lasted well in to the next day, leaving them unable to function at work.

Others don't light up until they're home in the evening, the problem often being that they would spend all day thinking about the moment they're going to get home shut the door and get high. This is actually quite a painful and frustrating way to live your life.

The point is whatever your habits or pattern of behaviour around weed if you want to change it the best place to start is by observing yourself and your thought processes.

Perhaps like I used to, you simply keep topping up your high throughout the day. If that is the case make a note on your phone A taste here, a puff there; that must-have spliff when you wake up, before sleep or after a meal. Is this simply habit or boredom or is something else going on?

Maybe you go a few days with a straight head and something triggers and you're back blazing for days and weeks on end.

What's the trigger. Habit? Boredom? Anxiety? Depression? Anger? Sadness? Hopelessness?

We're going to come back to those trigger emotions, but meanwhile make those notes, writing how often and how you are feeling before you reach to get high let's do this for about a week to see what patterns emerge.

Be honest and recognise that some feelings including what we think of as boredom are so uncomfortable that the only way we can deal with them is to numb-out and not to feel anything at all.

Then again positive emotions can be triggers as well. I remember once I was in this perfect situation. The end to a lovely summer day, a heartbreakingly beautiful sunset looking over miles of lush countryside. Sandals, t-shirt my arm round my partner and yet... I really, really needed to smoke a joint. Why? to make it more perfect? God knows because even today I don't understand but I had to smoke weed, and of course it broke the moment. Suddenly it all felt unreal, in the time I'd taken to roll my joint the light had dimmed I became conscious of the insects I started thinking about the problems of getting back I felt a bit tired. Grrrr.

Listen; Don't get hung up on this diary business, It's not a mission that you've got to note every spliff for a month but if you can do this small task for a few days ideally a week this will be great pre-preparation.

Starting to Stop #3: Finding Support

Who to Tell?...And who not to tell

Get Your Support in Place Before You Quit Weed

Finding Support will be a key element to help you as you begin to change your relationship with Cannabis but support has to come from the right person or people at the right time.

Possibly this is not the first time you've been through this process and previously you might have told family members or friends before quitting only to slip up and be too embarrassed to tell them that things haven't gone to plan.

Is it really necessary to put that kind of pressure on yourself? Ultimately it's you alone who needs to be clear about your plan and your motivation but there are exceptions.

What about my partner for example?

One way or another, relationship issues are a frequent reason people decide to address their weed habit. If you are sharing your life with someone ideally you should be able to count on them for support, although this may not always be possible.

Maybe you both are active Cannabis users, you are ready to quit yet they are not.
Maybe they have been encouraging you to quit for a long time and it's only now that you feel ready and you're scared to fail.
Maybe they thought you quit some time ago and you have been less than honest with them.
Maybe they like the fact that you smoke weed because it seems to keep you calm and under control.

Naturally, couples often smoke together, and this can make the dynamics of a shared habit really hard to unravel. Perhaps one partner might smoke recreationally when the mood takes them whilst for the other it's a problem for them to have anything in the home because they tend to smoke addictively every single day.

When I was smoking I knew a lovely couple whose life together revolved around weed – talking about it, growing it, and of course smoking it. At different points of the year, like clockwork, one of them would decide it was time to quit, but unfortunately never together at the same time. The problem was one of timing. If you are both genuinely ready at the same time, it does make the process easier.

It’s perfectly possible, for a couple to quit separately, but the person still using has to be supportive

and crucially unthreatened by their partner’s decision.

In the case of my friends at least they both knew what it was like to feel ready to stop even if they weren't ready themselves at the precise moment when their partner was.

Meaning that each could be sympathetic and supportive when the other felt it was time to quit.

(As far as I know both eventually did quit by the way but there was probably a three month gap)

Practically speaking, this means – not smoking in the same room when someone is quitting, probably not even smoking in your shared home and not leaving your supply on display and easy for them to find.

Go out to the garden or yard if you're lucky enough to have one or go for a discreet walk round the block. Just don’t be blowing smoke in your partner’s direction. Rather turn up the love and understanding even and especially when the going gets tough for them.

As a supportive partner you may well have to put up with mood swings for the first few weeks or even months. Quitting, or cutting down a weed habit after many years of regular use is a major life change not only for the quitter but also for the relationship itself.

In other examples, If the quitting partner has a minor relapse, keep encouraging them to not give up on their intention. Remind them why they wanted to stop in the first place and that it's not an easy process but something that takes time and persistence.

