Quitting Pot - The Nasty 4 Letter Word That Is Stopping You

There are many things that seem keep you from quitting pot: Social reasons, stress, lack of a plan and so forth but hiding behind these excuses hides a nasty little devil that we either do not recognize or we do but try to hide him all the same; it is a dirty 4 letter word starting with ‘F’

That’s right … it is FEAR (what did you think I was talking about?)

We all like to think we can do what we want but there are obstacles in our way that stop us when the reality is that fear plays a much larger part in it that we will care to admit and if you have a been a long time smoker of marijuana it only intensifies because the alternative seems to much further away.

Most fear is quite subconscious however and usually shows its influences in the form of procrastination “I will quit: next week … after my birthday … when I finish this last bag of weed” etc or more overtly as an imagined obstacle “I can’t quit yet I will: lose my friends … suffer terrible withdrawals … lose my creativity.” etc. In the end though we realize what must be done it just seems to hard right?

This is not isolated to quitting marijuana addiction though or even any other addiction but can be applied to so many things in life whenever we need to embark on something new, a change of lifestyle or a new project or anything that we can not control the outcome.

The key is to not let it stop you from doing the things you know you have to do!

Here are a few main ways fear infects you and stops you quitting the bad habits that are holding you back and remember that courage is facing fear and doing what needs to be done despite of it, it is not the absence of fear itself!

Fear of Failure

Innumerable psychological studies have shown that the fear of failure is the main obstacle to personal success. This is linked closely to self-esteem in that we so closely link any task to our own self worth and so rather than risk possible humiliation we never even try … and if we do try and we do fail it negatively reinforces it all over again.

So how do we get over this fear of failure and all the negative self worth baggage that comes along with it?

• Admit to yourself that you are afraid of failure to quit smoking pot.
• Understand that if you stumble and fail, give in for just one smoke etc that it is not the end .. just something to learn from.
• Relish the learning experience, and reject the illusion of humiliation, this can seem hard but once it becomes an ingrained habit it is a tool you can use for everything in life.

Fear of Success

Why the heck should anyone fear success?? If you want to quit smoking marijuana then why would we be afraid of being able to do it? This can be a tricky concept and is one of the hardest to puzzle out but basically it is because we are afraid of change and the new challenges that come with change that drive this, instead of thinking about positives we subconsciously associate success with all the problems that might come with it rather than the positives it will bring.

Success can also inject a few things into life that seem scary and can be overwhelming: Will your friends be hateful of your choice? Will you no longer be able to feel a high? How will you combat stress now? Any of these feel familiar?

Here are some tips to fight back against this type of fear:

• Change comes no matter what happens, quit or keep smoking change will come so why not quit and face the change with a clear head and a fuller wallet?
• Babe Ruth held the home run record and the strikeout record simultaneously. Keep swinging for the fences.
• The positives that you get from quitting pot are not just the fact you will not be smoking and all that comes with that but it is the drive and determination and life lessons you will gain from the journey too.

Fear of Social Rejection

This can be a part of a fear of success but seems to have a special place for many people looking to quit smoking weed. Often your entire circle of friends may be smokers and the fear of them rejecting your choices can lead to you feeling like they are rejecting you as a person not just your life decision.

So, how do we avoid our fear of social rejection? Some do not do anything and do not even try but this is going to leave you unfulfilled and scared to do anything for yourself, so instead these tips may help you get over this fear.

• Remember, you’ll never please everyone. Some people may be supportive and some will never be … who do you want to be your friends anyway?
• Your life choices are your own, not theirs and it does not reflect on their choices either, if you let them know that and do not judge them then they have no right to judge you.

Fear of Risk

Like a fear of success this is a fear of the unknown, it is however more focused on being ’safe’. No one ever got anywhere in life by not taking some risks and the same is true of stopping marijuana use because safety is about the status quo and not moving out of your comfort zone where everything seems controllable compared to the alternative.

Our brains actually are geared this way too which makes it doubly hard to beat this fear as we are hard wired to embrace consistency and familiarity. However better things are only there for those who seek the unfamiliar. Try to remember these things in your goals.

