Marijuana, Pot, Weed, Mary Jane, Wacky Tabaccy and so on ... Cannabis has earned itself many a name and along with it many supporters and many detractors. However all this means little to the person who is desperately wants to know how to stop smoking marijuana as they have tried and failed before.

This is called Marijuana Addiction and is where you believe you NEED to keep smoking pot for what could be a variety of reasons but all of them associated with the psychological addiction that this is.

You see cannabis itself is not an addictive drug like heroin or cigarettes with nicotine. The withdrawals symptoms of quitting marijuana are mild and for many do not even appear. For this reason marijuana addiction has more in common with behavioral addictions such as gambling or alcoholism where there is a certain high but no come down directly influenced by a lack of a certain chemical.

The good news is that marijuana addiction can be beaten and on doing so will set you free from habits that may have been holding you back. If you have decided to quit then obviously smoking pot has been inhibiting something in your life. Being controlled by any action or substance is a dangerous thing that limits our capabilities and makes it harder to make clean informed decision. Some other benefits of being off weed include:

• Clearer Head - While some people can smoke weed all weekend then get a suit and tie on for the week and suffer no consequences others find that long term smoking effects their thinking. That clouded state makes decision making hard and lowers your problem solving skills. Having these things back will help you in your career, relationships and in social settings.
• Better Memory - The stereotype of a forgetful pot-head is often very true. Poor memory can be blamed on marijuana usage. While not everyone who smokes weed has this problem you will be quite aware if you suffer from this. The effects have been proven to be temporary though and not permanent.
• Better Respiratory Health - While no where near as bad as cigarettes smoking marijuana does bring its fair share of problems to your lungs and throat. If you have been smoking cannabis cut with tobacco then this is even more important.
• More Money - I don't like mentioning this that often but when you add up how much you spend on marijuana a week you suddenly realize your finances could be in a lot better shape. Being able to buy better things, pay off debt and have savings is a powerful motivator.
  

This may be an odd thing to ask in a hub about quitting marijuana but it is a vital question to ask yourself. If you do not have an instant yes to this question then your journey will be all the harder. What this really does is makes you think about your real motivations to quit and just how committed you are to it against with what you personal love for weed really is.

A good exercise to get your head around your motivations and your commitment is to do a pros and cons list. Write down the good things about smoking marijuana in one column and the bad things about it in the other. Be brutally honest when it comes to the good things about pot, there is no point in lying to yourself for this.

For example:

Pro's

1. Social connections
2. Fun
3. Stress relieving
4. Something in common with partner
5. Enjoy the whole ritual

Con's

1. Got me fired from work
2. Empties my Bank Account
3. Prevents me getting a better job
4. Sucks away my motivation
5. Makes me lose track of time
6. Has taken over all other hobbies
7. Feel like a slave
8. Socializing is less fulfilling

This is a paraphrase of a friend of mine who did this so perhaps you can relate. The purpose is obviously to get your head straight about the facts of your own addiction but it is also the basis for a plan of action you can take to start beating your addiction!

Using the above list you can start your plan on how to stop smoking marijuana. A good start is to look at the positive things you have with smoking pot and start working out alternatives if at all possible to replace those things you like. For example:

1. Social connections - Join a club or group to get some new friends
   
2. Fun - Find a hobby that is fun and rewarding
   
3. Stress relieving - Learn meditation and find ways to stop whatever is stressing me
   
4. Something in common with partner - Ask partner to quit with me

These are quite general of course but planning something then tacking ACTION on it is the first thing you have to do to quit any addiction. Always remember to take a step forward when facing a difficulty not backwards. Even if that step forward turns out to land on shaky ground you just keep going forward and eventually you will outrun that addiction.

This part is quite hard to put into words in such a short space so if you want some more help with how to plan an exit to your marijuana addiction there is an excellent downloadable guide authored by an ex-pot head which I highly recommend.

The Cannabis Coach by Gary Evans is great because it gives you the insight, wisdom, motivation and planning tools to really give pot the boot. Gary has walked a mile in your shoes also and the things he says you will be able to instantly relate to as well.

To find out more about this guide visit the Cannabis Coach website here.

Good luck