Ask what would support them to get back on that wagon, some exercise maybe, a change of scene perhaps even a few tears and a hug.

To re-supply or not to buy? As ever it's all about choices

The truth is, not everybody will feel confident enough at this stage to delete their dealers’ contact details. Also here where I live where weed isn't legal, if you're under 18 it's easier to buy weed than booze or tobacco, just deleting a phone number is not going to make a difference. Or you may live in an area where Cannabis can be prescribed or sold and taken recreationally without any legal interference.

If so then the challenge, as ever is down to the choices you make. The opportunity is never far away if you know where to look and let's face it if weed is our thing, we always know where to look.

The really, really, important point is to remember the consequences of taking a backward step at this stage. It's just so easy to message that number or to put yourself in a situation where weed is available because of how you're feeling.

Just remember the painful feelings you want to run away from, just like an irritating itch will calm and subside when you don't scratch them. If you are constantly scratching and lapsing then your skin (you) becomes raw and you may never make the changes to make your future happier if you don't quit for long enough to find out what might be possible if you built up enough positive energy to put elsewhere.

Starting to Stop #4: Preparing Your Mental Health

Are you someone who suffers from anxiety and/or depression and uses weed to self-medicate?

This can work for a while but perhaps you are finding that your drug of choice is no longer working for you like it used to do in the early days.

You feel you need to keep smoking or using Cannabis because it's scary not to and yet you are still feeling anxious and/or depressed, not just some of the time but pretty much all of the time. Clearly something is not working and maybe, just maybe your weed habit; rather than acting as a calming distraction is actually helping to keep these painful feelings and fearful anxieties in place.

I'm not going to go too much in to why this might be except to say that one of the more obvious things when it comes to working on our mental health is to try and grow a feeling of being connected, plugged in to something bigger than ourselves to help us feel less of an outsider.

This can be hard if weed is keeping you stuck inside your own bubble of repetitive thoughts and behaviours or if you're hurting with painful social anxieties and shyness.

To be clear these negative mental health issues don't affect every person who ever lit a joint but it is something to be aware of.

So let's consider who you know who might support you with your mental health. Perhaps it's a parent, a partner or another family member. Perhaps it's a teacher or a medical professional. Whoever it is I suggest you also might want to tell them that you are considering quitting or cutting back on your Cannabis use.

Remember

"You are not to blame for your anxiety or depression. You are likewise not to blame for using Cannabis to treat it yourself in your own way. But are there healthier solutions that you haven't given a chance to yet?

Ideally you need the support of at least one person who really knows you.

Hopefully someone who cares about you or maybe someone with a medical or counselling background. Someone who understands about self-medication and that quitting is a process that will probably release some uncomfortable feelings, feelings that you may need support to process and get used to.

I'm not saying at this stage wait until the right person or people are in in your life but have a good think about who you might trust to approach because some level of personal support is going to be really helpful

Certainly I suggest contacting your local drug and alcohol support agency to see what ongoing support programmes might be available to you.

Also look online to see what support groups you can access.

You are looking for people who have been through this process and have come out the other side. People who would like nothing more than to offer support to those finding their way through the same problems and temptations that they have been through.

Starting to Stop #5: Cutting Down.

As you continue to monitor your use and start thinking who might support you during this process now is the time to start imagining what life might be like when you discover that weed no longer needs to control your life.

At this stage you might imagine there will be a big gap when you no longer have the distraction of living with your head in the clouds. Familiar hours and days and evenings passing in a reassuringly familiar blur.

So can you also imagine what it would be like to feel sharper, happier, and with more time in your life and money in your pocket?

"This is where you play with what it feels like NOT to be stoned"

Remember when you first started to smoke weed. It was an experiment.

Just like they say "Experimenting with drugs" Back in those early days when getting high was nothing but the biggest adventure.

So That's what music sounds like when I'm high
To dance when I'm high to kiss when I'm high and to walk for miles when I'm high, to lose my keys when I'm high
To laugh with my friends/sister/brother when I'm high
So that's what it feels like to save the world when I'm high. To be at school/work when I'm high.
To sit on a bus feeling how sad everybody else is whilst I'm high.
To forget what I was going to say when I'm high to be shy when I'm high.
To get drunk when I'm high to feel connected when high to feel lonely and high
to eat till I'm sick when I'm high to be tired but unable to sleep when I'm high.

"And a Million Other First Time Moments - Remember?"

And now you're going to experiment with doing those things and more without the distraction of weed. And yes to begin with it's going to feel strange.

