It’s been 6 days since I have smoked marijuana. Prior to that, I’d been smoking on and off for years, and most recently, every single day for about 6 months. It’s weird and yet liberating at the same time to kick the habit.

I had such a hard time falling asleep the first few days, having to take a herbal melatonin remedy to kick things into gear or else I’d be lying there til 6 am, exhausted but unable to go under.

On a related note though, my dreams have just been crazy. I’d heard about this – that weed effects the natural REM function of your brain or whatever – and that other people get this to, this crazy surge of dreams upon cessation of weed smoking. It’s a fun trade off I suppose – no more getting high, but them my dreams are all trippy in and of themselves.

My body didn’t experience any other kind of marijuana withdrawal symptoms other than insomnia and crazy dreams. Lucky for me, as some of my online contacts who are struggling with an addiction to marijuana went through what amounted to a small bit of hell when they quit – flu like symptoms coupled with just being a real pain to be around. Not fun. Lucky for me – or should I say luck for my girlfriend? – that I didn’t have to deal with that.

I’ve not told everyone that I’m done with weed, at least for awhile. Its hard facing up to your friends with that kind of information. At least it is when it’s those friends who you’ve gotten high with for 10 years, your mutual marijuana addiction being the glue that binds you, basically, whether you want to admit it or not. I don’t think some of my friends will be happy to hear it. Ten bucks says I get lots of sarcastic remarks designed to make me kinda bad and them a little better about their own marijuana addiction.

It’s not going to change anything though – I’m learning how to quit smoking weed for me, not them, for my future family, not theirs. Time to grow up – as I don’t want to be a Daddy one day smoking weed secretly from my kids, and then telling them not to do drugs themselves.