• What is the worst that could happen? Will quitting pot really be that hard or difficult?
• Risk-taking breeds self-confidence. Each step you take, each day you abstain from smoking will give you the energy to take the next step, face the next day until you conquer the fear completely
• Do not over think it! Just do it!

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How To Stop Smoking Marijuana - Understanding Your Addiction

A common misconception about marijuana addiction is that like cigarettes and some hard drugs in that the body develops an addiction to a chemical and if deprived of it brings on serious physical cravings that can near incapacitate some people. This is however totally incorrect and is one of the main reasons people misunderstand the addiction and fail when trying to quit.

So what is the secret on how to stop smoking marijuana? Why am I addicted to a non addictive substance? … The answer is psychological.

Since your body has no desperate need for pot the addiction this creates is mental or psychological. Psychological addiction stems from a person’s addiction to the high that an action creates; gambling addiction is the same when people are addicted to winning and even shopping can be a psychological addiction when people get addicted to finding bargains and buying nice things even if they will never use them. In the end they are all similar in that this high becomes something a person wants so much they believe it is a need and will continue to smoke pot because they think they cannot do without it and continue chasing the high.

However to combat this we need to go even deeper and look at why that initial addiction to that high began. What drove you to start smoking and what drove you to continue smoking. Some people simply fell into it because their friends all smoked, others use pot as a was to escape stress or to escape from abuse and others still smoke marijuana because they lack direction in their lives and it feels like an easy way to waste time which they find they cannot escape from. There are as many reasons for addiction as there are addictions meaning everyone is different but the common link is everyone one needs to understand their addiction and the cause before they can really learn to quit forever.

If you can find these reasons then you can start taking action to stop smoking marijuana. Some methods include meditation, finding rewarding hobbies, exercise, finding different social groups and so on. These solutions often have to be hand tailored by the addict so they can fill that time they spent smoking with other activities that are healthy and bring a sense or reward without being high. Though some have to be careful they do not simply pick up a replacement addiction which can be just as bad.

So how to stop smoking marijuana is actually how to understand all aspects of your addiction and then finding the willpower and help you need to fill your life with healthier and better things. good luck!

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How To Quit Pot - 4 Tips To Quit Weed Addiction Forever

While Marijuana is not a hard drug like heroin, cocaine or ice and has not been linked to cancer and heart disease like cigarette smoking the overuse of pot has ruined or inhibited many lives. Whatever your reason for wanting to know how to quit weed forever these tips for quitting pot may help you live the life you want to.

1. Understand your addiction

The first thing you must do is realize what your addiction actually is. You see, unlike cigarettes which contain nicotine which causes a chemical addiction in your body that gives you physical cravings for a smoke pot has no such chemicals. The addiction most pot smokers have is what is labeled a mental addiction. This means that there is no chemical or physical need to go an smoke some Marijuana, it is instead simply something you have come to believe you need because it is comfortable and the high you get feels good and you do not want to let it go; this is a psychological need;

2. Understand your psychological need

Once you can accept that your addiction stems from a psychological need you can move to understand that need. Is smoking an escape from a harsh reality? Is it simply a symptom of boredom? Is it because all your friends use pot too? The reasons we develop addictions are many and varied but understanding the core of it can allow you to set yourself free.

3. Find something to replace your addiction

This does not mean find another drug! It does however mean that while you try to quit pot you need to develop some coping mechanisms when you feel the need to use pot again. Finding something creative and fulfilling to fill that void can often lead to great things.

4. Develop your will to quit

As was said, Marijuana is not chemically addictive so quitting comes down to willpower. Now this does not mean that if you feel the need to use pot again you have weak willpower as psychological addiction can be very strong in people especially those who have used weed for many years. It does however mean that it will come down to what you do and the support the people around you offer, there are no pot “patches”.

How to quit smoking pot is much easier said than done but it is very possible to quit weed forever if you understand your addiction and take steps to remedy this core problem along with some willpower and a drive to succeed you can do this!

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Are you sick of wasting your life in a cloud or marijuana smoke?
Do you want to kick your pot addiction successfully?
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What Benefits are There To Giving Up Pot?

