Hypnotherapy For Smoking Cessation

Something a little different…I hope that this helps some of you!

One way to help yourself kick a habit is to list all of the detrimental effects that it is having on your life and to internalize them. However, I have been doing that for a long time and have made countless lists. It’s time for something different now.

The following are some of the most common excuses I have been using for the past year to keep myself in the habit of smoking weed. Many of you may use these excuses too. Despite having a strong desire to quit, these commonly occuring thoughts have provided me with a reason to keep the habit around just a little bit longer – it’s time to decipher them an to provide an explanation for why each one of the excuses is complete bullshit. Once something is in writing…it’s a little bit easier to internalize. So here goes.

1) ” What if the people who I normally get stoned with are upset that I’m not hanging out with them anymore? They’re going to think that I’ve been using them for weed. I should get stoned with them once in a while so that I don’t upset anyone “

Well, the reason I hang out with those people so often is so that I can get stoned. So yes, in a way I AM using them, even if they are ‘my friends’ – I wouldn’t normally be hanging around them nearly as much if it wasn’t for getting high. And that’s what makes it an issue. I owe it to myself, and to the other party, to have genuine relationships that aren’t built on superficial things such as weed. Every time I call up one of these friends to hang out – I am doing it with a certain intention, and this won’t be an excuse anymore. Furthermore, if these friends truly care about me they will understand why I need to steer clear of them for a while.

2) ” But what about when I’m at a party or some other social gathering and there’s lots of weed around. If I’m going to be drinking and relaxing at a social event anyway, why can’t I get stoned during that time too? It’s not like I’m doing anything productive during that time anyway.”

Because going cold-turkey is what helps you to kick the habit. It doesn’t matter whether it’s “the perfect time to get stoned” or if “I’m not doing anything productive anyway”. Smoking weed doesn’t only affect me during that “perfect time” – the effects last on for the rest of the day and for the following days too. (Anxiety, paranoia, lethargy, lack of motivation, depression). Each time I smoke weed, it will be harder to say no the next time – so it doesn’t matter if I’m at a party or not. In the past, I would go to parties and have a wonderful time even if I wasn’t getting stoned, and I shouldn’t have any issue experiencing that again.

3) ” But what if someone has some amazing Kush from the Amazonian villages of Ecuador that’s been cross-breeded with sunshine and rainbows and magical fairy dust? It would be silly not to say “yes” to such an opportunity!”

Simply put – no. If someone offered me the most amazing, expensive, rare cut of cocaine known to man – would I accept just because of the rarity of the opportunity. NO! Because I don’t do coke. If I don’t smoke weed either, then it doesn’t matter how good the weed is. Besides, the better the weed, the more it’s going to knock me flat onto my face and make me entirely incapacitated. Good weed does not equal good high – it just means I’ll get more fucked up, and that’s not always necessarily a good thing.

4) ” But what if I’m chilling at somebody’s apartment and there are bongs and weed everywhere, and everyone is sitting around getting stoned and offering it to me. Won’t it be weird if I’m the only one who’s not high? If everyone else is stoned, I might as well be stoned too!”

Having weed directly in your vicinity presents a definite temptation for sure. The best plan would be to avoid these situations in the first place, but because weed is such a huge part of University culture, it will be impossible to avoid all the time. However, nobody is going to notice or care that they’re stoned and I’m not. A sober person can definitely recognize when a person is stoned – but people who are stoned RARELY notice when a person is sober! I know that when I’m stoned and somebody tells me that they’re sober, I’m all like “WHAT? YOU ARE? I could have SWORN you were stoned? How come you’re laughing so much if you’re not high?” Nobody is going to notice. Furthermore, I can carry on an intelligent, fluid, calm conversation much more easily when I’m sober. People who are stoned can always appreciate someone who can keep the conversation in the room flowing – because it’s often hard for them to do themselves. Plus I’m not worried about people thinking I’m “not cool” – I’m 20 years old so that isn’t really a problem. Social situations are less awkward and anxiety provoking and much more enjoyable when sober. I can be myself and show people who I really am through the things that I say because they will be genuine and not ridiculous stoner rambling.

5) “But eating is much more enjoyable when you’re stoned!”

That’s easy, because I’m trying to watch what I eat anyway. I won’t get intense cravings for sugary/fatty/salty foods and I’ll be able to practice moderation. My appetite may be slightly fucked for a few days…but I’m sure I can manage that

6) “Well, I know that I’m eventually going to toke some reefer again one day. If I already know that I’ll do it again sometime, I might as well just take one last hit today…what difference does it make?”

The difference it makes is that when making this excuse every day, you end up getting stoned every day “for the last time until the next time”. There’s no reason to put it off or to assume that “this one last hit” won’t make a difference. It makes a difference because the last hit is never the last hit. Also, there’s no use in thinking about the day that I’m going to get stoned however many months from now. Right now, I am QUITTING – and I’m not going to think about getting stoned again until the day that I haven’t been stoned in so long that I don’t even care for it anymore and I forget what it feels like.

7) “But, many successful people including Doctors, Lawyers, and Politicians smoke weed and it doesn’t affect them negatively. If they can do it and be successful, then so can I!”

No. Because I have tried to be the “successful stoner” and all that came of it was pure failure. Those people smoke weed – they don’t have a drug problem, and there is a huge difference. They have the right to smoke weed sometimes if they want because it ISN’T a problem for them. But it IS a problem for me. There’s no use discussing whether that makes me weak, unintelligent, or unmotivated. The fact is that I can’t be a successful weed user and they can. That’s all it is, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m also not one of those people that’s so naturally brilliant that no amount of narcotics can bring me down. I’m not the stoner who smokes weed and then gets a sudden rush of creativity and intellectual ability. I’m the stoner who becomes incapacitated, depressed, and then eats my face off. I’m simply not the “successful stoner” and there’s no use trying to prove that I can be – it doesn’t make me a more respectable person if I can pull it off.

“But I’ll be much better at doing whatever I’m trying to do if I’m stoned. It will make me better at school, more creative, more energetic, and in a better mood.”

This is one of the most common excuses that I use…and yet it’s the most bullsh*t one. Being stoned has NEVER made me any of those things. Never have I gotten stoned and become smarter, more creative, more energetic, happier, calmer, or in a better mood. NEVER. It always makes me the total opposite of all of those things. EVERY TIME.

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