• Are you ready to kick your marijuana habit for good?
• Interested in a few tips to make the process a little easier?

You might find the following information very useful.  This is what you can expect when you stop smoking pot, along with three very useful tips to make your experience a little less miserable

Why is Quitting Marijuana So Difficult?

Marijuana is really no different than alcohol, tobacco or any other mind-altering substance, and despite what many people will have you believe, it is a habit forming drug.  When marijuana is smoked or ingested regularly, the user builds up a tolerance for the drug and will need more and more of it to produce the same effect.  Soon, the body begins to become dependent on the drug, and when it doesn’t receive it, the user will begin to experience withdrawal symptoms.

Marijuana Withdrawal Symptoms

The severity of marijuana withdrawal will depend on how frequently and how long you have been using.  Generally, you can expect at least some of the following short-term symptoms:

• Cravings
• Depression and Anxiety
• Irritability
• Trouble sleeping
• Vivid dreams
• Loss of Appetite

These symptoms are usually temporary in nature, but can pose quite a problem if you don’t prepare for them in advance.  Below are three tips to help you manage the withdrawal symptoms of quitting and increase your chances of success.

3 Tips to Help You Quit

Studies show that because of the troublesome side effects of marijuana withdrawal, only a small portion of those attempting to quit the drug will be initially successful.  Here are three tips to help you avoid the pitfalls that these symptoms present:

1.  Have a Plan.

If you wanted to take a trip to someplace you’d never been, how would you go about getting there?  Would you get in the car and drive around aimlessly, hoping to discover your destination by accident, or would you look at a map and come up with a plan?

Chances are you’d choose the latter, and that’s the same approach you should take when quitting marijuana.

Before you quit, do some research and find out exactly what to expect, and then come up with a written plan for how you will approach each obstacle.  The more prepared you are the better chance you have to be successful. If you would like some help with the research, Quit Marijuana The Complete Guide has done a lot of the hard work for you.

2.  Have a Replacement in Place for Your Cravings

Perhaps the most difficult side effect—the one that most often dooms those trying to quit—are the cravings you will almost certainly experience.  When these cravings are the strongest, you’ll probably need some type of replacement activity (this does not mean another drug) to help keep your mind off of them.  Here are a few things others have used:

• Exercise
• Woodworking
• Biking
• Crossword puzzles
• Needlepoint

Choose any healthy activity that can help keep your mind occupied while your body adjusts to the absence of marijuana.

3.  Support

You don’t need to be a hero and go it alone.  Let your family and friends in on your plan to quit, and explain to them what you may be going through in the weeks ahead.  You may want to find a support group consisting of other addicts as well.  These are people who understand and can relate to the withdrawal symptoms you’ll face, and can help get you over some of the rough spots.  Studies show that people with a strong support system in place before they quit are as much as 10 times more likely to succeed than those that go it alone.

Quitting marijuana is not going to be easy, but nothing truly worthwhile ever is.  Don’t let the threat of temporary withdrawal symptoms deter you from your goal.  Follow these simple tips and your chances for success will improve dramatically.