The benefits of giving up pot can be listed point form from a huge variety of perks that can help you in your daily life and long term but one question people who are looking for benefits of quitting marijuana need to also ask is what benefits do I really want?

We can list a string of good reasons to quit but none of them really mean anything to an addict if they do not close to home and have real and personal meaning to their own situation. Without this personalized benefit all other good points may not stick in their mind when the temptation of smoking weed comes up and all of these vaguely good sounding things just become… well too vague, distant and out of context sometimes.

For this reason when looking ahead at the benefits of giving up pot you need to make sure you pick a personalized reason. It may be based of a general reason you may have found online or from what people tell you but you must take this reason or reasons and OWN them. Make them your own by making them specific to your needs and wants for the future with distinct GOALS you can try to achieve as that benefit.

For example, if you are finding you have no motivation to do anything and find you are losing contact with friends because of your habit, “extra motivation” may not be enough. Instead look at the benefit as “reconnecting with my social circle” because “Being with my old friends makes me feel great!”

Seek, find, personalize; set a goal and you will have all the benefits of being pot free set in front of you!

For more information about marijuana addiction and how you can achieve a pot free life click below.

http://www.kick-addiction.com/marijuana-addiction/

How To Stop Smoking Weed - Overcoming Social Pressures

One of the biggest obstacles you can face when trying to figure out how to stop smoking weed is how to overcome the social pressures of the task. This can come in many forms from friends and family who smoke to those that do not and not to mention the complex social interactions between all of this with you at the center trying to quit!

So how do you deal with these problems, keep your friends and family happy and still manage to quit? The answer lies with empathy

The ability to feel what others may be feeling and to be able to judge what they might be thinking is an invaluable tool in navigating social issues. Since most of the time the problems comes from revealing you are trying to quit to friends or family that are still using pot, the way you approach this and how you need to change your social dynamics is where you need a good sense of empathy.

For instance, a common situation is the worry that hanging with your friends who smoke pot will tempt you to smoke but telling them might make things awkward to the degree they ostracize you from the group. This is a reasonable fear but why they would do this is what you need to focus on. In most situations when someone reacts badly to your announcement it is because they feel you are judging their lifestyle by wanting to change yours from them … there is an instant disconnect and hurt feelings.

This can be avoided with the right approach which must be dealt with by wording it a way that does not condemn them and their habits but puts the focus on your need to do something different rather than saying smoking is a problem but it is just a problem for YOU. This can sometimes get you allies who might have been thinking the same for some time or might gain support even in words and encouragement or even being polite and not offering you joints or not smoking near you.

Understanding the viewpoint of other people in your social circle is essential to be able to quit with help and support while retaining friends and family bonds.

Click here for more help and inspiration to quit smoking weed for good

Should You Ask Them To Quit Smoking Weed?

Asking someone to stop smoking marijuana is a thorny issue for so many reasons I may not have time to list them all but the fact of the matter is that usage of marijuana can cause extreme friction between friends, family and lovers. This friction has led to merely unpleasant to sometimes horrific scenarios of break ups, ostracism, estrangement which can all too often leave the addict further in the grips of marijuana. It seems like it should be a no brainer then but let’s take a step back for a moment.

Should you ask them to quit smoking weed?

• Will this cause any problems?
• Do you have the right to ask them to stop?
• Do you know why you are asking them to stop?

These are all important questions to think of when you are deciding to confront someone about their marijuana addiction because if done in the wrong way with the wrong reasons you could cause a rift that is harder to heal and the friction between you will also still remain.

The reasons WHY you want them to quit smoking weed are the most important and these reasons need to be well defined to yourself before you even consider broaching the topic with this marijuana user. Many might simply say ‘because I do not like it’ but that is not a convincing argument to any pot smoker. Instead you need to make sure you understand and can express truthfully your own motives. Also, when considering should you ask them to quit smoking weed you should make sure that the reasons you have and the outcomes this would give would have benefits to BOTH of you or it may be seen as a selfish act even if you are sincerely concerned for their well being.

