Hi Everyone,
I am new here and can hardly navigate this site, so I hope I will be able to find this thread again later on to see if there are replies and engage with other people.
I feel like I have gone from one very bad addiction, nicotine, to another much less bad one, but still an addiction. I smoked cigarettes for decades and finally became nicotine free in 2015 and haven't touched a cig since then. Hooray.
But I did pick up a cannabis addiction. Although it is not very much, less than one joint a day, I am continuously taking in small amounts to run an almost constant buzz.
Quitting nicotine was one of the hardest things I ever did and I'm proud of that accomplishment. I feel ashamed that now I have this other addiction to deal with.
Drug and alcohol abuse is a common problem today. Just like any addiction, its a problem that you cannot solve on your own. While treatment centers can provide you solutions, you must want to help yourself. Support groups can be helpful but just like you choose not to smoke cigarettes you can make the same choice about marijuana
Fighting addiction takes hard work and the willingness to do whatever is necessary to not smoke but the effects are worse. Make a list of the reasons you need to quit and focus on that list whenever you have the urge to use and tell yourself no. Use the same techniques you use to quit smoking. you have admitted you have a problem, you are on your way to recovery. Your addiction can and will be beaten. Behavioral therapy may be a plausible route.