12 Questions

1. Has smoking pot stopped being fun?
2. Do you ever get high alone?
3. Is it hard for you to imagine a life without marijuana?
4. Do you find that your friends are determined by your marijuana use?
5. Do you smoke marijuana to avoid dealing with your problems?
6. Do you smoke pot to cope with your feelings?
7. Does your marijuana use let you live in a privately defined world?
8. Have you ever failed to keep promises you made about cutting down or controlling your dope smoking?
9. Has your use of marijuana caused problems with memory, concentration, or motivation?
10. When your stash is nearly empty, do you feel anxious or worried about how to get more?
11. Do you plan your life around your marijuana use?
12. Have friends or relatives ever complained that your pot smoking is damaging your relationship with them?

Me!

me too!

2. I got high alone just as much as i did with friends which was all day long 
3. Just started getting my life back
4. Yes many of my friends smoke weed not all are pot heads and lucky enough my girl doesn't do it and supports me quitting
5. Not at first but i have used it at instances to get out of a depressed state and when i was a junior in high school i believe this caused me to become very depressed
7. I was off and on. I had two peaks to my marijuana use the first lasting for a good 3 months of my junior year in high school and 2 weeks recently which helped me quit by realizing the deja vu.
8. Yes
9. My memory when i'm driving became awful. School became impossible to comprehend. I was only motivated to do something I really aimed for other than that no motivation when i smoked the herb. And concentration at times made me feel like I was mentally retarded.
10. I kept a steady job and at a point I had significant amounts so it never was too big of a problem but when nobody was GOOD I would definitely FIEND
11. Not anymore
12. Yes my mom specifically

My name is Chris & I am a Marijuana addict. It worked great for years & then it stopped working, the lows were lower each time & my life had become unmanageable. I've 14 months clean & sober now, have a sponsor & am working the steps. I first came into MA in 1995 so its taken a while to sink in but now I can gladly say I'm a grateful recovering addict.

way to go chris
congratulations on amazing 14 months
welcome to the forum
look forward to hearing about how you did it

A marijuana addict is someone who can't stop using drugs in spite of its adverse effects. 

My name is Christian and I am a marijuana addict.  I've stopped smoking in November 2011 after more than 20 years of smoking daily.  Smoking marijuana was initially a fun, sociable, and something that I 'could go without'.  I was/am a musician, and we would smoke when we rehearsed, played gigs, etc.  I smoked very rarely up until my last year of college, as I was a competitive swimmer and didn't want to affect my lungs, and also was drug tested at national meets.  

I've suffered bouts of depression at various periods throughout my life, and have come to realize and put together that they mostly corresponded to when I stopped smoking for any lengthy period of time.  My wife left our relationship last November, after she had a relapse with narcotics.  We are still in contact, but a planning on a divorce.   I also have a three year-old son (my first child).  I've started working the steps, and am dedicated to being sober on all levels.  I stopped casual drinking.  I've found that I have grown depressed again, and I believe some of it is biological, however I think it is also related to not smoking marijuana and the period of 'detox', as well as finding healthy things to do with my time, rather than smoking.

I am an addict, and when I was smoking daily, i would worry about when i would run out of weed, planning ahead on getting more. I would become anxious and a 'jerk' if i was out, and wasn't much fun to be around.  It might as well have been 'harder' drugs, because that is how I was acting when i was using.  

I'm working the steps and am on step 2.  I am also an adult child of alcoholics, so addiction runs in my family.  I really want to live a sober life, for myself, as well as for my son and the future.  I also am working to find a sponsor.  Thanks

Thanks, Christian.

Been to any meetings?  MA, NA, AA, etc.

Welcome to the forum c4

 Yes billw I've gone to a couple of Al-Alon meetings recently,  which help.  I run my own business (another source of stress in my life currently), and also have my young son a  majority of the time, so tough to get to 12 step meetings on a regular basis, which is why I joined this forum.  Both my a-parents were alcoholics for my entire life as I mentioned  (I'm adopted but that's a different thread/forum).  I'm predestined for addiction, so I know quitting  is key in my life right now. I was raised in addiction, and taught not to show feelings, to mask pain with substances, etc.   I should have done it sooner, but i'm living in the moment now and for today and one step at a time.  Both my parents eventually went to AA.

I'm dedicated to this and have quit for good.  I'm also looking at CODA meetings, as I think that is also a factor in where I'm at right now.

Thanks for the comments.  I need to do this and was great to wake up this morning to see your response. And thanks for this forum Lou..

So c4 enjoy the journey 
No need to overburden yourself........don't smoke today 

Feel free to pm me your number I'll call any time you need

As far as finding time goes.......early on my sponsor reminded me I never had a problem finding the time to score, get high and stay high.

We won't go to a meeting cause it's raining or there is some snow on the ground or it's late......fill in whatever....
Yet we would drive in a blizzard 50 miles for a half a joint if we were out of pot.

I was told early on that if we put 25% of the energy we used getting high into recovery we'll be wildly successful 

It used to be that some Al-Anon meetings were designated as "AC" = Al-Anon Adult Children Group, aka ACoA = Adult Children of Alcoholics.  But it looks like that may have morphed into CoDA.

So, that's a good idea.  I went to a few of those years ago.  In my case it skipped a generation -- I'm an adult grandchild -- but it affected my mother in a big way.  It was certainly interesting to listen to some of the people...how being raised in such an environment so pervasively affected them.  Some of them seemed to have some really good insight into it all and had made great strides.

Lou - thanks for the support, and you are absolutely right; i would drive to the city nearby in rain, snow sleet etc. to get my bag, so no reason not to make the same trip for my sobriety.  I appreciate you sharing that with me.

Billw - i'm hitting a local CODA meeting tonight.  It'll be the first one in about five years.  I guess i'm trying to find the right 12-step 'fit' in my area.  I'll keep looking and working it. I read a ton, but want to get a sponsor so that I can work the steps and work on issues that are surely coming up since I've quit smoking pot.  I'm realizing that so much of my addition (as with so many other people) has been to 'stuff' the pain, not deal with emotions and feelings that can be difficult. It's going to take some time.

My chest has been tight today as I'm working,  but also dealing with all the feelings and emotions that are emerging constantly.  Just working on today.  I'm not craving anymore, which is great, but now is the hard part of working on the reasons behind my use and hitting those core issues I guess. 

Thanks for the words, guidance and support. This site is great, and it means so much to me.  Best

A  very good day today.  Was digging for some jeans that might actually fit me now that I've lost some weight (not pigging out on junk food nightly surely helps) , and came across some fairly large bags of old roaches, shake etc.  Didn't even think twice about picking it up and smoking.  Just burned it all in my outside fire pit.  Feels so good to be able to turn away from it and not 'need' it.  I'm also not willing to jeopardize my over 3+ months clean.  Man it feels good to not want to use today.  Thanks for this forum, and thanks for listening.

good move!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Lou!  It felt great, and I'm not going to jeopardize my clean days and have to start over back at day 1.  I also want to try and find some folks in my area (Western Burbs of Chicago) to see if we can start some land MA meetings.  I really believe in MA and recovery from addiction, and want to do what I can to continue to daily stay on the right path, as well as do my best to help others that may be struggling as well.  Thanks!

Do well. Spreading the message and helping the fellowship grow is soooooooo rewarding.