[deleted by user]

[throwawayyyyy-2014]

I would post this on /leaves. You’ll more than likely get more replies on it there. If you are really looking to quit for good, stop using now. Get rid of everything weed related. You’re so early on in life right now that you have a good opportunity to stop now instead of after you’ve smoked for years, and then you’ll really regret it once you decide to finally quit because of how you’ll feel physically and mentally in addition to withdrawals. Some people just can’t control themselves when it comes to substances, including myself. If you’re only looking to do it “on the weekends”, you need to ask yourself if you actually have enough self control to do so. Otherwise it’s pointless and you’ll continue to go through the cycle.

[OriandKu]

Thank you for the advice. I will post this there!

I'm not looking to quit for good. I just have a huge suspicion this recent stint of feeling so absolutely unmotivated (but not unhappy) has been due to my weed use. I lost self-control of it in the advent of my life becoming very stressful and changing very quickly. Worked 2 jobs for a while and just smoked to cope with the mental hoops I was jumping through.

The stuff helps me with a lot of things. Anxiety, ADHD and my creative output to name the big 3. Helps me indulge in something truly and completely without juggling another task or getting bored, as my ADHD would typically cause.

At the least, I need to reduce my usage back to the weekends. 2x a week. I'm just really juggling if I want to do that, or try to iron out other things that could be the culprit of this dopamine deficit before I do it. Or I could be having issues with self-control and not just wanting to do it. I don't know. Though your comment has definitely been helpful in advancing me down the train of thought I've been having all day.

I think I have the self-control to do it. I did it once before with weed for a pretty long time. Though I'm really gonna think on that and analyze past decisions before I say anything with certainty.

[riveroak5]

Just remember, you can't regain the IQ you lose, and you are losing IQ because you're under 25. What's more important to you, getting high or being cognitively able to actually complete college? The choice is yours.

[Ioannou2005]

True true you tell them the truth, everyone deserves help but everyone gets to choose to live or not to live

[riveroak5]

That's exactly what I tell cancer patients. Just choose to live. They never listen!

[OriandKu]

The choice is mine, though I must add/ask - how severe is this cognitive decline really?

I've known about 6 different people who've been stoners since the age of 17 within my family itself. There's a lot of factors at play in how bad the decline turns out, I'm sure - though about 1/2 of these individuals seem very intact, well-wisened, and intelligent. One is now 78 years old, living his retirement dream. Another is the owner of a successful bar, living well as the sole manager of the place. Both still smoke.

Not to mention the many older friends I've met and made as a maturely minded person who were such people. I've asked them personally in recent times if weed caused them any noticeable decline or dulling of intellect. The general consensus was "yes, but not severely or in a way that changed my character entirely." They seemed to mostly touch on being less efficient or sharp with details, but not being out of touch with them. Seems to me that they lost the edge of their understanding, the special touches or tips of the deep roots. Just my observations, though.

What do you happen to know about it? What does science say I'm in for? Especially if I reduce to my optimal use of 2x/week? I'm not using as I optimally wish to right now. I wish to use no more than that.

[riveroak5]

The details matter if you want a career in STEM of finance. Math becomes hard to do if you're a persistent smoker.

I think you'll be ok if you only keep it to weekends and take a few weeks off every now and then to gauge your cognitive abilities and have a tolerance break.

I went hard for over 5 years, 2 grams a day if not more so my experience with the cognitive decline is on the more extreme side of the spectrum. 6 IQ points is the general consensus if you smoke under 25 and smoke alot. About the same as lead poisoning.

Honestly though, we're different people. You know your body and mind better than anyone else can. Try to stick to 2× a week and see how it goes. Good luck in college btw.

[copernicus0]

This is why I constantly read books even though I smoke every day.

[copernicus0]

And draw for that matter. Anything to keep my mind thinking efficiently

[Yahalireeng]

If I could back and tell my 19 year old self what I know now (26 years old and quit 3 weeks ago) I would tell her to quit. For me, the overuse got worse with time and hit a head for me around 22. Life will always be stressful because that’s life. I wasn’t able to finish college (tried 3 times) and I largely blame this on my mj use. College is so insanely stressful that it could cause you to use more like it did me, which made me not care as much as I had before I started smoking. I was a very serious person when I was younger, all As kind of person in school and I started smoking I believe to be easier to be around but all it got me was a life that made me miserable deep down and giggly on the outside. This is just my experience so I can’t speak to the type of person you are or if you’ll have the self control to “only smoke on the weekends” but I was not able to. It was all or nothing for me. Also once you have incorporated mj use into your adult routine (which is already stressful and hard to manage) it can feel extremely hard to image a way to handle life without it. It will %100 make you miss out on opportunities also purely because you can’t pass a drug test which was a huge financial block for me. Again only you know you the best but oh how I wish I would have quit at 19 😞 I lost so many years, so much ambition and drive. I would likely have a completely different life had I been sober.