If you can answer all these questions and believe that you can broach the topic without incurring anger from the other person then yes you can ask them to stop smoking marijuana but you must be prepared to be drawn into an argument and be able to stay calm and focused and positive during it because an addict needs:

• Help, not condemnation
• Support, not shame
• And understanding, not retaliation

http://www.kick-addiction.com

5 Benefits of Giving Up Marijuana

Giving up weed is a personal choice for those whose pot smoking habits are becoming uncontrollable and are damaging their life. While not everyone who smokes pot is addicted or has negative effects from their smoking many that are having trouble with addiction and pot often need to see the positive benefits of being off the drug to start their journey. The benefits of giving up marijuana are many and varied but 5 of the most common perks that ex-potheads mention are as follows:

• 1. Freedom - This can mean a lot of things to different people but many ex smokers have been amazed at how their life changes once they do not feel they are enslaved to pot. They choices they make are clear and do not come with an addicts restrictions of when they are going to light up, where they will take a hit and so on. Freedom from the chains of addiction is liberating and opens more doors than you imagine when you are still smoking and are addicted.
• 2. Money - Marijuana is not cheap. Some may have money as the last thing on their list of benefits with more concern with their physical health and mental health but once free of addiction many comment on just how much money they saved not having this habit that now goes towards much more positive things like savings, loan repayments, movies, better food, gym memberships, clothes or anything else that makes your life easier or better. Money should probably not be THE key motivator when you are trying to quit because you need to want to quit not be forced to by monetary constraints however.
• 3. Clarity - Clarity of mind and clarity of purpose is something marijuana smokers tend to lack from heavy use. This is not permanent however, most people who quit find that after a few weeks to a few months they start to think more clearly as the THC leaves their system and their brain chemistry rebalances from years of pot smoking that changes how it all works.
• 4. Motivation - Many marijuana smokers suffer fro a sever lack of motivation which may have to do with the chemistry of marijuana and your body but it may also simply be a mindset of addiction. In any case, quitting pot has been shown to help with energy levels and motivation through being smoke free but also from the journey that revitalizes motivation to be able to quit properly too.
• 5. Self Worth - Self esteem can hit rock bottom during addiction and can take even more hits when trying to hit because not everyone quits first time with ease and may stumble along the way. However those that make it through to the end find their opinions of themselves hit a record high from their accomplishment of overcoming addiction and then adding all the other benefits of giving up marijuana on top of that it can provide a new start to many peoples lives!

So if you are struggling with a marijuana addiction and these sound like the sorts of things you want to experience then click below to find out how you can kick your addiction and live life to the fullest again!

http://www.kick-addiction.com/marijuana-addiction/treatment

Are All Addictions The Same?

A question that has been asked by many people and I have been considering of late is are all addictions the same and if so do they all have common treatment methods?

I am a little divided in my own mind on the subject because there are a lot of similarity between any sort of addictions leading to a view that there may be a lot of very common elements that can be treated in the same way.

There are also many differences though in circumstance and in the case of drug addiction the dependence caused by addictive chemicals.

To me this means that logically we can treat the parallel issues in a similar way which primarily deals with the psychological addiction to a drug or behavior. Through introspection of the root causes of what makes people succumb to this type of compulsive behavior we can bring to light the reasons underneath the excuses and perceived need of this addiction.

From there things may vary but motivation for a better life beyond the addiction is still common but how you apply this motivation to be relevant to each type of addiction is where we start to vary in approach.

So are all addictions the same? I cannot say yes but there are enough links between every sort of addiction to be able to tie them together under a single banner so that we may learn about one addiction from others as well.

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Advice on How to Quit Marijuana: Avoiding Roadblocks - Part Two

In part one we discussed how problems in our life can present what may seem like barriers that we cannot overcome and force many people to turn around and give up on their attempt to quit smoking pot. This advice on how to quit marijuana will continue on with some common and not so common examples of how former pot smokers have handled these situations.