So to help you get used to what that feels like it you're going to experiment in the same way as when you started but this time by cutting down. To not smoke every time you're used to smoking or want to smoke or think you need to smoke.

Let's take a day, maybe a weekend or a non-working day, where normally you'd allow yourself to be high most if not all of the day.

We're going to divide your day in to four hour chunks. That's right you're NOT going to get high for four hours when normally you would. After four hours you're going to allow yourself just one puff of a strong weed or maybe two if it's something less powerful. No more than that or just a quarter of what you would normally eat or drink if you're consuming edibles on a daily basis. Not as much as what you're used to that's the point - just a taste

Four hours later you're going to do the same again, and four hours later possibly before bed you're going to do the same one last time today. Not a whole joint just a puff or two at a push and crucially not as much as you are craving or normally take,

These are the rules of play

Maybe do this for two consecutive days but for your own sake be strict with yourself. You know the rules, keep to one or two puffs when the time comes. Don't give in; The point is to really feel what it feels like not to be as high as you would like to be.

The next step is to do the same experiment, the very next day but this time, you're going to go a little longer let's try seven hours without a taste. Remember after seven hours you can get high again, or if you're finding the process easier than you expected perhaps you can go a little further and go a whole 12 or 24 hours without topping up your high.

In fact to finish this little game I'm going to suggest before your actual quit date that you go at least one whole 24 hours without any new Cannabis in your system. Remember you can get high the day after if you choose to. This is not forever just experimenting with what 24 hours clean feels like. YOU CAN DO IT!

This is experimenting with quitting and it's going to take some inner determination to not give in and get as high or stoned as you normally would. You need to remember what you are doing and why. Keep reading your motivational papers that you wrote or are writing.

Try and hold any emotional feelings that are coming up for you perhaps examine them a little bit. As someone who is still at the cutting down process remind yourself that this is not the end, this is not the last time you will ever get high you're just experimenting.

"In fact if you want to ahead and stop playing this game you can. It's your choice. it's always your choice"

My guess is that you will find yourself continuously counting the hours and thinking about your next weed break however meagre. This is painful! So ask yourself is this anyway to live? To spend your life either stoned or worse still - wishing you were stoned or more stoned. Numb and wasted.

But there is good news; this is great preparation for your first 48 hours weed properly weed free.

When you quit and when you push through I promise you that one day sooner than you think you will live not just 48 hours but a whole week without even thinking about Cannabis. Not once

Cannabis half-life.

All mood altering drugs and substances have a half-life which in simple terms is the time taken for your anatomy to metabolise a substance as the physical effects leave your body.

With Cannabis for infrequent users it is estimated that weed is still affecting you for perhaps one to two days after your last ingestion. For heavier longer-term users it's more like four to seven days.

Your brain and body will have built up tolerance, so for you to feel some sort of normal you will need to be topped up to the level you're used to.

If you consume edibles rather than smoke weed especially on a regular basis then I'd suggest that the affects will take slightly longer to be metabolised through your liver and kidneys. Either way what you are doing is experimenting with what it feels like to not fill your 'high' right up to its tolerance level.

Starting to Stop #6: Final Play

OK before you reach your actual quit date lets see if you can go a whole 24 hours without putting any new Cannabis in to your system.

It's the same story, you're continuing to reduce the levels of THC and CBD in to your body but at this last stage you can smoke or use again tomorrow, just a puff or two but after that you're going to quit and if you've got any Cannabis left, you're going to throw it away.

"Throw it away? Are you Crazy"

If you are a good planner you will only have a tiny amount to throw away. Enough for one last little smoke. But you're not going to smoke it or eat it, you're going to throw it away.You're not not even going to give it away, you're going to throw it away along with all the tools and paraphernalia of your old weed habit. Pipes bongs, even the comforting box or bag that you've kept your stash in for so many years.

Symbolism is important in ways that sometimes are hard to understand. The act of throwing away something that you would very much like to keep or use is a real act of sacrifice. It symbolises that you are willingly losing something that is really important to you. Something that once served you well but is now causing you more trouble than it is worth. It symbolises a true act of self-will. Your first on a journey towards freedom and self-reliance.

If you're not a planner and more of a hoarder then you're going to be throwing away something of some monetary value. I remember on one Clearhead workshop a participant threw a significantly valuable amount of hashish into a nearby lake.

Crazy? Not really you're showing a real commitment to freeing yourself from something that has been part of your life for years but is no longer working for you.

DONE - FINISHED - TIME TO MOVE ON - CONGRATULATIONS.

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