Recovery From Cannabis Addiction
This website has been constructed by recovering cannabis addicts who would like to offer some simple help and advice to other people in a similar situation.
We also hope that this website will be a useful resource for the family, friends and colleagues of anyone who has become addicted to cannabis, serving as a useful reminder that recovery is a process not an event...
Although some argue that cannabis is not addictive, there are thousands of us whose lives have been seriously affected by our use of this drug and our hopes and plans for life have been gradually eroded by regular cannabis use.
At first we felt relaxed, euphoric and "chilled out" by our cannabis use. For many of us, this seemed to provide the perfect antidote for a stressful life and deepened our connection to others, to music and of course to food !
However, many of us moved beyond the occasional and recreational use of cannabis, into a world where we became trapped and lost inside ourselves, increasingly separated from our interests, our loved ones and our dreams for life.
Becoming increasingly trapped by the internal dialogue which helped to deny, justify, normalise and minimise our addictive behaviour, we turned time and again to the very thing that once gave us sanctuary and peace and now caused misery and progressive isolation.
We were unable to listen to and appreciate the concerns that people who loved us shared with us. Their voices became a background whine and whimper and their efforts to help us were undermined by our own addictive behaviour.
Our families and friends were often unable to realise that they couldn't control or cure our addictions and that they certainly did not cause it. Our tendency to blame and exploit the goodwill and generosity of others enabled our addictions to continue and our "chief enablers" continued to blindly feed and maintain us in our addictive pursuits. It was not their fault, they were only trying to help.
Despite the mounting evidence that our lives were becoming increasingly problematic and out of control, we were unable to see how our use of cannabis had become addictive and was now the primary cause of difficulties in our lives.
Switching jobs, taking up new interests, and "relaxing" more, all failed to curb this downward progression and halt the spiral of despair we were now encountering.
For some of us, television, music, pointless conversation and long moments of dreamy contemplation seemed to become our closest friends and helped cucoon us in our cannabis induced bubble. Our lives were "on hold" whilst we watched others flourish and fully enjoy theirs.
Others of us carried on with false pretence, presenting a confident and happy outward facade that denied the turmoil, shame and sense of isolation we felt within. Our greatest fear was that this mask would slip and others would see our crippling sense of inadequacy and need.
Within time, each of us came to our own unique turning point, where we begun to see the reality of our situation and the tedious nature of our existence.
Some of us got help immediately, whereas others of us tried to cut down, control and switch addictions.
Those that got help generally did well. Those that didn't got worse.
We soon realised that kidding ourselves that we were able to control our use of cannabis was one of the great "rip offs" of our addiction and one of the many deceptive faces of our condition.
Those of us who got help found this process hard but incredibly beneficial. We gave up cannabis altogether and started the journey of recovery. As a result, our lives took a dramatic turn. Realising that we were "powerless" over our use of cannabis gave us an incredible freedom and power within our lives.
Those of us who continued using cannabis carried on until the "cannabis rut" got so painful and crippling that we had no other option other than to get help.
Some of us carried on and ignored the mounting evidence that cannabis was killing us, only to face unemployment, homelessness, jails and institutions. We were living a life not worth living. Tragically some people died.
Those of us who got help and are now drug free, continue to take stock of our lives and instead of feeling the despair and loneliness we once experienced in addiction, we now feel gratitude, hope, and joy in our lives.
Our new found freedom has created a gratitude for our families, our jobs and our homes and we have transformed the suffering that once dominated our lives into kindness, humour and happiness.
Although we are proud of our new outlook, it has not been without effort, pain and necessary change.
Trying to help others break free from addiction and enjoy the many opportunities within our lives is one of the wonderful gifts and tools of our own recovery process. With recovery from addiction it is said that "you have to give it away to keep it".
There are thousands of us who are doing exactly that.
Here is a general outline of our own process of recovery from cannabis addiction:
If you can identify with some of these words and are concerned about your own or another persons addiction please look at the links in:
"Where to Get Help"