Social obstacles
Many marijuana addicts are social smokers as well as on their own and many have a culture that is based around smoking pot and all their friends do and often their families too. Recently I heard of a girl who was stressed out because all of her close friends smoked pot but she really wanted to stop and felt that if she revealed this to her friends there would be social consequences. This may have been understandable but the stress and anxiety over losing her friends nearly broke her resolve until she was advised to look at the issue a little closer and found that the problem in her mind had become a lot bigger than it really was. By simply talking to her friends about how she felt it was best for her without judging her friends she found that most actually supported her and some decided to join her in her efforts! This was a classic example of a speed hump where the obstacle only seemed impassable and became smaller only when she had the courage to go over it.

Family Obstacle
Sometimes a social problem is not as easy to overcome however as another common problem is when your family all smoke and you cannot move out, and even worse they do NOT support your efforts to quit. A lack of freedom and space can make if very hard and if you can not change those around you and receive no support the stress can be very high and drive you back to smoking as it can be too hard not too. This is more a of a road block as you are caught between a rock and a hard place and it feels like there is no solution. In these times you have to be a little more creative and find a new way, the individual in question here fond a way forward by realizing that the roadblock that was his living conditions and addicted family was the only reason he kept smoking, not only this but a fairly abusive relationship with his father was sapping his will and all this stress and anxiety simply meant it was easier to smoke and fall into line even though he knew it was destroying his chances at a better life. The solution … to move out despite the horrendous difficulties this posed. It was a new path, a rocky path but it was this or return to the same problem. I head from this guy a few months later and now that he had quit smoking he had moved into a clean share house and while money was tight the benefits of being free was worth the hardship. This may not be possible for everyone but it shows how a rougher path can sometimes be the only way forward if you identify the crucial base problems for your continuing dependence on smoking weed.

Masking Problems
Another reason some people continue to smoke weed is that it is a way to mask another problem such as depression, anxiety or even rage and psychosis. Some feel that the effects of marijuana help them cope with these conditions but know that they need to quit, and then fall back to smoking because they feel they cannot handle whatever other problems they have. With this in mind the roadblock is the other condition they suffer from that stops them moving forward but the problem most face is that they think this other problem is unsolvable and often use it as an excuse to continue smoking because masking their problems is easier than fixing them. The answer? Treating the underlying problem of course! If this means going to therapy or buying medication designed to specifically deal with brain chemical imbalances then so be it but only by removing this roadblock will you ever move forward.

In the end all of these problems are about analysis, honesty and a motivation to do things other than just stopping smoking which is sometimes the easiest bit. By finding a path you can follow these stressful difficulties can be avoided and overcome making the road to find out how to quit marijuana that much easier, better and lasting too!

For more advice from someone who has been there and done that and knows the real reasons why people find it hard to quit click below to find out more.

http://www.kick-addiction.com/marijuana-addiction/treatment/

See part one here

Advice On How To Quit Marijuana: Avoiding Roadblocks - Part One

How to quit marijuana can seem to some people to be a very simple question and to others an incredibly complex one. Some may think this difference of opinion simply comes from peoples varying levels of commitment to their attempts to stop smoking pot and this is somewhat correct but the circumstances people are in have some of the greatest effects on people chances of kicking their weed addiction and many of the problems I like to call roadblocks.

A roadblock is something we think we cannot pass, an insurmountable obstacle set before us that stops our attempts to move forward and appear to a marijuana user trying to quit to be a point they cannot go past so they simply turn around and head back on down the same path because that roadblock is not going anywhere. Some examples I have seen include:

• Becoming extremely stressed when ceasing to smoke weed
• Panic attacks
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Nightmares
• Lack of support from friends and family
• Social ostracism
• … and many more!

These roadblocks I like to think fall into two categories and need different approaches.

Speed humps
A speed hump does not stop you going forward they simply slow you down, they are rough and sometimes fro a distance they look like you can’t get over them until you get closer and attempt it and realize they are not so bad! The only way to determine this is to look at the situation up close and work out can you just push on through it and it was fear of failure holding you back from giving up smoking weed not any real danger.

Barriers
A real barrier is something that you cannot get past, or if you do try you end up wrecking yourself or something else (or someone else). Often sever issues of mental health or extreme social issues can become real problems when you are trying to work out how to quit marijuana and it looks like the end. Obviously you cannot just power on here but there are other things you can do. Following the roads analogy I might be laboring a little bit we might see our path to quitting marijuana as a straight line with speed humps and sometimes a barrier ending our journey, but what if there was another path? What if we could go around that barrier or remove that barrier in a different way that just trying to drive on over it? The real secret to avoiding roadblocks is to not tackle them head on if you are going to lose but instead try to find a different path, think of new ways and approaches to the problem or sometimes realize that this roadblock might have to be removed by getting our of the metaphorical car and solving this issue first.

In part 2 on how to quite smoking marijuana: avoiding roadblocks I will get a few examples I have seen for a better understanding.

Advice on How to Quit Marijuana: Avoiding Roadblocks - Part Two

Help Me Quit Weed! - What Help To Seek & How To Help Yourself

Help! The word everyone has cried at some point in their lives and a word that is often underestimated, misunderstood and sadly often ignored. ‘Help me quit weed’ is not just something people say looking for a few tips and hints like it was some do it yourself project with some nails and a hammer. When we include help in anything we do it is a way to reach out and say to the world I am in trouble, I am floundering, I cannot do it on my own.

If this is how you feel do not be ashamed nor embarrassed because as has been said everyone cries out for help and if we did not we would never learn important skills and lessons. If you want to quit smoking pot the experience of others is very important to seek to better your knowledge and to maybe gain some support in your time of need. It also signifies that you realize you have an addiction strong enough that you feel your current motivation and willpower cannot overcome for a wide variety of reasons.

So where can you find help? An importantly … who should you ask?

The real trick with finding information, support and understanding is that sometimes these things should not all be found in the same place. An expert on drug use who has not used drugs can tell you many things that are important to know and will help you but will they give he same insight an ex-pothead might be able to give? Also people who quit smoking weed give the kind of support you need that might need a deeper bond? The answers vary wildly based on what you need and when you need it but a good guide is to be informed from multiple points of view and to find support in those who have empathy and understanding.

In the end however you must take the advice to your cry of ‘help me quit weed’ from others and apply that to yourself because no one can hold your hand forever and seeking help is the first step to helping your self not only in quitting marijuana but also in life beyond cannabis and into the future because in the end YOU must do the hard yards, but if you have knowledge and support behind you it makes it that much easier.

So if you are looking for help to quit smoking weed click below to find more information and support to help you get through this tough period.

http://www.kick-addiction.com/

Overcoming Weed Addiction - Does It Have To Be Difficult?

Overcoming weed addiction is often considered a difficult process and when you start out the road ahead may look like a journey filled with pain and problems that may turn you back to marijuana and back to your old way of life until it once more becomes unbearable and the cycle starts again. But does it have to be difficult? Is it as hard as we think when we set upon that path or are we sabotaging our own efforts by imagining the worst and making a self fulfilling prophecy with doubt and imagined difficulties?

The answer in many cases is NO, it does not need to be hard because overcoming weed addiction is mostly in your own mind!

This is not to diminish or belittle the challenges you might face and some people have some very bad situations to be quitting pot in but all the same it is the attitude you take into the process that will make things go smoothly or not. To be able to get an attitude of confidence and positivity in these situations is the key to turning any difficult situation into solvable problem and turn mountains into molehills in your perception of them. This may not seem possible but it is all in the preparation of your next few weeks trying to quit that counts, if you pack your mind with the right tools and information you will have all you need to tackle the issues and more importantly you will have the confidence to combat them making the process doubly less difficult!

To do this though you need a few things that only you can provide yourself.

• An honest assessment of your situation
• An honest assessment of why you are addicted
• An understanding of how marijuana addiction works
• A clear and defined goal to reach
• A clear understanding of the benefits of quitting
• A commitment to reach that goal and gain those benefits

So if you are ready to quit smoking pot and are looking for a foolproof way to overcome your weed addiction visit http://www.kick-addiction.com/marijuana-addiction/treatment/ to find out how thousands of others have kicked the habit and now live happier healthier lives.